611 - Muhammad ibn al-Mundhir ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz informed us, and Muhammad ibn Yahya informed me, saying: Ahmad ibn al-Hasan al-Tirmidhi narrated to us, who said: It was said to Abu ‘Abd Allah [Ahmad ibn Hanbal]: "Do you say that ‘Ali was a Caliph?" He replied: "Yes," and he mentioned the hadith of Safinah. He said: "I heard Abu ‘Abd Allah say: ‘Ali—may Allah have mercy upon him—was a just Imam."
٦١١ - أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُنْذِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ، وَأَخْبَرَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى، قَالَا: ثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ التِّرْمِذِيُّ، قَالَ: قِيلَ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: تَقُولُ: عَلِيٌّ خَلِيفَةٌ؟ قَالَ: «نَعَمْ» ، وَذَكَرَ حَدِيثَ سَفِينَةَ. قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ يَقُولُ: «عَلِيٌّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ إِمَامٌ عَادِلٌ»
