ʿAlī (RA) as “The Prophet’s Trustee” – Fabricated Report
Author: Ḥāfiẓ Muḥammad Anwar Zāhid (ḥafiẓahullāh)
Text of the Report
It is narrated from Salman al-Fārisi (رضي الله عنه) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said regarding ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه):
“He is my trustee (waṣī), the keeper of my secrets, and the best among those I leave behind.”
References:
- Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl 2/418 (biography of Khālid bin ʿUbayd)
- Ibn al-Jawzī, al-Mawḍūʿāt 1/375
- Ibn al-Qaysarānī, al-Tadhkirah p. 219
Chain of Narration
① Abū ʿIṣām Khālid bin ʿAbd al-Baṣrī
- Imām al-Bukhārī: “This ḥadīth is objectionable.”
- Al-Ḥākim: Fabricates aḥādīth from Anas (رضي الله عنه).
[Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl 9/400; al-Mughnī 2/798; al-Jarḥ wa al-Taʿdīl 9/421]
② Alāʾ bin ʿImrān and ʿAbdullāh bin Maḥmūd
- Both are unknown narrators (majhūl), rendering the chain unreliable.
Lack of Supporting Evidence
- No authentic ḥadīth collection contains a narration from Anas (رضي الله عنه) via Salman (رضي الله عنه) with this wording.
- Anas narrated from Abū Bakr and ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما), but almost all of his narrations are directly from the Prophet ﷺ (about 2,250 narrations).
- Narrations claimed to be from him via Salman in this context are Shīʿī fabrications.
Historical Inconsistencies
- Anas (رضي الله عنه) was not politically aligned with ʿAlī, Ḥasan, or Ḥusayn (رضي الله عنهم) during the later disputes.
- He pledged allegiance to Muʿāwiyah, Yazīd, ʿAbd al-Malik bin Marwān, and al-Walīd, even participating in the Battle of Constantinople under Yazīd’s command.
Conclusion
- Verdict: Fabricated (mawḍūʿ).
- Reasons:
- Presence of a known fabricator (Abū ʿIṣām).
- Unknown narrators in the chain.
- Content aligns with sectarian fabrications, not authentic Islamic history.
- Authenticity: Rejected by major ḥadīth critics and absent from all reliable ḥadīth sources.
