The Four Companions, also called the Four Pillars of the Sahaba, is a Shia term for the four Companions (ṣaḥāba) of the Islamic prophet Muhammad who are supposed to have stayed most loyal to Ali ibn Abi Talib after Muhammad's death in 632:[1][2]
Salman is generally considered to be the loftiest amongst these elite four in Shia theology. It is narrated from Muhammad that:[3]
Faith has ten grades, and Salman is on the tenth (i.e., highest) grade, Abu Dharr on the ninth, and Miqdad on the eighth grade.
Those among Muhammad's companions who were closest to Ali were called the shīʿat ʿAlī ('the partisans of Ali') during Muhammad's lifetime.[4] The following hadith is narrated about them from Jabir al-Ansari:[5]
The Messenger of Allah said: "Glad tidings Oh Ali! For verily you and your companions and your Shi'ah will be in Heaven."[6][7][8][9][10][11][12]
^ abJa'fariyan, Rasul (2014). "Umars Caliphate". History of the Caliphs. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. p. 290. ISBN9781312541085. Abu Hatin al-Razi says, "It is the appellation of those who were attached to Ali during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah, such as Salman, Abu Dharr Ghifari, Miqdad ibn al-Aswad and Ammar ibn Yasir and others. Concerning these four, the Messenger of Allah had declared, 'The paradise is eager for four men: Salman, Abu Dharr, Miqdad, and Ammar.'"