Allah created one hundred and twenty-four thousand prophets, and I am the best of them with Allah and I do not boast. Allah created one hundred and twenty-four thousand deputies, and `Ali is the best of them and the most preferred of them with Allah. The shaykh said: Muhammad b. Ahmad al-Baghdadi al-Warraq narrated this hadith to me – he said: `Ali b. Muhammad the servant of al-Rashid narrated to us. He said Darim b. Qubaysa narrated to me. He said: `Abdullah b. Muhammad b. Sulayman b. `Abdullah b. al-Hasan narrated to me from his father from his grandfather from Zayd b. `Ali from his father `Ali b. al-Husayn from his father from Amir al-Mu’minin `Ali b. Abi Talib (as) from the Prophet (s).