Is Ali (R.A.) the Immediate Caliph and the Reliever of Hardships?

Authored by: Maulana Abu al-Hasan Mubashir Ahmad Rabbani (Hafizahullah)

Question:
Some people believe that Ali (R.A.) is the immediate Caliph (Khalifa Bilafasl) and the reliever of hardships. Is this belief contrary to the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah?

Answer:
A Hadith reported by multiple Companions (R.A.) mentions that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:

"من كنت مولاه فعلي مولاه اللهم وال من والاه وعاد من عاداه"

"Whoever has me as a friend, Ali is also his friend. O Allah! Be a friend to the one who befriends him and an enemy to the one who opposes him."
(Musnad Ahmad 419/5, Tabrani al-Kabeer 4052, Majma al-Zawaid 128/9, and others)


The meaning of this Hadith is straightforward: here, "Mawla" signifies "friend," not immediate caliph (Khalifa Bilafasl) or reliever of hardships. The immediate Caliph was Abu Bakr Siddiq (R.A.), and the only one who relieves hardships is Allah Almighty, the Master of all benefit and harm. Allah states in the Quran:

"وَإِنْ يَمْسَسْكَ اللَّـهُ بِضُرٍّ فَلَا كَاشِفَ لَهُ إِلَّا هُوَ وَإِنْ يُرِدْكَ بِخَيْرٍ فَلَا رَادَّ لِفَضْلِهِ"

"If Allah touches you with harm, none can remove it except Him; and if He intends any good for you, none can repel His favor."
(Yunus: 107)


This verse clearly establishes that only Allah can relieve hardship and adversity; there is none else who possesses such power. In another place, Allah says:

"أَمَّنْ يُجِيبُ الْمُضْطَرَّ إِذَا دَعَاهُ وَيَكْشِفُ السُّوءَ"

"Who responds to the distressed one when he calls upon Him and removes his suffering?"
(An-Naml: 62)


The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) advised Abdullah ibn Abbas (R.A.):

"وإذا استعنت فاستعن بالله"

"When you ask, ask of Allah, and when you seek help, seek help from Allah. Know that if the entire nation were to gather to benefit you, they would not be able to benefit you except with what Allah has written for you, and if they were to gather to harm you, they would not be able to harm you except with what Allah has written against you."

(Tirmidhi 2516)


From these verses and authentic Hadiths, it is evident that only Allah possesses the power to grant benefit, remove harm, and fulfill needs. No individual in the universe holds authority over others' destinies. In his counsel to Abdullah ibn Abbas (R.A.), the Prophet (PBUH) clarified that no person in his Ummah, whether righteous or wicked, rich or poor, ruler or commoner, holds any control over another’s fate. All authority rests solely with Allah, who is the ultimate guardian and the only one who alleviates hardships and fulfills needs.
 
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