He was asked:
About a group united in various forms of corruption. Among them is someone who says that religion became corrupt before “this”—namely, when the caliphate was taken from ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib. Those who took office in his place were not qualified to govern, so their appointment was invalid. Consequently, no contract concluded by Muslims thereafter was valid, whether a marriage contract or any other. Everyone who married after that event therefore has an invalid marriage; likewise, all contracts, appointments to office, and other such matters are invalid.
The person making this claim also alleges that Allah is a cross, with each letter of the Divine Name at the end of one of the cross’s lines. He asserts to people that the Jews and Christians follow the truth, as do the Magians and others.
He replied—may Allah Most High have mercy on him:
This ignorant man resembles, in his ignorance, the Rāfidah, who tell lies and whose superstitions deceive only ignorant people unfamiliar with the foundations of Islam, such as those mentioned in this question. It was stated that they say religion became corrupt when the caliphate was taken from ‘Alī, and that was