When the verse "Allah will bring forth a people whom He loves and who love Him" [Maidah 5:54] was revealed, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "They are the people of this man," meaning Abu Musa al-Ashari.
لما نزلت {فسوف يأتي الله بقوم يحبهم ويحبونه} قال رسول الله ﷺ: هم قوم هذا يعني أبا موسى الأشعري.
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Ibn Abu Hatim narrated it in his Tafsir (4/1160), Ibn Jareer in his Tafsir (8/521), Tammam in his Fawaid (1108), and Bayhaqi in Dalail (5/351–352), all of them from the hadith of Simak bin Harb, from Iyad Ashari, from Abu Musa Ashari, who said, then he mentioned it. The wording given here is that of Ibn Abu Hatim.In some of the narrations, he said, "I recited before the Prophet ﷺ, "then Allah will bring a people whom He loves and who love Him" [Maidah 5:54]." He said, "They are your people, the people of Yemen."Its isnad is hasan because of Simak bin Harb, for his hadith is hasan.However, Tabarani narrated it (17/371), as did Ibn Jareer Tabari in his Tafsir, Hakim (2/313), and Ibn Abu Asim in Ahad wal-Mathani (4/460), all of them from the hadith of Simak bin Harb, from Iyad Ashari, who said, "When this verse was revealed, "O you who believe, whoever among you turns back from his religion, then Allah will bring a people whom He loves and who love Him" [Maidah 5:54], the Messenger of Allah ﷺ gestured towards Abu Musa Ashari with something he had with him, then said, 'They are the people of this one.'"There is disagreement about whether Iyad was a companion. A group of scholars held that he was a Tabi, and this hadith of his is mursal.