Response to a Nasibi anti-Shia article:
“Ali said: I am only a good deed from the good deeds of Abu Bakr.”
Article being refuted:
https://www.twelvershia.net/2014/01/28/ali-ra-im-only-a-part-of-the-goodness-of-abu-bakr/
They quote this narration from Fada’il Abi Bakr by al-Ushari:
قال علي بن أبي طالب رضي الله عنه:
وهل أنا إلا حسنة من حسنات أبي بكر
Translation:
Ali ibn Abi Talib allegedly said:
“What am I except one of the good deeds of Abu Bakr?”
Then they try to sell this as proof that Imam Ali accepted Abu Bakr’s superiority.
This is a typical Nasibi-style trick:
Take one isolated report from a later faza’il book, hide the weakness in the chain, ignore stronger Sunni narrations about Ali, and then claim victory.
Let us check it properly.
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1. First problem: this is not a Shia narration
This report is not from al-Kafi.
It is not from al-Saduq.
It is not from al-Tusi.
It is not from any Shia hadith authority.
It is from a Sunni faza’il collection about Abu Bakr.
So why should a Shia accept it as binding proof?
If they want to use it against Shia, they must first prove it with a clean and undisputed Sunni chain.
They cannot throw their own polemical report at Shia and say: “This destroys your belief.”
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2. Second problem: the sanad is not clean
The chain contains:
علي بن سعيد الرازي
Ali ibn Sa’id al-Razi.
The article presents him as simply “thiqah.”
That is not honest.
Ibn Hajar records in Lisan al-Mizan:
قال الدارقطني: ليس بذاك، تفرد بأشياء
Translation:
al-Daraqutni said:
“He is not that strong; he narrated solitary/strange things.”
Ibn Yunus also said:
تكلموا فيه
Translation:
“They spoke against him.”
And in another report from al-Daraqutni:
قال: قد حدث بأحاديث لم يتابع عليها ... ونفض بيده يقول: ليس بثقة
Translation:
“He narrated reports in which he was not followed… then al-Daraqutni shook his hand, saying: He is not trustworthy.”
Reference:
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Lisan al-Mizan, entry of Ali ibn Sa’id ibn Bashir al-Razi.
So do not tell people “the chain is all thiqah” while hiding al-Daraqutni’s criticism.
This is not research.
This is polemics.
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3. Third problem: the source is a faza’il collection, not Sahih al-Bukhari
The narration is not in Sahih al-Bukhari.
It is not in Sahih Muslim.
It is not a mutawatir report.
It is not a Qur’anic nass.
It is an isolated report in a later virtues collection, with a problematic narrator.
So using it to prove Abu Bakr’s superiority over Ali is laughable.
At best, it is a disputed praise report.
At worst, it is rejected propaganda.
Either way, it is not hujjah against Shia.
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4. Even if accepted, it does not prove superiority or khilafah
Let us suppose, for argument’s sake, that Ali said:
وهل أنا إلا حسنة من حسنات أبي بكر
“What am I except one of the good deeds of Abu Bakr?”
Even then, this only shows humility or praise.
It does not prove:
Abu Bakr was divinely appointed.
Abu Bakr was superior to Ali.
Saqifah was correct.
Ghadir is cancelled.
Hadith al-Thaqalayn is cancelled.
Hadith al-Manzilah is cancelled.
Fatimah’s anger in Bukhari and Muslim is cancelled.
Praise is not nass.
Adab is not imamah.
A disputed compliment is not a proof of khilafah.
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5. Now compare this weak report with strong Sunni narrations about Ali
If isolated virtues prove superiority, then the Sunni books have much stronger reports for Imam Ali.
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Ali was sent to announce Surah Bara’ah instead of Abu Bakr
Arabic:
عَلِيٌّ مِنِّي وَأَنَا مِنْ عَلِيٍّ، وَلَا يُؤَدِّي عَنِّي إِلَّا أَنَا أَوْ عَلِيٌّ
English:
“Ali is from me and I am from Ali, and no one should represent/convey on my behalf except myself or Ali.”
Reference:
Jami’ al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3719.
Tirmidhi said:
هذا حديث حسن غريب صحيح
“This hadith is hasan, gharib, sahih.”
Point:
Abu Bakr was first sent for the announcement of Bara’ah, then Ali was sent, and the Prophet said that no one represents him except himself or Ali.
So if they want to play the superiority game, this report is far stronger than their isolated faza’il narration.
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Ali is the wali of every believer after the Prophet
Arabic:
مَا تُرِيدُونَ مِنْ عَلِيٍّ؟ مَا تُرِيدُونَ مِنْ عَلِيٍّ؟ مَا تُرِيدُونَ مِنْ عَلِيٍّ؟ إِنَّ عَلِيًّا مِنِّي وَأَنَا مِنْهُ، وَهُوَ وَلِيُّ كُلِّ مُؤْمِنٍ مِنْ بَعْدِي
English:
“What do you want from Ali? What do you want from Ali? What do you want from Ali? Indeed Ali is from me and I am from him, and he is the wali of every believer after me.”
Reference:
Jami’ al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3712.
Point:
The Prophet became visibly angry at those complaining against Ali and then declared Ali to be the wali of every believer after him.
This is not “Ali is a good deed of Abu Bakr.”
This is the Prophet himself defending Ali.
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The banner of Khaybar was given to Ali
Arabic:
لَأُعْطِيَنَّ الرَّايَةَ غَدًا رَجُلًا يُفْتَحُ عَلَى يَدَيْهِ، يُحِبُّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ، وَيُحِبُّهُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
English:
“Tomorrow I will give the banner to a man through whose hands victory will be granted. He loves Allah and His Messenger, and Allah and His Messenger love him.”
Then the Prophet gave the banner to Ali.
Reference:
Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3009.
Point:
Everyone hoped to receive that banner, but the Prophet gave it to Ali and declared that Allah and His Messenger love him.
This is in Sahih al-Bukhari.
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Ali is to the Prophet like Harun was to Musa
Arabic:
أَنْتَ مِنِّي بِمَنْزِلَةِ هَارُونَ مِنْ مُوسَى، إِلَّا أَنَّهُ لَا نَبِيَّ بَعْدِي
English:
“You are to me in the position of Harun to Musa, except that there is no Prophet after me.”
Reference:
Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 4416.
Also recorded in Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2404.
Point:
Harun was Musa’s brother, helper, deputy and successor over his people when Musa left.
The Prophet gave this rank to Ali, excluding only prophethood.
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Love of Ali is faith, hatred of Ali is hypocrisy
Arabic:
وَالَّذِي فَلَقَ الْحَبَّةَ وَبَرَأَ النَّسَمَةَ، إِنَّهُ لَعَهْدُ النَّبِيِّ الأُمِّيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِلَيَّ أَنْ لَا يُحِبَّنِي إِلَّا مُؤْمِنٌ، وَلَا يُبْغِضَنِي إِلَّا مُنَافِقٌ
English:
“By the One who split the seed and created the soul, it is the promise of the unlettered Prophet ﷺ to me that none loves me except a believer, and none hates me except a hypocrite.”
Reference:
Sahih Muslim, Hadith 78.
Point:
Sunni Sahih source itself makes love and hatred of Ali a test of iman and hypocrisy.
So those who spend their lives lowering Ali and raising weak reports against his rank should fear this hadith.
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Final response to the article
This Nasibi-style article is built on a weak foundation.
The narration:
وهل أنا إلا حسنة من حسنات أبي بكر
is not a Shia narration.
It is not in Bukhari.
It is not in Muslim.
It is not mutawatir.
It has a problematic narrator: Ali ibn Sa’id al-Razi.
al-Daraqutni said about him:
ليس بذاك، تفرد بأشياء
“He is not that strong; he narrated strange solitary reports.”
And in another criticism:
ليس بثقة
“He is not trustworthy.”
So stop pretending this is a clean proof.
And even if the wording were accepted, it would only show praise or humility.
It does not prove superiority.
It does not prove khilafah.
It does not cancel the Prophet’s statements about Ali.
The stronger Sunni reports say:
Ali represents the Prophet.
Ali is from the Prophet and the Prophet is from Ali.
Ali is the wali of every believer after the Prophet.
Ali received the banner of Khaybar.
Ali is to the Prophet like Harun was to Musa.
Love of Ali is faith and hatred of Ali is hypocrisy.
So the conclusion is simple:
A disputed faza’il report from a later Abu Bakr virtues book cannot be used to defeat the established virtues of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib.
Weak polemics do not erase strong hadith.
Akhlaq-based praise does not cancel imamah.
And Nasibi-style cherry-picking is not scholarship.
Did Imam Ali Call Himself a Good Deed of Abu Bakr?
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