love and friendship for Ali(p.b.u.h) in the words of the prophet p.b.u.h

There are also many traditions from the Prophet concerning love and friendship for `Ali:

1: ~Ibn al-Athir~ narrates that the Prophet spoke to `Ali and said: "O `Ali, God has embellished you with things, no dearer embellishment than which exists before his slaves: resignation from the world has been ;appointed for you in such a way that neither do you profit from the world, nor it from you. On you has been bestowed the love of the wretched; they are proud of your leadership, and you also of their following you. Content is he who loves you, and is a true friend to you. And woe betide he who shows enmity towards you, and lies about you." [Usdu 'l-ghabah, vo1.4, p.23]

2: ~as-Suyuti~ relates that the Prophet said: "Love of `Ali is faith, and enmity towards him is sedition." [Kanzu 'l-`ummal. In as-Suyuti, Jam`u 'l-jawami `, vol.6, p.156]

3: ~Abu Na'im~ narrates that the Prophet addressed the ~Ansar~ and said: "Shall I guide you to something which, if you grasp it after me, you will never go astray?" They said: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah! " He said: "It is 'Ali: love him with the love (you have) for me, and respect him with the respect (you have) for me. For God has ordered me through ~Gabriel~ to tell you this." [Hilyatu 'l-awliya', vol.1, p.63. There are many traditions on this subject, and we have come across more than ninety in authoritative Sunni texts, all of which concerns love for Amir al-mu'minin. There also exist many traditions in Shi'ah texts, and the respected scholar al-Majlisi has gathered them together in vol.39 (of the new edition) of Biharu 'l-anwar in the chapter on love and hatred for Amir al-mu'minin; he related 123 traditions in this chapter.]

The sunnis' traditions concerning friendship for Ali(p.b.u.h), from the prophet's word
The ~Sunnis~ have also narrated traditions from the Prophet in which observing `Ali's face and talking of his virtues is counted as a form of worship.

1: ~Muhibb at-Tabari~ narrates from ~A'ishah~ that she said:

"I saw my father (Abu Bakr) gazing often at 'Ali's face. I said: `O my father! I see you gazing often at 'Ali's face.' He said: `O my daughter! I heard the Prophet say: "Looking at the face of `Ali is worship."' [ar-Riyadu'n-nadirah, vo1.2, p.219; and about another twenty traditions, as far as we are aware, have been related in Sunni texts on this subject.]

2: ~Ibn Hajar~ narrates from `A'ishah that the Prophet said:

"The best of my brothers is `Ali, the best of my paternal uncles is Hamzah, and remembrance of 'Ali and speaking about him is worship." [as-Sawa'iqu 'l-muhriqah, p.74; and five more traditions have been related in Sunni texts on this subject.]

'Ali was the most loved person before God and the Prophet, and thus naturally the best of those who are loved. ~Anas ibn Malik~ says: "Every day, one of the children of the ~Ansar~ would do some task for the Prophet. One day my turn came. Umm Ayman brought a chicken dish before the Prophet and said: `Messenger of Allah! I have caught this chicken myself and cooked it for you.' He said: `O God! Send the best of (Thy) slaves that he may share with me in eating this chicken.' At that very moment someone knocked on the door and the Prophet said to me: `Anas! Open the door.' I said: `May God make it a man of the Ansar!' But I found 'Ali in front of the door, and I said: `The Prophet is busy.' Then I returned to stand in my place. Again there was a knock at the door, and the Prophet said: `Open the door.' Again I prayed that it would be someone from the Ansar. I opened the door and again it was 'Ali. I said: `The Prophet is busy.' Then I returned to stand in my place. Yet again there was a knock at the door, and the Prophet said: `Anas, go and open the door, and bring him in. You are not the first person to love your own people; that is not one of the Ansar.' I went and brought 'Ali in, and he ate the chicken dish with the Prophet." [al-Mustadrak `ala as-Sahihayn, vo1.3, p.131. This story is related in various ways in more than eighty narrations in authoritative Sunni texts.]