for it is free from blame.’ The Prophet—peace and blessings of Allah be upon him—then said, ‘If you did well, then so did so-and-so, so-and-so, and so-and-so.’” He named a number of the Companions (1).
Alī was not uniquely distinguished above his peers in supporting the Prophet—peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Nor is any occasion known on which the Prophet—peace and blessings of Allah be upon him—needed Alī’s assistance alone, whether through action or speech. Nor did people believe in the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings of Allah be upon him—and obey him on Alī’s account—because Alī had called them or for any other special reason—as was the case with Aaron in relation to Moses. The Children of Israel dearly loved Aaron but stood in awe of Moses, and Aaron would seek to win them over.
Yet the Rāfidah claim that the people hated Alī and that, because of their hatred for him, they did not pledge allegiance to him. How, then, can it be said that the Prophet—peace and blessings of Allah be upon him—needed him as Moses needed Aaron?
Indeed, six—or five—of the Ten accepted Islam through Abū Bakr al-Siddīq: Uthmān, Talhah, al-Zubayr, Sa'd (2), Abd al-Rahmān ibn Awf, and Abū Ubaydah. It is not known that any of the earliest forerunners among the Emigrants and Helpers accepted Islam through Alī, Uthmān, or others of their standing.
Musab ibn Umayr was the man whom the Prophet—peace and blessings of Allah be upon him—sent to Medina after the Ansār pledged allegiance to the Prophet on the night of al-Aqabah. The leaders of the Ansār accepted Islam through him, including Sa'd ibn Muādh, at whose death the Throne of the Most Merciful shook (3), Usayd ibn Hudayr, and others.