He sent Alī after Abū Bakr only so that he might announce the repudiation of the covenant to the Arabs. It was their custom that covenants were concluded or repudiated only by an obeyed chief or a member of his household. They therefore would not accept the repudiation of covenants unless it came from a member of the Prophet’s household—may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

What further makes this clear is that, had he intended Alī to be his successor over his community after his death, he would not have conveyed this to him privately in an exchange between the two of them, nor would he have postponed saying it until Alī came out to him and complained. Rather, this would have been a ruling that had to be clearly explained and communicated to everyone in language that made its intended meaning plain.

Furthermore, the Rāfidah’s ignorance is shown by their self-contradiction. This hadith indicates that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—addressed Alī with these words only on that day, during the expedition of Tabūk. Had Alī already known that he was the appointed successor after the Prophet—as they related earlier—his heart would have been at ease, knowing that he held a position like Aaron’s both after the Prophet’s death and during his lifetime. He would not have gone out to him weeping (1), nor would he have said to him, “Are you leaving me behind among the women and children?”

Had Alī held Aaron’s position in an absolute sense, the Prophet would never have placed anyone in authority over him. Yet he would in fact