Do Shias believe in Finality of Prophethood?

In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful.

We have divided this article for the benefit of our esteemed readers in following parts:

(I) Introduction.
(II) Testimonies of Esteemed Shia scholars regarding Imams having same qualities and Job of Prophets.
(III) The similarities between Nabi(prophet) and shia Imams according to Shias beliefs and in the light of Shia sources.
(IV) View of Sunni Scholars regarding this tricky belief of Shias.
(V) Message to Shia brothers and sisters.

(I) Introduction:

The one who closely follows the differences between the Islamic groups certainly knows that the fundamental point that sets the Imami Shia sect apart from all others, is their belief in the need of the existence of Imams possessing ALL qualities and SAME job of Prophet, after the final Prophet (SAWS) until the coming of the hour. The Shia scholar counted the matter of Imamah as being from the foundations of faith like Tawheed(oneness of God) and Nubuwwah(Prophet-hood) and Mi`ad(The day of resurrection). They even consider it to be higher than some of those great foundations such as the prophet-hood. With this dangerous turn, the Shia scholars made the Imamah a cross roads between them and other Muslims, putting an obstacle to realizing Islamic unity between the great majority of Muslims and the individuals belonging to the Imami Shia sect. It even made the Shia live in sadness and complete isolation from the rest of the Islamic world, with a huge gap that cannot be filled because of the current nature of their belief in Imamah. We will see clearly that the intellectual bases for this theory, carry in their midst much evil and are a great danger to one of the main foundations of the religion of Islam “The finality of Prophet-hood”. If the Muslims adopt these same intellectual introductions to prove Imamah, then they will demolish the base foundation of the finality of prophet-hood, and the one believing in Imamah must also believe in the continuation of prophet-hood which is the obviously corrupt belief of the heretic Qadiyani sect.

In this article, we are going to present testimonies of Esteemed Shia scholars regarding their belief and the belief of Shias, regarding the Non-existing difference between Prophet(Nabi) and  Imam, after reading their beliefs we will find that according to Shiism, there is NO DIFFERENCE between the Qualities/Characteristics of Prophet(Nabi) and their Imams, but they just don’t call their Imams as Prophets because the Shariah prohibits them from doing so.  But the Shias have failed to understand that, title or Label of Prophet is not the issue, but rather the main issue is the Characteristics/Qualities. Infact, things are categorized based upon their characteristics, “for example, if we ask even an elementary school kid; What is that which we see in the sky, which gives us light and heat and which rises from east and sets in the west; but natural the answer from that kid would be; Sun”.  How did the kid come to know about it, obviously from the qualities which we gave, since things are recognized from their qualities/characteristics. Thus, respected readers! Keep in mind that, its the Qualities/Characteristics which Shia attributed to their Imams the issue not their title, because when Allah(swt) said in Quran that Prophet Muhammad(Saw) is the Final Prophet, it didn’t mean that after him there could be people who possess ALL THE QUALITIES OF PROPHETS with some other title except title of Prophet, but what it meant was that, there would be NO person after Prophet Muhammad(Saw), who would possess ALL QUALITIES OF A PROPHET, regardless of their title because as we explained using example, Qualities/Characteristics determine things not their titles.

We would like to notify to our esteemed readers, that the first two scholars we quoted are not ordinary Shia scholars rather they are considered to be the pillars of Shiism, specially Shiekh Al Mufeed, the first Shia scholar we quoted. Shia Shiekh Al-Mufid is considered to be a renowned great pillar of the Shiism , Some shia scholars claim that he received seven signatures from the  Mahdi of Shias. In some of them he was addressed(by the Mahdi of Shias) as “My brother may Allah grant you success”, “My brother may Allah bless you” and the Shia scholars even wrote that Al-Mahdi of Shias even mourned him after his death.  From the students of Al-Mufeed are renowned Shia Ulama like Seyyid Murtadha (Alamul Huda), Syed al-Radhi (the compiler of(Nahjul Balaghah), Sheikh Tusi (who laid the foundation of Hawza of Najaf), al-Najashi and others. The Second scholar “Baqir Majlis” is also one of the most prolific scholars in the history of Shi’ism, He wrote several noteworthy Shia books such as Bihar al-Anwar, Miratul Uqool, Malazul Akhyar, Hayatul Qulub and Ainul Hayat. Thus, it should be clear to our readers that, we are not bringing the testimonies of Shia belief from some local Shia scholars, rather these are the Pillars of Shiism, whose scholarship is acknowledged by all Shias.

(II) Testimonies of Esteemed Shia scholars regarding Imams having same qualities and Job of Prophets.

Prophets are of two kinds, Tashri`i prophets and Tablighi prophets. A prophet who is classed as being Tashri`i, is the one whom Allah sends with a new Shari`ah or new divine laws to abrogate the divine laws which came before them, as for the Tablighi prophet, his mission is only to revive the past Shari`ah and preserve it from loss or tampering, then to promote it and spread it and guide people towards it.

Shia grand Ayatullah Ja`far al-Subhani says in “Mafaheem al-Qur’an” 3/217-218:

[The prophet, if he was sent with a new Shari`ah, or came with a new holy book, then his prophet-hood is Tashri`iyyah. On the other hand, if the prophet was sent for Dawah and guidance to the rulings previously established by Allah through past prophets, then his prophet-hood is Tablighiyyah. The first kind are messengers, and is restricted to five individuals mentioned in Qur’an and Hadith, as for the majority, they are from the second kind, they were sent to promote the religion that was revealed upon the messengers so their prophet-hood is Tablighiyyah.]

Interesting questions by Shia Scholars, casting doubts on Islam to misguide their followers:

Esteemed Shia Grand Ayatullah Ja`far al-Subhani continues on the same exact page in “Mafaheem al-Qur’an” 3/217-218:

[Then a questioner might ask: Let’s accept that the Prophet of Islam came with the perfect and most beautiful Shari`ah and everything else which humanity needs in its life and after-life until the day of judgment, and there is nothing left for anyone to add to it because our prophet (SAWS) came with the best laws and most correct opinions in all matters of life. Because of this perfection the door of the Tablighi prophet-hood that Allah bestowed upon previous nations is closed, (but) no matter how perfect the Shari`ah is yet it still needs one who guides towards it, who explains it and who renews it, so that it may not be lost and it may be transmitted from generation to generation in the correct way, so why then did Allah close the door after it was open for previous nations? and why did Allah bestow this blessing upon the previous nations and sent prophets among them to deliver the message and warn yet he deprived the righteous followers of this nation from it?]

Esteemed Shia`Allamah Ibrahim al-Ameeni says in “al-Nubuwwah wal-Nabi” pg137-138:

[If we say that the need to send prophets from ulil-`Azm is no longer present, because the rulings and laws are completed, and religious knowledge is perfected, but why would there not be a need for Tablighi prophets who promote these laws? just as Allah would send after each prophet of Shari`ah many other prophets, so they can promote the Shari`ah and deliver it to later generations, so why would Allah not send after the prophet of Islam other prophets to deliver the ‘muhammadi message’ and promote it, while acknowledging that the presence of such prophets is something necessary and beneficial for societies.]

Here are answers for the above doubt casting questions of Shia scholars:

1. Esteemed Shia Shiekh Al Mufeed states:

– أوائل المقالات – الشيخ المفيد ص 45:
8 – القول في الفرق بين الرسل والأنبياء عليهم السلام
واتفقت الإمامية على أن كل رسول فهو نبي وليس كل نبي فهو رسول، وقد كان من أنبياء الله عز وجل حفظة لشرائع الرسل وخلفائهم في المقام، وإنما منع الشرع من تسمية أئمتنا بالنبوة دون أن يكون العقل مانعا من ذلك لحصولهم على المعنى الذي حصل لمن ذكرناه من الأنبياء عليهم السلام.
8- The difference between the Prophets and the Messengers (as):
The Imami (Shia) have consensus that every messenger is a prophet but not every prophet is a messenger, from the prophets of Allah are those who preserve/protect the religious laws passed down by the messengers, they are their successors in this matter. The religious law has only prohibited us from claiming prophet-hood for our Imams although the intellect does not prohibit this, because they(Imams) have acquired the qualities that we have mentioned for the prophets peace be upon them. (Awail al–Maqaalat,page 45).

2. Esteemed Shia Allamah Baqir Majlisi states:

ولا نعرف جهة لعدم اتصافهم بالنبوة إلا رعاية جلالة خاتم الانبياء ، ولا يصل عقولنا إلى فرق بين بين النبوة والامامة ، وما دلت عليه الاخبار فقد عرفته ، والله تعالى يعلم حقائق أحوالهم صلوات الله عليهم أجمعين
To our knowledge there is no reason not to describe the Imams as Prophets except consideration to the status of the Final Prophet. Our intellect too, cannot perceive a distinction between Nabuwwah (prophethood) and Imamah. (Source: Bihar Al-Anwar, Volume 26, p.82)

3. Esteemed Shia scholar Muhsin al-Kharazi says in “Bidayat al-Ma`arif al-Ilahiya” 1/11:

كما انه (أي الإمام) يتصف بصفات النبي أيضاً لكونه خليفة له، فان كان النبي معصوماً فهو أيضاً معصوم…. وهكذا فالإمام يقوم مقام النبي في جميع صفاته عدا كونه نبياً
[Also the Imam has the qualities of the prophet as well because he’s his successor, so if the prophet was infallible then he also is infallible (…) and thus the Imam takes the place of the prophet in all of his qualities except he isn’t a prophet.]
Comment: So except the title of Prophet, the Shia Imam has all the qualities of Prophets, just like Shiekh Mufeed and Baqir Majlisi said above.

4. Esteemed Shia scholar `Abdul-Hussein Dastgheib says in “al-Imamah min Silsilat Usool al-Deen” 2/6:

يجب أن يكون الإمام مشابهاً للرسول – صلى الله عليه وسلم – تماماً
[The Imam needs to be like the Messenger peace be upon him exactly.]

5. Esteemed Shia scholar, Muhammad Ridah al-Muzaffar says in “`Aqaed al-Imamiyah”(Beliefs of Imamiyah) pg.104:

ونعتقد ان الإمام كالنبي يجب ان يكون معصوماً
[And we believe that the Imam is like the Prophet, he needs to be infallible.]

6. Shia scholar al-Muzaffar talks about the jobs of the Imams in his book of ‘Aqaed page 89:

هداية البشر وإرشادهم إلى ما فيه الصلاح والسعادة في النشأتين، وله ما للنبي من الولاية العامة على الناس لتدبير شئونهم ومصالحهم، وإقامة العدل بينهم، ورفع الظلم والعدوان من بينهم، وعلى هذا فالإمامة استمرار للنبوة

From the jobs of the Imams: “Guiding mankind to what brings them happiness in the two worlds, they have to rule over the nation the same way the Prophets ruled over them so that they can take care of their affairs and interests and to carry out the justice between them and remove oppression and settle the differences of the people, in this sense the Imamah is a continuation of the Prophet-hood.”

7. Shia scholar Saleh al-Wardani says in his book “‘Aqaed al-Sunnah wa ‘Aqaed al-Shia” page 145:

يعتبر الشيعة أن الإمامة ضرورة كضرورة الرسل . فكما أن مهمة الرسل هي هداية أقوامهم وإرشادهم إلى الصراط المستقيم كذلك مهمة الإمام بالنسبة لقومه .

“Shia consider the Imamah to be as necessary as the messengers, just like the job of the messengers is to guide their people to a straight path the job of the Imam is the same.”

8. Esteemed Shia Ayatullah  Kamal al-Haydari says in “`Ilm al-Imam” pg.508:

فالنبيّ صلّى الله عليه وآله يقوم بوضع بعض التشريعات بإذن منه تعالى في ضوء ما أدّبه سبحانه، وهكذا الأمر بالنسبة إلى أئمّة أهل البيت عليهم السلام، فإنّهم يشرّعون بعض التشريعات التي لم يشرّعها الله تعالى ولا نبيّه صلّى الله عليه وآله، على أساس ما أدّبهم الله تعالى، بحيث لا يشرّعون شيئاً ولا يقولون إلاّ كان مطابقاً لما أراده الله سبحانه
[The Prophet (SAWS) places some religious laws with permission from Allah (swt), according to how Allah disciplined him. This is how it is for the Imams of Ahlul-Bayt as well, they also legislate some Islamic laws that have not been previously legislated by Allah or his messenger (SAWS) according to how Allah disciplined them. This happens in a way, that every law they set and every saying they utter is always in accordance to the will of Allah (swt).]

9. Shia Dr. `Abdul-Hadi al-Husseini says in his book “al-`Ismah” pg.71:

[Meaning, that the Imams get revelation otherwise how can we consider this infallibility!? Didn’t Allah (swt)almighty say (In Surat An-Najm) when talking about the infallibility of His Prophet (SAWS) that it was by revelation {By the Star when it setteth – Your comrade erreth not, nor is deceived} and this is infallibility, then after it He(swt) explains the reason behind the infallibility and its cause {It is not but a revelation revealed} through Jibril (as) and He(swt) clarifies this in His saying {Taught to him by one intense in strength}]

10. Shia scholar al-Mirza Habibullah al-Hashimi al-Khu’i says in “Minhaj al-Bara`ah fi Sharh Nahj al-Balagha” 12/42-43:

[What he pointed to in his saying “You hear what I hear and see what I see” is that apparently the Imam hears the voice of the angel and observes him like the messenger.]

Conclusion: Praise be to Allah! What we have presented in our article, are the testimonies of universally accepted, recognized and esteemed Shia Scholars and from their testimonies it is clear that according to Shiism, there is NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN IMAM AND PROPHET, THEY HAVE SAME QUALITIES/CHARACTERISTICS. This proves that the Shia belief of Imamate is a direct attack on Finality of Prophet-hood, and it violates the finality of Prophet-hood.

Let us present before our readers a simple example for a better understanding:

Example: A person drinks wine in a bottle of Mineral water, saying that I’m drinking mineral water BECAUSE the label on the bottle says so. Now if someone tells him that, brother wine is Haram in Islam, don’t drink it, So he responds that, can’t you see that I’m drinking mineral water, can’t you see the label. He argues saying, “Show me where is it written that drinking mineral water is Haram”, not realizing that its the content which is being questioned not its title. Similar is the case of Shias, because according to Shia belief:

Prophet: Have a title of Prophet, and have some characteristics/qualities.
Shia Imams: Have a different title, BUT they have the Same characteristics/qualities which Prophets have.

So what is the Difference? Nothing.

Thus our humble request to unbiased and truth-seeking shia brothers and sisters is that, they need to open their eyes before it’s too late. They need to realize the dangerous beliefs of Shiism. They need to analyze these facts which we provided in this article, in an open minded manner, they should give preference to truth than the beliefs of their ancestors. Then Inshallah they will realize that Shia belief of Imamate is infact denial of the finality of Prophethood, similar to Qadiyanism.  Thus, they should reject the heretic beliefs of Shiism and should join the true lovers and followers of “complete” Ahlelbayt- Ahlesunnah wal Jama’ah. May Allah guide all the Shias to the straight path.

Iranian Shia researcher Admits this fact, as He understood from the testimonies of Shia Scholars, what we tried to explain:

Dr. Abdol Karim Soroush, an Iranian scholar, was a government official directly appointed by Khomeini. Click this link to see his biography. This Iranian thinker and scholar, acknowledges that the Shias are the Deniers of the finality of Prophethood.

(III) The similarities between Nabi(prophet) and shia Imams according to Shias beliefs and in the light of Shia sources.

1- Prophets receive Wahi, Imams too receive Wahi.

جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ أَخْبِرْنِي مَا الْفَرْقُ بَيْنَ الرَّسُولِ وَ النَّبِيِّ وَ الْإِمَامِ قَالَ فَكَتَبَ أَوْ قَالَ الْفَرْقُ بَيْنَ الرَّسُولِ وَ النَّبِيِّ وَ الْإِمَامِ أَنَّ الرَّسُولَ الَّذِي يُنْزَلُ عَلَيْهِ جَبْرَئِيلُ فَيَرَاهُ وَ يَسْمَعُ كَلَامَهُ وَ يُنْزَلُ عَلَيْهِ الْوَحْيُ وَ رُبَّمَا رَأَى فِي مَنَامِهِ نَحْوَ رُؤْيَا إِبْرَاهِيمَ ع وَ النَّبِيُّ رُبَّمَا سَمِعَ الْكَلَامَ وَ رُبَّمَا رَأَى الشَّخْصَ وَ لَمْ يَسْمَعْ وَ الْإِمَامُ هُوَ الَّذِي يَسْمَعُ الْكَلَامَ وَ لَا يَرَى الشَّخْصَ

Hasan b. Abbas once asked Imam al-Rida, peace be upon him, in a letter. “What is the difference between a messenger, a prophet, and an Imam?” The Imam answered as follows: “The messenger (rasul) is a person to whom Jibril descends and who both sees him and hears the words that he speaks. He is thus in communication with divine revelation (wahy), which he sometimes receives in the form of a dream, as was the case with Ibrahim, peace be upon him. The prophet (nabiyy) sometimes hears the words spoken by Jibril and at other times sees him without hearing anything from him. The Imam hears the words that Jibril utters without seeing him.” (al-Kulayni, al-Kafi, Vol. I, p.176, hadeeth # 2)

Comment: So we find that Both Prophet and Imam receive Wahi. So there is no difference in receiving Wahi. However the bringer of Wahi(Jibril) is  not seen but heard by Imam. The  Nabi hears and sees the angel  and the Imam hears and cannot see the angel. So what would it change if there is going to be person who cannot see the angel(jirbil) , but can hear him, since THIS DOESN’T CHANGE THE FACT THAT WAHI IS RECEIVED BY BOTH, so there is no difference in Wahi. Suppose there are two people one of them is blind and other is not, now if we teach both of them through recitation a chapter, what difference will it make in the teachings they received? Does being blind would make any difference in the knowledge of the blind person? No, not at all. All the things will be the same. That is why we find that esteemed Shia scholars said that their intellect cannot distinguish between Prophet and Imam. There similarity is to such an extent that, they WOULD HAVE claimed Prophethood for their Imams.

This doesn’t ends here, Shiism has moved a step further to claim that, the Imams receive a spirit, greater than Jibril and Mikail, who gives news to them, and was not present with anyone before Prophet Muhammad(SAW). We read:

A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from al-Nadr ibn Suwayd from Yahya al-Halabi from abu al-Sabah al-Kinani from abu Basir who has said the following:“Once I asked abu ‘Abd Allah, about the words of Allah, ‘Thus, We have revealed a Spirit to you (Muhammad), by Our command. Before, you did not even know what a book or belief was. . . .’ (42:52) The Imam said, ‘He (the Spirit) is a creature of the creatures of Allah, greater than Jibril and Mika’il. He was with the Messenger of Allah to give him news and protected him and he is with ‘Imams, after the Messenger of Allah.’” (authenticated by Majlisi)(Al kafi H711, Ch. 56, h 1)

Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Yunus from ibn Muskan from abu Basir who has said the following: “I asked abu ‘Abd Allah, about the words of Allah, ‘They ask you about the Spirit. Say, “The Spirit comes by the command of my Lord. . ’(17:85) The Imam said, ‘He is a creature greater than Jibril and Mika’il. He was with the Messenger of Allah and he is present with the ‘Imams,. He is from the realm of the angels.’”(authenticated by Majlisi)(Al kafi H 713, Ch. 56, h 3)

Ali has narrated from his father from ibn abu ‘Umayr from abu Ayyub al-Khazzaz from abu Basir who has said the following: “I heard abu ‘Abd Allah, say, ‘They ask you about the Spirit. Say, “The Spirit comes by the command of my Lord . . .’” (17:85) The Imam said, ‘He is a creature greater than Jibril and Mika’il. He was not present with anyone before except Muhammad. He is present with Imams. He protects them. In reality any and everything desired does not come by and is not possible for everyone to achieve.(authenticated by Majlisi)(Al kafi H 714, Ch. 56, h 4)

Ahmad–Ahmad ibn Muhammad–Ibn Mahboob–Hisham ibn Salim–Ammar as Saabati who reported: “I asked Abu Abdullah [as] : “On what will you rule if you are made the rulers.” He replied: “By the rule of Allah and the rule of David. And if we are confronted by a situation which we cannot solve, Ruh al Quds will reveal it to us.”(Al kafi-1/398 #3  authenticated by Majlisi)

Muhammad ibn Ahmad–Muhammad ibn Khalid–Nazr ibn Suwaid–Yahya al Halabi–Imran ibn Oueiyn–Jaeed al Hamdani–Ali ibn al-Hussein[as] said: “I asked him by which law will you rule?” He said: “By the rule of David, and if there is something which we are unaware of, Ruh al Quds will reveal it to us.”(Al-Kafi, Vol. 1, p. 397 )

2- Allah sent the Prophets on a holy mission to give mankind divine guidance and according to the Shia Allah sent the Imams on a holy mission to give mankind divine guidance.

هداية البشر وإرشادهم إلى ما فيه الصلاح والسعادة في النشأتين، وله ما للنبي من الولاية العامة على الناس لتدبير شئونهم ومصالحهم، وإقامة العدل بينهم، ورفع الظلم والعدوان من بينهم، وعلى هذا فالإمامة استمرار للنبوة

al-Muzaffar talks about the jobs of the Imams in his book of ‘Aqaed page 89: From the jobs of the Imams: “Guiding mankind to what brings them happiness in the two worlds, they have to rule over the nation the same way the Prophets ruled over them so that they can take care of their affairs and interests and to carry out the justice between them and remove oppression and settle the differences of the people, in this sense the Imamah is a continuation of the Prophet-hood.”

يعتبر الشيعة أن الإمامة ضرورة كضرورة الرسل . فكما أن مهمة الرسل هي هداية أقوامهم وإرشادهم إلى الصراط المستقيم كذلك مهمة الإمام بالنسبة لقومه .

Shia scholar Saleh al-Wardani says in his book “‘Aqaed al-Sunnah wa ‘Aqaed al-Shia” page 145:
“Shia consider the Imamah to be as necessary as the messengers, just like the job of the messengers is to guide their people to a straight path the job of the Imam is the same.”

3- Prophets are sent to affirm previous laws and Imams are sent to affirm previous laws.

الشيخ المفيد في كتاب (أوائل المقالات) باب (القول في عصمة الأئمة): إن الأئمة القائمين مقام الأنبياء في تنفيذ الأحكام وإقامة الحدود وحفظ الشرائع وتأتديب ألانام معصومون كعصمة الأنبياء ولا تجوز عليهم كبيرة ولا صغيرة.. ولا سهو في شيء من الدين ولا ينسون شيئاً من ألاحكام.

Sheikh al-Mufid says in the book “Awael al-Maqalat” under the chapter “Al-Qawl fi ‘Ismat al-Aimmah”:
“The Imams who are in the position of the Prophets when it comes to carrying out the rulings of God and preserving the divine Laws”

الصادق: إن الله لا يدع الأرض إلا وفيها عالم يعلم الزيادة والنقصان، فإذا زاد المؤمنون شيئاً ردهم، وإذا نقصوا أكمله لهم

The Shia attribute to Imam Ja’afar al-Sadiq this saying: “Allah does not leave the earth without a ‘Alim (Imam) who knows what people add to the religion and what they subtract from it, when they add he will stop them and if they miss anything of the religion then he will complete it for them.”(sources: ‘Ilal al-Sharae’e pages 76-77-78, Basaer al-Darajat pages 96-143-289, al-Ikhtisas pg.289.)

4- The Prophet is the leader of the Ummah and his obedience is obligatory, the Imam is also the leader of the Ummah and his obedience is obligatory.

من مات وليس له إمام يسمع له ويطيع مات ميتة جاهلية

The Shia attribute to the Prophet SAWS this saying: “He who dies and he did not have an Imam so that he can listen to him and obey him then he will die the death of ignorance.”(sources: al-Ikhtisas pages 268-269, Bihar al-Anwar 23/92).

الباقر: بني الإسلام على خمس: إقام الصلاة، وإيتاء الزكاة، وحج البيت، وصوم رمضان، والولاية لنا أهل البيت، فجعل في أربع منها رخصة ولم يجعل في الولاية رخصة

Shia attribute to the Imam al-Baqir this saying: “Islam was built upon five things: Salat, Zakat, Hajj, Siyam and the divine rule (Wilayah) of us Ahlul-Bayt,  for the 4 there are excuses established but there are no excuses for the Wilayah.(sources: Wasael al-Shia 1/23, Bihar al-Anwar 68/332-376),

أَبِي الصَّبَّاحِ قَالَ أَشْهَدُ أَنِّي سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) يَقُولُ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ عَلِيّاً إِمَامٌ فَرَضَ اللَّهُ طَاعَتَهُ
Abu al-Sabbah said: I witnessed Imam Ja’afar saying: “I bear witness that ‘Ali is an Imam whose obedience has been made obligatory by Allah.”(source: al-Kafi 1/186).

أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ أَبِي الْعَلَاءِ قَالَ ذَكَرْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) قَوْلَنَا فِي الْأَوْصِيَاءِ إِنَّ طَاعَتَهُمْ مُفْتَرَضَةٌ قَالَ فَقَالَ نَعَمْ هُمُ الَّذِينَ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَ أَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَ أُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ

Abu al-’Alaa said: I mentioned to the Imam Ja’afar the matter of obedience to the successors(imams) and that it is obligatory, he replied: Yes it is, for Allah said about us: “Obey Allah and obey the Prophet and those of you who are in authority.”(source: al-Kafi 1/187).

5- Prophets communicate with angels and so do the Shia Imams.

ومما قلنا يتضح أيضاً سر ما نقل عن جبرائيل في إبتداء خلقه، حيث
سأله الله أكثر من مرة من أنا ومن أنت ؟! ويجيب كل مرة مخاطباً الله
بقوله: أنت أنت وأنا أنا، فيحترق بسطوات الكبرياء، ويسقط من سماء
القرب أبعد مما بين هذه الأرض وتلك السماء إلى أن ظهر مُغيث النفوس
والأرواح في عالم الأنوار والأشباح، مولى الكونين، وأمام الثقلين مولانا
علي عليه السلام، فعلمه بأن يقوم في الجواب:أنت الملك الجليل وأنا العبد
الذليل جبرائيل، فلما قال ذلك تخلص من الاحتراق بنار البعد والفراق
فاحتفظ بذلك التحقيق فإنه من مشرب رحيق.

Ayatullah Khomeini says in his book “Al-Ta’aleeqah ‘ala al-Fawaed al-Radawiyah” page 151:
“about Gabriel in the beginning of creation When Allah had asked him(Gabriel) several times “Who am I and who are You!?” and every time he answers Allah saying ” You are you and I am I” Then Allah burns him for being too proud and sends him away from the Nearest heavens until The Saviour of Souls appeared in the world of lights and ghosts, The Mawla of the two universes and the Imam of the Thaqalayn, our Mawla Ali bin abi Talib PBUH, Then Ali taught Gabriel to say in the answer: “You are the Great King and I am the humble slave” and when he said it he was saved from the fires of Hell.”

وكلمني ربي عز وجل: يا محمد، إني جعلت علياً وصيك ووزيرك وخليفتك من بعدك، فأعلمه فهو يسمع كلامك، فأعلمته وأنا بين يدي ربي عز وجل، فقال لي: قد قبلت وأطعت، فأمر الملائكة أن تسلم عليه ففعلت، فرد السلام

The Prophet SAWS said: My lord spoke to me: Ya Muhammad, I have made ‘Ali your successor and your caliph after you, so tell him as he hears your speech, so I told him while I was between the hands of my Lord and Ali replied: I listen and I obey, Then Allah ordered the angels to greet him with peace so they did and he returned their greeting.(sources: Amali al-Tusi page 64, al-Khisal page 141, Bihar al-Anwar 16/318).

عبدالله بن عبدالرحمان عن حماد بن عيسى عن الحسين بن المختار عن عبدالحميد الطائي قال : سمعت أبا عبدالله عليه السلام يقول : إنهم ليأتونا ويسلمون ونثني لهم وسائدنا ، يعني الملائكة

Imam Abu ‘Abdullah PBUH says: “The angels come to us and greet us and we hand them our pillows.”(source: Bihar al-Anwar 26/355).

أحمد عن الحسين عن الحسن بن برة الاصم عن أبي عبدالله عليه السلام قال : سمعته يقول : إن الملائكة لتنزل علينا في رحالنا وتتقلب على فرشنا وتحضر موائدنا ، وتأتينا من كل ( 3 ) نبات في زمانه رطب ويابس وتقلب علينا أجنحتها وتقلب أجنحتها على صبياننا وتمنع الدواب أن تصل إلينا وتأتينا في وقت كل صلاة لتصليها معنا ، وما من يوم يأتي علينا ولا ليل إلا وأخبار أهل الارض عندنا وما يحدث فيها ، وما من ملك يموت في الارض ( 4 ) ويقوم غيره إلا وتأتينا بخبره ، وكيف كان سيرته في الدنيا .

Imam Abu ‘Abdullah PBUH says: The Angels descend upon us in our houses and they sleep in our beds and they sit at our tables and they pass their wings over us and our children and during the prayer times they prevent the animals from reaching us as they want to pray with us as well, there isn’t a day that passes that we do not know what the people of the earth are doing and not one angel dies or is created unless they(Angels) deliver his news to us and how he lived in the world. (source: Basaer al-Darajat page 27).

6- Prophets are infallible and the Shia Imams are infallible since birth.

دخلت على رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) في بيت اُمّ سلمة وقد نزلت عليه هذه الآية : ( إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمْ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيراً ) ، فقال رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) : يا علي ! هذه الآية فيك وفي سبطيّ والأئمّة من ولدك فقلت : يا رسول الله ! وكم الأئمّة بعدك ؟ قال : أنت يا علي ، ثمّ الحسن والحسين ، وبعد الحسين علي إبنه ، وبعد علي محمّد إبنه ، وبعد محمّد جعفر إبنه ، وبعد جعفر موسى إبنه ، وبعد موسى علي إبنه ، وبعد علي محمّد إبنه ، وبعد محمّد علي إبنه ، وبعد علي الحسن إبنه ، والحجّة من ولد الحسن هكذا أسماؤهم مكتوبة على ساق العرش فسألت الله تعالى عن ذلك فقال : يا محمّد ! هذه الأئمّة بعدك مطهّرون معصومون وأعداؤهم ملعونون »
غاية المرام : (288 ب1 ح11 و ص293 ب2 ح6) .

In the Shia narrations ‘Ali says: I(Ali) entered upon Rassul-Allah SAWS in the house of Umm Salamah and this verse had been revealed: ((Allah wishes to remove Ar-Rijs (impurities) from you O Family of the House (Ahlul Bayt) and to purify you with a thorough purification.)) He SAWS said: “Ya Ali! this verse was revealed concerning you and my two Sabtayn(Hassan & Hussein) and the Imams from your children. I said: “Ya Rassul-Allah! how many Imams are after you? He said: You O Ali, then al-Hassan then al-Hussein then after his Hussein is his son Ali then the son of Ali called Muhammad then …(states all of them by name)… Their names are written like this on the foot of the throne and when I asked Allah about it he said: “Ya Muhammad! these are the Imams after you they are pure and infallible and their enemies are cursed.”(source: Ghayat al-Maram p288 ch1 #11 & p293 ch2 #6).

وأمثال هذه الادلة تدل على عصمة أئمتنا حتى من السهو والنسيان والخطأ والغلط

Ayatullah ‘Ali al-Milani says in his book “al-’Ismah” page 35:
“And proofs like these show the infallibility of our Imams from matters like forgetfulness and errors and mistakes.”

الشيخ المفيد في كتاب (أوائل المقالات) باب (القول في عصمة الأئمة): إن الأئمة القائمين مقام الأنبياء في تنفيذ الأحكام وإقامة الحدود وحفظ الشرائع وتأتديب ألانام معصومون كعصمة الأنبياء ولا تجوز عليهم كبيرة ولا صغيرة.. ولا سهو في شيء من الدين ولا ينسون شيئاً من ألاحكام.

Sheikh al-Mufid says in the book “Awael al-Maqalat” under the chapter “Al-Qawl fi ‘Ismat al-Aimmah”:
“They (Imams) are infallible just as the Prophets and it is not possible for them to commit a big or small sin.. nor do they forget anything from the religion and the rulings.”

ويقول المجلسي: الإمامية أجمعوا على عصمة الأنبياء والأئمة من الذنوب الصغيرة والكبيرة عمداً وخطأً ونسياناً قبل النبوة والإمامة وبعدها، بل من وقت ولادتهم إلى أن يلقوا الله سبحانه

al-Majlisi says in “Bihar al-Anwar” 17/108 & 25/350:
“The Imami Shia have consensus regarding the infallibility of the Prophets and Imams from small and big sins, whether by mistake or intentionally or by forgetfulness, before the Prophet-hood and the Imamah and after them, since they are born until they meet their Lord.”

إن جميع الأنبياء والرسل والأئمة أفضل من الملائكة، وأنهم مطهرون من كل دنس ورجس لا يهمون بذنب صغير ولا كبير ولا يرتكبونه

Ibn Babaweih al-Qummi al-Saduq says in “Amali al-Saduq” page 620:
“All the Prophets and the Messengers and the Imams are better than the Angels, they are pure from all impurities, they do not commit a sin whether small or big.”

ونعتقد: أنّ الاِمام كالنبي يجب أن يكون معصوماً من جميع الرذائل والفواحش، ما ظهر منها وما بطن، من سنِّ الطفولة إلى الموت، عمداً وسهواً.

Sheikh Muhammad Reda al-Muzaffar the dean of the college of Fiqh in al-Najaf in Iraq says in his book “‘Aqaed al-Imamiyah” page 67 chapter 24:
“We (shia) believe that the Imam is like the Prophet, he must be infallible from all errors and mistakes, what is apparent and what is hidden of them, since his birth until his death, intentionally or unintentionally.”

7- Disbelief in a prophet will lead to Hell, disbelief in a Shia Imam will lead to Hell.

قال ابن بابويه القمي الملقب عندهم بالصدوق : ” اعتقادنا فيمن جحد إمامة أمير المؤمنين على بن أبى طالب والأئمة من بعده أنه كمن جحد نبوة جميع الأنبياء . واعتقادنا فيمن أقر بأمير المؤمنين وأنكر واحداً من بعده من الأئمة أنه بمنزلة من أقر بجميع الأنبياء وأنكر نبوة نبينا محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم ( رسالته في الاعتقادات ص 103 ) .

Giant Shia scholar Ibn Babaweih al-Qummi also known as al-Saduq says in Risalat al-I’itiqadat page 103:
“We (Shia) Believe that he who rejects the Imamah of Ameer al-Mumineen ‘Ali ibn abi Talib and the Imams after him is like the one who rejects the Prophet-hood of all the prophets.
Our belief concerning one who accepts the Imamah of ‘Ali but rejects the Imamah of any of the Imams after him is like he who has believed in all the Prophets but denied the Prophet-hood of Muhammad SAWS.”

أكد المجلسي أن « من أنكر واحدا من الأئمة عليهم السلام لم ينفعه إقراره بسائر الأنبياء» (مرآة العقول2/311).

The famous and renowned Shia scholar Mulla Muhammad Baqir al-Majlisi author of “Bihar al-Anwar” also believed in this, he says in his book “Miraat al-’Uqool” vol.2 pg.311:
“He who denies one of the Imams peace be upon them, he shall not benefit in his belief in all the Prophets.”

قال المفيد : ” اتفقت الإمامية على أن من أنكر إمامة أحد من الأئمة وجحد ما أوجبه الله تعالى له من فرض الطاعة ، فهو كافر ضال مستحق للخلود في النار”

Al-Majlisi then quoted the opinion of one of the biggest Shia scholars called al-Mufid to back up his opinion:
“Sheikh al-Mufid said: “The Imami Shia have consensus that he who denies the Imamah of one of the Imams and rejects obedience to him which Allah had ordered then he is a deviant Kaffir deserving to abide in hell-fire forever.”(source: Bihar al-Anwar by Mulla Baqir al-Majlisi 23/390).

يقول يوسف البحراني في موسوعته المعتمدة ( الحدائق الناضرة في أحكام العترة الطاهرة ج 18 ص 153 ط دار الأضواء بيروت لبنان) » وليت شعري أي فرق بين كفر بالله سبحانه وتعالى ورسوله وبين كفر بالأئمة عليهم السلام مع ثبوت كون الإمامة من أصول الدين«.

Renowned Shia scholar Yusuf al-Bahrani says in his encyclopaedia “Al-Hadaeq al-Nadirah fi Ahkam al-’Itrah al-Tahirah” vol.18 pg.153:
“There is no difference between disbelief in Allah (swt) and his Prophet and the disbelief in the Imams peace be upon them as the Imamah is from the Usool of the religion.”

آية الله الشيخ عبد الله المامقاتي الملقب عندهم بالعلامة الثاني في تنقيح المقال: (1/208 باب القوائد ط: النجف 1952م) »وغاية ما يستفاد من الأخبار جريان حكم الكافر والمشرك في الآخرة على كل من لم يكن اثنى عشريا«.

Ayatullah al-Sheikh ‘Abdullah al-Mamaqati also known as “al-’Allamah al-Thani” in his book “Tanqih al-Maqal” 1/208:
“From the beneficial knowledge that we extract from the narrations is that the ruling of Kaffir and of Mushrik will be applied to all non-Twelvers on the day of judgement.”

الخميني في (الأربعون حديثا ص 512-513) » ولاية أهل البيت عليهم السلام شرط في قبول الأعمال عند الله سبحانه بل هو شرط في قبول الأيمان بالله«.

The Imam of the Shia revolution in Iran Ayatullah Khomeini says in his book “Al-Arba’oun Hadith” pages 512-513:
“The Wilayah of Ahlul-Bayt peace be upon them is a condition that Allah placed in order to accept the deeds and is a condition that he set in order to accept the Iman(Faith).”

الشيخ الشيعي محمد رضا المظفر » نعتقد أن الإمامة أصل من أصول الدين لا يتم الإيمان إلا بالاعتقاد بها، فالإمامة استمرار للنبوة« (عقائد الإمامية ص93،94،95،98 منشورات دار التبليغ الإسلامي في إيران)).

Shia scholar Muhammad Reda al-Muzaffar said: “We (shia) believe that the Imamah is from the Usool of this religion and that faith cannot be achieved without it, Imamah is a continuation of Prophet-hood.”(source: ‘Aqaed al-Imamiyah pages 93-94-95-98).

محمد محسن المعروف بالفيض الكاشاني في منهاج النجاة ( ص 48 ط دار الإسلامية بيروت 1987م) »ومن جحد إمامة أحدهم _ أي الأئمة الاثني عشر _ فهو بمنزلة من جحد نبوة جميع الأنبياء عليهم السلام«.

Giant Shia scholar Muhammad Muhassen also known as al-Fayd al-Kashani says in his book “Minhaj al-Najat” page 48:
“He who rejects the Imamah of any of them – meaning the twelve Imams – he is at the same level as one who has rejected the prophet-hood of all the prophets peace be upon them.”

أمالي الشيخ الطوسي (1/314) قال: (لو جاء أحدكم يوم القيامة بأعمال كأمثال الجبال ولم يجيء بولاية علي بن أبي طالب لأكبه الله عز وجل بالنار ) .

Biggest Shia scholar of all times al-Tusi also known as Sheikh al-Taefah wrote in his book “Amali al-Tusi” vol.1 pg.314:
“If any of you comes on the day of judgement and he has done good deeds the size of mountains but he does not believe in the Wilayah of ‘Ali then Allah will thrown him in Hell.”

فالصحيح الحكم بطهارة جميع المخالفين للشيعة الاثنى عشرية واسلامهم ظاهرا بلا فرق في ذلك بين أهل الخلاف وبين غيرهم وان كان جميعهم في الحقيقة كافرين وهم الذين سميناهم بمسلم الدنيا وكافر الآخرة.

The biggest Shia scholar of Hadith Ayatullah al-Khoei says in “Kitab al-Taharah” vol.2 pg.87:
“What is correct is that all of those who differ with the Twelver Shia are pure muslims in appearance whereas in reality all of them are Kouffar and this is why we call them Muslims in the life and Kouffar in the after-life.”

8- Prophets know some things which will take place in the future and they know the unseen, the Shia Imams know the future and the unseen.

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ سَلَمَةَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ سَمَاعَةَ وَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْقَاسِمِ الْبَطَلِ عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) أَيُّ إِمَامٍ لَا يَعْلَمُ مَا يُصِيبُهُ وَ إِلَى مَا يَصِيرُ فَلَيْسَ ذَلِكَ بِحُجَّةٍ لِلَّهِ عَلَى خَلْقِهِ

al-Kulayni says in al-Kafi 1/258: Imam abu ‘Abdullah PBUH said: “An Imam that does not know what will happen to him and what will become of him is not a Hujjah of Allah upon his creation.”

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ ابْنِ فَضَّالٍ عَنْ أَبِي جَمِيلَةَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَخِي عَنْ جَعْفَرٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ أَنَّهُ أَتَى عَلِيَّ بْنَ الْحُسَيْنِ ( عليه السلام ) لَيْلَةً قُبِضَ فِيهَا بِشَرَابٍ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَتِ اشْرَبْ هَذَا فَقَالَ يَا بُنَيَّ إِنَّ هَذِهِ اللَّيْلَةُ الَّتِي أُقْبَضُ فِيهَا وَ هِيَ اللَّيْلَةُ الَّتِي قُبِضَ فِيهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ( صلى الله عليه وآله ) .

Imam Ja’afar said that his father came to Imam ‘Ali ibn al-Hussein the night he was poisoned and killed by a drink and said: “O father drink this.” he replied: “O son, this is the night which I will die and it is the same night the Prophet SAWS died in.”(source: al-Kafi 1/259).

عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ عَنْ يُونُسَ بْنِ يَعْقُوبَ عَنِ الْحَارِثِ بْنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ وَ عِدَّةٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا مِنْهُمْ عَبْدُ الْأَعْلَى وَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ وَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ بِشْرٍ الْخَثْعَمِيُّ سَمِعُوا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) يَقُولُ إِنِّي لَأَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَ أَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَ أَعْلَمُ مَا فِي النَّارِ وَ أَعْلَمُ مَا كَانَ وَ مَا يَكُونُ

Imam Abu ‘Abdullah PBUH was heard saying: “I know what is in the heavens and what is in the earth and I know what is in paradise and what is in hell and I know what was and what is to come.”(source: al-Kafi 1/261).

وكان بنو الحسن يرشدون ويدلون الناس إليهم، فعن عبدالرحمن بن كثير أن رجلاً دخل يسأل عن الإمام بالمدينة، فاستقبله رجل من ولد الحسين، فقال له: يا هذا، إني أراك تسأل عن الإمام، قال: نعم، قال: فأصبته؟ قال: لا، قال: فإن أحببت أن تلقى جعفر بن محمد فافعل، فاستدله فأرشده إليه، فلما دخل عليه قال له: إنك دخلت مدينتنا هذه تسأل عن الإمام، فاستقبلك فتىً من ولد الحسن فأرشدك إلى محمد بن عبدالله، فسألته وخرجت، فإن شئت أخبرتك بما سألته عنه وما رده عليك، ثم استقبلك فتى من ولد الحسين، وقال لك: إن أحببت أن تلقى جعفر بن محمد فافعل، قال: صدقت، كان كل ما ذكرت ووصفت

As for the sons of Al Hassan they used to tell people about themselves and their knowledge and claim Imamah for themselves: Abdul rahman bin Katheer narrated: a Man entered Madinah asking for the Imam so he was received by one of the children of Hussein who said: hey You, I see you are asking for the Imam, He said: Yes, He said: Did you find what you were looking for? He said: No, He said: If you want to meet Ja’afar bin Muhammad then please do so, So he asked for his whereabouts and was guided to him and when he entered on him he ( Al Sadiq) said: You have entered our city looking for the Imam and you were received at the beginning by one of the sons of Al Hassan Who guided you to Muhammad bin Abdullah bin al Hassan, so you asked that man and weren’t satisfied and if you want I can tell you what you asked and what he replied, then you met a boy from the children of Hussein and he told you to meet me, The Man Said: It’s All True! everything you described happened!(sources: bihar al Anwar 47/120, Al manaqib 4/221, Al Khara’ej wal jara’eh 244, MORE DETAILS ABOUT THIS STORY in Al Kafi 1/348).

9- Some Prophets can communicate with Jinn or animals, the Shia Imams communicate with Jinn and animals.

al-Qutb al-rawandi (573 died) in al Kharaa’ej wal Jara’eh 2:825,827 – Also bihar al Anwar 42:88,106 & mi’ra’at al uqool 21:198 the Shia claim that since ‘Ali (ra) could talk to the Jinn he told a female Jinni to take the shape of his daughter Umm Kulthoum and then he married the Jinni to ‘Umar.

الصادق أنه قال: إن أمير المؤمنين أرسل إلى جنية من أهل نجران يهودية يقال لها: سحيقة بنت جريرية

The Shia narrate from al-Sadiq: Ameer al-Mumineen called a Jewish Jinn from the people of Najran called: Saheeqah bint Jareeriyah.(sources: Bihar al-Anwar 42/88, al-Anwar al-Nu’umaniyah 1/84).

فإذا بالحيتان فاغرة أفواهها، فقالت: يا أمير المؤمنين، عرضت ولايتك علينا فقبلناها ما خلا الجري والمارماهي والزمار

The whales told ‘Ali: “O Ameer al Mumineen! Your wilayah was presented to us and we accepted it.”
sources: al-Yaqeen page 154, Bihar al-Anwar 41/237.

جملاً قال لعلي رضي الله عنه: يا أمير المؤمنين، عليك السلام.

They narrate that a camel spoke to Ameer ‘Ali and told him: “Peace be upon you ya Ameer al-Mumineen.”(source: Bihar al-Anwar vol.40 pg.268 & vol.41 pages 241 and 246).

وقال سبع: يا أمير المؤمنين، ويا خير الوصيين، ويا وارث علم النبيين، ويا مفرق بين الحق والباطل

A lion spoke to Ameer al-Mumineen and said: “Ya Ameer al-Mumineen, You are the best of successors and the inheritor of the knowledge of the prophets and the one who distinguishes between right and wrong.”(source: Bihar al-Anwar 41/233).

: أن اليهود لما ناظرته رضي الله عنه في النبوة، نادى جمال اليهود: أيتها الجمال، اشهدي لمحمد ووصيه

They narrate that when the Jews debated Ameer al-Mumineen regarding prophet-hood he called on their camels and said: “O Camels bear witness for Muhammad and his successor” So the camels spoke.(source: Ma’ani al-Akhbar page 12).

10- Prophets do miracles by permission of God and the Shia Imams do miracles by the permission of God.

، فقال علي بن الحسين: أما إنك يا عم لو كنت وصياً وإماماً لأجابك، فقال له محمد: فادع أنت يا ابن أخي فاسأله، فدعا الله علي بن الحسين بما أراده، ثم قال: أسألك بالذي جعل فيك ميثاق الأنبياء والأوصياء وميثاق الناس أجمعين لما أخبرتنا مَن الإمام والوصي بعد الحسين؟ فتحرك الحجر حتى كاد أن يزول عن موضعه، ثم أنطقه الله بلسان عربي مبين، فقال: اللهم إن الوصية والإمامة بعد الحسين بن علي إلى علي بن الحسين بن علي ابن فاطمة بنت رسول الله.

Ali bin al Hussein told his uncle Ibn al-Hanafiyyah: O uncle if you were a true Imam the stone would have replied to your request, so Muhammad said: Now you ask it my nephew . Then Ali asked the stone: By Allah who created you and took an oath from you for his Prophets and their successors and all of his creations would you tell us who is the Imam and Wasi after Hussein? So the Stone shook and was about to move from its place then Allah made it speak with a Clear Arabic tongue: By Allah the Wasiyah after hussein bin ali goes to Ali bin Hussein bin bin Ali Bin fatima bint Rassul Allah.
Sources: Mukhtasar al Basa’er 14, Bihar al anwar (42/77,82) (45/347) (46/22,29,111) (95/160,166) Al Khara’ej wal jara’eh 194, Mu’ujam al Imam al khoei 16/48 (And he said the Narration is of a Sahih isnad) ghaybat al tusi 16,119, ithbat al hudat (2/5) (3/6,11,15,21,28,32) Al Kafi (1/348), Al Basa’er 502, Al imamah wal mutabassir 194, I’ilam al Wara 253, Al manaqib (3/288) (4/147), thoub al Nadar For Ibn Nama 292.

فقال: بيني وبينك القاضي، فقال: انطلق بنا، فلما أخرجه قال أبي: يا زيد، إن معك سكينة قد أخفيتها، أرأيتك إن نطقت هذه السكينة التي تسترها مني فشهدت أني أولى بالحق منك، أفتكف عني؟ قال: نعم، وحلف له بذلك، فقال أبي: أيتها السكينة، انطقي بإذن الله، فوثبت السكينة من يد زيد بن الحسن على الأرض، ثم قالت: يا زيد، أنت ظالم، ومحمد أحق منك وأولى، ولئن لم تكف لألين قتلك، فخر زيد مغشياً عليه

Imam Al Baqir had a fight with his relative Zaid and told him: Between me and you is the judge! So they went and on their way, Al Baqir told Zaid: “You are hiding a Knife with you, If I made this knife of yours talk and admit that I am right and you are wrong would you leave me be?” Zaid bin al Hassan said YES and swore on it. then al Baqir said: O knife Speak with the permission of Allah, so it jumped from his hand to the floor and said: ” Zaid you are an oppressor and Muhammad has more right to it than you and if you don’t cease then I will kill you” then Zaid fainted and fell on the floor.(sources: Bihar al anwar 46/329, Ithbat al-Hudat 3/56).

أن بعض أصحابه أتاه فقال: يا أمير المؤمنين قد انشق الفرات من الزيادة, فقام حتى توسط الجسر, ثم ضرب بعصاه ضربة فنقص ذراعين ثم ضربه ضربة أخرى فنقص ذراعين.

Shia scholar al-Mas’oudi said in his book “Ithbat al-Wasiyah” page 160:
“Some of the companions of ‘Ali came to him and told him: Ya Ameer al Mumineen! the river of furat has almost divided into two because of the high water level, so he stood in the middle of the bridge then hit with his stick once and the water level dropped two arms, he hit with his stick another time and it dropped two other arms.

11-Shias believe that deeds of people are presented before Prophets and deeds of people are presented before Shia Imams.

A person by the name of Abdullah bin Aabaan az-Ziyaat was in the presence of Imam Reza (as. He requested Imam (a.s) that he (a.s) should pray for his well being and that of his family. Imam (as replied, ‘Am I not doing like that? I swear by Allah that your deeds are presented to us every morning and evening.’ Abdullah says ‘I was surprised (to hear that our deeds are presented before Imam (a.s). Imam (a.s) is at one place while he has the information of the entire world!)’ Imam (a.s) replied:‘Have you not read the verse of Quran which says :‘Then do your (good) deeds. Allah and His prophet and the believers are a witness to your actions.” I swear by Allah (the word) ‘believers’ (in the verse) refers to Ameerul Momineen. (Al – Kafi, vol.1 p. 219, tradition 4).

(IV) View of Sunni Scholars regarding this tricky belief of Shias.

1. Renowned Scholar of Ahlesunnah Shah Walli Ullah (Famous Sunni Alim from Indian Sub-Continent) –

Imam Shah Waliullah Muhaddith Dahalwi(rah) asked the Holy Messenger (saw) in a dream about the Imamiyyah. He writes about this dream and his conclusion in the light of instructions from the Holy Messenger,

سألته صلى اللّه عليه وسلم سوالا روحانيا عن الشيعة فاوحى الى ان مذهبهم باطل وبطلان مذهبهم يعرف من لفظ الامام ولما افقت عرفت ان الامام عندهم هوالمعصوم المفترض طاعته الموحى اليه وحيا باطنيا وهذا هو معنى النبى فمذهبهم يستلزم انكار ختم نبوة قبحهم اللّه تعالى
“I asked the soul of the Holy Prophet (saw) [in a dream] about the Shias, so he revealed to me that their religion is false and the falsity of their religion is known by the word Imam. When I came to my senses[from dream], I concluded that the term imam, according to them, is just like ‘ma’sum’ (infallible person) who receives inner wahy (revelation) from Allah and whose obedience is compulsory (muftaridut ta’at), and this is the meaning of ‘nabi’ as well, so their belief entails to denying Khatm Nubuwwat(finality of the Prophethood). May Allah uglify them!” (Tafhimat al-Ilahiyyah, 2:250)

He also states,

ايں فقير از روح پرفتوح آنحضرت صلى اللّه عليه وسلم سوال كرد كه حضرت چى مى فرمايند درباب شيعه كه مدعى محبت اهل بيت اند وصحابه رابد ميگويند آنحضرت صلى اللّه عليه وسلم نبوعى ازكلام روحانى القأ فرمودند كه مذهب ايشاں باطل است وبطلان مذهب ايشاں از لفظ امام معلوم مى شود چوں ازاں حالت افاقت دست داد در لفظ امام تامل كردم معلوم شد كه امام باصطلاح ايشاں معصوم مفترض طاعته منصوب للخلق است ووحى باطنى درحق امام تجويز نمايند پس درحقيقت ختم نبوت را منكر اند گو بزبان آنحضرت صلى اللّه عليه وسلم را خاتم الانبيأ رميگفته باشد

“I asked the soul of the Holy Prophet (saw) about the Shias that they claim to love the Ahl al-Bayt and condemn the Companions (Sahabah), so he revealed to my heart that their religion is false and the falsity of their religion is known with the word imam. When I came to my senses, I deliberated and concluded that the term imam, according to them, means ‘ma’sum’ (infallible) who is sent for people and receives inner wahy (revelation) from Allah and whose obedience is compulsory (muftaridut ta’at). So, in fact they deny Khatm Nubuwwat (finality of the Prophethood), though they call the Prophet (saw) as Khatim al-Anbiya (the Seal of the Prophets).” (Tafhimat al-Ilahiyyah, 2:244)

He writes in his book Al-Musawwa Sharh al-Muwatta, a commentary on al-Muwatta of Imam Malik:

 قال: ان النبي –صلى الله عليه وسلم– خاتم النبوة ولكن معنى هذا الكلام أنه لا يجوز أن يسمو بعده أحد بالنبي، وأما معنى النبوة وهو كون الإنسان مبعوثاً من الله تعالى إلى الخلق مفترض الطاعة معصوماً من الذنوب ومن البقاء، على الخطأ فيما يرى فهو موجود في الأئمة بعده ، فذلك هو الزنديق .
Whoever states that the Prophet(saw) is the seal of Prophethood, but that this term means that no one after him can be named a ‘prophet’, and that as for that meaning of prophethood which is – a human sent by Allah to the people, obedience to whom is required, protected from sins and remaining in error – that, this [meaning of] prophethood can still be found in the leaders of the Community after him; then this person is a heretic (zindiq)” (Al-Musawwa Sharh al-Muwatta, 2:110)

2. Shiekh Sayyid Sabiq, in his book, Fiqh al-Sunnah stated the same:

  قال: ” إن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم خاتم النبوة، ولكن معنى هذا الكلام أنه لا يجوز أن يسمى بعده أحد بالنبي.
وأما معنى النبوة وهو كون إنسان مبعوثا من الله تعالى إلى الخلق مفترض الطاعة، معصوما من الذنوب، ومن البقاء على الخطأ فيما يرى، فهو موجود في الائمة بعده (1)، فذلك هو الزنديق،
(فقه السنة 2/462)

Whoever states that the Prophet(saw) is the seal of Prophethood, but that this term means that no one after him can be named a ‘prophet’, and that as for that meaning of prophethood which is – a human sent by Allah to the people, obedience to whom is required, protected from sins and remaining in error – that, this [meaning of] prophethood can still be found in the leaders of the Community after him; then this person is a heretic (zindiq)”  (Fiqh al-Sunnah, vol 2, page 462)

3. In the book “Shi’ism Exposed”  by Majlisul Ulama(Scholars) of South Africa, under Chapter, “SHIAH SLOGAN OF FALSEHOOD” states:

Shi’i religious literature abundantly clarifies the fact that Shias believe in the continuation of Nubuwwat after Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam). The only cover presented by Shi’ism for this Kufr belief is a name, viz., Imaam. Instead of calling the one they believe to be a Prophet or Nabi or Rasool, they describe him as an Imaam, and instead of saying Nubuwwat they say Imaamat. But, in terms of Shi’i religion there is absolutely no difference between a Nabi or a Shi’i Imaam.  

No one should therefore labour under the misapprehension that Shi’ism believes in the Islamic concept of Finality of Nubuwwat. The “Qadianis claim to believe in the Finality of Nubuwwat, but their devious interpretation of this concept opens the way for them to accept Mirza Ghulam as a Nabi. In the same way, the Shi’as believe in the continuation of Nubuwwah inspite of their claim to believe in the Finality of the Nubuwwah of Muhammad (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam). Each and every attribute, office, function and institution exclusive with Nubuwwah is asserted for the Imaams by the Shi’as.(Shi’ism Exposed by Majlisul Ulama of South Africa)[Source]

4. Sheikh `Abdul-Malik ibn `Abdul-Rahman al-Shafi’i in his  book “Imamat-ul-Shiah Da`wah Batiniyyah li Istimrar al-Nubuwwah” states:

Imami Shiasm calls for the continuation of prophet-hood under the mask of Imamah, and the difference between the two is only in the name and pronunciation, no essential difference was provided and they both share the same jobs and functions. So both you and us are calling to the same matter.

The first possibility:

The one who fabricated it had the goal of continuation of prophet-hood at first, but with slyness and secrecy he disguised it with the word “Imam” so it can be spread and accepted by the ignorant laypeople, and so that he can be safe from the criticism of the scholars of Islam who would accuse him that he doesn’t believe in the continuation of prophet-hood. Making it one of the dangerous destructive sects that seeks to demolish Islam by causing doubt in the main articles of faith and opening the door to all other deviants who wish to do the same.

The second possibility:

The one who fabricated it did not believe in continuation of prophet-hood initially, it was only a theory that he found necessary through intellect and he began advertising for it, then he rushed to try and prove it and defend it not noticing the horrible consequences and dangerous results it brings upon Islam’s main beliefs, or that the deviants will use it as a bridge to attack Islam and spread their falsehood in the nation. Making it one of the dangerous destructive sects that seeks to demolish Islam by causing doubt in the main articles of faith and fundamentals of the religion.

In both cases, it is a real danger on Islam and its followers, I ask Allah almighty that the Muslims would be aware of the underlying dangers of this theory so they can avoid it as it threatens the finality of prophet-hood and the sacred rank of the prophets. (“Imamat-ul-Shiah Da`wah Batiniyyah li Istimrar al-Nubuwwah”).

Some authentic narrations from Sunni books, destroying the Shia belief:

1. We read:

حَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي عَمْرُو بْنُ عَاصِمٍ الْكِلاَبِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ الْمُغِيرَةِ، عَنْ ثَابِتٍ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ، قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ رضى الله عنه بَعْدَ وَفَاةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم لِعُمَرَ انْطَلِقْ بِنَا إِلَى أُمِّ أَيْمَنَ نَزُورُهَا كَمَا كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَزُورُهَا ‏.‏ فَلَمَّا انْتَهَيْنَا إِلَيْهَا بَكَتْ فَقَالاَ لَهَا مَا يُبْكِيكِ مَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ لِرَسُولِهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏.‏ فَقَالَتْ مَا أَبْكِي أَنْ لاَ أَكُونَ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ مَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ لِرَسُولِهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَلَكِنْ أَبْكِي أَنَّ الْوَحْىَ قَدِ انْقَطَعَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ ‏.‏ فَهَيَّجَتْهُمَا عَلَى الْبُكَاءِ فَجَعَلاَ يَبْكِيَانِ مَعَهَا ‏.‏
Anas reported that after the death of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) Abu Bakr said to ‘Umar: Let us visit Umm Aiman as Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) used to visit her. As we came to her, she wept. They (Abu Bakr and Umar) said to her: What makes you weep? What is in store (in the next world) for Allah’s-Messenger (ﷺ) is better than (this worldly life). She said: I weep not because I am ignorant of the fact that what is in store for Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) (in the next world) is better than (this world), but I weep because the revelation(Wahi) which came from the Heaven has ceased to come. This moved both of them to tears and they began to weep along with her.(Sahi Muslim, Book 31, Hadith 6009)

2. Sahih  Bukhari 4.661: Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, “The Israelis used to be ruled and guided by prophets: Whenever a prophet died, another would take over his place. There will be no prophet after me, but there will be Caliphs who will increase in number.“ The people asked, “O Allah’s Apostle! What do you order us (to do)?” He said, “Obey the one who will be given the pledge of allegiance first, Fulfil their (i.e. the Caliphs) rights, for Allah will ask them about (any shortcoming) in ruling those Allah has put under their guardianship.”

Comment: This narration proves that , There will be no prophet after prophet Muhammad(saw). Prophet Muhammad(Saw) mentioning that he was final prophet itself was a proof that there wasn’t any divinely appointed ruler after him, but He(Saw) didn’t stop there, he(saw) even clarified that there wasn’t any divinely appointed person after him(Saw), because Prophet(Saw) said “obey the one who will be given the pledge of allegiance first” , if at all there was any divinely appointed caliph he would have said “obey the divinely appointed caliph after me” Or “obey whom Allah made Caliph after me”, But he(saw) didn’t say so, which proves that there wasn’t any divinely appointed ruler after him.This narrations leaves no doubt in the mind of honest and unbiased people that there will not be any divinely appointed leader after Prophet Muhammad(saw).

3.‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas narrated that: “The Messenger of Allah () drew aside the curtain when he had a cloth wrapped around his head during his final illness, and said: ‘O Allah, I have conveyed (the Message)’ three times. ‘There is nothing left of the features of Prophethood except a good dream that a person sees or is seen by others for him. But I have been forbidden to recite the Qur’an when bowing and prostrating, so when you bow, then glorify your Lord and when you prostrate, then strive hard in supplication, for it is more deserving of a response.’” (Sahih)( Sunan nisai Vol. 2, Book 12, Hadith 1121)

Similarly, Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam from Ata ibn Yasar that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “All that will be left of Prophethood after me are the mubashshirat.” They said, “What are the mubashshirat, Messenger of Allah?” He said, “The true dream which a man who is salih sees – or which is shown to him(that conveys glad tidings) – is a forty-sixth part of prophecy.(Muwatta Malik, Book 52, Hadith 3)

Comment: Mufti Shafi Uthmani(rah) in his book Ma’ariful Quran vol 7, Surah Ahzab, verse 40 commented on this hadeeth stating, “This Hadith has so explicitly told that no kind of prophethood, either one with a new law or without it, either Zilli (shadowy) or Buruzi (incarnate), is possible after the Holy Prophet(saw)  people would only have mubashshirat (true dreams) through which they would find out a few things.”

(V) Message to Shia brothers and sisters.

Please question your scholars that what is the difference in the “characteristics/Qualities” of Prophets and Imams ? Is there any “characteristic/Quality” of Prophets which is absent in Imams? Only then you will know that as per Shiism, there isn’t any difference between the “characteristics” of Prophets and Imams and then you will know that Shiism rejects the finality of Prophet-hood even though they don’t state this openly, they just pay a lip service to finality of Prophethood, so that people don’t attack their herectic belief.

Shia try to play safe by not titling their Imams as Prophets and by paying a lip service to finality of Prophethood, though according to them the Imams possess the SAME qualities/characteristics as we have proven above.

So we request every truth-seeker to ponder over our claim, which we are trying to make people(esp truth-seeking Shias) understand that, ITS NOT THE TITLES WHICH MATTERS, BUT ITS THE QUALITIES/CHARACTERISTICS THAT MATTERS.

{Thou art not responsible for guiding them; but God guides whomsoever He will.} [Qur’an 2:272]

May Allah(swt) Guide truth-seeking Shias to straight path and save them from the blasphemous belief of Imamate.