Now, in spite of all this, is it possible to justify the baseless obstinacy of Ibne Kathir in not regarding these reports as correct?
If lack of authenticity of these reports is accepted, then what would be the value of books, which are full of these reports?
لَعَلِّىٓ أَعْمَلُ صَـٰلِحًۭا فِيمَا تَرَكْتُ ۚ كَلَّآ ۚ إِنَّهَا كَلِمَةٌ هُوَ قَآئِلُهَا ۖ وَمِن وَرَآئِهِم بَرْزَخٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ (١٠٠)
“By no means! it is a (mere) word that he speaks; and before them is a barrier until the day they are raised.”1
The implication of Islam and faith of Ali (a.s.) and his being the first Muslim and believer is that he was the first of those, who became inclined to Prophet and is in the same way as mentioned about Ibrahim (a.s.) in the Holy Quran:
(وَأَنَا۠ أَوَّلُ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ (١٦٣
“And I am the first of those who submit.”2
Also, the statement of Almighty Allah:
إِذْ قَالَ لَهُۥ رَبُّهُۥٓ أَسْلِمْ ۖ قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ (١٣١)
“When his Lord said to him, Be a Muslim, he said: I submit myself to the Lord of the worlds.”3
Also, the statement of Almighty Allah in the words of Moosa (a.s.):
وَأَنَا۠ أَوَّلُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ (١٤٣)
“And I am the first of the believers.4
Also, the statement of Almighty Allah quoting the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.):
ءَامَنَ ٱلرَّسُولُ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِۦ
“The apostle believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord.”5
And the verse:
ۖقُلْ إِنِّىٓ أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَسْلَمَ
“Say: I am commanded to be the first who submits himself.”6
And the verse:
وَأُمِرْتُ أَنْ أُسْلِمَ لِرَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ (٦٦)
“And I am commanded that I should submit to the Lord of the worlds.”7
Here, we present some sermons of Ameerul Momineen (a.s.), which Sayyid
Razi has mentioned in Nahjul Balagha,8 so that researchers may ponder over
them and derive subtle points from them; and it is that:
“Even in my boyhood, I had lowered the chest of (the famous men) of
Arabia, and broken the horn points (i.e., defeated the chiefs) of the tribes of Rabia
and Mudar. Certainly, you know my position of close kinship and special relationship with the Prophet of Allah – peace and blessing of Allah be upon him
and his descendants.
When I was only a child, he took charge of me. He used to press me to his
chest and lay me beside him in his bed, bring his body close to mine and make
me smell his smell. He used to chew something and then feed me with it. He
found no lie in my speaking, nor weakness in any act.
From the time of his weaning, Allah had put a mighty angel with him to take
him along the path of high character and good behavior through day and night,
while I used to follow him like a young camel following in the footprints of its
mother.
Every day he would show me in the form of a banner some of his high traits
and commanded me to follow it. Every year he used to go in seclusion to the hill
of Hira,9 where I saw him, but no one else saw him.
In those days Islam did not exist in any house, except that of the Prophet of
Allah – peace and blessing of Allah be upon him and his descendants – and
Khadija, while I was the third after these two. I used to see and watch the
effulgence of divine revelation and message, and breathed the scent of
Prophethood.
When revelation descended on the Prophet of Allah – peace and blessing of
Allah be upon him and his descendants – I heard the moan of Satan. I asked, “O
Prophet of Allah, what is this moan?” and he replied, “This is Satan, who has lost
all hope of being worshipped. O Ali, you see all that I see and you hear all that I
hear, except that you are not a Prophet, but you are a vicegerent and you are
surely on (the path of) virtue.”
Our viewpoint regarding the meaning of being the first Muslim, contradicts
Ibne Kathir and his co-religionists, because they believe that the first Muslim,
before he became a Muslim, was a disbeliever. They say: “The requirement of
becoming a Muslim is that one should be a disbeliever previously.” Now, we ask
him and those who are of this view: When was Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) a
disbeliever that he should have accepted Islam? And when did he express
disbelief that after that he should have brought faith?
All know that the origin of Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) was absolutely pure
and on the upright faith; and he grew up in the lap of prophethood and the hands
of prophethood reared him, and the great prophetic morals embellished him.
Whether before declaration of prophethood or after that he was always a follower
of Prophet and he did not have any desire, except what he desires and had no
inclination, except what he was inclined to. Indeed, he was a believer during the
time he was in the womb, when he was an infant, during childhood, youth, young age, old age and while he was the Caliph and other than that.