The Four Companions

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Part of a series on Shī‘a Islam Image:Basmala.svg
Branches
Twelver · Ismaili · Zaidi
People of the House
Muhammad Ali ibn Abu Talib Fatima Zahra Hasan • Husayn
Beliefs & Practices
Succession of Ali Imamate of the Family Sahaba • The Four Companions View of the Qur'an Ghadir Khumm • Karbala Mourning of Muharram Light of Aql
See Also
History of Shia Islam
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The Four Companions, also called the Four Pillars of the Sahaba is a Shi'a term that refers to the four Sahaba Shi'a believe stayed most loyal to Ali ibn Abi Talib after the death of Muhammad:

Shi'a also believe they are among the group of the Muhammad's companions who were closest to Ali and were called Shiat Ali during Muhammad's lifetime, and it was for these primarily that the following hadith was said:

Glad tidings O Ali! Verily you and your Shia (followers) will be in Paradise.

These companions are later referred to as Real Shi'a. Sunnis tend to misunderstand this as referring to all other sahaba as non-Muslims. Such is not the case; non-extremist Shi'a do not deny the Islam of the other Sahaba, in fact many moderate shia believe many of them to be Shi'a, for example Ibn Abbas, Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr and Malik ibn Ashter, however, it is only "The Four Sahaba" that are believed to have attained the rank of Real Shi'a and remained so.