Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Yahya al-`Attar narrated to us. He said: My father narrated to us from Muhammad b. `Abd al-Jabbar from Abi Ahmad al-Azdi from Aban b. `Uthman from Aban b. Taghlub from `Ikrama from Ibn `Abbas. He said:

The Messenger of Allah (s) said: Surely, Allah created the brotherhood bond between me and `Ali b. Abi Talib, and [decided] over the seven heavens to have him married to my daughter, and had His Angels of Proximity bear witness over that, and made him a deputy and a vicegerent for me. `Ali is from me and I am from him. Those who love him love me, and those who hate him hate me. Surely, the angels gain Allah’s proximity by loving him.