Hadith 19

m Muawiya Bin Abu Sufyan to Ali-asws Bin Abu Talib-asws. Your-asws letter ended up to me and you-asws have frequented in it the mention of Ibrahim-as, and Ismail-as, and Adam-as, and Noah-as, and the (other) Prophets-as, and mentioned Muhammad-saww and your-asws kinship from him-saww, and your-asws right, and you-asws were not pleased with your-asws kinship from Muhammad-saww until you-asws attributed to the entirety of the Prophets-as. Indeed! And rather, Muhammad-saww was a Rasool from the Messengers to the people, all of them. He-saww delivered the Message of his-saww Lord-azwj, not possessing anything other than it. Indeed! And Allah-azwj Mentioned a people asserting a link between Him and the Jinn, [37: 158], and I fear upon you-asws that you would conflict with them. Indeed! And Allah-azwj Revealed in His-azwj Book that He-azwj and He did not Take a son, and there is no associate for Him in the Kingdom, [25: 2], nor any guardian from the humiliation. Inform us, what is the merit of your-asws kinship, and what is the merit of your-asws rights, and where can you find your-asws name in the Book of Allah-azwj, and your-asws kingdom, and your-asws Imamate, and your-asws merits? Indeed! And rather, we are guided by the ones who were before us, from the leaders and the caliphs, from those we were led. I was like the one who had chosen and was pleased, and the killers of our caliph, commander of the faithful Usman Bin Affan aren’t from us. And Allah-azwj Said: and one who is killed unjustly, so We have Made an authority to be for his guardian, [17: 33]. So, we are foremost with Usman and his offspring, and you-asws had taken him (as caliph) upon an agreement from yourselves, making him a caliph, and listened to him and obeyed’. Ali-asws answered him: ‘As for that which you are faulting me-asws with from my-asws letter, O Muawiya, and frequency of the mention of my-asws forefathers Ibrahim-as, and Ismail-as and the (other) Prophets-as, surely the one who loves his forefathers would mention them frequently. Their-as mention is love of Allah-azwj and His-azwj Rasool-saww. And I-asws am faulting you with hating them-as, for hating them-asws is hating Allah-azwj and His-azwj Rasool-saww. And I-asws am faulting you with loving your forefathers and mentioning them frequently, for loving them is Kufr. And as for that which you are denying of my-asws lineage being from Ibrahim-as, and Ismail-as, and my-asws kinship from Muhammad-saww, and my-asws merits, and my-asws rights, and my-asws kingship, and my-asws Imamate, so you have not ceased to be a denier of that, not believing in it with your heart. Indeed! And we-asws, People-asws of the Household are like that. Neither will any Kafir loves us-asws nor will any Momin hate us-asws. And that which you are denying from the Words of Allah-azwj Mighty and Majestic: So We have Given the Progeny of Ibrahim, the Book and the Wisdom, and have Given them a grand kingdom [4: 54]. You are denying that it happens to be regarding us-asws. Allah-azwj has Said: The Prophet is foremost with the Momineen than their own selves, and his wives are their mothers; and the possessors of the womb relationships, some of them are higher than the others in the Book of Allah, [33: 6], and we-asws are foremost with it. And that which you are denying from the Imamate of Muhammad-saww and are claiming that he-saww was a Rasool-saww and did not happen to be an Imam, then surely your denial is upon the entirety of the Prophets-as being Imams. But, we-asws testify that he-saww was a Rasool-saww, a Prophet-saww, an Imam-saww, and your tongue evidences of what is in your heart. And Allah-azwj the Exalted Said: Or do they in whose hearts is a disease, reckon that Allah will never Bring forth their grudges