(8) From the book of Sulaym bin Qayss al-Hilali there was a tradition narrated by Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sa’eed bin Oqda, Muhammad bin Hammam bin Suhayl and Abdul Aziz and Abdul Wahid the sons of Abdullah bin Younus al-Moossili from their companions; Abdurrazak bin Hammam, Ma’mar bin Rashid, Abban bin Abu Ayyash and Sulaym bin Qayss. From another way the tradition was narrated by Haroon bin Muhammad from Ahmad bin Obaydillah bin Ja’far bin al-Mu’alla al-Hamadani from Abul Hasan Amr bin Jami’ bin Amr bin Harb al-Kindi from Abdullah bin al-Mubarak from Abdurrazak bin Hammam from Ma’mar from Abban bin Abu Ayyash from Sulaym bin Qayss al-Hilali. Abban said that he also had heard it from Umar bin Abu Salama. Ma’mar said that Abu Haroon al-Abdi had also heard it from Umar bin Abu Salama that Sulaym had said: “When Mo’awiya sent for Abud Darda’ and Abu Hurayra, while we were with Amirul Mo’mineen عليه السلام in (the battle of) Siffeen, and gave them a letter to be given to Amirul Mo’mineen Ali عليه السلام, Imam Ali said to the two messengers after receiving the letter: “You informed me of what Mo’awiya have sent with you. Then listen to me and inform him of what I shall say to you.” They said: “Yes, we do.” Imam Ali عليه السلام replied with a long answer until he mentioned the matter when the Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم had appointed him (Imam Ali) in Ghadeer Khum as the guardian and the caliph after him (after the Prophet) according to the order of Allah. He said: “When this verse “Only Allah is your guardian and His Messenger and those who believe, those who keep up prayers and pay the poor-rate while they bow,” was revealed to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم, the people asked him: “O messenger of Allah, does it concern some of the believers particularly or the all in general?” Then Allah ordered His messenger to declare for them the guardian, whom Allah had chosen, and to explain for them the matter of guardianship as he had explained the matters of prayer, zakat, fasting and hajj. Imam Ali عليه السلام said: “The Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم appointed me (as guardian) in Khum and said: “Allah the Almighty has revealed to me something, which my chest became unable to bear and I thought that people would not believe me if I announced, then Allah threatened me either to announce it or He would punish me.” He ordered his companions to call for the prayer. He led them in offering the Dhuhr prayer and then he asked Ali to get up. He said to the people very loudly: “O people, Allah is my guardian and I am the guardian of the believers. I am worthier of them than themselves. Whoever I am his guardian, Ali is to be his guardian. O Allah, support whomsoever supports him and be the enemy of whoever opposes him!” Salman al-Farisi got up and said: “O messenger of Allah, what guardianship is it?” The Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم said: “Whoever that I am worthier of than himself, has to consider Ali as worthier of him than himself.” Then Allah revealed, “This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.” Salman said: “O messenger of Allah, have these verses been revealed about Ali?” The Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم said: “About him and about my guardians until the Day of Resurrection.” Salman asked: “O messenger of Allah, would you please tell me about them?” The Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم said: “They are my brother, guardian, son-in-low, heir, the caliph of my umma and the guardian of every believer after me, Ali and eleven imams of my progeny; the first of them is my son Hasan then my son Husayn and then nine imams from al-Husayn’s progeny one after the other. They are with the Qur’an and the Qur’an is with them. They will never part with it nor will it part with them until they will come to me at the pond in Paradise.” Twelve men from among those, who had fought with the Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم in the battle of Badr, got up and said: “O Amirul Mo’mineen, we witness that we have heard this from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم exactly as you say no word more no word less.” The rest of companions (of Badr) said: “We have memorized the most of what you said but not all of it. These twelve men are the best of us.” Imam Ali عليه السلام said: “You are right. Not all of the people can memorize everything. Some are better than the others (in memorizing).” From among those twelve men four men; Abul Haytham bin at-Tayhan, Abu Ayyoob, Ammar and Khuzayma bin Thabit got up and said: “We witness that we have memorized the saying of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم then. He said while he was standing up and Ali was standing beside him: “O people! Allah has ordered me to appoint for you an imam, who will be my guardian among you and the successor in my family and my umma after me. Allah has imposed upon the believers, In His Book, to obey him and ordered them to submit to him. I said: O my God! I fear that the hypocrites may not believe me. Then He threatened me either to inform of it or He would punish me. O people, Allah has ordered you in His Book to offer prayers, which I have explained to you. He has ordered you of zakat and fasting, which also I have explained to you. He has ordered you, in His Book, of the guardianship and I call you, O people, to witness that this concerns particularly this (Ali) and the guardians of my progeny and his progeny. The first of them is my son al-Hasan then al-Husayn and nine of al-Husayn’s progeny. They will never part with the Book until they come to me at the pond (in Paradise). O people, I have informed you of your resort, your imam, guardian and guide after me. He is Ali bin Abu Talib. He is my brother and he is among you as I have been among you. Entrust him with your religion and obey him in all of your affairs. He has all what Allah has taught me. Allah has ordered me to teach it to him and to inform you that he has learned it. Ask him and learn from him and from his guardians. Do not try to teach them. Do not precede them and do not lag behind them because they are with the truth and the truth is with them. They never part with the truth nor will it part with them.” Then Imam Ali عليه السلام said to Abud Darda’, Abu Hurayra and those around him: “O people, do you know that when Allah revealed in His Book, “Allah only desires to keep away the uncleanness from you, O people of the House! and to purify you a (thorough) purifying,” the Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم gathered me, Fatima, Hasan and Husayn with him under one garment and said: “O Allah, these are my beloved family, my weighty thing I have left and the people of my house. O Allah, keep away the uncleanness from them and purify them.” Umm Salama said: “And Me!” The Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم said: “You will be of a pleasant fate. This verse has been revealed concerning me, my brother Ali, my daughter Fatima, my sons al-Hasan and al-Husayn and nine ones of al-Husayn’s progeny and no one else.” Most of people available there got up and said: “We witness that Umm Salama has narrated this for us. We asked the Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم and he confirmed what Umm Salama had narrated.” Imam Ali عليه السلام said: “Do you not know that Allah has revealed in the sura of al-Hajj these verses, “O you who believe! bow down and prostrate yourselves and serve your Lord, and do good that you may succeed. And strive hard in (the way of) Allah, (such) a striving a is due to Him; He has chosen you and has not laid upon you any hardship in religion; the faith of your father Ibraheem; He named you Muslims before and in this, that the Messenger may be a bearer of witness to you, and you may be bearers of witness to the people.” And then Salman asked the Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم: “O messenger of Allah, who are these people, whom you are the witness on and who are the witnesses on people and whom Allah has chosen and has not laid upon them any hardship in religion; the faith of their father Ibraheem?” The Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم said: “Allah has meant by that thirteen persons; me, my brother Ali and eleven ones of his progeny.” They said: “Yes, by Allah, we have heard that from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم.” Imam Ali عليه السلام said: “I adjure you before Allah! Have you known that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم has made a speech that he has not made other speech after it when he said: “O people, I have left among you two things; the book of Allah and my family. If you keep to them, you will never go astray at all. The Archangel Gabriel has informed me and promised me that they will never separate until they come to me at the pond (in Paradise)”? They said: “Yes, by Allah, we have witnessed all that from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم.” Then twelve men got up and said: “We witness that when the Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم made a speech in the last day of his life, Umar bin al-Khattab got up angrily and said: “O messenger of Allah, all the people of your house?” The Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم said: “No, only my guardians; Ali, my brother, vizier, heir, the caliph of my umma and the guardian of every believer after me, who is the first of them and the best of them, and then his guardian after him; my son-he pointed to al-Hasan- then his guardian; my son-he pointed to al-Husayn- then his guardian, whose name is like the name of my brother (Ali) then his guardian after him, whose name is like mine then seven ones; his (Muhammad bin Ali’s) son and (six) grandsons one after the other until they come to me at the pond. They are the witnesses of Allah on His earth and the authorities over His people. He, who obeys them, obeys Allah and he, who disobeys them, disobeys Allah.” Seventy men, who had fought with the Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم in the battle of Badr, and nearly the same number of al-Muhajireen got up and said: “You reminded us of what we have forgotten. We witness that we have heard that from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم.” Abud Darda’ and Abu Hurayra left and told Mo’awiya of all that Imam Ali عليه السلام had said and that the people had witnessed of.”