HIS VIRTUES - YASAR KANDEMIR, PhD

Ali was one of the ten Companions who were promised entrance to Paradise by Prophet Muhammad (also known as the al-ashara al-mubashshara). The reports about his virtues and legends cannot, as Ahmad ibn Hanbal once remarked, be compared with those of other Companions in terms of their number. According to some scholars, some of the Umayyad administrators who were hostile to Ali tried to repress reports about him threatening those who spoke of his virtues; but the fact that many of the Companions of the Prophet spent a great deal of effort to publicize whatever they heard from the Prophet about Ali and every event that they saw as having some relevance to him made it easier for these reports to increase in number. On the other hand, some Shiite groups and others, who desired to abuse Ali's power for political purposes, were not content with the authentic reports about his virtues and personality, but rather fabricated a number of reports about his superiority over the other three caliphs, even when Ali was still alive, which greatly disturbed him. Thus for example, Ibn Abu al-Hadid, a Shiite scholar, has argued that the fabrication of hadiths about virtues was first carried out by some extreme groups within the Shiites, and that many hadiths were fabricated concerning the virtues and superiority of Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib.

The majority of the ‘hadiths' fabricated by extreme Shiite factions concerning the virtues of Ali have a nature that is completely incompatible with Islamic principles. Such fabrications include, for example, reports that claim that Ali would return to the world after his death, or how he is not dead but still lives, that he has divine qualities, or that he hides in a cloud or thunderstorms were his voice and lightening flash his whip, or that he would be sent by God as a messenger after Prophet Muhammad. In addition, it is a fact that the Prophet could not possibly say some of the things that it is claimed that he said, such as the Prophet and Ali were created from the same light (nour), that the angels prayed for them for seven years, and that those who deny that Ali is the best of creation would lose their faith and become infidels, and many more of this kind. 

Other reports on the virtues of Ali include those that were not fabricated - as in the case of above-mentioned ones - but are considered by most hadith scholars to be weak. One example includes the following narrative: One day Prophet Muhammad was presented with a fried chicken by his Companions. He then prayed to Allah saying "O Allah! Send me your most beloved servant to share this with me now." Then Ali came over, and they ate it together. In other variants of the reported hadith, it is noted that either Aisha or Anas ibn Malik tried to prevent Ali from getting in although he had come to the door, since they wanted one of their own relatives to have this honor; however, in the end, they had to let him in. Many hadith scholars, such as Thirmidhi, remark that this hadith is weak.

On the other hand, there are also some sahih (authentic) hadiths regarding the virtues of Ali. The extremist Shiite groups, however, are not content with the authentic forms of these reports, but often make amendments to them, particularly in order to support their claim that it was Ali ibn Abu Talib who should have been the first caliph.

One of the most reliable and authentic reports regarding Ali's virtues is the following: Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said during the Battle of Khaybar that he would give the flag to someone who loved Allah and his Messenger the next day and that victory would be won by this person. Many Companions became excited at this promise, including even Umar ibn Khattab. However, Prophet Muhammad gave the flag to Ali, who then led the conquest of Khaybar. Another authentic hadith reports the Prophet as having said that only the believers would like Ali ibn Abu Talib, and only the munafiqs (religious hypocrites) would hate him.

It is only natural that Prophet Muhammad loved Ali so much and paid him compliments in a way that he did not do for other Companions; he was one of first persons to believe the Prophet and enter Islam, he was raised by the Prophet in his own house and under his protection, and he always supported the Prophet, even in times of despair. Moreover, he was both the Prophet's cousin and his son-in-law. Thus, all these reports indicate that Ali was a virtuous and great Companion; however, they do not overshadow the virtues and superiority of the other great Companions, such as Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman, who were themselves close friends of the Prophet and praised by him in different ways. Even the authentic reports about Ali do not disturb the hierarchy, particularly regarding the question of the caliphate.

Finally, it should be noted that the desire to compile the existing reports on the virtues of Ali has, since the early centuries of Islam, led many scholars, both Shiite and Sunni, to produce works in this field; accordingly, there has emerged a huge literature consisting of different studies on the virtues and characteristics of Ali, including his heroic actions in different expeditions and battles.