Abu Hurairah reported,
It was asked, "Messenger of Allah, who is the noblest of people?"He replied, "The most God-conscious of them."They said, "This is not what we are asking about."He said, "Then it is Yusuf, the prophet of Allah, son of the prophet of Allah, son of the prophet of Allah, son of the close friend of Allah."They said, "This is not what we are asking about either."He said, "Then you are 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."
Muslim 6161
Difficultحدثنا زهير بن حرب ومحمد بن المثنى وعبيد الله بن سعيد قالوا حدثنا يحيى بن سعيد عن عبيد الله أخبرني سعيد بن أبي سعيد عن أبيه
عن أبي هريرة قال
قيل يا رسول الله من أكرم الناس قال أتقاهم قالوا ليس عن هذا نسألك قال فيوسف نبي الله ابن نبي الله ابن نبي الله ابن خليل الله قالوا ليس عن هذا نسألك قال فعن معادن العرب تسألوني خيارهم في الجاهلية خيارهم في الإسلام إذا فقهوا
10 - We have also cited the hadith of Yahya Qattan, from Ubaydullah, from Saeed, from his father, from Abu Hurairah, "It was said, O Messenger of Allah, who is the most honorable of people." Yahya was contradicted by a group of narrators, including Abu Usama, Ibn Numayr, Abda, Mutamir, Muhammad bin Bishr, and others, who narrated it from Ubaydullah, from Saeed, from Abu Hurairah, without mentioning "his father." Bukhari cited both versions together, while Muslim cited only the version of Yahya without those who contradicted him.
Bukhari's hadith. The Hafiz said in the Muqaddimah, after citing Daraqutni's statement, "I say, he did narrate it, and he did not fail to relate the disagreement concerning it." End of quote. Mutamir, Abu Usama, and others [narrated it], so in his view the matter remains open to either possibility, while the majority, and Yahya, hold otherwise. I say, Daraqutni in Ilal, volume 3, page 14, after mentioning the disagreement, states that the correct view is that of Yahya.