Religious authority of the Shia

According to Shia, there are two main sources for legislation, the Qur'an and the tradition (Sunnah).[1] Tradition is the words, deeds, and silent approval (Taqrir) of the Prophet Muhammed. In the next stage, according to the correct and frequently narrated hadiths, the Prophet introduced his household as the religious authority after him.[2] One of the most famous of these Hadiths which is narrated by Shia and Sunnis is the hadith of Thaqalayn:[3]

إِنِّي تَارِكٌ فِيكُمْ مَا إِنْ تَمَسَّكْتُمْ بِهِ لَنْ تَضِلُّوا بَعْدِي أَحَدُهُمَا أَعْظَمُ مِنَ الآخَرِ: كِتَابُ اللَّهِ حَبْلٌ مَمْدُودٌ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ إِلَى الأَرْضِ. وَعِتْرَتِي أَهْلُ بَيْتِي، وَلَنْ يَتَفَرَّقَا حَتَّى يَرِدَا عَلَيَّ الحَوْضَ فَانْظُرُوا كَيْفَ تَخْلُفُونِي فِيهِمَا

"I am leaving among you two weighty things that if you adhere to them, you will not go astray after me, and one of them is greater than the other: the Book of God that is a hanging rope from the heaven to the earth, and my household, and they will not separate until they come to me at the Pool of Kawthar, so see how you deal with these two after me"

In this hadith, the Prophet mentioned two means and references to prevent Muslims from being distorted and from going astray; one is the Qur'an and the other is his household. He emphasized that the two will not be separated until they meet with him on the Day of Resurrection next to the Kawthar pool. Bearing in mind that the Qur'an is safe from error and any increase or decrease, the household must be the same otherwise it does not make sense to say they will not separate each other. If the Household were likely to make a mistake and act or say anything wrong then in that way they had to separate the Quran.  Thus, being with the Quran till the day of judgment implies their being immune from making mistakes.[3]

The next point is that for Shia the importance of the household of the prophet is not only because of their blood relation to the prophet, something that is usually misunderstood.[4] Thus, not everyone from the family of the prophet is suitable for such a position. The Quran concerning the son of Noah says:

قالَ يا نُوحُ إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنْ أَهْلِكَ إِنَّهُ عَمَلٌ غَيْرُ صالِحٍ فَلا تَسْئَلْنِ ما لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ إِنِّي أَعِظُكَ أَنْ تَكُونَ مِنَ الْجاهِلينَ.

“He said: O Noah! Lo! he is not of thy household; lo! he is of evil conduct, so ask not of Me that whereof thou hast no knowledge. I admonish thee lest thou be among the ignorant.” Quran 11: 46[5]

According to this verse, the son of Noah even though biologically was his son, is considered out of his household because he was not in the same line as Noah. In another verse, he is narrated to say:

فَمَنْ تَبِعَني‏ فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّي

“But whoso followed me, he verily is of me.” The Quran 14: 36[6]

Hence, in the terminology of the Quran what makes a person be household of a prophet is not blood relation but it is obedience and following the prophet. Therefore, the verse emphasizing the purity of the household of the prophet also mentions their specific purification:

إِنَّما يُريدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَ يُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهيراً

"O Folk of the Household, and cleanse you with a thorough cleansing." The Quran 33: 33[7]

On different occasions the prophet introduced his household as the Hadith of Ayshah is mentioned in Sahih Muslim:

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ نُمَيْرٍ - وَاللَّفْظُ لِأَبِي بَكْرٍ - قَالَا: حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بِشْرٍ، عَنْ زَكَرِيَّاءَ، عَنْ مُصْعَبِ بْنِ شَيْبَةَ، عَنْ صَفِيَّةَ بِنْتِ شَيْبَةَ، قَالَتْ: قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ: خَرَجَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ غَدَاةً وَعَلَيْهِ مِرْطٌ مُرَحَّلٌ، مِنْ شَعْرٍ أَسْوَدَ، فَجَاءَ الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ فَأَدْخَلَهُ، ثُمَّ جَاءَ الْحُسَيْنُ فَدَخَلَ مَعَهُ، ثُمَّ جَاءَتْ فَاطِمَةُ فَأَدْخَلَهَا، ثُمَّ جَاءَ عَلِيٌّ فَأَدْخَلَهُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: "إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا"

The Hadith is in the very well-known book of Sunni school and narrated by the wife of the prophet ‘Ayeshah that the prophet exited the house in the morning while there was a patterned cloak (Aba) from black camel hair with him, then Hasan bin Ali came to him and the prophet allowed him to enter under the aba, then, Husain bin Ali came and he allowed him to enter as well, then Fatimah came and the prophet allowed her to enter under the aba and finally Ali came to him and the prophet allowed him to enter under the aba and said: “Indeed, Allah desires to repel all impurity from you, O People of the Household, and purify you with a thorough purification.[8]

This purification which is special to the prophet and his household is what Shia calls Ismah (infallibility), meaning that they are free from any pollution, any sin, and anything ugly. One should not think that purity refers to the dos and don’ts of Sharia because the rulings of Sharia that purify their practitioner are not specific to the household and are for all Muslims.[8] It is a perfect and thorough purification, therefore, being close to them and loving them directs man in their path of guidance and purity.  Again it has been narrated in the very book form Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas the companion of the prophet:

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبَّادٍ - وَتَقَارَبَا فِي اللَّفْظِ - قَالَا: حَدَّثَنَا حَاتِمٌ وَهُوَ ابْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ - عَنْ بُكَيْرِ بْنِ مِسْمَارٍ، عَنْ عَامِرِ بْنِ سَعْدِ بْنِ أَبِي وَقَّاصٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ: أَمَرَ مُعَاوِيَةُ بْنُ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ سَعْدًا فَقَالَ: مَا مَنَعَكَ أَنْ تَسُبَّ أَبَا التُّرَابِ؟ فَقَالَ: أَمَّا مَا ذَكَرْتُ ثَلَاثًا قَالَهُنَّ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَلَنْ أَسُبَّهُ، لَأَنْ تَكُونَ لِي وَاحِدَةٌ مِنْهُنَّ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ حُمْرِ النَّعَمِ، سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ لَهُ، خَلَّفَهُ فِي بَعْضِ مَغَازِيهِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ عَلِيٌّ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ خَلَّفْتَنِي مَعَ النِّسَاءِ وَالصِّبْيَانِ؟ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: أَمَا تَرْضَى أَنْ تَكُونَ مِنِّي بِمَنْزِلَةِ هَارُونَ مِنْ مُوسَى؟ إِلَّا أَنَّهُ لَا نُبُوَّةَ بَعْدِي وَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ يَوْمَ خَيْبَرَ لَأُعْطِيَنَّ الرَّايَةَ رَجُلًا يُحِبُّ اللهَ وَرَسُولَهُ، وَيُحِبُّهُ اللهُ وَرَسُولُهُ قَالَ فَتَطَاوَلْنَا لَهَا فَقَالَ: ادْعُوا لِي عَلِيًّا فَأُتِيَ بِهِ أَرْمَدَ، فَبَصَقَ فِي عَيْنِهِ وَدَفَعَ الرَّايَةَ إِلَيْهِ، فَفَتَحَ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ، وَلَمَّا نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ: )فَقُلْ تَعَالَوْا نَدْعُ أَبْنَاءَنَا وَأَبْنَاءَكُمْ( دَعَا رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَلِيًّا وَفَاطِمَةَ وَحَسَنًا وَحُسَيْنًا فَقَالَ: اللهُمَّ هَؤُلَاءِ أَهْلِي

Mu’awiyah asked Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas about his reason for refusing to curse Imam Ali when Mu’awiyah commanded him to do so. S’ad replied: because of three things in Ali that if I had one of them it was going to be more precious to me than having red camels (the most valuable property of Arab at the time). The prophet assigned Ali as his successor when he was leaving for a battle. Ali said, should I be here with women and children (not helping you in the war)? The prophet replied: are you not pleased that your position to me is like the position of Harun to Musa, with the difference that there is no prophet after me? (Except prophethood you have all the positions Harun had towards Musa). And I heard the prophet in the battle of Khaybar saying: “tomorrow I will give the flag to a man who loves Allah and His prophet, and Allah and His Prophet love him.” We all competed to get it, then the prophet said: call Ali to me! Ali came to the prophet while his eye was ashy (and he could not open it) so the prophet touched his eye with his mouth, then gave his flag to him, so that Allah opened that castle by the hands of Ali. And when the verse revealed to the prophet “Come! Let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, our souls and your souls” (the Quran 3: 61)[9] the prophet called Ali and Fatimah and Hasan and Husain and said: O Allah these people are my household.[10]

In this Hadith the important event of Mubahila is mentioned in which the prophet had to obey the command of Allah:

)فَمَنْ حَاجَّكَ فيهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ ما جاءَكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ فَقُلْ تَعالَوْا نَدْعُ أَبْناءَنا وَ أَبْناءَكُمْ وَ نِساءَنا وَ نِساءَكُمْ وَ أَنْفُسَنا وَ أَنْفُسَكُمْ ثُمَّ نَبْتَهِلْ فَنَجْعَلْ لَعْنَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَى الْكاذِبينَ(

“Should anyone argue with you concerning him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say," Come! Let us call our sons and your sons, our women, and your women, our souls and your souls, then let us pray earnestly and call down Allah's curse upon the liars.” Quran 3: 61[9]

The prophet had to implement this verse as it was commanded by Allah. However, for his sons, he brought Imam Hasan and Husain who were his grandsons. For “our women” he only brings Lady Fatimah, while he could bring from his wives as well because the term “women” came plural. There was no name of “our brothers”, “our cousins” or “our sons-in-law” to make it rational for bringing Imam Ali unless the last group that the verse mentioned is “our souls”. Therefore, the Muslim scholars deduce from the verse that Imam Ali was like the soul of the prophet, meaning that like the prophet he is higher than anyone else among the companions of the prophet. Hence, Imam Ibn Hajar Al-Haythami says: according to some of the experts among the exegetists of the Quran, this verse of Mubahila is the strongest proof of the priority and superiority of Lady Fatimah, Ali, and their sons to other companions.[11]

It is noteworthy that at the time of the prophet only these members of the household were born so they have been referred to by the prophet on these different occasions and it does not contradict the point that later other members of the household are introduced by the ones who were from the household. Like Imam Zain Al-‘Abidin being introduced by his father Imam Al-Husain as his successor and later Imam Al-Baqir to be introduced by imam Zain Al-‘Abidin and so on.[12]

True real guidance is with the Qur’an and Ahl al-Bayt, for they will never separate until the Judgement Day. It is only the Ahl al-Bayt that can truly elucidate and teach the Qur’an after the Prophet (saw).[13] To perform good deeds without this foundation of Islam which is the true understanding then one cannot be sure that they are on the right path. Thus, Imam Al-Sādiq said, our followers who are of these great qualities will be with us and will be immune from the hardships of the Day of Judgment. It is the mercy of Allah that not only the followers of Ahl al-Bayt will be safe on that day, but even they have the chance to intercede for others. There are only 12 Imams or guides who are vicegerents of the prophet, beginning with Imam Ali Bin Abi Talib and coming one after the other as Hasan Bin Ali, Hussain Bin Ali, Ali Bin Hussain, Muhammad Bin Ali, Ja’far Bin Muhammad, Musa Bin Ja’far, Ali Bin Musa, Muhammad Bin Ali, Ali Bin Muhammad, Hasan Bin Muhammad Al-‘Askari, and his son Imam Al-Mahdi.[14] From the Shia perspective, these figures are very special with their knowledge and piety so they deserve to be followed.

Hence, by such declarations in the Quran and authentic hadiths of the prophet, Shia considers the Sunnah to be the sayings, deed, and silent approval of the prophet and Imams of the household.[15] Concerning the others who are companions but not from the household, even though they are highly respected but they are not religious authority. Of course, they can narrate the hadith of the prophet but their personal conduct or opinion is not considered a source for Shia.[16]