ما حكم من أنكر خلافة أبي بكر واعتقد بإمامة علي بن أبي طالب؟

Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah mandate soundness of heart and tongue towards the Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and they consider Abu Bakr al-Siddiq the most deserving of the Caliphate after the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, citing Prophetic hadiths that indicate this. Scholars have differed on the ruling concerning one who denies the Caliphate of Abu Bakr. Some Hanafis have gone as far as to declare him a disbeliever, while the Shafi'is correctly assert that he is an innovator but not a disbeliever. This latter view is closer to correctness unless the denier deems permissible the cursing of the two Sheikhs (Abu Bakr and Umar).