Hadith: There were among the nations before you people who were inspired. If there is any of such among my followers, then it is ‘Umar

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : «لقد كان فيما قبلكم من الأمم ناس محدثون، فإن يك في أمتي أحد فإنه عمر».
[صحيح] - [متفق عليه، لكنه عند البخاري من حديث أبي هريرة وعند مسلم من حديث عائشة]

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There were among the nations before you people who were inspired. If there is any of such among my followers, then it is ‘Umar."
[Authentic hadith] - [Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim]

Explanation

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) speaks of an extraordinary merit that belongs to ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him). The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said that there were in the previous nations people who were inspired to do what is correct. They would speak and their speech would be in accordance with the truth. That is an honor that Allah bestows upon His servants, that when they say something or give a religious opinion or pass a judgment, they find out afterwards that what they said or did was in compliance with the truth. ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was one of the most guided to the truth. The conditional clause "if there is among my followers people as such" does not indicate doubt, since the Ummah of Islam is the best and most perfect of nations. Rather, it indicates emphasis. If it is established that people who received divine inspiration existed in other nations, then they exist among the Muslims with greater reason. Verily, the stronger the person's belief in Allah is and the more obedient he is to Allah, the more Allah guides him to the truth in proportion to what he possesses of faith, knowledge, and good deeds. For example, he would do something that he believes to be true without knowing a proof from the Qur'an and the Sunnah. Then when he checks or inquires, he finds that he has indeed acted according to the Qur'an and the Sunnah. This is an extraordinary honor from Allah. ‘Umar was one of such people, as the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said about him: "If there are people as such among my followers, then it is ‘Umar.