Guided3

C. The Prophetic tradition: Ali is the master of all those of whom I am master. O Allah! Love him who loves him and hate him who hates him, help him who helps him, forsake him who forsakes him, and turn justice with him wherever he turns.

This tradition alone is sufficient to reply to the claims concerning the seniority of Abu Bakr,Umar and Uthman to Imam Ali(a.s). Imam Ali (a.s)  was appointed by the Messenger of Allah as the guardian after the prophet(SBUH&HP) of all the faithful. It is of no consequence for whoever tried to interpret the saying as the friend or the support in order to divert it from its original meaning so that the integrity of the Companions may be kept intact. The Messenger of Allah stood up in the terrible heat addressing the people,

saying, "Do you witness that I have a prior right to and superior authority over all the faithful?" They replied, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah. " Thereupon he said, "Ali is the master of all those whom I am a master. . . etc." This is a clear text indicating that the Messenger of Allah had appointed Hazrat Ali(a.s) as his successor to lead the nation [of Islam], and the fair and sensible person could not but accept this interpretation and refuse that of the others, thus preserving the integrity of the Messenger of Allah before preserving the integrity of the Companions. Those who give an alternative interpretation to the saying are in fact (Na'oozanbe Allah)ridiculing the wisdom of the Messenger of Allah, who gathered the multitude of people, in that unbearable heat, to tell them that Hazrat Ali(a.s) was the friend and supporter of the faithful. And what do those, who misinterpret the text in order to preserve the integrity of their masters, say about the procession of congratulation that the Messenger of Allah organized for Hazrat Ali(a.s)? It started with the wives of the Messenger, then Abu Bakr and Umar came and said to him, "Well done Ibn Abi Talib, Overnight you became the guardian [master] of all the faithful."

In fact all the historical evidence gives clear indications that those who misinterpret the above tradition are liars. Woe to those who wrote what they wrote, and woe to them for what they are writing. Allah - the Most High - said. "...a party of them most surely conceal the truth while they know it" [Holy Qur'an 2:146].