قَالَ مُصَنِّفُ هَذَا الْكِتَابِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ إِنَّ الْغُلَاةَ لَعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُونَ لَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ عَلِيٌّ رَبّاً لَمَا عَذَّبَهُمْ بِالنَّارِ فَيُقَالُ لَهُمْ لَوْ كَانَ رَبّاً لَمَا احْتَاجَ إِلَى حَفْرِ الْآبَارِ وَ خَرْقِ بَعْضِهَا إِلَى بَعْضٍ وَ تَغْطِيَةِ رُءُوسِهَا وَ لَكَانَ يُحْدِثُ نَاراً فِي أَجْسَادِهِمْ فَتَلْهَبُ بِهِمْ فَتُحْرِقُهُمْ وَ لَكِنَّهُ لَمَّا كَانَ عَبْداً مَخْلُوقاً حَفَرَ الْآبَارَ وَ فَعَلَ مَا فَعَلَ حَتَّى أَقَامَ حُكْمَ اللَّهِ فِيهِمْ وَ قَتَلَهُمْ وَ لَوْ كَانَ مَنْ يُعَذِّبُ بِالنَّارِ وَ يُقِيمُ الْحَدَّ بِهَا رَبّاً لَكَانَ مَنْ عَذَّبَ بِغَيْرِ النَّارِ لَيْسَ بِرَبٍّ وَ قَدْ وَجَدْنَا اللَّهَ تَعَالَى عَذَّبَ قَوْماً بِالْغَرَقِ وَ آخَرِينَ بِالرِّيحِ وَ آخَرِينَ بِالطُّوفَانِ وَ آخَرِينَ بِالْجَرَادِ وَ الْقُمَّلِ وَ الضَّفَادِعِ وَ الدَّمِ وَ آخَرِينَ بِحِجارَةٍ مِنْ سِجِّيلٍ وَ إِنَّمَا عَذَّبَهُمْ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ عَلَى قَوْلِهِمْ بِرُبُوبِيَّتِهِ بِالنَّارِ دُونَ غَيْرِهَا لِعِلَّةٍ فِيهَا حِكْمَةٌ بَالِغَةٌ وَ هِيَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى ذِكْرُهُ حَرَّمَ النَّارَ عَلَى أَهْلِ تَوْحِيدِهِ فَقَالَ عَلِيٌّ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ لَوْ كُنْتُ رَبَّكُمْ مَا أَحْرَقْتُكُمْ وَ قَدْ قُلْتُمْ بِرُبُوبِيَّتِي وَ لَكِنَّكُمُ اسْتَوْجَبْتُمْ مِنِّي بِظُلْمِكُمْ ضِدَّ مَا اسْتَوْجَبَهُ الْمُوَحِّدُونَ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ أَنَا قَسِيمُ نَارِهِ بِإِذْنِهِ فَإِنْ شِئْتُ عَجَّلْتُهَا لَكُمْ وَ إِنْ شِئْتُ أَخَّرْتُهَا فَمَأْوَاكُمُ النَّارُ هِيَ مَوْلَاكُمْ أَيْ هِيَ أَوْلَى بِكُمْ وَ بِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ وَ لَسْتُ لَكُمْ بِمَوْلًى وَ إِنَّمَا أَقَامَهُمْ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ فِي قَوْلِهِمْ بِرُبُوبِيَّتِهِ مَقَامَ مَنْ عَبَدَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ صَنَماً.
The compiler of this book, may Allah سبحانه وتعالى have mercy on him, said: The extremists, may Allah سبحانه وتعالى curse them, claim that if Ali عليه السلام had not been a Lord عز وجل, he would not have punished them with fire. It is said to them: If he were a Lord عز وجل, he would not have needed to dig pits, connect some of them to others, cover their tops, and then set fire to them. Instead, he would have created fire directly within their bodies, causing it to blaze and burn them. However, since he was a created servant of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, he dug the pits and did what he did in order to establish Allah's سبحانه وتعالى ruling upon them and executed them accordingly. If the one who punishes with fire and enforces punishment using it must be a Lord عز وجل, then by this reasoning, anyone who punishes by other means, such as drowning, would not be a Lord عز وجل. Yet, we have found that Allah سبحانه وتعالى the Exalted punished some people by drowning, others by the wind, others by the flood, and others by locusts, lice, frogs, blood, and stones of baked clay. Indeed, Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib عليه السلام punished them with fire for their claim of his divinity, instead of using other forms of punishment, for a profound wisdom. This wisdom lies in the fact that Allah سبحانه وتعالى the Exalted has forbidden fire upon the people of His Oneness. So Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib عليه السلام said: "Had I been your Lord عز وجل, I would not have burned you, even though you claimed my divinity. But because of your wrongdoing, you have earned from me the opposite of what the believers in Allah's سبحانه وتعالى Oneness deserve from their Lord عز وجل, the Almighty. I am the divider of His fire by His permission-if I wish, I hasten it for you, and if I wish, I delay it. Your abode is the fire; it is your master," meaning it is more deserving of you, and what an evil destination! And I am not your master." Thus, Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib عليه السلام dealt with them for their claim of his divinity in the same way as those who worshiped idols instead of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, the Almighty.
