Bisme Ta’la
Abu Sadeq Sulaym bin Qays Helali writes in his book: During the battle of Siffin, Ameerul Momeneen Ali ibn Abi Taleb (a.s.) went on top of the pulpit while being surrounded by his soldiers. There were people from the Muhajeroon and Ansar in the large audience. After praising Allah, he said:
Oh people! My excellence and virtues cannot be enumerated. Allah has mentioned it in the Holy Quran and the Messenger of Allah has stated it. These virtues are more than innumerable. You all know Allah has preferred the foremost one (in faith and virtues) over the following ones and none in this nation can match or challenge me on this.
They unanimously replied: Yes
Then he said: I put you all under an oath. When these verses were revealed: The foremost ones (in faith and virtue) – the foremost ones in receiving their reward, didn’t the Messenger of Allah inform that these verses were revealed for the Prophets and their successors and that I am superior over all prophets and my successor Ali ibn Abi Taleb is superior over all successors?
After hearing this approximately 70 Muhajireen and Ansar stood up and vouched that they had indeed heard it with their very ears. Among them were, Abul Haysham bin Tehyan, Khaled bin Zayd, Abu Ayub Ansari and Ammar Yassir.
Then the Imam (a.s.) continued: I ask you, By Allah, when the people questioned Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) about the verse of Ulul Amr, the verse of Wilayat and verse of Walijahtan (Tauba 16) if these were revealed for a few specific believers or in general for all the believers. As a consequence, Allah commanded the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) to preach wilayat in a similar way as he taught Namaz, Fasting, Hajj and Zakat.
Then after making my wilayat compulsory at Ghadeer Khum, he (s.a.w.a.s.) said: Allah has commanded me to convey a message which is straitening my chest. I fear that the people will betray me. But it is Allah’s strict instruction to convey the message or else He will send his wrath.
Then he asked me to stand up and ordered the people to gather, as they do for the obligatory prayers.
Then we all offered the noon prayers. Then he said: “Certainly Allah is my Master and I am the master of all the believers and I have more authority over their souls, then they do. Of whomsoever I am the master, this Ali is his master. O Allah, love those, who love him and be inimical to those, who are inimical to him. And help those who help him and abandon those who abandon him.
Salman stood up and asked: “O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.s.), what kind of mastership does Ali have on the believers?”
He replied: “A Mastership (Wilayat) like my Mastership. One, to whom I am more deserving than his own self, then Ali also is more deserving than his own self.”
At that time, the Almighty Allah revealed the verse: “This day have I perfected for you your religion and completed My favor on you and chosen for you Islam as a religion.” (Maidah 3)
At this moment, the companions who were present during the battle of Badr testified that indeed they had heard the same thing from the Messenger of Allah, like they did from Imam Ali (a.s.)
Quran&ahlebayt 