‘Alī ibn ‘Abdullāh narrated to us, Yaḥyā ibn Sa’īd narrated to us, ‘Ubaydullāh narrated to us, who said: Sa’īd ibn Abī Sa’īd narrated to me, from his father,

from Abū Hurayrah (may Allāh be content with him): It was said, “O Messenger of Allāh, who is the most honourable of people?” He said: “The most God-fearing of them.” They said, “That is not what we are asking you about.” He said: “Then it is Yūsuf, the Prophet of Allāh, son of the Prophet of Allāh, son of the Prophet of Allāh, son of the Close Friend (Khalīl) of Allāh.” They said, “That is not what we are asking you about.” He said: “Then you are asking about the lineages (origins) of the Arabs. The best of them in the pre-Islamic period are the best of them in Islam, if they gain understanding (of the religion).”

Abū Usāmah and Mu’tamir also narrated from ‘Ubaydullāh, from Sa’īd, from Abū Hurayrah, from the Prophet ﷺ.