The virtues of Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him)

Zirr bin Hubaysh (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: By the One who split the seed and brought man into being, the Unlettered Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave me a covenant that only a believer will love me, and only a hypocrite will hate me.

Sayyiduna Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever I am the friend of, Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is also his friend.

Umm Musa said that Sayyidah Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: I swear that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was, among all people, the closest to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in terms of last contact. She said: We were visiting the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on the day he (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away in the house of Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her). In the morning, every little while, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) kept saying repeatedly: Has Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) come? She (may Allah be pleased with her) said: I thought that he (peace and blessings be upon him) had sent him on some task. He came after a little while, and we felt that he (peace and blessings be upon him) had some matter with him, so we went out of the house and sat by the door. Of all of them I was the closest to the door. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) bent over him (peace and blessings be upon him) and kept whispering with him (peace and blessings be upon him). Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away that same day. So he (may Allah be pleased with him) was the closest of all to him (peace and blessings be upon him) in terms of last contact.

Sa'd bin Ubaydah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: A man asked Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both): Tell me about Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). He said: When you want to ask anything about Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), then look at his house, right next to the house of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). This is his house, and this is the house of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). The man said: But I hate him! He said: Then may Allah hate you too.

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) wished to send me to the people of Yemen so that I might judge between them. I said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), I know nothing at all about judging. He said: He (peace and blessings be upon him) struck my chest with his hand and made this supplication: O Allah, guide his heart and make his tongue upright. After that I never had any doubt in judging between two people, up until today, as I sit in this place.

Amr bin Murrah (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Abu al-Bakhtari (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The people said to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): Tell us about yourself. He said: When I asked for something, I would be given it. And when I remained silent, it was with me that things were begun.

Abdullah bin Amr bin Hind al-Jamali (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Whenever I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) for something, he (peace and blessings be upon him) would give it to me. And when I remained silent, he would begin with me.

Abu Ishaq said that Sayyiduna Hubshi bin Junadah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: At this Sharik (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I asked him: O Abu Ishaq, where did you see him? He (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Hubshi stopped at our gathering and said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is from me and I am from him, and none shall discharge on my behalf except Ali (may Allah be pleased with him).

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: We were at the place of al-Juhfah, at the time of Ghadir Khumm, when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came out to us. Then he took the hand of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: Whoever I am the friend of, Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is also his friend.

Riyah bin al-Harith (may Allah have mercy on him) said: While Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was sitting in an open space, a man suddenly came who bore clear signs of travel. He said: Peace be upon you, O my friend. He asked: Who is this person? The people said: This is Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him). Then he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: Whoever I am the friend of, Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is also his friend.

Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: On the occasion of the Expedition of Tabuk, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) made Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) his deputy. He began to say: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), are you leaving me among the women and children? At this he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Are you not pleased that you are to me just as Harun (peace be upon him) was to Musa (peace be upon him), except that there is no prophet after me?

Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): Are you not pleased that you are to me just as Harun (peace be upon him) was to Musa (peace be upon him)?

Sayyidah Asma bint Umays (may Allah be pleased with her) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): "You are to me just as Sayyiduna Harun was to Sayyiduna Musa (peace be upon him), except that there is no prophet after me."

Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): "You are to me just as Sayyiduna Harun was to Sayyiduna Musa (peace be upon him), except that there is no prophet after me."

Abd al-Rahman bin Sabit (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) came on the occasion of one of his Hajj journeys, and Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) came to him. The people mentioned Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), whereupon Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) said some words against him. Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) became angry and said: "You say this about a man concerning whom I myself heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) state these three distinctions? For one of these distinctions to be given to me would be dearer to me than the world and all that is in it. I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'Whoever I am the friend of, Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is his friend too.' I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'You are to me just as Sayyiduna Harun (peace be upon him) was to Sayyiduna Musa (peace be upon him), except that there is no prophet after me.' And I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'I shall certainly give the flag to a man who loves Allah and His Messenger.'"

Abu Sulayman al-Juhani (may Allah have mercy on him), that is, Zayd bin Wahb (may Allah have mercy on him), said: I heard Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) say on the pulpit: "I am the servant of Allah and the brother of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). No one said this before me, and no one will say it after me except a liar."

Al-Hakam (may Allah have mercy on him), al-Minhal (may Allah have mercy on him) and Isa (may Allah have mercy on him), all of them said that Abd al-Rahman bin Abi Layla (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) used to go out in winter in a waist-wrapper and a cloak, two light garments, and in summer in a warm gown and heavy clothes. So the people said to Abd al-Rahman: "If you were to ask your father, he would tell you, because he talks with him at night." So I asked my father: "The people see something in the Commander of the Believers which they find strange." He asked: "What is it?" I said: "He goes out in the intense heat in a warm gown and heavy clothes, and he does not mind it at all. And in the intense cold he goes out in two light garments and small sheets, and he does not mind this at all, nor does he protect himself from the cold. Have you heard anything from him about this? For the people have told me to ask you to inquire of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) about this when you talk with him at night." So when he talked with Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) at night, he said to him: "O Commander of the Believers, the people have observed something about you." He asked: "What is it?" He said: "You go out in the intense heat in a warm gown or heavy clothes, and in severe cold you go out in two light garments and sheets, and you do not mind this, nor do you try to protect yourself from the cold." He said: "O Abu Layla, were you not with us at the Battle of Khaybar?" I said: "Of course! By Allah, I was with you." He said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). He set out with the people, but he came back defeated. And he sent Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), but he too came back defeated. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'I shall certainly give the flag to a man who loves Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and whom Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) love. Allah will grant him victory. He is not one who turns his back and flees.' Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) sent a messenger to call me. I presented myself, and I was suffering from an eye inflammation and could see nothing. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) put his saliva in my eye, then supplicated: 'O Allah, suffice him against cold and heat.'" He said: "Since then, neither cold nor heat has ever harmed me."

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O people of Quraysh! Allah Almighty will certainly send a man who will be from among you. Allah has chosen his heart for faith. He will kill you," or he said: "he will strike your necks." Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), am I that person?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), am I that person?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No, rather he is the one patching the sandal." And he (peace and blessings be upon him) had given Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) his sandal to patch.

Raja' (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We were sitting in the mosque when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came and sat with us. None of us was speaking, as though birds were perched on our heads. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Among you there will be a man who will fight people over the interpretation of the Qur'an, just as you were fought over its revelation." Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), am I that person?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No." Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), am I that person?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No, rather he is the person patching the sandal in the room." The narrator said: Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) came out to us, and with him was the sandal of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), which he had repaired.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): "O Ali, you have a treasure in Paradise, and you are the one with its two horns (its two ends). When your glance falls on someone, do not follow it with a second glance, for one glance is forgiven, but the second is not forgiven."

Abbad bin Abdullah (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I am the servant of Allah and the brother of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and I am al-Siddiq al-Akbar (the greatest truthful one). No one will say this after me except a lying fabricator. And I prayed seven years before the people."

Habbah al-Urani (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I am the first man who prayed with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)."

Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had conquered Makkah, he (peace and blessings be upon him) turned towards Ta'if, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) besieged Ta'if for eighteen or nineteen days, but could not conquer it. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) set off in the morning or the evening. He (peace and blessings be upon him) halted, then he (peace and blessings be upon him) set off at midday. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O people! I shall reach it before you, and I enjoin you to treat my offspring well. Your appointed meeting place is the Pond of Kawthar. By the One in whose hand my soul is, you must certainly establish the prayer and pay the zakah, or else I shall send to you a man of mine, or a man like myself, and he will certainly strike the necks of those among them who fight, and he will take their offspring captive." The narrator said: The people thought that this person would be Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) or Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) took the hand of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "This is that person."

Hubayrah bin Yarim (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: A suit adorned with silk was given as a gift to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him); either its warp was silk or its weft was silk. He (peace and blessings be upon him) sent that suit to me. I brought the suit and presented myself to him (peace and blessings be upon him), and I asked: "What should I do with it? Should I wear it?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No! I do not approve for you what I dislike for myself."

The preceding statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is also reported from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) through this chain.

Najiyah bin Ka'b (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When Abu Talib died, I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), your old misguided uncle has died." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Take him and bury him. Then do nothing at all until you come to me." He said: So I buried him, then I came to him (peace and blessings be upon him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded me to perform the ritual bath, so I performed the ritual bath. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) made some supplications for me. I would not like to have, in exchange for those supplications, all that is on the earth.

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "You are from me and I am from you."

Zayd bin Yuthay' (may Allah have mercy on him) said: News reached Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that some people were saying things about him. So he climbed the pulpit and said: "I adjure by oath that person among the Companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) who heard anything from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about me, that he stand up." So six people stood up from his side, and six from the side of Sa'id bin Wahb (may Allah have mercy on him). Then all of them said: "We bear witness that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Whoever I am the friend of, Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is his friend too. O Allah, be a friend to whoever befriends him, and be an enemy to whoever is hostile to him.'"

Abu Yazid al-Awdi (may Allah have mercy on him) said that his father (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) came into the mosque and we gathered around him. Then a young man stood up and said to him: "I ask you by Allah: did you hear the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'Whoever I am the friend of, Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is his friend too. O Allah, befriend the one who befriends Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), and be an enemy to the one who is hostile to him'?" He said: "Yes." Then the young man said: "I disown you. I bear witness that you have been hostile to the one who befriends him, and you have befriended the one who is hostile to him." The narrator said: Then the people threw pebbles at that young man.

Abdullah bin Shaddad said: A delegation of the Sarh tribe of Yemen came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to them: "You must certainly establish the prayer and pay the zakah, and listen and obey, or else I shall send to you a man who is like myself. He will fight those of you who fight, and he will take your offspring captive. O Allah, it is I or one like myself." Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) took the hand of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him).

Asim bin Damrah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: When Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred, Sayyiduna al-Hasan bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) delivered a sermon in which he said: "O people of Kufah," or he said: "O people of Iraq! There was among you a man who was martyred during the night," or he said: "who died today. The earlier people did not surpass him in knowledge, nor will the later people attain his knowledge. Whenever the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent him with an army, Sayyiduna Jibril (peace be upon him) would be on his right and Sayyiduna Mika'il on his left. He would not return until Allah Almighty had granted him victory."

Amr bin Murrah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: What people were saying about Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was mentioned before Abd al-Rahman bin Abi Layla (may Allah have mercy on him), and he said: "We have sat with him, we have eaten and drunk with him, and we have served under him in official posts, and I never heard him say anything of what they say. It is enough for you to say: He is the cousin of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his son-in-law; he was present at the Pledge of Ridwan and took part in the Battle of Badr."

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I shall certainly give the flag today to a man who loves Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)." The narrator said: Then the people began raising themselves on their feet to make themselves seen. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Where is Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)?" They said: "He has pain in both his eyes." He (peace and blessings be upon him) called him, put his blessed saliva in his palm, and rubbed both eyes of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) with it. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) gave him the flag, and that very day Allah granted him victory.

Abd al-Rahman bin Abi Layla (may Allah have mercy on him) said: While a group of his Companions were with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he (peace and blessings be upon him) sent word to his wives for food, but nothing to eat was found with any of his wives. Suddenly Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was seen approaching, dusty and dishevelled, and on his shoulder were close to a sa' of dates which he had earned by labour. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Welcome to the bearer and to what is borne!" Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) seated him beside him and shook the dust from his head, then said: "Welcome, Abu Turab!" Then he brought the dates near, and all of them ate until they were full. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) sent a share of it to each of his pure wives as well.

Al-Zuhri (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Sa'id bin al-Musayyib (may Allah have mercy on him) said: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave the flag to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "I am giving the flag to a man who loves Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and whom Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) love." Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) put saliva in both his eyes, because he was suffering from an eye inflammation, and he supplicated for him. And Allah granted him victory at Khaybar.

Umar bin Usayd (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), or he said: my father, said: "Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) was given three distinctions. For one of them to be given to me would be better for me than red camels. He (peace and blessings be upon him) gave him his daughter in marriage, from whom he also had children; he (peace and blessings be upon him) had all the doors closed except his door; and on the day of the Battle of Khaybar he (peace and blessings be upon him) gave him the spear."

Iyas bin Salamah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: My father informed me that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent him to call Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), and said: "I shall certainly give the flag to a man who loves Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and whom Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) love." The narrator said: So I brought him, walking ahead of him to show him the way, because he was suffering from an eye inflammation. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) put his blessed saliva in his eyes, then bestowed the flag upon him. And that very day Allah granted victory at his hands.

Jumay' bin Umayr (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I, my mother and my maternal aunt visited Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), and we asked her: "What was the standing of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?" She said: "You have asked me about a man who placed his hand on a part of the body of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) where no one else had placed it. His (peace and blessings be upon him) soul departed in his hand, as he passed his hand over his (peace and blessings be upon him) face, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away. It was asked: 'Where will you bury the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?' Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'No piece of the earth is more beloved to Allah than the place in which His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away.' So we buried him (peace and blessings be upon him) in that very place."

Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went out in the morning wearing a black cloak on which were images of camel saddles. Sayyiduna al-Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) came and he (peace and blessings be upon him) brought him inside it. Then Sayyiduna al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) came and he (peace and blessings be upon him) brought him into the cloak as well. Then Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) came and he (peace and blessings be upon him) brought her into the cloak as well. Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) came and he (peace and blessings be upon him) brought him into the cloak as well. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse: "Allah only wishes to remove impurity from you, O household of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and to purify you completely." [Al-Ahzab: 33]

Shaddad Abu Ammar said: I came to Sayyiduna Wathilah (may Allah be pleased with him) while some people were sitting with him. They mentioned Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and began to revile him, and I too spoke ill of him along with them. Sayyiduna Wathilah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Shall I not tell you of the hadith that I myself heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?" I said: "Of course, please do tell it." He said: "I went to Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) and asked her about Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). She said: 'He has gone to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).' So I sat waiting until the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came, and with him were Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), Sayyiduna al-Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him), each of the two holding his hand, until they entered the house. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) brought Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) close to him and seated them both in front of him. He also seated Sayyiduna al-Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him), these two being on his thighs. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) put his garment, or a cloak, over all of them. Then he recited this verse: 'O household of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Allah only wishes to remove impurity from you.' Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'O Allah, these are my household, and my household are the most deserving.'"