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Thul-\ijjah 24, 1329
1) One of its sources is the discourse of the Prophet (pbuh) with Umm Salím,[1] a woman of lengthy achievements, a woman of wisdom who enjoyed a special prestigious status with the Messenger of Alláh (pbuh) due to being among the foremost in accepting Islam, and because of her sincerity, contributions, and sacrifices in the cause of Islam. The Prophet (pbuh) used to visit her and talk to her at her own house. One day, he said to her: "O Umm Salím (mother of Salím)! `Ali's flesh is of mine, and his blood is of my own; he is to me like Aaron to Moses."[2] It is obvious that this <ádíth is only an excerpt of his lengthy <ádíth which is stated for the purpose of conveying the truth and providing advice for the sake of Alláh in order to highlight the status of his vicegerent, the one who would take his own place (of responsibility) once he is gone, and it cannot be confined to the Battle of Tabúk.
2) A similar <ádíth was made in the case of \amzah's daughter in whose regard `Ali, Ja`fer and Zayd disputed. The Messenger of Alláh (pbuh) said then: "O `Ali! You are to me like Aaron to Moses, etc."
3) Another incident occurred when Abu Bakr, `Umer, and Abu `Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrá< were in the company of the Prophet (pbuh) who was leaning on `Ali. The Prophet (pbuh) patted `Ali's shoulder and said: "O `Ali! You are the strongest among the believers in faith, the first (man) to embrace Islam, and your status to me is similar to that of Aaron to Moses."[3]
4) The a<ádíth narrated during the First Fraternity also include this text. These were made in Mecca prior to the migration, when the Messenger of Alláh (pbuh) consummated brotherhood among the emigrants in particular.
5) On the occasion of the Second Fraternity, while in Medina, five months after the migration, the Prophet (pbuh) made fraternity between the emigrants (Muhajirún) and the supporters (An#ár). In both events, he (pbuh) chose `Ali as his brother,[4] thus preferring him over all others, saying to him: "You are to me like Aaron to Moses except there will be no Prophet after me." Narrations in this regard are consecutively reported. Refer to what others state about the First Fraternity such as the <ádíth narrated by Zayd ibn Abu `Awfah. Imám A<med ibn \anbal has included it in his book Manáqib `Ali, Ibn `Asákir in his Taríkh,[5] al-Baghwi and al-^abrani in their Mujma`s, al-Barúdi in his Al-Ma`rifa, by Ibn `Adi[6] and others.
The <ádíth under discussion is quite lengthy, and it contains guidelines about how to establish brotherhood. It ends with: "`Ali said: `O Messenger of Alláh! My soul has expired, and my spine has been broken, having seen what you have done for your companions while leaving me alone. If this is a sign of your anger with me, then I complain only to you and beg your pardon.' The Messenger of Alláh said: `I swear by the One Who sent me to convey the truth about Him, I have not spared you except for my own self. You are to me like Aaron to Moses, except there will be no Prophet after me. You are my Brother, heir and companion.' `Ali (as) asked him: `What shall I inherit from you?' He (pbuh) answered: `Whatever Prophets before me left for those who inherited them: the Book of their Lord, and the Sunnah of their Prophet. You will be my companion in my house in Paradise together with my daughter Fá>ima. You are my Brother and Companion.' Then he, peace be upon him and his progeny, recited the verse: `They are brethren seated conveniently facing each other,'" referring to the brethren whose hearts Alláh has joined in affection who look at each other with sincere compassion.
Refer also to the events of the Second Fraternity. Al-^abráni, in his Al-Tafsír Al-Kabír, quotes Ibn `Abbás reporting one <ádíth stating that the Messenger of Alláh (pbuh) said to `Ali (as): "Are you angry because I have established brotherhood between the An#ár and the Muhajirún and have not selected a brother for you from among them? Are you not pleased that your status to me is like that of Aaron to Moses, except there will be no Prophet after me?"[7]
6) The same <ádíth was also said when the companions' doors overlooking the Prophet's mosque in Medina were ordered closed except that of `Ali. Jábir ibn `Abdulláh quotes the Messenger of Alláh, peace be upon him and his progeny, saying: "O `Ali! It is permissible for you to do at this mosque whatever is permissible for me, and you are to me like Aaron to Moses, except there will be no Prophet after me." \uthayfah ibn `Asíd al-Ghifari has said that the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, once delivered a khutba on the occasion of closing those doors in which he said: "There are some men who have disliked that I got them out of the mosque while keeping `Ali. Alláh, the Dear and Mighty, inspired to Moses and his brother to reside with their people in Egypt and make their homes a qibla and say their prayers," till he said: "`Ali to me is like Aaron to Moses. He is my Brother, and none of you is allowed to cohabit therein other than he."
The sources of this <ádíth are numerous, and they cannot all be counted in a brief letter like this, yet I hope that what I have stated here suffices to falsify the claim that the status <ádíth is confined only to the Battle of Tabúk. How much can such a claim weigh in the light of abundance of sources of this <ádíth?
7) Anyone who is familiar with the biography of the Prophet (pbuh) will find him, peace be upon him and his progeny, describing `Ali and Aaron as the two bright stars arranged alike, neither one differing from the other. This by itself is a testimony to the generality of status of this <ádíth, yet the generality of the status is what comes to mind regardless of any pretext, as we have explained above, and peace be with you.
Sincerely,
Sh
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[1] She is daughter of Mil<án ibn Khálid al-An#ári and sister of \arám ibn Mil<án. Her father and brother were martyred in the company of the Prophet (pbuh). She possessed a great deal of accomplishment and wisdom. She narrated a few a<ádíth of the Prophet (pbuh), and she is quoted by her son Anas, in addition to Ibn `Abbás, Zayd ibn Thábit, Abu Salámah ibn `Abdul-Ra<mán, and by others. She is considered to be in the first row of those who accepted and supported the Islamic faith, and she herself was a caller to Islam. During the pre-Islamic period of jahiliyya, she was in love with Málik ibn al-Na_ar from whom she conceived her son Anas ibn Málik. At the dawn of Islam, she was among the foremost to embrace it, and she invited her husband Málik to believe in Alláh and His Messenger, but he refused; so, she deserted him, and he in his rage moved to Syria where he died as a káfir. She advised her son, who was then ten years old, to serve the Prophet (pbuh), and the Prophet (pbuh) accepted his service in order to please her. Many Arab men of prestige sought her hand, but she always used to say: "I shall not get married except when Anas reaches manhood;" so, Anas always used to say: "May Alláh reward my mother, for she took very good care of me." Due to her own influence, Abu ^al<ah al-An#ári became Muslim. He sought her hand when he was still káfir, but she refused to marry him unless he embraced Islam; so, he accepted her invitation to embrace the new faith, and his dowery to her was his own acceptance of Islam. She conceived a son by him, but the baby fell sick and died; so, she said: "Nobody should mention his death to his father before me." When her husband came home and inquired about his son, she said: "He is in most content;" so he thought that she meant their son was asleep. She served him his dinner, then she put on her best clothes and perfume, and he went to bed with her. The next day she said to him: "Pray for your son's soul." Abu ^al<a narrated this story to the Messenger of Alláh (pbuh) who said to him: "Alláh blessed you last night." She continues to say that he (pbuh) invoked Alláh to provide me with what I wanted and even more. In that same night, she conceived `Abdulláh ibn Abu ^al<a upon whom Alláh showered His blessings. He is the father of Is<áq ibn `Abdulláh ibn Abu ^al<a, the faqíh, and his brothers were ten; each one of them was a man of knowledge. Umm Salím used to participate in the Prophet's military campaigns. On the Day of U<ud, she had a dagger to stab any infidel who would come near her. She rendered Islam a great service, and I do not know any woman besides her whom the Prophet (pbuh) used to visit in her own house and she would offer him a present. She was aware of the status of his progeny, knowledgeable of their rights... May Alláh shower His choicest mercy on her.
[2] This <ádíth, I mean Umm Salím's, is number 2554 of the ones numbered in Kanz al-`Ummál as narrated on page 154 of its sixth volume. It also exists in Muntakhab al-Kanz; so, refer to the last line of the footnote on page 31 of Volume 5 of A<med's Musnad, where you will find it verbatim.
[3] This is quoted by al-\asan ibn Badr, al-\ákim in his chapter on kunyát, al-Shirázi in his chapter on surnames, volume six, and by Ibn al-Najjár. It is <ádíth 6029 and also 6032 of the ones numbered in Kanz al-`Ummál, page 395.
[4] Discussing the biography of `Ali (as) in his Isti`áb, Ibn `Abd al-Birr describes him thus: "He made brotherhood with the Messenger of Alláh, peace be upon him and his progeny, among the immigrants, then between the immigrants and the supporters. In each of these instances, he (pbuh) said to `Ali (as): `You are my brother in this life and the life hereafter,' then he made brotherhood between himself and `Ali (as)." The details are in the books of traditions and history. For the details of the first brotherhood, refer to page 26, Vol. 2, of Al-Síra al-\alabiyya, and in the second brotherhood on page 120, Vol. 2, also of Al-Síra al-\alabiyya, where you will find how the Prophet (pbuh) favoured `Ali (as) in both occasions over everyone else. In Al-Síra al-Dahlániyya, the details of the circumstances of the first brotherhood and those of the second are similar to what is published in Al-Síra al-\alabiyya. The author also stated that the second brotherhood took place five months after the migration.
[5] This is quoted from A<med and Ibn `Asakir by a group of trusted authorities such as al-Muttaqi al-Hindi; so, refer to <ádíth 918 of his Kanz al-`Ummál at the beginning of page 40 of its fifth volume. It is also quoted on page 390, Vol. 6, from A<med's book Manáqib `Ali, numbering it <ádíth 4972.
[6] This is quoted from these Imáms by a group of trusted authorities such as al-Muttaqi al-Hindi at the beginning of page 41, Vol. 5, of of his Kanz al-`Ummál, numbering it <ádíth 919.
[7] This is quoted by al-Muttaqi al-Hindi in his Kanz al-`Ummál and Al-Muntakhab; so, refer to the Muntakhab's footnote on page 31 of its fifth volume regarding A<med's Musnad, and you will find it verbatim just as we have quoted it here. It is not difficult to sift the gist of the phrase "You have angered `Ali (as)" and comprehend the meanings of companionship, compassion, and the love of a compassionate and kind father to his son. If you wonder how `Ali had some doubts in the second time he was left behind, although in the first time he had some doubt, too, then he found out that the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, had kept him there just for himself, and why he did not consider the second incident in the light of the first. The answer is that the second incident could not be compared with the first one, for the first was regarding the immigrants in particular; so, the comparison did not forbid the prophet (pbuh) from creating brotherhood with `Ali (as), contrary to the second which was between the immigrants and the supporters. One immigrant in the second instance may be joined in brotherhood to a supporter, and vice versa. Since the prophet and the wasi were both immigrants, the assumption in the second instance was that they should not be brothers; so, `Ali thought that his brother would be a supporter, just like others by way of comparison. When the Messenger of Alláh (pbuh) did not create brotherhood between him and any of the supporters, some doubt entertained his mind, but Alláh and His Messenger insisted on favouring him, and so it was: he and the Messenger of Alláh (pbuh) became brothers, contrary to the common norm of practice among all the immigrants and supporters at that time and place.