Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal said: Those merits which have been related about cAli, may Allah be pleased with him, have not been related about any of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Al-Hakim narrated it.

The two Shaykhs narrated from Sacd ibn Abi Waqqas that: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace, deputised cAli ibn Abi Talib (as his khalifah in Madinah in the Battle of Tabuk. He said, ‘Messenger of Allah, will you leave me behind with the women and children?’ He said, ‘Are you not pleased to be in the same relation to me as Harun was to Musa, except that there is no prophet after me?’ Ahmad and al-Bazzar narrated it in hadith of Abu Sacid al-Khudri, and at-Tabarani narrated it in a hadith from Asma’ bint Qais, Umm Salamah, Habashi ibn Jinadah, Ibn cUmar, Ibn cAbbas, Jabir ibn Samurah, al-Bara’ ibn cAzib and Zaid ibn Arqam.

They both narrated from Sahl ibn Sacd said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace, said on the day of Khaybar, ‘I will give the standard tomorrow to a man at whose hands Allah will give victory, who loves Allah and His Messenger, and whom Allah and His Messenger love.’ The people spent the night wondering about and discussing who would be given it. When people awoke in the morning they went to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace, and all of them were hoping that they would be given it. He said, ‘Where is cAli ibn Abi Talib?’ They said, ‘He is complaining of an ailment in his eyes.’ He said, ‘Send for him.’ They brought him.

The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace, spat in his eyes and supplicated for him and he was healed to such an extent that it was as if he had not had a pain.

Then he gave him the standard.

At-Tabarani narrated this hadith from Ibn cUmar, cAli, Ibn Abi Layla, cImran ibn Husayn and al-Bazzar narrated it from Ibn "Abbas.

Muslim narrated that Sacd ibn Abi Waqqas said: When this ayah was revealed, 'Let us call our sons and your sons ...’ (Qur’an 3: 61)

then the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace, called for cAli, Fatimah, al-Hasan, al-Hussein and said, ‘O Allah, these are my family.’ At-Tirmidhi narrated from Abu Surayhah or Zaid ibn Arqam that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘He for whom I am his master (mawla), then cAli is his master.’ Ahmad narrated it from cAli, Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, Zaid ibn Arqam and cAmr ibn Dhi Murr, Abu Yacla narrated it form Abu Hurayrah, at-Tabarani narrated it from Ibn cUmar, Malik ibn Huwayrith, Habashi ibn Jinadah, Jarir, Sacd ibn Abi Waqqas, Abu Sacid al-Khudri, Anas, and al-Bazzar narrated it from Ibn cAbbas, cAmmarah, and Buraydah, and in most of them there is the addition, ‘O Allah, befriend whoever befriends him and be an enemy to whoever is his enemy.’11

Ahmad narrated that Abu’t-Tufayl said: cAli gathered people together in the year 35 AH in the court (of the mosque) and said to them, ‘I adjure you by Allah, of every Muslim man who heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saying on the day of Ghadir Khumm what he said when he arose.’ Thirty men stood up and bore witness that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘He for whom I am his master, then cAli is his master. O Allah, befriend whoever befriends him and be an enemy to whoever is his enemy.’ At-Tirmidhi narrated, as did al-Hakim who declared it sahih that Buraydah said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Allah has told me to love four and informed me that He loves them.’ It was said, ‘Messenger of Allah, name them 11 The Arabic equally translates as, ‘O Allah befriend whomever he befriends and be an enemy to whomever he is an enemy.’ for us.’ He said, ‘cAli is of them,’ - saying that three times - ‘And Abu Dharr, Miqdad and Salman.’ At-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa’i and Ibn Majah narrated that Habashi ibn Jinadah said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘cAli is from me and I am from cAli.’ At-Tirmidhi narrated that Ibn cUmar said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, made pacts of brotherhood between his companions, so cAli came with his eyes full of tears and said, ‘Messenger of Allah, you made pacts of brotherhood between your companions and you did not make brotherhood between me and anyone.’ The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘You are my brother in the world and in the hereafter.’ Muslim narrated that cAli said: By the One Who split the grain and created the soul, the Unlettered Prophet promised me that no-one would love me except for a believer and that no-one would hate me except for a hypocrite.

At-Tirmidhi narrated that Abu Sacid al-Khudri said: We used to recognise the hypocrites by their hatred of cAli.

Al-Bazzar narrated as did at-Tabarani in al-Awsat from Jabir ibn cAbdullah and at-Tirmidhi and al-Hakim narrated from cAli that both of them said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘I am the Madinah of knowledge and cAli is its (the Madinah’s) gate.’ This is a good (hasan) hadith as is the correct position, not sahih as al-Hakim said, nor fabricated as a group of them said including Ibn al-Jawzi and an-Nawawi. I have explained its status in at-Tacaqqubatcala’L-maivducat.

Al-Hakim narrated and he declared sahih that cAli said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sent me to the Yemen, so I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, you have sent me, and I a youth, to judge between them, and I don’t know what the nature of judgement is.’ He struck my chest with his hand and said, ‘O Allah, guide his heart and make firm his tongue.’ (cAli said), ‘By the One Who split the grain, I have not had any doubt about passing judgement (in a dispute) between two (people).’ Ibn Sacd narrated from cAli that someone said to him, ‘Why is it that you have the most hadith of the companions of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace?’ He said, ‘I was such that when I asked him, he informed me, and when I was silent, he began (to teach) me.’ He narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: cUmar ibn al-Khattab said, ‘cAli is the best of us in judicial decision.’ Al-Hakim narrated that Ibn Mascud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: We used to say among ourselves that the best of the people of Madinah in judicial decision was cAli.

Ibn Sacd narrated that Ibn cAbbas said: When a trustworthy person relates to us a fatwa of cAli, we do not go beyond it.

He narrated that Sacid ibn al-Musayyab said: cUmar ibn al- Khattab used to seek refuge with Allah from every difficult question or case for which there is no Abu Hasan (in which he was not present).

He narrated that he (Sacid ibn al-Musayyab) also said: None of the Companions would say, ‘Ask me (about anything you like)!’ except for cAli.

Ibn cAsakir narrated that Ibn Mascud said: The most knowledgeable of the people of Madinah in the laws of inheritance and in judicial decisions is cAli ibn Abi Talib.

He narrated about cA’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, that cAli was mentioned in her presence and she said, As for him, he is the most knowledgeable, of those who remain, in the Sunnah.’ Masruq said: The knowledge of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, culminated in cUmar, cAli, Ibn Mascud and cAbdullah, may Allah be pleased with them.

cAbdullah ibn cAyyash ibn Abi Rabicah said: cAli had whatever you will of a cutting tooth in knowledge, he had excellence by reason of his family relations, priority in (accepting) Islam, his acquaintanceship with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace, discernment {fiqh) in the Sunnah, courage in war, and liberality with property.

At-Tabarani narrated in al-Awsat with a weak isnad that Jabir ibn cAbdullah said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘People are from all sorts of different stocks, and I and cAli are from one stock.’ At-Tabarani and Ibn Abi Hatim narrated that Ibn cAbbas said:

Allah did not reveal an ayah beginning, ‘0 you who believe ...’ but that cAli is its amir and its eminence. Allah reproached the Companions of Muhammad in more than one place but He never mentioned cAli but with approval.

Ibn cAsakir narrated that Ibn cAbbas said: There has not been revealed about anyone in the Book of Allah what has been revealed about cAli.

Ibn cAsakir narrated that Ibn cAbbas said: Three hundred ayat were revealed about cAli.

Al-Bazzar narrated that Sacd said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to cAli, ‘It is not permitted for anyone to be in a state oijunub (requiring the complete washing of the body known as ghusl) in this mosque apart from me and you.’ At-Tabarani narrated as did al-Hakim who declared it sahih that Umm Salamah, may Allah be pleased with her, said: When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace, became angry, none dared to speak to him except for cAli.

At-Tabarni and al-Hakim narrated from Ibn Mascud, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Looking at cAli is an act of worship.’ Its isnad is hasan.

At-Tabarani and al-Hakim narrated it in hadith of Tmran ibn Husayn.

Ibn cAsakir narrated it in hadith of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, cUthman ibn cAffan, Mucadh ibn Jabal, Anas, Thawban, Jabir ibn cAbdullah and cA’ishah, may Allah be pleased with them.

At-Tabarani narrated in al-Awsat that Ibn cAbbas said: cAli had eighteen excellences which no-one else of this ummah had.

Abu Yacla narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: cUmar ibn al-Khattab said, ‘cAli was given three qualities the gift of any one of which I should prefer over high-bred camels.’ He was asked, And what are they?’ He said, ‘He married him his daughter Fatimah; his dwelling at the mosque, wherein what is not permitted to me in it is permitted to him; and the standard on the day of Khaybar.’ Ahmad narrated the like of it is from Ibn cUmar with a sahih isnad.

Ahmad and Abu Yacla narrated with a sahih isnad that cAli said: I have not been afflicted with swelling of the eye nor a headache since the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, drew his hand over my face and spat lightly in my eyes on the day of Khaybar when he gave me the standard.

Abu Yacla and al-Bazzar narrated that Sacd ibn Abi Waqqas said:

The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Whoever harms cAli, harms me.’ At-Tabarani narrated with a sahih isnad from Umm Salamah that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Whoever loves °Ali, loves me, and whoever loves me, loves Allah. Whoever hates cAli, hates me and whoever hates me, hates Allah.’ Ahmad and al-Hakim, who declared it sahih, narrated that Umm Salamah heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saying, ‘Whoever reviles cAli, reviles me.’ Ahmad and al-Hakim narrated with a sahih isnad from Ibn Abi Sacid al-Khudri that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to cAli, ‘You will fight for the sake of the Qur’an, as I fought for the sake of its revelation.’ Al-Bazzar, Abu Yacla and al-Hakim narrated that cAli said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace, called me and said, ‘cAli, there is in you a resemblance to cIsa; the Jews hated him so much that they slandered his mother, and the Christians loved him so much that they gave him a degree which wasn’t his.’ Now surely, two (sorts) will be destroyed because of me:

a lover who goes beyond the limits, who praises me immoderately for what is not in me, and one who hates (me), whose hatred of me brings him to slander me.

At-Tabarani narrated in al-Awsat and as-Saghirtha.t Umm Salamah said: I heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saying, ‘cAli is with the Qur’an and the Qur’an is with cAli; they will not separate until they come to me to drink from the Pool.’ Ahmad and al-Hakim narrated with a sahih isnad from cAmmar ibn Yasir that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to °Ali, ‘The most grievous of people are two men: the fair-complexioned one of Thamud who hamstrung the female camel, and the one who will strike you, cAli, upon this’ — meaning his cranium above the forehead - ‘until this becomes moistened from it (from the blood)’ - meaning his beard. This has been narrated in hadith of cAli, Suhayb, Jabir ibn Samurah and others.

Al-Hakim narrated, and he declared it sahih, that Abu Sacid al- Khudri said: People complained about cAli so that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, rose among us delivering an address and said, ‘Do not complain about cAli for, by Allah, he is somewhat rough for the sake of Allah, or in the way of Allah.’