The Four Companions

1. Salman al-Fārisī
2. Abū Dharr al-Ghifāri
3. Miqdad ibn Aswād al-Kindi
4. Ammār ibn Yāsir

Salman is generally considered to be the loftiest amongst these elite four in Shia theology. It is narrated from Muhammad that:

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. The following hadith is narrated about them from Jabir al-Ansari:

The Messenger of Allah said: "Glad tidings Oh Ali! For verily you and your companions and your Shi'ah will be in Heaven."

These companions were later referred to as "The Real Shia." Abdullah ibn Abbas, Ubay ibn Ka'b, Bilal ibn Rabah, Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, Malik al-Ashtar, and Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman were other such partisans. However, it is only The Four Companions that are supposed to have attained distinction in their devotion to Ali.