The Commander of the Faithful—Glorified be His Might—said to him: "Speak, O brother of Himyar, and let whoever is present for your speech hear your answer, for your correctness shall not be lacking. I am Ali the Renowned, the son of Abu Talib the Mentioned, the brother of Muhammad the Sent, and I am described in the revealed Books. That which was far has drawn near to you, and that which was lost has been gathered for you. This is the time for proof, evidence, and clarification—it has beginnings and endings, exhortations and warnings."

The Himyarite said: "Among these matters is that it has reached us that you have assumed a Name [title] that none before you among the past kings of the earth, nor among the preceding Prophets, ever claimed. Yet, the Messenger of Allah—Glorified be His Might—had close companions who preceded you; they took charge of the affair before you after the Messenger, inherited his position and rank, matters were submitted to them, nations obeyed them, and they overcame the kings of the Arabs.

Most of them attributed themselves to the Messenger of Allah; the First was named 'Successor (Khalifa) of the Messenger of Allah,' and the Second likewise. As for the Third, he followed them and their command, though the one before him had neither appointed him as successor nor designated him; rather, he made him a partner to a group of others [the Shura]. Consequently, some resented him and others grew angry, finding people dissatisfied with him because they regretted their allegiance to him and felt they had been negligent in his appointment.