'Ali ibn Rafi' was the secretary of Amir al-Mu'minin (a..s.) He was the first person after his father who began writing on "fiqh" (jurisprudence) and his brother, 'Abdullah ibn Rafi' took the lead in the writing of history and the recording of events in the Muslim community.
Imam Ahmad (ibn Hanbal) anachukulia riwaya zake kuwa ni zenye kuaminiwa Fallas anatoa maoni: yeye si miongoni mwa wale waliosema uongo na uzushi na riwaya zake zipo zinapatikana katika Sahih al-Tirmidhi; na Ibn Qutaybah katika Ma'rif anamhesabu miongoni mwa Mashi'a mashuhuri.