4. The ruling of those who declare general superiority to ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu

‎Contradicting the standpoint of the Ahlus Sunnah in tafdil—i.e. superiority among the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum—is the belief of the Rawafid and Shia, which is the superiority of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu over all the Companions and the belief of some of them that ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu is superior to ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu. Soon you will see the ruling on those who opposed the Ahlus Sunnah in this issue and how we deal with them.

Sheikh Yusuf al Nabhani (d. 1350 AH) said:

وهناك‏ طائفة من الشيعة يقال لهم المفضلة يقولون بتفضيل علي كرم الله وجهه على سائر الصحابة مع اعتقاد فضلهم وعدلهم والاعتراف بما خولهم الله من الشرف وعلو المنزلة وهؤلاء وإن خالفوا ما انعقد عليه الإجماع من تفضيل الشيخين على علي وذهب إليه جمهور أهل السنة من تفضيل عثمان عليه فهم أهل بدعة خفيفة لايتفرع عليها خلل في الدين فقد ذكرهم الحافظ السيوطي ولم يطعن في عقيدتهم ونقل عن الحافظ الذهبي وغيره أنهم عدول ثقات وأن روايتهم مقبولة وشهادتهم غير معلولة هذا مع تدقيق الذهبي في رجال الحديث إلى درجة أدته للطعن في بعض الثقات الذين زكاهم غيره ومع ذلك فقد نقل- أي العلامة الزبيدي- في شرح الإحياء عن كتاب القوت‏ لأبي طالب المكي قال كان‏ أحمد بن حنبل قد أكثر عن عبد الله بن موسى الكاظم ثم بلغه عنه أدنى بدعة قيل إنه كان يقدم عليا على عثمان فانصرف أحمد ومزق جميع ما حمل عنه ولم يحدث عنه شيئا

There is a group of Shia called al Mufaddilah, who say that ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu is superior to all the other Companions, along with believing in the virtue and integrity of the Companions and acknowledging the honour and high status that Allah bestowed upon them. These people, even though they contradict the consensus regarding the superiority of Sheikhayn over ‘Ali and (contradict) the majority of the Ahlus Sunnah regarding the superiority of ‘Uthman over him, they are people of a minor innovation, which does not result in any defect in the din. Al Hafiz al Suyuti mentioned them and did not criticise their belief. He quoted from al Hafiz al Dhahabi and others that they are ‘adil (reliable) and thiqah (trustworthy) and that their narration is acceptable and their testimony is not flawed. This is despite al Dhahabi’s scrutiny of Hadith narrators to the point that he criticised some of the thiqah narrators who were vindicated by others.

However, in his Sharh al Ihya’, al ‘Allamah al Zabidi quoted from al Qut of Abu Talib al Makki wherein he states, “Ahmed ibn Hanbal had narrated abundantly from ‘Abdullah ibn Musa al Kazim. Then information reached him that he was involved in minor innovation. It is said that he would declare superiority to ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu over ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu. Ahmed turned away from him, tore up everything he had acquired from him, and did not narrate anything from him.^[1]

There is no doubt that the statement of al Hafiz al Dhahabi, al Hafiz al Suyuti, and others, which was quoted by al ‘Allamah Yusuf al Nabhani, that their innovation is minor and that it does not result in any defect in din, etc., is only regarding a person who did not contradict the Ahlus Sunnah except in this subsidiary issue, which is the issue of declaring superiority to ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu, whilst respecting the rest of the Companions and preserving all the beliefs and methodology of the Ahlus Sunnah. In this case, the matter is as they said. Close to that is the Hanafi leaders’ view that performing Salah behind this innovator is strongly disliked.

As for the one who combines with this innovation other deviations and various methodological innovations—such as the Zaidiyyah of this time and the author of Ghayat al Tabjil—the issue is different. The ruling that Sheikh al Nabhani referred to does not apply to him. Be aware of this, for it is important, and feet slip when it comes to this.

At another place, al Nabhani states:

ومن‏ قدمه – أي سيدنا عليا – على الثلاثة فهو عند جمهور الأمة المحمدية مبتدع في الدين ولكن بدعته خفيفة لا تخرجه عن كونه من جملة المسلمين وإنما كان مبتدعا لأنه قد خالف ما كان عليه في ذلك جمهور سلفنا الصالح من الصحابة فمن بعدهم ولا ريب أنهم رضي الله عنهم كانوا أعرف ممن بعدهم بمن كان يقربه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم منهم في حياته ويعتمد عليه أكثر من غيره في مهماته وأعلم بأسباب التفضيل وأورع وأتقى لله تعالى من غيرهم ولا سيما المهاجرون والأنصار منهم فإنهم كانوا ملازمين لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم في غزواته وأكثر أوقاته ومن أدعى ممن جاء بعدهم أنه أعرف منهم بأحوال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم مع أصحابه وأعلم منهم بأسباب التفضيل أو أنه أورع وأتقي لله منهم فهو رجل فاسد العقل مخبول عديم الفضل كثير الفضول

And whoever gives him—i.e. ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu—superiority over the three (Khalifas), then he is, according to the majority of the Muslim Ummah, an innovator in din. However, his innovation is minor and does not remove him from being among the Muslims; and he is regarded to be only an innovator. This is because he opposed the belief of the majority of our pious predecessors, from the Companions and those who came after them. There is no doubt that they were more knowledgeable than those who came after them regarding who was close to the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam during his lifetime and upon whom he relied more than others in his missions, more knowledgeable about the reasons for superiority, more pious, and more Allah conscious than others, especially the Muhajirin and Ansar among them, for they were attached to the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam during his battles and most of the time. Anyone who came after them and claimed to be more knowledgeable than them about the conditions of the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam with his Companions, more knowledgeable than them about the reasons for superiority, more pious, or more Allah conscious than them, then he is a man with a corrupt mind, a lunatic, one devoid of virtue and full of nonsense.^[2]

Furthermore, while mentioning the dreams that support the standpoint of the Ahlus Sunnah regarding the Companions and the Ahlul Bayt, he states:

الحكاية السادسة والعشرون رؤيا رآها مؤلف هذا الكتاب الفقير يوسف النبهاني عفا الله عنه وذلك أني لما شرعت في تأليف هذا الكتاب-يقصد الأساليب البديعة- وكتبت منه جملة في فضل أبي بكر وعمر وعثمان رضي الله عنهم ذكرت فيها ميلي لأفضلية علي على عثمان رضي الله عنهما قبل خلافة عثمان لما ورد في حق علي من كثرة الفضائل الذاتية التي تفوق فضائل عثمان مع كثرتها أيضا وذلك بحسب ما ظهر لذهني القاصر فلما تقدمت خلافة عثمان فضل عليا بذلك لما ترتب عليها من الفتوحات العظيمة والأمور المهمة واتساع نطاق الإسلام

ثم في صباح اليوم السادس عشر من ربيع الأول سنة ١٣٢٠ﻫ‏ وهو عام تأليف هذا الكتاب قرأت في كتاب الصواعق‏ للإمام ابن حجر فضائل الخلفاء الراشدين رضي الله عنهم فتشوش فكري من جهة ميلي لتفضيل علي على عثمان ولو قبل الخلافة لأنه خلاف مذهب أهل السنة فقد اتفق جمهورهم على تفضيل عثمان على الإطلاق ولم يقيدوا ذلك لا بما قبل الخلافة ولا بعدها

وكنت محتاجا إلى النوم فذهبت لأنام وأنا في هذه الحالة من تشويش الفكر فلما جلست في الفراش قبل أن أضطجع خطر لي التوجة إلى الله تعالى وإلى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم في أن أرى في منامي ما يوضح لي مسألة التفضيل بين عثمان وعلي ونمت فرأيت في منامي ذلك كأنه قد تعين أربعة أشخاص لأن يولوا واحدا منهما رضي الله عنهما الخلافة وهؤلاء الأشخاص الأربعة هم ممن أعرفهم في هذا الزمان فسعيت عندهم بجد واجتهاد في أن يولوا عثمان وأنا جازم بأنه أحق من علي بالخلافة ولم يخطر ببالي وأنا في المنام أدنى تردد في ذلك فوعدني بتعيين عثمان منهم اثنان بيني وبينهما مودة فاطمأن قلبي لصدقهما وتوجهت إلى رجل ثالث منهم فاختليت به وذكرت له حاجتي في لزوم تقديم عثمان فوعدني بذلك ولما كانت معرفتي معه قليلة لم أثق بوعده تمام الوثوق فصرت أكرر عليه الكلام وهو يكرر علي الوعد حتى وثقت بوعده وكان مرادي السعي إلى الرجل الرابع لأطلب منه ذلك فانتبهت من النوم قبل اجتماعي به والله على ما أقول وكيل

فظهر من هذه الرؤيا أن ترددي في تقديم عثمان على علي في الفضل ولو قبل الخلافة هو بغير محله بالكية كيف وقد اتفق على تفضيله جمهور أهل السنة من الأمة المحمدية… إلخ

The twenty-sixth story: A vision that the author of this book, the humble servant, Yusuf al Nabhani (may Allah forgive him) saw. That is when I began to compile this book—i.e. al Asalib al Badi’ah—and I wrote a little about the virtues of Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, and ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhum, wherein I mentioned my inclination towards the superiority of ‘Ali over ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhuma before the Caliphate of ‘Uthman. This was due to the abundance of personal virtues that were narrated about ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu that surpass the virtues of ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu, even though they are many. This is what came to my limited mind. When the Caliphate of ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu convened, he surpassed ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu because of the great conquests, important matters, and the expansion of the ambit of Islam that resulted from it.

Then on the morning of 16 Rabi’ al Awwal 1320 AH, which is the year of the compilation of this book, I read the virtues of the Khulafa’ Rashidin radiya Llahu ‘anhum in the book al Sawa’iq by al Imam Ibn Hajar and my thoughts were confused about my inclination to the superiority of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu over ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu even before the Caliphate, as this was contrary to the standpoint of the Ahlus Sunnah. Majority of the Ahlus Sunnah agreed on the superiority of ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu in general and they did not restrict that to before the Caliphate or after it.

I needed to sleep, so I went to sleep while I was in this state of confusion. When I sat up in bed before lying down, it occurred to me that I should turn to Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala and the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam to show me in my dream that which would clarify the issue of superiority between ‘Uthman and ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhuma for me. Thereafter, I slept and saw in my dream that four people were appointed to appoint one of them radiya Llahu ‘anhuma to the Caliphate. These four people are among those I knew at this time. I tried earnestly and diligently to convince them to appoint ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu, as I was certain that he was more deserving of the Caliphate than ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. In my dream, I did not have the slightest doubt about it. Two of them, whom I had love for, promised me to appoint ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu, so my heart was reassured due to their honesty.

I went to a third man from them and I was alone with him. I mentioned to him my need of preferring ‘Uthman (as the Khalifah). He promised me to do that. Because my acquaintance with him was little, I did not have complete trust in his promise. Therefore, I kept repeating the discussion to him and he kept repeating the promise to me, until I was convinced of his promise. My intention was to try to ask the fourth man, but I woke up from my sleep before meeting him. Allah is the witness to what I say.

From this vision, it became clear that my doubt in giving preference to ‘Uthman over ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhuma in virtue even before the Caliphate was completely out of place. How can it not be, whereas the majority of the Ahlus Sunnah from the Ummah of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam agreed to give him preference….?^[3]

You have seen in the stance of Ahmed ibn Hanbal rahimahu Llah, the Imam of the Ahlus Sunnah, which the author of Qut al Qulub quoted from him, and in the words of Sheikh al Nabhani the extent of the repulsiveness in declaring superiority to ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu over ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu, because there is nothing behind it except following desires, opposing guidance, and following the path of destruction. Some of the pious predecessors, who reported to have declared superiority to ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu over ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu, their retraction from this view has also been established. Therefore, there is no reason for some people to cling on to that and contradict the belief of the Ahlus Sunnah.

One of the commentators of Sharh al Maqasid—Sheikh Ahmed ibn Malik Bir Muhammad al Faruqi, and I did not come across his biography—states:

وقد رأيت في بعض كتب الكلام أن التوقف بينهما-أي سيدنا عثمان وسيدنا علي رضي الله عنهما-إنما كان قبل شيوع الروافض وأما بعده فأهل السنة اتفقوا على تفضيل عثمان على علي

I have seen in some books of theology that being neutral between them—i.e. ‘Uthman and ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhuma—was only before the spread of the Rawafid. After that, the Ahlus Sunnah agreed on the superiority of ‘Uthman over ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhuma.^[4]

Al Hafiz Ibn Hajar al ‘Asqalani states:

والتشيع محبة علي وتقديمه على الصحابة فمن قدمه على أبي بكر وعمر فهو غال في تشيعه ويطلق عليه رافضي وإلا فشيعي

Shi’ism is love for ‘Ali and declaring his superiority over the Companions. Thus, whoever gives him superiority over Abu Bakr and ‘Umar is extreme in his Shi’ism and is called a Rafidi, otherwise he is a Shia.^[5]

Al Hafiz al Sakhawi said in Fath al Mughith:

قال الخطابي لكن قد ثبت عن الثوري في آخر قوليه تقديم عثمان زاد غيره ونقل مثله عن صاحبه وكيع قال ابن كثير وهو-أي هذا المذهب-ضعيف مردود وإن نصره ابن خزيمة والخطابي وقد قال الدارقطني من قدم عليا على عثمان فقد أزرى بالمهاجرين والأنصار

Al Khattabi said, “However, it has been proven from al Thawri, in the last of his two statements, that ‘Uthman was superior. Someone added, ‘A similar view has been narrated from his companion Waki’.’”

Ibn Kathir said, “It—this standpoint—is weak and rejected, even though Ibn Khuzaimah and al Khattabi supported it.”

Al Daraqutni said, “Whoever declares superiority to ‘Ali over ‘Uthman has disparaged the Muhajirin and the Ansar.”^[6]

In fact, the superiority of Sheikhayn is the belief of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu himself. Al Hafiz al Dhahabi rahimahu Llah states in Tarikh al Islam:

قال علي خير هذه الأمة بعد نبيها أبو بكر وعمر هذا والله العظيم قاله علي وهو متواتر عنه لأنه قاله على منبر الكوفة فقاتل الله الرافضة ما أجهلهم

‘Ali said, “The best of this Ummah after its Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam are Abu Bakr and ‘Umar.” By Allah, ‘Ali said this and it is mutawatir (consecutively narrated) from him, because he said it on the pulpit of Kufah. May Allah destroy the Rafidah; how ignorant they are?^[7]

Sheikh Ibn Hajar al Haytami, after quoting the words of al Hafiz al Dhahabi, states:

ومما‏ يعضد ذلك ما في البخاري عنه أنه قال خير الناس بعد النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أبو بكر ثم عمر رضي الله عنهما ثم رجل آخر فقال ابنه محمد بن الحنفية ثم أنت فقال إنما أنا رجل من المسلمين

Supporting this is the narration in [Sahih] al Bukhari from him that he said, “The best of the people after the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is Abu Bakr, then ‘Umar, then another man.”

His son, Muhammad ibn al Hanafiyyah, asked, “Then you?”

He said, “I am merely a man from the Muslims.”^[8]

Al Dhahabi and others declared other chains of transmission from ‘Ali, regarding this, as sahih (authentic). In some of them, he adds:

ألا وإنه بلغني أن رجالا يفضلونني عليهما فمن وجدته فضلني عليهما فهو مفتر عليه ما على المفتري

Beware, it has reached me that some people regard me superior to them. Whoever I find regarding me superior to them is a fabricator and he will be punished like a slanderer.^[9]

In explanation of the words of al Imam al Busayri rahimahu Llah:

س به في حياتك الإقتداء

بأبي بكر الذي صح للنا

Abu Bakr, for whom it was proven that people should follow his example in your lifetime.

Sheikh Ibn Hajar states in Sharh al Hamziyyah:

قال العلماء فيه أوضح دليل على أنه أفضل الصحابة مطلقا وأحقهم بالخلافة وأولاهم بالإمامة ومن ثم أجمعوا على ذلك لأن تقديمه بحضرة المهاجرين والأنصار مع قوله يؤمكم أقرؤكم لكتاب الله أي أعلمهم بالقرآن صريح في أنه أعلمهم بالقرآن مطلقا وقد استدل الصحابة أنفسهم بهذا على أنه أحق بالخلافة منهم علي

Scholars say that this is the clearest evidence that he is the best of the Companions in general, the most deserving of the Caliphate, and the most deserving of the Imamah. Hence, they agreed on that, because his precedence in the presence of the Muhajirin and Ansar with the statement of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam that the one who recites the Qur’an best, i.e. the most knowledgeable of the Qur’an, should lead you in Salah is explicit in that he is definitely the most knowledgeable of them of the Qur’an. The Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum themselves used this as evidence that he is most deserving of the Caliphate, among them being ‘Ali.^[10]

In Risalat al Sagha’ir wa al Kaba’ir, al Imam Ibn Nujaym al Hanafi considered declaring superiority to ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu over Sheikhayn to be among the major sins.^[11]

He states in al Ashbah wa al Naza’ir:

سب‏ الشيخين ولعنهما كفر وإن فضل عليا عليهما فمبتدع كذا في الخلاصة

Reviling and cursing Sheikhayn is kufr (disbelief). If he declares superiority to ‘Ali over them, then he is an innovator, as mentioned in al Khulasah.^[12]

After quoting Ibn Nujaym and similar statements from other Imams, al ‘Allamah al Sindi states:

ففي هذه العبارات تصريح بأن من فضل عليا على الشيخين فهو مبتدع فاسق صاحب كبيرة وفساد عقيدة فلا ينبغي لأحد الاقتداء به ولا الأخذ بقوله

These texts are explicit that whoever declares superiority to ‘Ali over Sheikhayn is an innovator, a sinner, a person who commits a major sin, and of corrupt belief. Thus, no one should follow him or adhere to his views.^[13]

It is reported in Hashiyat Ibn ‘Abidin al Hanafi thus:

الرافضي‏ كافر إن كان يسب الشيخين ومبتدع إن فضل عليا عليهما من غير سب كما في الخلاصة اﻫ قلت وفي كفر الرافضي بمجرد السب كلام سنذكره إن شاء الله في باب المرتد نعم لو كان يقذف السيدة عائشة رضي الله عنها فلا شك في كفره

A Rafidi is a kafir if he reviles Sheikhayn and an innovator if he declares superiority to ‘Ali over them without reviling them, as mentioned in al Khulasah. I say, the kufr of a Rafidi merely by reviling them is disputable, which we will mention in due course, Allah willing, in the chapter on the apostates. Yes, if he slanders Sayyidah ‘Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha, there is no doubt about his kufr.^[14]

Al ‘Allamah Bahr al ‘Ulum ‘Abdul ‘Ali al Laknawi (d. 1225 AH) states in Rasa’il al Arkan al Arba’ah:

وأما‏ الشيعة الذين يفضلون عليا على الشيخين ولا يطعنون فيهما أصلا كالزيدية فيجوز خلفهم الصلاة لكن يكره كراهة شديدة

As for the Shia who declare superiority to ‘Ali over Sheikhayn and do not criticise them at all, like the Zaidiyyah, it is permissible to perform Salah behind them, but it is strongly disliked.^[15]

Al ‘Allamah al Sawi al Maliki states in al Sharh al Saghir:

خرج المقطوع بعدم كفره كذي بدعة خفيفة كمفضل عليّ على أبي بكر وعمر وعثمان فهذا لا إعادة عليه

The one, whose kufr is not definite, such as a person involved in minor innovation, like someone who declares superiority to ‘Ali over Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, and ‘Uthman, is excluded, so he does not have to repeat it [his Salah].^[16]

NEXT⇒ Chapter 3 – Evidence of superiority in the Qur’an

^[1] Al Nabhani: Al Asalib al Badi’ah, pg. 375. See this discussion in Qut al Qulub, 2/260; al Zabidi: Ithaf al Sadah al Muttaqin, 2/229.

^[2] Al Nabhani: Al Asalib al Badi’ah, pg. 395.

^[3] Al Nabhani: Al Asalib al Badi’ah, pg. 424.

^[4] Hashiyat al Sheikh Ahmed ibn Malik Bir Muhammad al Faruqi ‘ala Sharh al Maqasid, pg. 413. (A handwritten copy without page numbers. The numbering is mine.)

^[5] Al Hafiz Ibn Hajar: Muqaddamat Fath al Bari, Hady al Sari, pg. 460.

^[6] Al Sakhawi: Fath al Mughith, 4/114; al Khattabi: Ma’alim al Sunan, 4/59.

^[7] Al Dhahabi: Tarikh al Islam, by 3/115; Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, (biography of the Khulafa’ Rashidin), pg. 15; al Sawa’iq al Muhriqah, pg. 58 (Maktabat al Qahirah print), pg. 48 (Maktabat al Haqiqah, Istanbul print).

^[8] Sahih al Bukhari, book on the virtues of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, 5/7, Hadith: 3671; Sunan Abi Dawood, chapter on superiority, 3/194, Hadith: 4605.

^[9] Al Sawa’iq al Muhriqah, pg. 58.

^[10] Al Minah al Makkiyyah fi Sharh al Hamziyyah, pg. 555.

^[11] Ibn Nujaym al Hanafi: Sharh Risalat al Sagha’ir wa al Kaba’ir, pg. 46.

^[12] Ibn Nujaym: Al Ashbah wa al Naza’ir, book on biographies, pg. 220.

^[13] Rasa’il al Sindi fi Bayan Afdaliyyat al Sheikhayn, pg. 7, manuscript.

^[14] Hashiyat Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al Muhtar ‘ala al Durr al Mukhtar, 3/254.

^[15] Bahr al ‘Ulum: Rasa’il al Arkan al Arba’ah, pg. 99.

^[16] Al Sawi: Al Sharh al Saghir, 1/439.

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