upon him, and fighting him; for the saying of Allah, the Almighty: "O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you" (6). Ubada ibn al-Samit narrated, saying: "We pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, to hear and obey, both in times of activity and dislike, and that we would not dispute the authority of those who hold it" (7). It is narrated from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, that he said: "Whoever deviates from obedience and separates from the community, and then dies, dies the death of the Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic ignorance)." Recorded by Ibn Abd al-Barr from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah, Abu Dharr, and Ibn Abbas, all with the same meaning (8). The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, were in consensus on fighting the rebels (bughat). Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, fought [those who withheld Zakat, and Ali fought] (9) the people of Al-Jamal, Siffin, and the people of Nahrawan.

Those who depart from the grip of the Imam are of four types: First, a group that refrained from his obedience and departed from his control without an interpretation (ta'wil). These are highwaymen (qutta' tariq) who strive in the land spreading corruption; their ruling will come in a separate chapter. Second, a group that has an interpretation, yet they are a small number without defensive power (mana'ah), such as one, two, ten, or the like. These are highwaymen in the opinion of most of our colleagues (Hanbalis), and it is the school of Al-Shafi'i; because when Ibn Muljam wounded Ali, he said to Al-Hasan: "If I recover, I will see my view, and if...