Hadith #161
Arabic Text
حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ الْأَعْمَشِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مُرَّةَ عَنْ أَبِي الْأَحْوَصِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنِّي أَبْرَأُ إِلَى كُلِّ خَلِيلٍ مِنْ خُلَّتِهِ وَلَوْ كُنْتُ مُتَّخِذًا خَلِيلًا لَاتَّخَذْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ خَلِيلًا وَإِنَّ صَاحِبَكُمْ خَلِيلُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ
English Translation
It was narrated from 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (رضي الله عنه) — via Sufyan, from al-A'mash, from 'Abdullah ibn Murra, from Abi al-Ahwas — from the Prophet ﷺ that he said: 'I declare myself free of intimate friendship [khulla] with every close companion. And if I were to take a close intimate friend [khalil], I would have taken Abu Bakr as one. Indeed, your companion [Muhammad] is the close intimate friend [khalil] of Allah (عز وجل).'
Topics
Quran References
Reference: Musnad Ahmad, Book 11, Hadith 161
Sunnah.com ref: Musnad Ahmad 3399
Islam.wiki ID: IWH-39789