Hadith No: 3
Ibn al-Maghazili - Manaqib Amiri al-Mu'minin Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him)
53 - His statement, peace be upon him and his holy progeny: "The example of Ali in this ummah is like the example of the Kaaba."
Volume: (1) - Page Number: (164)
[The text is lengthy, so only the relevant excerpt is provided here.]
149 - Abu Ghalib Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Sahil al-Nahwi narrated to us, with permission, that Abu Tahir Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Umar ibn Yahya al-Alawi told them, saying: Abu al-Mufazzal Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Ubaydullah ibn al-Mutalib al-Shaybani narrated to us, saying: Muhammad ibn Mahmoud, son of the granddaughter of al-Ashajj al-Kindi al-Kufi, a resident of Aswan in the year 318, narrated to us, saying: Muhammad ibn Anbas ibn Hisham al-Nashiri narrated to us, saying: Ishaq ibn Yazid narrated to me, from Abd al-Mu'min ibn al-Qasim, from Saleh ibn Mitham, from Yareem ibn al-'Alaa
from Abu Dharr, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) said: "The example of Ali among you," or he said, "in this ummah, is like the example of the Kaaba, whether it is covered or well-known. Looking at it is an act of worship, and pilgrimage to it is an obligation." Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn al-Mutalib said: I discussed this with Abu al-Abbas ibn 'Aqda al-Hafiz, who found it commendable and said to me: "Yareem ibn al-'Alaa was known by the kunya Abu al-'Alaa. He narrated from Abu Dharr and Qays ibn Sa'd. He witnessed Ali's (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) encounters and then died in the prison of al-Hajjaj. Abu Ishaq, Imran, and Saleh, the sons of Mitham, narrated from him."