Musa ibn Qays (1), from Salama, who said: "’Ali gave away his ring in charity while he was bowing, so the verse was revealed, ‘Indeed, your ally is Allah, His Messenger, and the believers—those who establish prayer and give zakah while bowing’ (al-Ma’idah 55).”

This report is not sound in any respect, for all its isnads are weak, and no verse of the Quran was revealed about ’Ali alone. Everything they cite in connection with verses such as
• ‘You are but a warner, and for every people there is a guide’ (al-Ra’d 7),
• ‘They give food, in spite of loving it, to the needy, the orphan, and the captive’ (al-Insan 8),
• ‘Have you made the watering of the pilgrims and the maintenance of the Sacred Mosque equal to the one who believes in Allah and the Last Day…’ (al-Tawbah 19),
and the like—together with the aḥadith that these verses were revealed concerning ’Ali—none of it is authentic.

As for His saying, ‘These two adversaries disputed about their Lord’ (al-Hajj 19), it is established in the sound collections (2) that it was revealed (3) about ’Ali, Hamzah, and ’Ubaydah among the believers, and about ’Utbah, Shaybah, and al-Walid ibn ’Utbah among the disbelievers.

The report attributed to Ibn ’Abbas that he said, “No one had as many verses revealed about him as were revealed about ’Ali,” and another version in which he allegedly said, “Three hundred verses were revealed about him,”—neither statement (4) is authentic. Nor is there any basis for what they claim he said: “Every verse beginning with ‘O you who believe’ was revealed with ’Ali ibn Abi Talib at its forefront” (5); all of this is nothing but the exaggerated claims of the Rawafid.

[Another ḥadith]
Abu Sa’id ibn al-A‘rabi said: Muhammad ibn Zakariyya al-Ghallabi narrated to us; al-’Abbas ibn Bakkar Abu al-Walid narrated to us; ’Abd Allah ibn al-Muthanna al-Ansari narrated to us, from his uncle Thumamah ibn ’Abd Allah ibn Anas, from Anas, who said:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was sitting in the mosque with his Companions gathered around him when ’Ali arrived, offered greetings of peace, then remained standing, looking (6) for a place to sit. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ looked at him and at the faces of his Companions, to see who would make room for him. Abu Bakr was seated to the right of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, so Abu Bakr shifted from his seat and said, “Over here, O Abu al-Hasan.” ’Ali then sat between the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and Abu Bakr, and we saw happiness on the face of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He then turned to Abu Bakr and said:

“O Abu Bakr, only the people of merit recognize the merit of the people of merit [those endowed with merit].”

As for the narration reported from ’Ali and Hudhayfah with the wording:

“’Ali is the best of mankind; whoever refuses has disbelieved, and whoever accepts has shown gratitude,”

it is fabricated through both of its chains. May Allah curse the one who forged and invented it (7).