1- (Omitting the chains of narrators) it is narrated from Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari that during the Battle of Taif, when the Messenger of Allah (s) was conferring with Amirul Momineen (a), people (including Abu Bakr and Umar) said: “You talk secretly to him and keep us aloof?” the Messenger of Allah (s) addressed the people saying: “People, you say that I am in secret counsel with Ali. By God, I am not telling him the secrets, the Almighty Allah is.”
Al-Ikhtisaas, Pg. 199; Biharul Anwar, Vol. 39, Pg. 153, Tr. 9; Basairud Darajaat, Pg. 410, Tr. 3
2- (Omitting the chains of narrators) Abu Rafe says that when the Messenger of Allah (s) dispatched Abu Bakr to deliver the verses of Surah Baraat, the Almighty Allah told the Prophet: You are overlooking the one, with whom I have counseled privately a number of times and send one, with whom I never had a private audience. After that the Holy Prophet (s) sent Imam Ali (a) to announce the verses of Surah Baraat. At the time of departure, Imam Ali (a) said: O Messenger of Allah (s), please advise me. The Messenger of Allah (s) said: Almighty Allah would advise you and would have private counsel with you. Thus, on the day of the announcement of immunity, from the time of Zuhr till Asr, Almighty Allah had private audience with Hazrat Ali (a).
Al-Ikhtisaas, Pg. 200; Biharul Anwar, Vol. 39, Pg. 155, Tr. 13; Basairud Darajaat, Pg. 411, Tr. 6.
3- (Omitting the chains of narrators) Humran bin Ayyin says that I told Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a): I have heard that Allah, the mighty and sublime held confidential conversation with Ali (a). Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a) said: Yes, Almighty Allah held confidential conversation with Ali (a) in Taif. Allah taught His Messenger (s) about the lawful and the unlawful, and interpretation of Quran and the Messenger of Allah (s) taught all that to Ali (a).
Al-Ikhtisaas, Pg. 278.
4- (Omitting the chains of narrators) Jabir says that when the Messenger of Allah (s) besieged Taif, he called Ali (a) and had confidential discussions with him for a long time. People said to His Eminence: Today, you held long secret discussions with Ali (a)? His Eminence replied: I did not have secret discussions with Ali (a); it was Allah who did.
Amali, Shaykh Tusi, Vol. 1, Pg. 340.
5- When Umar was injured and he became certain that he would die, he appointed a Shura committee of six to select a Caliph. At that time Ali (a) said to the members of Shura:
If whatever I tell is truth, you must accept it and if I am wrong you may reject it. After that he mentioned many of his virtues and for each of his merit he inquired from the members of Shura if that was true. The Shura members used to testify for him veracity. He told the Shura members while mentioning his excellence: Do you know that during the siege of Taif, the Messenger of Allah (s) held secret consultation with me which was prolonged? And some of you had said to His Eminence: O Messenger of Allah (s), you ignored us and held consultation with Ali. The Messenger of Allah (s) replied: I didn’t have secret consultation with him; on the contrary Almighty Allah consulted with him. Is that correct?
All those present over there said: Yes, that’s right. Ahle Sunnat tradition scholars have also mentioned this tradition in their books, among them most important being Imam Tirmidhi, Abu Yaala, Ibne Kathir, Ibne Maghazali and Samani.
Sunan Tirmidhi, Vol. 5, Pg. 639, Tr. 3726; Musnad, Abu Yaala Mosuli, Vol. 4, Pg. 118, Tr. 339 (2163); Al-Bidaya wan Nihaya, Ibne Kathir, Vol. 7, Pg. 356; Ansaab, Samani etc. from Ahle Sunnat books.