One of the companions of the Prophet ﷺ reported that he asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, "Messenger of Allah, which people are the best?"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied, "A believer who strives with his life and his wealth in the path of Allah ."They asked, "Then who, Messenger of Allah?"He said, "Then a believer in one of the mountain passes who fears Allah and spares people from his harm."
حدثنا روح قال حدثنا صالح بن أبي الأخضر عن ابن شهاب أن
حدثه أن بعض أصحاب النبي ﷺ حدثه أنه قال لرسول الله ﷺ يا رسول الله أي الناس أفضل فقال رسول الله ﷺ مؤمن مجاهد بنفسه وماله في سبيل الله عز وجل قالوا ثم من يا رسول الله قال ثم مؤمن في شعب من الشعاب يتقي الله ويدع الناس من شره
Its isnad is sahih, its narrators are famous and trustworthy. The hadith has already appeared at 11777, see also its cross-references there. It appears with this same wording in Ibn Abu Shayba, 5/336, in the chapter on jihad, on what has been mentioned regarding the merit of jihad. Something similar to it is found in the Sahih collections.