Abdullah ibn Nafi’ Azraq” was one of the leaders of the Khawarij and one of the fiercest enemies of Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him) and his family.
He often said: “If I truly knew that there was someone in the world who could bring me my mounts, and he could prove to me, with evidence and reason, that Ali ibn Abi Talib was right in killing the people of Nahrawan[1] and did not wrong them, I would go to him.”
They asked him, “What if he is the son of Ali (peace be upon him)?” (meaning, if it were his son, would you go to him?)
He responded, “Is there anyone among his children who is knowledgeable?”
They replied, “This is your first ignorance; how could there be no one knowledgeable in that family?”
He asked, “Who is their scholar today?”
They replied, “Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al-Husayn (peace be upon them)” [meaning Imam Baqir (peace be upon him)].
Then Abdullah ibn Nafi’ set out with some of his supporters to Medina and sought permission to enter from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him).
Imam replied, “What does he want with me, when every morning and evening he disassociates himself from me and my father?”
The incident was reported to Imam (peace be upon him), and he instructed that they should come the next day.
The following day, Abdullah ibn Nafi’ arrived with some of his followers, and Imam (peace be upon him) sent for the children of the Muhajirun and Ansar, gathering them together. Then Imam came to the people and said:
“All praise is due to Allah, who has honored us, the family, with the position of Prophethood and has chosen us for His authority. O group of the children of the Muhajirun and Ansar! Whoever among you knows any virtue or merit of Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), should stand and share it.”
Everyone stood and enumerated the virtues of the Imam, one by one.
Abdullah ibn Nafi’ said, “I know these virtues better than they do, but the matter is that Ali became a disbeliever when he accepted arbitration with the two arbitrators!”[2]
The conversation continued until it came to the narration of the Battle of Khaybar; the hadith in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said during the battle: “Tomorrow, I will give the banner to a man who loves Allah and His Messenger, and whom Allah and His Messenger love[3]. He is a warrior who will not turn away from the enemy until Allah opens the fortress through him.”
Imam (peace be upon him) asked Abdullah ibn Nafi’, “What do you say about this hadith?”
Abdullah replied, “This hadith is true, there is no doubt about it, but after this event, Ali became a disbeliever!”[4]
Imam (peace be upon him) said with a reproachful tone: “Tell me, did Allah, the Almighty, know on that day when He loved Ali ibn Abi Talib, that he would kill the people of Nahrawan or did He not know?”
Abdullah thought to himself that if he said “He did not know,” it would certainly mean he had committed disbelief, so he replied, “Yes, He knew.”
Imam (peace be upon him) asked, “Did Allah love him so that he would obey Him, or to disobey Him?”
Abdullah ibn Nafi’ said, “Surely, so that he would obey Him.”
Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) replied, “Then stand up, for you have been condemned.”
Abdullah ibn Nafi’ stood up while reciting: “… until the white thread becomes distinct from the black thread at dawn…” [5] meaning “Now the matter is clear to me, truly Allah knows where He places His message.”[6]
(Extracted from the book “Guides on the Path of Light; The Life of Imam Muhammad Baqir (peace be upon him)”, written by Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Taqi Modarresi)[7]
Footnotes:
[1] The Battle of Nahrawan was a conflict that took place in the year 38 AH between the Khawarij and Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him). The Khawarij used the matter of arbitration during the Battle of Siffin as a pretext to rebel against the Imam and engage in unjust killings. When the Imam realized that they would not surrender, he arranged his army to face them. The Khawarij initiated the battle, and they were quickly defeated, with most of them, including their leaders, being killed.
[2] (Ansaab al-Ashraaf, p. 349; Irshaad, vol. 1, p. 270, Manaaqib of Ahlul Bayt, vol. 3, p. 189)
[3] Some Sunni sources regarding this include: Sahih Bukhari, vol. 5, p. 171; Sahih Muslim, vol. 3, p. 1441; Tabaqaat al-Kubra, vol. 2, p. 110; Mustadrak al-Sahihayn, vol. 3, p. 38; Tarikh Ibn Asakir, vol. 1, p. 174-247; al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah, vol. 4, p. 185, and more. Shia sources include: Al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 25; Amali al-Saduq, p. 513; Ikhtisas, p. 150, and more.
[4] In the statement of Imam (peace be upon him), there are subtle hints that clarify the depth of his argument:
The first point is that Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) distinguished between disbelief (kufr) and disobedience (ma’siya) and subtly pointed out that not every act of disobedience can be called disbelief. Abdullah ibn Nafi’s claim was about the disobedience of Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him), not his disbelief.
The second point is that Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) used the Hadith of Khaybar to refute the false claim that Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him) disobeyed Allah. A careful review of the Hadith of Khaybar reveals that it describes Imam Ali (peace be upon him) as one who constantly loves Allah and His Messenger, and Allah and His Messenger also constantly love him. This continual love reflects a permanent divine favor, indicating that Imam Ali’s actions were always in line with Allah’s will.
[5] (Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 187)
[6] Al-Kafi, vol. 8, p. 349
[7] The translation of this narration was adapted from the translation of Sayyid Hashim Rasouli Mahallati (with slight edits and summarization).