The Messenger of Allah ﷺ took me by the hand and said to me, "Abu Umama, among the believers are those whose hearts soften toward me."
أخذ بيدي رسول الله ﷺ فقال لي: يا أبا أمامة، إن من المؤمنين من يلين لي قلبه.
Imam Ahmad narrated it (22299) from Haywa, he said, Baqiya narrated to us, he said, Muhammad bin Ziyad narrated to us, he said, Abu Rashid Hubrani narrated to me, he said, Abu Umama Bahili took me by the hand and said, then he related it as mentioned.Its chain is hasan because of Baqiya bin Walid, for his hadith is hasan when he states his source explicitly.This falls under the category of the varying degrees among believers in their faith and their love for the Prophet ﷺ, for the common measure of love for the Prophet ﷺ is obligatory upon every Muslim, while this represents an increase in loving and honoring him. That is attained through sincere following, and diligence in emulating him in all his deeds, whether matters of faith, acts of worship, dealings, character, conduct, and so on. These are the ones whom the Prophet ﷺ informed that their hearts would soften toward him.