How did Ibn Taymiyyah assess “I am the city of knowledge and ʿAlī is its gate”?
2026-10-14
T163 · Ibn Taymiyyah
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah
شيخ الإسلام أحمد بن تيمية
Original Q&A · Complete individual question and response within a collected question
One complete individual question and response from a collected question about reports circulated by storytellers and others. The quoted report in the question is presented for assessment, not endorsed. The answer gives Ibn Taymiyyah's own assessment.
النص العربي
السؤال الأصلي
ومما يروونه عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، أنه قال: "أنا مدينة العلم وعلى بابها".
الجواب
هذا حديث ضعيف، بل موضوع عند أهل المعرفة بالحديث، لكن قد رواه الترمذي وغيره، ومع هذا فهو كذب.
English translation
English translation prepared for SalafAlSalih.com from the cited Arabic source. It is not an official translation.
Original question
Among the reports they attribute to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is that he said: “I am the city of knowledge, and ʿAlī is its gate.”
Answer
This is a weak hadith; indeed, it is fabricated according to those knowledgeable about hadith. Al-Tirmidhī and others have nevertheless narrated it, but despite that it is false.
Source and editorial notes
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā 18/377
مجموع الفتاوى
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā
Arabic collated with the cited edition and a second transcription: https://quranislam.github.io/fatwa/ibn-taymiyyah/fatwa291.html. Each individual report and its full reply is preserved within the larger collected question. Diacritics omitted and honorific glyphs expanded. Titles and scope notes are editorial.