Authored by: Hafiz Muhammad Anwar Zahid (ḥafiẓahullāh)
❖ The Narration
A statement is attributed to Hazrat ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه):
“Abū Bakr and ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما) will be the first to enter Paradise, while I will remain behind to be held accountable along with Muʿāwiyah.”
[Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl: Vol. 1, p. 437 | Tanzīh al-Sharīʿah: Vol. 1, p. 390 | al-Mughnī in Tadhkirat al-Mawḍūʿāt: p. 100]
❖ Chain of Narration and Its Weakness
The narration is attributed to Hazrat ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه) through a transmitter named Aṣbagh.
Important clarification:
➤ This is not Aṣbagh ibn Nubātah, the famous Tābiʿī,
but rather:
➤ Aṣbagh Abū Bakr al-Shaybānī, who is:
- A student of al-Suddī
- From the generation after the Tābiʿīn (tabaʿ al-tābiʿīn)
◈ Criticism of the Narrators:
✔ Aṣbagh Abū Bakr al-Shaybānī:
- Mentioned in:
- al-Mughnī: Vol. 1, p. 93
- al-Ḍuʿafāʾ al-Kabīr: Vol. 1, p. 130
- al-Ḍuʿafāʾ wa al-Matrūkīn: Vol. 1, p. 126
- Imām al-Dhahabī stated:
“He is majhūl (unknown), and this narration is munkar (rejected).”
✔ Al-Suddī (narrator from whom Aṣbagh reports):
- Known by the nickname “al-Suddī”
- Identified as a Shīʿī
- His narrations are weak, especially in matters involving companions (ṣaḥābah)
❖ Commentary on the Content
Although the chain is weak and unreliable, some try to interpret the statement on speculative grounds. However, the following must be observed:
➤ Fabricated reports cannot be legitimized based on ideology or theological sympathies.
➤ Even if Hazrat ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه) had made any such statement,
it would remain his personal assumption (ijtihād),
not a divinely revealed truth about the unseen (ghayb), especially regarding the events of Yawm al-Qiyāmah.
❖ Final Evaluation
❌ The narration is:
- Based on a weak and broken chain
- Contains unknown and unreliable narrators
- Involves sectarian bias, as both Aṣbagh and al-Suddī are noted for Rāfiḍī inclinations
- Declared munkar by al-Dhahabī and listed among fabricated or suspect reports
Conclusion:
This narration is unreliable and cannot be accepted as a valid statement of Hazrat ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه). It is based on weak and biased sources, and carries no weight in sound Islamic belief.
