There is none to slaughter a hen whereas Ali in broad day...

There is none to slaughter a hen whereas Ali in broad day light slaughters twenty thousand Muslims!" Through such cunning and conniving, the Nasibis, enemies of , try to dissuade people from following the truth and mislead them through such false accusations in order to fill the Muslims' hearts, especially those of traditionists [such as the ones who used to meet al-Jawzjani to learn hadith from him] with hatred and animosity towards Ali ibn Abu Talib, peace be upon him, and thus permit cursing, taunting, and condemning him.

You can find such phenomenon even in our time. Despite the claim of contemporary "Ahl al-Sunnah wal Jama`ah" that they love and seek Allah's Pleasure with our master Ali, karrama-Allahu wajhahu (Allah glorified his countenance), as they say, if you narrate one hadith containing one of the virtues of Ali, peace be upon him, they ridicule you, charge you with Shi`ism, with being an innovator, and with being "extremist." When you, however, discuss the caliphs Abu Bakr and Umar, and other sahaba they feel very comfortable talking to you.

This is exactly the doctrine of their "good predecessors." Historians have transmitted saying that Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal used to label as "weak" any traditionist who belittled Abu Bakr, Umar, or Uthman, while holding in high esteem Ibrahim al-Jawzjani, the afore-mentioned Nasibi, praising him a great deal. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal corresponded with him, recited his books from the pulpit, and used his works in support of his arguments.

If this is the case with regard to Ahmad ibn Hanbal who forced his contemporaries to recognize the caliphate of Ali, whom he ranked as their fourth, do not ask me about the others who did not admit even one single merit for Ali, or about those who cursed and condemned him from the pulpits during Fridays and Eids.

Al-Dar Qutni, for example, says, "Ibn Qutaybah, spokesman of Ahl al-Sunnah, inclines to ascribing human characteristics (to Allah) and deviates from the line of the Prophet's `Itrat."[^130] This proves that most "Ahl al-Sunnah wal Jama`a" deviated from the path of the Progeny of the Messenger of Allah.