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