Investigative Analysis of the Narration About Seeking Help from Ali (RA)Authored by: Hafiz Muhammad Anwar Zahid (May Allah protect him)
❖ The Claim:
“O Allah! Assist Ali (RA), and seek help from him; support him, and desire his support, for he is Your servant and the brother of Your Messenger.”
According to a narration attributed to Kudayrah al-Hujrī, it is stated:
Abu Dharr (RA) leaned against the Kaʿbah and addressed the people:
“O people, come! Let me share with you two or three things I heard from your Prophet ﷺ.
I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say these words to Ali (RA):
‘O Allah! Assist him, and seek his assistance. Support him, and desire his support, for he is Your servant and the brother of Your Messenger.’”
Sources:
- Mizān al-Iʿtidāl: 6/534
- Lisān al-Mīzān by al-Ḥāfiẓ
- Al-Ṭabarānī in al-Kabīr: 12/122
- Kanz al-ʿUmmāl: 32954
- Al-Jāmiʿ al-Kabīr by al-Suyūṭī: 9741
- Ibn Saʿd in al-Ṭabaqāt: 2/1/49
❖ Core Issue in the Statement
This narration implies a theologically impossible and blasphemous concept, i.e., that Allah seeks help and assistance from Ali (RA).
✔ This is in direct contradiction to the fundamental Islamic belief of Tawḥīd:
Allah ﷻ is Al-Ghaniyy (completely free of need) and Al-Ṣamad (the One who is sought, but never seeks).
To say that Allah seeks help from any of His creation is utter disbelief (kufr) and nullifies the foundational concept of divine perfection.
❖ The Narrators in the Chain
✿ ① Kudayrah al-Hujrī
- A narrator of the report.
- Imam al-Bukhārī states: He is unknown (majhūl).
- He is not mentioned with any credibility in authentic Hadith works.
✿ ② Mahallal al-ʿAbdī
- The transmitter from Kudayrah.
- Also declared majhūl (unknown) by Imam al-Bukhārī.
Thus, both narrators are anonymous and unreliable, making the chain completely untrustworthy.❖ Theological Danger in the Content
The phrases:
- "O Allah, seek help from Ali"
- "Desire support from him"
— are fundamentally contrary to the Islamic understanding of Allah’s attributes. No Prophet ﷺ would ever utter such words, and no true narration could contain such ideas. These statements:
① Attribute neediness to Allah ﷻ
② Equate created beings with divine power
③ Contradict Qur’anic teachings that affirm Allah’s absolute self-sufficiency
Therefore, the scholars rightly stated:
“Both phrases are outright statements of kufr (disbelief), and we seek Allah’s forgiveness from such a belief.”
❖ Summary of Scholarly Assessment
- Both narrators (Kudayrah and Mahallal) are unknown — as declared by Imam al-Bukhārī.
- The narration is not supported by any reliable chain.
- Its content is blasphemous and theologically unacceptable.
- Such narrations are fabricated and used for sectarian glorification.
Conclusion:
The narration attributing to the Prophet ﷺ the statement that Allah seeks help from Ali (RA) is:
Fabricated in chain, Corrupt in content, Contradictory to Tawḥīd, And unanimously rejected by scholars.It is a dangerous fabrication that must be refuted and cannot be used in any context to promote the virtue of Ali (RA) — whose real status is already established through authentic and sound traditions.
