2334. Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Jaʿfar informed us; he said: Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Aylī narrated to us—in the year 320 AH—saying: Yaḥyā ibn ʿUthmān ibn Ṣāliḥ al-Miṣrī narrated to us; he said: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṣāliḥ narrated to us; he said: Nāfiʿ ibn Yazīd, from Zuhrah ibn Maʿbad, from Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib, from Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh, reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“Indeed Allah chose my Companions over all the inhabitants of the worlds, save the prophets and the messengers. From among my Companions He selected four for me: Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, and ʿAlī. These are the best of my Companions, and all of my Companions are virtuous. Moreover, He chose my nation above all other nations.”