The wilaayah of ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allah be pleased with him)

Firstly: 

‘Ali ibn
Abi Taalib (praise be to Allah) – according to the belief of Ahl as-Sunnah
wa’l-Jamaa‘ah – is one of the honoured close friends (awliya’ – sing. waliy)
of Allah and one of the guided leaders (imams). He is the fourth of the
Rightly Guided Caliphs, and the fourth of the ten who were given the glad
tidings of Paradise, who are the best of the Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased
with them). His virtues and good qualities are too many to be counted, to
such an extent that some of our scholars compiled books focusing only on
them, such as Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal in Manaaqib ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib,
and Imam an-Nasaa’i in Khasaa’is ‘Ali. 

Secondly: 

Among his
virtues are the following: 

The
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “You are of me and
I am of you.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 2699 

Al-Haafiz
Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

That is,
in lineage, relationship by marriage, in seniority (in Islam), in love and
in other ways. End quote. 

Fath
al-Baari,
7/507 

Another of
these qualities was mentioned in the report narrated by ‘Imraan ibn Husayn
(may Allah be pleased with him who said: 

The
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) sent out an
army and appointed ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib as their leader. He went out on the
campaign, and he acquired a slave woman as booty. They objected to that, and
four of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) made an agreement and said: When we meet the Messenger of
Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), we will tell them about
what ‘Ali did. 

When the
Muslims returned from a journey, they would start by visiting the Messenger
of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), then they would go to
their homes. When the army came back, they greeted the Prophet (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him), and one of the four stood up and said: O
Messenger of Allah, have you not seen that ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib did such and
such? The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
turned away from him. Then the second one stood up and said something like
what he had said, and he turned away from him. Then the third one stood up
and said something like what he had said, and he turned away from him. Then
the fourth one stood up and said something similar to what they had said.
The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) turned to
him, with anger visible on his face, and said:

“What do
you want from ‘Ali, what do you want from ‘Ali, what do you want from ‘Ali?
‘Ali is of me and I am of him. He is the waliy of every believer after I am
gone.” 

Narrated
by Ahmad, 33/154, Mu’sasat ar-Risaalah edition; at-Tirmidhi, no 3712; and
many others, all of them via Ja‘far ibn Sulaymaan, who said: Yazeed ar-Rashk
told me, from Mutarriq ibn ‘Abdullah, from ‘Imraan ibn Husayn. Adh-Dhahabi
(may Allah have mercy on him) said it is one of the reports narrated only by
Ja‘far. End quote from Siyar A‘laam an-Nubala’, 8/199 

Our
scholars differed concerning this hadeeth; there are two views: 

1.

The first
view is that the hadeeth is acceptable. 

At-Tirmidhi said: 

This
hadeeth is hasan ghareeb; we know of it only through this isnaad from the
hadeeth of Ja‘far ibn Sulaymaan. End quote. 

Al-Haakim
said: 

It is
saheeh according to the conditions of Muslim. End quote. Adh-Dhahabi did not
say anything about it. 

Al-Mustadrak,
3/119 

It was
classed as saheeh by Ibn Hibbaan as he narrated in his Saheeh,
15/374 

Ibn ‘Adiyy
(may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

Abu ‘Abd
ar-Rahmaan an-Nasaa’i included it in his Sihaah, but al-Bukhaari did
not include it (in his Saheeh). End quote. 

Al-Kaamil,
2/146 

Al-Haafiz
Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Its isnaad is qawiy. End
quote. 

Al-Isaabah,
4/569 

It was
classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in as-Silsilah as-Saheehah, no. 2223 

Their
evidence for the soundness of this hadeeth is that many of the scholars
regarded Ja‘far ibn Sulaymaan ad-Dab‘i as thiqah (trustworthy) and that they
found other two corroborating reports of the hadeeth, the first of which is
from Ibn ‘Abbaas in Musnad Ahmad (1/330) and in Musnad
at-Tayaalisi (4/470 – Hajar edn under the supervision of Shaykh ‘Abd
al-Muhsin at-Turki). Its isnaad includes Abu Balj, concerning whom there is
a difference of opinion. The second corroborating report is from the hadeeth
of Buraydah ibn al-Husayb in Musnad Ahmad (38/118). Its isnaad
includes Ajlah ibn ‘Abdullah al-Kindi, who is a Shi‘i and da‘eef. It was
also narrated by more than one narrator from Buraydah with different
wording; one such report appears in Saheeh al-Bukhaari, no. 4350. 

2.

The second
view is that the hadeeth is da‘eef (weak). 

Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

It is
false and fabricated according to the consensus of hadeeth scholars. End
quote. 

Minhaaj
as-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah,
7/385 

It was
classed as da‘eef by the commentators on Musnad Ahmad (Mu’sasat
ar-Risaalah edn.) 

The reason
for their describing it as da‘eef is Ja‘far ibn Sulaymaan ad-Dab‘i who was
the only one to narrate it. Yahya ibn Sa‘eed al-Qattaan regarded him as
da‘eef. ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn Mahdi did not feel at ease with his hadeeth.
Al-Bukhaari (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Some of his hadeeth go
against other scholars. ‘Ali ibn al-Madeeni said: He narrated a great deal
from Thaabit, and the rest of his hadeeth are munkar (rejected). 

Ibn Sa‘d
said: He was thiqah (trustworthy) but there was some weakness in him. See
Tahdheeb at-Tahdheeb, 2/97. 

As the
hadeeth scholars were also unanimously agreed that he was an extreme  Shi‘i
who reviled Mu‘aawiyah, a number of scholars favoured the view that the
hadeeths which were narrated only by him were to be regarded as da‘eef,
because the hadeeth narrated only by someone like him is not to be accepted,
especially since what he narrated in this case is something that supports
his bid‘ah (innovation). This is the view we are inclined to favour with
regard to the hadeeths which speak of virtues (of ‘Ali). 

Thirdly: 

Even if we
assume that the hadeeth is saheeh and acceptable, there is no evidence in it
whatsoever to support what the Shi‘ah want to prove about the caliphate
belonging to ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) after the death of the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). This is for a number of
reasons: 

1.

The word
waliy has many meanings in Arabic; what evidence do the Shi‘ah have that
what it means here is caliphate? Al-Fayroozabadi (may Allah have mercy on
him) said: Waly may mean closeness, nearness, or rain after rain.
Waliy may mean: loved one, friend, or supporter. Wilaayah may mean rulership
or authority. Wala’ may mean ownership. Mawla may mean owner, slave, the one
who manumits a slave, the manumitted slave, companion, relative such as a
cousin and so on, neighbour, ally, son, paternal uncle, guest, partner, or
sister’s son. Al-Waliy may mean the Lord, the Helper, or the Bestower of
blessings; or it may mean the recipient of blessings, lover, follower or
son-in-law. End quote. 

Al-Qaamoos al-Muheet,
p. 1732 

2.

If what is
meant is rulership and caliphate, then how could the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) have said “the waliy of every believer after I
am gone”, when ‘Ali was the caliph only of those who lived at his time, and
he was not the leader of every believer until the Day of Resurrection? 

3.

In some
versions of the hadeeth it says, “The waliy of every believer in this world
and in the Hereafter.” Musnad Ahmad, 5/179. This version indicates
that what is meant by waliy here is not rulership; how could he be a ruler
of the believers in the Hereafter?! 

4.

We have
not heard of this hadeeth being quoted by ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with
him) or by any of his supporters or even by any of the noble Sahaabah (may
Allah be pleased with them), as evidence for the caliphate of ‘Ali (may
Allah be pleased with him) after the death of the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him). 

The
correct meaning of this word is love, help and support. Love for ‘Ali ibn
Abi Taalib (may Allah be pleased with him) is obligatory upon every
believer, as is helping and supporting him in adhering to the truth. 

Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

The words
“He is the waliy of every believer after I am gone” are falsely attributed
to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Rather
during his life and after his death he is the waliy of every believer, and
every believer is his waliy in life and in death. Wilaayah (love, support,
friendship) that is the opposite of enmity is not limited to any particular
time. As for wilaayah in the sense of rulership, the word should be waali
(ruler) and not waliy; thus the wording would be, “the waali (ruler) of
every believer after I am gone”, as it is said that in the funeral prayer,
when both the waliy (the next of kin) and the waaliy (ruler or governor) are
present, the waaliy (ruler) is given precedence with regard to leading the
prayer, according to the view of most scholars; others said that the waliy
(next of kin) should be given precedence. 

The words
“ ‘Ali is the waliy of every believer after I am gone” cannot be attributed
to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), because if he had
meant muwaalaah (in the sense of loving ‘Ali) , he would not have
needed to say “after I am gone”; if he had meant rulership, he would have
said “waalin ‘ala (ruler over) every believer”. End quote. 

Minhaaj
as-Sunnah,
7/278 

See also
the answer to question no. 26794 

He (may
Allah have mercy on him) also said: 

There is
nothing in these words to clearly suggest that what is meant is caliphate.
That is because the mawla is like the waliy. Allah, may He be
exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily,
your Waliy (Protector or Helper) is Allah, His Messenger, and the
believers…”

[al-Maa’idah 5:55]

“but
if you help one another against him (Muhammad SAW), then verily, Allah is
his Mawla (Lord, or Master, or Protector, etc.), and Jibrael (Gabriel), and
the righteous among the believers, and furthermore, the angels are his
helpers”

[at-Tahreem 66:4]. 

It is
clear that the Messenger is the waliy of the believers and that they
are also his mawlas. It is also clear that Allah is the Waliy of the
believers and that they are His awliya’ (pl. of waliy, i.e., close friends),
and that the believers are awliya’ of one another. So muwaalaah (love) is
the opposite of enmity and it is affirmed in the case of both parties.
Because one of the two parties (namely Allah) is greater in status, His
wilaayah towards them is in the sense of kindness and grace, and the
wilaayah of the other party (the believers) is obedience and worship. Just
as Allah loves the believers and the believers love Him, muwaalah is the
opposite of enmity, war and betrayal. The disbelievers do not love Allah and
His Messenger, and they fight and oppose Allah and His Messenger. Allah, may
He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Take
not My enemies and your enemies (i.e. disbelievers and polytheists, etc.) as
friends”

[al-Mumtahanah 60:1].

And He
will requite them for that, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And if
you do not do it, then take a notice of war from Allah and His Messenger”

[al-Baqarah 2:279]. 

He is the
Waliy of the believers, and He is their Mawla. He brings them forth from the
depths of darkness to the light. As that is the case, then what is meant by
saying that Allah is the Waliy and Mawla of the believers, and that the
Messenger is their waliy and mawla, and that ‘Ali is their mawla, is that
muwaalaah which is the opposite of enmity. 

The
believers take Allah and His Messenger as friends in the sense of muwaalaah
that is the opposite of enmity. This ruling is firmly established for every
believer. And ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is one of the believers
whom the believers take as friends and allies (awliya’). 

This
hadeeth affirms that ‘Ali is a believer in the true sense and testifies that
he is deserving of muwaalaah (love) both inwardly and outwardly. This is a
refutation of what his enemies among the Khaarijis and Naasibis say about
him, but it does not suggest that the believers do not have any mawla other
than him. How can that be the case when the Messenger of Allah (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him) has mawaali (pl. of mawla), who are the
righteous believers. Similarly, ‘Ali also has mawaali, namely the believers
who take him as a friend. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) said: “Aslam, Ghifaar, Muzaynah, Juhaynah, Quraysh and the Ansaar have
no mawla except Allah and His Messenger.” They are described as mawaali of
the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) just as
the righteous believers are described as his mawaali, and Allah and His
Messenger are their mawla. 

To sum up,
there is a difference between the waliy, mawla etc. and the waali. Wilaayah
in the sense of that which is the opposite of enmity is one thing, and
wilaayah in the sense of rulership is something else. The hadeeth refers
only to the former, not the latter. The Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) did not say, “If I am someone’s waali (ruler), ‘Ali is
also his waali”; rather the wording is: “If I am someone’s mawla (close
friend), then ‘Ali is also his mawla.” 

This is
one of the things which indicate that he was not referring to caliphate. The
fact that he is the waliy of every believer is true during the lifetime of
the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and is not deferred
until the time after the Prophet’s death. With regard to caliphate, he could
not become caliph until after the Prophet’s death. Thus it is known that
this is not what is meant here. 

The
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is closer to the
believers than their own selves, during his lifetime and after his death,
until the Day of Resurrection; if he appointed someone to a position of
authority during his lifetime – or if we assume that he appointed someone to
a position of authority matters during his lifetime, or we assume that he
appointed to take charge after his death, and that person became caliph
either on the basis of a text or consensus – then that person would be more
entitled to the position of caliphate and he would be closer to the
believers than their own selves. But no one other than the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) could ever be closer to any
believer than his own self, especially during his lifetime. With regard to
‘Ali or anyone else being the mawla of every believer, this is true and
applied to ‘Ali during the lifetime of the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) and after his death, and after the death of ‘Ali. So
today ‘Ali is still the mawla of every believer, but today he is not waali
(ruler, in charge) over people. The same applies to the rest of the
believers; they are awliya’ of one another, in life and in death. End
quote. 

Minhaaj
as-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah,
7/322-325 

Fourthly: 

With
regard to the claim that ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib, Faatimah, al-Hasan and
al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with them all) are of the same status as the
Prophets, this is a false and invalid claim. In fact it is kufr (disbelief)
that nullifies a Muslim’s ‘aqeedah (belief), because it is contrary to the
consensus of the scholars that no one other than the Prophets can attain the
status of the Prophets. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of
the meaning):

“Allah
chooses Messengers from angels and from men. Verily, Allah is All-Hearer,
All-Seer”

[al-Hajj 22:75].

The
Messengers and Prophets are the chosen from among Allah’s creation. Anyone
who claims otherwise is required to produce evidence, and no one can ever
prove that ‘Ali, Faatimah, al-Hasan and al-Husayn are of the same status as
the Prophets except by lying, distorting and fabricating hadeeths and
reports.

Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

Whoever
exaggerates about the awliya’ (close friends of Allah, “saints”), or those
whom they call the awliya’ of Allah, or the “people of Allah”, or the wise,
or the philosophers, and other names that they regard as akin to the title
of prophet, and they regard them as being like the Prophets or better than
the Prophets, should be asked to repent. If he repents, all well and good,
otherwise he is to be executed.

End quote
from as-Safadiyyah, 1/262 

Shaykh
Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhaab (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

Whoever
believes that someone other than the Prophets is better than them, or equal
to them, has disbelieved. Consensus on that point was narrated by more than
one of the scholars. What good can there be in a people whose beliefs imply
that they are disbelievers?

End quote
from Risaalah fi’r-Radd ‘ala ar-Raafidah, p. 29. See also: al-Fasl
fi’l-Milal wa’l-Ahwa’ an-Nihal, 4/21 

And Allah
knows best.