the word “the”) before wali in the actual hadith restricts wilayah to him...

the word “the”) before wali in the actual hadith restricts wilayah to him, to the exclusion of all others – based on the testimony of Ibn ‘Abbas, radhiyallahu ‘anhu . As such, the alternative version being proposed by al-Mubarakfuri is blasphemous in its purport as it suggests that the wali was only ‘Ali, and not the Messenger, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi , even though the latter was still alive!

Whatever meaning is given to wali in such a situation, the meaning still constitutes disbelief in Islam. No doubt, al-Mubarakfuri has no viable way out of the quagmire. So, who possibly forged “after me” in the hadith ? Al-Mubarakfuri now reads his charge sheet: قد تفرد بها جعفر بن سليمان وهو شيعي بل هو غال في التشيع…. وظاهر أن قوله بعدي في هذا الحديث مما يقوى به معتقدا الشيعة وقد تقرر في مقره أن المبتدع إذا روى شيئا يقوى به بدعته فهو مردود ….

فإن قلت لم يتفرد بزيادة قوله بعدي جعفر بن سليمان بل تابعه عليها أجلح الكندي …. قلت أجلح الكندي هذا أيضا شيعي …. والظاهر أن زيادة بعدي في هذا الحديث من وهم هذين الشيعيين Ja’far b. Sulayman was the only one to narrate it (i.e. the phrase “after me” in the hadith ) and he was a Shi’i . Rather, he was an extremist in Shi’ism.... An apparent fact is that his statement “after me” in this hadith is PART OF what is used to strengthen the beliefs of the Shi’ah .

It has been repeatedly stated at its place that whenever a heretic narrates anything through which he strengthens his heresy, then such is rejected.... If you say that Ja’far b. Sulayman is not the only one who narrated the phrase “after me” (in the hadith ), and that, rather, Ajlah al-Kindi also narrated it.... I say: Ajlah al-Kindi too was a Shi’i ....

The apparent fact is that the additional phrase “after me” in this hadith is from the hallucinations of these two Shi’is.[^2] Al-Mubarakfuri admits that “after me” is only “part of” the pro-Shi’i elements in the hadith . He fails to elaborate however, and prefers not to touch on the other part at all! It is our submission that this second undisclosed “dangerous” part of Hadith al-Wilayah is none other than its definite article.

In any case, al-Mubarakfuri is correct about the Shi’ism of both Ja’far b. Sulayman and Ajlah al-Kindi. Both were companions of the sixth Shi’i Imam, Ja’far al-Sadiq, ‘alaihi al-salam . The Shi’i hadith scientist, al-Jawahiri, says about Ja’far: جعفر بن سليمان الضبعي: البصري - من أصحاب الصادق) ع (ثقة. Ja’far b. Sulayman al-Dhab’i: al-Basri, one of the companions of al-Sadiq , peace be upon him.