The Marwanids who fought (1) Ali—although they did not declare him an unbeliever—had arguments stronger than those of the Rafidites. Al-Jāhiz authored a book in defense of the Marwanids in which he presented arguments of theirs that the Rafidites cannot refute—indeed, not even the Zaydis can refute them, let alone the Rafidites!

Because Ahl al-Sunnah (2) wa al-Jamāah were balanced (3) and moderate, the Shi'a began to appeal to them for support concerning the truths they affirm about Ali. Ahl al-Sunnah, however, affirmed these truths on the basis of evidence that establishes (4) the merits of the four caliphs and the other Companions. Neither Ahl al-Sunnah nor anyone else possesses any proof that singles Ali out for praise while singling others out for censure. For (5) such a position is impossible to maintain except through preposterous falsehoods, not through truth acceptable in the arena of reasoned inquiry and debate.

The fourth point is to say: His statement, “Indeed, those who believe and do righteous deeds” [Sūrat al-Bayyinah: 7], applies generally to everyone possessing these qualities (6). What, then, warrants restricting it to the Shi'a?

If it is said (7), “Because everyone other than them is an unbeliever,” the reply is: If the unbelief of everyone other than them is established (8) by evidence, that would make this lengthy argument unnecessary for you. If it is not established, this line of argument does not benefit you, for it is not established by transmission. If it can be established by separate evidence, that evidence—not this verse—is what must be relied upon.