Evidence of this is that, according to them, he was unable to enforce the prescribed punishment against Ubayd Allāh ibn Umar, Uthmān’s deputies, and others.

The Rāfidīs make contradictory assertions, each of which invalidates the others.

[Response to the Rāfidī’s claim that Uthmān added the second call to prayer on Friday]

As for his statement:

“He added the second call to prayer on Friday. It is an innovation, yet it consequently became (1) a sunnah that has remained to this day.”

The response is that Alī—may Allah be pleased with him—was among those who agreed to this, both during Uthmān’s lifetime and after his killing. Thus, when he became caliph, he did not order this call to prayer abolished, even though he did take action regarding the appointments of some of Uthmān’s officials to which he objected; indeed, he ordered the dismissal of Muāwiya and others. It is well known that abolishing this innovation would have been easier for him than dismissing those men [and fighting them, which he was unable to do. He was more capable of eliminating this innovation from Kufa and other territories under his authority than of removing those men. Had he eliminated it, the people would have known and reported it] (2).

If it is said, “The people would not have agreed to his abolishing it,”

the response is: This proves that the people agreed with Uthmān in considering it recommended and commendable—even those who fought alongside Alī, such as Ammār, Sahl ibn Hunayf, and others among the earliest forerunners. Had these leading Companions objected to it, no one else would have opposed them. Even if it were assumed that among the Companions there were some who objected