And of that is the Commander of the Faithful’s dissimulation (talbees) towards the people of disbelief by his burning of Abdullah bin Saba and his brothers in the trench, because they had openly declared his divinity (uluhiyah). The purpose of that was to teach the affirming believers and to practice dissimulation towards the persistent deniers. The evidence for this is that the call was by his command and approval, as narrated through a chain of transmission (al-Isnad al-Mu'an'an) reaching Rushayd al-Hajri, from Sami'ah bin al-Jarrah, who said:

“I was seeking Abdullah bin Saba after the burning, and people were saying that they saw him walking in the markets and the streets. Whenever I saw him, I would hasten in pursuit of him, following him in hope of speaking with him; but when my pursuit intensified, he would vanish from me so that I could not see him. When that had gone on for a long time, I saw him one day in the Great Street, so I hastened toward him while he was walking leisurely, yet I found that my hastening did not bring me closer to him. So I adjured Allah to bring me and him together; then I found him and said to him: ‘O my master, why do you not show consideration for the one who turns to you?’

He said: ‘Has what befell me not sufficed you, O Sami'ah?’ I said: ‘O my master... why did you reveal the secret of Allah?’

He said: ‘Are you more knowing of the Master than I? By His command I spoke, by His will I called out, and to Him by His