Is it true that Ali beat whoever recited the verse of Mut'ah, whereupon Aisha denounced him, saying: "Indeed, he flogged for the Qur'an and forbade it, and he altered and distorted it"? And was the verse of Mut'ah revealed and then abrogated, yet people continued to recite it without knowing of the abrogation? And how could Aisha be ignorant of that and denounce Ali?

The enemies of Islam claim to have found something that suggests 'Ali abrogated the verse of Mut'ah (temporary marriage), and that 'Aisha, may Allah be pleased with both of them, mentioned that 'Ali would flog and strike anyone who recited the Qur'an. This claim has been attributed to a person named 'Abd al-Masih al-Kindi in a letter addressed to 'Abdullah ibn Isma'il al-Hashimi, but this letter has no supporting evidence. Nu'man ibn Muhammad al-Alusi authored a book titled "Al-Jawab al-Fasih Lima Lafaqahu 'Abd al-Masih" (The Eloquent Reply to What 'Abd al-Masih Fabricated), in which he refuted these allegations point by point. Al-Zurqani and Muhammad Rashid Rida also mentioned and refuted this claim. Muhammad Abu Shahbah commented on this, saying: "As for what he mentions about 'Ali abrogating the verse of Mut'ah... etc.: This is a lie and a slander against him."