The adornment of Ali’s (ع)
It is narrated from Ammar ibn Yasir that the Messenger of Allah (ص) said:
﴿ يَا عَلِيُّ، إِنَّ اللهَ تَعَالَی قَدْ زَيَّنَكَ بِزِينَةٍ لَـمْ تُزَيَّنُ الْعِبَادُ بِزِينَةٍ أَحَبُّ إِلَی اللهِ تَعَالَی مِنْهَا، هِيَ زِينَةُ الْأَبْرَارِ عِنْدَ اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: الزُّهْدُ فِي الدُّنْيَا، فَجَعَلَكَ لَا تَزْرَأُ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا شَيْئاً وَلَا تَزْرَأُ الدُّنْيا مِنْكَ شَيْئاً وَوَهَبَ لَكَ حُبَّ الْـمَسَاكِينَ، فَجَعَلَكَ تَرْضَی بِهِمْ أَتْبَاعاً، وَيَرْضُونَ بِكَ إِمَاماً ﴾
"O Ali, the Almighty Allah has adorned you with an adornment that He never adorned any of His servants with, and Allah loves it more than any other adornment, i.e., asceticism in this world which is the adornment of the virtuous before the Glorious Lord.
So He has decreed that you avail nothing from this world and made the world look disgusting to you. God has bestowed upon you the love for the poor, so that they are pleased with you as a leader and you are pleased to be their leader"
Abu Na'im Esfahani in Hilyatul Auliya, V. 1, page 71; Ibn Asaker, Tarikh Madinah-Damishq, V.42, page 282; Ibn Maghazli, Manaqib, page 110; Muttaqi Hindi, Kanz al-Ummal, V.11, page 626; Salehi Shami, Subulul Huda wal Rashad, V.11, page 296 and similar to this is recorded in Asad al-Ghabah (Ibn Athir Jazari, V.4, p.23).
And contents close to this has come down in Firduas Al-Akhbar (Dailami, V.5, p. 409) and Jam' al-Jawami (Subki, V.1, p.968). Tabarani in Al-Mu’jam Al-Awsat, V.2, page 337 has narrated from Ammar ibn Yasir that he said, “I heard the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) saying to Ali (a.s.): Allah has adorned you with an adornment that He never adorned any of His servants with. Allah has bestowed upon you the love and fraternity of the poor, and has chosen you to be their leader, whom you are pleased with, and has considered for you followers whom are pleased with your leadership. So blessed are those who love you and follow you and woe to those who are hostile to you. Refer to Haythami, Maj’mah al-Zawaid, V.9, page 132.
