Saeed bin Aas (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the wife of the Messenger, Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), and Sayyiduna Uthman (as is narrated in Sahih Muslim and others) told me that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) sought permission to enter upon the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), while he (peace and blessings be upon him) was lying on his bed, covered with the sheet of Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). He (peace and blessings be upon him) granted Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) permission to enter in that state; he presented his matter and left. Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) sought permission; he (peace and blessings be upon him) granted permission in that state, he fulfilled his need and left. Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) says: After them, I sought permission to enter upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), so he (peace and blessings be upon him) sat up and said to Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her): "Wrap your clothes properly." (Then he granted me permission.) I fulfilled my need and left. Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) asked: O Messenger of Allah! What is the reason that you did not make such an arrangement for Abu Bakr and Umar as you did for Uthman? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, Uthman is a shy and modest man; I feared that if I gave him permission in that state, he would not be able to express his need."

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Uthman will be in Paradise."

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever I am a friend to, Ali is also his friend. O Allah! Be the friend of whoever befriends Ali, and be the enemy of whoever bears enmity towards him." This hadith is narrated from Sayyiduna Zaid bin Arqam, Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas, Sayyiduna Buraydah bin Husayb, Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib, Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub Ansari, Sayyiduna Bara bin Azib, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas, Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik, Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id Khudri, and Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with them all).

Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the people complained about Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stood up, delivered a sermon, and also said: "O people! Do not complain about Ali. By Allah! He is above being complained about, for the sake of Allah or in the path of Allah."

Bilal bin Yahya says: When Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred, Sayyiduna Hudhayfah had a dream. It was said to him: O Abu Abdullah! Uthman has been martyred and people have fallen into discord; in such a situation, what will you say? He said: Support me. They supported him with the chest of a man. He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Abu al-Yaqzan is upon the natural disposition (Islam) and he will not leave it until he dies or becomes extremely old."

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever hurts Ali, has hurt me." This hadith is narrated from Sayyiduna Amr bin Shas, Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas, and Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them).

Sayyida Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) says: I testify that I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: "Whoever loves Ali has loved me, and whoever has loved me has loved Allah. And whoever harbors enmity towards Ali has harbored enmity towards me, and whoever harbors enmity towards me has harbored enmity towards Allah."

Sayyiduna Imran bin Husain (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sent Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) as the commander of an army, and he went with his group. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) took a slave girl, and the other people did not like this, and four companions of the Messenger of Allah made an agreement among themselves that if they met the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), they would inform him about what Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) had done. (At that time, it was customary that) when Muslims returned from a journey, they would first go to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), greet him, and then go to their homes. When this army returned, the participants came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and greeted him. According to their agreement, one of the four stood up and said: O Messenger of Allah! Do you not see Ali? He has done such and such. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) turned away from him. Then the second stood up and said the same thing. He also turned away from him. Then the third stood up and said the same thing, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also turned away from him. Then the fourth stood up and said the same thing. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) turned towards him, and signs of anger could be seen on his face, and he said: "What do you want by complaining about Ali? Indeed, Ali is from me and I am from him, and after me, he will be the friend of every believer."

Abu Abdullah Jadali says that Lady Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) said to me: "Is the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) being reviled from the pulpits in your presence?" I said: "Glory be to Allah! Where is he being reviled?" She said: "Are not Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) and those who love him being cursed and abused?" And I bear witness that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) loved him.

Muhammad bin Usamah narrates from his father that Sayyiduna Ja'far, Sayyiduna Ali, and Sayyiduna Zaid bin Harithah (may Allah be pleased with them) gathered together. Sayyiduna Ja'far said: "I am more beloved to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) than you." Sayyiduna Zaid said: "I am more beloved to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) than both of you." They said: "Let us go to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and ask him." Sayyiduna Usamah bin Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him) says: They all came and sought permission from him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "Go and see who it is." I said: "Ja'far, Ali, and Zaid are here, my father!" "What should I say to them?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Give them permission to come in." They all came inside and said: "Who is the most beloved to you?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Fatimah." They said: "We are asking about the men." He said: "Ja'far! Your character resembles my character and your physical appearance resembles my physical appearance, and you are from me and from my lineage. Ali! You are my son-in-law, the father of my children (Hasan and Husayn), and you are from me and I am from you. And Zaid! You are my friend, you are from me, I am your guardian, and you are the most beloved to me among the people."