Hazrat Ali (RA)
‘Abdu Khayr reported: Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “Shall I not inform you of the best from this nation after its Prophet? It is Abu Bakr, and the best after him is Umar. Then, Allah places goodness wherever He wishes.”
عَنْ عَبْدِ خَيْرٍ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ أَلا أُخْبِرُكُمْ بِخَيْرِ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ بَعْدَ نَبِيِّهَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَخَيْرُهَا بَعْدَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ عُمَرُ ثُمَّ يَجْعَلُ اللهُ الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ أَحَبَّ
Ponder This Quote
If Ali believed Abu Bakr and Umar were the best people after the Prophet ﷺ, then he did not believe himself to be divinely appointed – because divine appointment, by definition, cannot belong to one who is less virtuous than those who are not.