The Excellence of the Ahl-ul-Bayt (A.S.)

Bin Babawiyah quotes through reliable source that Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir (as) has said that the Prophet (S) has observed, “The love for me and my Ahl-ul-Bayt will give succor to the believers on seven occasion, that are: At the time of death In the Grave.
1. At the time of Maba’th.
2. When the Nama al-Aamal (The Inventory of Deeds is compiled)
3. At the time of Audit of Deeds (Ba waqt al-H’Isab)
4. At the time of balancing of deeds (Ba Waqt al-Meezan)
5. While on the Bridge of Sirat.”
Harith Hamadani says that once he went to the presence of Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) who asked him, “O Harith! What is the purpose of your coming here?”
Harith replied, “I have been drawn here by my desire to meet you!”
Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) said, “O Harith! Do you hold me as a friend?”
Harith said, “Without any doubt!”
Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) then said, “Harith! When you will be in the throes of death, you will find me near yourself! I would be giving to you the waters of the Cistern of Kauthur at that moment. I would be warding away your enemies from you. You will be pleased to see me cross the Bridge of Siraat with the Lawa al-Hamd in my hand! Insha Allah!!”
Abu Hamza Shamali has narrated from Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir (as) that the Prophet told to Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as), “O ‘Ali! Whosever has your love in his heart, while he traversed the Bridge of Siraat, if one of his feet faltered, his other foot would stabilize his progress till the moment Allah gave him entrance to the Heaven.”
Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (as) has said, “The love of the Ahl-ul-Bayt wards off sins as the winds blow away the leaves.”
Imam Ar-Ridha’ (as) said, “The Prophet (S) has said that he would intercede on behalf of four type of person on the Day of Reckoning: 1. Those who had whole-heartedly helped my Ahl-ul-Bayt. 2. Those who had helped them in the times of need. 3. Those who had considered the Ahl-ul-Bayt as their friends from the depths of their hearts. 4. Those who made sincere efforts to keep my Ahl-ul-Bayt safe from the harm’s way.” Imam Ar-Ridha’ (as) also said that the Prophet (S) has said, “One who befriended my Ahl-ul-Bayt, Allah will befriend him on the Day of Judgement, and he will not have any fear of that Day.”
In the Book Basair ad Darajat it is mentioned that Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (as) narrated that the Prophet told to Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as), “O ‘Ali! I have seen every child and adult of my believers in the realm of spirits, I have seen you and your Shi’as and have prayed for their Deliverance!”
Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) asked the Prophet (S), “O Prophet of Allah! Please tell me about the qualities of the Shi’as.”
The Prophet (S) replied, “O ‘Ali! When you and your Shi’as are raised from the graves, their faces will shine like the full moon. Sorrow and sadness will not come near you. Other people will be sad, but your group will will be tranquil and happy under the shadow of the Firmament (The Arsh). The others will be occupied in giving account of their deeds and you, and your Shi’as, will be enjoying the Bounties of the Heaven.”
Imam Ar-Ridha’ (as) said that the Prophet (S) has said that, “whoever is a friend of ‘Ali (as), will be at a place where the Prophets will be accommodated on the Day of Judgement. ‘Ali’s enemies will find themselves treated like the Jews on the Day of Reckoning.”
Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir (as) said that there are seventy types of angels in the sky. Each type of the angels is in numbers higher than the entire human population in the world. All these angels believe and profess our Wilayat (Saint hood).
Sheik Toosi narrates from Maitham al-Tammar that one night he was with Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) when the Imam told him, “Allah showers his Blessings every morning on all the persons in the world who have our love in their hearts. Allah curses those persons who have enmity for us in their hearts. When I awake in the mornings, I feel happy that our friends are receiving Allah’s Blessings! Pity on our enemies that with dawn every day they draw nearer to Hell! Our enmity and friendship cannot assemble in one heart. One who professes our friendship, he should keep it clean as the gold is kept free of impurities.”
Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) told told to Abi Abd Allah Jadli, I shall show you that because of the good deeds you will not have any fears on the Day of Judgement. For the sins committed Allah will throw the person in the hell. When Abi Abdallah asked about the good and bad deeds, Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) said that the good deeds are your love for us and the sins are the enmity that people have for us.
Salman narrates that one day he went to the Prophet (S) when Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) too arrived. The Prophet (S) had a pebble in his hand. He put the pebble in Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as)’s hand. The pebble uttered the twin witness of la ilaha ill Allah, Mohammadur Rasool Allah. Then the pebble also uttered its faith in the wilayath of Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as). The Prophet (S) then said that whosoever witnessed that Allah is one, Muhammad (S) is His Prophet and ‘Ali (as), the Wali and Vicegerent can have no fear of going to the Hell.
Imam Ar-Ridha’ (as) has narrated from his ancestors that they had heard from the Prophet (S), who in turn had received the information from Jibrael and Mikael that Allah has said, “the Wilayath of ‘Ali (as) is like a fort where every person is safe from My Retribution.”
Books of all the schools mentioned that the Prophet (S) has said, “If all the people were united on the matter of the Wilayath of ‘Ali (as), Allah would not have created the Hell.
Anas narrates from the Prophet (S), “Allah will send a group of people who’s faces will radiate light, who will be sitting on shining chairs and will be dressed in bright raiment. They will be seated under the shade of the firmament. They will be sitting in the company of the Prophets (S) although they will not be the Prophets themselves, they will accompany the martyrs although they may themselves not be martyred people.” Then the Prophet (S) also said, “(keeping his hand on the head of Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) that these people will be his Shi’as (friends).”
Sheik Toosi narrates from Imam Ar-Ridha’ (as) that the Prophet (S) told to Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) that on the Day of Judgement, after completion of the account of good deeds and sins of the people, Allah would give to him the Keys to the Heaven and the Hell. Then the Prophet (S) would in turn hand over the Keys to Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) and tell him, “O goblet-bearer of the Cistern of Kauther! Whomsoever you wish to send to the Heaven or to the Hell, you may do that!”
Bin Babawiyah quotes from reliable source of having heard from the Imams (as) that on the Day of Judgement a pulpit will be arranged. Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as), with orders of Allah will sit on this pulpit. An Angel will stand on his right and another on the left. The Angel on the right will announce that Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) is sitting on the pulpit and he will send the deserving people to the heaven. The Angel on the left too would announce that the persons deserving of punishment will be sent by Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) to the Hell.
Abdallah bin Umar reports that the Prophet (S) told to Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as), “When the Day of Judgement comes, O ‘Ali! You will be astride a horse made of light. On your head there will be a shining crown. The light of this crown will make the eyes blink. At that time an announcement will be heralded by Allah,’ O the friend of My friend (Muhammad Mustafa)! Where are you?’ O ‘Ali! You will say that you are at His service! Then Allah will say, ‘O ‘Ali! It is you who is the arbiter who will decide as to who should go to the Heaven and who should go to the Hell.’
Imam Ar-Ridha’ (as) narrates that Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) has said that one day he was sitting with the Prophet (S) near the Kaaba when one old man with a bent body having a staff in his hand, wearing a red cap on his head and a woolen overall came near the Prophet (S) and said, “O the Prophet of Allah! Kindly pray that Allah pardons me!” the Prophet (S) replied, “Your expectation is of no avail. Your wish to get a pardon cannot be fulfilled.” When the person was departing in disappointment, the Prophet (S) asked Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as), “have you recognized this old person?” Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) replied, “I have not been able to place him.” The Prophet (S) said, “it was the accursed Satan. Hearing this he rushed towards the Satan, caught hold of his neck and threw him to the ground. He shouted, “O Abul Hasan! Allah has given me respite till the Dooms Day! Please don’t kill me.”
Salman narrates that once the Satan came across some people who were talking ill of Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as). He stood near them. The people asked him who he was and he replied that he was Abu Marra. Those persons asked him if he overheard what they were talking about. He said, “May evil overtake you! You talk ill of your own master ‘Ali (as)!” Those persons asked him why he was saying that ‘Ali (as) was their master.
The Satan said, “According to the announcement of your Prophet, ‘Ali (as) is the master of all those of whom the Prophet (S) is the master and also that ‘Ali (as)’s friendship is Allah’s friendship and enmity with ‘Ali (as) is enmity with Allah.” Those persons asked him, “Are you a Shi’a of ‘Ali (as)?” the Satan said, “No. However I am a friend of ‘Ali (as) and I am also present in the progeny of his enemies.” Those people asked him, “O Abu Marra! Can you recount some of ‘Ali (as)’s excellence.
The Satan replied, “O group of misguided persons! You have become heretics! I was busy in prayer with some people on the land for twelve thousand years when those persons were destroyed by Allah. I was left all alone. I protested to Allah about my loneliness. Allah, in His Kindness, raised me to the Heaven where, along with the Angels I was busy in prayers for another twelve thousand years. One day when I was busy praying to Allah, I noticed a ray of light pass by. The Angels fell down in prostration and said that this light was that of some great Prophet (S). A proclamation came from Allah, “O My Angels! The light you have seen is that of my Wali, Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (as).”
Abu Hurara narrates that a person came to the Prophet (S) and said that a poor person went to China. From China he came back with so much riches that the people in the town started envying him. The Prophet (S) said, “can this transitory world cause people to envy others. The person who is sitting here has acquired the riches about which even the Angels in the firmament will be envious.
We noticed that one Ansari arrived near the Prophet (S). The Prophet (S) said, “This man has amassed great amount of wealth and has deposited a part of his treasure in the high seat of Arsh. The man shall receive so much reward for this that if it is distributed amongst all the inmates of the Heaven and the Earth, all their sins would be pardoned and entry to the Heaven for them will become mandatory!”
The companions asked the person, “What good deed you have done today that you have qualified for such a high reward?”
The man said, “I stirred out of my house for some important work. On the way I thought that I have delayed myself in the matter and perhaps I may not be able to achieve my end. Suddenly I had an idea at that time that instead of going for my own task, I try to do some good turn. Therefore I went to Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (as) to get a glimpse of his radiant face. I am aware of the Prophet (S)’s tradition that looking at Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali’s face is like offering prayer.”
The Prophet (S) said, “No doubt! By Allah looking at ‘Ali is like offering prayer! You started from home in the search of wealth and went to ‘Ali instead and set your eyes on his Holy face with the knowledge and intention that it was like offering prayer. Since your act was with purity of heart you have earned Allah’s reward. If the entire world becomes of gold and all of it is distributed in charity, it will not be equivalent to the reward for setting eyes on the face of ‘Ali!”