I don't even understand how `Ali can be better than Abu Bakr, the man embraced Islam without question while being in his thirties or late twenties, he had a wife and family, he had an important status in society and a lot to lose. `Ali embraced Islam as a boy around seven or eight per my research and per the popular opinion as well (he died at 58 at the year 40, do the math) he was living off of the Prophet (saw) and residing in his house. Abu Bakr spent his wealth on Islam and freed slaves and helped convert many of the major Islamic personalities to Islam. `Ali had nothing to offer at the time and he hid his Islam while Abu Bakr was the first to announce his Islam publicly. Abu Bakr defended the Prophet (saw) when the pagans assaulted him and got beaten up more than once for doing so, he had no weapons nor an army behind him. Abu Bakr risked his own family's life by ordering them to help the Prophet (saw) escape Makkah. `Ali was under the protection of his strong tribe. While Abu Bakr served as the companion and right hand man of the Prophet (saw), `Ali was maturing and became a strong warrior whose main contribution was on the battle fields, Allah even instructed the Prophet (saw) to consult Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr with a known weakness in his body still participated in battle and fought valiantly. The Prophet (saw) appointed Abu Bakr to lead armies, he appointed him as the first man to lead the Muslims to Hajj and teach them the rites and he appointed him to lead the prayer of the Muslims in his final days. When the Prophet (saw) died it was Abu Bakr who addressed the Muslims and handled the situation, it was he who calmed them down, it was he who instructed them on how to pray Janazah and how to bury the Prophet (saw), it was Abu Bakr who stopped the Fitnah that could have happened between the Muhajiroun and the Ansar, while `Ali did nothing except stay with his relatives in Fatimah's house. When he as a Caliph, Abu Bakr was the first man to collect the Qur'an, not `Ali as they falsely claim. Abu Bakr established the religious state officially and defended it from its enemies at a sensitive time when it was weak and the situation was chaotic. Abu Bakr only had three women and died not leaving much wealth, while `Ali had many wives (Fatimah, Khawla, Umamah, Umm al Banin, Layla, Asma', Umm Habib, Mukhbi'ah, Umm Sa`id) and a long list of mothers of children (nineteen female servants who bore him many kids) as well as vast lands (check his Will in Sunni and Shia books).