Nasb-and-the-Nawasib

Similarly, some of the Ṣaḥābah M would prevent those who came to them
from out of Madīnah from reviling ʿAlī I. Abū Bakr ibn Khālid ibn ʿUrfuṭah 1
says:
رأيت سعد بن مالك بالمدينة فقال:‏ ذكر أنكم تسبون عليا قلت نعم قال:‏ لعلك سببته.‏ قلت:‏ معاذ الله.‏ قال:‏
ل تسبه،‏ فإن وضع المنشار على مفرقي على أن أسب عليا ما سببته بعد ما سمعت من رسول الله صلى
الله عليه وسلم ما سمعت
I saw Saʿd ibn Mālik in Madīnah. He said to me, “It is said that you people
revile ʿAlī.” I replied, “Yes.” “Probably you also reviled him?” he asked. I
said, “I seek the refuge of Allah.” Whereafter he said, “Do not revile him,
for if the saw were placed upon my head and I were told to revile ʿAlī I
would not do so after I heard from Rasūl Allah H whatever I heard.” 2
Even though most of the Ṣaḥābah M only witnessed the emergence of the
Khawārij, those who succeeded them witnessed the emergence of their other
type and thus were eager to follow in the same path of refuting them. They,
however, expanded their efforts in combatting Naṣb after its people came to the
fore very openly. Hence their efforts were multiple and were channelled against
both categories. It goes without doubt that covering all their efforts in this regard
is difficult, but alluding to some of them will suffice.
As with regard to the Khawārij, they combatted them by exposing their deviance to
the people, barring their harassment from them, warning people from socialising
1 Abū Bakr ibn Khālid ibn ʿUrfuṭah al-ʿUdhrī, the ally of the Banū Zuhrah. He met a few Ṣaḥābah and
narrated from them. Imām Aḥmad has said, “Narrations can be narrated from him.” and Ibn Ḥajar
has said, “He is acceptable.” I have not come across the date of his demise. His narrations appear in
Khaṣāʾiṣ ʿAlī of al-Nasāʾī. See: al-Jarḥ wa al-Taʿdīl 9/340; Tahdhīb al-Kamāl 33/90; Tahdhīb al-Tahdhīb 12/28;
Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb 622.
2 Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: chapter of merits: sub-chapter regarding the merits of ʿAlī ibn Abī
Ṭālib I: ḥadīth no. 32122; Sunan al-Nasāʾī al-Kubrā: chapter of specialities: sub-chapter regarding
the statement of Nabī H, “Whoever reviles ʿAlī has reviled me.” ḥadīth no. 8488; Musnad Abī
Yaʿlā: ḥadīth no. 777; al-Maqdisī: al-Aḥādīth al-Mukhtārah: ḥadīth no. 1077. Al-Haythamī has deemed
the transmission of Abū Yaʿlā Ḥasan in Majmaʿ al-Zawāʾid 9/130., and Ibn Ḥajar has alluded that it is
acceptable in Fatḥ al-Bārī 7/74
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