lineage—even if they were better in Allah’s sight—the intended purpose would not be achieved. The point was that they should summon their closest relatives, just as he himself (1) would summon those closest to him. People’s hearts feel a tenderness toward their relatives that they do not feel toward others. They knew that he was the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—and that, if they engaged him in mutual imprecation, the curse would descend upon them and their relatives. Their fear (2) thus encompassed both themselves and their relatives, making this an even greater deterrent to their proceeding. A person may otherwise choose to perish so that his son may live, and an elderly man may choose death if his relatives will remain in comfort and wealth. This occurs frequently. He therefore called upon them to engage in mutual imprecation, bringing the sons, women, men, and closest relatives from both sides; hence, these were the people he summoned.

The verse of mutual imprecation was revealed in 10 AH, when the delegation of Najrān arrived. Of the Prophet’s paternal uncles, only al-Abbās was still alive, and al-Abbās was neither among the first and foremost nor did he enjoy the same special closeness to the Prophet as Alī did. As for the Prophet’s paternal cousins, none of them was comparable to Alī, while Jafar had already been killed. The mutual imprecation took place when the delegation of Najrān arrived in 9 or 10 AH, whereas Jafar had been killed at Mu’ta in 8 AH. Alī—may Allah be pleased with him—was therefore the necessary choice. His being the necessary choice for the mutual imprecation, because none of the Prophet’s relatives could take his place, does not entail that he was equal to the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—in any respect whatsoever, nor even that he be (3) absolutely superior to all the other Companions. Rather, by virtue of the mutual imprecation, he possesses a particular merit,