نَزَلَ فِي رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَعَلِيٍّ عَلَيْهِ أَفْضَلُ الصَّلاةِ وَالسَّلامِ خَاصَّةً. وَهُما أَوَّلُ مَنْ صَلّى وَرَكَعَ. وَلَمْ يَتْرُكْ صَلاةَ اللَّيْلِ قَطُّ حَتَّى لَيْلَةَ الْهَريرِ. وَكَـانَ يَوْمـاً فِي حَـرْبِ صِفِّيـنَ مُشْتَغِـلاً بِالْحَـرْبِ وَالقِتـالِ وَكَانَ مَعَ ذَلِكَ بَيْنَ الصَّفَّيْنِ Jihad in the Way of Allah Muslims unanimously believe that the pillars of Islam were strengthened by the sword of ‘Ali.
In this relation, no one preceded him nor did anyone reach his position after him. He was courageous and valorous in the battlefields, Allah’s sword and remover of sorrow from the face of the Holy Prophet (S) in a way he amazed the angels in attacking the atheists.
After the departure of the Holy Prophet (S) from this world, Imam ‘Ali went through trials the most important of which were fighting the breakers of promise (the companions of camel), the deviators (Mu’awiyah and his aides), and apostates (those fighting ‘Ali in Nahrawan), but Imam ‘Ali was victorious and reached the highest position.
Ahmad ibn Hanbal reports: Hasan ibn ‘Ali, following the martyrdom of his father, preached a sermon among people, saying: O people, yesterday, a man departed from among you who had no peer in knowledge in the past nor will have in the future, for he was the foremost.