‏فضائل الصحابة‏ : Hadeeth No:5871 'Abdullah b. Mas'ud reported Allaah's Messenger (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) as saying: If I were to choose a bosom friend I would have definitely chosen Abu Bakr as my bosom friend, but he is my brother and my companion and Allaah, the Exalted and Gliorious. has taken your brother and companion (...

‏الجهاد والسير‏ : Hadeeth No:4463 A similar tradition has been narrated on the authority of Hisham b. Hassan through a different chain of transmitters....