I asked my father, "Who is the best of people after the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?"He said, "Abu Bakr."I asked, "Then who?"He said, "Then Umar."Fearing he would say Uthman, I asked, "Then you?"He replied, "I am nothing but a man from among the Muslims."
قلت لأبي: أي الناس خير بعد رسول الله ﷺ؟ قال: أبو بكر، قلت: ثم من؟ قال: ثم عمر، وخشيت أن يقول: عثمان، قلت: ثم أنت؟ قال: ما أنا إلا رجل من المسلمين.
Bukhari narrated it in Fadail al-Sahabah (3671) from Muhammad bin Kathir, from Sufyan, who said, Jami bin Abu Rashid narrated to us, Abu Yaala narrated to us, from Muhammad bin Hanafiya, who said, then he mentioned it.