Reply to the second objection
I don’t know whether I should laugh at the ignorance and unawareness of
this man or weep upon it? Because, the matter about which there is no doubt at
all is precedence of Ali (a.s.) in knowledge as compared to all companions, in
such a way that all of them referred to him in difficulties and legal problems,
whereas Ali (a.s.) never referred to them.
And the first to acknowledge the knowledge of Ali (a.s.) was Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.) himself, when he said to Fatima (a.s.):
“Are you not pleased that I married you to one, who was the foremost of
Muslims and most knowledgeable of them?”1
And he said: “Fatima, I married you to a man, who is the best from my
community, because in wisdom, he is superior to all, in forbearance, is most
forbearing and in Islam, he has precedence over all.”2
And he said: “The most knowledgeable person after me in my Ummah is Ali
Ibne Abi Talib (a.s.).”3
And he said: “Ali is the treasure-trove of my knowledge.”4
And he said: “Ali is the treasurer of my knowledge.”5
And he said: “Ali is superior to everyone in issuing legal judgments.”6
And he said: “Wisdom was divided into ten parts; nine parts were given to
Ali (a.s.) and one part to rest of the people.”7
And when Ali (a.s.) issued judgments during the lifetime of Prophet, His
Eminence (s.a.w.a.) said: “Thanks be to Allah, that He placed wisdom in the
beings of our Ahle Bayt.”8
And after the Prophet, Ayesha is the second person, who confessed to the
knowledge of Ali (a.s.) and she said:
“Ali is most well informed person about the Sunnah of Prophet.”9
Umar also remarked: “Ali is most superior to all of us in adjudication.”10