Clarification of the Doubt
A hadith is mentioned regarding the virtue of Hazrat Ali رضي الله عنه, in which the Prophet ﷺ said about him: (مَنْ كُنْتُ مَوْلَاهُ فَعَلِيٌّ مَوْلاهُ) meaning, “Whomsoever I am the master of, Ali is also his master.” Based on this hadith, it is claimed that Hazrat Ali رضي الله عنه is the undisputed caliph or that he had a greater right to the caliphate and that this right was taken away from him!
Response to the Doubt
First Point
This hadith is narrated from multiple companions of the Prophet رضي الله عنهم. For this reason, some scholars have declared it to be mutawatir (mass-transmitted). For example, Imam Dhahabi
, Allama Suyuti
, Allama Katani
, Allama Murtada al-Zabidi
, and Sheikh al-Albani
.
Among the companions رضي الله عنهم from whom this hadith is narrated, some of their names are:
◄ Ali ibn Abi Talib
◄ Saad ibn Abi Waqqas
◄ Zaid ibn Arqam
◄ Buraidah ibn Al-Husayb
◄ Al-Bara ibn Azib
◄ Jabir ibn Abdullah
◄ Abdullah ibn Abbas
◄ Abu Hurairah
May Allah be pleased with them all.
In most hadith books, two synonymous phrases of this hadith have also been recorded: (مَنْ كُنْتُ مَوْلَاهُ فَعَلِيٌّ مَوْلَاهُ) and (مَنْ كُنْتُ وَلِيَّهُ، فَعَلِيٌّ وَلِيُّهُ). In some narrations, this addition has also appeared: (اللهُمَّ وَالِ مَنْ وَالَاهُ، وَعَادِ مَنْ عَادَاه). Translation: (O Allah! Be the friend of the one who befriends Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, and be the enemy of the one who is hostile to him). However, some scholars have declared this addition weak, such as Imam Ahmad
and Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah
. While some scholars have considered it authentic, such as Shaykh Al-Albani
.
Second Point
The doubt mentioned is based on deriving an incorrect meaning of the word ‘Mawla’. In the Arabic language, the word ‘Mawla’ has approximately twenty-one (21) meanings, some of which are opposites of each other, such as: السيد و العبد (master and slave), الـمُنْعِم و الـمُنْعَم عليه (one who grants favor and one who is favored), الـمُعْتِق والـمُعْتَق (one who frees and one who is freed). When this is the case, selecting one meaning cannot be done according to personal desire or preference but requires evidence or context. Here, ‘Mawla’ means guardian or friend. Thus, the meaning of the hadith will be that whoever I am a friend to, Ali is also his friend; in other words, whoever loves me should also love Ali.
Below are some reasons and indications for deriving this meaning:
This same meaning has been stated by scholars of every class and era of the Ummah, including commentators, hadith scholars, jurists, and linguists. Below are the names of some of them arranged in order of their year of death along with references:
➊ Al-Hasan ibn Salih al-Kufi
(Interesting fact: He is from the people of Kufa and has also been accused of Shi’ism)
➋ Imam Yunus ibn Habib al-Dabbi
➌ Imam Shafi’i
➍ Abu Ubaidah Muammar ibn Muthanna
➎ Imam Tha’lab Ahmad ibn Yahya
➏ Imam Tahawi
➐ Imam Ibn Khuzaymah
➑ Imam Ibn Hibban
➒ Abu Ja’far al-Nahhas
➓ Abu Ahmad al-Qassab al-Kirji
◄ Imam Abu Nu’aym al-Asbahani
◄ Mukki ibn Abi Talib
◄ Imam Bayhaqi
◄ Imam Ibn Abd al-Barr
◄ Imam al-Wahidi
◄ Imam Abu al-Muzaffar al-Sam’ani
◄ Imam Isma’il al-Asbahani
◄ Imam Qadi Iyad
◄ Imam Nawawi
◄ Imam Ala al-Din Ibn al-Attar
◄ Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah
◄ Imam Ibn al-Mulqan
◄ Allama al-Suyuti
◄ Allama Ibn Hajar al-Haytami
◄ Allama Mulla Ali al-Qari
◄ Allama Abd al-Ra’uf al-Munawi
◄ Allama Abu al-Hasan al-Sindi
◄ Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab
◄ Allama al-Alusi
The words of this very hadith (مَنْ كُنْتُ وَلِيَّهُ، فَعَلِيٌّ وَلِيُّهُ) testify that here it means master, guardian, or friend, and these words (اللهُمَّ وَالِ مَنْ وَالَاهُ، وَعَادِ مَنْ عَادَاهُ) also support the same meaning because enmity is used in contrast to friendship. In opposition to an enemy, a friend or beloved is meant, not a ruler or caliph!
The context and background of the hadith also support this meaning. The story is that in the year ۱۰ھ, the Prophet ﷺ sent two armies towards Yemen; the first army was led by Hazrat Khalid bin Walid (may Allah be pleased with him), whose responsibility was to fight, and after some interval, the second army was sent under the leadership of Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) had various responsibilities, including collecting and distributing the spoils of war, as well as teaching the religion to the people of Yemen and resolving their disputes. Regarding the distribution of the spoils of war, some companions, including Khalid bin Walid, Buraidah bin Husaib, Bara bin Azib, and Abu Saeed Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with them), disagreed with Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). These individuals considered Hazrat Ali’s decisions to be wrong, whereas Hazrat Ali was in the right. These disagreements escalated to the extent that some people developed animosity towards Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). When this matter reached the Prophet ﷺ, he first individually dispelled the misunderstandings of these companions and taught the love of Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), and later, upon returning from the Farewell Pilgrimage, at the place of Ghadir Khumm (near Juhfa, between Mecca and Medina, approximately 150 kilometers from Mecca), he highlighted the virtues of Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) in front of everyone so that if anyone harbored any hatred towards Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), it would be removed and they would make room for his love in their hearts.
There are other hadiths conveying this meaning regarding the virtue of Hazrat Ali رضي الله عنه:
◈ The Prophet ﷺ addressed Hazrat Ali رضي الله عنه and said: (تم سے صرف مومن ہی محبت کرے گا، اور تم سے صرف منافق ہی بغض رکھے گا).
◈ It is narrated from Umm al-Mu’minin Umm Salamah رضي الله عنها that the Prophet ﷺ said: (جس نے علی سے محبت کی اس نے مجھ سے محبت کی اور جس نے علی سے بغض رکھا اس نے مجھ سے بغض رکھا).
◈ It is narrated from Hazrat Salman al-Farsi رضي الله عنه that the Prophet ﷺ said: (جس نے علی سے محبت کی اس نے مجھ سے محبت کی اور جس نے علی سے بغض رکھا اس نے مجھ سے بغض رکھا).
Third Point
As far as taking the meaning of Mawla as Wali (ruler or caliph) or Awla (more entitled) is concerned, it is incorrect to derive this meaning from this hadith, for many reasons. Below are these reasons and evidences:
◄ Linguistically, neither of these meanings is proven. Mawlā meaning ‘awlā’ is not mentioned in any reputable Arabic dictionary. In fact, in the Arabic language, the pattern (مَفْعَل) does not come with the meaning of (أَفْعَل)
.
◄ Similarly, Mawlā does not mean ‘wali’ either, because ‘Mawlā’ is derived from وَلایت (with a fatḥah on the wāw), whereas ‘Wali’ is derived from وِلایت (with a kasrah on the wāw). وَلایت is the opposite of enmity, while Wali means authority, and these two are different things
.
◄ Even if the word “Mawla” in Arabic also means “wali” or “awla,” it is not necessary to take this meaning because Islamic texts are never interpreted in a way that would invalidate other texts or demolish the entire structure of Islam. The false implication here is that all the Companions are accused of not understanding the Prophet’s ﷺ intention and instead openly opposing this command. What kind of wisdom is it to accuse or label as conspirators a group known for their righteousness and through whom the religion has reached us, just for the sake of a self-constructed meaning of a single hadith?
◄ Even Hazrat Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, did not understand this hadith in this sense. The evidence for this is the hadith in Sahih Bukhari
, in which, near the time of the Prophet’s ﷺ death, Hazrat Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said to Hazrat Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, that we should ask the Prophet ﷺ about who will get the caliphate. But Hazrat Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, refused to go, saying that if the Prophet ﷺ forbids us, then later people will not give it to us.
The point to consider here is that if the caliphate had been granted through this hadith, then what is the meaning of asking for the caliphate now? They should have said that why are you so concerned about the caliphate, its decision was already made at the occasion of Ghadir Khumm!
◄ Taking this meaning would necessarily imply a reproach on the status of Hazrat Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, that the personality whose bravery and courage are exemplary, saw his right being usurped and did not raise a single voice against it? Regarding this, Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
ما أقبح ملة قوم يرمون إمامهم بالجبن والخور والضعف في الدين، مع أنه من أشجع الناس وأقواهم.
How bad are those people who accuse their own Imam of cowardice and weakness in matters of religion, while he was the bravest and strongest among the people!
◄ The grandson of Hazrat Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, also denied the aforementioned meaning.
And it is authentically narrated in other books that when a Rafidhi began to exaggerate in the status of Ahl al-Bayt in front of Sayyiduna Hasan, may Allah be pleased with him, the son of Hasan bin Hasan, he stopped him. The Rafidhi said: Did not the Prophet of Allah say about Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, (مَنْ كُنْتُ مَوْلَاهُ فَعَلِيٌّ مَوْلاهُ؟)? He replied: If by this was meant leadership and governance, then the Prophet ﷺ would have clarified it to the people. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was the most concerned for the Muslims; he said: O people! This man is responsible for your affairs and your caliph after me, so listen to and obey him. By Allah! If Allah and His Messenger had chosen Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, for the caliphate, and then Ali had abandoned the command of Allah and His Messenger, then Ali would have been the first to abandon Allah and His command.
◄ Another reason for not taking the mentioned meaning is that when Muslims gathered at Saqifah Bani Sa’idah to select the Caliph, the Ansar withdrew their claim upon the mention of the hadith of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq رضي الله عنه (الأئمة من قريش) (خلیفہ قریش سے ہوگا). If (مَنْ كُنْتُ مَوْلَاهُ فَعَلِيٌّ مَوْلاهُ) was intended to mean the Caliphate, then why was it not presented as a decisive hadith, especially since this hadith was well remembered by many companions and the event of Ghadir Khumm had also recently occurred?
◄ Even if it is assumed that the word Mawla in this hadith means Caliph, the mentioned claim is still not proven because the claim is that he is the Caliph without any interruption. There is a big difference between being a Caliph and being a Caliph without interruption. Certainly, Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) became the Caliph of the Muslims, but after some interval. The hadith does not mention that there will be no gap or interval in his caliphate; the hadith allows for both possibilities—that there may be a gap or there may not be. Therefore, it is proven that the claim is specific and the hadith is general.
Another point
The summary of the matter is that the purpose of this hadith is by no means to express the caliphate of Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), but rather to remove the suspicions that had arisen in the hearts of the soldiers going to Yemen regarding Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). Finally, readers are requested to definitely study a book by the respected Sheikh Irshad-ul-Haq Asri, may Allah preserve him, titled “Khutbah Ghadir Khumm aur Ahl-e-Bayt ke Huqooq” (The Sermon of Ghadir Khumm and the Rights of the Ahl al-Bayt).
