Authored by: Ḥāfiẓ Muḥammad Anwar Zāhid (ḥafiẓahullāh)
The narration states:
“ʿAlī is my successor (waṣī), the keeper of my secrets, and the best among those I leave behind.”
Reported in:
He even participated in military campaigns under Yazīd, such as the battle for Constantinople.
Imām Ibn al-Jawzī included this narration in his compilation of fabricated Hadiths (al-Mawḍūʿāt). The isnād is contaminated by:
The claim that ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه) was the explicitly appointed waṣī (successor) of the Prophet ﷺ, based on this narration, is:
It should be rejected outright as an invention of Shīʿī polemics, not a part of valid Sunni ʿAqīdah or sound prophetic tradition.
❖ The Narration Under Scrutiny
The narration states:
“ʿAlī is my successor (waṣī), the keeper of my secrets, and the best among those I leave behind.”
Reported in:- Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl, Vol. 2, p. 418 (under entry: Khālid ibn ʿUbayd)
- Al-Mawḍūʿāt by Ibn al-Jawzī, Vol. 1, p. 375
- Al-Tadhkirah by Ibn al-Qaysarānī, p. 219
❖ Chain of Narration and Its Flaws
- Imām al-Bukhārī: “This narration is problematic.”
- Imām al-Ḥākim: “He transmits fabricated (mawḍūʿ) narrations from Anas (رضي الله عنه).”
Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl: 9/400; al-Mughnī: 2/798; al-Jarḥ wa al-Taʿdīl: 9/421
- Both narrators are majhūl (unknown) — lacking any credible biographical validation from Hadith scholars.
❖ Inconsistencies in Historical and Hadith Sources
- There is no known, sound narration where Anas ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه) is reliably reported to have narrated from Salman al-Fārisī (رضي الله عنه).
- Anas (رضي الله عنه) narrated extensively directly from the Prophet ﷺ, with over 2,200 Hadiths to his name.
- Reports attributed to Salman through Anas are extremely rare and almost always trace back to Shīʿī fabrications.
❖ Historical Context: Anas and Political Alignments
- Anas ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه) was known to avoid political involvement with ʿAlī, Ḥasan, and Ḥusayn (رضي الله عنهم).
- Instead, he showed support for:
- Muʿāwiyah (رضي الله عنه)
- Yazīd ibn Muʿāwiyah
- ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Marwān
- Al-Walīd ibn ʿAbd al-Malik
He even participated in military campaigns under Yazīd, such as the battle for Constantinople.
❖ Scholarly Conclusion
Imām Ibn al-Jawzī included this narration in his compilation of fabricated Hadiths (al-Mawḍūʿāt). The isnād is contaminated by:
- A known fabricator (waḍḍāʿ al-ḥadīth)
- Unknown narrators
- Doctrinal bias (Shīʿī embellishment)
❖ Final Verdict
The claim that ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه) was the explicitly appointed waṣī (successor) of the Prophet ﷺ, based on this narration, is:- Fabricated (mawḍūʿ)
- Unsupported by authentic Hadith
- Refuted by historical fact and scholarly consensus
It should be rejected outright as an invention of Shīʿī polemics, not a part of valid Sunni ʿAqīdah or sound prophetic tradition.
