It is recorded in Sunan ad-Daarimee, upon the authority of Abu Hurayrah (radee’Allaahu anhu) that both Abu Bakr (radee’Allaahu anhu) & Ali (radee’Allaahu anhu) arrived at the door of Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhee wa aalehee wasalaam) & Abu Bakr (radee’Allaahu anhu) said, 

 “Ya Ali, you go first.”

 Ali (radee’Allaahu anhu) replied:

“Please you go before me.”

Ali (radee’Allaahu anhu) then said:

“I will never go in front of a man of whom the Messenger (sallallahu alayhee wa aalehee wasalaam) said the sun never rises or sets on any better man than Abu Bakr (radee’Allaahu anhu).” 

Abu Bakr (radee’Allaahu anhu) replied:

“How can I go before whom the Messenger (sallallahu alayhee wa aalehee wasalaam) said the best woman (Fatimah, radee’Allaahu anha) was given to the best man.” 

Ali (radee’Allaahu anhu) then said;

“I will never enter before a person whom the Messenger (sallallahu alayhee wa aalehee wasalaam) said on the Day of Judgement a call will come from Almighty Allaah saying “O Abu Bakr! You & the ones that love you enter Jannaah!’” 

Abu Bakr (radee’Allaahu anhu) replied;

“I will never go before you because you will come rising on the Day of Judgement and it will be said that ‘he was a good man, a good brother & a good father.’” 

So Ali (radee’Allaahu anhu) then said:

“I will never go before you when the Prophet  (sallallahu alayhee wa aalehee wasalaam) said, ‘If the Eemaan of Abu Bakr (radee’Allaahu anhu) was placed on one side of the scale & the Eemaan of the Ummaah on the other the Eemaan of Abu Bakr (radee’Allaahu anhu) would outweigh it.’” 

Abu Bakr (radee’Allaahu anhu) replied:

“I cannot go before the one who the Prophet (sallallahu alayhee wa aalehee wasalaam) said on the Day of Judgement ‘Ali (radee’Allaahu anhu) will come with his wife Fatimah (radee’Allaahu anhâ) their two children riding on a camel & the people will ‘Who is this O Prophet (sallallahu alayhee wa aalehee wasalaam)?’ and the reply will be given, ‘This is the one whom Allaah loves.’” 

Ali (radee’Allaahu anhu) then replied that the Messenger (sallallahu alayhee wa aalehee wasalaam) said:

“Allaah said, “The one who brought ‘Sidq’ was Rasool’Allaah (sallallahu alayhee wa aalehee wasalaam) & the ‘Siddeeq’ is the one that follows.” Jibreel (alayhee salaam) was then instructed to go to Muhammad ((sallallahu alayhee wa aalehee wasalaam)) & say, “Allaah sends His salam & all the malaaika are listening to the conversation between Abu Bakr (radee’Allaahu anhu) & Ali (radee’Allaahu anhu) go out & be the third one to resolve it! Allaah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) sends his special rahmah & has built a fence of Eemaan & Adab between them.”

(Meaning they are the people of Adab) 

The Prophet  sallallahu alayhee wa aalehee wasalaam)  then came out and kissed both of them & said:

“By the one in whose hand lays my soul – if the sea was ink & the trees pens and the creations of the heavens & the earth were writing they would never be able to write about your virtues nor describe your words.”