Ali Ibn Abi Talib - Volume 2 of 2

'Ali ibn Abi Tdlib 399
very dear to them because of what they hew of their bad fate after
death. There is no support in the verse of mub&alah for what the
Twelver Shia claim about imamate, for a number of reasons:
Despite the many meanings and synonyms of the Arabic word
for 'self, which the Imamis quoted as evidence that the text refers to
the caliphate of 'Ali ibn Abi Tilib (&), there is no meaning of this
word, either literal or metaphorical, that indicates the meaning of
caliphate. What the Sunnis understand from this verse is that it refers
to the Prophet (a) praying, alone or in the presence of his brothers in
Islam or through blood and ties, and this is something that is in
accordance with Arabic usage and with religious terminology. Az-
Zubaydi said: "Ibn Kh2lawayh said: 'The [Arabic for the] word 'self
may mean brother."' Ibn Baniy said: 'The evidence for that is the
verse in which AUah says: 4Bnt when you enter the houses, greet one
another [lit. greet yourselves]~ (Qur'an 24: 61)." Ibu 'Arafah
interpreted the words 4Why then, did not the believers, men and
women, when you heard it [the slander], think good of their own
people [lit. think good of themselves] and say: 'This [charge] is an
obvious Lie?') (Qur'an 24: 12) as referring to people of faith or people
of their own religion.494 Ad-Dahlawi said, concerning the verse of
mub&alah: "What is meant by 'let us call' is 'let us bring ourselves'.
Moreover, even if we agree that the ruler, Imam 'Ali, was appointed
by the Prophet (g) on the basis of the word 'ourselves', then who is
referred to as ruler of the disbelievers in the word 'yourselves', even
though they are all included in the word for 'let us call'? There is no
point in the Prophet (g) calling himself and his children after the
r
word 'come .
,2495
The words 'ourselves' and 'yourselves' are like the usage in
the verse in which Allah (&) says, 4Why then, did not the believers,
men and women, when you heard it [the slander], think good of their