that he was included (1) among those who had been promised salvation. [For this reason, some scholars said: “He is not among those members of Your family whom You promised to save.”] (2) Although he belonged to the family by lineage, he did not belong to them in religion. Disbelief severs (3) the bond of loyalty between believers and disbelievers.

Thus, we say that Abū Lahab does not belong to the family of Muhammad or to his household, even though he was one of his relatives. He is therefore not included in our words (4): “O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad.”

Noah’s wife betrayed her husband in matters of religion, for she used to say that he was insane. Lot’s wife likewise betrayed him in matters of religion, for she would direct her people to his guests. Her people engaged in sexual acts with males; their sin was not illicit sex with women, such that one might suspect her of having committed a sexual indecency. Rather, she aided them in sin and approved of what they did.

Another manifestation of the Rāfidis’ ignorance is that they exalt the prophets’ bloodlines—their fathers and sons—while impugning their wives. All of this arises from partisan bias and the pursuit of caprice (5), to the point that they exalt Fātima, Hasan, and Husayn while impugning Aisha [the Mother of the Believers] (6). They—or those among them who make this claim—say that Āzar, Abraham’s father, was a believer and that both parents of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—were believers, so as not to say that a prophet’s father could be