The early scholars of sunnah were meticulous enough to separate between "shiites" from the "Ar-rawāfidh".
Shiites according to the terminology of scholars of old who were individuals who loved and honour A'li bn Abee Tālib as a companion of the prophet and the husband of the only child of the prophet who bore offspring maintaining the lineage of the prophet.
Individuals with this love for A'lī bn Abee Tālib from amongst the Tābi'un and a few young companions, Ā'mir bn Wāthilah Abu At-tufayl to be specific were often regarded as "Mutashayyi' " "متشيع" or they use the phrase "كان يتشيع " "He used to proclaim to be from the group of A'lī".
As for the Ar-rawāfidh, they are those who went overboard regarding their love for A'lī to the extent of speaking ill of Abu Bakr and U'mar, abusing them and criticising many companions of the prophet except for a few.
This difference was what Al-Imām Adh-dhahabī mentioned in his Meezānul i'tidāl which was attributed by the writer to Al-Imām Ibnu Hajar. He, however, failed to mention the statement of the Imām in full.
Al-Imām Adh-dhahabī said:
Innovation (Bid'ah) is of two types:
1. Lesser innovation, such as excessive Shiism or moderate Shiism without distortion. Many Tabi'in (successors of the Companions) and their followers held such views while being devout, truthful, and sincere. Rejecting their hadiths would lead to the loss of many Prophetic narrations, which would be a clear harm.
2. Greater innovation, such as complete rejection (Rafdh), extremism, disparaging Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them), and calling others to such views.
This type is not considered reliable, and their narrations are not accepted.
Moreover, individuals of this type are not truthful or trustworthy; instead, lying, dissimulation (Taqiyyah), and hypocrisy characterize them. How can the narrations of such individuals be accepted?
In the time of the Salaf, a Gháli (extremist) Shia was one who criticized Uthman, Zubair, Talha, Mu'awiya, and others who fought against Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and engaged in cursing them.
In our time, a Ghāli is one who declares these noble Companions disbelievers and also disavows the two Shaykhs (Abu Bakr and Umar). Such a person is misguided and a fabricator.
Abān ibn Taghlib, however, did not criticize the two Shaykhs; instead, he believed in Ali's superiority over them.
أن البدعة على ضربين: فبدعة صغرى كغلو التشيع، أو كالتشيع بلا غلو، ولا تحرف فهذا كثير في التابعين وتابعيهم مع الدين، والورع، والصدق فلو رد حديث هؤلاء لذهب جملة من الآثار النبوية، وهذه مفسدة بينة.
ثم بدعة كبرى: كالرفض الكامل، والغلو فيه، والحط على أبي بكر، وعمر رضي الله عنهما والدعاء إلى ذلك، فهذا النوع لا يحتج بهم ولا كرامة.
وأيضا فما أستحضر في هذا الضرب رجلا صادقا، ولا مأمونا، بل الكذب شعارهم والتقية والنفاق دثارهم، فكيف يقبل نقل من هذا حاله؟! كلا وحاشا.
فالشيعي الغالي في زمان السلف, وعرفهم هو من تكلم في عثمان، والزبير، وطلحة، ومعاوية وطائفة ممن حاربوا عليا رضي الله عنه، وتعرض لسبهم.
والغالي في زماننا وعرفنا هو الذي يكفر هؤلاء السادة، ويتبرأ من الشيخين أيضا، فهذا ضال مفتر، ولم يكن أبان بن تغلب يعرض للشيخين أصلا بل قد يعتقد عليا أفضل منهما.
This preference of Abān bn Taghlib and many like him was as regards specific attributes in him and not that he is better than them in all ramifications.
Al-Imām Ibnu Hajar Al-Haythamī mentioned this in his As-sawāi'qul muhriqah 1/173:
As for what Ibn Abd al-Barr narrated secondly from those groups, it does not necessarily mean that they believed Ali was superior to Abu Bakr in all aspects.
Rather, it might be referring to Ali's precedence in Islam, based on the view that he was one of the earliest converts.
Alternatively, their intention behind preferring Ali over others (except for the two Shaykhs and Uthman) might be due to the clear and authentic evidence that establishes the superiority of Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman over Ali in certain aspects.
وَأما مَا حَكَاهُ أَعنِي ابْن عبد الْبر ثَانِيًا عَن أُولَئِكَ الْجَمَاعَة فَلَا يَقْتَضِي أَنهم قَائِلُونَ بأفضلية عَليّ على أبي بكر مُطلقًا بل إِمَّا من حَيْثُ تقدمه عَلَيْهِ إسلاما بِنَاء على القَوْل بذلك أَو مُرَادهم بتفضيل عَليّ على غَيره مَا عدا الشَّيْخَيْنِ وَعُثْمَان لقِيَام الْأَدِلَّة الصَّرِيحَة الصَّحِيحَة على أَفضَلِيَّة هَؤُلَاءِ عَلَيْهِ.
From the explicit evidence the Imām was referring to was the action of the companions during the lifetime of the prophet.
Abdullah ibn Umar said:
"During the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), we would say that the best of people was the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), then Abu Bakr, and then Umar.
Ali ibn Abi Talib was given three qualities, and having one of them for myself would be more beloved to me than red camels (a sign of great wealth).
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) married him to his daughter (Fatima), who bore him children.
The Prophet also ordered that all doors leading to the mosque be closed except for Ali's door.
And he gave Ali the flag (command) on the day of Khaybar."
عن عبد الله بن عمر" كنَّا نقولُ في زمَنِ رسولِ اللَّهِ صلَّى اللَّهُ عليهِ وسلَّمَ : رسولُ اللَّهِ صلَّى اللَّهُ عليهِ وسلَّمَ خيرُ النَّاسِ ثمَّ أبو بَكْرٍ ثمَّ عمرُ ولقد أُعْطيَ عليُّ بنُ أبي طالبٍ ثَلاثَ خصالٍ لأن يَكونَ لي واحدةٌ منهنَّ أحبُّ إليَّ من حُمْرِ النَّعَمِ زوَّجَهُ رسولُ اللَّهِ صلَّى اللَّهُ عليهِ وسلَّمَ ابنتَهُ وولَدت لَهُ وسدَّ الأبوابَ إلَّا بابَهُ في المسجِدِ وأعطاهُ الرَّايةَ يومَ خيبرَ"
Al-Imām Mālik said in the report of Al-Imām Al-Khallāl in his book "As-sunnah 1/493:
"Those who abuses the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) have no share or portion in Islam."
قال الإمام مالك: «الذي يشتم أصحاب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ليس لهم سهم -أو قال نصيب- في الإسلام»
Al-Imām Al-Qurtubi commented on the statement of Al-Imām Malik in his Tafseer 16/266 saying:
"Malik has spoken well and been correct in his interpretation. Whoever disparages even one of them (the Companions) or criticizes their narration has essentially rejected the Lord of the worlds and invalidated the laws of the Muslims."
«لقد أحسن مالك في مقالته وأصاب في تأويله، فمن نقص واحدا منهم أو طعن عليه في روايته فقد رد على الله رب العالمين وأبطل شرائع المسلمين».
Al-Imām Al-Khallāl also reported from Al-Imām Ahmad bn Hanbal in his As-sunnah 1/493:
Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal said:
"I asked my father about a man who abuses one of the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and he said, 'I do not consider him to be a Muslim.'"
He also said, "The Rafidah (Rejectionists) have nothing to do with Islam."
قال عبد الله بن أحمد بن حنبل: «سألت أبي عن رجل شتم رجلا من أصحاب النبي -صلى الله عليه وسلم- فقال: ما أراه على الإسلام، وقال أيضا: وليست الرافضة من الإسلام في شيء»
The question now is, HOW MANY COMPANIONS OF THE PROPHET HAS MUDIR ABUSED WITH DEROGATORY WORD LIKE "DEDEWURE!!!, ELETEKETE!!!!?. And worse was his recent statements about Abu Bakr and U'mar about the death of the prophet.
This is the exact act of those who claim to be shiites today. They call the wife of the prophet an adulterer, call Abu Bakr and U'mar disbelievers.
As for scholars of sunnah having At-tashayyu' in them, the writer mentioned Al-Imām Abdurrazzāq As-san'ānī (it must be an honest mistake) and Al-Imām An-nasāī.
As for Al-Imām Abdurrazzāq, it was an allegation that some scholars like Al-Imām Ibnu Hibbān, Ibnu A'dī, and Al-i'jlī mentioned about him.
Ibn Hibban said:
"He (Abdurrazzāq) was one of those who compiled, classified, memorized, and narrated hadiths. However, he would make mistakes when narrating from memory, and he had a Shiite inclination."
( "Ath-Thiqat" 8/412)
قال ابن حبان :
" كَانَ مِمَّن جمع وصنف وَحفظ وذاكر، وَكَانَ مِمَّن يخطىء إِذا حدث من حفظه، على تشيع فِيهِ " انتهى من " الثقات " (8/ 412) .
Al-I'jli said:
"He is trustworthy, known as Abu Bakr, and had Shiite inclinations."
("Ath-Thiqat" 2/93)
وقال العجلي :
" ثِقَة يكنى أَبَا بكر، وَكَانَ يتشيع " .
" الثقات " (2/ 93)
Ibn A'dī said:
"Abdur-Razzaq ibn Hammam has many hadiths, and trustworthy Muslims and Imams have traveled to him, written from him, and saw no issue with his narrations, except that they attributed Shiite inclinations to him."
(Al-Kamil" 6/545)
قال ابن عدي :
" لعبد الرَّزَّاق بْن همام حديث كَثِيرٍ، وقد رحل إليه ثقات المسلمين وأئمتهم ، وكتبوا عَنْهُ ، ولم يروا بحديثه بأسا، إلاَّ أنهم نسبوه إِلَى التشيع " انتهى من " الكامل " (6/ 545) .
However, He cleared the air himself that he never believed that A'li was better than Abu Bakr and U'mar, and he believed loving them was an act of worship.
Abdullah ibn Ahmad said:
"I asked my father (Ahmad ibn Hanbal) whether Abdurrazzāq had Shiite inclinations or extreme Shiite views. He replied, 'As for me, I didn't hear anything like that from him.'"
Abdullah ibn Ahmad also said:
"I heard Salama ibn Shabib say that Abdurrazzāq said, 'By Allah, my heart has never been open to preferring Ali over Abu Bakr and Umar. May Allah have mercy on Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman. Whoever doesn't love them isn't a believer.' Abdurrazzāq also said, 'The most reliable of my deeds is my love for them.'"
Abu Al-Azhar said:
"I heard Abdurrazzāq say, 'Ali himself prefers the two Shaykhs (Abu Bakr and Umar) over himself. If he hadn't preferred them, I wouldn't have preferred them either. It's enough shame for me to love Ali and then go against his statement (about the Shaykhs).'"
( "Tahdhib al-Tahdhib" (6/313))
قال عبد الله بن أحمد: " سألت أبي هل كان عبد الرزاق يتشيع ، ويفرط في التشيع ؟ فقال: أما أنا فلم أسمع منه في هذا شيئا " .
وقال عبد الله بن أحمد : " سمعت سلمة بن شبيب يقول سمعت عبد الرزاق يقول: والله ما انشرح صدري قط أن أفضل عليا على أبي بكر وعمر، رحم الله أبا بكر وعمر وعثمان، من لم يحبهم فما هو مؤمن ، وقال: أوثق أعمالي: حبي إياهم ".
وقال أبو الأزهر سمعت عبد الرزاق يقول: " أفضل الشيخين بتفضيل علي إياهما على نفسه ، ولو لم يفضلهما ما فضلتهما ، كفى بي ازدراء أن أحب عليا ثم أخالف قوله ".
" تهذيب التهذيب " (6/ 313) .
As for Al-Imām An-Nasāī, his case was like that of Al-Imām Ash-shāfi'i mentioned in the first part of this rejoinder. He was never a shiite. Many scholars have reported what actually happened even when some claimed he had some level of At-tashayyu'. This Tashayyu', even if found in him, should be understood based on previous explanation to mean those who show their love for A'li while respecting and affirming the honour and Islam of the companions.
Al-Hafidh Ibnul Asākir (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"It was narrated from Abu Abdurrahman al-Nasa'i that he was asked about Mu'awiya ibn Abu Sufyan, the Companion of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
He replied, 'Islam is like a house with a door. The door of Islam is the Companions. Whoever harms the Companions, it is as if they intend to harm Islam itself, just like someone who knocks on the door intends to enter the house.'
He added, 'So, whoever targets Mu'awiya, it is as if they target the Companions (in general).'"
"Tārikhu Dimashq" 71/175
قال الحافظ ابن عساكر رحمه الله :
" روي عن أبي عبد الرحمن النسائي ، أنه سئل عن معاوية بن أبي سفيان ، صاحب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ، فقال: إنما الإسلام كدار لها باب، فباب الإسلام الصحابة، فمن آذى الصحابة ، إنما أراد الإسلام، كمن نقر الباب ، إنما يريد دخول الباب.
قال: فمن أراد معاوية فإنما أراد الصحابة " انتهى من "تاريخ دمشق" (71/ 175).
This clearly showed he never disparaged any companion nor took a camp over the other. However, many accused him At-tashayyu' because he wrote a book on the virtues of A'li bn Abee Tālib in a region where A'li bn Abee Tālib was disparaged by its people. Then they asked him to write about the virtues of Mu'āwiyah who was beloved and preferred over A'li bn Abee Tālib in Damascus, which he declined.
Here's the translation:
Muhammad ibn Musa said:
"I heard people criticizing him (Al-Nasa'i) for writing the book 'Al-Khasa'is' about the virtues of Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and for not writing similar books about the virtues of Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them).
At that time, no such books had been written.
I mentioned this criticism to him, and he replied, 'We entered Damascus, where many people were deviant as regards A'li. I compiled the book 'Al-Khasa'is' in the hope that Allah would guide them.'" (From "Tahdhib al-Kamal" 1/338)
قال محمد بن موسى : " سمعت قوما ينكرون عَلَيْهِ كتاب "الخصائص" ، لعلي رضي الله عَنْهُ ، وتركه لتصنيف فضائل أَبِي بَكْر وعُمَر وعثمان رضي الله عنهم، ولم يكن فِي ذلك الوقت صنفها، فحكيت لَهُ ما سمعت، فَقَالَ: دخلنا إِلَى دمشق ، والمنحرف عَنْ علي بِهَا كثير، فصنفت كتاب "الخصائص" ، رجاء أن يهديهم الله " انتهى من "تهذيب الكمال" (1/ 338) .
Al-Imām Al-Lālakāī reported in his Sharhu Usūlil I'tiqād from A'li bn Abee Tālib that he said:
At the end of time, a group of people will emerge who are called the Rafidah (Rejectionists), a nickname that identifies them. They will claim to be our Shi'ah (followers), but they are not from our Shi'ah.
The sign of this is that they will curse Abu Bakr and Umar.
قال : نا محمد بن خازم ، عن أبي الجناد الحلبي ، عن أبي سليمان الهمداني ، عن علي قال :
يخرج في آخر الزمان قوم لهم نبز يقال لهم الرافضة يعرفون به ، ينتحلون شيعتنا ، وليسوا من شيعتنا ، وآية ذلك أنهم يسبون أبا بكر وعمر....
ABUSERS OF THE COMPANIONS OF THE PROPHET ARE RAWĀFIDH M, NOT SHI'AH OF A'LI.
