Every believer acknowledges the bravery of سیدنا علی رضی اللہ عنہ. Allah Almighty granted him immense strength and courage, and he was rightfully famous by the title “Lion of God.” A character based on truth does not need unnecessary or exaggerated praise, but throughout history, some people have fabricated false and fanciful stories about their favorite personalities. Such incidents, instead of highlighting their true character, sometimes create misconceptions in people’s minds.
Similarly, there is a famous incident about سیدنا علی رضی اللہ عنہ that he lifted and threw the gate of Khyber alone, while many people together could not lift it. This incident is not only unproven and unreliable but also attempts to portray سیدنا علی رضی اللہ عنہ as a supernatural being, which is far from the truth.
Research Review of the Narrations
There are four narrations regarding this, three in the books of Ahl al-Sunnah and one in the books of the Rafidah. Let us examine these narrations in the light of the principles of the Muhaddithin.
Narration Number 1: Attributed to Sayyiduna Abu Rafi’ (may Allah be pleased with him)
This narration states that سیدنا علی رضی اللہ عنہ was in the Battle of Khaybar when a Jewish man’s strike caused his shield to fall. He uprooted the gate of the fortress and used it as a shield, holding onto this gate until victory was achieved. Afterwards, even seven men together failed to move this gate.
Status of the Chain of Transmission
This narration is weak because some individuals in its chain are “ambiguous” and “unknown.” According to Shariah principles, religion cannot be derived from unknown persons.
Hafiz Haithami (may Allah have mercy on him) states: “It has been narrated by Imam Ahmad, and there is a narrator in it whose name is not mentioned”
.
Similarly, in the chain of دلائل النبوۃ, due to the break in the chain of Abdullah bin Hasan, Hafiz Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, states: “There is ignorance and a clear discontinuity in this narration”
.
Narration Number 2: Narration Attributed to Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with them both
This narration states that سیدنا علی رضی اللہ عنہ lifted the gate of the fortress on the day of Khyber, after which the Muslims attacked and conquered the fortress. Later, it was tested that only forty people could lift this gate.
Commentary:
The chain of this narration is weak because it includes a narrator named Laith bin Abi Sulaym, whom the majority of hadith scholars have declared weak and have described his memory as weak.
Hafiz Al-Iraqi, may Allah have mercy on him, states: “The majority of hadith scholars have declared him weak”
.
Hafiz Al-Haythami, may Allah have mercy on him, says: “Most hadith scholars have declared him weak”
.
Hafiz An-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, wrote: “The majority of hadith scholars have declared him weak”
.
According to Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him: “To my knowledge, no one has explicitly declared him trustworthy”
.
Hafiz Zahabi, may Allah have mercy on him, has classified this narration as “rejected”
.
Hafiz Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, states: “It is also weak”
.
Narration Number 3: Narration Attributed to Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with them
This narration states that when سیدنا علی رضی اللہ عنہ reached near the fortress of Khyber, he uprooted a door and threw it on the ground. Afterwards, seventy of us exerted great effort to put that door back in its place.
Commentary:
This narration is extremely weak because its chain includes a narrator named Haram bin Uthman, who is considered weak and unreliable by the majority of hadith scholars.
Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, Imam Bukhari, Imam Ya’qub bin Sufyan al-Faswi, Imam al-Daraqutni, Imam Ibn Hibban, Imam Ibn Sa’d, Imam Yahya bin Ma’in, and Allama Juzjani, may Allah have mercy on them, have declared him weak.
Hafiz Zahbi, may Allah have mercy on him, says: “This narrator is unanimously abandoned and an innovator”
.
Imam Bayhaqi himself, may Allah have mercy on him, also declared him weak,
Hafiz Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, also classified this narration as weak
.
Note:
دلائل النبوۃ In Bayhaqi’s version of this narration, instead of seventy, forty men are mentioned, but in both cases, due to the weakness of the chain and the narrator’s lack of reliability, this narration cannot be considered trustworthy.
Narration Number 4: Narration Attributed to Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq, may Allah have mercy on him
In this narration, Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq, may Allah have mercy on him, narrates from his ancestors that سیدنا علی رضی اللہ عنہ wrote a letter to Sahl bin Hunayf, in which he explained the incident of uprooting the gate of Khyber, saying: “By Allah! I did not uproot the gate of Khyber by physical strength, nor by the power of food, but it was a celestial and luminous power that my Lord granted me. My relation to Ahmad, peace be upon him, is like light to light.”
Comment:
This narration is a bundle of lies and is unacceptable in terms of its chain of transmission. Due to the various narrators and defects present in the chain, it is considered unreliable:
Statements of the Muhaddithin:
Allama Maqrizi, may Allah have mercy on him, writes: “Some Muhaddithin say that there is no truth to the incident of سیدنا علی رضی اللہ عنہ lifting the gate of Khyber”
.
Allama Sakhawi, may Allah have mercy on him, states: “All narrations regarding this are weak, and some scholars have declared this incident to be rejected”
.
Summary:
This narration is unacceptable and weak in terms of its chain of transmission. The incident of the gate of Khyber is not established by authentic and sound chains.
