Did the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) bequeath the caliphate to 'Ali?

One of the readers asks, saying:
What is the ruling regarding a group that claims the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) bequeathed the caliphate to 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), and says that the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) conspired against him?

Answer: This claim is not known from any of the sects of the Muslims except the Shi'ah, and it is a false statement with no basis in the authentic hadiths from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Rather, the abundant evidence indicates that the caliph after him was Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) and the rest of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). However, he (peace and blessings be upon him) did not state this explicitly, nor did he bequeath it with a definitive will. But he commanded what indicates this, where he ordered him to lead the people in prayer during his illness. When the matter of the caliphate after him was mentioned to him, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: For this reason, the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) pledged allegiance to him after the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), including 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), and they agreed that Abu Bakr was the best of them.
It is established in the hadith of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) used to say: "In the lifetime of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the best of this Ummah after its Prophet is Abu Bakr, then 'Umar, then 'Uthman," and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would approve of them for saying this. The reports (athar) from 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) are numerous that he used to say: , and he used to say (may Allah be pleased with him): "I will not be brought anyone who prefers them over me except that I will flog him with the punishment of the slanderer." He never claimed for himself that he was the best of the Ummah, nor that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) bequeathed the caliphate to him. He did not say that the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) wronged him and took his right. When Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) passed away, al-Siddiq pledged allegiance a second time to confirm the first pledge and to show the people that he was with the group and that he held no grudge against the pledge of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with them) all together.
When 'Umar was stabbed and he made the matter a consultation (shura) among six of the ten promised Paradise, including 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), he did not deny 'Umar's action, neither in his lifetime nor after his death. He did not say that he was more deserving than all of them. So how is it permissible for anyone to lie about the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and say that he bequeathed the caliphate to 'Ali? 'Ali himself did not claim that, nor did any of the Companions claim it for him. Rather, they agreed on the validity of the caliphates of Abu Bakr, 'Umar, and 'Uthman, and 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) acknowledged this and cooperated with them all in jihad, consultation, and other matters.
Then the Muslims after the Companions agreed on what the Companions agreed upon. So it is not permissible for anyone, nor for any sect, whether the Shi'ah or others, to claim that 'Ali is the bequeathed one and that the caliphate before him was invalid. Nor is it permissible for anyone to say that the Companions wronged 'Ali and took his right. Rather, this is among the most false of falsehoods and is a bad opinion of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), including 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him and with them all).
Allah has purified this Muhammadan Ummah and preserved it from agreeing upon misguidance. It is authentic from him (peace and blessings be upon him) in many hadiths that he said: It is impossible for the Ummah to agree upon falsehood in its noblest centuries, which is the caliphate of Abu Bakr, 'Umar, and 'Uthman. No one who believes in Allah and the Last Day says this, nor does anyone with the slightest insight into the ruling of Islam say it. Allah is the Helper. There is no power and no strength except in Allah the Mighty.
The Imam, the scholar, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, has elaborated on this issue in his book (Minhaj al-Sunnah). Whoever wants that should refer to it. It is a great book worthy of attention, review, and benefit. And Allah is the One who grants success. May Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his Companions.