Reports of the Apostle of God, may God bless him and his Family Naming him, Peace be on him, Commander of the Faithful during (the Prophet's) Lifetime.
(Abu al-Jaysh Muzaffar b. Muhammad al-Balkhi informed me: Abu Bakr Muhammad b. Ahmad b. Abi al-Thalj informed me: al-Husayn b. Ayyub informed me on the authority of Muhammad b. Ghalib, on the authority of 'Ali b. al-Husayn, on the authority of al-Hasan b. Mahbub, on the authority of Abu Hamza al-Thumali, on the authority of Abu lshaq al-Sabi'i, on the authority of Bashir al-Ghiffari, on the authority of Anas b. Malik, who said:]
I was a servant of the Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family. One night Umm Habiba, daughter of Abu Sufyan, brought water for ablutions to the Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family. He said to me: "Anas, at this moment there will come to you through this door the Commander of the faithful, the best of testamentary trustees of authority (wasiyyin), the foremost of the people in Islam, and the most knowledgeable and most mindful of them."
"O God, make him one of my tribe," I said.
However, almost immediately 'Ali b. Abi Talib, peace be on him, came through the door. The Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family, performed his ablutions. Then the Apostle of God threw the water into, the face of the Commander of the faithful, peace be on them both, so that both his eyes were filled with water.
"Apostle of God, has any impurity occurred in me?" asked 'Ali.
"Only good has been occasioned in you," replied the Prophet, may God bless him and his family. "You belong to me and I belong to you. You will act on my behalf, fulfill my duties, wash my (corpse) and bury me in my grave. You will listen to the people's (questions) about me and you will explain to them after me."
"Apostle of God," 'Ali said, "haven't you told them?"
"Yes, but you will explain the things they differ on after me."
[Abu al-Jaysh al-Muzaffar b. Muhammad informed me on the authority of Muhammad b. Ahmad b. Abi al-Thalj who said: My grandfather told me: 'Abd Allah b. Dahir told us: My father, Dahir b. Yahya al-Ahmari al-Muqri told me on the authority of al-A'mash, on the authority of 'Abaya al-Asadi, on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas:]
The Prophet, may God bless him and his family, said to Umm Salama, may God be pleased with her: "Listen and bear witness that this 'Ali is the Commander of the faithful and the master of the testamentary trustees."
[With the same isnad on the authority of Muhammad (b. Ahmad) b. Abi al-Thalj who said: my grandfather told me: 'Abd al-Salam b. Salih told us: Yahya b. al-Yaman told us: Sufyan al-Thawri told us on the authority of Abu al-Jahhaf, on the authority of Mu'awiya b. Tha'laba who said:]
Abu Dharr, may God be pleased with him, was told: "Make a will."
"I have made my will," he answered.
"To whom?" he was asked.
"To the Commander of the faithful," he replied.
"To 'Uthman?"
"No," he said. "To the Commander of the faithful, 'Ali b. Abi Talib, peace be on him. Indeed he is the pivot of the earth and the master of this community. If you lost him, you would not know the earth and those who were on it."
The report of Burayda b. Husayb al-Aslami is famous and well known among the religious scholars with (so many) isnds that their full elucidation would be very long. He reported:
The Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family, ordered me while I was the seventh of a group of seven which included Abu Bakr, 'Umar, Talha and al-Zubayr: "Greet 'Ali with the title of Commander of the faithful."
We greeted him with that title while the Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family, lived among us.
There are many reports like these which would make the book too long (to report them all). God is the bringer of truth.
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