Abu al-Aswad Wardan al-Kindi narrates: One day we were with Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), and the people found him in a cheerful mood, so someone said: O Commander of the Faithful, tell us about your companions. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: About which of my companions? The man said: About the Companions of Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: All the Companions of Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) are my companions too; about which of them do you want to ask? The people said: Tell us about Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: He recited the Qur'an and acquired knowledge of the Sunnah, and that is sufficient for him. The narrator says: By Allah! We did not understand what he meant by "that is sufficient for him": whether he meant that acquiring the knowledge of the Qur'an and the knowledge of the Sunnah is sufficient, or that this is sufficient for Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him). The narrator says: He was asked about Sayyiduna Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him), and he said: He used to ask questions frequently; sometimes he was answered and sometimes he was not. He was very eager and covetous regarding his religion, and eager for knowledge. He is an ocean for whom a vessel was filled until it became full. We said: Tell us about Sayyiduna Hudhayfah bin al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him). He said: He knew the names of the hypocrites; he asked about difficult matters and understood them, and you will find him knowledgeable about those things. The narrator said: Tell us about Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Which of you could be like Luqman the Wise? Salman was one of us, a member of the Ahl al-Bayt. He attained the earlier and the later knowledge, and attained the knowledge of the earlier and the later Book. He was an ocean that does not run dry. We said: Tell us about Sayyiduna Ammar bin Yasir (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: He was a man in whose flesh, blood, hair and skin faith had become infused; wherever he was, faith was with him. It is not fitting for the Fire to consume anything of him. We said: Tell us about yourself. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Stop! Allah Almighty has forbidden praising oneself. A man said to him: But Allah Almighty has also said: "As for the favour of your Lord, proclaim it." Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Then, proclaiming the favour of my Lord, I say: By Allah! I was a person who, when I asked for something, was given it, and when I remained silent, was approached first.
Al-Tabarani recorded it through two routes. The better of the two contains a narrator, Hibban bin Ali, about whom there is disagreement; the remaining narrators of this report are the narrators of the Sahih.
Hadith Referenceمجمع الزوائد ومنبع الفوائد / كتاب المناقب / 14941