Seerah

(From Tarikh-al-Khulafa of Jalaluddin-as-Suyuti- as translated from the orignal Arabic by Major H. S. Jarret, Culcutta edition, 1881)

1. The Imam Ahmad b. Hanbal says : There hath not come down to us regarding the merits of any one of the Companions of the Apostle of God, what hath been transmitted concerning Ali. (Al Hakim).

2. Ibn Asakir from Ibn Abbas says : There hath not been revealed in the Book of God (Quran) regarding any one what bath been revealed concerning Ali, and that three hundred verses have been revealed concerning Ali.

3. At-Tabrani and Ibn Abi Hatim record from Ibn Abbas that he said : The Lord never revealed the words '0 True Believers' but that Ali was understood to be the Lord and chief of them; and verily the Lord hath reproved the Companions of the Prophet in various places, but bath never mentioned Ali save with approval.

4. At-Tirmizhi, An-Nasai and Ibn Maja from Habshi b. Jonada say that the Apostle of God said : Ali is a part of me and I of Ali.

5. At-Tabrani records in the Awsat from Jabir b. Abdallah that the Apostle of God said : The people are of various stocks but I and Ali are of one stock.

6. At-Tabrani records in the Awsat and Saghir from Umme-Selma that she narrated, 'I heard the Apostle of God say : Ali is with the Quran and the Quran with Ali, they shall not be divided until they arrive at the fountain of Kausar in Paradise.'

7. Ibn Sa'd records on the authority of Ali that he said : By Allah a verse of the Quran was never revealed but I know regarding what it was revealed and where it'was revealed and concerning whom it was revealed, for my Lord hath given unto me a wise heart and an eloquent tongue.

8. Ibn Sa'd and others on the authority of Aby Tofail record that Ali said : Ask ye me regarding the Book of God, for verily there is not a verse but I know whether it was revealed by night or by day, in the plains or on the mountains.

9. At-Tirmizhi and Al-Hakim record from Ali that the Apostle of God said : I am the City of Knowledge and Ali is its gate.

10. Ibn Mas'ud says that the Prophet said : To look upon Ali is Devotion.

11. Ibn Asakir on the authority of Caliph Abubakr records that the Prophet said : Looking upon Ali is worship.

12. Muslim records on the authority of Ali that he said : By Him who hath cleft the seed and created the soul, verily the Prophet promised me that none but a true believer should love me, and none but a hypocrite hate me.

13. At-Tirmizhi from Abu Sa'id al Khudri says that he said : We used to distinguish the hypocrites by their hatred of Ali.

14. At-Tabrani from Umme Selma says that the Apostle of God said : He who hath loved Ali, verily he hath loved me, and he who hated Ali, verily he hath hated me, and who hath hated me, he hath hated the Lord.

15. Abu Ya'la and Al-Bazzar from Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas say that the Apostle of God said : Who grieveth Ali, grieveth me.

16. Ahmad records and Al Hakim verifies it on the authority of Umme Selma that she narrated, 'I heard the Apostle of God say : He who hath reviled Ali, verily, he hath reviled me.'

17. Sai'd b. Al-Mosyyeb says that Omar b. Al-Khattab used to beg God to preserve him from a perplexing case NA hen the father of Al-Hasan was not present to decide; and that Omar said : None of the Companions used to say 'ask ye of me', except Ali.

18. At-Tabrani says in the Awsat from Ibn Abbas that he said : Ali possessed 18 eminent qualities which belonged to no other of his people.

19. Al-Bazzar records on the authority of Sa'd, that the Apostle of God said to Ali : It is not lawful for anyone to be in the mosque, while under the obligation of performing a total ablution, except for me and for thee.

20. Abu Ya'Ia from Abu-Horeira says that Omar b. al-Khattab said : Verily, Ali hath been endowed with three qualities, of which had I but one, it would be more precious to me than were I given high bred camels. It was asked of him what they were; he replied : His marriage with Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet ; his remaining in the mosque while that is permitted to him, which is not lawful for me; and his carrying the Standard on the day of Khaibar.

21. The two Sheikhs (Bokhari and Muslim) record on the authority of Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas that the Apostle of God left Ali b. Abi Talib behind as his Viceregent during the expedition of Tabuk, and Ali said, "O Apostle of God, dost thou leave me behind among the women and children ?" He replied : "Art thou not content to be to me in relation of Aaron to Moses, save that there shalt be no prophet after me?"

22. And from Sahl b. Sa'd that the Apostle of God said on the day of Khaibar : I will surely give the Standard tomorrow to a man, at whose hands the Lord will give victory, one who loveth God and His prophet and whom God and his prophet love; and the people passed the night in perplexity as to the one among them to whom it would be given. And when they entered upon the dawn, they went early to the Apostle of God, each one of them hoping that it would be given to him, but he said : Where is Ali the son of Abu Talib ? They said to him, 'He complaineth of pain in his eyes.' He replied, 'Then send for him,' and they brought him and the Apostle of God applied his saliva upon his eyes and prayed for him, and he was healed so that it was as if he had no pain, and he gave him the Standard.

23. Muslim records on II e authority of Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas, that when this verse 'Let us call together, our sons and your sons etc. Sur. iii-54 was revealed, the Apostle of God summoned Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husain, and said, 'O God! these are my family.'

 24. At-Tabrani records in the Awsat and Abu No'aim in the Dalael on the authority of Zadan that Ali was relating a tradition when a man accused him of speaking falsely, and Ali said to him, 'Shall I curse thee if I have lied' and he said 'curse' and Ali cursed him, and he did not quit the place till his sight left him.

25. Abul Qasim-al-Zajjaji narrates in his Dictations that Ali wrote a work on the principles of the Arabic language and the Grammar of the Arabic language.

Adapted from: "Ali, the Magnificent" by: "Yousuf N. Lalljee"