Ali was very sad at not having the good fortune to join the army and fight for the sake of God. He went to the Prophet, saying: ‘Do you leave me with children and women?’ The Prophet replied: ‘Are you not happy to be to me as Aaron was to Moses, except that there will be no Prophet after me?’
1- The Prophet (s) said: 'Love for Ali consumes sins as fire consumes wood.'[1]
2- The Prophet (s) said: 'The title of the deeds of a believer is the love for Ali b. Abu Talib.'[2]
3- The Prophet (s) said: 'When Allah secures the love for Ali in a believer's heart, whenever his foot slips, Allah will secure his foot on the Sirat [Bridge outstretched over Hell] on the Day of Resurrection.'[3]
4- Muslim narrates from sa’d b. Abi Waqqas that he was asked by Mu’awiah why he refused to verbally abuse Ali (a). sa’d replied:
I remember three saying from the Prophet about Ali (a) which caused me not to say anything bad about him. If I possessed even one of these qualities it would be better than red camels.
The first was that when the Prophet wanted to go to the war of Tabuk he left Ali (a) in medina. Ali was very sad at not having the good fortune to join the army and fight for the sake of God. He went to the Prophet, saying: ‘Do you leave me with children and women?’ The Prophet replied: ‘Are you not happy to be to me as Aaron was to Moses, except that there will be no Prophet after me?’
Second I heard from the Prophet on the day of conquest of Khaybar: ‘certainly I will give the flag [of Islam] to a man that loves God and his Messenger ‘. We hoped to be given the flag, but the Prophet said: ‘call Ali (a) for me!’ Ali came while suffering from pain in his eyes. The prophet gave him the flag and at his hands God granted us victory.
Third when the verse of Mubahala was revealed the Prophet called Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husayn and said: ‘My Lord! These are my household’.[4]
Note:
[1] Kanz al-Ummal, no. 33021 “حُبُّ عليٍّ يأكُلُ الذُّنوبَ كما تأكُلُ النّارُ الحَطَبَ”
[2] Kanz al-Ummal, no. 32900 “عُنوانُ صحيفةِ المؤمنِ حُبُّ عليِّ بنِ أبي طالبٍ”
[3] Kanz al-Ummal, no. 33022 “ما ثَبّتَ اللَّهُ حُبَّ عليٍّ في قلبِ مؤمنٍ فَزلَّتْ به قدمٌ إلّا ثَبّتَ اللَّهُ قَدَماً يومَ القيامةِ علَى الصِّراطِ”
[4] Sahih of Muslim, v. 4, p. 1871, no. 2408. (kitab Fada’il al- Sahabah, Sakhr serial No. 4420).