Kindly inform me if this narration is authentic?
Sayyiduna ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab (radiyallahu ‘anhu) said: “Abu Bakr is our leader and the best of us and the most beloved of us to the Messenger of Allah”
Answer
Imams Tirmidhi and Hakim (rahimahumallah) have recorded this statement of Sayyiduna ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab (radiyallahu ‘anhu). They have both declared the Hadith authentic.
(Sunan Tirmidhi, Hadith: 3656, Mustadrak Hakim, vol. 3 pg. 66)
Imam Bukhari (rahimahullah) has recorded this as part of a longer narration with slight variation in the wording.
(Sahih Bukhari, Hadith: 3668)
Also see here.
And Allah Ta’ala Knows best.
Answered by: Moulana Suhail Motala
Approved by: Moulana Muhammad Abasoomar