فَقُلْنَا لِسُفْيَانَ: وَمَا أَرَادَ بِهَذَا؟ فَقَالَ: إِنَّ الرَّافِضَةَ تَقُولُ: إِنَّ عَلِيًّا فِي السَّحَابِ، فَلَا نَخْرُجُ مَعَ مَنْ خَرَجَ مِنْ وَلَدِهِ حَتَّى يُنَادِيَ مُنَادٍ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ، يُرِيدُ عَلِيًّا أَنَّهُ يُنَادِي: اخْرُجُوا مَعَ فُلَانٍ. يَقُولُ جَابِرٌ: فَذَا تَأْوِيلُ هَذِهِ الْآيَةِ. وَكَذَبَ، كَانَتْ فِي إِخْوَةِ يُوسُفَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.
Translation: We asked Sufyān: “What did he mean by this?” He replied: “The Rāfiḍah say: ‘ʿAlī is in the clouds, and we will not go out with any of his descendants who sets out until a caller calls from heaven.’” That is, the claim intends that ʿAlī himself will call: “Go out with so-and-so!” Jābir says: “This is the interpretation of this verse.” Sufyān said: “He lied; it concerned the brothers of Yūsuf, peace be upon him.”
«وَكَذَبَ، كَانَتْ فِي إِخْوَةِ يُوسُفَ» gives Sufyān’s explicit reason: the established narrative context of the verse must be respected. A future claim cannot be imposed on scripture merely because particular words can be made to resemble it.
“Rāfiḍah” is the historical label in Sufyān’s quoted description; this passage does not prove that every person ever given that label held the asserted belief. Likewise, «وَكَذَبَ» is Sufyān’s forceful judgment on this particular interpretation, not an independent verdict on the inner intentions of everyone involved.