Ask an Alim

Salamun Alaykum

Thank you for your query.

There are some of the Ahadith which have those words. One of them is as follows:

فَقَالَ أَنَا الَّذِي عَلَوْتُ فَقَهَرْتُ أَنَا الَّذِي أُحْيِي وَ أُمِيتُ أَنَا الْأَوَّلُ وَ الْآخِرُ وَ الظَّاهِرُ وَ الْباطِنُ‏

فَغَضِبُوا وَ قَالُوا كَفَرَ وَ قَامُوا فَقَالَ عَلِيٌّ ص لِلْبَابِ يَا- بَابُ اسْتَمْسِكْ عَلَيْهِمْ فَاسْتَمْسَكَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْبَابُ فَقَالَ أَ لَمْ أَقُلْ لَكُمْ إِنَّ كَلَامِي صَعْبٌ مُسْتَصْعَبٌ لَا يَعْقِلُهُ إِلَّا الْعَالِمُونَ تَعَالَوْا أُفَسِّرْ لَكُمْ أَمَّا قَوْلِي أَنَا الَّذِي عَلَوْتُ فَقَهَرْتُ فَأَنَا الَّذِي عَلَوْتُكُمْ بِهَذَا السَّيْفِ فَقَهَرْتُكُمْ حَتَّى آمَنْتُمْ بِاللَّهِ وَ رَسُولِهِ وَ أَمَّا قَوْلِي أَنَا أُحْيِي وَ أُمِيتُ فَأَنَا أُحْيِي السُّنَّةَ وَ أُمِيتُ الْبِدْعَةَ وَ أَمَّا قَوْلِي أَنَا الْأَوَّلُ فَأَنَا أَوَّلُ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَ أَسْلَمَ وَ أَمَّا قَوْلِي أَنَا الْآخِرُ فَأَنَا آخِرُ مَنْ سَجَّى عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ثَوْبَهُ وَ دَفَنَهُ وَ أَمَّا قَوْلِي أَنَا الظَّاهِرُ وَ الْبَاطِنُ فَأَنَا عِنْدِي عِلْمُ الظَّاهِرِ وَ الْبَاطِنِ قَالُوا فَرَّجْتَ عَنَّا فَرَّجَ اللَّهُ عَنْك‏

“I am the first [means] I am the first to believe in the Messenger of God(s.a.w.w). I am the last [means] I am the last person who looked at his face when the Prophet(s.a.w.w) was buried. I revealed my appearance [means] Islam. I am inward [meaning] full of knowledge. I know everything, that is, I know everything that God has revealed to His Messenger and he has told me….”

This Riwayat had come in the book Ikhtisas(vol1, pg162) by Shaikh Mufid.

One of those Ahadith, according to the Sanad, it is declared as Mursal(name of the Rawi is not mentioned in the chain of narrators till Imam). Therefore, according to the Sanad this hadith is known to be Za’eef(ضعیف) which means weak and unacceptable.

But regarding the content, the hadith is kept with the verses of Holy Qur’an and other Ahadith and then decided if the meaning could be correct according to the our Ideology and faith. So, according to the content it is understandable as the above translation is the explanation given by Imam Ali(a.s) himself about “I am the first and the last”. We don’t understand the explanation as Imam Ali(a.s) to be the first just like Allah(swt) is First and Last, if we understand with that concept, then it is considered wrong. If people want to prove Ghuluww and claim Imam Ali(a.s) as God from this particular hadith, that is totally against our ideology and considered as Shirk.

The wordings “I am the first and the last” has also come in the book Biharul Anwar, vol39, pg 348.

Not to forget, if people accept the hadith to be correct, they understand with the understanding mentioned above and not taking Allah(swt) and Imam Ali(as) both independent. It is only Allah(swt) who is independent and the Imams beside been given the authorities and chosen as the best, are dependent on the Almighty Allah(swt).

May Allah(swt) grant you success

Wassalam,

Syed Haider