1) Evidence from Surah Aal’ Imran
2) Narration from Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah
3) Hadith of Mustadarak ala al-Sahihayn
5) Imam Ali used this as an evidence for his Imamate.
Welcome to our Blog! In this article, we will examine the narration from Sunni books that Imam Ali a.s is the Nafs of The Prophet ﷺ and the Nafs (self) of the Prophet ﷺ is more entitled to being His ﷺ successor than anyone else.
1) Evidence from Surah Aal’ Imran
1) Allah ﷻ says :
فَمَنْ حَآجَّكَ فِيهِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَكَ مِنَ ٱلْعِلْمِ فَقُلْ تَعَالَوْا۟ نَدْعُ أَبْنَآءَنَا وَأَبْنَآءَكُمْ وَنِسَآءَنَا وَنِسَآءَكُمْ وَأَنفُسَنَا وَأَنفُسَكُمْ ثُمَّ نَبْتَهِلْ فَنَجْعَل لَّعْنَتَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَى ٱلْكَٰذِبِينَ
Then whoever argues with you about it (Jesus) after knowledge has come to you say, “Come, let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves (Our nafs) and yourselves, then supplicate and invoke the curse of Allah upon the liars.”
~Surah Aal Imran 3:61
https://quran.com/en/ali-imran/61
In the commentary of this blessed Ayah, Imam Haakim narrated :
عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ فِي قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: {فَقُلْ تَعَالَوْا نَدْعُ أَبْنَاءَنَا وَأَبْنَاءَكُمْ وَنِسَاءَنَا وَنِسَاءَكُمْ} نَزَلَتْ عَلى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص وَعَلِيٍّ نَفْسِهِ، {وَنِسَاءَنَا وَنِسَاءَكُمْ} فِي فَاطِمَةَ، وَ {أَبْنَاءَنَا وَأَبْنَاءَكُمْ} فِي حَسَنٍ وَحُسَيْنٍ.
Ibn Abbas said that when this ayah was revealed upon Rasul-Allah ﷺ, Ali was His ﷺ self (nafs) and the woman was Fatimah and the sons were Hasan & Hussain.
After quoting the Hadith, al-Haakim said :
: وَقَدْ تَوَاتَرَتِ الْأَخْبَارُ فِي التَّفَاسِيرِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، وَغَيْرِه
This is reported in Tawwatur (Mass transmission) in exegesis (Tafasir) from Ibn Abbas & others
~Ma’arifat Uloom al-Hadith, al-Haakim, page 50.
2) Allamah Abu Haatim al-Raazi narrated :
ثنا أَيُّوبُ بْنُ عُرْوَةَ الْكُوفِيُّ يَعْنِي: نَزِيلَ الرَّيِّ، ثنا الْمُطَّلِبُ بْنُ زِيَادٍ عَنْ جَابِرٍ، عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ: وَأَنْفُسَنَا وَأَنْفُسَكُمْ قَالَ: النَّبِيُّ وَعَلِيٌّ
Ayub Ibn Urwah narrated from al-Mutallib Ibn Ziyad who narrated from Jabir Ibn Yazid that Imam Abu Ja’far Muhammad Ibn Ali al-Baqir said :
‘The Nafs in the Ayah were The Prophet ﷺ and Imam Ali.’
~Tafsir Ibn Abi Haatim al-Raazi vol 2:668
• This is the Hadith of the 5th Imam Muhammad al-Baqir a.s, The noble one from the pure lineage of Rasul-Allah ﷺ
3) Allamah Abu al-Hasan Ibn al-Maghizali mentioned :
عن أبي صالح عن ابن عباس قال: كان أبناء هذه الأمة: الحسن، والحسين، وكان نساؤها فاطمة، وأنفسهم النبي وعلي.
Abu Saleh narrated that Ibn Abbas said :
‘The sons in the Ayah are al-Hasan & al-Hussain, the woman is Fatimah and the Nafs is The Prophet ﷺ and Ali.’
~Manaqib Ali page 378
• According to Allamah Ibn al-Maghizali al-Maliki, He has only quoted Sahih & Mutawattir Hadith in this book :
ﻓﺠﻤﻌﺖ ﻓﻲ ﻓﻀﺎﺋﻠﻬﻢ ﻣﺎ اﻧﺘﻬﺖ ﺇﻟﻴﻪ ﻣﻌﺮﻓﺘﻲ، ﻭﺑﻠﻐﻪ ﺟﻬﺪﻱ ﻭﻃﺎﻗﺘﻲ، ﻣﻤﺎ ﺃﻧﺰﻝ اﻟﻠﻪ ﺗﻌﺎﻟﻰ ﻓﻴﻬﻢ ﻣﻦ اﻵﻳﺎﺕ ﻓﻲ اﻟﺴﻮﺭاﺕ، ﻭﻣﺎ ﺟﺮﻯ ﻋﻠﻰ ﻟﻔﻆ اﻟﺮﺳﻮﻝ ﻣﻦ اﻟﺪﻻﻻﺕ، ﻭﻣﺎ ﻇﻬﺮ ﻣﻨﻬﻢ ﻣﻦ اﻟﻤﻌﺠﺰاﺕ، ﻣﺎ ﻻ ﻳﻤﻜﻦ اﻟﻤﻨﺼﻒ ﺑﻌﻘﻠﻪ ﺇﻧﻜﺎﺭﻩ
I have collected in this book the Fadhail of the Ahlul Bait of what was well known to me, about what Allah ﷻ revealed about them in the Qur’an and what was reported from the words of Rasul-Allah ﷺ and their apparent miracles, what a FAIR-MINDED person cannot deny.
~Manaqib Ali page 52
2) Narration from Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah
حدثنا شريك عن عياش العامري عن عبد اللَّه بن شداد قال: قدم على رسول اللَّه صلى الله عليه وسلم وفد آل سرح من اليمن، فقال لهم رسول اللَّه صلى الله عليه وسلم: “لتقيمن الصلاة ولتؤتن الزكاة ولتسمعن ولتطيعن، أو لأبعثن إليكم رجلًا كنفسي… اللهم أنا أو كنفسي”، ثم أخذ بيد علي
Narrated by Shaarik al-Qadhi who narrated from Ayyash al-Ameeri on the authority of Abd-Allah Ibn Shadad who said :
A delegation of Aal’ Sarh tribe from Yemen came to Rasul-Allah ﷺ and He ﷺ said : ‘You must establish prayer, pay zakat, listen and obey or else I will send to you a man like myself. Ya Allah, That man is me or someone like my Nafs (كنفسي), then He ﷺ held Ali by his hand.
~Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah vol 18:65
• The Muhaqqiq of the book Nasir Ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Shutri said the Sanad is Hasan (حسن)
• This Hadith is Hasan but there is a dispute that Abd-Allah Ibn Shadad was not present at the time of the Prophet ﷺ but Allamah Ibn Abd al-Barr al-Andalusi mentioned :
عبد الله بن شداد..ولد على عهد رسول الله ﷺ كان من أهل العلم
Abd-Allah Ibn Shadad, He was born during the reign of Rasul-Allah ﷺ and he was amongst the people of knowledge.
~al-Isti’ab fee ma’arifat al-Ashab vol 3:926
Abu Bakr Ibn Abi Shaybah also narrated :
حدثنا أبو الجواب عن يونس بن أبي إسحاق عن زيد بن يثيع عن أبي ذر قال: قال رسول اللَّه ﷺ:
“لينتهين أو لأبعثن إليهم رجلًا كنفسي فيمضي فيهم أمري
Abu al-Jawab narrated from Younus Ibn Abu Ishaq on the authority of Zayd Ibn Yathee’ that Abu Dharr al-Ghifari said that Rasul-Allah ﷺ said :
“Either they turn back or I will send them a man like my Nafs who will carry out my command amongst them.”
~Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah vol 18:81-82
• Also, the Muhaqqiq of the book Nasir Ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Shutri said the Sanad is Hasan (حسن)
3) Hadith of Mustadarak ala al-Sahihayn
عن عُبيد الله بن موسى، حدثنا طلحة بن جَبر الأنصاري، عن المُطَّلب بن عبد الله، عن مصعب بن عبد الرحمن، عن عبد الرحمن ابن عوف، قال: افتَتَح رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم مكةَ، ثم انصرف إلى الطائف فحاصَرَهم ثمانيةً أو سبعةً، ثم أوْغَلَ غَدوةً أو رَوحةً، ثم نزل ثم هَجَّر، ثم قال: “أيها الناس، إني لكم فَرَطٌ، وإني أُوصيكم بعِتْرتي خيرًا، موعدكم الحوضُ، والذي نفسي بيده، لَتقيمُنَّ الصلاةَ، ولَتُؤْتون الزكاةَ، أو لأبعثنَّ عليكم رجلًا مني -أو كنفسي- فليَضْرِبَنَّ أعناقَ مُقاتِليهم، ولَيسبِيَنَّ ذَرارِيَّهم”، قال: فرأى الناسُ أنه يعني أبا بكر أو عمر، فأخذ بيدِ عليٍّ، فقال: “هذا”.
Ubayd-Allah Ibn Musa narrated from Talha Ibn Jabr al-Ansari on the authority of al-Muttalib Ibn Abd-Allah that Mu’sab Ibn Abd al-Rahman narrated from Abd al-Rahman Ibn Awf who said :
When Rasul-Allah ﷺ reclaimed Makkah, he then went to Taif and said ‘O People, I advice you to treat my family well, Our meeting place is at the Hawdh and I swear by Allah, you must establish prayer and pay Zakat or else I will send against you a man who is like my Nafs, who shall strike their necks and take their younger ones as captive.’
Abd al-Rahman Ibn Awf said : ‘People thought He ﷺ meant Abu Bakr or Umar so He ﷺ took Ali’s hand and said “This.”‘
After quoting the Hadith, al-Haakim said :
هذا حديث صحيح الإسناد، ولم يُخرجاه.
This Hadith is Sahih in its chain but they (Bukhari & Muslim) didn’t record it.
~Mustadarak ala al-Sahihayn 2559
• It is said that Talha Ibn Jabr is weak but he is thiqah as the Jarah of al-Jawzjani is Ghayr Mufassir and he has been called Thiqah by the likes of Yahya Ibn Ma’in, Ibn Hibban, Zayn al-Deen al-Jamali and etc :
وَسَأَلته عَن طَلْحَة بن جبر كَيفَ هُوَ فَقَالَ ثِقَة
Uthman al-Darmi said I asked Yahya Ibn Ma’in about Talha Ibn Jabr, Yahya replied ‘Thiqah (trustworthy)’
~Taarikh Yahya Ibn Ma’in Riwayah al-Darmi page 136
• Regarding Jarah which is without reason, Hafidh Ibn Salah mentioned :
اﻟﺘﻌﺪﻳﻞ ﻣﻘﺒﻮﻝ ﻣﻦ ﻏﻴﺮ ﺫﻛﺮ ﺳﺒﺒﻪ ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﻤﺬﻫﺐ اﻟﺼﺤﻴﺢ اﻟﻤﺸﻬﻮﺭ… ﻭﺃﻣﺎ اﻟﺠﺮﺡ ﻓﺈﻧﻪ ﻻ ﻳﻘﺒﻞ ﺇﻻ ﻣﻔﺴﺮا ﻣﺒﻴﻦ اﻟﺴﺒﺐ
According to the correct methodology, Ta’deel is accepted without a need for justification but a Jarh can’t be accepted unless it’s proven.
~al-Muqaddamah Ibn Salah, page 106
4) Hadith of Representation
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ مُوسَى، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا شَرِيكٌ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ حُبْشِيِّ بْنِ جُنَادَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَلِيٌّ مِنِّي وَأَنَا مِنْ عَلِيٍّ وَلاَ يُؤَدِّي عَنِّي إِلاَّ أَنَا أَوْ عَلِيٌّ ” .
Ismail Ibn Musa narrated from Shaarik al-Qadhi on the authority of Abu Ishaq from Hubshi Ibn Junadah who said :
Rasul-Allah said : ‘Ali is from Me and I am from Ali, none should represent me except myself of Ali.’
After quoting this Hadith, at-Tirmidhi said :
هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ صَحِيحٌ .
This Hadith is Hasan Gharib (from single chain) Sahih
~Jami` at-Tirmidhi, 3719
• The Muhaqqiq of the book, Hafidh Zubayr Ali Zae classified this Hadith as Hasan
• Also, Allamah al-Albani classified this Hadith as Sahih.
5) Imam Ali used this as an evidence for his Imamate.
Allamah Ibn Hajr al-Haythami mentioned :
وَأخرج الدَّارَقُطْنِيّ أَن عليا يَوْم الشورى احْتج على أَهلهَا فَقَالَ لَهُم أنْشدكُمْ بِاللَّه هَل فِيكُم أحد أقرب إِلَى رَسُول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي الرَّحِم مني وَمن جعله صلى الله عليه وسلم نَفسه
al-Daraqutni reported : ‘On the day of Shura, Ali made an argument to the people saying “I ask you by Allah, is there anyone amongst you closer to Rasul-Allah ﷺ than me? I am the one whom Rasul-Allah ﷺ made his nafs.
~al-Sawa’iq al-Muhariqah vol 2:454
Thank you for reading! May Allah grant us strength and Khuloos to serve Sayyidna Rasul-Allah ﷺ & His ﷺ Nafs.
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