Alī Is The Gate Of The City Of Knowledge
The Holy Prophet informed his followers of the existence of a man who was the treasurer of the knowledge of the Holy Prophet
and he declared to them that if they want to reach the knowledge of the Holy Prophet they should take that knowledge from that treasurer.
He said (and Ibn Abbas reported):
"I am the city of knowledge and Alī is the gate (door) of that city. Whoever wishes to enter that city he should come through its gate."
Or he said:
Whoever wants that city should come to the door."
Jabir Ibn Abdullah Al-Ansari reported that the Messenger said
"I am the city of knowledge and Alī is its gate; whoever wants the knowledge should come to the gate."1
This statement shows us that the Messenger had informed the Muslims of 2 important matters:
1. That the knowledgeable person whom the nation needs is available and that Alī Ibn Abu Tālib is that knowledgeable one.
2. If the Muslims want to have the knowledge of the Holy Prophet Alī would be the only way through which they can obtain it.
It is the duty of the Muslims to try to reach that knowledge. Thus their quest of Alī's knowledge and his guidance would be of their most important duties.
This is because knowledge has to precede the deed. If we want to have a sound deed it has to be in accordance with the teachings of the Messenger.
The continuation of the accord of our deeds with the instructions of the Holy Prophet is dependent on our knowledge of those instructions.
The hadiths which indicate that Alī is the gate of the city of knowledge are not the only hadiths which speak of the superiority of Alī's knowledge.
There are many other hadiths and all of them testify to the fact that Alī was the most knowledgeable in the Islamic teachings among the followers of the Holy Prophet.
It suffices to mention the hadith of Umm Salama wife of the Holy Prophet who said:
"I heard the Messenger of God saying:
Alī is with the Qur'an and the Qur'an is with Alī. They do not part with each other until they meet me at the Basin (on the Day of Judgement)."2
Al-Hakim recorded that Anas Ibn Malik reported that the Holy Prophet said to Alī:
"You shall inform my nation about the truth and what they dispute about after me":
He said this is an authentic hadith according to the stipulation of the 2 Sheikhs (Al-Bukhārī and Muslim).3
Al-Tirmidhi in his authentic Sunan recorded that the Messenger of God said:
"God have Thy mercy on Alī. God make the right and the truth with Alī in all situations."4
Abu Nu’aym recorded that Ibn Masud said:
"The Holy Qur'an... has outward and inward meanings and Alī Ibn Abu Tālib has the knowledge of both.”5
Imam Ahmad reported that the Messenger said to his daughter Fatimah Al-Zahra: "Are you not satisfied that I have married you to the one who is the earliest in Islam among my followers their most knowledgeable and their greatest in widsom?"6
Al-Hakim recorded that Qays bin Abu Hazim reported that he heard Saad Ibn Abi Waqqas saying to a man from Damascus who cursed Alī:
"Man why do you curse Alī?
Was he not the first one who embraced Islam?
Was he not the first one who prayed with the Messenger of God?
Was he not the most knowledgeable among people?
Then Saad said:
God this man has cursed a man from the highest righteous among Thy servants. I ask Thee not to let this group leave this place until Thou show them Thy power.
The man from Damascus immediately fell from the mount of his horse on stones and his head was split and he died."7
Of course it could be said that these hadiths only indicate that Alī was a leader in the Shariah (Islamic Law) the interpretation of the Book of God and the instructions of the Holy Prophet.
But they do not indicate that he was the political leader of the nation and its appointed ruler.Thus it does not prove his immediate succession of the Holy Prophet.
The weakness of this argument would be obvious when we realize that the purpose of the Messenger from these statements is to lead his nation and to inform it of the road which secures its adherence to the teachings of the Holy Qur'an and the Holy Prophet.
The nation would not walk on that road if the affairs of the Muslims are handled by a man who is other than the man whom the Prophet trusted with his knowledge of the Islamic Law and made him the door of guidance to the Muslims.
The Muslims may walk on that road only if they have a positive attitude towards the man whom the Holy Prophet trusted with his knowledge.
What took place in the history testifies to that.
In spite of all these statements by the Prophet concerning Alī the nation did not take from the teaching of the Imam Alī but a little compared to what they took from the companions who were not comparable to the Imam in knowledge.
However there are other statements which are more indicative of the appointment of the Imam Alī by the Holy Prophet for the leadership of the nation:
Some of these statements took place before the Hijrah and some of them took place after the Hijrah. Most of them took the shape of general declarations directed to groups of people.
1. Al-Hakim Al-Mustadrak part 3 p. 127. Ibn Jarir reported the hadith and considered it authentic (conveyed by Al-Muttaqi Al-Hindi Kanz al-Ummal part 15 p. 13 hadith no.348-379.
- 1. Al-Hakim Al-Mustadrak part 3 p. 127. Ibn Jarir reported the hadith and considered it authentic (conveyed by Al-Muttaqi Al-Hindi Kanz al-Ummal part 15 p. 13 hadith no.348-379.
- 2. Al-Hakim Al-Mustadrak part 3 p. 124.
- 3. Al-Hakim Al-Mustadrak part 3 p. 122.
- 4. Al-Tirmidhi his authentic Sunan part 5 p. 297.
- 5. Abu Nu’aym Hilyat Al-awliyā part 1 p. 65
- 6. Imam Ahmad Al-Musnad part 5 p. 26.
- 7. Al-Hakim Al-Mustadrak part 3 p. 499.