Merits of Ali

Here is a Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic)[1] ḥadīth from the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم), where he described the many faḍā’il (merits) of Imām `Alī (عليه السلام).

قال حدثنا أبو جعفر محمد بن علي بن الحسين قال حدثني أبي قال حدثني محمد بن يحيى العطار قال حدثنا أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى عن علي بن الحكم عن هشام بن سالم عن سليمان بن خالد عن أبي عبد الله جعفر بن محمد الصادق عن آبائه ع قال قال رسول الله ص لعلي ع

يا علي أنت مني و أنا منك وليك وليي و وليي ولي الله و عدوك عدوي و عدوي عدو الله يا علي أنا حرب لمن حاربك و سلم لمن سالمك يا علي لك كنز في الجنة و أنت ذو قرنيها يا علي أنت قسيم الجنة و النار لا يدخل الجنة إلا من عرفك و عرفته و لا يدخل النار إلا من أنكرك و أنكرته يا علي أنت و الأئمة من ولدك على الأعراف يوم القيامة تعرف المجرمين بسيماهم و المؤمنين بعلاماتهم يا علي لولاك لم يعرف المؤمنون بعدي

He (al-Mufīd) said: Abū Ja`far, Muḥammad b. `Alī b. al-Ḥussayn[2] has narrated to us. He said: his father[3] has narrated to me. He said: Muḥammad b. Yaḥya al-`Aṭṭār[4] (the perfumer) has narrated to me. He said: Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. `Īsa[5] has narrated to us from `Alī b. al-Ḥakam[6] from Hishām b. Sālim[7] from Sulaymān b. Khālid[8] from Abī `Abd Allāh, Ja`far b. Muḥammad al-Sādiq (عليه السلام) from his fathers (عليهم السلام) said, the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said to `Alī (عليه السلام),

“O `Alī, you are from me, and I am from you. Your friend is my friend, and my friend is the friend of Allāh. Your enemy is my enemy and my enemy is the enemy of Allāh.

O `Alī, I am at war with whoever is at war with you, and I am at peace with whoever is at peace with you.

O `Alī, for you there is a treasure in al-Jannah, and you have both its sides[9].

O `Alī, you are the divider of al-Jannah and the fire (i.e. Hell). No one enters al-Jannah, except whoever recognizes you and you recognize him. No one enters the fire, except whoever denies you and you deny him.

O `Alī, you and the A’immah from your children are upon al-`Arāf on the Day of Judgment, you will recognize the criminals by their marks, and the believers by their signs.

O `Alī, if it was not for you, the believers would not be able to be recognized after me”[10]

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[1] al-Shāhrūdī says this ḥadīth is Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic) (See: al-Shāhrūdī, Mustadarakāt `ilm al-Rijāl, vol. 4, pg. 129-130).

[2] Abū Ja`far, Muḥammad b. `Alī b. al-Ḥussayn b. Bābuwayh, commonly known as al-Ṣadūq, is thiqah (trustworthy) according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 389, person # 1049), al-Ṭūsī (See: al-Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, pg. 442, person # 710 & al-Ṭūsī, al-Rijāl, pg. 439, person # 6275), and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī, al-Khulāṣah, pg. 147, person # 44).

[3] Abū al-Ḥasan, `Alī b. al-Ḥussayn b. Bābuwayh, father of al-Ṣadūq, is thiqah according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 261, person # 684), al-Ṭūsī (See: al-Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, pg. 273, person # 393 & al-Ṭūsī, al-Rijāl, pg. 432, person # 6191), and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī, al-Khulāṣah, pg. 94, person # 20).

[4] Abū Ja`far, Muḥammad b. Yaḥya al-`Aṭṭār (the perfumer) al-Qummī is thiqah according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 353, person # 946), and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī, al-Khulāṣah, pg. 157, person # 110).

[5] Abū Ja`far, Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. `Īsa al-Ash`ari al-Qummī is thiqah according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 82, person # 198), al-Ṭūsī (See: al-Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, pg. 60-61, person # 75 & al-Ṭūsī, al-Rijāl, pg. 351, person # 5197), and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī, al-Khulāṣah, pg. 13-14, person # 2).

[6] `Alī b. al-Ḥakam al-Kūfī al-Anbārī is thiqah according to al-Ṭūsī (See: al-Ṭūsī, al-Fihrist, pg. 263, person # 376) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī, al-Khulāṣah, pg. 93, person # 14).

[7] Abū al-Ḥakam, Hishām b. Sālim al-Jawālīqī is thiqah according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 434, person # 1165) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī, al-Khulāṣah, pg. 179, person # 2).

[8] Abū al-Rabī`, Sulaymān b. Khālid b. Dahqān b. Nāfilah is thiqah according to al-Najāshī (See: al-Najāshī, al-Rijāl, pg. 183, person # 484) and al-Ḥillī (See: al-Ḥillī, al-Khulāṣah, pg. 77, person # 2).

[9] According to al-Ṣadūq, the saying وأنت ذو قرنيها (And you have both its sides) refers to al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥussayn (See: al-Ṣadūq, Ma `ānī al-Akhbār, pg. 206)

[10] al-Mufīd, al-Amālī, Majlis # 24, pg. 213 ḥadīth # 4

Bibliography

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al-Mufīd. al-Amālī. Qum: al-Mu’tamar lil-Shaykh al-Mufīd, 1413.

al-Najāshī. Rijāl. Ed. Musa al-Shabiri al-Zanjani. 5. 1 vols. Qum: Mu’assasah al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1416.

al-Ṣadūq. , Ma `ānī al-Akhbār. Ed. `Alī Akbar al-Ghaffārī. Qum: Mu’assasah al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1379.

al-Shahrūdī. Mustadarakāt `ilm al-Rijāl. 1st. 8 vols. Tehran: Ibn al-Mu'alif, 1412.

al-Ṭūsī. al-Fihrist. Najaf: al-Maktabah al-Raḍawiyyah, n.d.

—. al-Rijāl. 1st. Qum: Mu’assasah al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1415.