452 - And 'Abd Allah ibn Ahmad informed us, saying: Dawud ibn 'Amr al-Dabbi related to us—and my father selected it from him—saying: 'Ali ibn Hashim related to us, saying: Abu al-Jahhaf related to us, from Mu'awiyah ibn Tha'labah, who said: A man came to Abu Dharr while he was in the Mosque of the Messenger, and he said: O Abu Dharr, will you not inform me who is the most beloved of people to you? For I know that the most beloved of them to you is the most beloved of them to the Messenger of Allah. He said: "Yes, by the Lord of the Ka'bah, indeed the most beloved of them to me is the most beloved of them to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace; and he is that shaykh," and he pointed with his hand toward 'Ali, while he was praying in front of him."