a brief review of the cases of the public announcement of the immediate caliphate of hazrat ali bin abi talib by the holy prophet of islam

In numerous cases and various incidents, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) has emphasized both directly and indirectly the succession of Amir al-Mu’minin after him.

Here, we refer to a few instances where he explicitly declared him as his successor:

The Hadith of Ghadir

The meaning and content of the Ghadir sermon throughout Islamic history, from that time until now, consistently convey the same message. The common message in all of them is the explicit announcement of Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him) as the successor of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family). The phrase “Mَنْ كُنْتُ مَوْلاَهُ فَفَاذَا عَلِيٌّ مَوْلاَهُ” (Whoever I am his master, then this Ali is his master) is consistently present in all these narrations, and this part of the Ghadir sermon is also known as the Hadith of Ghadir.

Allama Tabatabai believes that this Hadith is mutawatir (transmitted by numerous chains of narrators) and has been narrated by many companions, with many Shia and Sunni scholars admitting to its mutawatir status.

To support this, Allama Amini in his book “Al-Ghadir” mentions that this Hadith was narrated by Ahmad ibn Hanbal from 40 chains, Ibn Jarir al-Tabari from 72 chains, al-Jazari al-Muqri from 80 chains, Ibn Aqda from 105 chains, Abu Said al-Sijistani from 120 chains, Abu Bakr al-Jaabi from 125 chains, and Hafiz Abu al-Ala al-Attar al-Hamadhani from 250 chains.

Importance of the Hadith

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) used this Hadith in many situations to argue for his right and priority in leadership and succession after the Prophet. Among these instances are:

• His argument with Talha during the Battle of the Camel
• His argument in the courtyard of the Kufa mosque
• His argument in the Battle of Siffin
• Along with several verses of poetry written in a letter to Muawiya

Lady Fatima Zahra (peace be upon her) also used this Hadith in confronting opponents of Imam Ali’s (peace be upon him) succession.

Hadith of the Day of the House

The Hadith of the Day of the House (Yawm al-Dar), also known as the Hadith of Warning (Yawm al-Intidhar) and the Hadith of the Pledge of Kinship (Bay’at al-‘Ashira), is a narration from Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) where he invited his relatives to a meal and, after the meal, asked them to accept his invitation to Islam and clearly declared the succession of Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him).

Description of the Incident

Upon the revelation of the Warning Verse (Verse 214 of Surah Ash-Shu’ara) in the third year of the Prophethood, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) instructed Imam Ali (peace be upon him) to prepare a meal and invite the sons of Abd al-Muttalib. About 40 people, including Abu Talib, Hamza, and Abu Lahab, attended the meal. It is said that the food was insufficient for the number of guests, but everyone ate and was satisfied without any reduction in the food. Because of this, Abu Lahab said, “Muhammad is a magician.” Abu Lahab’s remarks diverted the meeting from the Prophet’s invitation, and the Prophet refrained from delivering the divine command, ending the gathering without results.

Following the Prophet’s (peace be upon him and his family) order, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) was assigned again to prepare food and invite the relatives. On the second or third occasion, after the meal, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said:

“O sons of Abd al-Muttalib, by Allah, I do not know of any young man among the Arabs who has brought his people anything better than what I have brought you. I have brought you the best of this world and the Hereafter. Allah has commanded me to call you to Him. Which one of you will support me in this matter to be my brother and my successor among you?”

No one responded. Imam Ali (peace be upon him), who was the youngest and reportedly only 13 years old, said: “O Messenger of Allah, I will support you.” The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: “This is my brother, my successor, and my caliph among you. Listen to him and obey him.” The people stood up, laughing and saying to Abu Talib: “Muhammad commanded that you obey your son and listen to him.”

Importance of the Hadith

The Hadith of the Day of the House is one of the Shia narrations used to prove the immediate succession of Imam Ali (peace be upon him), and many scholars have cited it.

In contemporary times, Allama Amini has presented and detailed this Hadith extensively in his book “Al-Ghadir.”

Hadith of the Wilayah

The Hadith of the Wilayah is a narration from Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and is one of the Shia proofs for the Imamate of Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him). This Hadith has been narrated in various forms in Shia and Sunni sources, with the phrase “He is the guardian of every believer after me” being one of the most well-known.

Description of the Incident

Ja’far ibn Sulayman narrated from ‘Imran ibn Husayn that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) sent a group to a battle and appointed Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) as their commander. When the Muslims obtained spoils, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) divided them in a way that was disliked by the rest of the army. Four men agreed to report Imam Ali’s actions to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). When they came to the Prophet, they said: “O Messenger of Allah, do you know that Ali did such and such?” The Prophet, showing anger, replied: “What do you want from Ali? Ali is from me, and I am from Ali, and Ali after me is the guardian of every believer.”

Importance of the Hadith

For the Shia, the primary meaning of the Hadith of the Wilayah is the matter of Imamate and guardianship of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) because the term “guardian” means leader, Imam, and successor.

They argue that the term “guardian” in the language means caretaker, leader, successor, and Imam, and was used in this sense in the early years of Islam and thereafter. They also state that the first caliph, second caliph, companions, followers, and some Sunni scholars used the term “guardian” to mean successor and leader.

Hadith of the Status

The Hadith of the Status is a narration in which Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) described Imam Ali’s (peace be upon him) position relative to himself as being like the position of Harun (Aaron) to Musa (Moses).

According to this Hadith, Shia scholars believe that every status and position that Harun had is also attributed to Imam Ali (peace be upon him), and they use this Hadith to prove his succession after the Prophet and his superiority over other companions.

This narration is considered mutawatir (widely transmitted) by Shia scholars and sahih (authentic) by Sunni scholars.

Text of the Hadith

“You are to me like the status of Harun to Musa, except that there is no prophet after me.”

Description of the Incident

The Hadith of the Status has been narrated with different wording in various times and places from Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family); the most famous of which occurred during the Battle of Tabuk. When the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) learned of the possibility of an attack by the Roman army on Medina, he issued a call to prepare the army. Meanwhile, there was a possibility of turmoil by the hypocrites in Medina; thus, he decided to leave Imam Ali (peace be upon him) in Medina and move towards the enemy. When the hypocrites learned of this, they spread rumors that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) had neglected Ali and left him behind.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) complained about this rumor to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), who then affirmed his position and said: “Are you not pleased to be to me like Harun to Musa, except that there is no prophet after me?”

This Hadith has been narrated in other contexts such as:

• The Hadith of the Day of the House in the third year of Prophethood
• The second pledge of brotherhood in the first year of Hijra at the house of Umm Salama
• When appointing a guardian for the daughter of Hamza
• The incident of blocking the doors

Importance of the Hadith

This Hadith not only confirms the superiority of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) but also emphasizes his succession and infallibility, as the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) affirmed all the virtues and statuses of Harun (Aaron) (in relation to Musa) for Imam Ali (in relation to himself).

The comparison of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) to Harun (peace be upon him) in this Hadith highlights the following key points: