He said: Abul Hasan ALI b. Muhammad al-Katib reported to me from al-Hasan b. ALI al-Za'farani, who reported from Ibrahim b. Muhammad al-Thaqafi, who reported from Uthman b. Abi Shaibah from Amru b. Maymoon, from Ja'far b. Muhammad from his father, from his grandfather, peace be upon them, that:
AMIRUL MO’MINEEN (ASWS) ALI BIN ABI TALIB (ASWS), peace be upon him, once said from the pulpit of Kufa: "O people, the MESSENGER of ALLAH (SWT), peace be upon him and his progeny, has awarded me ten traits; and they are dearer to me than anything upon which the sun shines." He said to me:
ALI (ASWS), you are my brother in this world and in the next;
And on the Day of Judgement, when we stand before the Almighty, you will be nearest of all to me;
Your abode in Paradise will be facing mine, the way brothers in faith live, with their houses facing each other;
You are my heir;
You are my executor after me, to fulfil my promises and my affairs;
And in my absence, you are the guardian of my family, on my behalf;
You are the Imam of my Ummah;
You are the one to uphold justice among my subjects;
You are my beloved one; and ALLAH (SWT) loves who I love;
Your foe is my foe and my foe is the foe of ALLAH (SWT).
(Ref: Al Amali Shakih Mufeed The Twenty Second Assembly Hadees No. 4 )