“Ja‘far ibn Sulayman was among the reliable and meticulous narrators of reports, except that he professed an inclination toward the Prophet’s household. Yet he was not one who called others to his doctrine. There is no disagreement among our hadith authorities that it is permissible to cite the reports of a truthful, precise narrator who holds a blameworthy innovation but does not call others to it.”

Moreover, the hadith has come through separate routes that contain no Shiite narrator. As for the statement, “Ali is from me, and I am from him,” it is established in Sahih al-Bukhari (2699), in the hadith of al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib concerning the dispute between Ali, Zayd, and Ja‘far over Hamzah’s daughter. The Prophet ﷺ said to Ali, may Allah be pleased with him: “You are from me, and I am from you.” It was also narrated from Hubshi ibn Junadah, and its sources were previously cited under Hadith 1980.

As for the statement, “He is the ally of every believer after me,” it was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas. Al-Tayalisi (2752) said: Abu ‘Awanah narrated to us from Abu Balj, from ‘Amr ibn Maymun, from him, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to Ali: “You are the ally of every believer after me.” Ahmad (1/330–331) also narrated it, and al-Hakim (3/132–133) narrated it through Ahmad’s route and said: “Its chain of transmission is authentic.” Al-Dhahabi agreed with him, and it is as they said.

It has the same meaning as the Prophet’s ﷺ statement: “Whoever counts me as his ally, Ali is likewise his ally…” It has been authenticated through several chains, as was explained previously in Volume Four, no. 1750. It is truly astonishing that Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah should have the audacity to deny this hadith