Abu Bakr, the first Caliph of Islam, at one time said, “It would be difficult indeed for any one to pass through the bridge of “Sirat”, on the Day of Judgment without getting a permit from Ali, because this is what I have heard from the Holy Prophet.”
(Sawai’q Muhair’qa)
Umar the Great, the second Caliph of Islam, related that once the Holy Prophet said, “If the faith of the inhabitants of the seven Earths be put on one side of the scale, and that of Ali alone on the other side, verily Ali’s side will weigh heavier than the other.
According to Imam Shafi, Ali will judge mankind and allot them paradise and hell. He was the leader of men and Jinnis, a true testator of the Holy Prophet. If the followers of Ali are “Raffidhes “(the hetrogenous sect of Shias) verily I am one of that sect. Ali at the time of the breaking of idols in the Kab’ah put his feet on that shoulder where God had put His hand on the ‘Night of Miraj’ and verily Ali was that man into whose eyes was shone the light of God.”
Once, Imam Ahmad asked his father, Imam Han- bul, as to who was superior, Mu’awiya or Ali, to which query Imam Hanbul replied, “Ali had numerous enemies and all of them tried to find fault with him but they searched in vain and could not find any flaw in him. At long last they joined hands with Mu’awiya and declared war on Ali. When they failed to defeat him by fair means they took to treacherous and deceitful courses to harm him.”
Ibn Athir says, “Ali was the first Caliph both of whose parents were pure Hashmites and who was so judicial minded that he could not put up with the dishonesty of his relations or friends and was so much engrossed in piety that at the time of his marriage with Fatima, he did not possess anything save a camel skin, on which he fed his camels in the day and which he converted into a bed sheet at night. The Prophet in his table talk has not extolled any of his companions as much as he has Ali. Surely Ali never spoke a lie in his life-time.”. Some one asked the Ummayyad Caliph, Umar bin Abdul Aziz (717-20 A.D.) as to whom he considered the most pious man in the world, to which query he replied, “Ali excelled mankind in piety. Not only did he practise its virtues but he tried zealously to reform his friends, associates, acquaintances and all those who came in contact with him.”
Ibn Masud used to say that throughout Arabia there was no more impartial judge than Ali. Abu Saeed Khudiri held that he could casily detect a hypocrite by his enmity towards Ali.
Abdullah ibn Abbas used to say that should schism. seep into Islam, it would be bounden duty of the Be- livers to take firm hold of Ali (i.c. his teachings) and the Qur’an for I have heard the Prophet say, “Ali was the first to believe in me, he will be the first to meet me in Paradise and will be the greatest discriminator of truth from falsehood, he is the leader of all the Believers, he is the ‘Sadiq-i-Akbar’ (The great truthful one) and is that door (of faith) the entry into which will lead to Paradise.” ibn
(Munaqib Murwaiyia)
Aal-e-Qutub Aal-e-Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi 