# Rafida
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{{Short description|Sunni polemical term to refer to Shiites}}
{{italic title}}
'''{{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}}''' ({{langx|ar|رافضة|lit=rejectors|translit=Rāfiḍa}}) is a polemical term referring to [Shia Muslims](/source/Shia_Islam). It derives from [Shia Muslims'](/source/Shia_Islam) rejection of the legitimacy of [Abu Bakr](/source/Abu_Bakr) ({{reign|632|634}}), [Umar](/source/Umar) ({{reign|634|644}}), and [Uthman](/source/Uthman) ({{reign|644|656}}) as [caliphs](/source/Caliphate), in favor of an [Imamate](/source/Imamate_in_Shia_doctrine) beginning with [Ali ibn Abi Talib](/source/Ali_ibn_Abi_Talib) ({{reign|656|661}}), the cousin and son-in-law of the [Islamic prophet](/source/prophets_in_Islam) [Muhammad](/source/Muhammad).
In particular, the term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} appears in [Sunni](/source/Sunni) polemics as a derogatory term for [Twelvers](/source/Twelver_Shia), who constitute the majority of the Shia community. In turn, Twelvers have [reappropriated](/source/reappropriated) this term favorably to signify their rejection of tyranny and their struggle against perceived Sunni oppression.
== Definition ==
The term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} (or {{Transliteration|ar|Rawafid}}, {{lit|rejectors}}, {{singular}} {{Transliteration|ar|Rafidi}}) refers to those [Shia Muslims](/source/Shia_Islam) who 'reject' the legitimacy of the [caliphates](/source/Rashidun_Caliphate) of [Abu Bakr](/source/Abu_Bakr) ({{reign|632|634}}), [Umar](/source/Umar) ({{reign|634|644}}), and [Uthman](/source/Uthman) ({{reign|644|656}}). One after another, these [caliph](/source/caliph)s succeeded the [Islamic prophet](/source/prophets_in_Islam) [Muhammad](/source/Muhammad) after he died in 632 [CE](/source/common_era).{{sfn|Esposito|2003|p=262}}[{{Cite web |title=Rāfiḍah |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Rafidah |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327053538/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Rafidah |archive-date=27 March 2023 |website=Encyclopædia Britannica |quote=}}] In particular, the term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} is applied to [Twelvers](/source/Twelvers),{{sfn|Kohlberg|2012}}{{sfn|Momen|1985|p=73}} who constitute the vast majority of Shias.{{sfn|Haider|2014|p=4}} Twelvers believe that, shortly before he died, Muhammad publicly designated his cousin and son-in-law, [Ali ibn Abi Talib](/source/Ali_ibn_Abi_Talib), as his successor at the [Ghadir Khumm](/source/Ghadir_Khumm). In their view, early caliphs thus usurped Ali's right to succeed Muhammad. They also believe that Ali was succeeded by [eleven of his descendants](/source/twelve_Imams).{{sfn|Kohlberg|2012}}{{sfn|Amir-Moezzi|2014}}
Rooted in early Islamic history, the term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} appears in [Sunni](/source/Sunni) polemics as a derogatory nickname for Twelvers, who have, in turn, reinterpreted this term favorably to signify 'rejection' of all tyranny and their struggle against perceived Sunni oppression.{{Sfn|Esposito|2003|p=262}} Less commonly, the term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} has been applied to other Shia sects, such as the {{Transliteration|ar|[ghulat](/source/ghulat)}} ({{lit|exaggerators|extremists}}),{{sfn|Kohlberg|2012}} who ascribed divinity to Shia imams and were excommunicated by them.{{sfn|Momen|1985|pp=67{{ndash}}68}}
==Context==
By eleventh century, the Shia status as "rejectors of the Truth" was canonized by [Hanbali](/source/Hanbali) scholars, who did not grant Islamic rights to Shia Muslims: They were not to be married with, meat slaughtered by them was not [halal](/source/halal) (permissible), and they could not lead prayers.{{sfn|Nasr|2007|loc=§1}}{{sfn|Kohlberg|2012}} With the fall of [Abbasids](/source/Abbasids) in 1258, such attacks on Shi'ism intensified.{{sfn|Nasr|2007|loc=§1}} They are labeled today as infidels or heretics by various [Salafi](/source/Salafi) and [Wahhabi](/source/Wahhabi) scholars,{{sfn|Yamani|2008|pp=151{{ndash}}152}}{{sfn|Steinberg|2014|p=113}} considered a bigger threat to Islam than [Christianity](/source/Christianity) and [Judaism](/source/Judaism),{{sfn|Nasr|2007|loc=§1}}{{sfn|Steinberg|2014|p=113}} and there are frequent calls for their extermination.{{sfn|Jones|2005|p=21}}{{sfn|Yamani|2008|pp=151{{ndash}}152}}{{sfn|Steinberg|2014|p=114}} On these grounds, some [Sunni Jihadist groups](/source/Islamic_extremism) have justified their acts of violence against the Shia community.{{sfn|Shorok|2017|pp=14{{ndash}}15}}{{sfn|Steinberg|2014}} A popular reference for these groups is the prominent Hanbali theologian [Ibn Taymiyya](/source/Ibn_Taymiyya) ({{died in|1328}}), a staunch anti-Shia who also accused the Shia of conspiring with nonbelievers to destroy Islam from within.{{sfn|Steinberg|2014|p=111}} In [Saudi Arabia](/source/Saudi_Arabia), where Wahhabism is present,{{sfn|Ibrahim|2006|pp=21{{ndash}}22}}{{sfn|Jones|2005|p=23}}[{{Cite news |last=Hassan |first=Hassan |date=22 February 2022 |title=The 'Conscious Uncoupling' of Wahhabism and Saudi Arabia |url=https://newlinesmag.com/argument/the-conscious-uncoupling-of-wahhabism-and-saudi-arabia/ |work=New Lines Magazine|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220222102858/https://newlinesmag.com/argument/the-conscious-uncoupling-of-wahhabism-and-saudi-arabia/ |archive-date=22 February 2022}}] schoolbooks referred to Shias as the Rafida until 1993. They were still openly denounced in Saudi schoolbooks and state-sponsored media as late as 2000s.{{sfn|Prokop|2003|p=81}}{{sfn|Jones|2005|pp=23{{ndash}}24}}
Once Shias realized that they could not rid themselves of the pejorative nickname, they sought to [reappropriate](/source/Reappropriation) it. Thus, the term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} in Twelver sources became an honorific title.{{sfn|Kohlberg|1979|p=678}} In the contemporary era, some Shias in Iraq and Lebanon view the term as a source of pride, symbolizing revolt against tyranny.{{Sfn|Esposito|2003|p=262}}
==History==
===Origins===
Origins of the term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} is uncertain. Perhaps the term is linked with the desertion of the Shia rebel [Zayd ibn Ali](/source/Zayd_ibn_Ali) ({{died in|740}} [CE](/source/common_era)) by some [Kufa](/source/Kufa)n Shias, after the former refused to denounce the first two caliphs. They thus 'rejected' Zayd and became known as the Rafida. Zayd's rebellion was subsequently suppressed by the [Umayyads](/source/Umayyad_Caliphate) and he was killed.{{sfn|Kohlberg|2012}}{{sfn|Daftary|2013|p=146}}{{sfn|al-Abdul Jader|2010|p=11}} Rather than the rejection of Zayd, more likely the term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} historically signified the rejection of the first three caliphs by Imamites,{{sfn|Momen|1985|p=73}} the forerunners of Twelvers.{{sfn|Momen|1985|p=73}}
Over time, the term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} became a popular pejorative for Twelvers.{{sfn|Kohlberg|1979|p=677}} For Sunnis, the term signified the rejection of the first three caliphs,{{sfn|Kohlberg|1979|p=677}} whom Twelvers count among infidels for —according to the Twelver view— usurping Ali ibn Abi Talib's right to succeed Muhammad.{{sfn|Dakake|2007|p=107}}{{sfn|Friedlaender|1907|p=22}} For [Zaydis](/source/Zaydism), who follow Zayd's teachings, the term denoted the rejection of Zayd by early Imamites.{{sfn|Kohlberg|1979|p=677}}
==={{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} in Sunni tradition===
Early in the Islamic history, the term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} became a popular pejorative nickname for Imamites which, for Sunnis, signified the Imamites' rejection of the first three caliphs.{{sfn|Kohlberg|1979|p=677}} The term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} also appears in some Sunni traditions of dubious authenticity. In one such tradition, Muhammad predicts the emergence of a group that would reject ({{Transliteration|ar|yarfuduna}}) [Islam](/source/Islam). In another one, he orders Ali ibn Abi Talib to kill the Rafida for they are polytheists. Elsewhere, the Rafida, who are allegedly similar to [Jews](/source/Jews), are blamed for introducing into Islam the concept of [anthropomorphism](/source/anthropomorphism) ({{Transliteration|ar|tashbih}}), which is allegedly a hallmark of Judaism.{{sfn|Kohlberg|2012}}
==={{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} in Twelver tradition===
Even though the term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} was initially intended as a derogatory nickname,{{sfn|Kohlberg|2012}} there are Twelver traditions, attributed to Shia [Imams](/source/Twelve_Imams), that reinterpret this term favorably. In one such tradition, Rafida are identified as a small group among the people of [Pharaoh](/source/Pharaoh_in_Islam) who rejected his rule, undaunted by his threats of punishment. This tradition is a reference to verses 7:120{{ndash}}126 and 20:70{{ndash}}75 of the [Quran](/source/Quran). According to some Twelver traditions, the term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} appeared also in the [Tawrat](/source/Tawrat).{{sfn|Kohlberg|1979|p=677}}
==={{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} in Zaydi tradition===
In some Zaydi sources, the term {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}} refers to those Kufans who deserted Zayd because he did not condemn the first two caliphs.{{sfn|Haider|2011|pp=196{{ndash}}197}}{{sfn|Haider|2014|p=89}} Even though Zayd likely viewed Ali as the best amongst the [companions of the Islamic prophet](/source/Companions_of_the_Prophet) and the most qualified to succeed him,{{sfn|Jafri|1979|p=252}}{{sfn|Lalani|2000|p=47}} he also regarded the caliphates of Abu Bakr and Umar as permissible. The preponderance of Shias who rejected Zayd's stance and refused to support [his revolt](/source/Revolt_of_Zayd_ibn_Ali) were described by Zayd's supporters as the {{Transliteration|ar|Rafida}}.{{sfn|al-Abdul Jader|2010|p=11}} Over time, this term became a popular pejorative nickname for Imamites which, for Zaydis, signified the Imamites' rejection of Zayd.{{sfn|Kohlberg|1979|p=677}}
==See also==
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
*[Criticism of Twelver Shia Islam](/source/Criticism_of_Twelver_Shia_Islam)
*[Shia–Sunni relations](/source/Shia%E2%80%93Sunni_relations)
*[Succession to Muhammad](/source/Succession_to_Muhammad)
*[Takfir](/source/Takfir)
*Words to denote religious opponents
* [Al-Azhar Shia Fatwa](/source/Al-Azhar_Shia_Fatwa)
}}
==Footnotes==
{{reflist|20em}}
==Sources==
{{Refbegin|2}}
* {{cite encyclopedia |author-last=Amir-Moezzi |author-first=M.A. |title=Ghadīr Khumm |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Islam |edition=Third |editor1-first=K. |editor1-last=Fleet |editor2-first=G. |editor2-last=Krämer |editor3-first=D. |editor3-last=Matringe |editor4-first=J. |editor4-last=Nawas |editor5-first=D.J. |editor5-last=Stewart |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_27419 |year=2014 |doi=10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_27419 |isbn=9789004269613 |author-link=Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi |url-access=subscription}}
* {{Cite book |title=A History of Shi'i Islam |author-first=F. |author-last=Daftary |author-link=Farhad Daftary |publisher=I.B. Tauris |year=2013 |isbn=9780857723338 |url=https://archive.org/details/shii-heritage-series-farhad-daftary-a-history-of-shii-islam-i.-b.-tauris-2013_202104/page/n6/mode/1up?q=Raf&view=theater |url-access=subscription}}
*
* {{cite book |title=The Charismatic Community: Shi'ite Identity in Early Islam |author-first=M.M. |author-last=Dakake |year=2007 |publisher=State University of New York Press |isbn=9780791470336 |author-link=Maria Massi Dakake}}
* {{Cite book|title=Wahhabi Islam: From Revival and Reform to Global Jihad|author-first=N.J.|author-last=Delong-Bas|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2004|isbn=9780195169911|url-access=subscription|url=https://archive.org/details/wahhabiislamfrom0000nata/mode/1up?view=theater}}
* {{cite book |author-last=Esposito |author-first=J.L. |url=https://archive.org/details/oxforddictionary00bada/mode/2up |title=The Oxford Dictionary of Islam |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2003 |isbn=9780195125597 |author-link=John Esposito |url-access=registration}}
* {{cite journal|author-last=Friedlaender|author-first= I.|title=The Heterodoxies of the Shiites in the Presentation of Ibn Ḥazm|journal= Journal of the American Oriental Society|volume= 28|year=1907|pages= 1{{ndash}}80|doi= 10.2307/592759|jstor= 592759|url= https://doi.org/10.2307/592759|url-access= subscription}}
* {{cite book|title=The Origins of the Shī'a: Identity, Ritual, and Sacred Space in Eighth-Century Kūfa|author-first=N.|author-last=Haider|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2011|isbn=9781107424951}}
*{{Cite book|title=The Shi'is of Saudi Arabia|author-first=F.|author-last=Ibrahim|publisher=SAQI|year=2006|isbn=9780863569036}}
* {{cite book |author-last=Jafri |author-first=S.H.M. |url=https://archive.org/details/originsearlydeve0000jafr/mode/2up?view=theater |title=Origins and Early Development of Shi'a Islam |publisher=Longman |year=1979 |isbn=0582780802 |author-link=Husain Mohammad Jafri |url-access=registration}}
*{{cite journal|author-last=Jones|author-first=T.|title=The Iraq Effect in Saudi Arabia|journal= Middle East Report| volume=237|year= 2005|issue=237 |pages=20{{ndash}}25|doi=10.2307/30042471 |jstor=30042471 |url=https://doi.org/10.2307/30042471|url-access=subscription}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Kohlberg |first1=E. |title=The Term 'Rāfida' in Imāmī Shī'ī Usage |journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society |date=1979 |volume=99 |issue=4 |pages=677{{ndash}}679 |jstor=601453 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/601453 |issn=0003-0279 |url-access=subscription}}
* {{Cite encyclopedia|author-last=Kohlberg|author-first=E.|title=al-Rāfiḍa|encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Islam|edition=Second|editor1-first= P.|editor1-last= Bearman|editor2-first=Th.|editor2-last=Bianquis|editor3-first= C.E.|editor3-last=Bosworth| editor4-first=E.|editor4-last= van Donzel|editor5-first=W.P.|editor5-last= Heinrichs |url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/al-rafida-SIM_6185|
year=2012
|isbn=9789004161214|url-access=subscription}}
* {{cite book |last=Lalani |first=A.R. |date=2000 |title=Early Shī'ī Thought: The Teachings of Imam Muḥammad al-Bāqir |publisher=I.B. Tauris |isbn=1850435928}}
* {{Cite journal|author-last=Madelung|author-first=W.|title=Review of ''Islamic Legal Orthodoxy: Twelver Shiite Responses to the Sunni Legal System'', by D.J. Stewart
|year=2000|pages= 111{{ndash}}114|author-link=Wilferd Madelung|journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society|volume= 120/1|jstor=604901 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/604901}}
* {{cite book |author-last=Momen |author-first=M. |title=An Introduction to Shi'i Islam |publisher=Yale University Press |year=1985 |isbn=9780300035315 |author-link=Moojan Momen}}
* {{cite book |last=Nasr |first=V. |date=2007 |title=Shia Revival |publisher=W.W. Norton |location= |page= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a-QH_CxIFTEC |access-date= |isbn=9780393066401 |issn= |author-link=Vali Nasr}}
* {{cite journal|author-last=Prokop|author-first=M.|journal= International Affairs|volume= 79/1|year= 2003| pages= 77{{ndash}}89|title=Saudi Arabia: The Politics of Education|issue=1 |jstor=3095542 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3095542|url-access=subscription}}
* {{Cite thesis |title=We are Saving Iraq: The Legitimising Discourse of The Popular Mobilisation in Iraq |author-first=K. |author-last=Shorok |year=2017 |url=https://www.duo.uio.no/bitstream/handle/10852/61307/1/Khalil_M-NA4590.pdf |publisher=University of Oslo}}
* {{Cite book|author-last=Steinberg|author-first=G.| chapter=Jihadi-Salafism and the Shi'is: Remarks About the Intellectual Roots of Anti-Shi'ism|editor-first=R.|editor-last= Meijer|title=Global Salafism: Islam's New Religious Movement|year= 2014|publisher=Oxford Academic|url=https://academic.oup.com/book/1728/chapter-abstract/141343162?redirectedFrom=fulltext|url-access=subscription}}
*{{Cite journal |author-last=Yamani |author-first=M. |title=The two faces of Saudi Arabia |journal=Survival |volume=50/1 |year=2008 |pages=143{{ndash}}156}}
* {{cite book |author-last=Haider |author-first=N. |title=Shi'i Islam: An Introduction |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2014 |isbn=9781107031432}}
* {{cite book |title=Living Islamic History: Studies in Honour of Professor Carole Hillenbrand |date=2010 |publisher=[Oxford University Press](/source/Oxford_University_Press) |isbn=9780748642199 |editor1-last=Suleiman |editor1-first=Y. |edition=illustrated |pages=1{{ndash}}13|author-first=A.S.|author-last=al-Abdul Jader}}
{{Refend}}
==External links==
*{{Cite web |last=Haddad |first=F. |date=2013 |title=The Language of Anti-Shiism |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2013/08/09/the-language-of-anti-shiism/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130811064416/http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/08/09/the_language_of_anti_shiism |archive-date=2013-08-11 |website=Foreign Policy}}
*{{Cite web |author1-last=Zelin |author1-first=A.Y. |date=2014 |title=The Vocabulary of Sectarianism |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2014/01/29/the-vocabulary-of-sectarianism/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140316212559/http://mideastafrica.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2014/01/29/the_vocabulary_of_sectarianism |archive-date=2014-03-16 |website=Foreign Policy |author2-first=P. |author2-last=Smyth}}
{{Religious slurs}}
Category:Shia Islam
Category:Shia–Sunni relations
Category:Islam-related slurs
Category:Arabic words and phrases
Category:Anti-Shi'ism
---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Rafida](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafida) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafida?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.