As for these “Banū ʿUbayd al-Qaddāh,” the community’s scholars whose knowledge and religious integrity are trusted have always challenged their lineage and religion. They do not condemn them simply for Rāfidism and Shiism, for many others share those views. Rather, they class them among “the Bātinī Qarmatians,” who include the Ismāʿīliyyah and Nusayriyyah. Of the same kind are the Khurramiyyah-Muhammirah and similar disbelieving hypocrites who outwardly professed Islam while concealing disbelief.

There is no doubt that following these people is false. Scholars have described the leaders of this doctrine as the very people who invented and fabricated it. They have explained the foundations of their doctrines and how they borrowed some teachings from the Magians and others from the philosophers. Thus they devised such ranks as “the Preceder,” “the Follower,” “the Foundation,” “the Proofs,” and “the Claims.” Their call is organized into seven degrees, the last being “al-balāgh al-akbar (the greatest disclosure) and al-nāmūs al-aʿzam (the supreme law).” This is not the place to explain these matters in detail.

That being so, anyone who testifies to the authenticity of their lineage or their faith is, at the very least, testifying without knowledge and asserting something of which he has no knowledge. This is forbidden by the consensus of the Muslim community. Indeed, their manifest heresy, hypocrisy, and hostility towards what the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, brought are evidence that their claimed descent from Fātimah is false. For a relative of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who holds the caliphate over his community would not oppose his religion as these people do.

No caliph among the Banū Hāshim, the descendants of Abū Tālib, or the Banū Umayyah has been known to be hostile towards the religion of Islam, let alone to show hostility like that of