English Translation
Narrated Ibn 'Umar: During the lifetime of the Prophet we considered Abu Bakr as peerless and then 'Umar and then 'Uthman (coming next to him in superiority) and then we used not to differentiate between the companions of the Prophet
This hadith is from Sahih al-Bukhari, the most rigorously authenticated collection in Islamic scholarship. No editorial opinion is added.