Tradition

لِكُلِّ اُمَّة صَديقٌ وَ فارُوقٌ وَ صَدِيقُ هذِهِ الاْمَّةِ وَ فارُوقُها عَلِىُّ ابْنُ أَبِى طالِب(ع).

The Prophet (S) is narrated to have said: “Every nation has its Siddiq and Faruq,1 and the Siddiq and Faruq of this nation is ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib.”2

Brief Commentary

In order to implement and organize a proper and cohesive religious society, it was necessary for there to be someone capable who could lead after the passing of the Prophet of Islam (S). The Prophet (S) had spent many of his years engaged in building the very basic foundations of the Islamic society. Much time had also been spent fighting against the polytheists and other enemies of the new faith.

Someone was necessary to continue this building process and to separate and distinguish between the truth and the falsehood (in essence, someone who was a Faruq). Someone was also necessary in order to explain the realities of Islam openly and clearly (one who was a Siddiq) in order that all the questions of the people be properly answered. Such a person could only be ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib and no one else in the society was capable of fulfilling such a position.

• 1. The term Siddiq can be understood to mean a truthful individual and the term Faruq can be understood as one who discerns and distinguishes between truth and falsehood.
• 2. Safinat al-Bihar, vol. 2, p. 221, Uyoon Akhbar Ar-Ridha’, vol. 2, p. 13, Al-Qisas, p. 173.