Moreover, Allah’s safeguarding and protection of His Messenger would have required Him to reveal Abū Bakr’s evil intentions to him, had Abū Bakr harboured any ill intent towards him. Allah had revealed to him what Abū ‘Azza concealed when he came professing faith while intending to assassinate him; this occurred during a single sitting. Likewise, He revealed to him what al-Hajabī concealed on the day of Hunayn, when the Muslims fled and al-Hajabī contemplated an evil deed. He also revealed to him what ‘Umayr ibn Wahb concealed when he came from Mecca professing Islam while intending to assassinate him. And Allah exposed to him the hypocrites during the expedition to Tabūk, when they intended to loosen his she-camel’s saddle girth.

Abū Bakr was constantly with him, night and day, at home and on journeys, in private and in public; on the day of Badr, he was alone with him in the shelter. Yet are we to suppose that he harboured evil intentions in his heart while the Prophet (1), peace and blessings be upon him, never once knew of them? Even someone with the slightest discernment would recognize such intentions through far less contact. Who could entertain such a notion about the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and his truthful companion, except someone whose extreme ignorance and utter lack of reason are compounded by being among those who most disparage the Messenger, attack him, and impugn his understanding?! If this ignorant person nevertheless loves the Messenger (2), then the saying applies to him:

“A wise enemy is better than an ignorant friend.”

There is no doubt that many among Banū Hāshim and others who love the Messenger and have adopted Shiism have received from the Rāfidīs teachings that gravely impugn the Messenger. For Rāfidī doctrine was originally introduced by a heretic whose aim was to nullify the religion of Islam and to cast aspersions