Sahabi Rasool Allah ﷺ Sayyidna Aamir bin Wathilah (RA) bayan karte hain ke main Muawiya ke paas gaya to Muawiya ne mujh se kaha: “Ae Abu Tufail! Tum Qatilaan-e-Usman mein se to nahi ho?”
Main ne jawab diya: “Nahi, lekin main un logon mein se hoon jo us waqt maujood the magar un ki madad nahi ki.”
Muawiya ne kaha: “Kis cheez ne tumhein un ki madad karne se roka?”
Main ne jawab diya: “Muhajireen aur Ansaar ne bhi un ki madad nahi ki.”
Muawiya ne kaha: “Achha, sirf un par tumhara haqq tha ke woh tumhari madad karte.”
Main ne kaha: “Ae badshah! Aap ko un ki madad se kis ne roka tha jab ke aap ke saath Ahl-e-Sham ki badi tadaad maujood thi?”
Muawiya ne jawab diya: “Haan, main ne un ke khoon ka mutalba kar ke un ki madad nahi ki.”
Sayyidna Abu Tufail (RA) yeh sun kar muskara pade aur farmaya: “Ae Muawiya! Hazrat Usman aur tumhari misaal waisi hai jaise ek shair ne bayan ki hai:
‘Apni wafat ke baad main tujhe noha karne wala na paun, kyon ke meri zindagi mein tum ne mujhe kabhi bhi koi zaad-e-raah nahi diya.’”
Tareekh-ul-Khulafa, p. 331 Intikhab wa tarjuma: Syed Hasni
Roman Urdu Text: “Hum Aur Ahle Madinah Ameer Ul Mo’mineen Sayyedna Ali (عليه السلام) Ke Alawa Kisi Ko Afzal Nahi Mante!”
English Translation: “Apart from the Commander of the Faithful, our Master Ali (peace be upon him), we and the people of Medina do not consider anyone to be more superior!”
Attribution: ~ Sahabi e Rasool Hazrat Ibn Masood RadiAllahu AnhuReference
Provided: Fazaile Sahaba, Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Hadees-1033, Isnad-Sahih.
Arabic text cited in some editions كُنَّا نَتَحَدَّثُ أَنَّ أَفْضَلَ أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ Translation: “We used to say/discuss that the best of the people of Madinah was Ali ibn Abi Talib.”
The numbering 1033 does occur in some editions of Faḍāʾil al-Ṣaḥābah of Imam Ahmad, although numbering differs between editions.
Important scholarly note: The wording is disputed. Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr considered “afḍal” (best) to be a scribal/transmission error and stated that the محفوظ wording was “aqḍā” (the best/judicious in judgment). However, other scholars, including Ibn Ḥajar, reported the narrators of the version containing “afḍal” as reliable.
Original Arabic Text & Translation
The complete text of this athar (narration from a Companion) traditionally recorded in historical and virtue compilations reads as follows: “مَا كُنَّا نَعْدِلُ بِعَلِيٍّ أَحَدًا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ” “We (the Sahaba) did not consider anyone among the people of Madinah to be equal to Ali.” Context of the Narration Narrator: Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Masood (RadiAllahu Anhu), one of the foremost jurists and closest companions of the Prophet ﷺ. The Meaning: The statement highlights that during the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ and the era immediately following, the companions residing in Madinah recognized Sayyedna Ali (Alaihi Salam) as unparalleled in his knowledge, judicial expertise, bravery, and proximity to the Prophet ﷺ.
The narration in Faḍāʾil al-Ṣaḥābah of Imam Ahmad
Arabic: حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ، عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ: كُنَّا نَتَحَدَّثُ أَنَّ أَفْضَلَ أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ. Translation: Abdullah ibn Masʿūd said: “We used to say/discuss that the best of the people of Madinah was Ali ibn Abi Talib.” The narration is recorded in Faḍāʾil al-Ṣaḥābah with number 1033
Chain of narration Abdullah ibn Ahmad → Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal → Muhammad ibn Jaʿfar (Ghundar) → Shuʿbah ibn al-Ḥajjāj → Abu Isḥāq → ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Yazīd → ʿAlqamah → Abdullah ibn Masʿūd
Aal-e-Qutub Aal-e-Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi 