Muhammad b. ‘Ali once asked his father, Ali b. Abi Talib, “Who is the best of people after the Messenger of Allah?”

Ali said: “Abu Bakr.”

I said: “Then who?”

He said: “Then Umar.”

[Sahih al-Bukhari]

#Authentic_Merits_of_Umar

Muhammad b. Ali said: I feared that he would then say “Uthman”, so I said: “and then yourself?”

He replied: “I am but a man among the Muslims”.