المعنى الاصطلاحي

They are the followers of Katheer An-Nawwā, whose title is Al-Abtar. They claim that ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, as the best of all people after the Messenger of Allah, may Allah"s peace and blessings be upon him. They acknowledge the validity of the imamates of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with both of them, and give no opinion concerning whether ‘Uthman was a disbeliever or not.

الشرح المختصر

"Al-Butriyyah": The followers of Katheer An-Nawwā who died in 169 AH approximately. They believe that the imamate is not based upon source texts, nor is it a condition that the previous Imam explicitly nominates the Imam to follow him, i.e. it is not inherited, but based upon pledging allegiance. Therefore, anyone who is a descendant of Fatimah, may Allah be pleased with her, and meets the conditions for the Imamate is entitled to assume it. They also say that ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, was the best of people after the Messenger of Allah, may Allah"s peace and blessings be upon him, and the most deserving of leadership after him. They only acknowledge his Imamate after he was given the pledge of allegiance. They believe that the Imamate should be based on consultation, and deem it valid for a less qualified person to assume leadership in the presence of a more qualified one. They also view that pledging allegiance to Abu Bakr and ‘Umar was not a mistake, because ‘Ali approved it. However, they have no stance on the issue of judging ‘Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, as a disbeliever, given the contradiction between the texts on his virtues and those on the incidents ascribed to him. They also hold the same stance on judging those who killed him as disbelievers.

التعريف اللغوي المختصر

"Al-Butriyyah": a sect within the Zaydiyyah sect. They are attributed to Katheer An-Nawwā, whose name is: Al-Mugheerah ibn Sa‘d, and his title is Al-Abtar.