Khasais Ali

Khasa'is Ali (Arabic: خصائص علي, The Particular Characteristics of Ali), also known as Khasa'is Amir al-Mu'minin Ali ibn Abi Talib, is a hadith work compiled by the traditionist Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Nasa'i (d. 303 AH / 915 CE) that collects prophetic traditions on the virtues and merits of Ali ibn Abi Talib and the Prophet's household (Ahl al-Bayt) Sharh Sunan al-Nasai al-M…+1.

Background and Composition

Al-Nasa'i composed the book toward the end of his life after leaving Egypt and entering Damascus in 302 AH Sharh Sunan al-Nasai al-M…+1. Upon arriving in Damascus, he found that many residents held animosity or prejudice against Ali Sharh Sunan al-Nasai al-M…+1. When questioned by contemporaries as to why he produced a monograph on Ali's merits prior to compiling the virtues of Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman, al-Nasa'i explained his motivation: al-Mawsua al-Muyassara fi…+1

"I entered Damascus and found many who deviated from Ali, so I authored Kitab al-Khasa'is in the hope that God would guide them through it." Sharh Sunan al-Nasai al-M…+1

Following this work, al-Nasa'i compiled a broader collection on the virtues of the Prophet's Companions (Fada'il al-Sahabah) and recited it publicly Sharh Sunan al-Nasai al-M…+1.

Sources and Methodology

According to the traditionist Abu Nu'aym al-Isbahani, the majority of the narrations recorded by al-Nasa'i in Khasa'is Ali were transmitted from the authority of Ahmad ibn Hanbal Wafayat al-Ayan+1. The work systematically documents hadiths illustrating Ali's precedence in Islam, his early prayer alongside the Prophet ﷺ, and his specific distinctions, citing complete chains of transmission (isnad) and recording critical variations among narrators Khasais Ali. Al-Nasa'i also exercised his hadith-critical methodology by noting defective or disputed transmissions within the text Anis al-Sari (Takhrij Aha….

Damascus Incident and Reception

The composition and public reading of the work in Damascus generated fierce local opposition among partisans of the Umayyads, who demanded that al-Nasa'i compile and read the virtues of Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan al-Falaka wa al-Maflukun+1. Al-Nasa'i refused to narrate distinct merits for Mu'awiya, replying: ألا يرضى رأسًا برأس حتى يُفضل ("Is he not content to break even, that he should also be preferred?") or stating that he recognized no authentic virtue specifically for him beyond the prophetic statement اللهم لا تشبع بطنه ("O God, do not satisfy his belly") Sharh Sunan al-Nasai al-M…+1.

A mob attacked and trampled al-Nasa'i, forcing him out of the central mosque al-Mawsua al-Muyassara fi…+1. He was subsequently carried away in an ailing state and died in 303 AH, either in Mecca—where he asked to be taken and was buried between al-Safa and al-Marwah—or in al-Ramla, Palestine, with burial in Jerusalem Sharh Sunan al-Nasai al-M…+1.

Due to the book and his refusal to praise Mu'awiya, some biographers noted accusations of mild Shi'i inclination (tashayyu') against al-Nasa'i al-Mawsua al-Muyassara fi…+1. However, Sunni scholars such as Ibn Kathir and Ibn Asakir defended his orthodoxy, maintaining that his aim was simply to correct anti-Alid sentiments and affirm the established Sunni rank of Ali al-Mawsua al-Muyassara fi…+1.

Transmission and Publication

Khasa'is Ali was transmitted widely through established isnads to Andalusia and North Africa, where traditionists including Ibn Abd al-Barr related it through Andalusian and eastern transmitters back to al-Nasa'i Fihrisat Ibn Khayr. The book was printed in Cairo in 1308 AH / 1890 CE, with later editions published in Baghdad (1969 CE), Najaf, Beirut, and Kuwait Mujaz Dairat al-Maarif al…+1.