the religion of Islam, undo its bonds, and ultimately tear it down from its very foundations. Yet what he concealed (1) of this began to emerge from him. But Allah refuses anything short of perfecting His light, even though the unbelievers hate it.

This is well known concerning (2) Ibn Saba and his followers (3). He was the one who introduced the claim that Alī had been explicitly designated and the claim that he was infallible. Thus, the Imāmī Rāfida (4) are followers of the apostates, servants of the heretics, and heirs of the hypocrites; they were not the apostate heretics themselves.

The Fifth Point:

It may be said: Suppose the verse was revealed concerning Alī. Would anyone then claim that it applies exclusively to him, when its wording explicitly states that those referred to are a group?

Allah Most High says:

“Whoever among you turns back from his religion, Allah will bring forth a people whom He loves and who love Him”

[Surah al-Mā’ida: 54]

up to His words:

“the blame of any blamer.”

Is this not explicit that those described are not a single man? For in Arabic, a man (5) is not called a people, either literally or figuratively.

If one were to say, “What is meant is Alī and his followers,” the answer would be: If the verse includes others along with Alī, then there is no doubt that those who fought the unbelievers and the apostates have a stronger claim to inclusion in it than those who fought only fellow Muslims. There is likewise no doubt that the people of Yemen who fought alongside Abū Bakr, Umar, and Uthmān have a stronger claim to inclusion in it than the Rāfida, who ally themselves with the Jews, Christians, and polytheists and show hostility toward the first and foremost believers.

If it is said that many of those who fought alongside Alī were from Yemen, the answer is that many of those who fought against him were also from Yemen. Thus, both