Assalamualykum. Can you please let me know the authentication on the below mentioned hadith. Asma Binte Umais narrates: “Revelation was sent to the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) while his blessed head rested on the lap of Ali (radiyallaahu anhu). The sun had set and Ali (radiyallaahu anhu) did not perform his Asr salaat. The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said to Ali (radiyallaahu anhu): Did you perform Asr salaat? He replied: No! TheProphet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: O Allah, verily Ali was in your obedience and the obedience of your Messenger, so return the sun for him. Asmaa Binte Umais says: I saw the sun set, then raise after setting.” The above Hadith is established and has some basis as explained by a group of Muhadditheen including Imaam Tahawi, Allamah Suyuti and Qurtaaji. (Al- la’ali al-Masnoo’h, vol 1, pg 308, Ilmiyya) / Tanzeeh Al-Sharee’h, vol 1, pg 378, Ilmiyya)

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and messenger.

According to some Hadeeth scholars, the Hadeeth in question is not weak as they stated this in refutation of Ibn Al-Jawzi who classified it as Mawdhoo‘ (fabricated) and cited it in his book Al-Mawdhoo‘aat (fabricated Ahaadeeth). Examples of those scholars are As-Suyooti in his book Al-La’aali’ Al-Masnoo‘ah and Ibn ‘Iraaq in his book Tanzeeh Ash-Sharee‘ah as mentioned in the question. Some scholars even composed books on that specific Hadeeth so as to collate its different versions and chains of narrators.

However, the preponderant opinion in this regard is that it is a fabricated Hadeeth and has no sound and acceptable chain of narration. Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah extensively criticized the Hadeeth and its different chains of narrators in his book Minhaaj As-Sunnah An-Nabawiyyah. He wrote, “In fact, the merits and refined status of ‘Ali and the fact that he was an ally of Allaah are well-established through many Ahaadeeth with sound chains of narrators accumulating to certainty. Therefore, there is no need for fabrication or relying on reports whose authenticity is questioned.

“The Hadeeth about causing the sun to rise again for 'Ali was cited by a number of scholars such as At-Tahaawi, Al-Qaadhi ‘Iyaadh, and others. They counted this incident among the miracles of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. However, the competent researching scholars and well-versed Hadeeth critics knew that such a Hadeeth is fabricated and a mere lie attributed to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Moreover, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and many of the Companions missed ‘Asr prayer on the Battle of the Trench, yet he, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, did not invoke Allaah to cause the sun to rise again. Verily, ‘Ali is not better than the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. If the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and the Companions had made up for that missed ‘Asr prayer after sunset, ‘Ali and the Companions who were with him should have done the same for a greater reason.

“If performing such a prayer after sunset was not sufficient or imperfect and there was a need for invoking Allaah to cause the sun to rise again, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, would be the worthiest of the people to have the sun ordered to rise again for him. However, if it was sufficient and there was no need for invoking Allaah to cause the sun to rise again, then there was no need for it - invoking Allaah to cause the sun to rise again - in the first place!

“Moreover, the occurrence of such an extraordinary miraculous event would have urged a great number of Companions to report it. If it is reported by only one or two reporters, this strongly suggests that the story is fabricated and untrue. For instance, the incident of the splitting of the moon happened at night and many of the Companions were asleep, yet it has been reported by a number of the Companions through multiple and various chains of narrators. It was cited in the collections of authentic Ahaadeeth with many chains of narrators, and was even mentioned in the Quran. Then, how would an incident like that of causing the sun to rise after sunset not be so known among the Companions, though it happened at day time, and was not cited by (a large number of) scholars?

“Moreover, missing the prayer for the reason mentioned in the Hadeeth is either permissible or forbidden. If it is permissible, ‘Ali bears no sin for missing it and making up for it after sunset. He is never better than the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, who did the same. He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, missed ‘Asr prayer on the Battle of Trench and made up for it after sunset and Allaah did not cause the sun to rise again for him. Also, Allaah did not cause the sun to rise again for Prophet Sulaymaan (Solomon) when he became so absorbed by checking his horses until he missed the worship that he used to perform before sunset … In addition, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and his Companions slept over and woke up after sunrise and thus missed Fajr prayer, yet Allaah, The Exalted, did not cause the sun to rise again for them.”

To the end of his discourse, he said, “All Muslim scholars would have liked for the likes of this Hadeeth to be authentic so as to add to the merits of ‘Ali whom they loved and revered. However, they could not accept such fabrication; so they rejected it out of their religiosity.”

Al-Haafith Ath-Thahabi also classified the report as weak in his summary of Al-Mawdhoo‘aat as did Ibn Taymiyyah . Moreover, Ibn Katheer wrote, “This report is weak and rejected through all its chains of narrators. Nothing of them is free from a Shi‘ite and unknown narrator or a Shi‘ite and rejected reporter. Moreover, if we assume that this Hadeeth has a connected (an uninterrupted) chain of narrators, it still cannot be accepted being reported through a single chain of narrators. This is because such a miraculous incident should be reported by quite a large number of narrators. In order for it to be acceptable, it has to be a collectively consistent report that is narrated by a large number of reporters, and not less than that …” [Al-Bidaayah wan-Nihaayah]

Allaah Knows best.