It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Call the leader of the Arabs to me." Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: O Messenger of Allah! Are you not the leader of the Arabs? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I am the leader of the children of Adam, and Ali is the leader of the Arabs."

It is narrated from Abu Thabit, the freed slave of Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him), that: I was with Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) on the day of the Battle of the Camel. When I saw Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) standing (on the opposing side), the same misgiving arose in my heart that was arising in the hearts of the people in general. Then, at the time of the Zuhr prayer, Allah removed that doubt from me, and I fought alongside the Commander of the Believers. When the battle was over, I went to Madinah, presented myself before the Mother of the Believers, Sayyidah Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), and said: By Allah, I have not come to ask for food or drink; rather, I am the freed slave of Abu Dharr. She said: Welcome. Then I told her my whole story, and she asked: Where were you when people's hearts were flying away? I said: I was where Allah removed that doubt from me at the time the sun passed its zenith. She said: You did very well. I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Ali is with the Qur'an and the Qur'an is with Ali; the two will never separate from each other until they come to me at the Pond of Kawthar." This hadith has a sahih (authentic) chain of narration, and Abu Sa'id al-Taymi is trustworthy and reliable, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "May Allah have mercy on Ali. O Allah! Turn the truth in whichever direction Ali turns." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), but they did not record it.

It is narrated from Abdullah bin Amr bin Hind al-Jamali that he said: I heard Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) saying: "Whenever I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) for something, he (peace and blessings be upon him) would give to me (answer me), and whenever I remained silent, he (peace and blessings be upon him) would himself begin (a conversation of knowledge)." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), but they did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) that some of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had doors of their houses opening into the mosque. One day he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Close all these doors except the door of Ali." The narrator says: People murmured about this, so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up, praised and extolled Allah, and then said: "Amma ba'd (to proceed): I have been commanded to close all these doors except the door of Ali, and someone among you has spoken about it. By Allah! I did not close anything nor open anything of my own accord; rather, I was commanded to do something, and I followed it." This hadith has a sahih (authentic) chain of narration, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) has been given three qualities such that, if even one of them had been given to me, it would have been dearer to me than a wealth of red camels." It was said: O Commander of the Believers! What are they? He said: "First, his marriage to Sayyidah Fatimah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him); second, his residing in the mosque with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), such that everything that was lawful for him (peace and blessings be upon him) there was lawful for him; and third, his receiving the banner on the day of Khaybar." This hadith has a sahih (authentic) chain of narration, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

It is narrated from Abu Ishaq that I asked Qutham bin al-Abbas: "How did Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) become the heir of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in the presence of you people (the descendants of al-Abbas bin Abd al-Muttalib)?" He replied: "Because he was the first of us all to join him (peace and blessings be upon him), and the one who clung most closely to him (peace and blessings be upon him)." This hadith has a sahih (authentic) chain of narration, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

Isma'il bin Ishaq al-Qadi, commenting on this statement of Qutham bin al-Abbas, said: "An heir inherits only through lineage or through wala' (clientage), and there is no disagreement among the people of knowledge that a paternal cousin does not inherit wealth in the presence of a paternal uncle. So by this consensus it is established that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) inherited knowledge from him (peace and blessings be upon him)."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say during the very lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): "Indeed, Allah Almighty says: 'If he then dies or is martyred, will you turn back on your heels?' [Surah Al Imran: 144] By Allah! After having received guidance from Allah, we will never turn back on our heels. By Allah, if he (peace and blessings be upon him) dies or is martyred, I will fight for the very cause for which he (peace and blessings be upon him) fought until I die. By Allah! I am his brother, his wali, his paternal cousin and the heir of his knowledge; so who could have a greater right to him than me?"

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), while delivering a sermon on the occasion of the Farewell Hajj, said: "I shall certainly fight the Amalekites with an army." Then Jibril (peace be upon him) said: (Or) Ali (that is, Ali will fight)? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Or Ali bin Abi Talib (will fight)."