mentioning the four caliphs(1) is an innovation, even though many caliphs did so, then restricting mention to Ali—something no one in the Muslim community had ever done before—is even more deserving of being deemed an innovation. And if mentioning Ali is recommended because he was the Commander of the Faithful, then mentioning the four Rightly Guided Caliphs is all the more recommended. But the Rāfidah are among those guilty of double standards(2): each of them sees the speck in the eyes(3) of the people of the Sunnah, yet fails to see the beam lodged crosswise in his own eye.

It is well known that the Muslims agreed(4) upon the first three caliphs. During their rule, the sword was drawn against the unbelievers and withheld from the people of Islam. As for Ali, the Muslims were not unanimous in pledging allegiance to him. Rather, civil strife broke out during that period, [and during that period the sword](5) was withheld from the unbelievers and drawn against the people of Islam. Thus, restricting mention to Ali alone, to the exclusion of those who preceded him, means omitting mention of the leaders from the time when the Muslims were united and victorious over their enemy, while limiting mention to the leader who held office when the Muslims were divided [and their enemy sought to seize their lands(6). For during the civil strife, the unbelievers in Syria and Khurasan coveted the Muslims’ lands](7),