Whoever I am his mawla, Ali is his mawla

[AI] We were sitting with Zayd ibn Arqam when a man came to him and sat down. He said, “The people have spoken at great length about these two men, Ali and Uthman, so inform me about them.” He said, “I will not narrate to you except what I witnessed and what my heart retained.”

The Prophet of Allah ﷺ came out and faced us. He praised Allah and extolled Him with what He is worthy of, then said: “Do you not know that I have greater claim over the believers than they have over themselves?” He repeated it to us three times, and each time we said, “Yes, O Messenger of Allah,” while Ali was silent. He said: “Stand, O Ali.” He took him by his upper arm—or by both of his upper arms—and raised it, or raised them, and said: “Whoever I am his mawla, then Ali is his mawla.”

كُنَّا مَعَ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَرْقَمَ جُلُوسًا فَجَاءَهُ رَجُلٌ فَجَلَسَ، فَقَالَ: إِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدْ أَكْثَرُوا فِي هَذَيْنِ الرَّجُلَيْنِ عَلِيٍّ وعُثمَان فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنْهُمَا. قَالَ: لا أُحَدِّثُكَ إلاَّ بِمَا شَهِدْتُهُ وَوَعَاهُ قَلْبِي.

خَرَجَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَاسْتَقْبَلَنَا بِوَجْهِهِ، فَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ وَأَثْنَى عَلَيْهِ بِمَا هُوَ أَهْلُهُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: «أَلَسْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ أَنِّي أَوْلَى بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ؟» فَأَعَادَهَا عَلَيْنَا ثَلاثًا، كُلُّ ذَلِكَ نَقُولُ: بَلَى يَا رَسولَ اللهِ، وَعَلِيٌّ سَاكِتٌ. قَالَ: «قم ياعلي»، وَأَخَذَ بِعَضُدِهِ أَوْ بِعَضُدَيْهِ، فَرَفَعَهَا أَوْ رَفَعَهُمَا، فَقَالَ: «مَنْ كُنْتُ مَوْلاهُ فَعَلِيٌّ مَوْلاهُ».