Hadith: "I am the City of Knowledge, and Ali is its Gate"

Written by: Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amn Puri (Hafizahullah)

Sayyiduna Ali (رضي اللہ عنہ), the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم), the fourth caliph, and the "Lion of Allah," has been granted many virtues and merits from the tongue of Prophethood. The authentic merits of Sayyiduna Ali (رضي اللہ عنہ) are those that have reached us through sound chains of narration from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). However, fabricated, munkar (rejected), and weak narrations cannot be considered true virtues. One such narration, which we will examine here, is:

"I am the City of Knowledge, and Ali is its Gate."

This saying is commonly believed to be a statement of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), but according to the principles of Hadith scholars, it does not meet the criteria of authenticity. To understand the reliability of this statement, let's explore all the related narrations in detail:

Narration 1:​

This narration is attributed to Sayyiduna Ali (رضي اللہ عنہ) stating that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:

"I am the house of wisdom, and Ali is its door."
[Sunan al-Tirmidhi: 3723; Tahdhib al-Athar, Musnad Ali, p. 104]

Commentary:The chain of this narration is weak because:

1. Muhammad bin Umar bin Abdullah al-Rumi is considered weak by the majority of scholars. For instance:
   
   • Imam Abu Hatim al-Razi said:
     "There is weakness in him."
     [Al-Jarh wa al-Ta'dil by Ibn Abi Hatim: 8/22]
   • Imam Abu Zur'ah al-Razi said:
     "He is a weak narrator."
     [Al-Jarh wa al-Ta'dil: 8/22]
   • Imam Ibn Hibban said:
     "He distorts hadith and attributes sayings to reliable narrators that they did not say. His narrations cannot be used as proof."
     [Kitab al-Majruhin: 2/94]
2. Sharik bin Abdullah is also part of the chain, about whom Hafiz Ibn Hajar commented:
   "He was truthful but made many mistakes. His memory deteriorated after becoming a judge in Kufa."
   [Taqrib al-Tahdhib: 2787]

Due to these weaknesses, this narration cannot be considered reliable.

Narration 2:​

Attributed to Sayyiduna Ali (رضي اللہ عنہ), the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) supposedly said:

"I am the house of wisdom, and Ali is its door. Whoever wishes to enter the house should come through the door."
[Sharh al-Shari'a by Imam al-Ajurri, p. 232-233]

Commentary:

This chain has the same weaknesses as the previous one.

Narration 3:​

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (رضي اللہ عنہ) that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:

"I am the city of knowledge, and Ali is its gate. Whoever seeks knowledge should come through the gate."
[Manaqib Ali by Ibn al-Maghazali: 129; Tarikh Dimashq by Ibn Asakir: 42/378]

Commentary:

This chain is flawed because:

1. Sharik bin Abdullah is known for tadlis (concealing weaknesses).
2. Salamah bin Kuhayl did not hear from Sanabiha.
3. Suwayd bin Sa'id is described by Hafiz Ibn Hajar as having practiced tadlis and whose memory deteriorated in his later years.
   [Tabaqat al-Mudallisin, p. 120]

Narration 4:​

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) reportedly said:

"I am the city of jurisprudence, and Ali is its gate."
[Sharh al-Shari'a by Imam al-Ajurri, p. 232-233; Hilyat al-Awliya by Abu Nu'aym, 1/64]

Commentary:

This narration is also fabricated due to the presence of:

• Abdul Hamid bin Bahr al-Basri, who is accused of stealing hadiths.
  • Imam Ibn Adi said:
    "He narrated munkar (rejected) hadiths that he stole from reliable narrators."
    [Al-Kamil fi Du'afa' al-Rijal: 5/325]

Narration No. 5​

It is attributed to Sayyiduna Ali (رضي اللہ عنہ) that the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:

"I am the city of Paradise, and you, O Ali, are its gate. Whoever claims to enter it from other than its gate is lying."
[Tarikh Dimashq by Ibn Asakir: 42/378; Al-La'ali al-Masnu'ah by Al-Suyuti: 1/335]

Commentary:

The chain of this narration is fabricated, as:

1. Sa'd bin Tarif al-Iskani, a narrator, is described by Hafiz Ibn Hajar as:
   "Abandoned (matruk), and Ibn Hibban accused him of fabrication. He was a Rafidhi."
   [Taqrib al-Tahdhib: 2241]
2. Asbagh bin Nabatah al-Tamimi, another narrator, is also described by Hafiz Ibn Hajar as:
   "Abandoned, and accused of being a Rafidhi."
   [Taqrib al-Tahdhib: 537]

Narration No. 6​

Sayyiduna Ali (رضي اللہ عنہ) is also reported to have said that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:

"I am the trunk of a tree, Ali is its branch, Hasan and Husayn are its fruits, and the Shia are its leaves. Does anything good emerge from anything but good? I am the city of knowledge, and Ali is its gate. Whoever seeks it should come through the gate."
[Talqis al-Mutashabih by al-Khatib: 1/308; Tarikh Dimashq by Ibn Asakir: 42/383, 384]

Commentary:This narration is also fabricated and baseless, as:

1. Yahya bin Bishar al-Kindi al-Kufi narrated this hadith from Ismail bin Ibrahim al-Hamdani, and both are unknown (majhul) narrators.
   [Talqis al-Mutashabih: 1/308]
2. Hafiz Dhahabi commented:
   "Yahya bin Bishar al-Kindi is unknown and narrated a fabricated hadith."
   [Mizan al-I'tidal: 4/366]

Narration No. 7​

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (رضي اللہ عنہ) that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:

"I am the city of wisdom, and you, O Ali, are its gate."
[Al-Amali by Abu Ja'far al-Tusi al-Rafidhi: 1/490]

Commentary:

This narration is extremely fabricated, as:

1. Jabir bin Yazid al-Ju'fi, a narrator, is a well-known liar and fabricator (kadhdhab, matruk).
2. Ahmad bin Hammad al-Hamdani is also unreliable, and Hafiz Dhahabi stated:
   "I do not know who he is."
   [Mizan al-I'tidal: 1/94]
3. Amr bin Shamir is also weak and abandoned. This chain has numerous flaws.

Narration No. 8​

Sayyiduna Ali (رضي اللہ عنہ) is attributed to have said that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:

"I am the city of knowledge, and Ali is its gate. Whoever wishes to seek knowledge must come through the gate."
[Al-Mawdu'at by Ibn al-Jawzi: 1/350]

Commentary:

This narration is also fabricated. Ibn al-Jawzi mentioned that it has several unknown (majhul) narrators and concluded that the chain is baseless.
[Al-Mawdu'at: 1/353]

Narration No. 9​

Sayyiduna Ali (رضي اللہ عنہ) is attributed to have said that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:

"O Ali! I am the city of knowledge, and you are its gate. Whoever claims that they can enter the city from any other entrance is lying."
[Manaqib Ali bin Abi Talib by Ibn al-Maghazali: 126]

Commentary:

This narration is also fabricated because:

1. Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Umar bin Muslim al-Lahqi, a narrator, is unknown.
2. Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Muhammad Abu al-Mufaddal al-Kufi, another narrator, is a notorious liar and fabricator.
   [Tarikh Baghdad by Al-Khatib: 5/466; Lisan al-Mizan by Ibn Hajar: 5/231-232]

Narration No. 10​

It is attributed to Sayyiduna Ali (رضي اللہ عنہ) that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:

"I am the city of knowledge, and Ali is its gate. Whoever wishes to seek knowledge should come through the gate."
[Al-La'ali al-Masnu'ah by Al-Suyuti: 1/334]

Commentary:

This chain is also fabricated:

1. Dawood bin Sulaiman al-Jurjani, a narrator, was declared a liar by Yahya bin Ma'in and described as a fabricator by other scholars.
   [Mizan al-I'tidal: 2/8; Lisan al-Mizan by Ibn Hajar: 2/417]
2. Ali bin Hussain bin Bandar al-Istirabadi has also been criticized, with Ibn Najjar declaring him weak, and Ibn Tahir calling him suspicious (mutahham).
   [Lisan al-Mizan: 4/217; Mizan al-I'tidal: 3/121]

Narration No. 11​

Sayyiduna Ali (رضي اللہ عنہ) is attributed to have said that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:

"I am the city of knowledge, and Ali is its gate. Whoever wishes to seek knowledge should come through the gate."
[Al-Mawdu'at by Ibn al-Jawzi: 1/350]

Commentary:

This narration is also fabricated because:

1. Hassan bin Muhammad bin Jarir, a narrator, is unknown, and his background is unclear.
2. Ubaydullah bin Abu Rafi' also lacks proper identification in the chain. Therefore, this hadith is baseless and fabricated.

Narration No. 12​

It is attributed to Sayyiduna Ali (رضي اللہ عنہ) that the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:

"I am the city of knowledge, and Ali is its gate. Homes are only entered through their doors."
[Manaqib Ali by Ibn al-Maghazali: 122]

Commentary:

This narration is also not authentic because:

1. Ali bin Umar bin Ali bin Husayn, a narrator in the chain, is described by Hafiz Ibn Hajar as "mastur" (hidden or unknown).
   [Taqrib al-Tahdhib: 4775]
2. Hafs bin Umar al-San'ani has been classified as weak by Hafiz Ibn Hajar.
   [Taqrib al-Tahdhib: 1420]
3. Muhammad bin Musaffa bin Bahlul al-Qurashi is accused of practicing tadlis al-taswiyah (a form of concealing weaknesses in the chain).
   [Al-Majruhin by Ibn Hibban: 1/94]

Narration No. 13​

A similar narration appears in Imam al-Daraqutni’s book [Al-‘Ilal: 3/247].

Commentary:

• Yahya bin Salama bin Kuhayl, one of the narrators, is described by Hafiz Ibn Hajar as:
  "Abandoned (matruk), and he was a Shi'a."
  [Taqrib al-Tahdhib: 7561]
• Hafiz Dhahabi also declared him as "abandoned".
  [Talkhis al-Mustadrak: 3/126, 2/246]

Narration No. 14​

It is attributed to Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (رضي اللہ عنہ) that during the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) took Sayyiduna Ali (رضي اللہ عنہ) by the arm and said:

"This is the leader of the righteous and the killer of the wicked. Whoever helps him will be victorious, and whoever forsakes him will be disgraced."

He then raised his voice and said:

"I am the city of knowledge, and Ali is its gate. Whoever seeks wisdom should come through the gate."

[Al-Majruhin by Ibn Hibban: 1/152-153; Al-Kamil fi Du'afa' al-Rijal by Ibn Adi: 1/192; Al-Mustadrak 'ala al-Sahihayn by Al-Hakim: 3/127-129; Tarikh Baghdad by Al-Khatib: 2/377, 4/219]

Commentary:

This is also a fabricated narration because:

1. Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Yazid al-Hashimi, a narrator, is a known fabricator. According to:
   
   • Imam Ibn Adi,
     "He fabricates hadith and attributes them to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم)."
     [Al-Kamil fi Du'afa' al-Rijal: 1/192]
   • Imam Ibn Hibban said:
     "He narrates from reliable narrators and fabricates absurdities."
     [Al-Majruhin: 1/152]
   • Imam al-Daraqutni added:
     "He narrates from Imam Abdul Razzaq and others, reporting munkar (denounced) hadiths."
     [Tarikh Baghdad: 4/220]
   • Hafiz Dhahabi also labeled him as a fabricator.
     [Al-Mughni fi al-Du'afa': 1/43]
2. Sufyan al-Thawri's tadlis (concealing defects) is another issue with this narration.

When Imam al-Hakim classified this narration as "authentic" in Al-Mustadrak, Hafiz Dhahabi criticized him, saying:

"It is astonishing that Al-Hakim deemed this narration and similar fabrications as authentic. Ahmad bin Abdullah is a lying deceiver."
[Talkhis al-Mustadrak: 3/127]

Narration No. 15​

It is attributed to Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (رضي اللہ عنہ) that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:

"Ali bin Abi Talib is the leader of the Arabs." The companions asked: "Are you not the leader of the Arabs?" The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) replied:
_"I am the leader of the descendants of Adam, and Ali is the leader of the Arabs. Whoever loves him and takes him as a leader, Allah will love and guide them. Whoever opposes him and shows enmity towards him, Allah will make them deaf and blind. His right is my right, and his obedience is my obedience, but there will be no prophet after me. Whoever departs from him has departed from me, and whoever departs from me has departed from Allah. I am the city of wisdom, and it is paradise, and Ali is its gate. How can one enter paradise without going through its gate?"**
[Al-Manaqib by Ibn Shadhan: 94]

Commentary:

This narration is fabricated because:

1. Isa bin Mehran Abu Musa al-Musta’tif, a narrator, is described as a fabricator. According to:
   
   • Imam Ibn Adi:
     "He narrates fabricated and munkar hadiths and was a staunch Rafidhi."
     [Al-Kamil fi Du'afa' al-Rijal: 5/260]
   • Imam al-Khatib al-Baghdadi:
     "Isa bin Mehran was one of the devils of the Rafidha (Shia extremists). I found a book he wrote filled with slanders against the Companions. It contained fabricated reports with dark chains of narration, attributed to weak and unknown narrators."
     [Tarikh Baghdad: 11/168]
   • Hafiz Dhahabi also labeled him a "liar and fabricator."
     [Mizan al-I'tidal: 3/324]
2. Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Ubaydullah al-Kufi, another narrator, was also a fabricator.
   [Tarikh Baghdad: 5/466-467; Lisan al-Mizan: 5/231-232]

Narration No. ⓲​

It is attributed to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (رضي الله عنهما) that the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:

"I am the city of knowledge, and Ali is its gate. Whoever seeks knowledge should come through the gate."
[Al-Kamil fi Du'afa' al-Rijal by Ibn Adi: 3/412; Al-Mawdu'at by Ibn al-Jawzi: 1/352]

Commentary:​

This narration is classified as fabricated (من گھڑت) due to several issues with its chain of transmission:

1. Ahmad bin Hafs al-Sa'di, one of the narrators, is deemed unreliable.
   
   • Imam Ibn Adi stated:
     "He narrated munkar (rejected) hadiths that no one else has narrated."
     [Al-Kamil fi Du'afa' al-Rijal: 1/199]
2. Imam Isma'ili mentioned that Ahmad bin Hafs was mentally unstable, saying:
   "His mind was affected, and at times he became confused."
   [Mu'jam al-Ismaili: 1/355]
   
   • Hafiz Ibn Hajar further explained this:
     "Sometimes his mind would wander due to a condition, causing him to mix things up."
     [Lisan al-Mizan: 1/163]
3. Hafiz Dhahabi classified Ahmad bin Hafs as a narrator of rejected (munkar) hadiths, adding:
   "He is weak, unreliable, and unfit for narration."
   [Mizan al-I'tidal: 1/94; Diwan al-Du'afa': 28]
   
   • He also suggested:
     "It seems that Ahmad bin Hafs fabricated this narration."
4. Saeed bin Aqabah al-Kufi, another narrator, is unknown (majhool) and considered unreliable (غير ثقة), as noted by Imam Ibn Adi.
   [Al-Kamil fi Du'afa' al-Rijal: 3/413]

Narration No. ⓳​

It is also attributed to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (رضي الله عنهما) that the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:

"I am the city of wisdom, and Ali is its gate."
[Al-Kamil fi Du'afa' al-Rijal by Ibn Adi: 5/177; Al-Shari'a by Al-Ajurri: 3/236]

Commentary:​

This narration is also fabricated (جھوٹی) because of several issues in the chain of narrators:

1. Imam Ibn Adi mentioned:
   "I do not know of anyone who narrated this hadith from Isa bin Yunus except for Uthman bin Abdullah. This hadith is generally considered broken (mu'dal) from Al-A'mash, and it has been narrated by Abu Ma'awiya from Al-A'mash, and Abu al-Salt al-Harawi narrated it as well. Many weak narrators have stolen it from Abu al-Salt."
   [Al-Kamil fi Du'afa' al-Rijal: 5/177]
2. Uthman bin Khalid is described by Imam Ibn Hibban as:
   "He used to narrate flipped (messed up) narrations from trustworthy narrators, and he would attribute reports to reliable sources that they never narrated. He would reverse chains of narration, and his reports cannot be used as evidence."
   [Al-Majruhin: 2/102]
3. Imam al-Daraqutni clarified:
   "It is a mistake. Uthman bin Khalid never narrated from Isa bin Yunus. Instead, this hadith was narrated by Uthman bin Abdullah al-Qurashi al-Shami."
   [Comments of Al-Daraqutni on Ibn Hibban's Al-Majruhin, p. 183]
4. Al-A'mash, a key narrator, is known for practicing tadlis (concealing weaknesses), and this hadith is considered unreliable due to his involvement.

Narration No. 20​

The chain of the previous narration is as follows:

"From al-Hasan bin Uthman, from Mahmud bin Khaddash, from Abu Mu'awiya."
[Al-Mawdu'at by Ibn al-Jawzi: 1/325]

Commentary:This narration is also fabricated because:

1. Al-Hasan bin Uthman al-Tustari, the narrator, was notorious for fabricating hadiths.
   • Imam Ibn Adi stated:
     "In my opinion, he used to fabricate hadiths and steal the narrations of others."
     [Al-Kamil fi Du'afa' al-Rijal: 2/345]
   • Abdan al-Ahwazi labeled him as a liar (kadhab).
     [Al-Kamil fi Du'afa' al-Rijal: 2/345]

Narration No. 21​

It is attributed to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (رضي الله عنهما) that the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:

"I am the city of wisdom, and Ali is its gate. Whoever seeks knowledge should come through the gate."
[Tarikh Baghdad by Al-Khatib: 4/348; Al-Mawdu'at by Ibn al-Jawzi: 1/350-351]

Commentary:

This is also a fabricated narration for the following reasons:

1. Raja bin Salama, one of the narrators, is accused of stealing hadiths.
   
   • Hafiz Ibn al-Jawzi stated:
     "He was accused of stealing hadiths."
     [Al-Mawdu'at by Ibn al-Jawzi: 1/351]
2. Abu Mu'awiya Muhammad bin Hazim, another narrator, is known for tadlis (concealing weaknesses in the chain of transmission).
3. Al-A'mash, a key narrator in this chain, is also known for tadlis.
4. Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Yazid bin Salim, another narrator in this chain, has no biographical details available, meaning he is unknown.

Narration No. 22​

It is again attributed to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (رضي الله عنهما) that the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:

"I am the city of wisdom, and Ali is its gate. Whoever seeks knowledge should come through its gate."
[Al-Kamil fi Du'afa' al-Rijal by Ibn Adi: 5/67; Al-Mu'jam al-Kabir by Al-Tabarani: 11/65, Hadith No. 11061; Al-Mustadrak by Al-Hakim: 3/126; Al-Mawdu'at by Ibn al-Jawzi: 1/351]

Commentary:

This narration is fabricated for the following reasons:

1. Abu al-Salt Abd al-Salam bin Salih, one of the narrators, is classified as "weak" and "abandoned" (matruk) by hadith scholars.
2. Al-A'mash, another narrator, practiced tadlis, meaning he concealed weaknesses in the chain of transmission.
3. Imam Yahya bin Sa'id al-Qattan said:
   "I have written down the hadiths that Al-A'mash attributed to Mujahid, and all of them were fabricated; he never heard them."
   [Muqaddimah al-Jarh wa al-Ta'dil by Ibn Abi Hatim, p. 241]
4. Imam Yahya bin Ma'in also said:
   "Al-A'mash never heard from Mujahid; everything he narrates from him is disconnected (mursal) and fabricated."
   [Riwayah Ibn Tahman: 59]
5. Abu Mu'awiya is also known for tadlis, and he narrated the hadith with the word "عن" (indicating possible non-direct transmission).

Note:
Some narrators attempted to follow and support Abu al-Salt Abd al-Salam bin Salih's version, but they were also unreliable, and their narrations are equally fabricated.

Narration No. 23​

Ibn Mahruz also followed up with a chain of transmission:

"From Muhammad bin Ja'far al-'Allaf, from Muhammad bin al-Tufayl, from Abu Mu'awiya, from Al-A'mash, from Mujahid."
[Ma'rifat al-Rijal: 2/242; Manaqib Ali by Ibn al-Maghazali: 128]

Commentary:

This narration is also problematic because:

1. Ibn Mahruz's reliability needs to be verified.
2. Muhammad bin al-Tufayl bin Malik al-Hanafi was only mentioned by Imam Ibn Hibban in his book Al-Thiqat (The Trustworthy), which makes him unknown (majhul al-hal).

Narration No. 24​

Muhammad bin Ja'far al-Faydi also followed up:

[Al-Mustadrak ala al-Sahihayn by Al-Hakim: 3/127]

Commentary:

This chain is defective because:

1. Husayn bin Fahm, one of the narrators, is not strong. Although Imam Al-Hakim called him "trustworthy, reliable, and a memorizer", this was due to Al-Hakim's leniency in grading narrators. Imam Al-Daraqutni described him as "not strong".
   [Su'alat al-Hakim lil-Daraqutni: 85]
2. There is also an issue with Abu Husayn Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Tamim al-Fitri, whose trustworthiness needs verification.

Narration No. 25​

Follow-up by Imam Abu Ubaid Qasim bin Salam
[Kitab al-Majroohin by Ibn Hibban: 1/130-131, Al-Mawdu'at by Ibn al-Jawzi: 1/352]

Commentary:

This chain is also invalid due to multiple reasons:

1. Ismail bin Muhammad bin Yusuf al-Jabarini Abu Harunis unreliable.
   • Imam Ibn Abi Hatim states:
     "He wrote some narrations to me, and after examining them, I found none of his narrations to be trustworthy."
     [Al-Jarh wa al-Ta'dil by Ibn Abi Hatim: 2/196]
   • Imam Ibn Hibban says:
     "He changes chains of narrations and steals hadiths. It is not permissible to use his narrations as evidence."
     [Al-Majroohin: 1/130]
   • Imam Al-Hakim remarks:
     "He narrates fabricated reports from Sunayd, Abu Ubaid, and Amr bin Abi Salamah."
     [Lisan al-Mizan by Ibn Hajar: 1/433]

Narration No. 26​

Follow-up by Umar bin Ismail bin Mujalid
[Al-Du'afa al-Kabir by Al-Aqeeli: 3/150, Tarikh Baghdad by Al-Khatib: 11/204, 353]

Commentary:

This chain is also unreliable because:

1. Umar bin Ismail bin Mujalidis weak.
   • Imam Abu Hatim al-Razi says:
     "He is weak in hadith."
     [Al-Jarh wa al-Ta'dil by Ibn Abi Hatim: 6/99]
   • Imam Ibn Ma'in says:
     "He is a liar. He also narrates the hadith from Abu Mu'awiya, from Al-A'mash, from Mujahid, from Ibn Abbas, from the Prophet (ﷺ): 'I am the city of knowledge, and Ali is its gate.' This hadith is a fabrication; it has no basis."
     [Su'alat Ibn al-Junayd: 51, Al-Du'afa al-Kabir by Al-Aqeeli: 3/150]
   • Hafiz Ibn Hajar also labels him as "abandoned."
     [Taqreeb al-Tahdheeb: 4866]

Narration No. 27​

Follow-up by Ibrahim bin Musa al-Razi
[Tazhib al-Athar [Musnad Ali] by Al-Tabari, p. 105]

Commentary:

Regarding this Ibrahim, Imam Al-Tabari himself states:

"This narrator is unknown to me, and I have not heard any narration from him except this one."

Narration No. 28​

Follow-up by Ahmad bin Salama, Abu Amr al-Jurjani
[Al-Kamil fi Du'afa al-Rijal by Ibn Adi: 1/189-190, Tarikh Jurjan by Al-Sahmi, p. 65, Al-Mawdu'at by Ibn al-Jawzi: 1/352-353]

Commentary:

This narration is also fabricated because:

1. Ahmad bin Salamais unreliable.
   • Imam Ibn Adi says:
     "He narrates fabrications from trustworthy narrators and steals hadiths."
     [Al-Kamil fi Du'afa al-Rijal: 1/189]
   • Hafiz Al-Dhahabi calls him a liar.

Narration No. 29​

Follow-up by Hasan bin Rashid
[Al-Kamil fi Du'afa al-Rijal by Ibn Adi: 5/65]

Commentary:

This chain is severely weak because:

1. The narrator Hasan bin Ali al-Adawiis a liar.
   • Imam Ibn Adi remarks:
     "This hadith is from Abu Salt al-Harawi, who narrates from Abu Mu'awiya. It has been stolen and narrated by weak narrators."
     [Al-Kamil fi Du'afa al-Rijal: 2/341]

Narration No. 30​

Follow-up by Musa bin Muhammad al-Ansari
[Mizan al-I'tidal by Al-Dhahabi: 3/444]

Commentary:

This chain is fabricated because of the narrator Mahfuz bin Bahram Taqi.

• Imam Abu Arubah says:
  "Mahfuz bin Bahram was a liar."
  [Al-Kamil fi Du'afa al-Rijal by Ibn Adi: 6/441]
• Al-Dhahabi includes this narration among Mahfuz bin Bahram's fabrications.
  • Ibn Al-'Umi states:
    "This is one of his fabrications and lies."
    [Al-Kashf al-Hathith: 601]

Narration No. 31​

Follow-up by an unidentified man from Syria
[Ta'liqaat al-Daraqutni ala al-Majroohin by Ibn Hibban, p. 179]

Commentary:

This narration is also a fabrication.

• Imam Al-Daraqutni says:
  "Abu Salt fabricated this hadith on Abu Mu'awiya, and several weak narrators stole it from him. Among them is 'Umar bin Ismail bin Mujalid, Muhammad bin Ja'far, and a liar from Syria who narrated it from Hisham, from Abu Mu'awiya."
  [Ta'liqaat al-Daraqutni ala al-Majroohin by Ibn Hibban, p. 179]

Narration No. 32​

Follow-up by Ja'far bin Muhammad al-Baghdadi
[Tarikh Baghdad by Al-Khatib: 7/172, Al-Mawdu'at by Ibn al-Jawzi: 1/350]

Commentary:

This narration is also fabricated:

1. Ja'far bin Muhammad al-Baghdadi is unknown.
   • Hafiz Al-Dhahabi says:
     "There is ambiguity about him."
     [Mizan al-I'tidal: 1/415]
   • Hafiz Al-Dhahabi also states:
     "This is a fabricated narration."
     [Mizan al-I'tidal: 1/415]

Narration No. 33​

It is attributed to Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (رضي الله عنه) that the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:

"I am the city of knowledge, Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman are its walls, and Ali is its gate. Whoever seeks knowledge should come through the gate."
[Tarikh Dimashq by Ibn Asakir: 45/321, Al-La'ali al-Masnu'ah by Al-Suyuti: 1/307-308]

Commentary:

This narration is fabricated due to several reasons:

1. Hassan bin Tamim bin Tamam is unknown. Additionally, there is no evidence that he heard from Sayyiduna Anas.
2. Abu al-Qasim Umar bin Muhammad bin Husayn al-Karkhi also requires verification.

• Hafiz Ibn Asakir states:
  "This chain and the content of the hadith are severely rejected (munkar)."
  [Tarikh Dimashq by Ibn Asakir: 45/321]

Narration No. 34​

This narration is attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) as follows:

"I am the city of knowledge, Abu Bakr is its foundation, Umar is its walls, Uthman is its roof, and Ali is its gate."
[Tarikh Dimashq by Ibn Asakir: 9/20]

Commentary:

This is a fabricated narration, and the one who fabricated it is Ismail bin Ali bin Mathna Istrabadi.

Opinions of Scholars on This Hadith:​

1. Imam Yahya bin Ma'in (رحمه الله) says:
   "This hadith has no basis."
   [Al-Jarh wa al-Ta'dil by Ibn Abi Hatim: 6/99]
   
   Note: Imam Yahya bin Ma'in is also reported to have authenticated this hadith in another source: [Tarikh Baghdad by Al-Khatib: 12/315, Bashar Edition]. This discrepancy could indicate a change in his opinion after further investigation of the narrators.
2. Imam Abu Zur'ah Al-Razi (رحمه الله) comments:
   "The narration from Abu Mu'awiya, from Al-A'mash, from Mujahid, from Ibn Abbas that says: 'I am the city of wisdom, and Ali is its gate,' many scholars have found faults in it."
   [Su'alat al-Barza'i: 2/753]
3. Imam Abu Hatim Al-Razi (رحمه الله) considers it "munkar" (denounced).
   [Al-Jarh wa al-Ta'dil by Ibn Abi Hatim: 8/22]
4. Imam Al-Tirmidhi (رحمه الله) states:
   "This hadith is gharib and munkar."
   [Sunan Al-Tirmidhi: 3723]
5. Imam Ibn Hibban (رحمه الله) says:
   "This report has no basis from the Prophet (ﷺ)."
   [Al-Majroohin: 2/94]
6. Imam Al-Daraqutni (رحمه الله) remarks:
   "The hadith is inconsistent (mudtarib) and not established."
   [Al-Ilal: 3/247, Hadith: 386]
7. Imam Al-Aqeeli (رحمه الله) mentions:
   "There is no authentic hadith with this wording."
   [Al-Du'afa al-Kabir: 3/150]
8. Imam Abu Ja'far Matin (رحمه الله) states:
   "No trustworthy narrator has transmitted this hadith from Abu Mu'awiya except Abu Salt. And scholars have declared him a liar."
   [Tarikh Baghdad by Al-Khatib: 7/172]
9. Imam Ibn Adi (رحمه الله) declares:
   "This is a munkar and fabricated hadith."
   [Al-Kamil fi Du'afa al-Rijal: 1/192]
10. Hafiz Ibn Asakir (رحمه الله) says:
    "All these narrations are unreliable."
    [Tarikh Dimashq: 42/380]
11. Hafiz Ibn al-Jawzi (رحمه الله) categorizes it as fabricated.
    [Al-Mawdu'at: 1/533]
12. Hafiz Al-Nawawi (رحمه الله) states:
    "This hadith is false."
    [Tahdhib al-Asma wal-Lughat: 1/490]
13. Hafiz Al-Dhahabi (رحمه الله) affirms:
    "This hadith is fabricated, narrated by Al-A'mash."
    [Tarikh al-Islam: 5/1191, Bashar Edition]
14. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (رحمه الله) also identifies it as fabricated.
    [Minhaj al-Sunnah: 7/515, Ahadith al-Qussas: 62, Majmoo' al-Fatawa: 18/123]
15. Allama Ibn Tahir (رحمه الله) considers it fabricated as well.
    [Takhreej Ahadith al-Ihya by Al-Iraqi: 1830]
16. Allama Abdul Rahman Al-Mu'allami (رحمه الله) also labels it fabricated.
    [Hashiyat al-Fawa'id al-Majmoo'a by Al-Shawkani: 349]

The Opinion of Imam Al-Hakim:​

Only Imam Al-Hakim declared the chain as "authentic". However, the leniency in his assessments is well known and recognized by scholars of hadith.

Conclusion:​

This hadith, in all its chains, is weak and fabricated. The narration from Ibn Abbas through Abu Mu'awiya, from Al-A'mash, from Mujahid is considered weak and fabricated by the majority of scholars. Despite Imam Al-Hakim's authentication, the overwhelming evidence of the hadith's weakness and fabrication, as highlighted by numerous classical scholars, outweighs his opinion.

The virtues and merits of Sayyiduna Ali (رضي الله عنه) are well-established through numerous authentic narrations. Therefore, fabricating or using weak narrations to praise his noble status is unnecessary. May Allah grant us the ability to accept the truth. Ameen!