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A  SHI’ITE  ENCYCLOPEDIA
CHAPTER  1.b
VERSION 2.0    	OCTOBER 1995
REVISED	    	NOVEMBER 1999
REVISED		OCTOBER 2000
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Contents of Chapter 1.b:

- Who Offended the Blind?
- Infallibility of the Prophets (Parts I through III)
- Leadership and Infallibility (Parts I & II)
- The Twelve Imams (Parts I & II)
- The Holy Quran and the Pure Imams
- The Reward of Loving Ahlul-Bayt
- How to Send Greetings to Prophet Muhammad?
- Is Being a Member of a Party Forbidden in Islam?
- The Term "Shia" in Quran and Hadith
- al-Azhar Verdict on the Shia
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Who Offended the Blind?

=================
Chapter 80 (Abas)
=================
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

80:1  He (a certain Umayad chieftain) frowned and turned away (while he was 
with the Prophet). 
80:2  Because there came to him the blind man (Ibn Um-Maktoom). 
80:3  And what would make you know, but that, per chance, he (the blind man) 
might grow in purity, 
80:4  Or become reminded so that the reminder should profit him? (the blind man)
80:5  As for him (the Umayad chieftain) who considers himself free from need 
(rich), 
80:6  To him do you address yourself? 
80:7  And it is not necessary for you (to preach that arrogant chieftain) if he 
does not purify himself. 
80:8  And as to him who comes to you striving hard, 
80:9  And he fears (Allah), 
80:10 To him (his question) you did not pay attention? 
80:11 Nay! surely this is (this chapter) a reminder.

The occasion for the revelation of this Chapter was a historic event which took 
place. Once the Holy Prophet (PBUH&HF) was with some the rich individuals of 
Quraish from the tribe of Umayad, among them was Uthman Ibn Affan, who took the 
office of caliphate later. While the Messenger of Allah was preaching them, 
Abdullah Ibn Umm Maktoom who was blind and was one of the companions of the Holy 
Prophet (PBUH&HF) came to see him. The Holy Prophet received him with honor and 
pleasure and gave him the closest place to himself. However, the Prophet did not 
answer the question of the blind immediately Since he was at the middle of his 
speech with the Qurashites. Since Abdullah was poor and blind, the chieftains of 
the Quraish looked down upon him and they did not like the honor and the respect 
bestowed upon him by the Prophet (PBUH&HF). They also did not like the presence 
of the blind among themselves and his interrupting their conversation with the 
Prophet (PBUH&HF). Finally one of the wealthy Umayad (namely Uthman Ibn Affan) 
frowned at Abdullah and turned his back to him. 

This act of the chieftains of Quraish displeased Allah and thus He revealed the 
Chapter 80 (Abas) through Gabriel at the same time. This Chapter commended 
Abdullah's position though poor and blind. In the first 4 verses, Allah 
denounced the detesting attitude of the chieftain of the Quraish. And in the 
later verses, Allah * reminds * his Prophet (PBUH&HF) that preaching an 
unbeliever is not necessary if the unbeliever does not intend to purify himself 
and offenses a believer just because of his lack of wealth and health. 

There are some Sunni commentators who align the Holy Prophet (PBUH&HF) along 
with below-average ordinary morals, and accuse him of insulting Abdullah, and by 
that, they try to say that he was not free from the weakness of character and 
conduct. This is while the one who insulted the poor man was a wealthy member of 
Umayad who was either still non-Muslim, or had recently joint the companions 
(namely Uthman). Yet some people, in order to clear the face of Uthman from such 
misconduct, do not have any hesitation to accuse the Prophet of such action, and 
to put down the Prophet in favor of Uthman. Such twist of the event was done by 
the Umayad during their reign through pay-roll narrators. It is well-known that 
Umayad were the most ardent enemies of the family of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) and 
Islam; as such, it was not befitting of them that their leader, Uthman, be 
reprimanded in the Quran; thus, the scholars who worked for the Umayad were 
forced to write that this verse was revealed to reprimand the Prophet (PBUH&HF), 
not Uthman. Such flat-out lie was to preserve the dignity of Uthman with the 
price of humiliating the master of all the prophets. Here is the opinion of some 
Sunni commentators:

It is said that these verses came down concerning Abdullah Ibn Maktoom, he 
is Abdullah Ibn Shareeh Ibn Malik Ibn Rabi'a al-Fihri from (the tribe of) 
Bani 'Amir Ibn Louay. He came to the Messenger of Allah while he was 
trying to convert these people to Islam: Utbah Ibn Rabi'ah, Abu Jahl Ibn 
Husham, al-Abbas Ibn Abd al-Muttalib, Ubay and Umayyah sons of Khalaf. The 
blind man said: "O Messenger of Allah read me and teach me from what Allah 
has taught you." He kept calling the Prophet and repeating his plea, not 
knowing that the Prophet was busy facing someone else, until the hatred 
appeared on the face of the Messenger of Allah for being interrupted. The 
Prophet said to himself these great people will say that his followers are 
but the blind and the slaves, so he turned away from him and faced the 
people he was talking to. Then the verses were revealed. 

After that the Messenger used to be kind to him and if he sees him he 
would say "welcome to the one whom my God reproached me in him". He used 
to ask him if he needed anything and kept him behind as the deputy on 
Medina twice during wars. 

The above Sunni commentary has also been mentioned in "al-Durr al- Manthoor", by 
al-Suyuti, with some minor differences. Abul Ala Maududi who is another Sunni 
commentator of Quran has a more moderate view. Here is his interpretation of 
Verse 80:17:

Here displeasure has been expressed directly for the disbelievers who 
were being indifferent to the Message of truth. Before this, from the 
beginning of the Chapter to the Verse 16, the address though apparently 
directed to the Holy Prophet (PBUH&HF), was actually mean to reprimand 
the disbelievers. 

Sunni reference: Commentary of Quran, by Abul Ala Maududi, p1005, under the
            commentary of verse 80:17 (Islamic Publications (Pvt.), Lahore)


However, the fact is that Quran does NOT give any evidence that the person who 
frowned at the blind was the Prophet (PBUH&HF), and does not state who is being 
addressed. In the above verses of Quran Allah (SWT) did NOT address the Prophet 
either by name or title (i.e. O Muhammad, or O Prophet, or O Messenger). 
Moreover, there exists switching in the pronoun from "he" in the first two 
verses to "you" in the later verses of the chapter. Allah did NOT state: "You 
frowned and turned away". Rather, Almighty stated: 

80:1  He frowned and turned away (while he was with the Prophet), 
80:2  Because there came to him the blind man. 
80:3  And what would make you know, but that, per chance, he (the blind man) 
might grow in purity, 

Even if we assume that "you" in the third verse addresses the Prophet (PBUH&HF), 
then it is clear from the above three verses that the words "he" (the one who 
frowned) and "you" address two different individuals. The following two verses 
support this as well:

80:5  As for him who considers himself free from need (rich),
80:6  To him do you address yourself? 

Thus the one who frowned was other than the Prophet himself due to distinction 
between "him" and "you". In Verses 80:6 Allah addresses his Prophet (PBUH&HF) 
saying that preaching arrogant members of Quraish who frown at a blind is not 
worthy and is not necessary to be preferred over preaching a blind, even though 
the blind came later. The reason is that preaching anyone who does not intend to 
purify himself (to the extend that he frowns at a believer) is not fruitful. 

Moreover, frowning is not from the manners/descriptions of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) 
even with his obvious enemies, let alone believers seeking guidance! One may 
question how can a Prophet (PBUH&HF) who was sent as a mercy to mankind be cruel 
when an AVERAGE believer does not in such behavior? This allegation is also in 
contradiction with the announcement of the sublime morals and the ethics of the 
Holy Prophet (PBUH&HF) by God himself: 

"And most certainly you are on sublime morality (exalted standard of 
character)." (Quran, al-Qalam 68:4). 

A man who insult others does not deserve such compliments. It is agreed that 
Chapter al-Qalam (Ch. 68) came before Chapter Abas (Ch. 80). It was even 
revealed next after Chapter Iqra' (Ch. 96 -- the first revealed chapter). How 
could it be reasonable that Allah bestow greatness on his creature in the very 
beginning of his prophethood, declares that he is in the sublime morality, and 
thereafter reverts to reproach and criticize him on some apparent misgiving in 
his moral actions. 

Also Almighty said:

And warn your near tribe, And be kind to him who follows you of the 
believers. (Quran 26:214-215) 

It is well known that these verses are early Meccan revelation. The same words 
can be found in the tail of verse 15:88.  Allah, Exalted He is, furthermore 
said: 

Therefore declare openly what you are bidden and turn aside from the 
polytheists. (Quran 15:94) 

He was ordered to turn away from the unbelievers in this verse which is known to 
have been revealed at the beginning of the "open call to Islam" (after the 
initial secrecy period). 

How could it be imagined that after all these earlier commandments that the 
great, kind Prophet would err in such a way that would require pronounced 
interdiction? 

The commentators of Quran from the school of Ahlul-Bayt further argue that even 
the questioning in the third and forth verses of the Chapter concerning the 
doubt about Abdullah being benefited by the talk with the Holy Prophet (PBUH&HF) 
or not, has been in the mind of one who had not yet embraced Islam, and was not 
aware of the sprite of Islam. This could never have occurred in the mind of the 
Holy Prophet (PBUH&HF) who has been sent to preach the faith to every one and 
all, irrespective of any worldly position of the People. Based on that, they 
conclude that the word 'you' in the third verse does not still apply to the 
Prophet, rather it applies to one of the Umayad attendees, and that NON of the 
first four verses of this chapter (80:1-4) addresses the Prophet 
(PBUH&HF) even though the latter verses address the Prophet (PBUH&HF). 

Those who are familiar with the language of Quran and read the original Arabic 
Quran are aware of the constant jumping between the first, second, and third 
person writing style of Quran. In many verses in Quran Allah changes the address 
sharply, and as such, it is not always easy to figure out who is being addressed 
when the name of addressee is not mentioned. That's why the Prophet has ordered 
us to refer to Ahlul-Bayt (AS) for the interpretation of the verses of Quran 
since they are "firmly grounded in knowledge" (Quran 3:7) and are "The People of 
Reminder" (Quran 16:43, 21:7) and the are the purified people who have touched 
the meaning of Quran (see 56:79).

It is narrated that Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (AS) said:

It came down regarding a man from the Umayad; he was at the Prophet's 
(PBUH&HF) presence, then Ibn Umm-Maktoom came, when he saw him he despised 
him, withdrew himself, frowned and turned his face away from him. So Allah 
said what He said in disapproval of his action.

Also it is told that Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said:

"Whenever the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) saw Abdullah Ibn Umm- Maktoom, 
he said: Welcome, welcome, by Allah, you won't find Allah reproaching me 
in you ever (80:5-11). He used to get kindness from the Prophet so much 
that he used to avoid from (being in the presence of) the Prophet 
(PBUH&HF), because of what the Prophet used to do to him." Out of shyness. 


In Tafsir of Sayyid Shubbar it is reported from al-Qummi that:

The verse was revealed about Uthman and Ibn Umm-Maktoom, and he was blind. 
He came to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF), while in the company of 
companions, and Uthman was there. The Messenger introduced him to Uthman 
and Uthman frowned and turned his face away. 


Allah Almighty said in Quran about Prophet Muhammad that:

Nor does he (Muhammad) speak out of his desire. It is nothing but 
revelation that is revealed. (Quran 53:3-4). 

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So how can the Prophet (PBUH&HF) say something offensive if his speeches are 
revelation or inspiration?! The Prophet never speaks out of his own desire. 
Interestingly, Sunnis confirm that Chapter Abas (Ch. 80) was revealed RIGHT 
AFTER Chapter al-Najm (Ch. 53) where it states the Prophet does not speak out of 
his desire.

Also Verse 33:33 of the Holy Quran confirms that Ahlul-Bayt are perfectly pure 
and flawless. We all know that the virtue of the Prophet was higher than that of 
his family. He is also counted among Ahlul-Bayt. Then how can he offend a 
believer and yet maintains PERFECT purity?! 

Also note that in the revealed verses Allah states:

And it is not necessary for you (to preach that arrogant chieftain) if he 
does not purify himself. (Quran 80:7)

The above does NOT mean that what the Prophet did was a mistake, because Allah 
uses the phrase "it is not necessary for you". This means the Prophet's choice 
was not wrong, but it was not something necessary to do.

Also when Allah states: Preaching him is not necessary "IF" the Qurashite does 
not purify himself. Well, the Prophet (PBUH&HF) did not know beforehand that the 
Qurashite is going to frown at the blind, as such, the "IF" condition has not 
been satisfied and therefore what the Prophet did was necessary before the time 
that man frowned (because the Prophet was at the middle of his speech with those 
Qurashites when the blind man arrived). And as soon as the Qurashite frowned, 
the Prophet stopped preaching, and the verses was revealed. As we can see, what 
the Prophet (PBUH&HF) did was his duty second by second. 

The reminder was for future, as is the case of another verse of Quran where 
Allah reminds his Prophet that it is not necessary for him to bother himself too 
much for guiding people since some of them can never be guided, and the Prophet 
should not be unhappy about those.

In conclusion, we provided evidences from Quran, Hadith, History, and Arabic 
grammar, to support the fact that the very early verses of this chapter do NOT 
refer to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF) and the one who frowned at the blind was 
not the Prophet (PBUH&HF). We also mentioned that Verses 80:5-11 were just a 
reminder for the future to the Prophet Muhammad that preaching an unbeliever is 
not fruitful if the unbeliever does not try to purify himself and when the 
unbeliever offends a believer just because of his lack of wealth and health. 

Wassalam.

Shi'i references:
1. al-Mizan, by al-Tabataba'i (Arabic), v20, pp 222-224
2. al-Jawhar al-Thameen fi Tafsir al-Kitab al-Mubeen, by Sayyid Abdullah 
Shubbar, v6, p363 


=============
Side Comments
=============
A Sunni brother mentioned that the scholars of Tafsir wrote the verses of 
Chapter 80 was revealed after the Prophet was trying to convince the four most 
powerful people of Quraish to join Islam, namely, Utbah Ibn Rabi'ah, Abu Jahl 
(Amr Ibn Hisham), Umayyah Ibn Khalaf, and his brother, Ubayy (no mention of 
Uthman Ibn Affan). Furthermore, al-Qurtubi mentioned in his Tafsir book that 
these verses are Medanite (revealed in Medina) meaning that Uthman was already a 
Muslim by that time. 

My response was as follows: Muslims agree that the Chapter Abas (Ch. 80) was 
revealed in Mecca long before the migration of the Prophet to Medina. More 
interestingly, they agree that Chapter Abas (Ch. 80) was revealed RIGHT AFTER 
Chapter al-Najm (Ch. 53) where Allah said the Prophet does not speak out of his 
desire! Again, based on Sunnis, Chapter al-Najm was the 23rd revealed chapter of 
Quran and Chapter Abas was the 24th revealed chapter and both of them were EARLY 
Meccan revelation. Perhaps, what al-Qurtubi has mentioned was merely to drift 
the reader's attention from the issue of Uthman being addressed in the Chapter, 
and thereby preserving his integrity Uthman with the price of accusing the 
Prophet (PBUH&HF).

Another bug in the above report is that, you said one of those Qurashite whom 
the Prophet was talking to, was Abu Jahl. What was Abu Jahl doing in Medina? Do 
you know, brother, that Abu Jahl lived in Mecca, and was one of the biggest 
enemies of the Prophet, and never moved to Medina to see the Prophet, and was 
among those who was killed in the Battle of Badr (the first war).

The other people mentioned in the above report: Utbah and Umayyah were also 
killed along with their leader, Abu Jahl, in the Battle of Badr. Non of them 
ever had a chance to meet the Prophet (after the migration of the Prophet) 
except in the battlefield in Badr where their corpse were taken to that famous 
well!

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Infallibility of the Prophets (Part I)
============
Introduction
============
This article deals with the contention of whether or not the prophets and the 
messengers of Allah are infallible (sinless).  In Part 1, we will examine the 
Sunni point of view, and then we will present the Shia opinion on the matter 
with reference to the verses of Quran. In Part 2, we will provide logical 
reasoning behind the issue of the infallibility. In addition, we look at some of 
the authentic Sunni traditions in support of the infallibility. In Part 3, we 
respond to the arguments of the opponents in this regard.

Is it possible for a human being to be sinless? Is it realistic to believe that 
Allah (SWT), the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, would send forth a 
sinful man to guide mankind?  What about the Quran, what information and 
evidence about the matter does it provide? These are the questions, among 
others, that the article at hand is attempting to answer. 

==========
Disclaimer
==========
The Twelver Shi'ites do NOT hold ANY human being, whether he be a prophet, a 
messenger, or an Imam, to be divine.  We do not worship human beings, nor do we 
approve of such a custom.  Allah (SWT) is never compromised in Shi'ite theology 
or philosophy!  All the negative stuff you may hear about us is pure propaganda 
with political motives. Allah (SWT) is Exalted above all that scratches dignity 
and justice.  We hold Allah (SWT) to be the JUST Creator (SWT), Who never 
commits any injustice against His creation.  Allah (SWT) is indivisible, and He 
does not relinquish His (SWT) Majesty and Sovereignty to anyone.  No one is 
permitted to interfere with His Wishes, except by His leave. This is the 
Authentic Twelver Shi'ite Creed, and everything else that is negative in nature, 
and is attributed to the Shia, is crap. 


=====================================
Infallibility According to the Sunnis
=====================================
The Sunni scholars do not speak in one voice on this subject. Some Sunnis claim 
that the Prophet (PBUH&HF) is sinless or infallible ONLY in the delivery of 
Allah's message.  Other than that, he (PBUH&HF), just like others, sins and 
makes mistakes in many things. 

This faction of Sunnis base their opinion on the traditions narrated in their 
books about how the Prophet (PBUH&HF) falls asleep and forgets the prayer time, 
and even forgets to perform the necessary ablution (Wudu) for prayer (Sahih al-
Bukhari, Arabic version, v1, p37,44,171). Furthermore, they claim that he 
(PBUH&HF) used to sit with Aisha and watch a dance with music (Sahih al-Bukhari, 
Arabic version, v3, p228).  They also claim that he (PBUH&HF) was affected by a 
magical spell that caused severe episodes of hallucination on his part (Sahih 
al-Bukhari, Arabic version, v7, p29; and v4, p68). These are but a FEW of the 
most heinous of acts that these "scholars" attribute to the Mercy to Mankind, 
the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (PBUH&HF). 

Note that according to the Shia, these traditions are NOT authentic, nor do they 
constitute ANY truth whatsoever.  Again, these traditions were inserted into 
their books by the Umayad, among others, to justify their own corruption and 
insolence.  For when the Prophet (PBUH&HF) sins so heinously as they depict him 
(PBUH&HF) in the above traditions, we can no longer blame Uthman, or Muawiyah, 
or Yazid, or Amr Ibn al-Aas, among others, when they sin. It is to their 
advantage to portray the Prophet (PBUH&HF) as a man who listens to music and 
watches a dance with his wife, to justify the dancing and the music that was 
(and still is) rampant in their palaces.

The current state of the Ummah is NOT because a few of us aren't praying or 
fasting,; it is because some people have CHANGED and MUTILATED the religion of 
Allah (SWT) to satisfy their lusts, just like the Christians and Jews did. 
That's exactly what we have fallen into.  We sin, then we say: so what -- the 
Prophet (PBUH&HF) himself was a sinner!  Purified be the prophets and messengers 
of Allah (SWT) from being of such a sinful nature!  By Allah, to say such a 
thing is more of an insult to Allah, than it is to the prophet and messengers. 
Because when we assert that Allah sends forth sinful men, we are claiming that 
Allah (SWT) Himself approves of sin; or why, then, would he send forth a sinful 
man?  Yet, on the other hand, Allah (SWT) forbids us from doing evil!  What kind 
of twisted logic is this? Exalted be Allah (SWT) from such an insult! 


===================================
Infallibility According to the Shia
===================================
The Shia, on the other hand, state that ALL the prophets and messengers of 
Allah, with NO exception, are sinless and infallible, even before they became 
prophets and messengers. For instance, although Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF) 
became Messenger at the age of forty, the Shia assert that even in the first 
forty years of his life, he was sinless and infallible -- an assertion that 
history attests to as well. 

It is indeed frustrating to conceive of a human being who is NOT sinful. So, let 
us first define the concept of infallibility: 

============================
The Concept of Infallibility
============================
According to the scholar Muhammad Jawad Mughniyah (May Allah rest his soul in 
peace), in his book "al-Islam Wa al-'Aql -- Islam and Reason,"  the concept of 
Ismah (Infallibility) is very often misunderstood. What we mean by that concept 
is that a prophet, by virtue of his prophethood, has a pure soul.  As the Quran 
states: 

"...the (human) soul certainly incites evil, UNLESS my lord do bestow His 
Mercy... (12:53)" 

Clearly Allah (SWT) has made an exception (by using the term "UNLESS") to the 
human soul that incites evil. We can understand, based on Shi'ite philosophy, 
that the attachment of the soul (Nafs) to being is that of a relationship of 
control and administration.  Therefore, the soul may incite evil; but the 
individual has the freedom and the authority to reject that invitation to evil.  
If the individual accepts the invitation to evil, he becomes accountable for 
that evil which he commits. This is a very simplified explanation, but it serves 
the purpose. 

Now, the prophets or the messengers, are among the exception as Allah (SWT) has 
indicated.  That is, there is something in the soul of these virtuous HUMANS 
that precludes the incitement of evil, and as such they never commit it. Their 
virtue is so high that they never even think of committing a sin. It is NOT that 
if a prophet or a messenger wanted to commit a sin, he can't; rather, it is that 
"Mercy," mentioned in the above verse, that is bestowed upon him from Allah 
(SWT) that precludes him from doing so.  As such, he is sinless and infallible 
even though they have full ability of committing any kind of sin.

When Satan refused to prostrate to Adam, He was driven away and became an 
accursed one. Quran states that thereupon Satan said:

15:39 He said: My Lord, Because You has sent me astray, verily I shall adorn 
the path of error for them on the earth, and shall deceive them 
all. 

15:40 Except those of them who are Your perfectly devoted Servants.

15:41 (Allah) said: "This (Way of My sincere servants) is indeed a Way that 
leads straight to Me.

15:42 Lo! as for My slaves, you have NO way into them except the wrong-doers 
who follow you.

15:43 And verily for all such people, hell is the promised place.

It is clear from the above conversation that Allah has promised that Satan has 
NO WAY into His sincere Servants, and only wrong-doers will follow the Satan. 
Thus the Sincere Servants of Allah are not wrong-doers and shall not be 
deceived. Also Allah confirms that the Path of His Sincere Servants is a path 
which leads straight to Him. All these facts prove that the Sincere Servants of 
Allah never fall into the trap of Satan, and as such they are infallible, due to 
Allah's Mercy. 

One side remark here is that there is no mention of "prophet" or "messenger" in 
the above verses. In other words, the "perfectly devoted Servants" who are 
infallible are not necessarily "prophets" or "messengers". The issue of the 
infallibility of the Imams will be discussed in a separate article, however.


===================================
The Quran Speaks About the Prophets
===================================
First, it would be of help to take a look at the commandment of obeying the 
messenger, to see how all-encompassing and all-pervading this commandment is, 
and how great the authority of the messenger of Allah is. Allah states in Quran: 

"And we did not send any messenger, unless he should be obeyed by Allah's 
authority." (Quran 4:64)

The prophet or the messenger of God is to be obeyed and followed; the followers 
ARE NOT EXPECTED TO CHECK EVERY ORDER OF THE PROPHET to decide what is to be 
obeyed and what is not to be obeyed. There is no way to check his commands, 
because he himself gave us all the rules and divine laws in the form of 
Scripture and his traditions (sayings/actions/satisfactions). If we become 
suspicious to some of the actions of the prophet, this suspicion can cause all 
his commands and laws that he has already conveyed to go under question. This 
shows that the prophets and messengers were free from error and sin; otherwise 
Allah would not have ordered people to obey them UNCONDITIONALLY. 

There are many verses in which Allah commands us to obey the prophet: 

"O you who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger and do not burn 
your deeds (by disobeying him)." (Quran 47:33)

Allah, Exalted, also states: 

"Whoever obeys the Messenger, he indeed obeys Allah." (Quran 4:80)

In the above verses as well as many other verses of the Quran, obedience of 
Allah has become synonymous with the obedience of the prophets. Such assertion 
would have been impossible if the prophets were not infallible (Ma'soom). Now, 
note the following verse: 

"....and obey not from among them a sinner or an ungrateful one." (Quran 
76:24)

The picture is complete! "The prophets are to be obeyed," and "the sinners are 
NOT to be obeyed." The only conclusion is that the prophets were NOT sinners or 
wrong-doers. In other words, they were infallible (Ma'soom) and sinless. 

Looking specially at the Holy Prophet of Islam (PBUH&HF), Allah tells us: 

"And whatever the Messenger gives you, take it; and from whatever he 
forbids you, keep back." (Quran 59:7)

This is another indication that WHATEVER the Prophet (PBUH&HF) offered must be 
accepted unconditionally and with no doubt. This means that the permission or 
prohibition of the Holy Prophet was always in accordance with the will of Allah 
and was always favored by Him. It proves that the Holy Prophet was protected 
(Ma'soom). No one can be so sure about the commands of a man who is not 
infallible. 

Now, if the Prophet (PBUH&HF) was a sinner as some people falsely allege, then 
how can Allah (SWT) order us to accept that which could be sinful?  Fear Allah 
(SWT) in your reasoning.  For those who argue that the above verse is specific 
ONLY to religious injunctions, and the Prophet (PBUH&HF) is sinless in that 
matter only, I would say such assertion is baseless. This is a basic rule that 
to the time that there is no exclusion or condition or particularization has 
been mentioned in conjunction with a text of Quran, it covers all aspects. 
Second, EVERYTHING the Prophet (PBUH&HF) spoke had something to do with Allah 
(SWT) and His religion; then how can you claim that Allah (SWT) is making a 
separation?  Haven't you heard what Aisha said when she was asked about the 
Prophet's behavior? She said: "His life was the Quran, especially the first ten 
verses of the Chapter al-Noor, the Light."   Now, if the Prophet's (PBUH&HF) 
life was the Quran verbatim, how can he (PBUH&HF) be a sinner?  That means that 
the Quran is full of sinful things!  Exalted be Allah (SWT) from revealing such 
a book!!!  There is another verse in which Allah said: 

"(O prophet) tell (people) If you really love Allah, then follow me, Allah 
will love you and forgive you your sins." (Quran 3:31)

Here the love of Allah is made contingent on following the orders of the Prophet 
of Islam. Both sides of love are included in it. If you love Allah follow the 
Prophet; if you follow the Prophet, Allah will love you. Does it not show that 
the Prophet was absolutely free from any type of blemish? 

Not only the orders of the Prophet, but also all his decisions are protected 
from error for Allah said to his Prophet:

But no by thy Lord! They can have no (real) Faith until they make thee 
judge in ALL disputes between them and find in their souls no resistance 
against thy decisions but accept them with the fullest conviction. (Quran 
4:65) 

If ALL the decisions of the Prophet should be accepted unconditionally, then the 
Prophet should be protected from error in ALL his decisions. 

Beside his actions and his decisions, even any single word of his speeches was 
the Commands of Allah.  Almighty states in the Quran: 

53:1 By the Star when it sets,
53:2 Your companion (i.e., Prophet) does not err/wander, nor is he deceived
53:3 Nor does he speak out of his desire;
53:4 It is no less than a revelation that is revealed.
53:5 The Mighty in Power has taught him.

The above verses not only proves that the Prophet did not err or sin, but also 
testifies that all his speeches were revelation (either directly or indirectly). 
These verses unequivocally clears the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) from EVER 
saying ANYTHING of his (PBUH&HF) own desire.  That includes his (PBUH&HF) 
tradition and the Quran.  For those who argue otherwise, don't forget that the 
tradition is used in ANY interpretation of the Quran; and in matters of 
Jurisprudence (Fiqh), as well as in other areas.  If the tradition is corrupt 
because you claim that the Prophet (PBUH&HF) is a sinner (May Allah forgive 
us!!!), then the interpretation of the Quran is also corrupt!!! Fear Allah (SWT) 
in your reasoning!   For those who claim that the Prophet (PBUH&HF) is sinless 
in the delivery of the Message of Allah (SWT), and that includes the Hadith, 
then you have already admitted what the Shia say!!! It is unanimously agreed 
that the Sunnah of the Prophet covers the Prophet's sayings, actions, and 
thought/satisfaction. Since the Sunnah are reflections of the Prophet's actions, 
he (PBUH&HF) is then sinless in the actions as well. 

Allah also said:

"Have We not caused thy bosom to dilate?  And removed from thee thy 
burden? That which weighed down thy back?  And exalted the esteem (in 
which) thou (art held)?..." (Quran 94:1-4) 

I will not personally comment on the above verse, but here's what Abdullah Yusuf 
Ali, a Sunni translator of the Quran, has to say in his footnotes to the verse: 

"(This is also) the prayer of Moses (asking for the expansion of the 
breast). The breast is symbolically the seat of knowledge and the highest 
feelings of love and affection, the treasure-house in which are stored the 
jewels of that quality of human character which approaches nearest to the 
divine.  The holy Prophet's human nature had been PURIFIED, EXPANDED, and 
ELEVATED, so that he became a Mercy to all Creation.  Such a nature could 
afford to ignore the lower motives of ordinary humanity which caused 
shameful attacks to be made on him.  Its strength and courage could also 
bear the burden of the galling work which it had to do in DENOUNCING SIN, 
SUBDUING IT, and protecting Allah's (SWT) creatures from its oppression. 

It is indeed a grievous and galling burden for a man to fight single- 
handed against sin.  But Allah sends HIS GRACE and aid, and THAT BURDEN IS 
REMOVED, or converted into joy and triumph in the service of the One True 
God. 

The Prophet's virtues, the magnanimity of his character, and his love for 
mankind were fully recognized in his lifetime, and his name stands highest 
among the heroic leaders of mankind.  The phrase used here is more 
comprehensive in meaning that used for various prophets..." 
[End of quote from A. Yusuf Ali] 

Do I need to say more?  Let us see if Allah said any more:

"It is He who has sent His Messenger with the GUIDANCE and the Religion of 
Truth..." (Quran 9:33)

"And the unbelievers say: Why is not a Sign sent down to him from his 
Lord? But thou art truly a warner and for EVERY nation there exists a 
GUIDE." (Quran 13:7)

A Messenger, who rehearses to you the Signs of Allah containing clear 
explanations, in order to lead forth those who believe and do righteous 
deeds from the depths of Darkness into Light." (Quran 65:11) 

The above verses of Quran testify that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF) was a 
Guide sent to lead forth people from the depths of Darkness into Light. (65:11)  
And that he (PBUH&HF) is a warner (27:91) and one of the guides for people. 
(13:7). Sin is darkness, and as such, how can the Prophet was sent to move 
people from darkness into light when he himself is sitting in the darkness?! May 
Allah protect us from slandering His Prophet (PBUH&HF).

Similarly Quran informs us that the Prophet has come to us to sanctify and 
cleanse us and to teach us wisdom:

As We have sent unto you a messenger from among you who recites unto you 
Our revelations and cleanses you, and teaches you the Scripture and 
wisdom, and teaches you that which you knew not. (Quran 2:151)

Allah did bestow a great favor unto the believers when He sent among them 
an Messenger from among themselves reciting unto them the Signs of Allah 
sanctifying them and teaching them the Scripture and Wisdom while 
before that they had been in manifest error. (Quran 3:164) 

See also Quran 2:129, 62:2 which also testify that one of the missions of the 
Prophet (PBUH&HF) was to cleanse the true believers. Then how could a prophet 
purify others of wrong-doings if he himself were not pure? How could Allah send 
an impure and sinful person to cleanse others? How could a man teach others 
wisdom if he had no wisdom to distinguish right from wrong; or worst still, if 
he had no willpower to resist from doing wrong? The Prophet was to teach people 
the Book of Allah; this means that he KNEW the Commandment of Allah. He was to 
purify them and teach them wisdom. This means he himself had wisdom and purity. 

Witness to the perfection of his character is found in Quran where Allah states: 

"And most certainly you are on sublime morality (exalted standard of 
character)." (Quran 68:4)

A man committing mistakes does not deserve such compliments. All these verses 
clearly prove two things: 

1. The authority of the Holy Prophet upon the believers was unlimited and all-
comprehensive. Any order given by him, under any condition, in any place, at 
any time, was to be obeyed unconditionally. 

2. Supreme authority was given to him because he was sinless (Ma'soom) and free 
from all types of errors and sins. Otherwise, Allah would not have ordered 
us to obey him with no questioning or doubt. 

End of Part 1 of 3
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Infallibility of the Prophets (Part II)

In this part, we discuss the logical support for the infallibility of the 
Prophets, and we then provide some traditions from Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih 
al-Tirmidhi with regard to the issue of infallibility.

================
Reason and Logic
================
Apart from the analysis of the character of a prophet historically or as a 
character from the Quran, such character can also be judged within the confines 
of reason and logic.  As such, the obvious question is: Is it rational and/or 
realistic for a Prophet sent by the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe to be 
a sinner?  Let's find out: 

First, when Allah (SWT) sends forth a Prophet, He (SWT) distinguishes him from 
all the creatures by cleansing him from evil and sin, so that he may serve as an 
example.  Indeed, Allah (SWT) asserts: "You have indeed in the Messenger of 
Allah AN EXCELLENT EXEMPLAR for him who hopes in Allah and the Final Day, and 
who remember Allah much. (Quran 33:21)"  As such, a man that has been chosen by 
the Creator of the Universe to represent Him (SWT) on the Earth, CANNOT be of an 
evil nature, nor can he be a sinner that commits ignoble acts. If the Prophet is 
sent to advice humanity to do good deeds, then he himself commits sins, do you 
believe that he will serve as an outstanding example to be followed?  That would 
be like an Imam of Mosque who waves his right hand saying: "Don't drink beer!" 
while a holds a beer can in his left hand!!! 

Second, if the Prophet (PBUH&HF) enjoins righteousness and forbids evil when he 
himself is a sinner who commits evil, he has gone against what Allah said in 
Quran that:

O you who believe! why do you say that which you do not act? It is most 
hateful in the sight of Allah that you say that which you do not act. 
(61:2-3) 

Based on the above verse of Quran, if prophet was a sinner, he should not have 
preached others in the first place!! As such, a sinful prophet faces a dilemma: 
If he does not preach, he has disobeyed the order of God who has ordered him to 
convey the message (Quran 5:67). On the other hand, if he preaches, he again has 
disobeyed God where Allah states "O you who believe! why do you say that which 
you do not act? It is MOST HATEFUL in the sight of Allah that you say that which 
you do not act.!!!" 

Didn't Allah (SWT) reprimand the Jews by saying: "Do you enjoin right conduct on 
the people, and forget (to practice it) yourselves, and yet you study the 
Scripture? Will you not understand? (Quran 2:44)"  Clearly, a Prophet CANNOT 
order a layman to perform prayer on a timely basis, when the Prophet himself 
forgets to pray, and when he remembers, he prays without ablution (Wudu) (as 
Sahih al-Bukhari, Arabic version, v1, p123; and v1, p37)!!!  Purified be the 
Representatives of Allah (SWT) from such false accusations! 

Third, a prophet that sins is a repulsive character.  We, as humans, detest a 
person who comes to us and says don't do this and don't do that, yet he himself 
commits wicked acts.  He automatically becomes repulsive to us, and we cannot 
stand to listen to him anymore.  Similarly, if Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF) was 
cruel to a blind man, which he WAS NOT, how can he ask us to have good manners? 
(NOTE AGAIN: The blind man's story is not related to the Prophet (PBUH&HF) as 
some Sunnis state; it was a chapter revealed to reprimand Uthman Ibn Affan, who 
was the one who frowned in the face of the blind man. Please see the earlier 
article which was exclusively in this regard). 

Do you seriously believe that a Prophet of Allah (SWT) was a sinner and so 
offensive?  Why do you follow him then? I, personally, will NOT believe in a man 
who claims to be sent by Allah (SWT), the Creator of the Universe, and then sins 
and behaves in a manner that is not even befitting of a beast! 

Forth, was Allah (SWT) so incapable as to make His (SWT) prophets and messengers 
sinless?  Why would Allah (SWT) even bother to send a sinning prophet to be an 
example to a community? If sin is something that even the prophets and 
messengers can not avoid, then what is the purpose of sending a religion to the 
mankind any way? Does God expect the ordinary people to follow his instructions 
when his own deputies can not?

Fifth, a prophet or messenger is an interpreter of Allah's commands.  As such, 
if the prophet is the first to violate these commands, who among the Ummah will 
abide by these commands? Or if he is in a state that deprives him of his mental 
faculties causing him to err, then he will MISinterpret the commands of Allah 
(SWT). If that happens, then surely Allah (SWT) is playing a game with His 
creation! For He (SWT) sends them a man to interpret the religion for them, yet 
this man is subject to magical spells, as the Israelites reports claim, and 
mental hallucinations that cause him to become unaware of his own behavior (See 
Sahih Bukhari, Arabic version, v7, p29)! What kind of interpreter is that? 
Exalted be Allah (SWT) from such allegations against His Prophet (PBUH&HF)! 

sixth, for those among Sunnis who say that the Prophet (PBUH&HF) is sinless or 
infallible ONLY in the delivery of Allah's (SWT) message, and other than that, 
just like any other man, he (PBUH&HF) sins and makes mistakes in many things, 
such assertion is full of logical holes. For instance, Sunnis narrated that once 
the Prophet gave advice on agriculture, and people did it, but they suffered a 
big loss by following that advice!! Then Prophet told them that what he said was 
his personal advice and not revelation!!! (which is, by the way, in 
contradiction with the verse: "Nor does he (prophet) speak out of his desire. 
What he says is nothing but revelation that is revealed.[53:3-4]") 

How do we know which of the Prophet's sayings are from Allah (SWT), and which 
are his personal sayings?  He (PBUH&HF) may say something which the companions 
take as Allah's command, but it may be that he (PBUH&HF) was only expressing his 
OWN opinion.  If that happens, then all of Allah's laws will be in chaos and 
disarray! That is why, even the Prophet's OPINION has to conform with Allah's 
orders, for fear of misinterpretation by the people. In fact the Prophet had a 
perfect reason and his Ijtihad was in perfect compliance with the Allah's orders 
and satisfaction and that is why Quran orders us to obey WHATEVER he states 
without condition.

Also, how can we understand which acts of the Prophet are wrong, and which are 
right? What is the measure for us? Isn't a part of this measure the practice of 
the Prophet (PBUH&HF) himself? Since the practice of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) is 
considered to be one of the sources of deriving the rules of Islam, we can NOT 
evaluate the Prophet's actions by the rules which are derived from his actions! 
As such all the actions of the Prophet should have been protected.

Seventh, for the Prophet (PBUH&HF) to be chosen to deliver Allah's (SWT) message 
(one of which was the Quran) and be himself a sinner, will cast doubt on the 
authenticity of the Quran. When the Prophet (PBUH&HF) recites a verse from the 
Quran, how do we know that that verse is indeed from Allah (SWT), and not a side 
effect from the hallucinative episode that the Prophet (PBUH&HF) was allegedly 
experiencing as a result of the magical spell cast upon him?! That would mean 
that Allah's (SWT) Book will be distorted by the same man who was sent to 
deliver it!

Eighth, just imagine what impossible situation would have been created if any 
prophet begin to exhort his followers to commit a mistake or sin. The wretched 
followers would be condemned to the displeasure of Allah in any case. If they 
obey the Prophet and commit that sin, then they have disobeyed the command given 
by Allah and thus are disgraced. If, on the other hand, they disobey the 
Prophet, they again have disobeyed the command of Allah about obeying the 
Prophet. So, it appears that a fallible prophet could bring nothing but disgrace 
and condemnation to his people. 

Ninth, a punishable sin will cause sadness and depression to the soul of the 
believer.  The believer who sincerely loves Allah (SWT) is angered and depressed 
by the sin he has committed.  Feelings of sadness begin to roam the mind, and 
the believer will lose confidence many times. Feelings of doubt are evoked in 
the sense that the believer feels that Allah (SWT) may not support him at a 
certain point in time as punishment for what he has rendered. This doubt is NOT 
in the sense that he feels Allah (SWT) is not merciful enough to forgive him; 
rather, it is the doubt about what will happen if Allah ever decides to 
retaliate for what he has done. 

With the above in mind, a prophet should NOT be a sinner, because that would 
entail that he loses confidence at certain stages in his mission. If doubt 
strikes the soul of a prophet, you can be assured that his mission is in 
jeopardy. Also, from a political and psychological standpoint, doubt 
automatically translates into disaster. On the other hand, it is a known 
historical fact that the Prophet (PBUH&HF) never displayed any doubt in his 
mission, and thus he could not have been guilty of sins. Having doubt could not 
have only undermined his mission, but it would also have undermined his 
credibility among the believers. 

Tenth, a Prophet is a teacher by virtue of his prophethood. If a teacher errs 
when he is supposed to be sent DIRECTLY by Allah (SWT) as a mercy to mankind, 
then he will need a more knowledgeable and a more virtuous teacher to guide him 
and to punish him in the case that he violates the limits of God; which means 
that the Prophet himself will need an unerring teacher sent by God, and so on, 
ad infinitum. Thus, it cannot be except that the Prophet MUST be the number one 
teacher and the highest in virtue among his own people, and that he be sinless 
and infallible to begin with. 

As for the Imams (divinely appointed Caliphs), the same argument applies, but 
they are NOT prophets or messengers. They are, however, successors and 
vicegerents to the Seal of Prophethood. As such, if these Imams are to guide the 
Ummah of Muhammad (PBUH&HF), they also must have the same qualities that the 
above argument illuminates. Please see the next article which is exclusively 
about the infallibility of Imams.


==============================================
Reference to Infallibility in Sahih al-Bukhari
==============================================
There is an interesting tradition in Sahih al-Bukhari which asserts that there 
are people who are Ma'soom (infallible/protected). The tradition clearly 
specifies that these people are the prophets and their successors (Caliphs). The 
tradition also illuminate the fact that He is Allah who gives the position of 
Caliphate to the Caliph which implies that the infallible Caliph is the one who 
is assigned by Allah, not by people. Moreover, the tradition asserts that there 
are good advisors/companions and bad advisors/companions for the prophets and 
their successors, but those who are protected by Allah will not be deceived by 
the evil advisors around them. Here is the tradition:

Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith: 9.306
Narrated Abu Sa'id al-Khudri: 

The Prophet said, "Allah never sends a prophet or gives the Caliphate to a 
Caliph but that he (the Prophet or the Caliph) has two groups of  
advisors: A group advising him to do good and exhorts him to do it, and 
the other group advising him to do evil and exhorts him to do it. But the 
protected person (Ma'soom) is the one who is protected by Allah.'" 
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Do I need to make any comment?!


====================
Is Any One Like Him?
====================
The Holy Quran states that the Prophet (PBUH&HF) is HUMAN being like us Human 
beings. The likeness between us and him is in the sense that both of us are 
human and both are accountable for our deeds. However there is no similarity 
between us and him in terms of virtue, knowledge, closeness to Allah. Allah gave 
him abilities and authorities which were not given to us ordinary beings. In the 
following traditions in Sahih al-Bukhari, the Prophet clearly stated that he is 
not like any of us, meaning that although he is human, we can not compare our 
weak and sinful soul with his:

Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith: 3.182 
Narrated Anas: 

The Prophet said, "Do not practice al-Wisal (fasting continuously without 
breaking one's fast in the evening or eating before the following dawn)." 
The people said to the Prophet, "But you practice al-Wisal?" The Prophet 
replied, "I am not like any of you, for I am given food and drink (by 
Allah) during the night." (Qala: Lastu Ka ahadin minkum).


Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith: 3.183 
Narrated Abdullah Ibn Umar: 

Allah's Apostle forbade al-Wisal. The people said(to him),"but you 
practice it?" He said, "I am not like you, for I am given food and drink 
by Allah." (Qala: Inni lastu mithlikum).


Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith: 3.184 
Narrated Abu Sa'id: 

That he had heard the Prophet saying, "Do not fast continuously (practice 
al-Wisal), and if you intend to lengthen your fast, then carry it on only 
till the Suhur (before the following dawn)." The people said to him, "But 
you practice (Al-Wisal), O Allah's Apostle!" He replied, "I am not 
similar to you, for during my sleep I have One Who makes me eat and 
drink." (Qala: Inni lastu ka Hay'atikum).


Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith: 3.185 
Narrated Aisha: 

Allah's Apostle forbade al-Wisal out of mercy to them. They said to him, 
"But you practice al-Wisal?" He said, "I am not similar to you, for my 
Lord gives me food and drink." (Qala: Inni lastu ka Hay'atikum) 


Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith: 3.187 
Narrated Abu Huraira: 

The Prophet said twice, "(O you people) Be cautious! Do not practice al-
Wisal." The people said to him, "But you practice al-Wisal?" The Prophet 
replied, "My Lord gives me food and drink during my sleep. Do that much 
of deeds which is within your ability." 


Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith: 3.188 
Narrated Abu Said al-Khudri: 

Allah's Apostle said, "Do not fast continuously day and night (practice 
al-Wisal) and if anyone of you intends to fast continuously day and night, 
he should continue till the Suhur time." They said, "But you practice al-
Wisal, O Allah's Apostle!" The Prophet said, 
"I am not similar to you; during my sleep I have One Who makes me eat 
and drink.

It appears from these authentic Sunni evidences, among others, that the Prophet 
is like us ONLY in the sense that he is human being (i.e., like us, he has 
choice to do right or wrong and has a human flesh). Other than that, there is no 
similarity between his Supreme soul/virtues and ours.


===============================================
Reference to Infallibility in Sahih al-Tirmidhi
===============================================
In fact, the Prophet (PBUH&HF) himself testified that he and his Ahlul-Bayt are 
sinless. Interesting to see that Messenger of Allah used the purification verse 
of Quran to prove his point. Ibn Abbas Narrated that:

The Messenger of Allah recited "Verily Allah intends to keep off from 
you every kind of uncleanness O' People of the House (Ahlul-Bayt), and 
purify you a perfect purification". (Quran, the last sentence of Verse 
33:33) and then the Messenger of Allah said: "Thus Me and my Ahlul-
Bayt are clear from sins." 


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Sunni reference:
- Sahih al-Tirmidhi, as quoted in:
- al-Durr al-Manthoor, by Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, v5, pp 605-606,198 under
     the commentary of Verse 33:33 of Quran
- Dala'il al-Nabawiyyah, by al-Bayhaqi
- Others such as al-Tabarani, Ibn Mardawayh, Abu Nu'aym, etc.

Please note the word "thus" in the highlighted part of the above tradition. It 
means the Prophet himself is CONCLUDING that the verse MEANS Ahlul-Bayt 
(including himself) are sinless. 

End of Part 2 of 3
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Infallibility of the Prophets (Part III)

This part addresses the questions and counter arguments on this subject in the 
current and the previous rounds of discussions, and the responses to them. 

=============
Side Comments
=============
A person asked how we explain the following verse of Quran
considering the subject of infallibility:


     Was Allah to seize the people immediately for their Dhulm
     (wrong-doing; injustice), no living creature would be
     left on earth. He gives them respite for an appointed
     time. When their term is over, they will not be able to
     change the inevitable. (16:61)


My comment is as follows: First, "the people" at the beginning of
the verse refers to "the unjust people" and "the disbelievers".
Note that in the preceding verse the disbelievers have been
explicitly addressed. The above verse does not imply that everyone
on Earth is unjust. It rather refers to the fact that, unlike the
Hereafter, when an earthly punishment comes as a result of
injustice of the unjust people it will inflict all leaving
creatures on the Earth including good and bad people as well as the
animals. Of course, the affliction is a total loss and punishment
for wrong-doers while for the believers it will be test. In another
verse, Allah states:


     And fear the affliction that affects not just those of you who
     do wrong: and know that Allah is strict in punishment (8:25)


Thus, the verse (16:61) does not prove that everyone is Dhalim
(unjust).


Moreover, the term "Dhulm" was used in Quran with different
meanings. Only one of the general meanings of Dhulm is "wrong
doing" that entails punishment in the Hereafter. Surely, the
Prophets and the Imams were not wrong-doers (Dhalim) and we can
readily prove this by Quran (see few paragraphs later). However,
before presenting the Quranic argument and in order to get a better
picture of the issue, let me quote a famous explanatory statements
of the Sufis mentioned by the Sunnis scholars including al-Razi and
al-Baidhawi, which states:


     "The good deeds of the righteous people are sins for
     those who are close (to Allah)."


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This means that for people who are very close to Allah such as the
Prophets, sin has a much subtle meaning, and its meaning is much
different from what we usually consider as sin. In their high level, 
they consider themselves sinful when they question themselves by saying: "I 
should have done more good deeds than of what I have done till now." This is 
while they did their best. Or "I did not worship Allah to the extent that He 
deserves by His Majesty." Or "I could be closer to God." These are the sort of 
sins to them which is much more different than what we think of as sin. Their 
sin is just a feeling of shyness toward the Glory of Allah. 

According to his genuine nature, an advanced human being does not make any 
hesitation in following the path of Almighty God. In every step that he takes 
towards development, the greatness and grandeur of the power of the Almighty 
will become more obvious him, and he will look at his past from a higher level. 
For what he has done he will sometimes apologize, even if what he has done was 
his duties. That is because he now comprehends its inadequacy. He interprets his 
past worships as sin and does not see any value for his work when presented to 
the Great position of the Lord. With his elevated view, he perceives his 
submission to God's presence as sinful and even an action far from politeness. 

The prophets and the divinely-appointed Imams have reached this point. Since 
they realize the Magnificence of their Lord and comprehend the position of the 
Life-Giver, they see themselves, their activities, and their prostrations and 
praises so little that they interpret the worship of that much affluence and 
greatness as sin, and with supplication and invocation, they ask for pardon and 
they hope for forgiveness. When they face the divine commandments and consider 
the Holy Position of the Almighty, they submit themselves to the Master. They 
see their action in front of the Lord as nothing, and recognize it as not 
suitable for praise. They hope it would be accepted by the Generosity and 
Majesty of the Creator, otherwise it is a sin to submit such inadequate worship 
to the Holy Presence of the Lord. 

Those people like the Prophet Muhammad and his Ahlul-Bayt (peace be upon them 
all) realized the Divine position with a much wider view. Continuously upon the 
two wings of knowledge and action, they progressed to a higher and superior 
position. They were, at every moment, finding out more about the Magnificence of 
the Life-Giver of the world, and more about their own needs; consequently better 
understanding of their inadequate actions in comparison with that much Power and 
Greatness. To compensate for that, they confessed to their sins and asked the 
Lord for the permission to apologize with the excuse that they can NOT do to the 
extent of what Allah deserves, and with the hope that He would guide them to a 
higher and superior position until they could continue their development process 
in order to reach the sublime morality. 

Now the verse you mentioned should be understood in this context. No HUMAN could 
warship Allah to the extent of what Allah deserves to be worshipped. It is like 
one wants to pay an infinite debt by finite resources. Thus everybody is sinful 
and shameful in front of His Glory. The closer to God, the more shameful of your 
insufficient worship in front of God you are. 

Let me also give you a proof from Quran that "Dhulm" for prophets has much 
different meaning. Allah, to whom belong Might and Majesty states in Quran: 

"And when Abraham was tested by his Lord with certain commands and he 
fulfilled them. Then He said: Lo! I appoint you an Imam for mankind. 
(Abraham) said: And of my offspring (will there be Imam)? He said: My 
covenant does not reach the wrong-doers (among them)." (Quran 2:124). 

In the above verse Allah states that the position of God-assigned leadership 
does not reach to a person who is "Dhalim" (wrong-doer). Now, there is no 
dispute that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF) was a divinely appointed leader and a 
descendant of Abraham (AS). Not only him, but also Moses, Jesus, David, Sulayman 
(Solomon) were also descendants of Abraham and all of them were assigned by 
Allah as Imam. This goes to prove that non of them were "Dhalim" (wrong-doer), 
otherwise the last sentence of Verse 2:124 will become untrue! 

Thus, there is no conflict amongst verses 16:61, 2:124, 33:33, etc.
since firstly, the verse 16:61 does not attribute the Dhulm to all
people, and secondly, Dhulm has been used in Quran with more than
one meaning and not just the "wrong-doing" that deserves Allah's
punishment in the Hereafter. Sin has a different meaning for those
who are close to Allah. Their sins can only be interpreted as
insufficient good deeds or worship before Allah in comparison to
the infinite worship that Allah deserves. Such type of sin -- that
is even unobservable to the righteous people -- does not cause the
wrath of Allah, nor does it lead to punishment in the Hereafter.

=========
A Muslim convert (former Catholic) stated that there is a report of David's 
adultery in the Old Testament. The Prophets were human. Remember that Muhammad's 
past and future sins were forgiven. It is not that he didn't have any. The 
Prophet (PBUH&HF) used to ask forgiveness for himself. Clearly, that would 
constitute the attitude of a sinner repenting after an act of sin. 

In reply to the disparaging quote about David (AS) from the Bible, I won't even 
dignify that statement by the Bible writers with a comment! one should know 
better than to quote a mutilated book! 

As for the Prophet (PBUH&HF) asking for forgiveness from Allah (SWT), I have 
just answered this few lines before and proved it by Quran and Hadith that the 
sin of the Prophets and Imams are much different than what we consider sin 
(which is punishable), and as such they will not be held accountable for that. 
That is why Allah informed the Prophet (PBUH&HF) that his past and his future 
"sins" are forgiven!

If Allah (SWT) had inspired "sinful" prophets and messengers to lead people to 
the Right Path, it would mean that Allah (SWT) approves of sinfulness!  Why then 
does He prohibit it?  What kind of game is Allah (SWT) playing?  What kind of 
Creator is He Who approves of something while prohibiting it at the same time?  
Cease and desist from insulting Allah (SWT) by claiming that His prophets and 
messengers were sinners. Fear Allah (SWT) O People before the day comes when you 
will account for your deeds!  Exalted be the Merciful from these ludicrous 
insinuations! 
=========
A reader mentioned that Moses (AS) killed a man with his fist. What sin could be 
greater than killing a human?

Well, The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF) and Imam Ali (AS) killed many unbelievers! 
They did this to comply with Allah's regulations. Also killing a person during 
self-defense or when protecting believers from the assault of a non-believer, is 
not a crime.

Moreover, in many instances the sin of the prophets mentioned in Quran is the 
act they have committed which is considered violation by the tyrants of their 
time and NOT by Allah. It means that the governor considered such prophet is 
GUILTY of a specific act. This does NOT mean that they are guilty before Allah. 
The case of Prophet Moses killing a non-believer in defense of one of his Shia 
(followers) falls into this category. In fact Quran testifies the above 
mentioned fact by saying:

26:10 Behold your Lord called Moses: "Go to unto the wrongdoing folk: 
26:11 The people of Pharaoh, will they not fear Allah?
26:12 He said: "O my Lord! I do fear that they will charge me with falsehood" 
26:13 "My breast will be straitened and my speech may not go (smoothly), so send 
Aaron (to help me). 
26:14 "And (further) they hold a charge of sin against me; and I fear they 
may slay me." 

             |:  :      |    . | . | .      .  .     |        |   
        .  q_|_,_o_,  . | .__9 |_7 |_9  .__,_, >    _|_c  o_8_| q 
       (_) /      :  (_)                 .       (_S     (      / 

As we can see in the last verse, the sin of murder is what the people of Pharaoh 
considered to be sin and not Allah. They considered Moses guilty. As such, that 
was not a sin before Allah, but rather the charge of the government.

Prophet Moses did what he was supposed to do, that is helping the oppressed 
believer against the oppressor. Although he did not intend to kill the 
oppressor, it happened during that defense. It was a Satan's plan to make the 
situation more difficult for Moses (AS). By that unplanned murder, life was made 
harder for Moses (AS) since he had to stay away from Egypt, but this does not 
mean that he sinned. Sometimes defending the truth may cause trouble but not 
sin. Despite all such troubles, Allah finally granted Moses (AS) victory over 
the unbelievers. Again, Prophet Moses (AS) was not a wrong-dower (Dhalim) 
otherwise it contradicts Verse 2:124 where Allah said that the position of God-
assigned leadership shall not reach to the wrong-doers.
=========
Another brother argued that Allah (SWT) has forbidden us from purifying ANYBODY 
in verse: "... hold NOT yourselves PURIFIED [53:32]"  As such, even prophets and 
messengers can not be considered purified. 

My response was that the verse is taken out of context, and thus has clouded the 
meaning. Let us carefully study the WHOLE verse:

Those who avoid great sins and shameful deeds, and only fell into small 
reprehensible faults, verily thy Lord is ample in forgiveness.  He knows 
you well when He brings you out of the earth and when you are hidden in 
your mother's wombs therefore justify not yourselves. He knows best who 
(among you) guards against evil. (53:32) 

This verse is saying: THOSE WHO HAVE COMMITTED SMALL REPREHENSIBLE FAULTS should 
not justify themselves. They should be careful not to fall victim to their 
egoism and pretend that they are the best when ONLY Allah (SWT) knows what is 
really in their hearts.  As such, this verse does NOT apply to the Prophet 
(PBUH&HF) who did not have any fault, or Allah (SWT) would have directed the 
verse at him (PBUH&HF) as He (SWT) does when talking to or about him (PBUH&HF). 
Therefore, the verse DOES NOT even come close to supporting an argument that the 
Prophet (PBUH&HF) was a sinner. 

Moreover Allah mentioned in Verse 33:33 of Quran that the Ahlul-Bayt of Prophet 
(PBUH&HF) are PERFECTLY pure and flawless, then we can conclude that Allah is 
the one who is confirming that the Prophet is pure and thus it is in conformity 
with the above quoted verse which states only Allah knows who is the best and 
most purified. No need to mention that the Prophet (PBUH&HF) is the first member 
of the Ahlul-Bayt, and if the Ahlul-Bayt are perfectly pure, so is the Prophet 
(PBUH&HF).
=========
A reader mentioned that: We identify with the Prophets and Messengers through 
their sin.  That is, we look at the sin of the Prophets and the Messengers, and 
we identify our OWN sins with theirs!

The above assertion is off base. We do NOT identify with the Prophets through 
their SIN; we rather identify with them through their SUFFERING. There is a big 
difference between the two:  Suffering necessitates patience in times of 
tribulation and adversity to survive through the ordeal one is undergoing.  All 
the prophets and messengers (May Allah bless them) suffered greatly by virtue of 
their title as representatives of the of Supreme Being, Allah (SWT).  We 
identify with that, and remain steadfast during our times of despair.  As such, 
a prophet did NOT sin, but rather suffered. The Mercy from Allah (SWT) is NOT, 
as you state, that the prophets and messengers sin, but rather that they were 
sent to communicate and deliver the message of Allah (SWT) to us. And in so 
doing, they were not kings or high priests who would not be able to identify 
with the oppressed masses.  Indeed, look at Moses (AS), the great Messenger from 
Allah (SWT), whose ENTIRE life was a miracle.  The suffering that Moses (AS) 
endured evoked a sense of peace in the minds of his (AS) followers that served 
to strengthen them in times of great hardship under Pharaoh's oppression. 

Similarly, the Messenger of Allah (SWT), Muhammad (PBUH&HF), suffered when he 
was struck in his head, causing a severe injury to his jaw.  He also suffered 
from hunger, rejection, a boycott from disbelievers, sarcasm, temptation, wars, 
mutiny, distrust from some of his followers, the hypocrites, betrayal, and then 
he, after his demise, also suffered by virtue of the massacring of his family.  
It is an authentic tradition that the Prophet (PBUH&HF) during his lifetime 
said: "No Prophet has EVER suffered as I have suffered."  The indication here 
was to how his own flesh and blood, his family-- which were dearer to him than 
his own soul, would be treated after his demise; not to mention the hardship he 
was exposed to during his lifetime. It is that kind of suffering that allows us 
to identify with the Prophets, NOT their sins! 

Again, the argument clearly fails when we analyze it from the perspective of the 
"example or model" par excellence sent to humanity:  If Allah (SWT) says: "You 
have indeed in the Messenger of Allah AN EXCELLENT EXEMPLAR for him who hopes in 
Allah and the Final Day, and who remember Allah much. (Quran 33:21),"  (Emphasis 
Mine) He (SWT) means that our lives should be modeled around that "EXCELLENT 
EXEMPLAR."  That's where the word "Sunnah --- the Prophet's (PBUH&HF) custom or 
tradition" comes from.   Now, if that model was corrupt (May Allah forgive us), 
then how can we model ourselves around it; we, then, will NEVER be able to 
cleanse ourselves! 
=========
Another brother stated To be human is to be a sinner; that is, sin is an innate 
part of us as human beings. I find highly disturbing the tendency among Muslims, 
Shia and Sunni likewise, to regard the Prophet Muhammad (saws) almost as a 
species of infallible demigod.

I would like to first ask this brother if knows Muslims believe that angels are 
infallible, i.e., they do not make any mistakes. (Otherwise, some major flaws, 
among many, would be that the validity of Quran transmitted by Gabriel which 
will go seriously under question; and that the angels who record our deeds may 
write things incorrectly; and also the angel of death may take the life of a 
wrong person instead of another!!!!). Allah stated in Quran: "...the angels do 
not violate the Commands of Allah, and do (precisely) what they are ordered. 
(66:6)"

If you also agree that angels are infallible, and if your above statement is 
true, then you consider angels are either god or demigod (?!) (may Allah protect 
us). Therefore, your above statement is wrong. I just gave you an example of 
infallible species who are nothing but the creatures of God. They are neither 
God nor semi-god, nor demi-god, yet infallible.

Angels are programmed and work like faultless bug-free computers. They can not 
go against the orders of Allah. However, the prophets are NOT angels. They are 
all human, but purified human beings. That purification by Allah (SWT) as 
alluded to in the previously mentioned verses does NOT make them divine, but it 
does elevate them above the level of ordinary human beings in terms of 
denouncing sin. 

The advantage of human over angel is that human is able to willingly obey God. 
In other words, the prophet has choice to either go right or wrong, but he 
chooses to go right always, and such, he is infallible while he has choice. A 
human can make mistakes, but he does not have to. If we make mistakes, it is not 
because we have to, but it is because of our foolishness, ignorance and lack of 
knowledge, or else because of the lack of control of our carnal desires. Those 
who say human has to make mistakes to be human, are generalizing their own weak 
soul to all others. They follow their lusts, and are envious to see if one never 
does that.

Based on Quran, the level of human CAN BE much higher than angels. (and of 
course, could go even lower than animals, on the other side!) Quran states that 
all angels prostrated Prophet Adam (AS). This is enough to prove that the rank 
of the prophets is higher than that of angels. In fact, the best human beings 
(in terms of Taqwa) are the best of all the creatures, and the most honored 
before Allah. Remember also the story of Mi'raaj where there were places in the 
heavens that only Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF) could get into, but the Angel 
Gabriel could not fly to. The Gabriel said to the Prophet that he (Gabriel) will 
burn if he wants to go further with the Prophet (PBUH&HF).

One side remark, here, is that, Satan is not an angel. He was from Jinn (unseen 
creatures). Witness to that is Quran where it quotes the statement of Satan 
saying: "You have created me from fire." The unseen (Jinn) creatures are made of 
fire, and as such, they are not the angels. The Jinns, like human beings, have 
choice to go right or wrong, and will be accountable for their acts in the day 
of judgment. 
=========
A brother mentioned that there is a religious part of the prophet's life and a 
non-religious part. The danger of believing that every thing the prophet did was 
by order of God, causes that Muslims should imitate the prophet (PBUH&HF) to the 
finest details otherwise they won't be obeying God!!!  Even to what the prophet 
liked to drink and eat,...

My response to him was that ALL the acts of the Prophet were acts of worship. 
Even his eating, sleeping, etc., were worship, and as such, there was no non-
religious part in his life! All he did were in full accordance with Allah's 
wishes and commandments. But religion is not limited to what is obligatory and 
what is forbidden. Most of the Prophet's actions fall in the category of what is 
"Mustahabb" (i.e., recommended) or what is "Mubaah" (i.e., OK either way). 

Moreover, no one said we are required to imitate all the actions of the Prophet. 
If one eats what the Prophet preferred to eat, it will be all right and no one 
can blame him unless he claims that one should eat only what the Prophet ate. 
Obeying the Prophet (PBUH&HF) means that if the Prophet ordered to do something 
or forbade to do something, then one is religiously REQUIRED to follow it, no 
matter if the order does not seem to be religious (which is a false 
imagination). In fact, ALL the orders and prohibitions of the Prophet were a 
part of religion. This is actually what the religion is about. Even his Ijtihad 
was in full accordance with the wish of Allah for Allah granted him the most 
perfect reason. Whatever came to the heart of Prophet (PBUH&HF) is the order of 
God, and such it is a part of religion. Forget about that fabricated Hadith on 
agriculture.

As for eating food: Everything is Halaal, unless the Prophet prohibited it 
explicitly or implicitly. For instance, pork has been prohibited explicitly. 
Also any today's new product which was not at the time of the Prophet but has 
some ingredients which are extracts from those Haraam products, becomes Haraam 
implicitly.

Therefore, if the Prophet (PBUH&HF) did not eat a special food, but he did not 
prohibit it either, we still can eat it, because we follow his general order 
that whatever has not been made Haraam, is Halaal. Also if he preferred a 
special food, but he did not mention that it is obligatory to eat it, it does 
not become obligatory to eat. Thus, the preference of the prophet for a special 
food is not considered to be the order of Prophet as you tried to imply. In 
religion, there are many things that are neither obligatory nor prohibited, and 
we have choice to do it or not. What the Prophet ate might be considered as 
recommended food, and not obligatory unless otherwise specified.
=========
Regarding the verse: "Nor does he (Muhammad) speak out of his desire. It is no 
less than revelation that is revealed (Quran 53:3-4)," a brother said: The above 
verse is only limited to Quran. The pagan Arabs were calling the Prophet insane, 
and discrediting the Quranic revelations as the handiwork of the prophet. The 
meaning of the above verses is that the Quranic verses which the prophet is 
speaking about are not out of his desire, but are indeed Revelation. If 
everything the prophet said or did is revelation, then what is the difference 
between Quran and authentic Hadith?

My answer to this brother was that: Neither the above verses, nor the verses 
surrounding them specify limitation of any kind. There is no mention of "Quran" 
in the above verses nor the verses before and after, and therefor, your claim is 
unsupported, at least from the Quran. The Verse 53:3 exactly talks about "the 
speech" of the Prophet and not necessarily Quran, and thus, the rule mentioned 
in the next verse covers ALL his speeches. The pagan Arabs did not criticize the 
Prophet for the Quran alone. They also criticized him for his claim of 
prophethood as well as his teachings and ideas.

As for the difference between Quran and Hadith: Both Quran and genuine Hadith 
are from Allah. The Prophet did not say anything of his own desire. However, 
there is a difference between Quran and Hadith:

* Quran is well-proven, but is NOT well-understood (see note below)

* Hadith is NOT well-proven, but is well-understood.

What I meant by "Quran is well-proven", is that we have no doubt about its 
authenticity, genuineness, and that has not been fabricated.

What I meant by "Quran is NOT well-understood", is that most of its verses are 
ambiguous and only "Those who are Firmly Grounded in Knowledge" (i.e., the 
Prophet and his Ahlul-Bayt) have touched the depth of its meaning. Also Quran 
only specifies the general rules. For all these and many other reasons, Quran 
can not be considered as the sources of Guidance ALONE. It needs an interpreter, 
and this is where the Hadith plays its role. By genuine Hadith we can get close 
to the understanding of Quran. Allah said in Quran:

He it is Who has sent down to thee the Book, in it are some clear verses; 
they are the Essence of the Book; and others which are ambiguous. But 
those in whose hearts is perversity follow the part there of that is 
ambiguous seeking discord and searching for its hidden meanings but no one 
knows its hidden meanings except Allah and those who are firmly grounded 
in knowledge (Quran 3:7) 

What I meant by "Hadith is NOT well-proven", is that, since we have not 
personally met the Prophet (or his successors), we are not sure if such and such 
Hadith are genuine. The important point which has the answer to your question 
is: If we were at the time of the Prophet and would have heard the Hadith from 
the mouth of the Prophet (PBUH&HF), then that Hadith would have been AS BINDING 
AS Quran for us, and we can not prefer Quran over that Hadith, rather I would 
say, that Hadith which was heard in person is preferred to our defective 
understanding of Quran because most verses of Quran are ambiguous, but the 
Hadith we heard from the Prophet is clear. Also, there are many cases where the 
Hadith explains the exceptions of the general Quranic rules, and as such, it may 
SEEM to be contradictory with the Quran.

However, since we have not personally heard the Hadith from the Prophet (or his true successors), we need to examine its documentation (i.e., the chain of narrators who passed the Hadith) and the number of similar narrations in that regard to determine the overall strength of what has been attributed to the Prophet (PBUH&HF). Some of the requirements of the authenticity of Hadith are as follows:
- It should not be in clear contradiction with well-established concepts in Quran;
- It should not be in clear contradiction with other well-established traditions;
- All the transmitters of the Hadith in the chain of transmitters should be righteous and just, etc.
Most Sunnis, however, do not consider the justice of the narrators as a criterion. They narrate from whoever saw the Prophet (PBUH&HF) and claimed to be Muslim.
=========
The bother, then, asked: If the speech of prophet are the literal word of God, 
then why are they not included in the Quran itself? 

Not all the traditions are literal words of God. Only some traditions are the 
literal words of God such as Hadith al-Qudsi. They are not a part of Quran 
though. Some other traditions are the commands of Allah transmitted by Gabriel, 
and thus, they are indirect words of Allah. They include the divine commentaries 
of the verses of Quran which were revealed along with Quran, but not as a part 
of Quran. The rest of genuine traditions are the information and commandments 
that Allah induced into the heart of the Prophet directly, and as such, they are 
the indirect words of God. This includes his Ijtihad and whatever passed through 
his mind.

Therefore, the some traditions are direct literal word of God, and some are 
indirect words of God, and as such, all of them are either revelation or 
inspiration, and are all from Allah. The Prophet did not say ANYTHING of his 
own. The reason that they are not a part of Quran, is because they were not 
supposed to be! A better answer is: Quran is an encapsulated database which 
provides general information for all ages. The Hadith is more specific and 
furnishes more details and also provides commentary to the Quranic injunctions 
without which Quran can not be understood correctly.


==========
Conclusion
==========
In conclusion, I repeat the question: If Allah (SWT) had inspired "sinful" 
Prophets and Messengers to lead people to the Right Path, it would mean that 
Allah (SWT) approves of sinfulness!  Why then does He (SWT) prohibit it (sin, 
that is)? 

Allah and His Angels, send blessings on the Prophet: O you who believe! 
Send your blessings on him, and salute him with all respect. (Quran: 
33:56)

Wassalam.
End of Part 3 of 3

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Leadership and Infallibility (Part 1 of 2)

==========================
Imamat is of Allah's Grace
==========================
From the Shi'ite point of view, Imamat (God-assigned leadership) is an Allah's 
bounty upon mankind by which the religion was perfected. Allah, to whom belong 
Might and Majesty, said:

"Today I have perfected your religion and completed my bounty upon you, 
and I was satisfied that Islam be your religion." (Quran 5:3) 

See the articles on "Ghadir Khum" in Chapter 3 which provides the list of Sunni 
commentators of Quran who confirmed the revelation of the above verse in Ghadir 
Khum after the Prophet (PBUH&HF) announced Ali (AS) as the master of all 
believers.

Imamat is the Grace (Lutf) of Allah which attracts mankind towards His obedience 
and keeps them away from His disobedience, without compelling them in any way. 
When Allah orders mankind to do something yet He is aware that either they can 
not do it, or it is very difficult for them to do it without His assistance, 
then if Allah does not provide His assistance, He would be contradicting His own 
aim. Obviously, such negligence is evil according to reason. As such, Grace 
(Lutf) is one of Allah's character, and He is purified/exalted from inadequacy 
of lacking such attribute. In fact, the holy Quran states that: "Allah is 
Gracious to His servants..." (Quran 42:19). And, there are many other places 
that Almighty uses the word Grace (Lutf) in His book. See for instance, 6:103, 
12:100, 22:63, 31:16, 33:34, 42:19, 67:14, etc.

The messengers of God were entrusted the responsibility of bringing new 
commandments from Allah to the people. They were warners as Quran testifies. 
However, some of the messengers were Also Imams/Guides. The successors of the 
last Messenger of God were not messengers/prophets, and as such, they did not 
bring any new massage nor did they cancel any of the regulations set by the 
Prophet (PBUH&HF). They just served as guides and guardians of religion. Their 
mission is to explain, elaborate Shari'a (Divine law) for the people. They clear 
up confusing things and events which may happen in each era. Also they are the 
only individuals who have the full knowledge of Quran and the Sunna of the 
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF) after him, and as such, they are the only qualified 
people who can properly interpret the verses of the holy Quran and explain its 
meaning, as mentioned in Quran itself (See 3:7 and 21:7).

Imamat is a great bounty of Allah, because when people have a righteous leader 
who guides them, they can get closer to righteousness and depart from corruption 
and deviations in the matter of religion. A divinely appointed Imam is also the 
most liable person to rule as the head of the community who can maintain justice 
and remove oppression. Of course, people have been given free will and can 
refrain from accepting the Imam, but they will be held responsible for that, as 
was for the case of the prophets. Nonetheless, the Imam would remain as a Proof 
of God on the earth and as spiritual leader for the believers among people who 
benefit his guidance.

=======================
Superiority of the Imam 
=======================
The Shi'a believe that, like the prophets, a divinely appointed Imam should 
excel the community in all virtues, such as knowledge, bravery, piety, and 
should possess complete knowledge of divine law. If he does not, and Allah 
entrusts this high position to a less perfect person when a more perfect person 
is available, the inferior has been given preference over the superior, which is 
wrong rationally, and is against divine justice. Therefore no inferior person 
may receive Imamat from Allah when there exists a person superior to him. 

=========================
Infallibility of the Imam
=========================
If a divinely appointed leader is not infallible (Ma'sum), he would be liable to 
errors and to deceive others as well. In such a case, no implicit confidence may 
be placed in his sayings/commands/actions. A divinely appointed Imam is the most 
liable person to rule as the head of the community, and people are supposed to 
follow him in every matter. Now if he commits a sin, people would be bound to 
follow him in that sin as well, because of their ignorance of whether that 
action is sin or not (Keep in mind the assumption that Imam is the MOST 
knowledgeable person in his community). Such a situation is not acceptable by 
the Grace of Allah since obedience in sin is evil, unlawful, and forbidden. 
Moreover it would mean that leader should be obeyed and disobeyed at the same 
time, that is obedience to him is obligatory yet forbidden which is clearly a 
contradiction and is not commendable. 

Besides, if it would be possible for an Imam to commit sin, it would be the duty 
of other people to prevent him from doing so. (Because every Muslim is obliged 
to forbid other people from unlawful acts.) In such a case, Imam will be held in 
contempt, and instead of being the leader of community, he will become their 
followers, and his leadership will be of no use as far as religion is concerned. 

Imam is the defender of divine law, and this work can not be entrusted to 
fallible hands, nor can any such person maintain this task properly. Thus 
infallibility is an indispensable condition for a divinely appointed Imam or 
Caliph who is the protector and interpreter of the religious law. 

Allah, Exalted, stated in Quran that: 

"O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those vested 
with authority (Ulul-Amr) from among you." (Quran 4:59). 

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This verse obliges the Muslims to obey two things: First, to obey Allah; second, 
to obey Messenger and those vested with authority (Ulul-Amr). The arrangement of 
the words shows that the obedience of Ulul-Amr is as much obligatory as is the 
obedience of the Messenger because Quran uses just one verb for both of them 
without repeating the verb again. Naturally, it means that Ulul-Amr should be of 
the same importance as the Messenger; otherwise Allah would not have joined them 
together in this verse (Waw of Atf) under one verb. Interesting to note that 
Allah employs a separate verb for Himself before mentioning the Messenger and 
Ulul-Amr which shows that Allah has higher authority than that of the Messenger 
and Ulul-Amr. 
     
It is also clear from the above verse that Ulul-Amr are not restricted to 
messengers otherwise Allah would only have said: "Obey Allah, and Obey Messenger 
only." But He added Ulul-Amr (those who are given authority by Allah). This is 
one of the places where the concept of Imams and the necessity of obedience to 
them come from.

In the previous article titled "Infallibility of the Prophets," we quoted many 
verses of Quran to prove the infallibility of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). All those 
verses proved the following two points:

1. The authority of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) upon the believers was 
unlimited and all-comprehensive. Any order given by him, under any 
condition, in any place, at any time, was to be obeyed unconditionally. 

2. Supreme authority was given to him because he was sinless (Ma'sum) and free 
from all types of errors and sins. Otherwise, Allah would not have ordered 
us to obey him with no questioning or doubt. 

In that Article, we also gave reference to a tradition in Sahih al-Bukhari which 
proves that both prophet and divinely appointed Caliphs are infallible (Ma'sum).

Also from the verse 4:59 we concluded that Ulul-Amr have been given exactly the 
same authority over Muslims as of Messenger, and that the obedience of Ulul-Amr 
has the same standing as the obedience of the Messenger. 

It naturally follows that Ulul-Amr must also be sinless (Ma'sum) and free from 
any type of error, otherwise, their obedience would not have been joined with 
the obedience of the Prophet and WITHOUT any condition. The Commander of 
Believers, Imam Ali (AS), said: 

The one who disobeys Allah is not to be obeyed; and "verily obedience is 
for Allah and of His Messenger and those vested with authority." Verily, 
Allah ordered (people) to obey the Messenger because he was sinless and 
clean (pure), who would not tell people to disobey Allah; and verily He 
ordered (people) to obey those vested with authority because they are 
sinless and clean (pure), and would not tell people to disobey Allah." 
(Ilal al-Sharaye', by Shaikh al-Saduq, v1, p123).

=================================
Does Ulul-Amr Mean Muslim Rulers?
=================================
Many of our Sunni brothers tend to interpret "Ulul-Amr Minkum" as the rulers 
from among yourselves, i.e., Muslims rulers. This interpretation is not based on 
any logical/Quranic reasoning; it is solely based on the twists of history. The 
majority of the Muslims have remained as a vassal of the monarchs and rulers, 
interpreting and reinterpreting Islam and the Quran to strengthen their own 
kingdom. 

The history of Muslims (like any other nations) is replete with the names of 
rulers whose injustice, debauchery and tyranny have tarnished the name of Islam. 
Such rulers have always been and will be. And we are told that they are the 
Ulul-Amr mentioned in this verse!

If Allah were to order us to obey such kings and rulers, an impossible situation 
would be created for Muslims. The wretched followers would be condemned to the 
displeasure of Allah, no matter what they do. If they obey these rulers, they 
have disobeyed the Command of Allah: "Do not obey a sinner" (Quran 76:24). And 
if they disobey such rulers, they have again disobeyed the Command of Allah: 
"Obey the Muslim rulers" (if it would mean so). Therefore if we accept this 
interpretation, Muslims are condemned to eternal disgrace whether they obey or 
disobey their fallible (sinful) Muslim rulers. 

Also, there are Muslim rulers of different schools and persuasions. There are 
Shafi'is, Hanbalis, Malikis, Hanafis, as well as the Shi'a and Ibadis. Now, 
according to this interpretation the Sunnis residing under an Ibadi king (like 
in Amman) should follow Ibadi tenets; and those residing under a Shi'a ruler 
(like in Iran) should follow the Shi'a beliefs. Do these people have the 
conviction of courage to follow their professed interpretation to its logical 
end? 

The famous Sunni scholar, Fakhr al-Razi, concluded in his Tafsir al-Kabir that 
this verse proves that Ulul-Amr must be infallible (Ma'sum). He argues that 
Allah has commanded people to obey Ulul-Amr unconditionally; therefore, it is 
essential for the Ulul-Amr to be infallible; because if there is any possibility 
of their committing sin (and sin is forbidden), it means that one has to obey 
them and also disobey them in that very action, and this is impossible!  
However, in order to dissuade his readers from the Ahlul-Bait, Fakhr al-Razi 
invented the theory that the Muslim community as a whole is infallible!!! 
(Tafsir al-Kabir, by Fakhruddin Muhammad Ibn Umar al-Razi, v10, p144) 

This interpretation is unique, and no Muslim scholar ever subscribed to this 
theory and it is not based on any tradition. It is quite surprising that Fakhr 
al-Razi accepts that each individual of the Muslim nation is fallible, yet 
claims that their sum total is infallible. Even a primary school student knows 
that 200 cows plus 200 cows makes 400 cows and not one horse.  But Fakhr al-Razi 
says that 70 million fallible people plus 70 million fallible people will make 
one infallible!  Does he want us to believe that if all the patients of a mental 
hospital join together they would be equal to one sane person? 

Obviously, with his knowledge of Quran, he was able to conclude that Ulul-Amr 
must be infallible; yet he did not pause to see that the verse contains the word 
"minkum" (from among you) which shows that Ulul-Amr should be part of Muslim 
community, not the whole Muslim nation. Moreover, if the whole Muslim nation is 
to be obeyed, then who is there left to obey? 

Moreover, the whole community have never had a single voice. Then who should we 
follow among them? Also, the opinion of majority is not a good criteria to 
distinguish the false from the truth. Looking at the Quran, one could see that 
Quran severely denounces the majority of by frequently saying that "the majority 
do not understand," "the majority do not use their logic," "the majority follow 
their whims"... since the vision of the majority of people is always impaired 
due to their tendencies.( see e.g. 6:116, 5:49, 10:92, 30:8)

============================
The Real Meaning of Ulul-Amr
============================
We now turn to the correct interpretation of the above verse, that is the 
interpretation of the verse by Ahlul-Bait. Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (the 6th Imam) 
said that this verse was revealed about Ali, al-Hasan and al-Husain, peace be 
upon them. Upon hearing this, someone asked the Imam: "People say, why did Allah 
not mention the name of Ali and his family in His Book?"  Imam answered: "Tell 
them that there came the command of Salat (prayer), but Allah did not mention 
whether three or four units to be performed; it was the Messenger of Allah who 
explained all the details. And (the command of) Zakat (religious tax) was 
revealed, but Allah did not say that it is one in every forty Dirhams; it was 
the Messenger of Allah who explained it; and Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) was 
ordered but Allah did not say to perform Tawaf (turning around Ka'ba) seven 
times; it was the Messenger of Allah who explained it. Likewise, the verse was 
revealed: Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger and those vested with authority 
from among you, and it was revealed about Ali and al-Hasan and al-Husain (who 
were the only living Imams at the time of the Prophet)." 

It is quite obvious that if Allah would have ever mentioned the name of Imam Ali 
(AS) in Quran explicitly, those who bore mountains of hatred against him would 
have attempted to alter the Quran. Thus this was the Grace of Allah that He 
codified all the branches of knowledge of religion in Quran to be understood 
ONLY by the processors of the understanding mind. And in this way, Allah kept 
Quran intact.

On the commentary of the verse 4:59 of Quran in which Allah orders us to obey 
Ulul-Amr, al-Khazzaz in his book, Kifayatul Athar, gives a tradition on the 
authority of the well-known companion of the Prophet (PBUH&HF), Jabir Ibn 
Abdillah al-Ansari (RA): 

When the verse (4:59) was revealed, Jabir asked the Prophet (PBUH&HF): "We 
know Allah and the Prophet, but who are those vested with authority whose 
obedience has been conjoined to that of Allah and yourself?" 

The Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: "They are my Caliphs and the Imams of Muslims 
after me.  The first of them is Ali; then al-Hasan; then al-Husain; then 
Ali son of al-Husain; then Muhammad son of Ali who has been mentioned 'al-
Baqir' in the Torah (the old testament).  O Jabir! You will meet him. When 
you see him, convey my greetings to him.  He will be succeeded by his son, 
Ja'far al-Sadiq (the Truthful); then Musa son of Ja'far; then Ali son of 
Musa; then Muhammad son of Ali; then Ali son of Muhammad; then al-Hasan 
son of Ali. He will be followed by his son whose name and nick name will 
be the same as mine. He will be Proof of Allah (Hujjatullah) on the earth, 
and the one spared by Allah (Baqiyyatullah) to maintain the cause of faith 
among mankind. He shall conquer the whole world from the east to the west. 
So long will he remain hidden from the eyes of his followers and friends 
that the belief in his leadership will remain only in those hearts which 
have been tested by Allah for faith." 

Jabir said: "O Messenger of Allah! Will his followers benefit from his 
seclusion?" The Prophet said: "Yes! by Him who sent me with prophethood! 
They will be guided by his light, and benefit from his leadership during 
his seclusion, just as people benefit from the sun even though it is 
hidden in the clouds. O Jabir! This is from the hidden secrets of Allah 
and the treasured knowledge of Allah. So guard it except from the people 
who deserve to know." (Kifayatul Athar, by al-Khazzaz, p53). 

Now that we know who "those vested with authority" are, it is evident that the 
question of obeying tyrant and unjust rulers does not rise at all. Muslims are 
not required by the above verse to obey rulers who may be unjust, tyrannical, 
ignorant, selfish and sunk in debauchery. They are, in fact, ordered to obey the 
specified Twelve Imams, all of whom were sinless and free from evil thoughts and 
deeds. Obeying them has no risks whatsoever.  Nay, it protects from all risks; 
because they will never give an order against the order of Allah and will treat 
all human beings with love, justice, and equity. 

End of Part 1 of 2
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Leadership and Infallibility (Part 2 of 2)

==================================
Is Imamat a matter of Inheritance?
==================================
According to the Shi'a, Imam is chosen by Allah. It is not the matter of 
inheritance, for if it was the case, then Imam al-Husain (AS) should not have 
become Imam after the martyrdom of Imam al-Hasan (AS). Imam al-Hasan had many 
children and descendants, yet non of them became Imam. Rather, his brother, Imam 
al-Husain (AS), became Imam after him. Also there have been some heretical sons 
and grandsons for some of the Imams, non of whom received the position of 
Imamat. This shows that leadership is not hereditary. Of course, a pure gene is 
necessary for the Imam, but Imam needs many other qualifications as well. Allah 
knows who has all such qualifications. It was just Allah's wish to put all the 
Imams in the Progeny of the Prophet (PBUH&HF).

In fact, if one study the history of the prophets of God, he will find that they 
were from the same family. Allah, to whom belong Might and Majesty, said: 

"And when Abraham was tested by his Lord with certain commands and he 
fulfilled them. Then He said: Lo! I appoint you an Imam for mankind. 
(Abraham) said: And of my offspring (will there be Imam)? He said: My 
covenant does not reach the wrong-doers (among them)." (Quran 2:124). 

In the above verse, Allah did not deny leadership from the descendants of 
Abraham, but He rather limited this position to the qualified progeny of the 
Prophet Abraham. Allah said that God-assigned leadership does not reach to a 
person who is a "Dhalim" (wrong-doer), even if such person is the descendant of 
Abraham. Thus being the descendant of Abraham does not necessarily make the 
person Imam because there should be other qualifications beside it. Those among 
them who were not wrong-doer (free from sin) were qualified, since they not only 
had pure gene, but they have gained other qualifications through hardship. As 
Allah had the foreknowledge of their patience and qualifications, He entrusted 
them with this position, and preferred them above all His creation:

Lo! Allah preferred Adam and Noah and the Family of Abraham and the Family 
of 'Imran above (all His) creatures. (3:33) 

Prophet Muhammad's lineage goes back to Prophet Ishmael (Isma'il) (AS), the son 
of Prophet Abraham (AS). Also Prophet Moses (AS) and Prophet Jesus (AS) were 
both from Prophet Isaac (AS) who was the other son of Prophet Abraham (AS). In 
fact ALL the prophets after Abraham were from his House. Yet, we do not claim 
that Prophethood is hereditary. He was Allah who chose them one by one. In other 
words, we do not say that the son of the Prophet should always be a prophet. 
There should be many other qualifications beside it, otherwise Kan'an, the son 
of Noah (AS), would have survived. Prophet Noah (AS) had three other sons: Aam, 
Sam and Yafas who were believers and who with their wives entered the Ark and 
were saved. They were from different mother than that of Kan'an, however. 
Therefore being son of a prophet or an Imam does not necessarily make the person 
prophet or Imam or even righteous. In short, pure gene for the prophets and 
Imams is necessary but NOT sufficient. 

Ulul-Amr/Imam is assigned by Allah, the same way that prophet is assigned by 
Allah. Look at Holy Quran in which Allah frequently stated that He is the one 
who assigns Imam. (see Quran 2:124, 21:73, 32:24, etc.) 

There are twelve Imams who are assigned by Allah as the successors of Prophet 
Muhammad (PBUH&HF). There is a widespread tradition in the Sunni documents which 
states that the number of Imams after the Prophet are twelve. (See for instance, 
Sahih al-Bukhari, Arabic-English version, v9, p250, tradition #329; Sahih 
Muslim, English version, Chapter DCCLIV, v3, p1009, traditions #4477, #4478; 
Sahih al-Tirmidhi, v4, p501; Sunan Abu Dawud, v2, p421 <three traditions>; 
Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v5, p106). There are other Sunni documents in which the 
Prophet (PBUH&HF) even mentioned these twelve Imams name by name. (see, for 
instance, "Yanabi' al-Mawadda" by al-Qunduzi al-Hanafi). 

Allah assigned these twelve Imams, not just because they were from the House of 
the Prophet (PBUH&HF), but because they were, in their times, the most 
knowledgeable, the most illustrious, the most god-fearing, the most pious, the 
best in personal virtues, and the most honored before Allah; and their knowledge 
was derived from their ancestor (the Prophet) through their fathers, and also by 
direct teachings from Allah through inspiration (Ilham). 

The successors of the prophets (except the successors of Prophet Muhammad) were 
also prophets, and thus they were all assigned by Allah. Also Quran tells that 
some prophets, with the order of Allah, assigned Imams (who were not prophets). 
Let me give you some verses of Quran: 

Didn't you turn your vision to the chiefs of the children of Israel after 
Moses?  They said to a Prophet (that was) among them: "Appoint for us a 
king that we may fight in the cause of Allah." (Quran 2:246) 

Anyone who has been specifically assigned by Allah as king is an Imam. A prophet 
can also be Imam/king but not all the prophets were Imam. If one becomes a 
divinely appointed king/Imam, it does not necessarily mean that he will 
physically govern. The above verse of Quran is about Talut (AS) Below is another 
verse of Quran which provides more details: 

Their Prophet[1] said to them: "Allah has appointed Talut (Saul) as 
king[2] over you."  They say: "How can he exercise authority over us when 
we are better fitted than he to have authority and he has not been given 
wealth enough?[3]"  He (i.e., their Prophet) said: "Allah has chosen 
him[4] above you and has gifted him abundantly with knowledge[5] and 
bodily prowess; Allah grants His authority to whom He pleases.[6]  
Allah cares for all and He knows all things." (Quran 2:247) 

The first part of the above verse (marked 1) proves that the community had a 
prophet and Talut was among the people of that community, so that their Prophet 
was the prophet of Talut also. Thus Talut was not a prophet. 

The part marked 2, shows that Allah appointed Talut as Imam/leader/king. Part 3 
shows that divinely appointed king is not chosen based on wealth. This kingship 
is primarily spiritual, and of course Talut is the most qualified person to 
govern physically also, but the latter depends on the adherence of people to 
them while the former position (spiritual leadership) is always fixed for the 
Imam. Electing Imam/king is not the duty of People, and as Part 4 suggests, 
Allah chooses king/Imam for He knows who is the most qualified for such eminent 
position. King here means the person who has authority by Allah. This is proved 
by Part 6 of the above. The person who has this authority is replete with 
knowledge and wisdom as Part 5 testified. In the next verse, we read: 

And (further) their Prophet said to them: "A sign of his authority is 
that there shall come to you the Ark of the Covenant with (an assurance) 
therein of security from your Lord and the relics left by the family of 
Moses and the family of Aaron carried by angels.  In this is a Symbol 
for you if you indeed have faith." (Quran 2:248) 

Also in another verse, Allah mentions:

Or do they envy mankind for what Allah has given them of His bounty? But 
We have bestowed the House of Abraham the Book and Wisdom and bestowed 
upon them a great kingdom. (Quran 4:54) 

Again this kingdom is Imamat since only very few members of the House of Abraham 
physically governed. 

=======================
Can people choose Imam?
=======================
The Sunnis claim that the issue of successor of the Prophet is resolved by 
consultation (Shura) for Allah stated in Quran that their matter is resolved 
through Shura.

The claim that the very issue of leadership is to be resolved through 
consultation is unsupported. such claim is due to misunderstanding the meaning 
of consultation (Shura). Consultation is different than
voting/election, and for that very reason, it can not be used for the issue
of Caliphate. Let me explain why:

When a leader wants to decide on a matter, based on the Islamic regulations he 
may attempt to consult with a group of experts to get their opinion on that 
specific matter. But he finally decides HIMSELF. He does not take any vote.  To 
prove my point, let us see the following verse: 

"... And consult with them (Shawirhum) in the matter, then 
when thou (Prophet) decided, put thy trust in Allah" (Quran 3:159) 

The above verse asks for the Shura, but Allah states "fa itha azamta..." means 
only Prophet takes the final decision. There is no voting at all. It is just the 
matter of getting the opinion. The final decision by the Prophet may be 
different than of the majority of people being consulted (because of "Maslaha" 
(discretion for the goodness) that the leader realizes and because the leader is 
supposed to be superior in knowledge, smarter, etc.). 

One side remark here is that, due to his supreme knowledge, the Prophet 
(PBUH&HF) did not even need to get the opinion of any of his people. However, he 
did in some circumstances just to teach people the importance of consultation. 

In the issue of consultation (Shura), the existence of a leader is already 
assumed who makes the final decision. This clearly proves that, in the issue of 
successorship, consultation is meaningless (unless it is done by the previous 
leader before his death). After the death of a leader, there exists no leader 
who could do consultation, unless such late leader had a deputy (or say vice-
president) who could carry out this function. Usually such APPOINTED deputy is 
the most qualified person for the position of leadership, and even if he decides 
on somebody else to be the leader, such leader is still appointed by this 
previously-appointed deputy, and not by people! 

Voting, however, is a totally different issue. In a democratic community, all 
people have a chance to elect the choice of their nominee. Such procedure has no 
support in Quran and Sunna for the issue of leadership of the whole Muslims, 
because Islam is based on theocracy (kingdom of Allah) and not democracy 
(government of people over people). In fact, Quran denounces the opinion of the 
majority of people (see 6:116, 5:49, 10:92, 30:8) since the vision of the 
majority of people is usually impaired due to their tendencies. Also, such 
popular election did not happen for the first three rulers who came after the 
Prophet (PBUH&HF), not even among the people of Medina. 

Also, what if people choose an unqualified person who seems to be qualified in 
their eyes, like a hypocrite? How can such corrupt person becomes Ulul-Amr and 
his obedience becomes necessary? Certainly Allah and His Prophet know better who 
is more qualified to be successor of the Prophet (PBUH&HF).

===================
Believe in Ulul-Amr
===================
If Quran tells us to unconditionally obey a person, it means that we
should believe in him and in his authority over us voluntarily (with 
satisfaction). Note, however, that one should distinguish between "believing 
that we should obey Ulul-Amr" and "obeying Ulul-Amr". If one believes that he 
should obey Ulul-Amr, yet he sometimes disobeys Ulul-Amr, he is a sinner and a 
weak believer. However if one does NOT believe that he should obey Ulul-Amr, 
then such person is unbeliever since he does not believe in a part of the 
religion of Allah, which is explicitly mentioned in Quran.

In fact, both Shi'a and Sunni believe in Ulul-Amr since it is the clear text of 
Quran. However they differ in how to choose Ulul-Amr. According to the Shi'a, 
leadership of the whole Muslims is not a choice of people so that the leader 
could be elected by people or selected by a committee, and then is artificially 
made the Ulul-Amr whom Allah has ordered people to obey! 

I also remember a claim by a Sunni brother who mentioned that this verse 
commands Muslims to obey people in authority (i.e., rulers) as long as they do 
not interfere with religion!

To answer this claim, we would like to stress that there is no restriction 
whatsoever given by Quran for obeying Ulul-Amr. In fact, in the above verse, 
Ulul-Amr have been given exactly the same authority over Muslims as that of 
Messenger, because both the Messenger and the Ulul-Amr have been jointly 
mentioned (Waw of Atf) under one word "Obey", which shows that the obedience of 
Ulul-Amr has the same standing as the obedience of the Messenger, and therefore 
Ulul-Amr is the head of religious affairs also. He is the one who can properly 
interpret Quranic verses (See 3:7 and 21:7) and is the most knowledgeable to the 
Sunna of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). Thus claiming that Ulul-Amr should not interfere 
with the religious affairs is absurd, for he is the most qualified individuals 
to do exactly such thing.

End of Part 2 of 2
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The Twelve Imams (Part I)

This article is in reference to the question that: Where did the twelve Imams 
(AS) come from and why should the number of Imams be twelve and twelve only?  

As a matter of fact, the answer is right inside the Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim. 
There are numerous Sunni collections of traditions which all recorded the 
following authentic tradition from the Prophet (PBUH&HF). Here, for the sake of 
brevity, I only quote from Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and Musnad Ahmad Ibn 
Hanbal. 

In Sahih al-Bukhari (Arabic-English version), the tradition is as follows:

Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith: 9.329 
Narrated Jabir Ibn Samura: 

I heard the Prophet saying, "There will be twelve commanders (Amir)." He 
then said a sentence which I did not hear. My father said, the Prophet 
added, "All of them will be from Quraish." 

  || : . |      |   ^   |. ^  |      /      |   :       .  ||  ..
  ||_o_9 | _,_o |  _w_c |_,_, | .  q_)_, :  | q_o_,   _,_,_|| .__,_e_o_w
(_|       /:      /            (_) /  :   (_| /  : (_S.

   ^    :           | /  || :  . |     |  || : . |         |   | :   | /
   w_, _o . _o  o_8_|_)  ||_o 4_,|   _,|  ||_o_9 |_8_e_o_w | o_| 4_o_|_)
(_/ : /  (_)   (       (_|        (_S.  (_|                 (           

=========
In Musnad Ahmad, the tradition is as follows:

The Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: "There shall be twelve Caliphs 
for this community, all of them from Quraish." 

   ^    :           | / : .   | .  ^   |. ^  | :   | ||   .   |      /
   w_, _o . _o  o_8_|_) 4_9_,_|_7 _w_c |_,_, | 4_o |_|| o ]_8_| .  q_)_,
(_/ : /  (_)   (           :     /                             (_) /  :

Reference: Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v5, p106

=========
In Sahih Muslim, the traditions are as follows:

Narrated Jabir Ibn Samura: 
The Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: "The matter (life) will not end, until it is 
passed by twelve Caliphs." He then whispered a sentence. I asked my father 
what the Prophet said. He said, the Prophet added: "All of them will be 
from Quraish." 
            .     .         :         . : .   | |     | ||  | .       |
      o_8_,_9    ,_p_o_,    _,_7    ,_p_o_,_, |_|  _o |_||  | ]_8  .  |
     (   :    (_S     :  (_S     (_S       :      /               (_)

                . .    | | /      | /:    ^    : .   | .   ^    |. ^  |
               _9_7  o |_|_)_,  o_|_)_,  o_,   4_9_,_|_7  _w_c  |_,_, |
            (_S     (       .  (        (         :      /

          ^    :            | /  | | :     | | : |       | |  ..  | : .
          w_, _o  . _o  o_8_|_)  | |_o  ?  | |_o |_o   _,|_| .__,_|_o_9
       (_/ : /   (_)   (       (_|       (_|        (_S.


Sunni references: 
- Sahih Muslim, Arabic version, Kitab al-Imaara, 1980 Edition Pub. in Saudi 
Arabia, v3, p1452, Tradition #5 
- Sahih Muslim, English version, Chapter DCCLIV (titled: The People are 
subservient to the Quraish and the Caliphate is the Right of 
the Quraish), v3, p1009, Tradition #4477 
=========
Again from Sahih Muslim:

The Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: "The affairs of people will continue to be 
conducted (well) as long as they are governed by the twelve men." 

| |      ^     . ^ |        |  |   |    . |       |.  ||    |   ||.   | |
|_|_7   _w_c   _,_,|  o_8_,_|q |_o |_,,_p |_o   w |_,_||  _o|   || _, |_|
   . / /    (_S      (   :   /      :        (_/         /    (_| /:     

Sunni references: 
- Sahih Muslim, Arabic version, Kitab al-Imaara, 1980 Edition Pub. in Saudi 
Arabia, v3, p1453, Tradition #6
- Sahih Muslim, English version, Chapter DCCLIV (titled: The People are 
subservient to the Quraish and the Caliphate is the Right of 
the Quraish), v3, p1010, Tradition #4478 
=========
Also:

The Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: "Islam will continue to be triumphant until 
there have been twelve Caliphs." 

     : .   | .   ^      . ^  |     ||  |.  .       | |   |   | |.   | |
     4_9_,_|_7  _w_c    _,_, |    _||  | _, _c   o |_|_w |   | | _, |_|
        :      /     (_S       (_S      /: /    (          (_|  /:     

Sunni references: 
- Sahih Muslim, Arabic version, Kitab al-Imaara, 1980 Edition Pub. in Saudi 
Arabia, v3, p1453, Tradition #7
- Sahih Muslim, English version, Chapter DCCLIV (titled: The People are 
subservient to the Quraish and the Caliphate is the Right of 
the Quraish), v3, p1010, Tradition #4480 
=========
Again:

The Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: "The Islamic religion will continue until the 
Hour (day of resurrection), having twelve Caliphs for you, all of them 
will be from Quraish." 

       |  :   |   ||      : :    :     |  @  | :         ||   ||.   | |
     q |  4_c |_w_||  o q_o_,    _,_7  |_o_, |_o  . _, ]_||   || _, |_|
     /               (  /     (_S                (_):       (_| /:

        ^    :          | / : .   | .   ^   |. ^  |    /   |        /
        w_, _o . _o o_8_|_) 4_9_,_|_7  _w_c |_,_, |  o_)_,_|_c .  q_)_,
     (_/ : /  (_)  (           :      /             (   :     (_) /  :

Sunni references: 
- Sahih Muslim, Arabic version, Kitab al-Imaara, 1980 Edition Pub. in Saudi 
Arabia, v3, p1453, Tradition #10 
- Sahih Muslim, English version, Chapter DCCLIV (titled: The People are 
subservient to the Quraish and the Caliphate is the Right of 
the Quraish), v3, p1010, Tradition #4483 
=========

More Sunni references of similar traditions:
- Sahih al-Tirmidhi, v4, p501 
- Sunan Abu Dawud, v2, p421 (three traditions). 
- Others such as al-Tiyalasi, Ibn al-Athir, etc. 

=========

Also in another wording, the Messenger of Allah uses the word "Imam" instead of 
"Caliph". It is widely narrated that:

The Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: "The Imams are from Quraish" 

                         ^     :        :  @  | ||
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Sunni references:
- al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v3, p149
- Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal
- Sahih al-Nisa'i, from Anas Ibn Malik
- Sunan, by al-Baihaqi
- al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqa, by Ibn Hajar al-Haithami, Ch. 11, section 2, p287

=========

Obviously, the above traditions are not fit to the first four Caliphs all 
together, as they were less than twelve. 

And they can not be applied to the Umayad Caliphs, because
(a) they were more than twelve; 
(b) all of them were tyrants and unjust (except Umar Ibn Abd al-Aziz); 
(c) they were not from the Hashimites and the Holy Prophet had said in 
another tradition that: "All of them will be from the Bani Hashim..." 

Also they cannot be applied to the Abbasid Caliphs, because:
(a) they were more than twelve; 
(b) they persecuted the descendants of the Prophet every where which means 
they did not comply with the Quranic verse: "I don't ask you any wage 
except to love my family." (42:23). 

My recollection about the unfortunate history of Caliphate indicates that, even 
from the Sunni point of view, there was no good Caliph left after the first 4 
Caliphs (It would be 5 if we include Umar Ibn Abd al-Aziz. Some Sunnis are very 
generous and they add Imam al-Hasan (AS) and Imam al-Mahdi (AS) to the list as 
well.) 

To fill out the twelve set, some even included the well-known tyrants to the 
list such as Yazid Ibn Mu'awiya, Marwan Ibn al-Hakam, Abdul-Malik Marwan, and 
Husham Ibn Abdul-Malik. The reason is clear and as I stated previously, it is 
due to the lack of decent and sincere rulers in the History of Islam. 

I would like to remind you that "Caliph" means successor/deputy. The successor 
of the Prophet (or the preceding Caliph) should come immediately after the 
demise of the Prophet (or the preceding Caliph). If there is any gap between the 
successors, the word "successor" does not make any sense. So successors should 
come right after the other without any gap. Also as the Prophet (PBUH&HF) 
suggested in the above traditions, those twelve Caliphs will cover till the day 
of resurrection. 

As you may know, the Followers of the Members of the House of the Prophet 
(PBUH&HF) refer to these 12 Caliphs as of their 12 Imams starting with Imam Ali 
(AS) and ending with Imam Mahdi (AS) the leader of our time. There are Caliphs 
because Allah made them Caliphs (They are vice-regents of Allah on the earth). 
With the passage of time and through historical events, we know that by the 
above traditions the Holy Prophet (PBUH&HF) meant the twelve Imams from his 
Ahlul-Bait who are the descendants of the Prophet since we have no other 12 pure 
candidates in the history of Islam upon whose righteousness all Muslims agree. 
It is interesting to know that even the enemies of Shi'a have NOT been able to 
find any fault in the virtues of the twelve Imams of Shi'a. Moreover these 
twelve Imams came one after another without any gap. 

It is now clear that the only way to interpret the previously mentioned 
traditions which are narrated by al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi, 
al-Hakim, and Ahmad Ibn Hanbal is to accept that it refers to the Twelve Imams 
from the Prophet's Ahlul-Bait, because they were, in their times, the most 
knowledgeable, the most illustrious, the most god-fearing, the most pious, the 
best in personal virtues, and the most honored before Allah; and their knowledge 
was derived from their ancestor (the Prophet) through their fathers. These are 
the Ahlul-Bait whose sinlessness, flawlessness, and purity is confirmed by the 
holy Quran (the last sentence of verse 33:33). 

Also the above mentioned traditions of the Prophet which are considered to be 
authentic by the Sunnis, proves beyond doubt that the concept of "Twelve Imams" 
can NOT be a Twelver Shi'ites concoction! It is amazing that despite the 
acknowledgment of al-Bukhari and Muslim  and other prominent Sunni scholars 
about the twelve Imams, the Sunnis always stop at the four Caliphs! More 
interestingly, there are Sunni reports in which the Messenger of Allah named 
these twelve members of his Ahlul-Bait one by one starting with Imam Ali (AS) 
and ending with Imam al-Mahdi (AS). (see Yanabi' al-Mawadda, by al-Qunduzi al-
Hanafi). 

Now after reviewing all these straightforward authentic traditions which ALL 
Muslims unanimously agree upon, I would like to ask, based on the Sunni point of 
view who are those twelve Caliphs after Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF)?  Please 
support your assertion by references from Quran and or the six Sunni collections 
of traditions, and also justify their deeds in the course of history. Remember 
that the instructions of these twelve successors of the Prophet should be 
obeyed. As such, if you don't know your twelve leaders, how do you want to obey 
them? Indeed, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) said: 

He who dies while he does not know the Imam of his age, is like the one 
who died during days of Jahiliyya (the era before Islam). 

:   |   |   : :      .. |     . |   .   |   |    .        |    .. |
4_,_|_8 |_7 4_,_,_o ,__,|_o  4_,|_o   o |_o | ,__9 _e_, o_| q ,__,|_o . _o
 :       .     :                   / (            /  : (    /        (_)

==============================================
Few Facts About the Twelve Imams of Ahlul-Bait
==============================================
The First Imam: The Commander of Believers, Abul-Hasan, ALI al-Murtadha, son of 
Abu Talib, was born on the 13th of Rajab, 10 years before the declaration of the 
Prophethood (600 A. D.), INSIDE KA'BAH. He became Imam, on the demise of the 
Prophet on the 28th of Safar 11/632, and was fatally wounded by the poisoned 
sword of Ibn Muljam while engaged in prayers at the Mosque of Kufa (Iraq), and 
expired two days later on the 21st of Ramadhan 40/661, and was buried at al-
Najaf (Iraq). 

The Second Imam: Abu Muhammad, AL-HASAN al-Mujtaba, son of Ali, was born on the 
15th of Ramadhan 3/625 in Medina; martyred of poison on the 7th or 28th Safar 
50/670 in Medina by the order of Mu'awiya. 

The Third Imam: Abu Abdillah, AL-HUSAIN, The Chief of Martyrs (Sayyid al-
Shuhadaa), son of Ali, was born on the 3rd of Sha'ban 4/626 in Medina; was 
martyred with his sons (except one), relatives and companions, on the 10th of 
Muharram (Ashura) 61/680 in Karbala (Iraq) by order of Yazid (LA). He and his 
elder brother, al-Hasan, were sons of Fatima, the daughter of the holy Prophet. 

The Fourth Imam: Abu Muhammad, ALI Zain al-Abidin, son of al-Husain, was born 
on the 5th of Sha'ban 38/659; martyred of poison on the 25th of Muharram 94/712 
or 95/713 in Medina by the order of Husham Ibn Abdul-Malik. 

The Fifth Imam: Abu Ja'far, MUHAMMAD al-Baqir, son of Ali, was born on the 1st 
of Rajab 57/677 in Medina; martyred of poison by Ibrahim on the 7th Dhul-Hajja 
114/733 in Medina. 

The Sixth Imam: Abu Abdillah, JA'FAR al-Sadiq, son of Muhammad, was born on the 
17th of Rabi'ul-Awwal 83/702 in Medina; martyred there of poison on the 25th of 
Shawwal 148/765 by the order of al-Mansur. 

The Seventh Imam: Abul-Hasan al-Awwal, MUSA al-Kadhim, son of Ja'far, was born 
in al-Abwa (7 miles from Medina) on the 7th Safar 129/746; martyred of poison on 
the 25th of Rajab 183/799 in the prison of Harun al-Rashid in Baghdad and was 
buried at al-Kadhimiyya, near Baghdad (Iraq). 

The Eighth Imam: Abul-Hasan al-Thani, ALI al-Ridha, son of Musa, was born in 
Medina on the 11th Dhul-Qa'da 148/765; martyred of poison on the 17th of Safar 
203/818 in Mash'had (Khurasan, Iran) by the order of Ma'mun. 

The Ninth Imam: Abu Ja'far al-Thani, MUHAMMAD al-Taqi al-Jawad, son of Ali, was 
born on the 10th of Rajab 195/811 in Medina; martyred of poison by the order of 
Mu'tasim in Baghdad on the 30th Dhul-Qa'da 220/835; was buried near his 
grandfather at al-Kadhimiyya. 

The Tenth Imam: Abul-Hasan al-Thalith, ALI al-Naqi al-Hadi, son of Muhammad, 
was born on the 5th of Rajab 212/827 in Medina; martyred of poison in Samirra 
(Iraq) on 3rd of Rajab 254/868 by the order of Mutawakkil. 

The Eleventh Imam: Abu Muhammad, AL-HASAN al-Askari, son of Ali, was born on 
the 8th of Rabi al-Thani 232/846 in Medina; martyred of poison by Mu'tamid in 
Samirra (Iraq) on the 8th of Rabi'ul-Awwal 260/874. 

The Twelfth Imam: Abul-Qasim, MUHAMMAD al-Mahdi, son of al-Hasan, was born on 
the 15th of Sha'ban 255/869 in Samirra (Iraq). He is our present and alive Imam. 
He went into Lesser Occultation in 260/874 which continued until 329/844. Then 
the greater occultation began which still continues. He will reappear when Allah 
allows him to establish the kingdom of Allah on earth and to fill the world with 
justice and equality as it would be full of injustice and tyranny. He is al-
Qa'im (the one who shall stand to establish the rule of Allah); al-Hujja (the 
proof of Allah over His creatures); Sahib al-Zaman (the master of our time); and 
Sahib al-Amr (the one who is supported by divine authority). 

              Abdul Muttalib
           __________|___________
          |                      |
       Abdullah               Abu Talib
          |                      |
  Muhammad (al-Mustafa)          |
          |                      |
   Fatima (al-Zahra)     Ali (al-Murtadha)
          |______________________|
           __________|___________
          |                      |
al-Hasan (al-Mujtaba)     al-Husain (Sayyid al-Shuhadaa)
                                 |
                        Ali (Zain al-Abidin)
                                 |
                         Muhammad (al-Baqir)