Rafidha

Rafida, also transliterated as Rafidah, is an Arabic word (collective plural Arabic: الرافضة‎, translit. ar-Rāfiḍa‎; multiple plural Arabic: روافض‎, translit. Rawāfiḍ‎; singular Arabic: رافضي‎, translit. Rāfiḍī‎) meaning "rejectors", "rejectionists", "those who reject" or "those who refuse". The word is derived from the Arabic consonantal root ر ف ض, which as a verb means "to reject". The non-collective singular form is رافضي rāfiḍī "one who rejects". This is an Islamic term which refers to those who, in the opinion of the person using the term, reject legitimate Islamic authority and leadership. Those being called rafida generally consider it to be a pejorative appellation, a negative affect, and an abusive nickname.

The term is used contemporarily in a derogatory manner by Sunni Muslims, especially Salafis, who refer to Shia Muslims as such because Shia Muslims do not recognize Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman as the legitimate successors of Muhammad, and hold Ali to be the rightful first successor.

The term rafida followed the Shi'a from a very early period, originating in the uprising of Zayd ibn Ali against the Umayyad Caliphate. Rafida referred to those Kufan Shi'ites who deserted and rejected Zayd, at the last minute, when he refused to repudiate and condemn the first three Rashidun Caliphs, whose rule, he argued, had been accepted by Ali himself. Zayd's uprising foreshadowed the collapse of the dynasty, which in turn led to the split between those Shi'a Muslims who agreed with Zayd and those who did not. The meaning of the term went through several changes over time. It became a popular pejorative term for Twelvers, intended to recall their rejection of Zayd ibn Ali and of the first Sunni Rashidun, namely Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman.

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