As for anything he has cited and claimed, “Alī was intended by it,” if it were instead claimed that Abū Bakr, Umar, or Uthmān was intended by it, that claim would be no more far-fetched than theirs. Indeed, in many instances it would be more plausible than his.

And if(1) he says, “But no one has ever said this, unlike our claim,” the answer is twofold:

First, this is not conceded. Rather, some people apply some of the verses he has cited specifically to Abū Bakr and Umar, as well as to others besides them.

Second, if one person says that this passage refers specifically to one of the Companions, while someone else can just as well make it refer specifically to another, the latter’s argument is of the same kind as the former’s. This demonstrates the unsoundness of his claim, even if that counterclaim has never actually been made. For when a person tells a lie, it is [not](2) possible to counter it with another just like it(3); and he cannot rebut this counterclaim except by the very means that rebut his own claim. It therefore follows that either both claims must be accepted as true or both must be deemed lies.

This is like the well-known account concerning Qāsim ibn Zakariyyā al-Mutarriz. He related:

“I visited one of the Shia—it has been said that he was Abbād ibn Yaqūb—and he asked me, ‘Who dug the sea?’

“I replied, ‘Allah Most High.’

“He said, ‘Shall I tell you who dug it?’

“I asked, ‘Who dug it?’

“He replied, ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib.’

“He asked, ‘Who put the water in it?’

“I replied, ‘Allah.’

“He said, ‘Shall I tell you who it was who put the water in it?’

“I asked, ‘Who was it?’

“He replied, ‘Al-Hasan.’

“When I was about to leave, he asked, ‘Who dug the sea?’

“I replied, ‘Muāwiya.’

“He asked, ‘And who [was it that](4) put the water in it?’

“I replied, ‘Yazīd.’ At this, he became angry and stood up.”