Wording of the tradition
Tabari in his Tarikh,1 has narrated that Ali (a.s.) said:
“When the following verse:
وَانْذِرْ عَشِيرَتَكَ الْأَقْرَبِينَ
“And warn your nearest relations,”2
…was revealed, the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) summoned me and said: O Ali, indeed the Almighty Allah has commanded me to warn the close relatives,
but I refrained from this fearing trouble. Jibraeel came to me again and said: O
Muhammad, if you don’t carry out His instructions, God would punish you. So
you procure a Saa3 of wheat, a leg of lamb and a large container of milk. Then
gather the descendants of Abdul Muttalib, so that I may convey to them what I
am commanded.
So I did what I was commanded. After that I invited them, and they
numbered one less or more forty. Among them being his uncles, Abu Talib,
Hamza, Abbas, Abu Lahab etc. And when they gathered, he called for the food
that I had prepared for them. When I placed it on the floor, the Messenger of
Allah (s.a.w.a.) picked a portion of the meat and cut it into pieces with his teeth
and placed it around the vessel.
Then he said: “Begin in the name of Allah.”
So they ate till they were fully satiated and I did not see, except the place of
their hands in the vessel. And by God, in whose hands is the life of Ali, one
person from them would have eaten the whole of what I had prepared.
Then the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) said: “Provide water to them.”
I brought a large vessel of water and they drank from it till they were
satisfied and by God, one person from them could have drank the whole vessel.
When the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) wanted to speak to them. Abu Lahab
preceded him, saying to the company, “Your host has shown a famous magic trick in satisfying you with so little provision, which still remains as it was.”
They all dispersed from there. The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) could not
say anything that day.
He said to me: “That man anticipated me today, so I didn’t say anything.
Make the same preparations again, and assemble them tomorrow, so that I may
announce to them my prophetical mission.”
Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) says that he made the same preparations the next
day and when all had eaten, the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) said: “O sons of Abdul
Muttalib, I think no one among the Arabs can have bestowed on his relatives a
greater benefit than what I have brought for you. Verily, I offer you the good of
this world, and of that to come. And Almighty Allah has commanded me to
summon first to His worship. Thus, which of you would help me in this job, so
that he may become my brother, my helper against opponents, and my successor
and Caliph after me?”
Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) says: “All were silent, but I, who was youngest of them, arose: my eyes bulged4
more than all, my belly protruded most and my
calves were thinner than most. I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.), I will
render help and support to you in this mission.’
He placed his hand on my shoulder and said: ‘Indeed, this one is my brother,
successor and Caliph among you. Listen to him and obey him.’
They dispersed smiling and saying to Abu Talib: He has commanded you to
obey your son.”
All reporters of this traditional report are trustworthy, except Maryam Abdul
Ghaffar bin Qasim, who is regarded unreliable by Sunnis as he was a Shia.
For example in Lesaanul Meezaan,5 it is mentioned that Ibne Uqdah has
certified him and exaggerated his praise. And the compilers of six canonical
books, who are teachers of traditions and experts of traditional reports, and
reference points in the arts and science of reporting, have reported through his
authority; and none of them have regarded a tradition weak and defective only
because Abu Maryam is one of its reporters.
They have argued through evidences of prophethood and special qualities of
Prophet. And it is not strange that Ibne Taymiyyah regards the tradition to be
fabricated, because he is prejudiced and has the habit of denying universally
accepted beliefs. His statements and arguments are well known and researchers
have concluded that the reason why the tradition is not correct in his view is that
it contains the merits of the Purified Progeny.