563 - Abu Bakr al-Marrudhi informed us, saying: I mentioned to Abu 'Abd Allah [Ahmad ibn Hanbal] that some of the Kufans used to say regarding the merit [of the Companions]: "Abu Bakr, 'Umar, and 'Ali." He was astonished by this statement. I said: "The people of Kufa hold this view." He replied: "No one says this except for someone who is afflicted with a cold [i.e., someone whose reason is clouded]." He then argued using the example of those who preferred 'Uthman over 'Ali, citing Ibn Mas'ud, and he said: Ibn Mas'ud said: "We appointed the best of those who remained, and we did not fall short." He also mentioned the statement of Ibn 'Umar and the statement of 'Aishah—may Allah have mercy upon her—regarding the story of 'Uthman, [noting] that she preferred him over 'Ali."