The great Shafi`ite scholar and jurisprudent, ibn Mughazili in his book “Manaqib” in a commentary on the verse “and the foremost are the foremost” (56:10) writes: Yusha` ibn Nun (Joshua) was the foremost in believing on Moses (a.s), the man of Al-Yasin was the foremost in believing in Jesus (a.s) and `Ali ibn Abi-Talib was the foremost in believing in Muhammad the son of `Abdullah, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon them all.[229]
`Abdullah ibn `Abbas had been quoted by Ahmad ibn Hanbal in Musnad as saying: I heard from `Ali ibn Abi-Talib saying: I am servant of Allah and brother to His messenger. I am also the great accepter. Anyone who makes such a claim after me he is certainly liar who has slandered Allah and His messenger! The evidence of the truthfulness of what I say is that I have worshiped Allah and have performed prayer seven years before all people.[230]
Ahmad ibn Hanbal in “Musnad” had quoted ibn Abi-Layla as reporting: The Messenger of Allah said: The foremost or the pioneers who accepted divine mission were three persons, namely, Habib the carpenter, and Ilyas the believer who said: “O my people! Follow the messengers” (36:20) and Ezekiel the believer of the family of Pharaoh who said: “What! Will you slay a man because he
وَلَمْ تَبْقَ إلاَّ سَاعَةٌ حَتَّى قُتِلُوا عَنْ أَجْمَعِهِمْ إلاَّ تِسْعَةَ أَنْفُسٍ؛ رَجُلانِ هَرَبا إلَى سَجِسْتانَ وَبِها نَسْلُهُمَا وَرَجُلانِ هَرَبا إلَى كِرْمَانَ وَرَجُلانِ صَارا إلَى عُمَانَ وَبِها نَسْلُهُمَا وَرَجُلانِ صَارا إلَى اليَمَنِ وَبِها نَسْلُهُمَا وَهُمُ الأَبَاضِيَّةُ وَرَجُلانِ صَارا إلَى البَوازِيجِ وَصَارَ آخَرُ إلَى تَلِّ موزَنَ. وَقُتِلَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ عَلِيٍّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ تِسْعَةٌ عَدَدَ مَنْ سَلِمَ مِنَ الخَوارِجِ، وَكَانَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ قَالَ: نَقْتُلُهُمْ وَلا يُقْتَلُ مِنَّا عَشَرَةٌ وَلا يَسْلَمُ مِنْهُمْ عَشَرَةٌ.
ثُمَّ مَعَ كَثْرَةِ حُرُوبِهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ وَشِدَّةِ بَلائِهِ فِي الجِهَادِ وَدُخُولِهِ فِي صُفُوفِ المُشْرِكِينَ لَمْ يُصِبْهُ جُرْحٌ شَانَهُ وَلا عَابَهُ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ، وَلَمْ يُوَلِّ ظَهْرَهُ قَطُّ وَلا انْهَزَمَ وَلا تَزَحْزَحَ مِنْ مَكانِهِ وَلا هَابَ أَحَداً مِنْ أَقْرانِهِ.
فِي سِبْقِهِ إلَى التَّصْدِيقِ:
قَالَ الفَقيهُ ابْنُ المُغازِلِيِّ الشَّافِعِيُّ فِي مَنَاقِبه عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعالَى: ﴿وَالسَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ﴾ قَالَ: سَبَقَ يُوشَعُ بْنُ نُونٍ إلَى مُوسَى وَسَبَقَ صَاحِبُ آلِ يَاسِينَ إلَى عِيسَى وَسَبَقَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ إلَى مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَعَلَيْهِمْ أجْمَعِينَ.
وَمِنْ كِتابِ مُسْنَدُ أحْمَدَ بْنِ حَنْبَلٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ عَلِيَّ بْنَ أَبِي طالِبٍ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ يَقولُ: أنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ وَأخُو رَسُولِهِ، وَأنَا الصِّدِّيقُ الأَكْبَرُ، لاَ يَقُولُهَا غَيْرِي إلاَّ كَاذِبٌ مُفْتَرٍ، وَلَقَدْ صَلَّيْتُ قَبْلَ النَّاسِ بِسَبْعِ سِنِينَ.
وَمِنْ مُسْنَدِ أحْمَدَ: عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي لَيْلَى قَالَ: قَالَ رَسولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ: الصِّدِّيقُونَ ثَلاثَةٌ: حَبِيبٌ النَّجَّارُ مُؤْمِنُ آلِ يَاسِينَ الَّذِي قَالَ: ﴿يَا قَوْمِ اتَّبِعُوا الْمُرْسَلِينَ﴾ وَحَزْقِيلُ مُؤْمِنُ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ الَّذِي قَالَ: ﴿أَتَقْتُلُونَ رَجُلاً أَنْ يَقُولَ رَبِّيَ اللهُ﴾ وَعَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي
says: My lord is Allah” (40:28), and the third of them who is superior to the other two is `Ali ibn Abi-Talib who accepted the Holy Prophet’s mission before other people.[231]
The Messenger of Allah has been reported by Imam al-Rida (a.s) as saying: All people will enter the plain of resurrection on foot except we four who will enter it while riding. I will ride the heavenly horse, Buraq, my brother, Salih will ride the she-camel which was hamstrung, my uncle, Hamzah, will ride the she-camel, `Adba’, and my brother, `Ali ibn Abi-Talib will ride a heavenly camel while carrying the banner of “Hamd” in his hand before Allah, saying: There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger.
Then, people will say: This is an archangel, a messenger, or bearer of the throne of the Lord of the worlds. At that time, an angel from within the throne will respond: O group of men! This is neither an archangel, nor a messenger, nor the bearer of the throne, rather, he is the greater Accepter, `Ali ibn Abi-Talib, with the banner of “Hamd” in hand and testifying to the unity of God of the world and the mission of the last prophet.[232]
source : http://www.maaref-foundation.com
