If you seek to know the truth and do not want to deceive yourself like many of the people, then note the following points:

Firstly, “disbelief” and “polytheism” in Islam have a clear meaning and a well-defined limit. Whoever attributes them to someone who does not meet that meaning and limit has told a serious lie and followed the path of the Kharijites, and this alone is sufficient as great error. Have you not heard the words of Allah Almighty: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا ضَرَبْتُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَتَبَيَّنُوا وَلَا تَقُولُوا لِمَنْ أَلْقَى إِلَيْكُمُ السَّلَامَ لَسْتَ مُؤْمِنًا﴾[1]; “O you who believed! When you go forth in the way of Allah, be discerning and do not say to one who declares Islam to you: ‘You are not a believer’”?! Or do you claim that this verse also has no relevance to the topic at hand?! Clearly, whoever believes in Allah, His Messenger, and the Last Day, and does not deny any of the pillars of His religion such as the Book, the Angels, the Qiblah, prayer, zakat, fasting, and Hajj, is a Muslim, even if he differs from you in other beliefs or perform actions you disapprove of. This is undisputed among the Ahl al-Sunnah Wal-Jama‘ah. It has been narrated from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, that he said: «أَيُّمَا رَجُلٍ أَكْفَرَ رَجُلًا فَإِنْ كَانَ كَمَا قَالَ، وَإِلَّا فَقَدْ بَاءَ بِالْكُفْرِ»[2]; “Whoever declares a man to be a disbeliever, if it is as he said, then it is fine, but if not, then he has incurred disbelief himself.” He also said about one who accused his neighbor of polytheism, when asked: «أَيُّهُمَا أَوْلَى بِالشِّرْكِ؟ الْمَرْمِيُّ أَوِ الرَّامِي؟»; “Which of the two is more deserving of polytheism, the one accused or the accuser?” He replied: «بَلِ الرَّامِي»; “Rather, the accuser.”[3] This, by Allah, places you in a bad position, if you know!

Secondly, interpreting the Quran in a way that does not agree with your desires is not considered interpretation according to individual opinion. However, interpretation according to individual opinion is interpreting the Quran in a way that does not agree with the interpretation of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family. It has been established through the narrations of Umm Salamah, Aisha, Safiyyah, Abdullah ibn Abbas, Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqas, Anas ibn Malik, Wathilah ibn al-Asqa‘, Ja‘far ibn Abi Talib, Zayd ibn Arqam, Bara’ ibn Azib, Jabir ibn Abdullah, Abu Hurairah, Abu Hamrah, Abu Barzah, and others that he interpreted the verse of purification as having been revealed concerning himself, Ali, Fatimah, Hasan, and Husain, and not concerning his wives; as he explicitly said: «نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ فِي خَمْسَةٍ: فِيَّ، وَفِي عَلِيٍّ، وَحَسَنٍ، وَحُسَيْنٍ، وَفَاطِمَةَ»[4]; “This verse was revealed about five: myself, Ali, Hasan, Husain, and Fatimah.” He then gathered them under a cloak and said: «اللَّهُمَّ هَؤُلَاءِ أَهْلُ بَيْتِي»[5]; “O Allah! These are my Ahl al-Bayt.” It has been narrated that one of his wives said: «قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أَلَسْتُ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْبَيْتِ؟ فَقَالَ: <إِنَّكِ مِنْ أَزْوَاجِ النَّبِيِّ>، أَوْ قَالَ: <إِنَّكِ مِنْ صَالِحِي نِسَائِي>، أَوْ قَالَ: <إِنَّكِ إِلَى خَيْرٍ>، وَمَا قَالَ: إِنَّكِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْبَيْتِ»; “I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Am I not among the Ahl al-Bayt?’ He said: ‘You are among the wives of the Prophet,’ or said: ‘You are among my righteous wives,’ or said: ‘You are toward good,’ and did not say: ‘You are among the Ahl al-Bayt.’” She then said: «لَوْ قَالَ: <‌نَعَمْ> كَانَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا تَطْلُعُ عَلَيْهِ الشَّمْسُ وَتَغْرُبُ»; “If he had said: ‘Yes,’ it would have been more beloved to me than whatever the sun rises and sets upon.”[6] By this, he clarified that his wives were not part of the Ahl al-Bayt intended in the verse of purification. It appears from the narrations that the passage ﴿إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا﴾[7]; “Indeed, Allah wants to remove any impurity from you, O Ahl al-Bayt, and make you completely pure,” was revealed independently as a separate matter, not alongside the passage ﴿وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَلَا تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الْأُولَى ۖ وَأَقِمْنَ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتِينَ الزَّكَاةَ وَأَطِعْنَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ﴾[8]; “And stay in your houses, do not flaunt your charms as in the former times of ignorance, perform prayer, pay zakat, and obey Allah and His Messenger.” This means that they are two separate verses that were only combined in writing; considering that the order of writing does not correlate with the order of revelation, and the writing took place after the revelation; as it has been narrated from Uthman ibn Affan that he said: «كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا نَزَلَ عَلَيْهِ الشَّيْءُ دَعَا بَعْضَ مَنْ كَانَ يَكْتُبُ، فَيَقُولُ: ضَعُوا هَذَا فِي السُّورَةِ الَّتِي يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا كَذَا وَكَذَا، وَيُنْزَلُ عَلَيْهِ الْآيَاتُ، فَيَقُولُ: ضَعُوا هَذِهِ الْآيَاتِ فِي السُّورَةِ الَّتِي يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا كَذَا وَكَذَا، وَيُنْزَلُ عَلَيْهِ الْآيَةُ، فَيَقُولُ: ضَعُوا هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ فِي السُّورَةِ الَّتِي يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا كَذَا وَكَذَا»[9]; “When something was revealed to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, he would call one of those who could write, and say: ‘Place this in the surah where such and such is mentioned.’ And verses would be revealed to him, and he would say: ‘Place these verses in the surah where such and such is mentioned.’ And a verse would be revealed to him, and he would say: ‘Place this verse in the surah where such and such is mentioned,’” and from Uthman ibn Abi al-As that he said: «كُنْتُ جَالِسًا عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذْ شَخَصَ بِبَصَرِهِ، ثُمَّ صَوَّبَهُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: أَتَانِي جِبْرِيلُ، فَأَمَرَنِي أَنْ أَضَعَ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ هَذَا الْمَوْضِعَ مِنْ هَذِهِ السُّورَةِ: ﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْأِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى﴾[10] إِلَى آخِرِهَا»[11]; “I was sitting in the presence of Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family. He looked up and fixed his gaze. Then he said: ‘Jibril came to me and ordered me to place this verse in this position of this surah: “Indeed, Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and generosity to relatives”’ until the end of the verse,” and from Abbad ibn Abdullah ibn al-Zubair that he said: «أَتَى الْحَارِثُ ابْنُ خُزَيْمَةَ بالْآيَتَيْنِ مِنْ آخِرِ سُورَةِ بَرَاءَةٍ، فَقَالَ عُمَرُ: لَوْ كَانَتْ ثَلَاثَ آيَاتٍ لَجَعَلْتُهَا سُورَةً عَلَى حِدَةٍ، فَانْظُرُوا سُورَةً مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ، فَأَلْحِقُوهَا فِي آخِرِهَا»[12]; “Harith ibn Khuzaymah brought two verses from the end of surah Bara’ah. Then Umar said: ‘If they had been three verses, I would have made them a separate surah. Look for a surah in the Quran and add them to the end of it.’” Therefore, it is not surprising that the passage ﴿إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا﴾; “Indeed, Allah wants to remove any impurity from you, O Ahl al-Bayt, and make you completely pure,” is an independent verse that was added to the verse revealed about the wives of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family. What supports this is the difference in the Arabic pronouns used in them. The pronoun in the passage ﴿وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَلَا تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الْأُولَى ۖ وَأَقِمْنَ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتِينَ الزَّكَاةَ وَأَطِعْنَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ﴾; “And stay in your houses, do not flaunt your charms as in the former times of ignorance, perform prayer, pay zakat, and obey Allah and His Messenger,” is the second-person plural feminine pronoun, addressing a group of women, while the pronoun in the passage ﴿إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا﴾; “Indeed, Allah wants to remove any impurity from you, O Ahl al-Bayt, and make you completely pure,” is the second-person plural masculine pronoun, addressing a group of men. Al-Tahawi (d. 321 AH) has also pointed this out in Sharh Mushkil al-Athar, where he has said after mentioning the narrations: «دَلَّ مَا رَوَيْنَا مِمَّا كَانَ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِلَى أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ أَنَّ الْمُرَادِينَ بِمَا فِيهَا هُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَعَلِيٌّ، وَفَاطِمَةُ، وَحَسَنٌ، وَحُسَيْنٌ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَامُ دُونَ مَنْ سِوَاهُمْ، فَإِنْ قَالَ قَائِلٌ: فَإِنَّ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ يَدُلُّ عَلَى أَنَّ أَزْوَاجَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ هُمُ الْمَقْصُودُونَ بِتِلْكَ الْآيَةِ؛ لِأَنَّهُ قَالَ قَبْلَهَا فِي السُّورَةِ الَّتِي هِيَ فِيهَا: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُلْ لِأَزْوَاجِكَ إِنْ كُنْتُنَّ﴾[13] إِلَى قَوْلِهِ: ﴿الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الْأُولَى﴾، ثُمَّ قَالَ: ﴿إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ﴾، فَكَانَ جَوَابُنَا لَهُ أَنَّ الَّذِي تَلَاهُ إِلَى آخِرِ مَا قَبْلَ قَوْلِهِ: ﴿إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ﴾ خِطَابٌ لِأَزْوَاجِهِ، ثُمَّ أَعْقَبَ ذَلِكَ بِخِطَابِهِ لِأَهْلِهِ بِقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ﴾ فَجَاءَ عَلَى خِطَابِ الرِّجَالِ؛ لِأَنَّهُ قَالَ فِيهِ: ﴿لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ﴾، وَهَكَذَا خِطَابُ الرِّجَالِ، وَمَا قَبْلَهُ فَجَاءَ بِهِ بِالنُّونِ، وَكَذَلِكَ خِطَابُ النِّسَاءِ، فَعَقَلْنَا أَنَّ قَوْلَهُ: ﴿إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ﴾ خِطَابٌ لِمَنْ أَرَادَهُ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ بِذَلِكَ لِيُعْلِمَهُمْ تَشْرِيفَهُ لَهُمْ وَرِفْعَتَهُ لِمِقْدَارِهِمْ أَنْ جَعَلَ نِسَاءَهُمْ مَنْ قَدْ وَصَفَهُ لِمَا وَصَفَهُ بِهِ مِمَّا فِي الْآيَاتِ الْمَتْلُوَّاتِ قَبْلَ الَّذِي خَاطَبَهُمْ بِهِ تَعَالَى»[14]; “What we have narrated from the words of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, to Umm Salamah indicates that those intended by this verse are the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, Ali, Fatimah, Hasan, and Husain, peace be upon them, and no one else. If someone says: The Book of Allah indicates that the wives of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, are the ones intended by this verse; because He has said before it in the surah in which it is: ‘O Prophet! Say to your wives, if you’ to where He has said: ‘the former times of ignorance,’ and then He has said: ‘Indeed, Allah wants to remove any impurity from you,’ then our response to him is that what is recited up to before His words: ‘Indeed, Allah wants to,’ is an address to his wives. Then He has continued it by addressing his family with His words: ‘Indeed, Allah wants remove,’ so the address shifts to men; because He has said in it: ‘To remove any impurity from you, O Ahl al-Bayt, and make you completely pure,’ and this is how men are addressed, while what is before it is with the letter ‘nun,’ and this is how women are addressed. So, we realize that His words: ‘Indeed, Allah wants to remove,’ are addressed to those men He has intended with it, to inform them of the honor and elevation He has bestowed upon them, and to make their women those He has described with the attributes mentioned in the verses preceding the one in which He addressed them.” This has not been only the view of al-Tahawi. Rather, ibn Atiyyah (d. 542 AH) has attributed it to the majority of Ahl al-Sunnah Wal-Jama‘ah, saying after referring to the narrations: «وَمِنْ حُجَّةِ الْجُمْهُورِ قَوْلُهُ: <عَنْكُمُ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ> بِالْمِيمِ، وَلَوْ كَانَ النِّسَاءُ خَاصَّةً لَكَانَ عَنْكُنَّ»[15]; “And among the proofs of the majority is His words: ‘Ankum Wa Yutahhirukum,’ with the letter ‘mim.’ And if it were specifically for women, it would have been ‘Ankunna.’” Abu Bakr al-Hadrami (d. 1341 AH) has also said: «الَّذِي قَالَ بِهِ الْجَمَاهِيرُ مِنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ، وَقَطَعَ بِهِ أَكَابِرُ الْأَئِمَّةِ، وَقَامَتْ بِهِ الْبَرَاهِينُ، وَتَظَافَرَتْ بِهِ الْأَدِلَّةُ، أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ الْمُرَادِينَ فِي الْآيَةِ هُمْ سَيِّدُنَا عَلِيٌّ وَفَاطِمَةُ وَابْنَاهُمَا»[16]; “What the majority of scholars believe, the greatest Imams have definitively stated, proofs have established by, and evidence has converged upon is that the Ahl al-Bayt intended in the verse are our master Ali, Fatimah, and their two sons.” Do you think that all these people were disbelievers and polytheists?! Clearly, they were not, but you are a man without knowledge or piety, ﴿وَاللَّهُ الْمُسْتَعَانُ عَلَى مَا تَصِفُونَ﴾[17]; “and Allah is the One sought for help against what you describe.”

Thirdly, the Shias are not a single category that can be judged as disbelievers and polytheists with one ruling. Rather, they are three categories: one consists of those who have gone to extremes in their reverence for the Ahl al-Bayt, to the point of considering them as deities or prophets. They are disbelievers and polytheists and are called “Ghulat.” Another consists of those who have gone to extremes in their criticism of many of the Sahabah, to the point of declaring them disbelievers or reviling them. They are ignorant and sinful and are called “Rafidah.” Another consists of those who refrain from both extremes. They are believers and moderate and are called “the Shias.” A group of the Sahabah, the Tabi‘un, and jurists, whose faith and dignity are undisputed among Muslims, are counted among them. We have mentioned their names in the footnotes of the book Return to Islam. You may refer to it.

Fourthly, Mansoor, may Allah Almighty protect him, surely knows the God he worships. He does not worship the god of the Mujassimah[18] and the Mushabbihah[19], whom you probably imitate and revere. Rather, he worships the God of Ibrahim, Isma‘il, Ishaq, Ya‘qub, and all the other Prophets, peace be upon them. He worships the God of Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, and does not associate any partners with Him in genesis, legislation, or sovereignty, meaning that he believes in His Oneness in creation, provision of sustenance, and management. He does not believe in any law other than His law or any rule other than His rule and believes that His rule is the rule of those who rule by His permission, even if the misguided and polytheists hate it; as one of his companions informed us, he said:

«سَمِعْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ يَقُولُ: مَنْ وَحَّدَ اللَّهَ فِي الْخَلْقِ وَالرَّزْقِ وَتَدْبِيرِ الْعَالَمِ وَشَهِدَ أَنَّ الرَّسُولَ حَقٌّ فَقَدْ أَسْلَمَ، وَلَكِنَّهُ لَيْسَ بِمُؤْمِنٍ حَتَّى يُقِرَّ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ وَاحِدٌ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ فِي الْحُكْمِ وَالْمُلْكِ، لَا يُصْدِرُ حُكْمًا وَلَا يَبْعَثُ مَلِكًا إِلَّا هُوَ، فَإِنْ جَهِلَ ذَلِكَ فَهُوَ ضَالٌّ، وَإِنْ جَحَدَهُ فَهُوَ مُشْرِكٌ»[20]; “I heard Mansoor say: ‘Whoever considers Allah to be One in the creation, provision of sustenance, and management and bears witness that the Prophet is true, he is a Muslim but not a believer until he acknowledges that Allah is also One in judgment and dominion and has no partner, (in the sense that) none but He makes a ruling or sends a ruler, so if he does not know this, he is misguided, and if he denies it, he is a polytheist.’”

Also, one of his companions informed us, he said:

«سَمِعْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ يَقُولُ: مَنْ أَقَرَّ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ خَالِقُهُ وَرَازِقُهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَخَاتَمُ النَّبِيِّينَ فَقَدْ أَسْلَمَ، وَلَا يُؤْمِنُ حَتَّى يُقِرَّ بِأَنَّ الْحَرَامَ مَا حَرَّمَهُ اللَّهُ، لَا حَرَامَ غَيْرُهُ، وَأَنَّ الْإِمَامَ مَنْ جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ إِمَامًا، لَا إِمَامَ غَيْرُهُ، فَإِنْ جَهِلَهُمَا فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا بَعِيدًا، وَإِنْ دُعِيَ إِلَيْهِمَا ثُمَّ أَنْكَرَهُمَا فَقَدْ أَشْرَكَ»[21]; “I heard Mansoor say: ‘Whoever acknowledges that Allah is his Creator and Provider (of sustenance) and Muhammad is Allah’s Prophet and the last of the Prophets, he has embraced Islam, but he will not believe until he acknowledges that forbidden is what Allah has made forbidden and there is no forbidden other than it, and the Imam is one whom Allah has appointed as Imam and there is no Imam other than him, so if he does not know these two, he has gone far astray, and if he is invited toward those two and then denies them, he has become a polytheist.’”

Now, look within yourself to know your state; are you misguided or a polytheist?! You are not a believer, as you deny that the Imamate is from Allah. Mansoor, may Allah Almighty protect him, has made it clear to you in the book Return to Islam, based on the Quran and the Sunnah, but you have taken it as mockery. Whoever denies anything from the Quran or the Sunnah after it has been made clear to him has nothing to do with Islam, and if he claims to be a Muslim, he is a hypocrite; as one of our companions informed us, he said:

«سَمِعْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ يَقُولُ: إِنَّمَا يَسْتَقْبِلُ هَذِهِ الْقِبْلَةَ ثَلَاثَةٌ: مَنْ سَمِعَ دَعْوَتِي إِلَى تَوْحِيدِ اللَّهِ فِي الشَّرْعِ وَالْمُلْكِ فَأَجَابَهَا وَاجْتَنَبَ الْجِبْتَ وَالطَّاغُوتَ فَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ، وَمَنْ سَمِعَهَا فَلَمْ يُجِبْهَا فَهُوَ مُنَافِقٌ، وَمَنْ لَمْ يَسْمَعْهَا وَلَمْ يَعْرِفْ ذَلِكَ فَهُوَ مُسْلِمٌ ضَالٌّ حَتَّى يَسْمَعَهَا أَوْ يَقْبِضَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ»[22]; “I heard Mansoor say: ‘Indeed, those who face this Qiblah are three: one who has heard and accepted my invitation toward the Oneness of Allah in legislation and dominion and turned away from ungodly lawmakers and rulers, so he is a believer, and one who has heard it but not accepted it, so he is a hypocrite, and one who has not heard it, nor is he aware of this (fact), so he is a misguided Muslim until he hears it or dies.’”

How surprising it is that a hypocrite declares a believer, who invites him toward the Oneness of Allah, to be a disbeliever; as one of our companions informed us, he said:

«قُلْتُ لِلْمَنْصُورِ: إِنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ أَنَّكَ مُشْرِكٌ! قَالَ: سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ، وَمَا شِرْكِي؟! قُلْتُ: قَوْلُكَ أَنَّ الْمُلْكَ بِيَدِ اللَّهِ، وَلَيْسَ بِأَيْدِي النَّاسِ! فَضَحِكَ تَعَجُّبًا مِنْ قَوْلِهِمْ وَقَالَ: أَفَمَنْ يَجْعَلُ الْأَمْرَ لِلَّهِ وَحْدَهُ مُشْرِكٌ، وَمَنْ يَجْعَلُهُ لِلَّذِينَ مِنْ دُونِهِ مُوَحِّدٌ؟! ﴿سَاءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ﴾[23]! قُلْتُ: إِنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ أَنَّكَ رَافِضِيٌّ! قَالَ: سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ، وَمَا رَفْضِي؟! قُلْتُ: تَقْدِيمُكَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ! فَضَحِكَ تَعَجُّبًا مِنْ قَوْلِهِمْ وَقَالَ: لَيْسَ هَذَا مِنَ الرَّفْضِ فِي شَيْءٍ، إِنَّمَا الرَّفْضُ تَكْفِيرُ الشَّيْخَيْنِ أَوْ سَبُّهُمَا! فَدَخَلَ الْغُرْفَةَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا بِيَدِهِ إِنَاءٌ، فَوَضَعَهُ مَنْكُوسًا، فَأَشَارَ إِلَيْهِ الْمَنْصُورُ وَقَالَ: إِنْ كَانَ اللَّهُ قَدْ نَكَّسَ عُقُولَهُمْ كَمَا نَكَّسَ هَذَا إِنَاءَهُ فَمَا ذَنْبِي؟!»[24]; “I said to Mansoor: ‘They say that you are a polytheist!’ He said: ‘Glory be to Allah! What is my polytheism?!’ I said: ‘Your words that you say dominion is in the hand of Allah, not in the hands of people!’ So he laughed in astonishment at their words and said: ‘Is one who considers the work for Allah alone a polytheist, and one who considers it for those apart from Him a monotheist?! “How badly they judge!”’ I said: ‘They say that you are a rafidi!’ He said: ‘Glory be to Allah! What is my rafd?!’ I said: ‘It is that you put the Ahl al-Bayt first!’ So he laughed in astonishment at their words and said: ‘This is not rafd; rafd is only charging the two sheikhs (i.e., Abu Bakr and Umar) with disbelief or reviling them!’ Then a man from our companions entered the room with a jar in his hand, then he left it upside down, then Mansoor pointed at him and said: ‘If Allah has turned their intellects upside down, as he has turned his jar upside down, what is my sin?!’”