When a beggar asked him for alms in the masjid and ‘Ali was...

When a beggar asked him for alms in the masjid and ‘Ali was in the position of ruku during the prayers, he gave away his ring while in that position. It seems it was loose on the little finger, for he did not exert any effort in taking it off, which would have nullified his prayer.

If you ask how it could be in favor of ‘Ali since the wording is in the plural form, I would say that the form is plural although its instigator is a single man to encourage people to follow his example and earn a similar reward; and also to draw attention to the fact that the believers must be extremely mindful and benevolent towards the poor such that if a situation can not be postponed until after the prayer, then it should not be delayed until having finished it.”[^7] Similarly, al-Wahidi in his book on the commentary of the Qur’an entitled, Asbab al-Nuzul , cites Kalbi’s narration, that the cause of this revelation was Imam ‘Ali.

Kalbi says, “The later part of this verse is in favor of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be gracious to him) because he gave his ring to a beggar while in the state of ruku during the prayers.”[^8] Many other commentaries also hold that this verse refers to Imam ‘Ali including: Sunan al-Nisa΄i , Tafsir al-Kabir by Tha ΄ alibi*,* Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal ,[^9] Musnad ibn Marduwayh , and Kanz al-‘Ummal .[^10] The Verse of Guardianship O you who believe!

Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those vested with authority over you (’Ul ul-’amr minkum). And if you quarrel about something, then refer it to Allah and the Messenger. [^11] By the explanation from the , this verse is also one of the Qur’anic references to the leadership of Imam ‘Ali after the Prophet, and it necessitates the obedience of the faithful to Allah, the Prophet, and those vested with authority over them.

When this verse was revealed to the Prophet, one of his great companions, Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah al-Ansari asked: O Prophet of Allah! We know Allah and His Messenger, but who are ‘those vested with authority over you’ ( ’Ul ul-’amr ) whose obedience Allah considers equal to that of Allah and the Prophet? The Prophet replied that those are my successors and the leaders of the Muslims after me.

The first of them is ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, then al-Hassan and al-Husayn, then ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn, then Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, who is known as al-Baqir.