I heard the Prophet say...

I heard the Prophet say: `O God, do not take my life before you let me see 'Ali again’.[^14] Occasionally, it happened that when offered a meal, the Prophet could not bear eating it alone; nor was he satisfied with praying to God that `Ali may join him, but that this be made an opportunity for demonstrating the station and rank of `Ali. It is recorded about Anas b.

Malik that he related, “The Prophet had a fowl (in one account a `roasted fowl'[^15]) and uttered: `O God, bring me this your most beloved person, so he may eat this fowl.' And God brought him”, who then ate it with him...”[^16] It is noteworthy that some accounts speak of an attempt , after that appeal, to turn `Ali away upon his arrival…