and jihad against the disbelievers. Praise be to Allah, who bestowed upon Islam and its people the blessing of the Ummah’s Siddīq—the unwavering affirmer of truth—through whom Allah strengthened His religion during the lifetime of His Messenger and preserved it after His Messenger’s death. May Allah reward him on behalf of Islam and its people with the finest reward.

[The Fourth Method: Proofs for Alī’s Imamate Inferred from His Personal Qualities and Conduct]

[The First Argument: That He Was the Most Detached of All People from Worldly Life, and Its Refutation]

Section

The Rāfidī(1) said:

“The fourth method concerns the proofs for his imamate that are (inferred)(2) from his personal qualities and conduct(3). They are twelve in number.”

He then stated that Alī was the most detached of all people from worldly life, the most devout in worship, the most learned, and the bravest. He also cited various extraordinary occurrences associated with him and the convergence in him of virtues in ways(4) by which he surpassed them. He then said(5):

“First: He was the most detached of all people from worldly life after the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.”(6)

The response is to deny this claim, for those well acquainted with the two men hold that, of all people after the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, those who exhibited the greatest detachment from worldly life in the sense prescribed by Islamic law were Abū Bakr and Umar. This is because Abū Bakr possessed wealth that he earned(7), yet he spent all of it in the cause of Allah and assumed the caliphate,