How Evil Are Those Who Fought Ali?

Here is a Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic) ḥadīth from Imām al-Bāqir (عليه السلام) in which he says that those who fought Imām `Alī (عليه السلام) (i.e. Jamal, Siffīn, Nahrawan) were worse than those who fought the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم). Imām al-Bāqir (عليه السلام) gives the reasoning why that is so in the ḥadīth as well.

يَحْيَى عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مُسْكَانَ عَنْ ضُرَيْسٍ قَالَ تَمَارَى النَّاسُ عِنْدَ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ع فَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ حَرْبُ عَلِيٍّ شَرٌّ مِنْ حَرْبِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص وَ قَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ حَرْبُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص شَرٌّ مِنْ حَرْبِ عَلِيٍّ ع قَالَ فَسَمِعَهُمْ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ع فَقَالَ مَا تَقُولُونَ فَقَالُوا أَصْلَحَكَ اللَّهُ تَمَارَيْنَا فِي حَرْبِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص وَ فِي حَرْبِ عَلِيٍّ ع فَقَالَ بَعْضُنَا حَرْبُ عَلِيٍّ ع شَرٌّ مِنْ حَرْبِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص وَ قَالَ بَعْضُنَا حَرْبُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص شَرٌّ مِنْ حَرْبِ عَلِيٍّ ع فَقَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ع لَا بَلْ حَرْبُ عَلِيٍّ ع شَرٌّ مِنْ حَرْبِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص فَقُلْتُ لَهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ أَ حَرْبُ عَلِيٍّ ع شَرٌّ مِنْ حَرْبِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص قَالَ نَعَمْ وَ سَأُخْبِرُكَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ إِنَّ حَرْبَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص لَمْ يُقِرُّوا بِالْإِسْلَامِ وَ إِنَّ حَرْبَ عَلِيٍّ ع أَقَرُّوا بِالْإِسْلَامِ ثُمَّ جَحَدُوهُ

From Durays said: ’The people were arguing before Abī Ja`far (عليه السلام). Some of them said that the people who fought `Alī (عليه السلام) were more evil than the people who fought the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم). And some of them say that those who fought the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) were more evil than the people who fought `Alī (عليه السلام).’ He (Durays) said: Abū Ja`far(عليه السلام) heard them and he (عليه السلام) said: ‘What are you saying?’. So they said: ‘May Allāh keep you well, we are arguing about the people who fought the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) and about those who fought `Alī (عليه السلام)’. So some of us say the people who fought `Alī (عليه السلام) were more evil than those who fought the Messenger of Allāh (عليه السلام). And so of us say the people who fought the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) were more evil than those who fought `Alī (عليه السلام). So Abū Ja`far (عليه السلام) said: “No, rather those who fought `Alī (عليه السلام) were more evil.” So I said to him (عليه السلام): “May I be in your ransom, the people who fought `Alī (عليه السلام) were worse than those who fought the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)?” He (عليه السلام) said: “Yes, I will inform you about that. Verily, those who fought the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) did not acknowledge Islām, and those who fought `Alī (عليه السلام) acknowledged Islām then they rejected it”

Source:

1.     Al-Kulaynī, Al-Kāfī, ed. `Alī Akbar al-Ghaffārī, 8 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 3^rd Edition, 1388 AH), vol. 8, pg. 252, hadeeth # 353

Grading:

1.     Al-Majlisī said this hadeeth is Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic)
à Mir’āt Al-`Uqūl, 26 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1410 AH), vol. 26, pg. 228

2.     `Āsif al-Muḥsinī said this ḥadīth has a Mu`tabar Sanad (Authentic Chain of Narrators)
à Mashra`ah Bihār al-Anwaar, (Beirut: Mu’assasah al-`Ārif lil-Matbū`āt, 2^nd ed., 1426) vol. 2, pg. 56

3.     Ḥussayn al-Rāḍī said this ḥadīth has a Ṣaḥīḥ Sanad (Authentic Chain of Narrators)

à Click Here for Source