It is said that one of the brothers gifted a slip containing a will indicating that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Imam Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) the following: [O

The questioner : It is said that one of the brothers gifted me a slip containing a will indicating that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Imam Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) the following: Ali said, "How is that, O Messenger of Allah?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: أما تعلم أنك إذا قرأت قل هو الله أحد فقد قرأت القرأن كله وإذا قرأت الفاتحة أربع مرات فقد تصدّقت بأربعة ألاف درهم وإذا قلت لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له له الملك وله الحمد يحيي ويميت وهو على كل شيء قدير عشر مرات فقد زرت الكعبة وإذا قلت لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله العلي العظيم عشر مرات حفظت مكانك في الجنة وإذا قلت أستغفر الله العظيم الذي لا إله إلا هو الحي القيوم وأتوب إليه عشر مرات فقد أرضيت الخصوم Do you not know that if you recite "Say: He is Allah, the One," you have recited the entire Qur'an? If you recite al-Fatihah four times, you have given charity of four thousand dirhams? If you say "There is no god but Allah, alone, without partner, to Him belongs dominion and to Him belongs praise, He gives life and He causes death, and He is over all things competent" ten times, you have visited the Ka'bah? If you say "There is no power and no strength except with Allah, the Most High, the Great" ten times, you have preserved your place in Paradise? And if you say "I seek forgiveness from Allah, the Great, who has no god but He, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer, and I repent to Him" ten times, you have satisfied your adversaries. The question is: what is the authenticity of these statements? What I know is that Surat al-Ikhlas is equivalent to one-third of the Qur'an. What is your opinion on this?

The Shaykh : This hadith, which states that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) bequeathed these wills to Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), is a lie, a fabrication attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). It is not authentic to attribute it to the Messenger (may peace and blessings be upon him), and it is not permissible to transmit it from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), because whoever narrates a hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he knows to be a lie is one of the liars, and whoever deliberately lies about the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) should take his place in the Fire, unless he mentions it to clarify that it is fabricated and to warn people against it, in which case he is rewarded for it. The important point is that this hadith is a lie about the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and about Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him). Here is a point the questioner expressed, which is his saying: "Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib". There is no doubt that Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) is an imam among the imams, just like the other Rightly Guided Caliphs. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) is an imam, 'Umar is an imam, Uthman is an imam, and Ali is an imam, because they are from the Rightly Guided Caliphs, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: This description applies to Abu Bakr, 'Umar, Uthman, and Ali (may Allah be pleased with them all). Therefore, the title of "imam" is not exclusive to Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), but is a description for everyone who is followed as a model. This is why the leader of the congregational prayer is called an imam, and the one who takes charge of the affairs of the Muslims is called an imam, because he is a place of guidance to be followed. However, some people may intend by the word "imam" that he is infallible from error, and this is a mistake on their part. That is because no one among creation is infallible except those whom Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has made infallible. The awliya (close friends of Allah), like others, make mistakes and repent to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) for their mistakes, for every son of Adam is a sinner, and the best of sinners are those who repent. Yes.

The questioner : May Allah bless you.

The questioner : This is a message from the questioner, Sabbar Saleh Ahmad, from Iraq, Salah al-Din Governorate.