What the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) enjoined concerning him

Sayyiduna Dhu'ayb narrates: When the final moments of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) drew near, Sayyidah Safiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "O Messenger of Allah! Every woman among your wives has family members she can take refuge with, but I have no family here. If something should happen, to whom should I turn?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "To Ali bin Abi Talib."
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: We used to say among ourselves that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had made seventy covenants specially with Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), which he did not make with anyone else. (Making a covenant here may also mean giving particular instructions.)
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Saghir, and its chain contains narrators whom I do not know.

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: When this verse was revealed: "And warn your nearest kinsmen," Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gathered his family; thirty men gathered with him, and they ate and drank. The narrator says: Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to them: "Who will stand by me regarding my debt and my promises, and be with me in Paradise, and be my successor (khalifah) over my family?" A man, whom the narrator Sharik did not name, said: "O Messenger of Allah! You are an ocean; who could undertake this?" Then, on another occasion, he said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made this offer to his household, and Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I will do it."
Ahmad recorded it, and its chain is jayyid (good). Various routes of this hadith have already passed in the chapter on the signs of prophethood, in the section on the miracles of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) concerning food.

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called Sayyiduna al-Abbas bin Abd al-Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "Will you guarantee for me that you will pay my debt and fulfil the promises I have made?" He said: "I do not have the capacity for that." His son, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), criticised him and said: "May Allah deal with you! The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has asked you to pay his debt on his behalf and fulfil the promises he made." Sayyiduna al-Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Leave me alone! Your cousin outdoes the wind (in generosity and benefiting others)" (meaning that, because of his generosity, his promises would be very many). Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "Guarantee for me that you will pay my debt and fulfil the promises I have made." He said: "Very well! It is my responsibility." So Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) gave that guarantee on his behalf. When wealth came to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) (during his caliphate), he said: "This is the wealth of Allah, which Allah Almighty has granted to the Muslims as fay', and it is right that payments be made on behalf of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)." He called the people and said: "Whoever is owed a debt by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), or was promised something by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), let him come and collect it." Among those who came was Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him). He related that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had said to him: "When wealth comes to us, we will give you with both hands full." Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: "Take it in the way the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told you." So he took three double handfuls of wealth, just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had instructed him. (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: In the Sahih, only this part of the report is recorded: the promise the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made to Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) (and how Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) fulfilled it).
Al-Bazzar recorded it. Its chain contains Isma'il bin Yahya bin Salamah bin Kuhayl, who is matruk (abandoned).

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Ali will pay my debt."
Al-Bazzar recorded it. Its chain contains Dirar bin Surad, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I said: "O Messenger of Allah! Every prophet has a wasi (executor of his will); who is your wasi?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) remained silent. Afterwards, when he saw me, he said: "O Salman!" I hurried to him and said: "Here I am at your service." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do you know who the wasi of Sayyiduna Musa (peace be upon him) was?" He replied: "Yes! It was Sayyiduna Yusha' bin Nun (peace be upon him)." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Why was it he?" I said: "Because at that time he was the most knowledgeable of them." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "My wasi, the keeper of my secret, and the best of those I will leave behind after me, the one who will fulfil my promise and pay my debt, is Ali bin Abi Talib."
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and he said: The saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), "My wasi," means that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) appointed him as his executor regarding his family; it does not mean that he appointed him regarding the caliphate. And the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), "The best of those I will leave behind after me," means from among his household. Its chain contains Nasih bin Abdullah, who is matruk (abandoned).