There is no doubt that these men are among the foremost Muslims and the leading authorities of the religion. Their statements are entitled to the respect and esteem due to those of their standing. Yet much of what is transmitted from them is false. The Rāfidah have no expertise in chains of transmission or in distinguishing trustworthy transmitters from others. Rather, in this respect they resemble the People of the Scripture: they accept every report (1) they find in books attributed to their forebears. This is unlike Ahl al-Sunnah, whose expertise in chains of transmission enables them to distinguish truth from falsehood.

If a report from Alī ibn al-Husayn (2) is authentically transmitted, then his peers—such as al-Qāsim ibn Muhammad, Sālim ibn Abd Allah, and others—stand on the same footing as he does, just as Alī ibn Abī Tālib stood alongside the rest of the Companions.

Allah Most High said:

“If you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger.”

[Surah al-Nisā': 59]

Thus, He commanded that whatever the Muslims disputed be referred to Allah and the Messenger.

The Rāfidah do not concern themselves with memorizing the Quran, understanding its meanings and interpretation, or seeking the evidence that establishes those meanings. Nor do they concern themselves with the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—or with distinguishing authentic reports from inauthentic ones and investigating their meanings. Neither do they concern themselves with the reports of the Companions and the Followers so as to understand the foundations from which they derived their views and the methods they followed, and to refer (3) whatever