Question
How is it to declare Hazrat Ali better than Shaykhin Karimin ?
بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم
الجواب بعون الملك الوهاب اللهم هداية الحق والصواب
Answer
All the Companions and followers of the nobles (tabieen) , may God be pleased with them, agree that after the Prophets peace and blessings be upon them, Hazrat Abu Bakr Saddiq and Hazrat Umar Farooq may Allah be pleased with them, are the best of all human beings. It is also the belief of the 4 great Imams. Imam Azam Abu Hanifa, Imam Shafi’i, Imam Malik and Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, infact all of the Ahl E Sunnah Jamaat agree on the same belief. There are many prophetic hadiths, traditions (sayings) of the Companions and the sayings of the Imams, but also many decrees of Hazrat Ali himself. There are, even those who were entitled to punishment by Hazrat Ali for going against this beleif. Therefore, the person who gives preference to Maula Mushkil Kusha Ali al-Murtaza, KaramAllah Rabiyyah Al-Kareem, over the Shaykhin Karimin Syedna Siddique Akbar and Sayyidna Umar Farooq, may God be pleased with them, is a rafidi, a heretic and excluded from Ahl as-Sunnah.
Now we will prove every claim made in the above answer with evidence.
Ahadith related to the beliefs of the Companions and followers (tabieen):
Sayiduna Abdullah bin umar May Allah be pleased with him said During the time of the Messenger of Allah peace and blessings be upon him, we used to give excellence to each other, so we used to give excellence to Abu Bakr Siddique the most, then Umar bin Khattab, then Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with them).
صحیح البخاری،باب فضل ابی بکربعدالنبی صلی اللہ تعالی علیہ وسلم،جلد۴،صفحہ۵،دار طوق النجاۃ
it is stated in Abu Dawood that a companion, He used to say in the blessed life of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that after the Holy Prophet ﷺ, Sayiduna Abu Bakr, then Sayiduna Umar, then Sayiduna Uthman May Allah be pleased with them are the best in this ummah after the Holy Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم.
(سنن ابو داؤد ، جلد۷،صفحہ۳۱،دار الرسالہ العالمیہ)
It is narrated from Amr bin Al-Aas, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: I asked the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
O Messenger of Allah, who is the most beloved to you among the people? He said Aisha, then I asked who is the most beloved to you among men? He said The father of Aisha. Then i asked Who after him? He said, Sayiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) is the most beloved after him.
(صحیح بخاری شریف ، جلد ۵، صفحہ ۵، دار طوق النجاة )
Sayiduna Maimon bin Mehran (may Allah be pleased with him) is a Tabi , he was asked whether Sayiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is better or Sayiduna Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) . So as soon as he heard this, his body trembled and the staff fell from his hand and he said I did not think that I would live till such a time, in which people would consider anyone else equal to Sayiduna Abu Bakr and Umar.
تاریخ الخلفاء ، الخلیفۃ الاول ابوبکر الصدیق ، صفحہ ۳۱ ، مطبوعہ عرب شریف
Sayiduna Ali’s (may Allah be pleased with him) belief:
Muhammad bin Hanafiya, the son of Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is Tabi, he says I asked my father Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) who is the best among all people after the Prophet (Peace and blessings upon him)? Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) replied that Abu Bakr is the best. I said, “Then who is the best?” He replied that Sayiduna Umar is the best.
صحیح البخاری،باب فضل ابی بکر،جلد۵، صفحہ۷، دار طوق النجاۃ
It is in the hadith of Jami Sagheer and Kunz al-Umal that Sayiduna Ali said :After the Holy Prophet (Peace and blessings upon him) , Sayiduna Abu Bakr and sayiduna Umar are the best in this Ummah.
(کنزالعمال ، جلد ٩، صفحہ ١٣، الناشر: مؤسسة الرسالة)
Regarding the one who preferred Sayiduna Ali over the Sheikhs, Sayiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I will punish him, so it is narrated by Ibn Asaqir that he said: Whoever gives me superiority over Abu Bakr and Umar, I will punish him as an accuser.
تاریخ دمشق لابن عساکر ، جلد ۳۰ ، صفحہ ۳۸۳ ، مطبوعہ دار الفکر ، بیروت
Also, Imam Abu Yusuf narrated it with the authority of Imam Azam
A person came to Sayiduna Ali and said: I have not seen anyone better than you. Sayiduna Ali said: Have you seen the Prophet (Peace and blessings upon him)? He said no, he then asked “have you seen Sayiduna Abu Bakr and Umar? He said no. Sayiduna Ali said, “If you had told me that you had seen the Holy Prophet, I would have severed your neck from your head, and if you had said that you had seen Sayiduna Abu Bakr and Umar, then you would be severely punished.
الکتاب الآثار ، صفحہ ۲۰۷، الناشر لجنة إحياء المعارف النعمانية بحيدر آباد – الدكن
Beliefs of Imam Arbaa:
Imam-e-Azam Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him) says in Fiqh al-Akbar Among all the people after the Messenger of Allah, Abu Bakr al-Sadiq, then Umar bin Al-Khattab, then Uthman bin Affan, then Ali bin Abi Talib, may God bless him and grant him peace, are the best.
( الفقہ الاکبر ،صفحہ۴۱،مکتبۃ الفرقان ۔ الامارات العربیہ )
Sayiduna Rabi says about Imam Shafi’i, I heard Muhammad bin Idris Shafi’i saying that Sayiduna Abu Bakr is the first in caliphate and superiority, then Sayiduna Umar, then Sayiduna Uthman, then Sayiduna Ali (may allah be pleased with them).
شرح أصول اعتقاد أهل السنة والجماعة،جلد ۸، صفحہ ۱۴۵۰، دار طيبة ۔السعودية
Al-Sawa’iq related to Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) in Al-Muharqa that Imam Malik was asked who is the best after the Prophet ﷺ, so he replied that Abu Bakr Siddiq and after him Umar Farooq. Then he said, “Is there any doubt about this?”
الصورق المحرقة ، جلد ١، صفحہ ١٦٩،مؤسسة الرسالة – لبنان
Abu al-Qasim Hibatullah al-Tabari al-Razi mentions a hadith related to Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (may God have mercy on him).
that, I am Uthman ibn Ahmad. I heard Abu Abdullah (Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal) that when he was asked about superiority, he said that Abu Bakr is first in superiority, then Umar, then Uthman.
شرح أصول اعتقاد أهل السنة والجماعة،جلد ۸، صفحہ ۱۴۵۳، دار طيبة ۔السعودية
There is a consensus among the Companions, the Tabieen and all the Ahl al-Sunnah regarding the virtues of the Sheikhs:
Therefore, it is in al-Itqaad wa al-Hadaiyah that Imam Shafi’i, may God have mercy on him, says None of the Companions and Tabeen disagreed about the superiority of Sayiduna Abu Bakr and Sayiduna Umar over all the Companions.
الاعتقاد والھدایۃ الی سبیل الرشاد،صفحہ:۳۶۹،دارالافاق الجدیدۃ۔بیروت
Imam Qastalani (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
Abu Bakr Siddique (may allah be pleased with him) is the best after the Prophets (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and the predecessors agreed that he is the best of the Ummah.
ارشادالساری ، ،جلد۸،صفحہ۱۴۷،مطبوعہ دارالکتب العلمیہ،بیروت
Imam Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) says in Thazib al-Asmaa wa Al-Lahaqa
There is a consensus among the Ahl-e-Sunnah wal Jamaat that Sayiduna Abu Bakr Siddique and then Hazrat Umar Farooq are the best among the Companions.
تھذیب الاسماء و اللغات ، جلد ۱ ، صفحہ ۱۵، مطبوعہ دار الکتب العلمیہ ، بیروت
Also, Imam Nawi says in the commentary of Sahih Muslim: Ahl E Sunnah agreed that Sayiduna Abu Bakr then Sayiduna Umar were the best among the Sahabah..
شرح صحیح مسلم للنووی،جلد۱۵،صفحہ ۱۴۸ ،دار احیاء التراث العربی ۔ بیروت
Its written in Mawahib al laduniya According to the consensus of the Sunnis, among all the Companions, Sayiduna Abu Bakr is the best, followed by Sayiduna Umar.
(المواہب اللدنیۃ،جلد۲،صفحہ ۳۷۹،المکتبۃ التوفیقیۃ ۔مصر)
Its written in Alsawaiq al muhriqa. Know that the great forefathers of the nation and the great scholars of the Ummah have agreed that Sayiduna Abu Bakr is the best in this Ummah, followed by Sayiduna Umar.
الصواعق المحرقة ، جلد ١، صفحہ ١٦٩،مؤسسة الرسالة – لبنان
Its written in takmeel ul imaan and fatawa razawiyah that Ahle e sunnah wal jamah agrees that after the messengers within the angels and the messengers within the human kind peace and blessings of Allah be upon them, the four Caliphs, may God be pleased with them, are superior to all the creations of God. .
{ وَ اَنَّ الْفَضْلَ بِیَدِ اللّٰهِ یُؤْتِیْهِ مَنْ یَّشَآءُؕوَ اللّٰهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِیْمِ }
Bounty is in the hands of Allah Ta’ala, He bestows it on whom He wills, and Allah is the Most Bountiful. Then the order among them is as follows: the best is Siddique Akbar, then Farooq Azam, then Usman Ghani, then Ali May Allah bless him and grant him peace.”
(فتاوی رضویۃ ، جلد۲۸، صفحہ ۴۷۸،مرکز اہل سنت برکات رضا ۔گجرات )
A Rafizi, a Shia, and a heretic is who prefers Hazrat Ali over the Sheikhs.
Imam Abi Bakr Ahmad bin Ali al-Razi, al-Jisas al-Hanafi used to say. Whoever said that someone is better than Sayiduna Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, is a Rafizi.
(شرح بدء الآمالی، صفحہ ٣٩٣، باب تفضیل و تقدیم الصدیق علی الصحابہ، دار الکتب العلمیہ)
then in the page ahead in the same book he writes, that Know that after Sayiduna Abu Bakr there is no one in this Ummah and all the Companions who is more superior than Hazrat Umar.
(شرح بدء الآمالی ،صفحہ ٢٩٤، باب تقدیم الفاروق علی عثمان ، دار الکتب العلمیہ)
Imam al-Zahbi said in Sir Al-Iqal al-Nabalah: Without any doubt that Sayiduna Abu Bakr and Sayiduna Umar are better than both of them (i.e. Sayiduna Uthman and Sayiduna Ali, (may Allah be pleased with them), so whoever believes against this, he is a Shia, he will be flogged.
(سیر اعلام النبلاء ، جلد بارہ ، صفحہ ٤١٩، دار الحديث- القاهرة)
Summary of Al-Fatawi, Bahr al-Ra’iq, Majmaal al-Anhar, Al-Ishbah and Nazeer, Rid al-Mahtar and Fateh al-Qadeer
A person who prefers Sayiduna Ali over all three (i.e. Sayiduna Abu Bakr, Sayiduna Umar, Sayiduna Uthman ) is a heretic.
(فتح القدیر ، جلد ١،باب الامامۃ صفحہ ٣٠، دار الفکر بیروت)
Answered by: Mufti Sajid Attari
Translated by Saqib Madani