those who act justly.”

“The believers are but brothers, so make peace between your brothers and fear Allah, so that you may be shown mercy.”

Thus, He called them brothers and described them as believers, despite the fighting between them and the transgression of some against others.

As for whoever fought Ali, if (1) he was a transgressor, that does not exclude him from (2) faith, make him deserving (3) of the Fire, or bar him from the Gardens. For when transgression is based on an interpretive judgment (4), the person responsible is a qualified scholar exercising independent judgment.

For this reason, Ahl al-Sunnah agreed that neither of the two groups is to be deemed sinful, even if they said of one of them, “They were transgressors,” because they were qualified scholars exercising independent judgment based on their interpretation. A qualified scholar who errs in his judgment is neither deemed an unbeliever nor a sinner. Even if someone deliberately transgresses, it is but one sin among others, and punishment for sins may be averted through numerous causes, such as repentance, good deeds that erase sins, expiating afflictions, the intercession of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—the supplications of the believers, and other such causes.

As for his claim, “The reason for that was Muhammad ibn Abī Bakr’s love for Ali and his separation from his father,” it is an obvious lie. During his father’s lifetime, Muhammad ibn Abī Bakr was merely a child under three years of age. After his father’s death, he was among those who most deeply revered him; he took pride in his father, and people respected him on that account.