رافضي

Arabic

Root
ر ف ض (r-f-ḍ)

Etymology

Relative adjective (nisba) composed of رَافِضَة (rāfiḍa, “rejectors, active participle of رَفَضَ (rafaḍa)”) +‎ ـِيّ (-iyy).

Noun

رَافِضِيّ • (rāfiḍiyy) m (plural رَوَافِض (rawāfiḍ) or رَافِضَة (rāfiḍa), feminine رَافِضِيَّة (rāfiḍiyya))

1. (Islam, religious slur) a person who rejects the legitimacy of the Sunni caliphs (typically used by Sunnis to refer to Shias)
   • c. 14th century CE, Ibn Taymiyyah, Minhaj as-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah:

     وكانت الشيعة أصحاب علي يقدمون عليه أبا بكر وعمر وإنما كان النزاع في تقدمه على عثمان ولم يكن حينئذ يسمى أحد لا إماميا ولا رافضيا وإنما سموا رافضة وصاروا رافضة لما خرج زيد بن علي بن الحسين بالكوفة في خلافة هشام فسألته الشيعة عن أبي بكر وعمر فترحم عليهما فرفضه قوم فقال رفضتموني رفضتموني فسموا رافضة وتولاه قوم زيدية لانتسابهم إليه ومن حينئذ انقسمت الشيعة إلى رافضة إمامية وزيدية وكلما زادوا في البدعة زادوا في الشر فالزيدية خير من الرافضة أعلم وأصدق وأزهد وأشجع

     The followers of ʿAlī placed ʾAbū Bakr and ʿUmar above him, but the dispute was over whether he outranks ʿUṯmān. At that time, no one was called an "Imamite" or a "Rejector". They, however, were called "Rejectors" and became so when Zayd ibn ʿAlī ibn al-Husayn marched in Kufa against Caliph Hišām: the followers of ʿAlī asked him about ʾAbū Bakr and ʿUmar, and he wished the two peace and mercy from God. One group rejected him, and so he cried out, "You rejected me! Rejected me!" These were called "the Rejectors." Meanwhile, another group allied itself with him, a "Zaydite" one, thus called through their identification of themselves with him. Since then, the followers of ʿAlī have thus split up into "Imamites" and "Zaydites", and the more their deviancy and inventions grow, the more their evil and their harm grow. The Zaydites are far better than the "Rejectors": they are more knowledgeable, more truthful, more self-denying, and much braver.

   • c. 10th century CE, Ja'far al-Sadiq, Basa'ir ad-Darajat:

     سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ يَقُولُ: مَا لَهُمْ وَلَكُمْ وَمَا يُرِيدُونَ مِنْكُمْ وَمَا يَعِيبُونَكُمْ يَقُولُونَ ٱلرَّافِضَةَ نَعَمْ وَٱللَّهِ رَفَضْتُمُ ٱلْكَذِبَ وَٱتَّبَعْتُمُ ٱلْحَقَّ

     samiʕtu ʔabā ʕabdi l-lahi ʕalayhi s-salāmu yaqūlu: mā lahum walakum wamā yurīdūna minkum wamā yaʕībūnakum yaqūlūna r-rāfiḍata naʕam wal-lahi rafaḍtumu l-kaḏiba wattabaʕtumu l-ḥaqqa

     I heard Abu Abd Allah (i.e. Ja ʿfar as-Sadiq), peace be upon him, say "What is with them and what is with you? What do they want from you? What could they fault you for? They say, "Rejectors!" Yes, by God! You rejected falsehood and followed the Truth."

Usage notes

• The word's being a Sunni slur notwithstanding, some Shiites use it as a self-description.

Declension

Declension of noun رَافِضِيّ (rāfiḍiyy)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	رَافِضِي rāfiḍī	الرَّافِضِي ar-rāfiḍī	رَافِضِي rāfiḍī
Nominative	رَافِضِيٌّ rāfiḍiyyun	الرَّافِضِيُّ ar-rāfiḍiyyu	رَافِضِيُّ rāfiḍiyyu
Accusative	رَافِضِيًّا rāfiḍiyyan	الرَّافِضِيَّ ar-rāfiḍiyya	رَافِضِيَّ rāfiḍiyya
Genitive	رَافِضِيٍّ rāfiḍiyyin	الرَّافِضِيِّ ar-rāfiḍiyyi	رَافِضِيِّ rāfiḍiyyi
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	رَافِضِيَّيْن rāfiḍiyyayn	الرَّافِضِيَّيْن ar-rāfiḍiyyayn	رَافِضِيَّيْ rāfiḍiyyay
Nominative	رَافِضِيَّانِ rāfiḍiyyāni	الرَّافِضِيَّانِ ar-rāfiḍiyyāni	رَافِضِيَّا rāfiḍiyyā
Accusative	رَافِضِيَّيْنِ rāfiḍiyyayni	الرَّافِضِيَّيْنِ ar-rāfiḍiyyayni	رَافِضِيَّيْ rāfiḍiyyay
Genitive	رَافِضِيَّيْنِ rāfiḍiyyayni	الرَّافِضِيَّيْنِ ar-rāfiḍiyyayni	رَافِضِيَّيْ rāfiḍiyyay
Plural	basic broken plural diptote‎; broken plural triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	رَوَافِض‎; رَافِضَة rawāfiḍ‎; rāfiḍa	الرَّوَافِض‎; الرَّافِضَة ar-rawāfiḍ‎; ar-rāfiḍa	رَوَافِض‎; رَافِضَة rawāfiḍ‎; rāfiḍat
Nominative	رَوَافِضُ‎; رَافِضَةٌ rawāfiḍu‎; rāfiḍatun	الرَّوَافِضُ‎; الرَّافِضَةُ ar-rawāfiḍu‎; ar-rāfiḍatu	رَوَافِضُ‎; رَافِضَةُ rawāfiḍu‎; rāfiḍatu
Accusative	رَوَافِضَ‎; رَافِضَةً rawāfiḍa‎; rāfiḍatan	الرَّوَافِضَ‎; الرَّافِضَةَ ar-rawāfiḍa‎; ar-rāfiḍata	رَوَافِضَ‎; رَافِضَةَ rawāfiḍa‎; rāfiḍata
Genitive	رَوَافِضَ‎; رَافِضَةٍ rawāfiḍa‎; rāfiḍatin	الرَّوَافِضِ‎; الرَّافِضَةِ ar-rawāfiḍi‎; ar-rāfiḍati	رَوَافِضِ‎; رَافِضَةِ rawāfiḍi‎; rāfiḍati

Descendants

• → English: Rafidhi