Consider his statement...

Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, to ‘Ali: "Welcome, chief of the Muslims, Imam of the pious!" It is included by Abu Na’im in Hilyat al-Awliya' .[^4] Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "The first to enter through this door is the Imam of the pious, the chief of Muslims, the head of the religion, the seal of the wasis , and the leader of those whose foreheads radiate with the mark of faith," whereupon ‘Ali entered and he, peace be upon him and his progeny, stood up happily excited, hugged him and wiped his sweat saying: "You shall fulfill my covenant, convey my message, and after me clarify whatever seems to be ambiguous."[^5] Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "Allah has promised me that ‘Ali is the standard of guidance, the Imam of whoever accepts my wilayat , the light for whoever obeys me, and the word which I have mandanted unto the pious."[^6] As you see, these six ahadith contain obvious texts regarding his imamate and the obligation to obey him, peace be upon him.

Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, pointing to ‘Ali, "This is the first to have believed in me, the first to shake hands with me on the Day of Resurrection; he is the foremost friend, and he is the faruq of this nation who distinguishes between right and wrong; he is the chief of the believers."[^7] Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "O you group of the Ansars! Shall I lead you to that which, as long as you adhere to it, you shall never go astray?

It is ‘Ali; love him as you love me, and respect him as you respect me, for Gabriel has commanded me to say so to you on behalf of Allah, the Almighty, the Omniscient."[^8] Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "I am the city of knowledge, and ‘Ali is its gate; whoever aspires to attain knowledge, let him approach through the gate."[^9] Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "I am the house of wisdom and ‘Ali is its gate."[^10] Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, "‘Ali is the gateway of my knowledge, the one who is to explain to my nation after me what I have been sent with; loving him is a mark of genuine faith, and hating him is hypocrisy."[^11] Consider his statement, peace be upon him and his progeny, to ‘Ali: "You shall clarify to my nation all matters wherein they differ." This is recorded by al-Hakim on page 122, Vol.