It reached me from 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi that it was said to him regarding this [Hadith], that they (the people) say regarding 'is not of us': it means 'he is not like us'. He (Ibn Mahdi) replied: 'If they were to perform all the righteous deeds, they would not be like the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Rather, it means like the Pre-Islamic Era (Jahiliyyah) and their actions.' And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 'Whoever bears arms is not of us.' Would anyone bear arms against the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) except that he intends to kill him? And would anyone bear arms against another except that he intends to kill him? All of this is not from the actions of Islam. 'Whoever bears arms,' 'whoever cheats us,' and 'whoever does not show mercy to our young'—all of these are merely actions of the Jahiliyyah. 'Is not of us' means he is not with us; it is just as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 'He is not of us.'