Critiquing the Claim that the Usayd b. Safwan Report on Imam Ali's Virtue Was Fabricated: Historical Analysis and Hadith-Network Evidence

Pourdavani, Ehsan; Pormusa, Mojtaba; Lotfi, Milad

doi:10.22034/jep.2026.544483.1680

Critiquing the Claim that the Usayd b. Safwan Report on Imam Ali's Virtue Was Fabricated: Historical Analysis and Hadith-Network Evidence

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

ehsan pourdavani ¹

Mojtaba Pormusa ²

milad lotfi ³

¹ nothing

² Qom

³ Specialized Institute of Hadith Sciences

10.22034/jep.2026.544483.1680

Abstract

The article 'The Hadith of Usayd b. Safwan: The Role of Transmitter Trends and Isnads in Assessing Authenticity' argues that the report known as Imam Ali's (A.S.) Khidriyya Ziyara, composed by the prophet Khidr at Ali's martyrdom and transmitted in al-Kafi, Kamal al-Din, and al-Amali of al-Saduq, was fabricated from a Sunni recension devised for Abu Bakr. It further portrays transmitters such as Muhammad b. Khalid al-Barqi as agents who introduced this fabricated report into Shi'i heritage. Critiquing that article through historical analysis of reports and comparison with related hadiths, the present study rejects the claim that Usayd b. Safwan was fictitious, clears reputable Shi'i scholars of the accusation, and argues for the report's authentic transmission and textual soundness, including its many virtues of Imam Ali. It also identifies major methodological and foundational defects in the criticized article, especially inadequate evidence for fabrication of the Shi'i recension and neglect of multiple indicators supporting it. Further findings establish the chronological priority and authenticity of Khalid al-Barqi's version over the Sunni recension and show that the virtues in the text cannot be applied to Abu Bakr.

Keywords

Usayd b. Safwan

virtues of Imam Ali (A.S.)

Prophet Khidr (A.S.)

hadith fabrication

Abu Bakr

hadith authentication

Subjects