Fabricated Ḥadīth Claiming ʿAlī (RA) as the Prophet’s Trustee and Keeper of Secrets

ʿAlī (RA) as “The Prophet’s Trustee” – Fabricated Report


Author: Ḥāfiẓ Muḥammad Anwar Zāhid (ḥafiẓahullāh)

Text of the Report​

It is narrated from Salman al-Fārisi (رضي الله عنه) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said regarding ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه):


“He is my trustee (waṣī), the keeper of my secrets, and the best among those I leave behind.”


References:

• Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl 2/418 (biography of Khālid bin ʿUbayd)
• Ibn al-Jawzī, al-Mawḍūʿāt 1/375
• Ibn al-Qaysarānī, al-Tadhkirah p. 219

Chain of Narration​

① Abū ʿIṣām Khālid bin ʿAbd al-Baṣrī​

• Imām al-Bukhārī: “This ḥadīth is objectionable.”
• Al-Ḥākim: Fabricates aḥādīth from Anas (رضي الله عنه).
  [Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl 9/400; al-Mughnī 2/798; al-Jarḥ wa al-Taʿdīl 9/421]

② Alāʾ bin ʿImrān and ʿAbdullāh bin Maḥmūd​

• Both are unknown narrators (majhūl), rendering the chain unreliable.

Lack of Supporting Evidence​

• No authentic ḥadīth collection contains a narration from Anas (رضي الله عنه) via Salman (رضي الله عنه) with this wording.
• Anas narrated from Abū Bakr and ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما), but almost all of his narrations are directly from the Prophet ﷺ (about 2,250 narrations).
• Narrations claimed to be from him via Salman in this context are Shīʿī fabrications.

Historical Inconsistencies​

• Anas (رضي الله عنه) was not politically aligned with ʿAlī, Ḥasan, or Ḥusayn (رضي الله عنهم) during the later disputes.
• He pledged allegiance to Muʿāwiyah, Yazīd, ʿAbd al-Malik bin Marwān, and al-Walīd, even participating in the Battle of Constantinople under Yazīd’s command.

Conclusion​

• Verdict: Fabricated (mawḍūʿ).
• Reasons:
  
  • Presence of a known fabricator (Abū ʿIṣām).
  • Unknown narrators in the chain.
  • Content aligns with sectarian fabrications, not authentic Islamic history.
• Authenticity: Rejected by major ḥadīth critics and absent from all reliable ḥadīth sources.