عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ الْاَعْمَشِ عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ آبَائِهٖ عَلَیْہِمُ السَّلَامُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَا عَلِيُّ اَنْتَ اَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَ اِمَامُ الْمُتَّقِينَ يَا عَلِيُّ اَنْتَ سَيِّدُ الْوَصِيِّينَ وَ وَارِثُ عِلْمِ النَّبِيِّينَ وَ خَيْرُ الصِّدِّيقِينَ وَ اَفْضَلُ السَّابِقِينَ يَا عَلِيُّ اَنْتَ زَوْجُ سَيِّدَةِ نِسَاءِ الْعَالَمِينَ وَ خَلِيفَةُ الْمُرْسَلِينَ يَا عَلِيُّ اَنْتَ مَوْلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَا عَلِيُّ اَنْتَ الْحُجَّةُ بَعْدِي عَلَى النَّاسِ اَجْمَعِينَ اسْتَوْجَبَ الْجَنَّةَ مَنْ تَوَلَّاكَ وَ اسْتَحَقَّ دُخُولَ النَّارِ مَنْ عَادَاكَ يَا عَلِيُّ وَ الَّذِي بَعَثَنِي بِالنُّبُوَّةِ وَ اصْطَفَانِي عَلَى جَمِيعِ الْبَرِّيَّةِ لَوْ اَنَّ عَبْدًا عَبَدَ اللهَ اَلْفَ عَامٍ مَا قَبِلَ اللهُ ذٰلِكَ مِنْهُ اِلَّا بِوَلَايَتِكَ وَ وَلَايَةِ الْاَئِمَّةِ مِنْ وُلْدِكَ وَ اِنَّ وَلَايَتَكَ لَا تُقْبَلُ اِلَّا بِالْبَرَاءَةِ مِنْ اَعْدَائِكَ وَ اَعْدَاءِ الْاَئِمَّةِ مِنْ وُلْدِكَ بِذٰلِكَ اَخْبَرَنِي جَبْرَئِيلُ ع فَمَنْ شاءَ فَلْيُؤْمِنْ وَ مَنْ شاءَ فَلْيَكْفُرْ
Sulaiman Ibn Mehraan al-A’mash (Allah be pleased with him) narrates from Imam Ja’far al-Sadeq (peace be on him) vide his forefathers (peace be on him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be on him and his progeny) said,
“O Ali! You are the chief of the faithful and the leader of the pious. O Ali! You are the foremost of the successors, the inheritor of the knowledge of the Prophets (a.s), the best of the truthful ones and the most superior of the preceding ones. O Ali! You are the spouse of the chief of the women-folk of the universe. You are the caliph of the divine messengers (peace be on him). O Ali! You are the master of the believers. O Ali! You are the divine proof after me upon all the humans. Whoever accepts your mastership, paradise becomes obligatory upon him and whoever bears enmity against you is worthy of entering the hell-fire. O Ali! I swear by the One Who raised me with Prophethood and chose me upon all the creatures! If a person worships Allah for a thousand years, Allah will not accept (his worship) from him except through your mastership and the mastership of the Imams (peace be on them) after you. And verily, your mastership will not be accepted except by dissociation from your enemies and the enemies of the Imams from your progeny. This is what Jibraeel (peace be on him) informed me ‘So whoever desires, he may bring faith and whoever desires may disbelieve’.” (Surah Kahf (18): Verse 29).
Notes:
1. The tone and tenor of the tradition shows that dissociation from the enemies of the Ahle Bait (peace be on them) has always been a difficult task.
2. Acceptance of all acts of worship depends on accepting the mastership of the Ahle Bait (peace be on them) which in turn depends on dissociating from their enemies.
3. Holy Prophet (peace be on him and his progeny) endorsing his quote with a verse from the Book of Allah shows the degree of unacceptability among the companions, who were jealous of Ameerul Momineen Ali (peace be on him).
References:
1. Al-Tahseen, p. 539, Chapter 3
2. Kanz al-Fawaaed, vol. 2, p. 12
3. Behaar al-Anwaar, vol. 27, p. 199, H. 66
4. Meah Manqebah, p. 28, 9th Manqebah