It was asked, "Messenger of Allah, who is the noblest of people?"He replied, "The most God-fearing of them."They said, "This is not what we are asking you about."He said, "Then it is Yusuf, the prophet of Allah, son of the prophet of Allah, son of the intimate friend of Allah."They said, "This is not what we are asking you about."He said, "Then are you asking me about the lineages of the Arabs? The best of them in the days of ignorance are the best of them in Islam, provided they gain understanding of the religion."
قيل يا رسول الله، من أكرم الناس؟ قال: أتقاهم. قالوا: ليس عن هذا نسألك. قال: فيوسف نبي الله ابن نبي الله ابن خليل الله. قالوا: ليس عن هذا نسألك. قال: فعن معادن العرب تسألون؟ خيارهم في الجاهلية خيارهم في الإسلام إذا فقهوا.
Bukhari related it in the Book of Prophets (3353), and Muslim in the Book of Virtues (2378), both from the hadith of Yahya bin Saeed, who said, Ubaydullah told us, who said, Saeed bin Abu Saeed told me, from his father, from Abu Hurairah, and he mentioned the hadith, and their wording is identical.