(14) بَابُ: {أَمْ كُنْتُمْ شُهَدَاءَ إِذْ حَضَرَ يَعْقُوبَ الْمَوْتُ} إِلَى قَوْلِهِ: {وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ}
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Some people asked the Prophet: "Who is the most honorable amongst the people?" He replied, "The most honorable among them is the one who is the most Allah-fearing." They said, "O Allah's Prophet! We do not ask about this." He said, "Then the most honorable person is Joseph, Allah's Prophet, the son of Allah's Prophet, the son of Allah's Prophet, the son of Allah's Khalil." They said, "We do not ask about this." He said, "Then you want to ask me about the Arabs' descent?" They said, "Yes." He said, "Those who were best in the pre-lslamic period, are the best in Islam, if they comprehend (the religious knowledge).
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari 3374
In-book reference: Book 60, Hadith 53
USC-MSA web (English) reference(deprecated numbering scheme): Vol. 4, Book 55, Hadith 593