What is the response to those who say that the disagreement between the people of the Sunnah and the Rafidah is not a matter of belief, but a historical issue?

Question:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. This questioner says: We have heard people say that the issue of the caliphate, in which the disagreement between the people of the Sunnah and the Rafidah occurred, is not among the matters of belief, but rather among historical issues. Is this statement correct?

Answer:
This is misguidance, may Allah protect us from it. This is misguiding the people. It is not a historical issue; it is a matter of belief. We believe that the caliph after the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is Abu Bakr, due to the consensus of the Companions on this, and due to Abu Bakr’s (may Allah be pleased with him) qualification, and because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) indicated his appointment by having him lead the prayer in his stead when he was ill. He said, “If I were to take a friend from among the people of the earth, I would have taken Abu Bakr as a friend.” This is an indication of his appointment (may Allah be pleased with him). Likewise, the caliphate of ‘Umar, the caliphate of ‘Uthman, and the caliphate of ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with them all) are all right; they were rightly guided caliphs. This is part of the belief of the people of the Sunnah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Follow after me.” This is doubted, and it is said to be a historical issue. Yes.