—everything that Allah has counted among events and realities, they contend, is lodged in this imam, in ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib.

‘About what are they asking one another? About the momentous news’ (an-Nabaʾ 1–2): ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib.

Explanation

‘About what are they asking one another? About the momentous news over which they differ’ (1–3). They assert that this “momentous news” is ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, claiming that people are split concerning him—some extol him, others denigrate him; some love him, others hate him. Yet is ʿAlī himself “news,” or is he one to whom news is delivered? Moreover, the verse speaks of a disagreement that already exists—He did not say “over which they will differ” in the future. When the verse was revealed, no such dispute about ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib existed.

‘Your guardian is only Allah, His Messenger, and those who believe—those who establish the prayer and give the alms while bowing’ (al-Māʾidah 55); they insist this refers to ʿAlī, and they cite a report that he gave charity with his ring while in prayer, a narration unanimously judged fabricated by the scholars (1).

Explanation

That claim is unfounded. ‘Your guardian is only Allah, His Messenger, and those who believe…’