Hadith 6258
Buraida reported God's messenger as saying, "God who is blessed and exalted has commanded me to love four people, and He has informed me that He loves them." He was asked to name them and said, "`Ali is one of them (saying that three times), also Abu Dharr, al-Miqdad and Salman. He has commanded me to love them, and He has informed me that He loves them." Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a hasan gharib tradition.
وَعَنْ بُرَيْدَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى أَمرنِي بِحُبِّ أَرْبَعَةٍ وَأَخْبَرَنِي أَنَّهُ يُحِبُّهُمْ» . قِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ سَمِّهِمْ لَنَا قَالَ: «عَلِيٌّ مِنْهُمْ» يَقُولُ ذَلِكَ ثَلَاثًا «وَأَبُو ذَرٍّ وَالْمِقْدَادُ وَسَلْمَانُ أَمرنِي بحبِّهم وَأَخْبرنِي أَنه يحبُّهم» . رَوَاهُ التِّرْمِذِيُّ وَقَالَ: هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ