If he only seeks to convince his Sunni brothers...

If he only seeks to convince his Sunni brothers, then he must present reliable riwayat from the Sunni books to back up all the points[^2]. However, if his aim is only to convince the Shi’ah, in that case he has no other choice but to quote nothing but authentic Shi’i reports in support of himself. Incidentally, there are only three reliable athar concerning Ibn Saba throughout all Shi’i books. Shaykh ‘Ali Al Muhsin has compiled the Shi’i riwayat about ‘Abd Allah b.

Saba, and examined their various chains[^3], and has thus concluded: والصحيح من تلك الروايات منحصر بثلاث روايات مروية في رجال الكشي,وهي تثبت وجود عبد الله بن سبأ, وأنه ادّعى الألوهية في أمير المؤمنين, فأحرقه بالنار, ولا تثبت أكثر من ذلك. The authentic from these reports are only three reports recorded in Rijal al-Kashi , and they establish the existence of ‘Abd Allah b. Saba, and that he claimed divinity for Amir al-Muminin, and that he (‘Ali) therefore burnt him (i.e. Ibn Saba) with fire.

Nothing more than that is proved .[^4] This is the first of the three reports, as quoted by Al Muhsin: رواه الكشي أيضاً بسنده عن هشام بن سالم, قال: سمعت أبا عبد الله يقول وهو يحدِّث أصحابه بحديث عبد الله بن سبأ وما ادّعى من الربوبية في أمير المؤمنين علي بن أبي طالب, فقال: إنه لما ادّعى ذلك فيه استتابه أمير المؤمنين, فأبى أن يتوب فأحرقه بالنار. Al-Kashi narrated it too with his chain from Hisham b.

Salim, who said: I heard Abu ‘Abd Allah saying, while addressing his companions on the issue of ‘Abd Allah b. Saba and his claim of divinity for Amir al-Muminin, ‘Ali b. Abi Talib: “When he made that claim concerning him, Amir al-Muminin asked him to repent. But, he refused to repent.

So, he burnt him with fire.”[^5] Al Muhsin also copies the second hadith : رواه الكشي أيضاً في كتابه المذكور بسنده عن أبان بن عثمان, قال: سمعت أبا عبد الله يقول: لعن الله عبد الله بن سبأ, إنه ادّعى الربوبية في أمير المؤمنين, وكان والله أمير المؤمنين عبداً لله طائعاً, الويل لمن كذب علينا, وإن قوماً يقولون فينا ما لا نقوله في أنفسنا, نبرأ إلى الله منهم, نبرأ إلى الله منهم. Al-Kashi records again in his mentioned book with his chain from Aban b.

‘Uthman, who said: I heard Abu ‘Abd Allah saying: “ May Allah curse ‘Abd Allah b. Saba . Verily, he claimed divinity for Amir al-Muminin. I swear by Allah, Amir al-Muminin was only an obedient slave of Allah. Woe unto whosoever lies upon us. A group say concerning us what we never say about ourselves, we dissociate ourselves from them unto Allah.