the Khawārij, for the Qarmatians, the Ismāʿīliyyah, and others like them wage war against the Muslim majority and affiliate themselves with the Rāfidah. The Khawārij are known for truthfulness, whereas the Rāfidah are known for lying. The Khawārij passed out of Islam, whereas these people openly repudiated Islam.

As for the Qadariyyah proper, they are far better than these groups and closer to the Quran and Sunnah. However, the Muʿtazilah and other Qadariyyah are also Jahmiyyah, and they may declare those who disagree with them disbelievers and deem it lawful to shed Muslim blood, thus approaching those other groups. The Murjiʾah, by contrast, are not among the proponents of these grave innovations. Indeed, groups of jurists and devout worshippers adopted their view and were regarded only as belonging to Ahl al-Sunnah, until their position became more serious through the grave doctrines they added.

Since prominent figures with followers had been associated with the Murjiʾī doctrine and the view that ʿAlī was superior, the renowned imams of the Sunnah condemned the Murjiʾah and those who preferred ʿAlī, to deter people from their teachings. One example is the statement of Sufyān al-Thawrī:

“Whoever ranks ʿAlī above Abū Bakr and the two elders has disparaged the Emigrants and the Helpers. I do not think any deed of his ascends to Allah while he holds that view.”

Or words to that effect. He said this when the preference for ʿAlī was attributed to some of the Kufan imams.

Likewise, Ayyūb al-Sakhtiyānī said:

“Whoever ranks ʿAlī above ʿUthmān has disparaged the Emigrants and the Helpers.”

He said this when such a view reached him concerning some of the Kufan imams. It has been reported that he retracted that view. Similarly, al-Thawrī, Mālik, al-Shāfiʿī, and others condemned the Murjiʾah when some prominent figures were associated with the Murjiʾī doctrine.