Analysis and Theological Conceptology of the Term “Ali’s (A.S.) Religion” In the Hadith Sources of the two Major Sects

The word dīn (religion) is of a certain lexical and connotative meaning, of which obedience and restriction are the semantic and connotative requirements. The term “Ali’s (A.S.) religion”, which has a meaning different from the application of the word sunna for the Prophet’s (S.A.W.) caliphs (e.g. Abu Bakr’s sunna ‘Umar’s sunna), has been used by the Imams (A.S.), followers of Ali (A.S.), and his enemies. In the traditions of the two major sects, the addition of the person’s name to the word dīn is not exclusive to Ali (A.S.). Rather, it has been applied to ‘Uthmān, Mu’āwiya, Yazīd, spiritual heirs (awṣiyā), angels, Fāṭima (S.A.), and Ḥusayn (A.S.),
as well. In the end, with a study of the hadith sources, it is clarified that the legal
and judiciary approach and the political approach of Ali (A.S.) is the main reason for the exclusive addition of the word dīn to the name of Ali (A.S.) among the caliphs. Contrary to what some orientalists believe, “Ali’s (A.S.) religion” is the same as “The Prophet’s (S.A.W.) religion”. It is worth mentioning that Ali (A.S.) had certain specific legal, judiciary, and political principles distinguished from the caliphs; but due to people’s disobedience of the laws of concern to him and their insistence on executing the sunnas of the caliphs prior to him, some of these sunnas were executed during Ali’s (A.S.)
Rule and this was never interpreted as non-actualization of Ali’s (A.S.) legal-judiciary sunna and sīra