Nasb-and-the-Nawasib

not deem them Nawāṣib and did not consider their behaviour to be a reflection
of Naṣb. 1
Proof 3: The Rāfiḍah impugn some members of the ʿAlawī branch of the children
of Fāṭimah J. Doing so at times by deeming them liars, at times by deeming
them imposters, and at times by excommunicating them. 2
This proof also does not have any merit because the basis of Naṣb originally is
only linked to ʿAlī I; he is the primary target of his opponents. As for his
children and his progeny thereafter; they follow him, i.e. they become victims
because of him just as his companions were hated because of him. 3 Whereas when
we analyse the stance of the Rawāfiḍ regarding ʿAlī I we will find that not
only do they love, but they go to the furthest extremes regarding him.
Having discussed the aforementioned, a question persistently lingers, and that
is: Why is the term Naṣb coined to specifically to refer to hatred for ʿAlī I, to
the exclusion of the rest of the Ahl al-Bayt, whereas they all fall part of the texts
which exhort us to respect, associate with and love the Ahl al-Bayt.
The answer to this lies in history. The reason why this term specifically refers
to him is that he was the focal point of many great events which transpired in
the early dawn of the history of this Ummah. The unjust murder of ʿUthmān
I in Madīnah, the capital of the Khilāfah, is the first spark which brought
about unrest and dispute. Hence in this hyped atmosphere various views and
ideas were being circulated, one among them being that ʿAlī ibn Ṭālib I had
something to do with the murder of ʿUthmān I. Consequently, he became the
focal point of discussion in every conflict and dominated the hearts and minds of
many even decades after his martyrdom. This of course is not true for any of the
other members of the Ahl al-Bayt.
1 Minhāj al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah 4/592.
2 Al- ʿAqīdah fī Ahl al-Bayt bayn al-Ifrāṭ wa al-Tafrīṭ p. 535
3 Majmūʿ Fatāwā Shaykh al-Islām 25/301.
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