´Ibn Buraidah narrated that his father said:` "The Messenger of Allah said: 'Allah has commanded me to love four people, and He told me that He also loves them.' He was asked: 'O Messenger of Allah, who are they?' He said: ''Ali is one of them,' and he said that three times, 'and Abu Dharr, Salman and Miqdad.'"
Hadith Referenceسنن ابن ماجه / باب فى فضائل اصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم / 149
´Narrated Buraidah:` that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Indeed Allah has ordered me to love four, and He informed me that He loves them." It was said: "O Messenger of Allah! Name them for us." He said: "'Ali is among them," saying that three times, "And Abu Dharr, Al-Miqdad, and Salman. And He ordered me to love them, and He informed me that He loves them."
Shaykh Dr. Abdur Rahman Freywai
Explanation: Note: (In the chain of narration, Abu Rabi‘ah al-Ayadi is weak in hadith, and Sharik al-Qadi has poor memory.)
Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhi – Majlis ‘Ilmi Dar al-Da‘wah, New Delhi Edition, Page: 3718