Salafi Research Institute SRI
Translated
Abu Sinan
Checked & Revised
Abu Khuzaimah Ansaari
Taken from ‘Fadail As-Sahabah Sahih Riwayat Ki Roshni Mein’ (p.40-43)
Tahqiq and Takhrij by Shaykh Zubair ‘Aliza’i
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said on the Day of Khaybar, “Tomorrow, I will surely give this flag to a man by whose hands Allah will grant victory, he loves Allah and His Messenger, and Allah and His Messenger love him.” So [the Companions] stood up, hoping that they would be granted that flag. So the next day came and all of them were hoping that they would be granted [the flag] – then [the Messenger of Allah ﷺ] said, “Where is ‘Ali?” So it was said to him that he was suffering from pain in his eyes, so he ordered and he (‘Ali) was called for him. Then, [the Messenger of Allah ﷺ] spat in his eyes, and he became cured from his ailment until it was as if he had never been afflicted by anything. ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “We will fight them until they become like us (i.e., accept Islam).” So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied, “Slowly, until you reach their battlefield, then call them to Islam, and inform them of what is obligatory upon them, for by Allah! That one man is guided is guided through you is better for you than the red camels.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari #2942, Sahih Muslim #2406)
Allah (The Most High) granted victory to the Muslims by the hands of Sayyiduna ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) during the Battle of Khaybar – what a lofty status it is for Sayyiduna ‘Ali that Allah and His Messenger love him!
The Famous Companion of a great rank, the Conquerer of Al-Qadisiyyah[1], Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Abi Waqas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to ‘Ali, “You are, to me, in the position Harun was to Musa, except that there is no Prophet after me.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari #3706, Sahih Muslim #2404)
From this Hadith, a great position is established for Sayyiduna ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), however, one must remember that this has no relation to the Caliphate. Additionally, it is proven from this Hadith that after the Noble Prophet ﷺ until the Day of Ressurection, no Prophet will be born.
Sayyiduna ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated, “By The One Who split the seed, and created the breathing, verily the Unlettered Prophet ﷺ gave me a promise that no one will love me except for the believer, and no one will hate me except for the hypocrite.” (Sahih Muslim #78)
It has now become apparent that the Believers love Sayyiduna ‘Ali, and those that hate him are Hypocrites – all of Ahlus Sunnah love Sayyiduna ‘Ali and have affection towards him. [However], one must remember that to love him does not mean that a man raises the status of Sayyiduna ‘Ali to the likes of ‘Mushkil Khusa (The Solver of Difficulties)’ or ‘Hajat Rawa (Fulfiller of Needs)’, or that he starts attacking the rest of the Noble Companions due to his great status, rather Sayyiduna ‘Ali has already spoken about these types of people:
Sayyiduna ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Two [types of] men are destroyed [in regards to me]: The one who goes to extremes in exaggeration (in his love), and the one who is hateful in his speech.” (Fadha’il As-Sahabah of Imam Ahmad 2/571 #964 and its chain is Hasan)
In another narration, Sayyiduna ‘Ali said, “Surely a group of people will love me until they enter The Fire due to their love for me, and surely a group of people will hate me until they enter The Fire due to their hatred for me.” (Fadha’il As-Sahabah of Imam Ahmad 2/565 #952 and its chain is Sahih, Kitab As-Sunnah of Ibn Abi ‘Asim #983, and its chain is Sahih)
Due to these statements being related to the Knowledge of the Unseen, they take the ruling of raf’ (being attributed directly to the Prophet ﷺ) – i.e., that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ informed ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) about these matters, and Allah surely knows best.
It is now known that two groups of people are headed for destruction:
- Those who inadvertently, out of their [extreme] love, take Sayyiduna ‘Ali to be a deity, ‘Mushkil Khusa’, ‘Hajat Rawa’, and other than these, or those that insult others from the Noble Companions, such as the extreme Rawafidh.
- Those who insult Sayyiduna ‘Ali, such as the Khawarij and the Nawasib, and other than them.
Note: The Ahlul-Hadith are completely free from Hakim Faiz Alam Siddiqui (the Nasibi) and other than him that attack the status of Sayyiduna ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), the Ahlul-Hadith have no connection whatsoever to the Nawasib or the Rawafidh. The way of the Ahlul-Hadith is the Kitab (Qur’an) and Sunnah and this is the way of Ahlus-Sunnah.
Sayyiduna Amir Al-Mu’minin (Chief of the Believers) ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said [as part of a lengthier narration], “I do not find anyone more deserving of this matter (leadership) than this group with whom the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was pleased with when he passed away.” He then named ‘Ali, ‘Uthman, Az-Zubayr, Talha, Sa’d and ‘Abdur-Rahman. (Sahih Al-Bukhari #3700)
Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that when the following Ayah was revealed:
نَدْعُ أَبْنَاءَنَا وَأَبْنَاءَكُمْ
“Let us summon our children and your children.” (Surah Ali ‘Imran, 3:61)
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ called for ‘Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husayn, then said, ‘Oh Allah! This is my family.’” (Sahih Muslim #2404, Darussalam Edn. #6220)
Sayyida ‘A’isha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ went out one morning whilst wearing a striped cloak made from black [camel] hear, then Hasan bin ‘Ali came and he wrapped him under it, then Al-Husayn came and he wrapped him under it with [Al-Hasan], then Fatima came and he wrapped her under it, then ‘Ali came and he wrapped him under it, then he ﷺ recited:
إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا
“Allah only wishes to remove Ar-Rijs from you, O Ahlul-Bayt, and to purify you with a thorough purification.” (Surah Al-Ahzab, 33:33)
(Sahih Muslim #2424)
The great virtues of Sayyiduna ‘Ali have been established through these Authentic Ahadith – [It should be noted that] the Mothers of the Believers (the wives of the Prophet ﷺ) also enter into ‘Ahlul-Bayt’, Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “His wives are from his Ahlul-Bayt.” (Sahih Muslim #2408, Darussalam Edn. #6225)
Sayyiduna ‘Imran bin Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said [as part of a lengthier narration], “Verily ‘Ali is from me and I am from him, and he is the ally of every believer.” (Sunan At-Tirmidhi #3712 and its chain is Hasan), meaning that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ loved ‘Ali and ‘Ali loved him, and every believer loves ‘Ali.
Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “For whosoever I am his Mawla, ‘Ali is his Mawla.” (Sunan At-Tirmidhi #3713 and its chain is Sahih), in the [Arabic] language, a special friend can also be referred to as a ‘Mawla’ (Al-Qamus Al-Wahid p. 1900) – the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to Sayyiduna Zayd bin Harith (may Allah be pleased with him), “You are our brother and our Mawla.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari #2699), and he ﷺ also said regarding Sayyiduna Julaybib (may Allah be pleased with him), “He is from me and I am from him.” (Sahih Muslim #2472, Darussalam Edn. #6358)
Some of the Rafidha use the Hadith of Wilayat as evidence for the Caliphate of Sayyiduna ‘Ali (i.e., that he had the most right to leadership) and propagate this, however, on account of the previous and upcoming evidences (which will be discussed later on), their argument is invalidated.
On one occasion, Sayyiduna ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was in a state of illness when the Noble Prophet ﷺ passed by and supplicated for him, “Oh Allah! Restore his health” or[2] “Oh Allah! Cure him”, and Sayyiduna ‘Ali said, “So I did not suffer from my ailment again.” (Sunan At-Tirmidhi #3564 and he (Abu ‘Isa At-Tirmidhi) said, ‘This is a Hasan Sahih Hadith.’, and its chain is Hasan)
The Famous Tabi’i Abu Ishaq As-Sabi’i (may Allah have mercy on him) said, “I saw Amir Al-Mu’minin (meaning ‘Ali) on the pulpit, and his head [hair] and beard were white.” (Kitab Al-Ma’rifah wa’t-Tarikh of Al-Farisi 2/621 and its chain is Sahih, Tarikh Dimashq 45/17, Musannaf ‘Abdur-Razzaq 3/188-189 #5267)
It is now known from this narration that to apply hennah or to dye the hair (when it turns white) is not obligatory.
Sayyiduna Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Show reverence to Muhammad ﷺ by looking after his family.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari #3713), meaning whoever has love for Sayyiduna ‘Ali, Hasan, Husayn and the entirety of the Noble Companions will be gathered with the Noble Prophet ﷺ on the Day of Resurrection.
Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “The first to accept Islam was ‘Ali.” ‘Amr bin Murrah (one of the narrators) mentioned this to Ibrahim An-Nakha’i (a junior Tabi’i), who rejected it and said, “The first to accept Islam was Abu Bakr As-Siddiq.” (Sunan At-Tirmidhi #3735, and he [Abu ‘Isa At-Tirmidhi] said, ‘This is a Hasan Sahih Hadith.’, and its chain is Sahih), meaning the first to accept Islam from the children was Sayyiduna ‘Ali, and the first to accept Islam from the men was Sayyiduna Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with them both), and Allah surely knows best.
Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “The first to accept Islam was ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him.” (Mu’jam As-Sahabah of Al-Baghawi 4/357 #1810 and its chain is Sahih)
‘Urwah bin Az-Zubayr (may Allah have mercy on him) said that ‘Ali accepted Islam at the age of eight. (Mu’jam As-Sahabah of Al-Baghawi 4/357 #1810 and its chain is Sahih)
Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “We used to say that the most virtuous of the People of Madinah was ‘Ali bin Abi Talib.” (Fadha’il As-Sahabah of Imam Ahmad 2/602 #1033 and its chain is Sahih)
During the Battle of Khaybar, ‘Ali bin Abi Talib answered the call of Marhab the Jew (i.e., in battle), saying, “I am the one whose mother named him Haydar (Lion).” (Sahih Muslim #1807) Thereafter, he killed Marhab and victory at Khaybar was achieved through his hands.
Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was upon [Mount] Hira’, and so were Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, ‘Ali, Talha and Zubayr – then the mountain moved (i.e., started trembling), so the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Be calm! For there is no one upon you except for a Prophet, or a Siddiq (truthful one) or a Martyr.” (Sahih Muslim #2417)
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Whosoever hurts ‘Ali has hurt me.” (Fadha’il As-Sahabah of Al-Qati’i #1078 and its chain is Hasan, and it has supporting evidence with Ibn Hibban in Al-Mawarid #2202, and Al-Hakim 3/123 who authenticated it, and Adh-Dhahabi agreed with him)
Sayyiduna Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated, “The people were complaining about ‘Ali, so the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood up amongst us to deliver a sermon, then I heard him saying, ‘O People! Do not complain about ‘Ali, for by Allah, he is the toughest (i.e., he does not make concessions for anyone) regarding Allah or in the path of Allah (Jihad).” (Musnad Ahmad 3/86, Mustadarak Al-Hakim 3/134 and he authenticated it, and Adh-Dhahabi agreed, and its chain is Hasan.)
Sayyiduna ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Verily I hope that I, ‘Uthman, Talha and Zubayr are from those that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, said [regarding]:
وَنَزَعْنَا مَا فِي صُدُورِهِمْ مِنْ غِلٍّ إِخْوَانًا عَلَىٰ سُرُرٍ مُتَقَابِلِينَ
‘And We shall remove any bitterness from their hearts, [so they will be like] brothers facing each other on thrones.’ [Al-Hijr, 15:47]”
(Fadha’il As-Sahabah of Imam Ahmad #1057, and its chain is Sahih)
Abu Ishaq As-Sabi’i narrated, “I saw ‘Ali, so my father said to me, ‘Stand and look at Amir Al-Mu’minin (the Chief of the Believers)!’ So I stood up and I did not see him dye his beard, his beard was large and great.” (Tabaqat Al-Kubra of Ibn Sa’d 3/25, and its chain is Sahih, Yunus bin Abi Ishaq is innocent from Tadlis)
The Imam of Ahlus-Sunnah, Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him), said, “No number of virtues has been narrated for anyone from the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as has been narrated for ‘Ali bin Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him.” (Mustadarak Al-Hakim 3/107,108 #4572 and its chain is Hasan)
In summary, Sayyiduna ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was a veteran of Badr, from the Sabiqun Al-Awwalun (the foremost to embrace Islam), Amir Al-Mu’minin (Chief of the Believers), a Rightly-Guided Caliph, his virtues are endless and this short article is incapable of covering all of them, Imam Abu Bakr Muhammad bin Al-Husayn Al-Ajurri (d. 360H, may Allah have mercy on him) said, “So know, may Allah have mercy upon us and you, that Allah Al-Karim has honoured Amir Al-Mu’minin ‘Ali bin Abi Talib with the most lofty eminence, his precedence’s in goodness are great, his virtues are many, his merit is immense, his importance is revered and his rank is noble. He is the brother of the Messenger ﷺ, the son of his uncle, the husband of Fatimah, the father of Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn, the Knight of the Muslims, the one that would remove anguish from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the killer of the enemies, the just and ascetic Imam in this worldly life longing for the next, the follower of the truth fleeing from falsehood, and the one that possesses every noble character. Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and his Messenger ﷺ both love him, and he loves Allah and the Messenger, he is the one who is not loved except by a pious believer and is not hated except by a miserable hypocrite, [he is] a treasure of intellect, knowledge, gentleness, and manners, may Allah be pleased with him.” (Kitab Ash-Shari’ah p. 714, 715)
O Allah! Fill our hearts with a complete love for Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, Sayyiduna ‘Umar, Sayyiduna ‘Uthman, Sayyiduna ‘Ali, and the rest of the Noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all)! Amin.
[1] The Battle of Al-Qadisiyyah occurred in the 14th Hijri year, according to the most correct opinion chosen by Ibn Jarir At-Tabari (may Allah have mercy on him), and it occurred in Al-Qadisiyyah, near ‘Iraq. Sa’d bin Abi Waqas (may Allah be pleased with him) was the Commander of the Muslim Army, and with him were more than 30,000 soldiers. The Commander of the opposing army was Rustam, who had 120,000 soldiers with him, including 33 elephants, and the battle was a victory for the Muslims – see Tarikh At-Tabari 3/479.
[2] Shu’ba, a narrator of this Hadith, doubted which wording was more correct.
