Abū Ishāq Ibrāhīm ibn ‘Uthmān ibn Dirbās al-Shāfi‘ī also wrote a short treatise entitled “Vindicating the Imams of the Sacred Law against Vile Epithets.” In it, he cited statements of the early generations and others concerning these matters. He explained that every group among the people of innovation applies a fabricated label to “the people of the Sunnah”—claiming, according to its corrupt views, that the label is accurate—just as the polytheists used to apply fabricated labels to the Prophet.

Thus, the Rāfidah call them Nawāsib; the Qadariyyah call them determinists; the Murji’ah call them doubters; the Jahmiyyah call them people who liken Allah to His creation; and the speculative theologians call them Hashwiyyah, Nawābit, scum, rabble, and similar names. Likewise, Quraysh would sometimes call the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, a madman, sometimes a poet, sometimes a soothsayer, and sometimes a fabricator.

They said: This is a sign of truly inheriting his legacy and following him fully. For the Sunnah is the way followed by the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his Companions in belief, moderation, speech, and action. Just as those who deviate from him apply reprehensible, fabricated names to them—even if they believe those names to be accurate on the basis of their corrupt beliefs—so too do they treat those who follow him with clear insight, who are the people closest to him in life and death, inwardly and outwardly.

As for those who conform to him inwardly but are unable to uphold the outward practices, those who conform to him outwardly but are unable to fully realize the inward realities, and those who conform to him both outwardly and inwardly to the extent of their ability: those who deviate from his Sunnah inevitably believe that these followers have some deficiency for which they censure them