The first tradition was mentioned by Muslim in his Sahih...

The first tradition was mentioned by Muslim in his Sahih, the book of Virtues, chapter of The Virtues of Ali ibn Abi Talib. The Prophet (S) said: O people, I am but a human being. The messenger of my Lord (Death) is about to come and I shall respond. I am leaving among you two weighty things - the first of them is the Book of Allah in which there is guidance and light. So follow the Book of Allah and keep to it. The second is my Household.

I remind you to obey Allah by being dutiful to my progeny, I remind you to obey Allah through my progeny, I remind you to obey Allah through my progeny . The second tradition was mentioned by Muslim in the same book narrated by Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas from his father, that the Messenger of Allah (S) had said to Ali: You are to me as Aaron was to Moses, except that there shall be no prophet after me.

[^4] For brevity, these two traditions are enough to prove that Imam Ali (a.s.) was the chief of the Prophet’s progeny and was the natural continuity to the (S). Did the Messenger of Allah (S) not say: I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate?

Surely, this saying alone is enough to show that the whole of nation cannot enter this city of Muhammad’s knowledge except when entering through the gate of Ali (a.s.), because Allah the Almighty has ordered His people to enter houses through their doors. Here, we must point out that Imam Ali (a.s.) had acquired his knowledge from the Prophet (S) who had brought him up since childhood. He accompanied the Prophet (S) all through his life.

The Prophet (S) taught Imam Ali (a.s.) the knowledge of the past and the future where he said: Gabriel did not pour anything into my chest except that which I poured it into the chest of Ali. Imam Ali (a.s.) said about that: If the rug was folded to me (to sit on), [^5] I would judge among the people of the Torah according to their Torah, among the people of the Gospel according to their Gospel and the people of the Qur'an according to their Qur'an .

He often said: Ask me before you shall miss me. All the companions and all Muslims throughout history witness that Imam Ali (a.s.) was the most knowledgeable of all people in the affairs of religion and the world, and that he was the most pious, most abstinent, most patient with calamities, the bravest in wars and the most forgiving. For better understanding, we have to read what Imam Ali (a.s.) said about the relation between the Prophet (S) and his progeny.