This excerpt is taken from the book Difa-e-Sahaba رضي الله عنهم by Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri, may Allah preserve him.
The First Muslim?
Among the free men, the first to embrace Islam was Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him).
Sayyiduna Abu Umamah Bahili (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates from Sayyiduna Amr bin Absa (may Allah be pleased with him):
كنت وأنا فى الجاهلية أظن أن الناس على ضلالة، وأنهم ليسوا على شيء وهم يعبدون الأوثان، فسمعت برجل بمكة يخبر أخبارا، فقعدت على راحلتي، فقدمت عليه، فإذا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم مستخفيا جرءاء عليه قومه، فتلطفت حتى دخلت عليه بمكة، فقلت له : ما أنت؟ قال : أنا نبي، فقلت : وما نبي؟ قال : أرسلني الله، فقلت : وب أى شيء أرسلك، قال : أرسلني بصلة الأرحام، وكسر الأوثان، وأن يوحد الله لا يشرك به شيء، قلت له : فمن معك على هذا؟ قال : حر ، وعبد، قال : ومعه يومئذ أبو بكر، وبلال ممن آمن به .
"I used to consider the people misguided in the era of ignorance because they were idol worshippers and not followers of any (divine) religion. I learned that a man from Makkah was delivering news. I mounted my ride and went to him. I saw that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was living in secrecy and people were eager to harm him. I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in Makkah calmly and asked: Who are you? He said: I am a Prophet. I asked: A Prophet of whom? He said: Allah has sent me. I asked: What have you been sent with? He said: To promote kinship ties, to break idols, and to convey the message of monotheism free from all kinds of polytheism. I asked: Who is with you in this call? He said: One free man and one slave." Sayyiduna Amr bin Absa (may Allah be pleased with him) states that at that time only Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) had embraced Islam."
Reference: (Sahih Muslim: 732)
Sayyiduna Abu Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
إن الله بعثني إليكم فقلتم كذبت، وقال أبو بكر صدق، وواساني بنفسه وماله، فهل أنتم تاركوا لي صاحبي .
"Allah sent me, and you all denied me, only Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) confirmed me and supported me with wealth and life, so can you not forgive my companion for my sake?"
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari: 3661)
These two hadiths are clear evidence that the first to be honored with Islam among free men was Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him).
The Islamic historian and Quran commentator Hafiz Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) writes:
أما علي، رضي الله عنه، فإنه أسلم قديما، وهو دون البلوغ على المشهور، ويقال : إنه أول من أسلم، وقد روي ذلك حديث عنه ولا يصح، والصحيح أنه أول من أسلم من الغلمان، كما أن خديجة أول من أسلم من النساء، وأبو بكر الصديق أول من أسلم من الرجال الأحرار، وزيد بن حارثة أول من أسلم من الموالي .
"Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is an early Muslim companion; according to the famous opinion, he had not yet reached puberty. It is also said that he was the first to accept Islam. A weak hadith is presented in this regard, but the correct view is that among children, Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was first; among women, Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her); among free men, Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him); and among freed slaves, Zaid bin Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him) were the first to embrace Islam."
Reference: (Al-Bidaya wa'l-Nihaya: 31/11)
Imam Hakim (may Allah have mercy on him) (405 AH) states:
الصحيح عند الجماعة أن أبا بكر الصديق رضى الله عنه أول من أسلم من الرجال البالغين .
"The correct view, according to all scholars, is that among adult men, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) was the first to embrace Islam."
Reference: (Ma'rifat 'Ulum al-Hadith p. 23)
Allama Abu al-Muzaffar Sam'ani (may Allah have mercy on him) (489 AH) narrates:
أجمعت الأمة فى السابقين إلى الإسلام، فعينوا من الرجال أبا بكر، ومن النساء خديجة ، ومن الصبيان عليا ومن العبيد بلالا .
"There is consensus of the Ummah regarding the first to embrace Islam: among men, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him); among women, Sayyida Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her); among children, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him); and among slaves, Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) were the first to accept Islam."
Reference: (Al-Isti'lam: 734/2)
Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) states:
هذا باتفاق أهل العلم .
"Among adult free men, the first to become Muslim was Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), and there is consensus among scholars on this."
Reference: (Majmu' al-Fatawa: 462/4)
Attributed to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him):
إني أول من أسلم .
"I am the first Muslim."
Reference: (Akhbar al-Makkiyyin li Ibn Abi Khaythamah: 84)
The chain is very weak.
1. Yahya bin al-'Ala is abandoned.
2. Hanzalah bin Subrah is unknown; only Imam Ibn Hibban (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned him
Reference: (Al-Thiqat: 6/225)
.3. Subrah bin Musayyib is also unknown; only Imam Ibn Hibban (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned him
Reference: (Al-Thiqat: 341/4)
.4. Musayyib bin Najbah is not authenticated.
Attributed to Layla Ghafariyah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her):
هذا على بن أبى طالب أول الناس إيمانا .
"Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) was the first among the people to believe."
Reference: (Akhbar al-Makkiyyin li Ibn Abi Khaythamah: 85)
The chain is very weak.
1. Abu Sulayt Abd al-Salam bin Salih is weak and abandoned.
2. Musa bin Qasim Taghlabi is not authenticated.
Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) states:
لا يتابع عليه .
"It was not followed."
Reference: (Al-Du'afa al-Kabir li al-'Uqaili: 166/4 and its chain is authentic)
Regarding this narration, Hafiz al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
إسناد مظلم .
"Its chain is dark."
Reference: (Mizan al-I'tidal: 217/4)
Attributed to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him):
أسلمت قبل أن يسلم أبو بكر .
"I became Muslim before Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)."
Reference: (Akhbar al-Makkiyyin li Ibn Abi Khaythamah: 86)
The chain is weak.
1. Sulayman bin Abdullah Abu Fatimah is weak.
Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) states:
لا يتابع عليه .
"It was not followed."
Reference: (Al-Tarikh al-Kabir: 23/4)
Sulayman Abu Fatimah's hearing from Mu'adh is not known.
Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) states:
لا يعرف سماع سليمان من معاذة .
"Sulayman's hearing from Mu'adh is not known."
Reference: (Al-Tarikh al-Kabir: 23/4)
Attributed to Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Ali (may Allah be pleased with him):
أنت أول من آمن بي .
"You were the first to believe in me."
Reference: (Musnad al-Bazzar: 3898)
This is a false narration. Muhammad bin Ubaidullah bin Abi Rafi' is considered weak by the majority.
Attributed to Sayyiduna Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Salman al-Farsi (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took the hand of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and said:
إن هذا أول من آمن بي .
"He was the first to believe in me."
Reference: (Al-Mu'jam al-Kabir li al-Tabarani: 269/6 hadith: 6184)
The chain is weak. Umar bin Sa'd Nasri is weak.
Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) states:
لم يصح حديثه .
"This hadith is not established."
Reference: (Al-Tarikh al-Kabir: 158/6)
There is a narration:
كان أول من أسلم من الناس بعد خديجة
"After Sayyida Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her), the first to embrace Islam was Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him)."
Reference: (Musnad Imam Ahmad: 331/1)
The narration is rejected, as Hafiz al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) and Hafiz al-Iraqi (may Allah have mercy on him) have stated.
Reference: (Mizan al-I'tidal li al-Dhahabi: 384/4, Takhrij Ahadith al-Ihya' li al-Iraqi: 1942/4)
Abu Najih Yahya bin Sulaym, although a good narrator, Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
روى حديثا منكرا .
"He narrated a rejected hadith."
Reference: (Tahdhib al-Tahdhib li Ibn Hajar: 184/12)
Imam Ibn Hibban (may Allah have mercy on him) writes:
أرى أن لا يحتج بما انفرد من الرواية .
"In my view, his solitary narrations are not authoritative."
Reference: (Kitab al-Majruhin: 113/3)
Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) writes:
صدوق، ربما أخطأ .
"He is truthful, but sometimes makes mistakes."
Reference: (Taqrib al-Tahdhib: 8003)
Some words in this narration show clear strangeness and defects.
Another narration is:
Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) says:
أنا أول رجل صلى مع رسول الله .
"I was the first to pray with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)."
Reference: (Musnad Imam Ahmad: 141/1)
The chain is weak. Habba bin Juwayn is considered weak by the majority of hadith scholars.
Sayyiduna Salman al-Farsi (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
أول الناس ورودا على الحوض أولهم إسلاما على بن أبى طالب.
"Ali bin Abi Talib will be the first to come to the Pond of Kawthar, having been the first to accept Islam."
Reference: (Al-Mu'jam li Ibn al-A'rabi: 1265)
Both the marfu' and mawquf versions are very weak.
In Al-Kamil by Ibn 'Adi
Reference: (475/4)
, it appears marfu', but this chain is fabricated.1. Abu Mu'awiyah Abd al-Rahman bin Qays Za'farani is a fabricator and liar.
Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
ليس حديثه بشيي ، متروك الحديث، حديته حديث ضعيف.
"His hadith is worthless, abandoned. The hadith he narrated is weak."
Reference: (Al-Jarh wa al-Ta'dil li Ibn Abi Hatim: 278/5)
Imam Abu Zur'ah al-Razi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
كان كذابا .
"He was a liar."
Reference: (Al-Jarh wa al-Ta'dil li Ibn Abi Hatim: 278/5)
Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
متفق على تضعيفه .
"Agreed upon as weak."
Reference: (Lisan al-Mizan: 283/8)
2. Sufyan al-Thawri's narration is also present.
Warning :
Hafiz Suyuti, may Allah have mercy on him,
Reference: (Al-Alā al-Maṣnū‘ah: 326/1)
has also mentioned Alim al-Kindi as an intermediary between Abu Sadiq and Sayyiduna Salman, may Allah be pleased with him. Alim al-Kindi is mentioned only by Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him,
Reference: (Al-Thiqāt: 286/5)
, therefore his status is unknown. Hafiz Suyuti, may Allah have mercy on him, writes:
أبو معاوية كذاب يصنع وتابعه سيف بن محمد عن الثوري وهو شر منه .
"Abu Muawiyah is a liar and fabricator; Saif bin Muhammad has followed him in narrating from Sufyan al-Thawri, and he is worse than him."
This narration of Saif bin Muhammad, the liar and fabricator, appears in Mustadrak al-Hakim
Reference: (136/3)
and Tarikh Baghdad by Al-Khatib
Reference: (81/2)
. It also contains the isnad of Sufyan al-Thawri. In it, instead of Alim, it says Aghr.
A chain through Ibn Mardawayh is found in Al-‘Ilal al-Mutanahiyah by Ibn al-Jawzi
Reference: (333)
and Al-Alā al-Maṣnū‘ah by Suyuti
Reference: (327/1)
. This is a fabricated chain. 1. Muhammad bin Ahmad al-Wasiti, if he is the one from Lisan al-Mizan, is weak. If he is Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Hamdan bin Isa Waraq Abu al-Tayyib, then he is a fabricator and liar.
2. It contains the isnad of Sufyan al-Thawri.
3. Alim al-Kindi’s status is unknown.
A chain through Harith bin Abi Usamah is found in Al-Alā al-Maṣnū‘ah by Suyuti
Reference: (327/1)
, which is also a fabricated chain. 1. Yahya bin Hashim Samsar is a liar.
2. It contains the isnad of Sufyan al-Thawri.
3. Alim al-Kindi is unknown.
4. Hanash bin Mu'tamir is weak according to the majority.
A chain is found in Al-Mu‘jam by Ibn al-A‘rabi
Reference: (2265)
and Manaqib Ali by Ibn al-Maghazili
Reference: (22)
. This is a fabricated chain. 1. Abd al-Salam bin Salih Abu Sulayt al-Harawi is abandoned, liar, and fabricator.
2. It contains the isnad of Abd al-Razzaq and Sufyan al-Thawri.
3. Alim al-Kindi’s status is unknown.
Thus, this chain is invalid.
Sayyiduna Salman al-Farsi, may Allah be pleased with him, says:
إن أول هذه الأمة ورودا على نبيها الحوض أولها إيمانا على بن أبى طالب والله أعلم .
"Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, will be the first to be present at the Pond of Kawthar. He was the first to accept faith."
Reference: (Al-Alā al-Maṣnū‘ah by Suyuti: 327/1)
The narration is disconnected. Abu Sadiq did not have direct hearing and meeting with Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, as Imam Abu Hatim, may Allah have mercy on him, stated. His narration is mentioned with an intermediary from Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, so سمعت is either a copyist’s error or a narrator’s mistake.
This means that Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, was the first among the children to embrace Islam.
It is narrated from Hasan al-Basri, may Allah have mercy on him, and others:
إن عليا أول من أسلم بعد خديجة، وهو يومئذ ابن خمس عشرة سنة، أو ست عشرة سنة .
"Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, accepted Islam after Sayyida Khadijah, may Allah be pleased with her. At that time, his age was fifteen or sixteen years."
Reference: (Jami‘ Mu‘ammar bin Rashid: 20391, Fada’il al-Sahaba by Ahmad bin Hanbal: 998)
The chain is weak.
1. There is a dispute regarding the narration from the people of Basra by Mu‘ammar bin Rashid.
2. Qatadah al-Basri is a mudallis; explicit hearing is not specified.
3. It contains the isnad of Hasan al-Basri, and his hearing from Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, is not established.
Warning:
Salim bin Abi Al-Ja'd, may Allah have mercy on him, said to Muhammad ibn Hanfiya, may Allah have mercy on him:
أبو بكر كان أول القوم إسلاما؟ قال : لا، قلت : فيما علا وسبق، حتى لا يذكر أحد غير أبى بكر؟ قال : كان أفضلهم إسلاما حتى لحق بالله عز وجل
"Was Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, the first to become a Muslim (absolutely)? He said: No. He said: Then on what basis did he attain such a superior rank that no one else is even mentioned without him? He replied: He, may Allah be pleased with him, remained the best in Islam throughout his life."
Reference: (As-Sunnah by Ibn Abi Asim: 1255, Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 12/7 and its chain is Hasan)
