and from there the rule of the Abbasids began (1), until allegiance was pledged to them (2) by Abū Muslim al-Khurāsānī.” (3)

The response is as follows:

As for reporting certain unseen matters, people of lesser standing than ‘Alī report such things; ‘Alī’s stature is far greater than that. Among the followers of Abū Bakr, ‘Umar, and ‘Uthmān are people who report many times as much, yet they are neither fit to lead the Muslim community nor the best people of their age. Such things occur in our time and in other times.

Hudhayfa ibn al-Yamān, Abū Hurayra, and other Companions used to tell people many times as much. Abū Hurayra attributed these reports to the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—whereas Hudhayfa sometimes attributed them to him and sometimes did not, although they are treated as reports attributed to the Prophet.

What he and others reported may have been something they heard from the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—or something disclosed to him. ‘Umar—may Allah be pleased with him—also reported various matters of this kind.

Books compiled about the miraculous favors granted to Allah’s righteous servants and accounts of their lives—such as Imam Ahmad’s “al-Zuhd” (Asceticism), “Hilyat al-Awliyā’” (The Adornment of Allah’s Righteous Servants), “Safwat al-Safwa” (The Elite of the Elite), and the works entitled “Karāmāt al-Awliyā’” (Miraculous Favors Granted to Allah’s Righteous Servants) by Abū Muhammad al-Khallāl, Ibn Abī al-Dunyā, and al-Lālakā’ī—contain accounts of miraculous favors granted to some followers of Abū Bakr and ‘Umar. These include al-‘Alā’ ibn al-Hadramī, Abū Bakr’s deputy; Abū Muslim al-Khawlānī, one of their followers; Abū al-Sahbā’; ‘Āmir ibn ‘Abd Qays; and others whom ‘Alī surpassed in greatness. Yet none of this indicates