Is it true that the Prophet, may God's prayers and peace be upon him, said: "Looking at Ali is an act of worship"?

This Hadith is not authentically reported from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and its chains of transmission are very weak. A group of scholars have judged it to be a fabricated lie, among them Ibn al-Jawzi, who mentioned it in "Al-Mawdu'at" (The Fabricated Narratives) and said: "It is not authentic through any of its chains." Imam Al-Dhahabi ruled it to be fabricated and false, and Al-Shawkani mentioned it in "Al-Fawa'id al-Majmu'ah fi al-Ahadith al-Mawdu'ah" (The Collected Benefits Regarding Fabricated Narratives). Sheikh Al-Albani said: "Fabricated," and that the soul is not at ease with its authenticity because most of its chains of transmission are from the narration of liars, fabricators, abandoned narrators, and unknown individuals. The authentic merits of Ali ibn Abi Talib are numerous and do not require this weak merit.