What is the appropriate name: the Rafidah or the Shi'ah?

Question : Some people use the term "Shi'ah" for the Rafidah, and they like this term. Is it better to call them the Rafidah or the Shi'ah?

Answer : As for the scholars, the scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah, such as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn al-Qayyim, and others, they do not apply to them any name other than "Rafidah." This is because the term "Shi'ah" is broader. The Shi'ah include, for example, the Zaydiyyah.
The Zaydiyyah are not called Rafidah; they are called Shi'ah and are not called Rafidah. The term "Rafidah" applies to everyone who rejected Zayd ibn 'Ali ibn al-Husayn (may Allah have mercy on him) when they came to him and asked, "What do you say about Abu Bakr and 'Umar?" He spoke well of them and said, "They are the two ministers of my grandfather, meaning the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)." When they saw that his methodology contradicted what they wanted, they rejected him and turned away from him, and from that time on they were called Rafidah. Then they began, seeking refuge in Allah, to become extreme in their matter until they reached the point of deifying their imams. That is, they believe now that those who manage the universe are their imams, and that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has abandoned the universe. We ask Allah for safety. They say that among the principles of our belief is that some of our imams are in a station that no close angel or sent prophet can attain. This means preferring their imams over the prophets and messengers. So they disbelieved in oneness of lordship first, saying that those who manage the universe are the imams, and then they disbelieved in the messengers as well, saying that their imams are better than the messengers. But they call themselves Shi'ah, and the truth is that we are more deserving of this description than they are. Yes, because we believe that the family of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the believers among them, have two rights over us. The first right is the right of faith, and the second right is the right of kinship with the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). We love them for their closeness to the Messenger, and as for the disbelievers among the relatives of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), we are disavowed of them, as the wolf is disavowed of its blood. We hate them and draw near to Allah the Exalted by hating them. So who are the Shi'ah now?
Well, then, we find that these people who claim to be Shi'ah have contradicted the imam of the Ahl al-Bayt, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, in many matters, such as the issue of temporary marriage, for example, and wiping over leather socks, and the matter of Abu Bakr and 'Umar. And the wonder is that 'Ali ibn Abi Talib was asked by his son Muhammad, his grandson, who said, "O my father, " regarding Abu Bakr, he said, "In his caliphate, no one is to be feared." He said, "" He said, "Then you?" He said, "I am nothing but a man among the Muslims."
And this is the speech of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, but they say, "No, absolutely not. Abu Bakr and 'Umar died upon hypocrisy. We ask Allah for safety." Indeed, among their crimes, seeking refuge in Allah, they said that Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) sat with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the tent at Badr because the Messenger feared that the Companions would turn against him. So they consider this an arrest of Abu Bakr and his imprisonment. We seek refuge in Allah. It is a great boldness against the Companions. What happened was boldness.