619 - Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn Mahmud informed me, saying: Abu Bakr al-Athram narrated to us, saying: I heard Abu 'Abd Allah say: "'Ali is, in my view, a caliph who implements the prescribed punishments (hudud), and he is called Commander of the Believers, and this is not denied." Abu 'Abd Allah said to me: "Write this down, for it strengthens the position of those who hold that 'Ali is a caliph." And he dictated it to us from his book.
٦١٩ - وَأَخْبَرَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مَحْمُودٍ، قَالَ: ثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ الْأَثْرَمُ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، يَقُولُ: «عَلِيٌّ عِنْدِي خَلِيفَةٌ يُقِيمُ الْحُدُودَ، وَيُقَالَ لَهُ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَلَا يُنْكَرُ» . وَقَالَ لِي أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: «اكْتُبْ هَذَا، فَإِنَّهُ يُقَوِّي مَنْ ذَهَبَ إِلَى أَنَّ عَلِيًّا خَلِيفَةٌ» . وَأَمْلَاهُ عَلَيْنَا مِنْ كِتَابِهِ
