Musnad Ahmad

On one occasion, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Shall I not tell you who is the best person in this Ummah after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)? He is Sayyiduna Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), and after Sayyiduna Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), the best person in this Ummah is Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). After that, Allah creates love wherever He wills.

Sayyiduna Ali and Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrate that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) gave a verdict regarding the right of neighborhood.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade me from wearing a gold ring, silk clothing, or a garment dyed with safflower, and from reciting the Noble Qur'an while in the state of bowing or prostration.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that once three men came to the presence of the Messenger of Allah. One of them said: I had one hundred uqiyah, out of which I spent ten uqiyah in the way of Allah. The second said: I had one hundred dinars, out of which I spent ten dinars in the way of Allah. The third said: I had ten dinars, out of which I spent one dinar in the way of Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You are all equal in reward, because each of you has spent one tenth of his wealth."

On one occasion, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and said: In this Ummah, after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the best person is Sayyiduna Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Umar al-Faruq (may Allah be pleased with him). After them, we have invented things in which Allah will decide as He wills.

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) says that Witr does not have definitive proof from the Noble Qur’an like the obligatory prayers, but its obligation is established from the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) washed each part of the body three times while performing ablution.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform the Witr prayer close to the Fajr adhan.

Ali bin Rabi’ah says that I once saw Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that a riding animal was brought to him. When he placed his foot in the stirrup, he said “Bismillah.” When he sat on it, he recited this supplication: “All praise is due to Allah, «سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي سَخَّرَ لَنَا هَذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لَهُ مُقْرِنِينَ وَإِنَّا إِلَى رَبِّنَا لَمُنْقَلِبُونَ» ‘All praise is for Allah, glory be to the One Who has subjected this (animal) to us, and we could not have subdued it (by ourselves), and surely to our Lord we will return.’” Then he said “Alhamdulillah” three times and “Allahu Akbar” three times, and then said: «اَللّٰهُمَّ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي إِنَّهُ لَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ» “O Allah! There is no deity except You. I have wronged myself, so forgive me, for surely none forgives sins except You.” Then he smiled. I asked, “O Commander of the Faithful! What made you smile at this moment?” He replied, “I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) do as I have done, and he also smiled. I asked him the reason, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘When the servant says, “My Lord, forgive me,” it pleases me that he knows that none forgives sins except Allah.’”

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when we were about to leave Makkah, the daughter of Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him) started following us, calling out, “Uncle! Uncle!” I took her by the hand and entrusted her to Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her), and said to her, “Take care of your cousin.” (When we reached Madinah), there was a dispute between myself, Sayyiduna Ja’far, and Sayyiduna Zayd bin Harithah (may Allah be pleased with them both) regarding the guardianship of this girl. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “I brought her and she is my uncle’s daughter.” Sayyiduna Ja’far (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “She is my uncle’s daughter and her maternal aunt, Sayyidah Asma bint Umays (may Allah be pleased with her), is my wife, so I have more right to her guardianship.” Sayyiduna Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “She is my niece.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) decided the matter, saying: “Ja’far! You resemble me in appearance and character. Ali! You are from me and I am from you. And Zayd! You are our brother and our freed slave. The girl will stay with her maternal aunt, for the maternal aunt is like the mother in status.” I said, “O Messenger of Allah! Why don’t you marry her?” He replied, “Because she is my foster niece.”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that in this Ummah, after the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), the best person is Sayyiduna Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Umar al-Faruq (may Allah be pleased with him).

On one occasion, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Shall I not tell you who is the best person in this Ummah after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)? Sayyiduna Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Umar al-Faruq (may Allah be pleased with him).

On one occasion, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Shall I not tell you who is the best person in this Ummah after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)? Sayyiduna Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Umar al-Faruq (may Allah be pleased with him), and if I wish, I can also mention the third one.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) held gold in his right hand and silk in his left hand and said, "Both of these are forbidden for the men of my Ummah."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that once we set out on a journey with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). When we reached the irrigated land in Harrah which belonged to Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Bring water for me to perform ablution.” When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had performed ablution, he stood facing the Qiblah and said Allahu Akbar, then said: “O Allah! Ibrahim, who was Your servant and Your close friend, prayed for blessings for the people of Makkah, and I, Muhammad, am Your servant and Your Messenger. I ask You to grant the people of Madinah double the blessings in their mudd and sa’ compared to the people of Makkah.”

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) once said while delivering a sermon: "A time will come upon the people that will bite them, to the extent that even the one who has been given financial ease will bite his own hands, although he has not been commanded to do so. Allah Almighty says: «﴿وَلَا تَنْسَوُا الْفَضْلَ بَيْنَكُمْ﴾ [البقرة : 237]» 'Do not forget the needy among you.' In that time, the status of the wicked will be elevated, the righteous and the best people will be humiliated, and the helpless will be forced to sell their capital, even though the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade this, and also forbade any sale in which there is any kind of deception, and forbade the sale of fruits before they ripen or before taking possession of them."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "The best woman is Sayyidah Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) and the best woman is Sayyidah Maryam bint Imran (peace be upon her)."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade me from wearing a gold ring, wearing silk garments, and reciting the Noble Qur'an while in the state of bowing (ruku‘).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Three types of people are exempt from accountability: (1) The child until he reaches puberty, (2) The sleeping person until he wakes up, (3) The afflicted person until his distress is removed."

Once a married adulterer was brought to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). He flogged him with one hundred lashes on Thursday and stoned him to death on Friday. Someone asked him, "Why did you combine two punishments for him?" He replied, "I flogged him because of the Noble Qur'an, and I stoned him because of the Sunnah."

Once, a married slave woman belonging to Saeed bin Qais was brought to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) who had committed adultery. He gave her one hundred lashes and then stoned her, and said: I gave the lashes because of the Noble Qur'an, and I stoned her because of the Sunnah.

Abdu Khair, may Allah have mercy on him, says that once I saw that Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, called for water to perform ablution, moistened his hands with the water, and wiped them over the upper part of his feet, and said: "This is the ablution of a person who is not without ablution." Then he said: "If I had not seen the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, wiping over the upper part of the feet in masah over the socks, I would have given the opinion that the lower part of the foot is more deserving of being wiped." Then he drank the leftover water from the ablution while standing and said: "Where are those people who think that in no circumstance is it permissible to drink water while standing?"

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had a large blessed head, a complexion that was white with a reddish tinge, and a thick beard. His joints were very strong, his palms and feet were full, and there was a long line of hair from his chest to his navel. The hair on his head was thick and slightly curly. When he walked, he would take small steps, and it seemed as if he was descending from a slope. He was neither very tall nor very short. I have not seen anyone like him before or after him, peace and blessings be upon him.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that once, while performing ablution, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) washed each of his limbs three times.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was neither very tall nor very short, his blessed head was large, his hair was slightly curly, and his beard was thick. His palms and feet were full, there was a tinge of redness in his blessed face, from his chest to his navel there was a long line of hair, the joints of his bones were very strong, when he walked he took small steps, it seemed as if he was descending from a slope. I have not seen anyone like him before or after him, peace and blessings be upon him.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was neither very tall nor very short, his blessed head was large and his beard was thick, his palms and feet were full, there was a tinge of redness in his blessed face, from his chest to his navel there was a long line of hair, the joints of his bones were very strong, when he walked he took small steps, it seemed as if he was descending from a slope, I have not seen anyone like him before or after him, peace and blessings be upon him.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that when we migrated to Madinah Munawwarah and ate the fruits there, we developed stomach illnesses, which gradually led us to severe fever. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) kept inquiring about the situation at Badr. When we learned that the polytheists were advancing towards the place of Badr, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also set out towards Badr, which was the name of a well. We reached there before the polytheists and found two men there, one a Qurayshi and the other a slave of ‘Uqbah bin Abi Mu‘ayt. The Qurayshi ran away as soon as he saw us, and we captured the slave of ‘Uqbah. We asked him about the number of their army. He said, “By Allah! They are very many and their war equipment is very strong.” When he said this, the Muslims began to beat him, and while beating him, they brought him to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also asked him about the number of the polytheists of Makkah. He gave the same answer as before. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) tried his best to find out their exact number, but he refused to tell. Finally, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked him, “How many camels do they slaughter daily?” He replied, “They slaughter ten camels daily.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) immediately said, “Their number is one thousand, because one camel suffices at least a hundred men.” At night, a light rain began to fall. To avoid the rain, we went under trees and shelters, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) spent the whole night in that state praying to his Lord: «اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنَّكَ إِنْ تُهْلِكْ هَذِهِ الْفِئَةَ لَا تُعْبَدْ» “O Allah! If this group is destroyed, then You will not be worshipped.” Anyway, at the break of dawn, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called out, “O servants of Allah! The prayer is ready.” The people left the trees and shelters and gathered around the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led the prayer and then began to encourage jihad. Then he said, “The army of Quraysh is on the red slope of this mountain.” When the army of Quraysh came near us and we also formed our ranks, suddenly a man from among them, riding a red camel, came out and began to circle his army. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), “Ali! Call out to Hamzah—who was closest to the polytheists of Makkah—ask who this man on the red camel is and what he is saying.” Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “If there is anyone in the army of Quraysh who can command good, it is this man riding the red camel.” Meanwhile, Sayyiduna Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him) came and said, “This is ‘Utbah bin Rabi‘ah, who is stopping people from fighting and saying, ‘O my people! I see people who have become weak. If you have even a little ability, they will never reach you. O my people! Today, tie a band on my head and say that ‘Utbah bin Rabi‘ah has become a coward, even though you know I am not a coward.’” When Abu Jahl heard this, he said, “Are you saying this? By Allah! If anyone else had said this besides you, I would have told him to go and suck his father’s private parts (he cursed). Your lungs have filled your belly with awe.” ‘Utbah said, “O yellow-buttocked one! You taunt me? Today you will know who among us is a coward.” After this, in excitement, ‘Utbah, his brother Shaybah, and his son Walid came out to the battlefield and challenged for single combat. In response, six young men from the Ansar came out. ‘Utbah said, “We do not want to fight them. Let our own kin come out against us, those who belong to Banu ‘Abd al-Muttalib.” Hearing this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered Sayyiduna Ali, Sayyiduna Hamzah, and Sayyiduna ‘Ubaydah bin Harith bin Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with them) to rise and face them. In this combat, ‘Utbah, Shaybah, and Walid were all killed, and among the Muslims, Sayyiduna ‘Ubaydah (may Allah be pleased with him) was wounded. In this way, we killed seventy of them and captured seventy as prisoners. Meanwhile, a short-statured young Ansari brought ‘Abbas bin ‘Abd al-Muttalib—who later became a Companion—as a prisoner. ‘Abbas said, “O Messenger of Allah! By Allah, he did not capture me. I was captured by a man who had no hair on either side of his head, had a very handsome face, and was riding a dappled horse, whom I do not see among you now.” The Ansari said, “O Messenger of Allah! I captured him.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed him to remain silent and said, “Allah helped you through a noble angel.” Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) says that among Banu ‘Abd al-Muttalib, we had captured ‘Abbas, ‘Aqil, and Nawfal bin Harith.

Shuraih bin Hani says that I asked Lady Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) about a male companion regarding wiping over leather socks, so she said: "You should ask this question to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), because he used to accompany the Prophet (peace be upon him) on journeys." So I asked Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), and he said: "The Prophet (peace be upon him) commanded us that when we go on a journey, we should wipe over our leather socks."

Saeed bin Wahb and Zaid bin Yuthai’ say that once, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) made the people swear in the courtyard of Kufa and said: “Whoever heard any statement from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about me at the occasion of Ghadir Khumm, let him stand up.” Upon this, according to Saeed’s opinion, six men stood up, and according to Zaid’s opinion, six men stood up, and all of them testified that they had heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say about Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) at the occasion of Ghadir Khumm: “Does Allah not have a right over the believers?” All replied: “Indeed!” He said: “O Allah! Whomever I am the master of, Ali is also his master. O Allah! Befriend whoever befriends Ali, and be the enemy of whoever is hostile to him.”

The previous narration is also reported through another chain, with the following addition at the end: "Whoever helps Ali, then help him, and whoever abandons him, then abandon him."

The previous narration is also reported from Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) through this second chain of transmission.

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when Hasan was born, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came and said: "Show me my son, what name have you given him?" I replied: Harb. He said: "No, his name is Hasan." Then when Husayn was born, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came and said: "Show me my son, what name have you given him?" I again replied: Harb. He said: "No, his name is Husayn." The same happened at the birth of the third son, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) changed his name to Muhsin, then said: "I have named these children after the children of Harun (peace be upon him), whose names were Shabbar, Shabbir, and Mushbir."

Abu Al-Tufail says that someone asked Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), "Tell us something that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told you especially." He replied, "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not tell me anything privately that he concealed from other people, except that there is something in the sheath of my sword." Saying this, he took out a scroll from it, in which it was written: "The curse of Allah is upon the one who slaughters an animal in the name of other than Allah, the curse of Allah is upon the one who gives shelter to an innovator, the curse of Allah is upon the one who curses his parents, and the curse of Allah is upon the one who steals the boundary markers of the land."

Abdullah bin Yasar says that once Amr bin Harith came to visit Sayyiduna Imam Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) during his illness. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: "You have come to visit Hasan in his illness, but what about that which you are hiding in your heart?" Amr said: "You are not my Lord that you may do as you wish with my heart." Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Even so, we will not refrain from advising you. I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'When a Muslim goes to visit his sick brother, Allah appoints seventy thousand angels for him who pray for his forgiveness every moment of the day until evening, and if he goes in the evening, they pray for him every moment of the night until morning.'"

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Three types of people are exempt from accountability: (1) The sleeping person, until he wakes up; (2) The insane person, until his sanity returns; (3) The child, until he reaches puberty."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say at the end of Witr: «اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِرِضَاكَ مِنْ سَخَطِكَ وَأَعُوذُ بِمُعَافَاتِكَ مِنْ عُقُوبَتِكَ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْكَ وَلَا أُحْصِي ثَنَاءً عَلَيْكَ أَنْتَ كَمَا أَثْنَيْتَ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ.» "O Allah! I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your displeasure, in Your pardon from Your punishment, and I seek refuge in You from You. I cannot enumerate Your praises; You are as You have praised Yourself."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that once a silk garment was sent as a gift to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from somewhere. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent it to me. I wore it, but when I saw signs of displeasure on the blessed face of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), I distributed it among my women as head coverings.

Abu Hassan says that whenever Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) would give a command and people would come and say, "We have done such and such," he would say, "Allah and His Messenger have spoken the truth." One day, a person named Ashtar asked Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), "The sentence you say has become very widespread among the people; is this something that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) specifically advised you about?" He replied, "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not give me any advice specifically, apart from the people. However, what I heard from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), I wrote in a scroll and kept it in the sheath of my sword." The people insisted that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) show them that scroll. He took it out, and it was written in it: "Whoever invents a bid'ah (innovation), or gives refuge to an innovator, upon him is the curse of Allah, the angels, and all people. Neither his obligatory nor his voluntary deeds will be accepted." It was also written in it: "Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) declared Makkah as a sanctuary, and I declare Madinah as a sanctuary. The area between its two boundaries is sacred; its grass should not be cut, its game should not be frightened away, and nothing fallen there should be picked up except by one who will announce it to its owner. No tree should be cut here, except if a man feeds his animal with it, then that is a different matter. And weapons should not be raised here for fighting." It was also written in it: "The lives of Muslims are equal among themselves. If even the lowest of them grants protection to someone, his protection should be respected. And Muslims are united against others like a single hand. Beware! No Muslim should be killed in exchange for a disbeliever, and no dhimmi should be killed as long as he is under the contract and abides by its conditions."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would go into bowing (ruku‘), he would recite this supplication: «اَللّٰهُمَّ لَكَ رَكَعْتُ وَبِكَ آمَنْتُ وَلَكَ أَسْلَمْتُ أَنْتَ رَبِّي خَشَعَ سَمْعِي وَبَصَرِي وَمُخِّي وَعَظْمِي وَعَصَبِي وَمَا اسْتَقَلَّتْ بِهِ قَدَمِي لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ.» "O Allah! I have bowed for You, believed in You, submitted to You; You alone are my Lord. My ears, my eyes, my mind, my bones, and my tendons are humbled before You, and my feet are also humbled for the sake of Allah, Lord of the worlds."

Abdur Rahman bin Abi Laila says that once Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) made the people swear in the courtyard of Kufa and said: Whoever heard the statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) at the occasion of Ghadir Khumm, let him stand up, that "Whoever's master I am, Ali is also his master." At this, twelve Badri Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) stood up and all of them testified that we all heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) at the occasion of Ghadir Khumm saying about Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): "Does Allah not have a right over the believers?" All replied: Why not! He said: "Whoever's master I am, Ali is also his master. O Allah! Befriend whoever befriends Ali, and be the enemy of whoever is hostile to him."