The Commander of the Believers, Sayyiduna Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him)
His father’s name was Abd Manaf and his grandfather’s name was Abd al-Muttalib. He was a Hashimi Qurashi, with the kunyas Abu al-Hasan and Abu Turab. The second kunya was given by the Prophet ﷺ himself, which is why it was also dearer to Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him). In the history of Islam, he is regarded as a symbol of courage and bravery. When he came out to face Marhab, he said:
أنا الذى سمتني أمي حيدره، كليث غابات كريه المنظره.
“I am the one whose mother named him Haydar, like a lion of the dreaded forests.”
Among Banu Hashim, he was the first to believe in the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he remained his companion from beginning to end. He was married to Sayyida Fatima (may Allah be pleased with her), the daughter of Muhammad ﷺ. He also has the honour of being the fourth caliph of Islam. It is not established that he was born inside the Ka’bah, and it has likewise not been established that his date of birth was the thirteenth of Rajab.
Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
ما جاء لأحد من أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم من الفضائل ما جاء لعلي بن أبى طالب رضي الله عنه.
“No companion of the Messenger of Allah has had as many virtues reported as Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him).”
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
من كنت مولاه فعلي مولاه.
“Whoever I am a friend to, Ali is also a friend to him.”
This hadith has been declared mutawatir by Hafiz al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him)
, Hafiz Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him)
, Allama al-Ajluni (may Allah have mercy on him)
, Hafiz al-Suyuti (may Allah have mercy on him)
and Allama al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him)
.
His praiseworthy person is the centre of love. Every member of the ummah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ who has regarded the words of the one in the blanket as proof for himself loves him.
The Prophet of Islam ﷺ says:
علي فى الجنة.
“Ali is in Paradise.”
Sayyiduna Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him), the emigrant from Persia and a distinguished companion of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, had intense love for Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), and he linked this love to the hadith of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He (may Allah be pleased with him) used to relate that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
من أحب عليا فقد أحبني، ومن أبغض عليا فقد أبغضني.
“Whoever loved Ali has loved me, and whoever hated Ali has hated me.”
Imam al-Hakim (may Allah have mercy on him) declared this hadith sahih (authentic) according to the condition of Imam al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim (may Allah have mercy on them both), and Hafiz al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) agreed with him.
And it is not only the Messenger of Allah ﷺ who loves Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him); Allah Almighty also loves Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), and likewise Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is steeped in love of Allah and His Messenger. On the occasion of the Battle of Khaybar, when the battle was not being won, Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, said:
لأعطين الراية، أو ليأخذن الراية، غدا رجلا يحبه الله ورسوله، أو قال: يحب الله ورسوله، يفتح الله عليه.
“Tomorrow I will give the banner to a man, or he said: tomorrow a man will take the banner, whom Allah and His Messenger love, or he said: who loves Allah and His Messenger; Allah will grant the conquest of this fortress at his hands.”
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to say to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him):
أنت مني وأنا منك.
“You are from me and I am from you.”
At other times he would say:
“Ali! Your relationship to me is the same as the relationship of Musa and Harun (peace be upon them both).”
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ had also commanded the believers to love Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) himself used to say:
إنه لعهد النبى الأمي صلى الله عليه وسلم إلى أن لا يحبني إلا مؤمن، ولا يبغضني إلا منافق.
“The Prophet ﷺ made a covenant with me that only a believer would love me and only a hypocrite would hate me.”
Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
من آذى عليا فقد آذاني.
“Whoever harms Ali harms me.”
For this reason, the imams of Ahl al-Sunnah have made love of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) a part of faith.
Hafiz al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) writes:
أما مناقب الصحابة وفضائلهم فأكثر من أن تذكر وأجمعت علماء السنة أن أفضل الصحابة العشرة المشهود لهم وأفضل العشرة أبو بكر ثم عمر بن الخطاب ثم عثمان بن عفان ثم على بن أبى طالب رضي الله عنهم أجمعين ولا يشك فى ذلك إلا مبتدع منافق خبيث.
“The virtues and merits of the noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) are so many that they need no mention. Ahl al-Sunnah are agreed that the best of all the Companions are the ten for whom (in one sitting) testimony (of Paradise) was given, and the best among them is Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), then Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), then Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him), and then Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him). No one doubts this except an innovator, a hypocrite and a wicked person.”
Likewise, Allama al-Ghazali (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
أن يعتقد فضل الصحابة رضي الله عنهم وترتيبهم وأن أفضل الناس بعد النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم أبو بكر ثم عمر ثم عثمان ثم على رضي الله عنهم وأن يحسن الظن بجميع الصحابة ويثنى عليهم كما أثنى الله عز وجل ورسوله صلى الله عليه وسلم وعليهم أجمعين، فكل ذلك مما وردت به الأخبار وشهدت به الآثار فمن اعتقد جميع ذلك موقنا به كان من أهل الحق وعصابة السنة وفارق رهط الضلال وحزب البدعة.
“It is necessary to hold the belief in the noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), their virtue and the order of their virtue. After the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the best of all is Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), then Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), after him Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him), and then Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him). It is necessary to think well of all the Companions, and they should be praised just as Allah has praised them. Hadiths have been reported about this, and the narrations also bear witness to it. Whoever holds the belief in accordance with all of this will be among the people of truth, among Ahl al-Sunnah, and will be distinct from the people of innovation and misguidance.”
Therefore we, that is Ahl al-Sunnah, refuse to endorse every baseless and false story of history that in any way becomes a cause of disrespect toward the Ahl al-Bayt, and we declare our disavowal of everyone who keeps inventing ever new false narrations attributed to him, or who takes out of the dustbin of history the lies that have been spread about his person and brings them back.
Imam al-Sha’bi (may Allah have mercy on him) used to say:
More lies have been told about Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) in this ummah than about anyone else.
Imam Muhammad bin Sirin (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
أراهم يكذبون على علي.
“The Rawafid fabricate lies against Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him).”
There is a difference of opinion about the date of the martyrdom of Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him). The correct and sound view is that his martyrdom took place on the morning of 21 Ramadan. His funeral prayer was led by his son Sayyiduna Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him).
Harith (Harb) bin Makhshi (may Allah have mercy on him) relates:
إن عليا قتل صبيحة إحدى وعشرين من رمضان.
“Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred on the morning of 21 Ramadan.”
He met his death by martyrdom at the hands of Abd al-Rahman bin Muljam the Kharijite and was buried in Kufa, but the location of his grave could not be determined.
May Allah, the Generous, keep us alive on love of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and grant us death upon that same love. Amin!
