And ‘Alī is of far greater standing than that the jinn should stand their ground to fight him. No human fought the jinn; rather, the believing [jinn] (1) fought the unbelieving jinn.
Among the scholars was Abū al-Baqā’ Khālid ibn Yūsuf al-Nābulsī—may Allah have mercy on him. Some Shia asked him about ‘Alī (2) fighting the jinn. He said: “You Shia have no sense! Which is superior in your view: ‘Umar or ‘Alī?” They replied: “‘Alī, of course.” He said: “If the majority narrate that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said to ‘Umar, ‘Whenever Satan sees you taking a path, he takes a path other than yours’ (3), then if Satan flees from ‘Umar, how would he fight ‘Alī?!”
Moreover, many followers of Abū Bakr, ‘Umar, and ‘Uthmān have repelled and destroyed jinn and devils. The accounts of this would take too long to relate.
Ibn al-Jawzī narrated in his book al-Mawdū‘āt (Fabricated Reports) a lengthy hadith about ‘Alī fighting the jinn, stating that he was on pilgrimage in the year of al-Hudaybiyyah and fought them at the well of Dhāt al-Alam. He transmitted it through Abū Bakr Muhammad ibn Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Sāmirī, who said: ‘Abd Allāh ibn Ahmad al-Sakūnī narrated to us; Imārah ibn Yazīd narrated to us; Ibrāhīm ibn Sa‘d narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Ishāq, who said: Yahyā ibn ‘Ubayd Allāh ibn al-Hārith narrated to me, from his father, from Ibn ‘Abbās, who said:
“When the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—set out for Mecca at the time of al-Hudaybiyyah, the people suffered severe thirst and intense heat, so he halted