Mouood Mouood English Edition
It is worth mentioning that narrations in all the most reliable Islamic reference books consider the features of the Twelve Infallible Imams as the same in all areas, for their creation is from the same light of the Holy Prophet.
We should say that with the exception of Prophethood, all the features of the Holy Prophet have been manifested perfectly in the infallible Imams and all of them, as they themselves have said, are Allah’s Attributes:
By Allah, we are the Most Excellent Names (al-asma al-husna).31
It is for the same reason that the people of the world are indebted to Ahl al-Bayt who have a right over them and observe that the right is incumbent on them. In this relation, one of the infallible Imams has been reported to say:
The world and whatever is therein belongs to Allah, the Blessed and Almighty, His Messenger and us. Therefore, whoever obtains something from it should be most careful of his duty and be benevolent to his brothers. If he fails to do so, Allah, His messenger and we despise him.32
At any rate, the root of Ahl al-Bayt is the Holy Prophet (S) who gave his light to Ali (a.s.) and Fatimah (a.s.) and with the matrimony of these two wonderful seas of spirituality, there appeared eleven Imams to guide the world’s nations.
Jabir Ibn Abdullah Ansari who was favored by the Ahl al-Bayt until the end of his life has said: When Allah revealed the following verse:
O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Apostle and those in authority from among you …
I said to the Holy Prophet, “O Allah’s Messenger, we know Allah and the Messenger, but who are those in authority the obedience to whom is equal to the obedience to you?” The Holy Prophet said,
Jabir, they are my successors and leaders of Muslims after me. The first of them is Ali ibn Abi-Talib, then Hasan and Husayn, then Ali ibn Husayn, then Muhammad ibn Ali, known as Baqir in the Torah. You will see him. When you see him, greet him on my behalf. Then comes Jafar al-Sadiq and after him Musa ibn Jafar and after him Muhammad ibn Ali and finally one who has my name and will be Allah’s argumentation (hujjatallah) on the earth, the son of Hasan, the same Imam whom Allah has appointed to conquer the east and the west, the same Imam will be hidden from the eyes of the Shiites and his friends. At that time, no one will be firm in his belief in his Imamate unless those whom Allah has purified their hearts for faith.
Another noteworthy point about the truth of Ahl al-Bayt in narrations related by the holy Imams is their resemblance to a good tree. Answering a question asked by Amr ibn Hurayth about the good tree mentioned in the Holy Quran, Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) says:
Allah’s Messenger is the root of the tree, Amir al-Muminin is its trunk, the Imams from his issue are its branches; the recognition of the Imams is its fruit and the believing Shiites are their leaves. By Allah (I swear), when a believer is born, the tree gives a new leaf; and when a believer dies, a leaf falls off.33
Notes:
27. Al-Kafi, 441/1, H. 9
28. Bihar al-Anwar, 11/5, H. 12
29. Nahj al-Balaghah, Sermon: 234
30. Uyun Akhbar al-Ridha
31. Al-Kafi, 145/1, H. 4
32. Al-Kafi, 401/1, H. 2
33. Al-Kafi, 428/1, Tafsir al-Safi, H. 886/1
