Proof of Leadership With Divine Authority in the Words of Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw)

Proof of Leadership With Divine Authority in the Words of Allah (swt)and His Messenger (saw)

And The Divine Authority to Everyone of The A'immah (a.s)

Alee ibn Ibraheem has narrated from Muhammad ibn Isa from Younis and Alee ibn Muhammad from Sahl ibn Ziyad, Abu Sa'id from Muhammad ibn Isa from Younis from ibn Muskan from Aboo Basir (r.a) who has said the following:

يَـأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ أَطِيعُواْ اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِى الاٌّمْرِ مِنْكُمْ فَإِن تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِى شَىْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ إِن كُنتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الاٌّخِرِ ذلِكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلاً

“I asked Abu Abd Allah Imam Al-Sadiq, recipient of divine supreme covenant, about the words of Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High: 'Believers, obey Allah, His Messenger, and your leaders.' 

Holy Qu'raan (4:59)

 

The Imam (a.s) said, "This was sent from the heavens about Alee ibn Aboo Talib (a.s), Al-Hassan and Al-Hussain (peace be upon them both), recipients of divine supreme covenant." I then said, "People say, 'Why did He not specify Alee (a.s) and his family by their names in the Book of Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High?' The Imam (a.s)  said, 'Say to them, The command for prayer came to the Messenger of Allah (saw) but he has not specified (the number of the Rak'ahs) for them as being three or four, it in fact was the Messenger of Allah (saw) who explained to them this matter. The command for Zakat (a form of income tax) came to the Messenger of Allah (saw) and there was no specific taxable number such as one Dirham on every forty Dirham, it was the Messenger of Allah (saw) who explained it for them. The command for Hajj came to the Messenger of Allah (saw), it did not say walk seven times around the Ka‘ba. It was the Messenger of Allah (saw) who explained it for them. The verse about obedience came, 'Believers, obey Allah, His Messenger and your leaders (who possess Divine Authority)...' (4:59). It came to declare that Alee, Al-Hassan and Al-Hussain, recipients of divine supreme covenant, were the Leaders who possessed Divine Authority. The Messenger of Allah (saw) then said about Alee, recipient of divine supreme covenant, 'Over whomever I have Divine Authority, Alee (a.s), recipient of divine supreme covenant, also has Divine Authority over him.' He also has said, 'I enjoin you to follow the Book of Allah (swt) and my family (a.s). It is because I have prayed to Allah (swt), the Most Holy, the Most High, not to separate these two from each other until He will make them arrive at Al-Kawthar (the pond of paradise) to join me. He has granted my prayer as such.' The Holy Prophet (saw), recipient of divine supreme covenant, has said, 'Do not try to teach them (A'immah); they are far more knowledgeable than you.' The Holy Prophet (saw) has said, 'A'immah, recipients of divine supreme covenant, will never take you out of the gate of guidance and they will never make you enter the gate of error.' Had the Messenger of Allah (saw) remained silent and had not explained anything about his Ahlulbayt (the family) the family of so and so would have advanced their claim for Imamat (Leadership with Divine Authority)."

However, Allah (swt), the Most Holy, the Most High, has revealed it in His book to confirm the explanations of His Prophet about Ahlulbayt (in the following verse):

وَقَرْنَ فِى بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَلاَ تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَـهِلِيَّةِ الاٍّولَى وَأَقِمْنَ الصَّلَوةَ وَءَاتِينَ الزَّكَـوةَ وَأَطِعْنَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنكُـمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيــراً

 'People of the house, Allah wants to remove all kinds of uncleanness from you and to purify you thoroughly.'

Holy Qu'raan (33:33) 

Alee, Faatimah, Al-Hassan and Al-Hussain (peace be upon them all), recipients of divine supreme covenant, were there and the Holy Prophet (saw) made them to enter under Al-Kisa (the Cloak) in the house of Umm Salama (r.a) and then said, "O Lord! Every Prophet had a family and a heaviness and credence, and these are my family, my heaviness and credence." Umm Salama (r.a) at this point said, "Am I not of your family?" The Holy Prophet (saw) said, "You are in goodness but these are my family, my heaviness and credence."

When the Messenger of Allah (saw) passed away, Alee, recipient of divine supreme covenant, had the utmost priority and guardianship of the people because of what the Messenger of Allah (saw) had preached about him. It was because of raising him up for the people and holding his hand in his hand. When Alee, recipient of divine supreme covenant, (was about to) pass away he could not (and would not) enter Muhammad ibn Alee or Al- Abbas ibn Alee or any one of his other sons in the position of Imamat (Leadership with Divine Authority). Otherwise, Al-Hassan and Al-Hussain (peace be upon them both), recipients of divine supreme covenant, would have said, "Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, has revealed about us just as He has done so about you, and He has commanded people to obey us just as He has commanded people to obey you. The Messenger of Allah (saw) has preached to people about us just as he has done so about you. Allah (swt) has removed Al-Rijs (uncleanness) from us just as He has done so to you." When Alee, recipient of divine supreme covenant, left this world, Al-Hassan (a.s) had the utmost priority for Imamat (Leadership with Divine Authority); he was the eldest. When he was about to die, he could not and would not enter his sons in the position of Imamat. It is because Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, says...

وَأَزْوَجُهُ أُمَّهَـتُهُمْ وَأُوْلُو الاٌّرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلَى بِبَعْضٍ فِى كِتَـبِ اللَّهِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُهَـجِرِينَ

'The relatives are closer to each other, according to the Book of Allah, than the believers and the emigrants.' 

Holy Qu'raan (33:6) 

Had he then placed Imamat in his sons, Al-Hussain (a.s), recipient of divine supreme covenant, would have said, "Allah (swt) has commanded people to obey me just as He has commanded people to obey you and to obey your father. The Messenger of Allah (saw) has preached to people about me just as he has preached to people about you and your father. Allah (swt) has removed Al-Rijs (uncleanliness) from me just as He has removed it from you and your father." When Imamat was in full force with Al-Hussain (a.s), recipient of divine supreme covenant, there was no one in his family who could claim against him as he could claim against his brother and father. He could do so in case they had (his father and brother) wanted to divert it from him but they did not and would not do so. After them, it found its place with Al-Husayn, recipient of divine supreme covenant, and the interpretation of this verse continued to remain valid, '...The relatives are closer to each other, according to the Book of Allah, than the believers and the emigrants...' (33:6). After Al-Hussain, recipient of divine supreme covenant, Imamat found its place with Alee ibn al-Hussain, recipient of divine supreme covenant. After Alee ibn al-Hussain, recipient of divine supreme covenant, it (Leadership with Divine Authority) found its place with Muhammad ibn Alee, recipient of divine supreme covenant. The Imam (a.s) said, "Al-Rijs means doubts. I swear by Allah that we never doubt in our Lord."

Grading: Narration is Saheeh 'Authentic' as by Al-Majlisi II in Mir'aat Al-Uqool. Vol. 3, Pg. # 213.


Source: Usool Al-Kafi. Vol. 1, Pg. #  172-173.