Imamat 1 - Chp 5

Ibne Abbas narrates-I was going with Umar in One Night, he was riding on a donkey and I was on a horse, then Umar recited before me Aayat, which was about Ali (a.s.) and Umar said “O Son of Abdul Muttalib, I Swear, certainly Ali (a.s.) is superior then me and Abu Baqr”. Ibne Abbas was surprised and said “Then, Why you yourself first advocated Abu Baqr ? Umar said” Whatever we did was not due to enimity but because Ali (a.s.) was very young and people would not have accepted. Then, Ibne Abbas said “Prophet (s.a.w.w.) was not worried about the point which you said, and you were worried ?”

Ref: Kanzul Ummal by Muttaqi Hindi, Vol.6 , Pg.391.

Ahmad ibn Hambal was once asked by his son about his views on the subject of superiority. He said: Abu Bakr and Umar and Uthman. His son asked: And what about Ali ibn AbiTalib (a.s.)? He replied : He is from the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.). Others cannot be compared with him