4-127 Abu Abdullah al-Hussein ibn Muhammad al-Ashnani - the judge in Balkh - narrated that his grandfather quoted Ibrahim ibn Nasr, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Sa’id, on the authority of Sharik, on the authority of Abi Rabi’a al-Ayadi, on the authority of Ibn Barida, on the authority of his father that

God’s Prophet ﷺ said, “The Honorable the Exalted God ordered me to love four of my companions. I was also informed that God loves them.” He was told, “O Prophet of God! Who are they? We love to be amongst them.” The Prophet ﷺ said, “Ali is one of them.” They he became silent. Then he went on saying, “Ali is one of them. The rest are Abuzar, Salman and Miqdad ibn al-Aswad al-Kindi.”