This excerpt is taken from the book of Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri Hafizahullah Difa-e-Sahaba Radi Allahu Anhum.
The Three Companions in the View of Sayyiduna Ali Radi Allahu Anhu
From some quarters, it is claimed that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) considered the three companions Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), Sayyiduna Umar ibn Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), and Sayyiduna Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) as oppressors and usurpers. This is a great lie, a rebellion against the facts, and a slander against Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). The reality is the opposite; see the evidence:
Sayyiduna Abu Jahifah (may Allah be pleased with him) says that I heard Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) say:
ألا أخبركم بخير هذه الأمة بعد نبيها؟ أبو بكر، ثم قال: ألا أخبركم بخير هذه الأمة بعد أبى بكر؟ عمر.
"Shall I not inform you about the best person of the Ummah after the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)? It is Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Then he said, shall I not tell you about the best person of the Ummah after Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)? It is Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)."
Reference: (Zawaid Musnad al-Imam Ahmad: 1/106, 110 and its chain is Hasan and the hadith is Sahih Mutawatir)
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (661-728 AH) writes:
قد تواتر عنه.
"This matter is mutawatir (conveyed by numerous chains) from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)."
Reference: (Minhaj al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah fi Naqd Kalam al-Shi'ah wal-Qadariyyah: 308/1)
Hafiz al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) writes:
قال على رضي الله عنه: خير هذه الأمة بعد نبيها أبو بكر، وعمر، هذا والله العظيم قاله على وهو متواتر عنه؛ لأنه قاله على منبر الكوفة فلعن الله الرافضة ما أجهلهم؟
"Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said from the pulpit in Kufa that after the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the best persons of this Ummah are Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them). By Allah the Great! This statement is mutawatir from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). May Allah curse the Rafidah! How ignorant they are."
Reference: (Siyar A'lam al-Nubala: 28/15)
Hafiz Ibn Kathir (774-700 AH) writes:
قد ثبت عنه بالتواتر.
"This narration is established mutawatir from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)."
Reference: (Al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya: 370/7)
Muhammad ibn Hanfiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) asked his noble father Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him):
أى الناس خير بعد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم؟ قال: أبو بكر، قلت: ثم من؟ قال: ثم عمر، وخشيت أن يقول: عثمان، قلت: ثم أنت؟ قال: ما أنا إلا رجل من المسلمين.
"Who is the best person after the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)? He replied: Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). I asked: Then who? He said: Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). Then, fearing that I might ask further and he would mention Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), I said: Father! Then what about you? He said: I am just an ordinary Muslim."
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari: 3671, Sunan Abi Dawood: 4629, Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 473/7, al-Sunnah li Ibn Abi 'Asim: 1204, 1206, al-Shari'ah li al-Ajuri: 1866, 1869, al-I'tiqad li al-Bayhaqi: 517, and the wording is his and the chain is authentic)
Great Benefit:
Abu Malik Ashja'i, may Allah have mercy on him, says that I asked 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.
"Were Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, the first to become Muslim (absolutely)? He said: No. I asked: Then on what basis did he attain such a superior rank that no one else is mentioned without him? He replied: He remained the best in Islam throughout his life."
Reference: (As-Sunnah li Ibn Abi Asim: 1255, Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 12/7 with authentic chain)
Abd Khair, may Allah have mercy on him, says that I heard Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, say from the pulpit:
قبض رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم واستخلف أبو بكر رضى الله عنه فعمل بعمله وسار بسيرته حتى قبضه الله عز وجل على ذلك، ثم استخلف عمر فعمل بعملهما وسار بسيرتهما حتى قبضه الله عز وجل على ذلك.
"After the death of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, was chosen as Caliph. He, may Allah be pleased with him, followed the example of the Messenger, peace be upon him, and acted upon his Sunnah until Allah took him in that state. After him, Sayyiduna Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, was appointed Caliph, and he adopted the conduct of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, and acted upon their Sunnah until he became beloved to Allah."
Reference: (Zawa'id Musnad al-Imam Ahmad: 127/1 with authentic chain)
Sayyiduna Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, states:
قال لي النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم ولأبي بكر: مع أحدكما جبريل، ومع الآخر ميكائيل، وإسرافيل ملك عظيم يشهد القتال ويكون فى الصف.
"The Prophet, peace be upon him, told me and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, that one of you has Jibril (Gabriel) with him and the other has Mikail (Michael) with him, while Israfil is a great angel who attends battles and is present in the ranks of war."
Reference: (Al-Mustadrak 'ala al-Sahihayn by Al-Hakim: 68/3, As-Sunnah li Ibn Abi Asim: 1252, Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 16/12, with good chain, and the hadith is authentic)
Imam Hakim, may Allah have mercy on him, declared its chain authentic, and Hafiz Dhahabi, may Allah have mercy on him, agreed with him.
Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
إنا قد عرفنا يا أبا بكر فضيلتك، وذكر قرابتهم من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وحقهم، فتكلم أبو بكر، فقال: والذي نفسي بيده لقرابة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أحب إلى أن أصل من قرابتي.
"Abu Bakr! We acknowledge your virtue and status." Then he mentioned the kinship of the Ahl al-Bayt with the Prophet, peace be upon him, and their rights. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "By the One in Whose hand is my soul! Treating the relatives of the Prophet, peace be upon him, well is dearer to me than my own relatives."
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari: 3711, 3712; Sahih Muslim: 1758)
Sayyida Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, narrates:
تشهد على بن أبى طالب، ثم قال: إنا قد عرفنا يا أبا بكر فضيلتك، وما أعطاك الله، ولم ننفس عليك خيرا ساقه الله إليك، ولكنك استبددت علينا بالأمر، وكنا نحن نرى لنا حقا لقرابتنا من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، فلم يزل يكلم أبا بكر حتى فاضت عينا أبى بكر.
"Sayyiduna Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, recited the Shahada and said: Abu Bakr! We recognize your virtue and are aware of the status Allah has given you and the caliphate Allah has appointed for you. We do not desire to take it away from you, but you yourself acquired this authority (without consulting us), although we considered ourselves entitled to consultation due to our kinship with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. Then he continued to converse with Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, on this matter until tears flowed from Sayyiduna Abu Bakr's eyes."
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari: 4241, 4240; Sahih Muslim: 1759)
Ibn Abi Mulaikah, may Allah have mercy on him, says that I heard Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, say:
وضع عمر على سريره فتكنفه الناس يدعون ويصلون قبل أن يرفع وأنا فيهم، فلم يرعني إلا رجل آخذ منكبي، فإذا على بن أبى طالب فترحم على عمر وقال: ما خلفت أحدا أحب إلى أن ألقى الله بمثل عمله منك، وأيم الله إن كنت لأظن أن يجعلك الله مع صاحبيك، وحسبت إني كنت كثيرا أسمع النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول: ذهبت أنا وأبو بكر وعمر، ودخلت أنا وأبو بكر وعمر، وخرجت أنا وأبو بكر وعمر.
"Sayyiduna Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, was laid on a cot after his martyrdom. Before the funeral was carried, people stood all around praying and seeking forgiveness for him. I was among them. Suddenly, Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, grabbed me by the shoulder and turned me towards himself. He prayed for mercy for Sayyiduna Umar and said: After you, who is there whose deeds I love to present before Allah? I was certain that Allah would grant you a place with your companions (the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him), because I often heard the Prophet, peace be upon him, say: I, Abu Bakr, and Umar went; I, Abu Bakr, and Umar entered; I, Abu Bakr, and Umar left."
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari: 3685; Sahih Muslim: 2389)
Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, reports that Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, was pleased with Sayyiduna Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, prayed for mercy for him, and described Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and Sayyiduna Umar as companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
اقضوا كما كنتم تقضون، فإني أكره الاختلاف، حتى يكون للناس جماعة ، أو أموت كما مات أصحابي .
"People of Iraq! Decide as you wish regarding the freedom of the slaves from whom your children descend. I do not want to differ with Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, and Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, on this matter, so that the unity of the Ummah remains, and I die following the way of the three Caliphs."
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari: 3707 with authentic chain)
Sayyiduna Uqbah ibn Harith, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates:
صلى أبو بكر رضى الله عنه العصر، ثم خرج يمشي، فرأى الحسن يلعب مع الصبيان، فحمله على عاتقه، وقال : بأبي شبيه بالنبي لا شبيه بعلي، وعلى يضحك.
"After Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, performed the Asr prayer, he went out into the street and saw Sayyiduna Hasan, may Allah be pleased with him, playing with children. He lifted him onto his shoulder and said: May my father be sacrificed for you, you resemble the Prophet, peace be upon him, not Ali, may Allah be pleased with him." Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, smiled."
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari: 3542)
Regarding Salim ibn Abi Hafsah, may Allah have mercy on him:
سألت أبا جعفر محمد بن على وجعفر بن محمد، عن أبى بكر، وعمر، فقالا لي : يا سالم تولاهما وابرأ من عدوهما فإنهما كانا إمامي هدى ، قال سالم : وقال لي جعفر بن محمد : يا سالم أيسب الرجل جده؟ أبو بكر جدي لا نالتني شفاعة محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم يوم القيامة إن لم أكن أتولاهما وأبرأ من عدوهما.
"I asked Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Ali (Imam Baqir, may Allah have mercy on him) and Ja'far ibn Muhammad (Imam Sadiq, may Allah have mercy on him) about Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, and Umar, may Allah be pleased with him. They said: Salim! Love them and disassociate from their enemies, for they were both leaders of guidance. Salim says: Ja'far ibn Muhammad Sadiq, may Allah have mercy on him, also said to me: Salim! Can a person insult even his grandfather? Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, is my grandfather. I will not receive the intercession of Muhammad, peace be upon him, on the Day of Judgment if I do not love them (Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and Umar) and disassociate from their enemies."
Reference: (Al-I'tiqad by Al-Bayhaqi: 506, with good chain)
The son of Ali, Muhammad ibn Hanfiya, may Allah have mercy on him, narrates:
كنت مع على ، وعثمان محصور، قال : فأتاه رجل فقال : إن أمير المؤمنين مقتول، ثم جاء آخر فقال : إن أمير المؤمنين مقتول الساعة، قال : فقام علي، قال محمد : فأخذت بوسطه تخوفا عليه، فقال : خل لا أم لك، قال : فأتى على الدار، وقد قتل الرجل، فأتى داره فدخلها، وأغلق عليه بابه، فأتاه الناس فضربوا عليه الباب، فدخلوا عليه فقالوا : إن هذا الرجل قد قتل ولا بد للناس من خليفة، ولا نعلم أحدا أحق بها منك، فقال لهم على : لا تريدوني، فإني لكم وزير خير مني لكم أمير ، فقالوا : لا والله ما نعلم أحدا أحق بها منك، قال : فإن أبيتم على فإن بيعتي لا تكون سرا، ولكن أخرج إلى المسجد فمن شاء أن يبايعني بايعني، قال : فخرج إلى المسجد فبايعه الناس .
"At the time when Sayyiduna Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, was besieged, I was with Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, when a man came and said: The Commander of the Faithful, Sayyiduna Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, has been martyred. Then another man brought the news that Sayyiduna Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, had just been martyred. Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, stood up from his place. I held him by the waist out of concern, but he said: May your mother be spared, leave it! You went to Sayyiduna Uthman's house and saw that he had been martyred. You returned home and closed the door. People began knocking on your door. When you opened it, they came to you and said: Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, has been martyred. Now it is necessary that there be a Caliph! And we think that no one is more deserving of this position than you. Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said: Do not think this of me. Rather than becoming a leader, it is better for me to be a minister. People said: By Allah! No one is more deserving of this position than you. He said: If you want to appoint me, my pledge will not be secret. I will go to the mosque, and whoever wants to pledge allegiance can come there and pledge. He went towards the mosque, and there people pledged allegiance to him."
Reference: (Fada'il al-Sahaba by Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal: 969 with authentic chain)
It is clearly evident here that the notion about Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, that he claimed immediate caliphate is completely baseless. He was not even pleased to be the fourth Caliph; rather, he preferred to be a minister, let alone claim immediate caliphate.
Nafi', may Allah have mercy on him, narrates:
إن ابن عمر صلى على تسع جنائز جميعا، فجعل الرجال يلون الإمام، والنساء يلين القبلة، فصفهن صفا واحدا، ووضعت جنازة أم كلثوم بنت على امرأة عمر بن الخطاب، وابن لها، يقال له زيد، وضعا جميعا، والإمام يومئذ سعيد بن العاص، وفي الناس ابن عمر، وأبو هريرة، وأبو سعيد، وأبو قتادة، فوضع الغلام مما يلي الإمام .
"Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, led the funeral prayer for nine deceased persons together. The men were placed facing the Imam and the women facing the Qiblah, all in one row, while Sayyiduna Umar ibn al-Khattab's wife, Umm Kulthum bint Ali, may Allah be pleased with her, and her son Zayd were kept together. The funeral prayer was led by Sayyiduna Sa'id ibn 'As, may Allah be pleased with him. Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Umar, Abu Hurairah, Abu Sa'id Khudri, and Abu Qatada, may Allah be pleased with them, were also present. The child was placed facing the Imam."
Reference: (Sunan an-Nasa'i: 1980; Sunan ad-Daraqutni: 79/2, 80; Al-Sunan al-Kubra by Al-Bayhaqi: 33/4 with authentic chain)
Imam Ibn al-Jarud, may Allah have mercy on him, declared this hadith authentic
Reference: (545)
.Its chain was graded Hasan by Hafiz Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him
Reference: (Al-Majmu' Sharh al-Muhadhdhab: 224/5)
, while Hafiz Ibn Malqan, may Allah have mercy on him
Reference: (Al-Badr al-Munir: 385/5)
, and Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him
Reference: (At-Talkhis al-Habir: 146/2)
, declared it authentic.It is understood that Sayyiduna Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, had the honor of being the son-in-law of Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, which indicates mutual love and affection.
Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
ما كنا نبعد أن السكينة تنطق على لسان عمر .
"Our inclination was that the tranquility flowed from the tongue of Sayyiduna Umar, may Allah be pleased with him."
Reference: (Jami' Mu'ammar ibn Rashid: 20380 with good chain)
Hafiz Dhahabi, may Allah have mercy on him (748 AH), said:
أما من تعرض إلى أحد من الصحابة بسب فهو شيعي غال نبرأ منه، ومن تعرض لأبي بكر وعمر فهو رافضي خبيث حمار، نعوذ بالله منه.
"Whoever speaks ill of even one Sahabi is an extremist Shia. We declare disassociation from him. Whoever insults the status of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, and Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, is a vile Rafidhi and a donkey. We seek refuge in Allah from him."
Reference: (Tarikh al-Islam: 146/5)
