Ibrahim Al-Taimi reported on the authority of his father:
Ali bin Abu Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) addressed to us and said:

So it is a legitimate concern of every Muslim to look into doctrines/practices of whosoever claims to be a Muslim.

If the above Ayat (verse) was used by a non-Muslim against Muslims, then one could accept that it would be a valid point of view.

And of course, based on such Ayat, Muslims do not interfere with non-Muslims.Every Muslim, who recites the Kalima “La ilaha il Allah” (There is no deity worthy of obedience and worship save Allah) rejects any deity other than Allah and he worships Allah alone. ‘Ismailis’ on the other hand, whilst they recite the same Kalima, worship Ali bin Abu Talib (r.a. – may Allah be pleased with him) and/or the Imam. That puts them outside Islam!

And if Ismailis accepted that they are not Muslims i.e. they are not the ones who submit to Allah in accordance with the Book (The Quran) and that, in truth, they are not the followers of the traditions of the Prophet (pbuh), (which is explicit in the second part of the Kalima, “Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah”) there would be no argument.

It is because of their refusal to acknowledge the true nature of their religion and how fundamentally they are diverse from Islam that the debate continues.

To use the above Ayat (verse) as a defence or an argument against the ‘Ismailis’, who are questioning; the ‘Ismailis’, who have left the fold to embrace other “madahabs” (school/sects) of Islam; or other Muslims, is fundamentally flawed.

That Ayat is part of one of the smallest Surahs (Chapters) in the Holy Qur’an and it is worth considering the whole matter against the entire Surah (Chapter) 109.

It would be evident from the above that the entire Surah is addressed to the UNBELIEVERS!

Now let us be absolutely clear. All Muslims, regardless whether they are Hanafi, Maliki, Shaffi, Hannabali, Ithnasariya, Hakimi, Bohra etc – they are Believers in the Book (The Quran). They worship Allah ALONE. They direct all their prayers and supplications to Him, and ask His help Alone, as Provider, Forgiver of Sins, Grantor of Peace etc.

Do the Ismailis accept this basic tenet of Muslims? Are they in “TRUTH” the worshippers of Allah and Him Alone?

If in reality, they worship Hadrat Ali (r.a.)/the Imam, they would be right to say that

In that case they could – with justification – demand to be left alone.

By the same token, however, they must cease calling themselves Muslims because Muslims are those who worship Allah and Allah alone.