Mawla Ali is the Soul of the Prophet

 

بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds

Peace and benedictions upon you, my Master, Apostle of Allah

Concerning one of the virtues of Mawla Ali كرم الله وجهه we Sunni Muslims call him the Nafs ar-Rasul or the Soul of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. Of course that is not meant literally, but based on the Ayat al-Mubahalah:

فَمَنۡ حَآجَّکَ فِیۡہِ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ مَا جَآءَکَ مِنَ الۡعِلۡمِ فَقُلۡ تَعَالَوۡا نَدۡعُ اَبۡنَآءَنَا وَاَبۡنَآءَکُمۡ وَنِسَآءَنَا وَنِسَآءَکُمۡ وَاَنۡفُسَنَا وَاَنۡفُسَکُمۡ ۟ ثُمَّ نَبۡتَہِلۡ فَنَجۡعَلۡ لَّعۡنَتَ اللّٰہِ عَلَی الۡکٰذِبِیۡنَ

Now whoso disputes with thee concerning him, after what has come to thee of knowledge, say to him, ‘Come, let us call our sons and your sons, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves; then let us pray fervently and invoke the curse of Allah on those who lie.’

(Surah 3, Ayah 61)

In this Ayah Allah سبحانه وتعالى revealed to the Holy Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم that he ought to invite the Christian delegation of Najran to participate in a Mubahalah, or a type of prayer contest in which both parties invoke the curse of Allah upon the party which is lying in His sight. Moreover, the Ayah says they should bring their sons and their women along with themselves to the into the field for the prayer contest. How did the Holy Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم practically implement the order of this Ayah? According to the narrations, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم brought his daughter Fatimah, his maternal grandsons Hasan and Husain, and Mawla Ali رضى الله عنهم to the field for the Mubahalah:

بِأَنْ نَقُول اللَّهُمَّ الْعَنْ الْكَاذِب فِي شَأْن عِيسَى وَقَدْ دَعَا صَلَّى اللَّه عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَفْد نَجْرَان لِذَلِكَ لَمَّا حَاجُّوهُ بِهِ فَقَالُوا حَتَّى نَنْظُر فِي أَمْرنَا ثُمَّ نَأْتِيك فَقَالَ ذَوُو رَأْيهمْ لَقَدْ عَرَفْتُمْ نُبُوَّته وَأَنَّهُ مَا بِأَهْلِ قَوْم نَبِيًّا إلَّا هَلَكُوا فَوَادَعُوا الرَّجُل وَانْصَرَفُوا فَأَتَوْا الرَّسُول صَلَّى اللَّه عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَقَدْ خَرَجَ وَمَعَهُ الْحَسَن وَالْحُسَيْن وَفَاطِمَة وَعَلِيّ وَقَالَ لَهُمْ إذَا دَعَوْت فَأَمِّنُوا فَأَبَوْا أَنْ يُلَاعِنُوا وَصَالَحُوهُ عَلَى الْجِزْيَة رَوَاهُ أَبُو نُعَيْم

Saying, “O Allah, curse the liar” was concerning the matter of Jesus. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had summoned the delegation of Najran for this purpose when they argued with him about him. They said, “Until we consider our matter, then we will come to you.” Those of sound mind said, “You have already recognized his Prophesy and that no people have a Prophet except that they perish.” So they bade farewell to the man and left. They came to the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he had gone out, there being with him al-Hasan, al-Husayn, Fatimah, and Ali. He said to them, “When you call, say ‘Amen.’” But they refused to curse and made peace with him on the basis of paying the Jizyah. Narrated by Abu Nu’aym (Tafsir al-Jalalayn; v.1, p.220)

Now we understand that under the category of “our sons” the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم brought his two beloved grandsons Hasan and Husain رضى الله عنهما and under the category of “our women” he صلى الله عليه وسلم brought his radiant daughter Fatimat uz-Zahra سلام الله عليها

Yet the Prophet عليه السلام also brought Mawla Ali كرم الله وجهه into the field for the Mubahalah. Mawla Ali كرم الله وجهه falls neither in the category of the Prophet’s sons or women, therefore, he falls in the category of انفسنا (ourselves), the same category which the Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم is in as he himself came into the field for the Mubahalah. For this reason, as Mawla Ali كرم الله وجهه was the only other person in the category of “ourselves” for the purpose of the Mubahalah we Sunni Muslims refer to him with the title Nafs ar-Rasul “Soul of the Apostle Muhammad”