Abdullah bin Masud reported,
He reported from the Prophet ﷺ that he said, "Had I taken anyone as a closest friend, I would have taken Abu Bakr as my closest friend. But he is my brother and my companion, and Allah 
has taken your companion as His closest friend."
Ahmad 4182
Sahihحدثنا محمد بن جعفر حدثنا شعبة عن إسماعيل بن رجاء قال سمعت عبد الله بن أبي الهذيل يحدث عن أبي الأحوص قال سمعت
عبد الله بن مسعود
يحدث عن النبي ﷺ قال لو كنت متخذا خليلا لاتخذت أبا بكر خليلا ولكنه أخي وصاحبي وقد اتخذ الله عز وجل صاحبكم خليلا
أحمد 4182صحيح
Contents
Reference
Commentary
Ayat
Collection
Musnad Ahmad
Book
Abdullah bin Masud
Numbering
Darussalam 4182
Details
Collection
Musnad Ahmad
Book
Abdullah bin Masud
Numbering
Darussalam 4182
Ayat
No annotations are available.
Reference
Commentary
Ahmad Shakir
Its isnad is sahih. Ismail bin Raja bin Rabia Zubaydi is trustworthy. Ibn Main, Abu Hatim, Nasai and others attested to his trustworthiness, and Bukhari mentioned him in Kabir 1/1/353. The hadith is given in longer form at 4161.