14. Ahmad ibn Hanbal says, "There are not as many verses and traditions in the praise of any other companion of the Messenger of Allah as there are in the praise of Ali ibn Abitalib."1 There is no doubt about superior virtues of Ali, but the question is, when did the Prophet appoint him as his successor?

Answer:

The Prophet is above granting such a lofty status to anyone other than his successor.

Anyone who is deep in thinking, gifted with a far insight, an authority on linguistic sources and derivatives, aware of its meanings and connotations, deriving guidance from the Messenger of Allah (S) believing in his wisdom and conclusive prophethood, appreciative of his deeds and statements2 certainly cannot miss the gist of such texts.

A person who knows Arabic well does not fail to perceive that these texts have all granted ‘Ali a very sublime status, one which Allah Almighty and His Prophets do not grant except to the successors of such Prophets, to the ones they trust most to take charge of their religion, to the custodians of such religion. If they do not explicitly indicate the caliphate for ‘Ali, they undoubtedly hint to it, leading to such conclusion by necessity. Such an obligation is obvious from their precise meaning.

The Master of Prophets (S) is above granting such a lofty status to anyone other than his successor, his vicegerent. Yet whoever deeply scrutinizes the texts concerning ‘Ali (‘a)and very carefully and fairly digests their implications will find their vast majority aiming at endorsing his imamate.

The Messenger of Allah (S) said, "‘Ali is with the Qur'an and the Qur'an is with ‘Ali; they both shall never separate from each other till they meet me by the Pool [of Kawthar]."3

He also said, "I swear by the One in Who hold my life, you will have to uphold the prayers, pay the zakat, or else I shall send you a man of my own self, or like my own self," then the Prophet (S) took ‘Ali's hand and said: "This is he."4

There are many other similar traditions. This is the magnificent benefit, which attracts the attention of all seekers of the truth.

• 1. . Sahih al-Mustadrak, p. 107.
• 2. . "He does not speak of his own inclinations." (Qur'an, 53:3)
• 3. . Mustadrak, vol. 3, p. 124.
• 4. . Kanz al-Ummal, vol. 6, p. 405, no. 6133.