It was narrated that Wahb as-Suwa`i said:
`Ali (رضي الله عنه) addressed us and said: Who is the best of this ummah after its Prophet ? I said: You, O Ameer al-Mu`mineen. He said: No, the best of this ummah after its Prophet is Abu Bakr, then `Umar (رضي الله عنهما), and it would not be far-fetched to suggest that tranquillity was uttered on the lips of `Umar (رضي الله عنه).