Is the Hadith attributed to Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him): "Patience is to faith as the head is to the body," authentic?

Summary:

It was narrated that Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "Patience is to faith as the head is to the body." This narration has been transmitted through several chains of narration, some of which are not free from weakness, but the multiplicity of its paths strengthens it. A number of scholars, such as Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim, have cited it as evidence.

Elucidation of the meaning of the narration from two perspectives:

1. Its derivation from the Quran: The meaning may be taken from the Almighty’s saying: ﴿And We made from among them leaders guiding by Our command when they were patient and [when] they were certain of Our signs.﴾ (Quran 32:24); thus, patience and certainty make a person a leader in religion.

2. The pervasiveness of patience in religion: Patience is involved in all matters of religion. Faith is knowledge in the heart, affirmation by the tongue, and action by the limbs. Faith is not complete except through patience in performing acts of obedience, abstaining from sins, and enduring divine decrees. If patience is absent, faith is absent, just as life is absent from the body if it loses its head.