Bahlool and the Proof of Imam Ali’s (Peace Be Upon Him) Rightful Leadership

One day, Bahlul was present at the gathering of Muhammad bin Sulaiman al-Abbasi, the cousin of Harun al-Rashid. Among the attendees was a Sunni scholar named Umar ibn Ata al-Adawi, who was from the lineage of Umar ibn al-Khattab. Umar ibn Ata requested permission from the governor to engage in a discussion with Bahlul. He then asked Bahlul, “What is the true meaning of faith?”

Bahlul replied, “Our Master, Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (Peace Be Upon Him) said: ‘Faith is a belief in the heart, a statement with the tongue, and an action with the limbs and body.'”

Umar responded, “By saying ‘Our Master, Imam Sadiq,’ it seems you are declaring that only Ja’far ibn Muhammad is truthful and honest, as you have reserved the title of ‘Sadiq’ for him.”

Bahlul said, “This is a question that should be directed to your grandfather, Umar ibn al-Khattab, who gave the title ‘Siddiq’ (the Truthful) to his companion Abu Bakr. Was there no one else truthful at that time?” Umar ibn Ata replied, “No, at that time, only Abu Bakr was truthful.”

Bahlul responded, “You are lying, for Allah, in His Glorious Book, says: ‘And those who believe in Allah and His messengers, those are the truthful ones’ (Quran 4:69). All the believers who came before and during the time of Abu Bakr were truthful. How then could the title of Siddiq be attributed only to Abu Bakr?”

Umar replied, “He was called Siddiq because he was the first to believe in the Prophet.”

Bahlul said, “This answer is invalid for two reasons: First, linguistically, the term ‘Siddiq’ does not refer to the first person to believe in someone, and second, according to all Muslims, Abu Bakr was not the first to accept Islam. It has been stated that he was the fifth or seventh to do so.”

Seeing his argument crumbling, Umar ibn Ata, realizing that he was about to lose face in the gathering, shifted the topic and asked, “Tell me about your Imam.”

Bahlul replied, “My Imam is the one to whom pebbles in his hand glorify Allah, and the wolf speaks to him when it howls, and the sun sets and then rises again for him in the midst of people. The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) explicitly established the allegiance of the people to him. He possesses all the praiseworthy qualities and is free from all vile attributes. He is my Imam, and the Imam of all creation.”

Umar ibn Ata exclaimed, “Woe to you, Bahlul! Do you not consider Harun al-Rashid, the Commander of the Believers, your Imam?”

Bahlul responded, “Woe to you, cursed one! You claim that Harun lacks the qualities I mentioned? Then you are an enemy of the caliph and you falsely call him a caliph.”

The laughter of Muhammad bin Sulaiman al-Abbasi filled the room, and he praised Bahlul for his eloquent arguments, leaving Umar ibn Ata speechless.