The Four Companions
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 ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib after the death of Muḥammad:
Those among Muhammad's companions who were closest to ‘Alī were called Shī‘ati ‘Alī "partisans of ‘Alī" during Muhammad's lifetime and it was for these primarily that the following hadith was said:
Glad tidings, ‘Alī! Truly you and your partisans will be in Paradise.
These companions are later referred to as "Real Shī‘ī". ‘Abdu l-Lāhi bni ‘Abbās, Muhammad ibn Abī Bakr and Malik al-Ashtar were other such partisans. However, it is only The Four Companions that are believed to have attained the rank of "the Real Shī‘ah" and remained so.