that such a person is superior to any of the Companions, let alone the caliphs.

He provided no chain of transmission for any of these accounts he related about ‘Alī. (1 Some are known to be authentic 1) (1), some are known to be false, and others cannot be determined to be true or false.

The report he mentioned about the ruler of the Turks is falsely attributed to ‘Alī, for that ruler did not hand over the fruits of his victory to a man from the Prophet’s family. This is among the fabrications of their later writers (2).

The books attributed to ‘Alī or other members of the Prophet’s household that purport to foretell future events are all fabrications, such as “al-Jafr,” “al-Bitāqa” (The Card), and others (3).

Likewise false is the claim attributed to him that he had [in his possession] (4) knowledge from the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—which he had imparted exclusively to him, rather than to the other Companions.

In Sahīh al-Bukhārī, Abū Hudhayfa relates:

I asked ‘Alī, “Do you have any revelation that is not in the Quran?”

He replied, “No, by Him who splits the seed and creates the soul, except an understanding of the Quran that Allah grants a man, and what is in this document.”

I asked, “What is in this document?”

He replied, “Blood money, the release of captives, and that a Muslim is not to be killed in retaliation for a disbeliever (5).”

Likewise, all reports claiming that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—singled out any Companion other than ‘Alī for some hidden religious knowledge are false.