Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal: Book 5, Hadith 614
It was narrated that ‘Abdullah bin Mulail said: We were with `Ali (رضي الله عنه) and when he saw any event or reached the top of a hill or went down in a valley, he said: Glory be to Allah; Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth. I said to a man of Banu Yashkur: Let us go to Ameer al-Mu`mineen and ask him why he says, Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth. So we went to him and we said: O Ameer al-Mu`mineen, when you see any event or reach the top of a hill or go down into a valley, you say: Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth. Did the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) instruct you exclusively to say that? He turned away from us but we persisted in asking. When he realised that, he said: By Allah, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not tell me anything exclusively that he did not tell to other people, but the people attacked ‘Uthman bin `Affan (رضي الله عنه) and killed him, and there were people who were worse than me in action and attitude concerning him. Then I thought that I was most deserving of this position, so I accepted it. And Allah knows best whether we are right or wrong.
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، أَنْبَأَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ شَيْخٍ، لَهُمْ يُقَالُ لَهُ سَالِمٌ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مُلَيْلٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَلِيًّا، رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يَقُولُ أُعْطِيَ كُلُّ نَبِيٍّ سَبْعَةَ نُجَبَاءَ مِنْ أُمَّتِهِ وَأُعْطِيَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَرْبَعَةَ عَشَرَ نَجِيبًا مِنْ أُمَّتِهِ مِنْهُمْ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا.
Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal: Book 5, Hadith 614
The above hadith is from the Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal collection of hadiths. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s Musnad represents one of the largest and most significant early collections of prophetic traditions. This massive compilation is uniquely arranged by the names of the companions (Sahabah), devoting individual chapters to each one to consolidate all the narrations they are known to have transmitted. This approach offers profound insights into the teachings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad from the perspective of those who knew him best. The collection is universally esteemed for its authenticity and historical value, serving as a critical resource for scholars. However, because it aims for breadth, it encompasses a wide range of narrations, including some that experts have identified as having less reliable chains of narration alongside its many strong ones.
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For more Hadith in Book 5: Musnad ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib