Volume 5, Book 57, Number 34:
Narrated Ibn Abbas:
When (the dead body of) ‘Umar was put on his deathbed, the people gathered around him and in –
voked (Allah) and prayed for him before the body was taken away, and I was amongst them. Sud –
denly I felt somebody taking hold of my shoulder and found out that he was ‘Ali bin Abi Talib. ‘Ali
invoked Allah’s Mercy for ‘Umar and said, “O ‘Umar! You have not left behind you a person whose
deeds I like to imitate and meet Allah with more than I like your deeds. By Allah! I always thought
that Allah would keep you with your two companions, for very often I used to hear the Prophet say –
ing, ‘I, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar went (somewhere); I, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar entered (somewhere); and I,
Abu Bakr and ‘Umar went out.”‘