Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Chapter 6 - the Authority After the Prophet

Shia’s Opinion

A. Requisiteness of Authority

They say: It is untrue that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) left his nation without nominating a leader and an authority, since these two matters are indispensable and rudimentary for the nation every time. The saying of the Prophet's leaving his nation without a leader and an authority contravenes perfection and completion of the religion and the divine grace. It also opposes the thorough explication asserted by the Holy Quran. How should the Prophet explicate a minute affair, such as the proper way of urination, while he neglects a fundamental affair which is leadership of the nation? Similarly, leaving the nation without a leader and an authority is a matter contradicting the Prophet's mercy and care for his people. According to the Holy Quran, God has thrown in his Apostle's heart mercy and care for this nation. Who should represent the Prophet in his political and religious duties? Who should explain the Quran? Who should show limits of circle of legality? Who should be the saving ship of this nation? Who should be guiding people to the right? Who should be the security of this nation? These functions are elements of specialization. Like medicine, engineering or atomics, these elements are in need of an individual specialized. None other than the most favorable, the fittest and the most familiar with questions of the doctrine, who should join political and religious leadership, can make out these concerns intensively. These qualifications are identified by God alone. Legally and logically, it is impractical for God to leave this concern to people's fancies. They are within the fundamental principles of Islam and the basic prerequisites of the divine solicitation, government and nation. The greatest evidence on essentiality of this question is that the deniers who had traversed the fact that the Prophet himself had clarified the succeeding leadership, did their best to establish a positive leadership that was stabilized for the predominant power after the great massacres, suffered by the Islamic nation, committed for the sake of uniting the nation by force under authority of that strongest ruler. Owing to the absence of the predominant knight, people were engaged in numerous sects, each of which did establish its own authority.

B. the Divine Declaration of the Authority

God, the Elevated, has revealed the Quran as a divine message to mankind and a divine doctrine that provides an unequivocal depiction for the movements of everything. It also systematizes the political and religious affairs on this earth and exposes the essential characteristics of the other life, and links these two lives in a reciprocal fastened bind. In a like manner, that divine doctrine is provided as one of the essentialities of God's Book revealed to Mohammed (peace be upon him and his family), God's slave, so that he should explicate it to people hypothetically and practically on levels of solicitation and government. The Prophet did lead the solicitation and its outcome; the government. A thorough explication of the divine doctrine was introduced by the Prophet during both stages. The doctrine, likewise, explicated everything thoroughly for those who received the Remembrance; the Holy Quran. Hence, since he was the fittest for leading the followers and applying the doctrine, the most favorable, the keenest and the most acquainted of that divine doctrine, Mohammed (peace be upon him and his family) was elected as the authority. During the Prophet's blessed lifetime, none had the capability of taking his place or shouldering his missions. God, Who does credulously realize the fittest for leading the followers and applying the doctrine, the most favorable, the keenest and the most acquainted of that divine doctrine, has been the specialist in electing Mohammed for this mission. On that account, God dedicatedly has granted Himself the right of nominating the political and religious leader. He, the Elevated, has provided that leader before people and averred of his being the most acquainted, the keenest, the most favorable and the fittest. God has also authorized him to enjoy thorough adequacies of explicating the doctrine to people and being the political and religious leader and judge.

In case people accepted and showed loyalty to that political and religious leadership God has provided, Mohammed should be the leader.

The godly solicitation is ceaseless. The believing government endorses that solicitation. The general purpose is guiding mankind to the right. Mohammed is a man to be inescapably deceased. God, lonelily, realizes credulously the fittest among Mohammed's followers for leading the nation and applying the doctrine, the most favorable, the keenest and the most acquainted of that divine doctrine. For these reasons, it was God's dedicate concern to provide the political and religious leader after Mohammed. In case people accepted and swore allegiance to that individual provided by God as the political and religious leader, they should be guided to the right path. Otherwise, a process of disintegration between political and religious leadership would occur, and the political leader would be an individual other than the religious one. Thus, that ruler - political leader - shall certainly predominate the religious leadership someday.

Al­Hussein­bn­Ali­bn­Abi­Talib (peace be upon him) is, according to doctrinal texts, the Imam, the political and religious leader and the guide of people during his lifetime. Nevertheless, people, coercively or voluntarily, swore their allegiance to Yazeed­bn­Muawiya who, consequently, became the political ruler while Al­Hussein was the religious authority. The instance should have been that Al­Hussein holds political and religious leadership together. As people declared fealty to Yazeed, an isolation between the political and the religious leadership occurred. Yazeed became the actual ruler. Since religious leadership was appendant to the political, the ruler would not be content before he denuded the religious authority from his competencies, so that he would be able to have the religious leadership beside the political. This exactly what happened. Killing was the only way Yazeed had to deprive Al­Hussein of his competencies. He did kill him.

Shias say that improvement of the Muslims' conditions and future is depending upon combining the political and religious leaderships. In other words, the ruler should be the religious authority and that ruler and religious authority should be the one elected by God.

As an abstract we say: God has been dedicatedly the specialist in electing and nominating the political and religious leader of the nation. This is by the reason that He, the Elevated, does credulously realize the fittest for leading the followers and applying the doctrine, the most favorable, the keenest and the most acquainted of that divine doctrine. Before the Prophet's being taken to the Exalted Associate, God had elected the political and religious leader for Muslims. He, the Elevated, ordered the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) of declaring so in the attendance of one hundred thousand Muslims during the Farewell Pilgrimage. For ten times, the Prophet repeated this declaration. People, after all, swore allegiance to men other than that authority nominated by God. Therefore, a process of separation occurred between the two leaderships. Rulers, thereafter, marched forwardly and deprived the religious authorities of their capacities. Thus, rulers, using their force, held fast on the political and religious leaderships.

The Leader and the Authority Nominated By God

Shias allege that Imam Ali (peace be upon him) was the leader and the authority nominated by God who elected him to succeed the Prophet in political and religious affairs. God, correspondingly, ordered His Prophet of declaring this divine election. Therefore, he declared it in front of one hundred thousand Muslims. That was in the Farewell Pilgrimage. They also allege that God has nominated Al­Hassan and Al­Hussein respectively as the successors of Imam Ali, and arranged this question in the form that every Imam should nominate his successor. They were twelve Imams. The twelfth was Imam Al­Mahdi (Mahdi). This Imam is the Shariite ruler of the Islamic republic of Iran pursuant to the Article5 of the Iranian Constitution. The representative of that Shariite Imam is the actual leader of Iran whose missions are practicing the activities of the Shariite Imam substitutionally till God shall cause that Imam to come forth.

With respect to the Islamic Shari'a, the head of the Prophet's household is the Imam, ruler and authority in every time. Headship of the Prophet's household is perpetually operative. In spite of the rulers' active endeavors to terminate the Prophet’s immaculate progeny, they shall never be extinct.

Reasons Beyond Hostility of Sunnis to Shias

As long as Shias are right, what for are they confronted by Sunnis? As an answer to this inquiry, we say: Shias are seen as enemies because their allegations put the rulers on the carpet, and invalidate reasons of their existence as authorities, and create excuses for their enemies to supplant. Rulers had full control on imports of the state. They, practically, had brimming option to dispose in such imports. They had the dominion upon the armed forces and their remunerations. Hence, these forces comply to those rulers amenably. Rulers possessed the entire mass media. Shias, on the other hand, were representing the opposition party all the time. For these reasons, rulers showed malice against them and persecuted and reproduced them as devils, rebellious and deserters of the nation's congruous faith. Majority of people had no option other than agreeing to the ruling authorities' claims. Because Shias had not been granted any opportunity to express their viewpoints without encumbrance, rulers misrepresented and distorted such viewpoints. Ordinary people reported these distorted viewpoints rulers had mentioned, surreptitiously, on behalf of Shias, for the sake of making people shrink back from them progressively. As a matter of fact, most people deem these distorted viewpoints’ veracity adopted by Shias. The reason beyond so was condensational reports appertained to this aspect.

Sunnis' Velocity

From all sides, Sunnis shouted repeatedly with earsplitting cries: “Believe not Shias; they devoted themselves to being enemies of this nation, and satisfied themselves with rebellion against congruity.”

Ask them to provide an evidence on their claims.

Replication on that Velocity

Shias say: ‘year of congruity’ for Sunnis was that in which power overcame legality. Conception of Sunnism - pursuing the Prophet's traditions - from which they inferred their name, was originated when power overcame legality. Unlike the belief adopted by the public, ‘Sunni’ does not indicate pursuing the Prophet's traditions. Shias, in fact, are the most careful for pursuing the Prophet's deeds, words and signature. By despising partisan imitation, one can easily perceive that this saying is not irresponsible at all. By the same token, everybody is within reach to the authenticity of the previous allegation. Considering it is true, censure should be alleviated from us. Barring this, we shall retreat from the wrong. (Surely falsehood is a vanishing thing.)

Meeting the urgency of the pro­truth, the following is the decisive evidence on our claims:

The Two Authorities

For Shias, there were two authorities in Islam after the Prophet's decease:

The individual authority was held by the - foremost - head of the Prophet's household; Ali (peace be upon him). This authority faces the predominant ruler's dictatorship for Sunnis.

The congregational authority was held by the Prophet's progeny and household. These individuals were loyal to their head. They sided him in conserving sturdy origins of the religion.

God is The Nominator Of The 2 Authorities

Shias allege that it was God, the exalted, who assigned the two authorities and ordered His Prophet of declaring so to the Muslims. So, the Prophet did declare it in various occasions.

Shariite Proof Of God's Nominating The Individual Authority

First: The Holy Verse of Wilaya 5:55­6. (Only Allah is your Wali and His Apostle and those who believe, those who keep up prayers and pay the poor rate while they bow. And whoever takes Allah and His Apostle and those who believe for a guardian, then surely the party of Allah are they that shall be triumphant.)

These two Verses were revealed for Ali when he gave his ring as alms while he was performing the ritual genuflection of the prayer. In At­Tha'labi's Tafseer, for instance, these two Verses are debated in details. As he saw Ali give his ring as alms while he was in his ritual genuflection of the prayer, Mohammed, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), recited the words Moses, the prophet, had supplicated his Lord with: ( And give me an aider from my family; Ali. Strengthen my back by him…)

Abu­Therr reported: “By God I swear, before the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) had finished from reciting this supplication, Gabriel, the Angel, descended to him with the revelation of the Holy Verse of Wilaya. Exegesists of the Holy Quran, unanimously, remarked that the Holy Verse involved had been revealed for Ali.[53]

The Prophet indeed assigned Ali, Amirul­Mu'minin, as the authority and his successor. This process was acted in the presence of one hundred thousand Muslims in Ghadeer Khum. It was on that Thursday when Gabriel, the Angel, descended from the heavens five hours after the daybreak to address at the Prophet: “O Mohammed! Your Lord sends His greeting to you and say (O Apostle! Deliver what has been revealed to you from your Lord; and if you do it not, then you have not delivered His message; surely Allah will protect you from the people; surely Allah will not guide the unbelieving people.)” This Holy Verse was revealed on the day of Ghadeer - the day on which the Prophet led the Muslims to a place called ‘Ghadeer Khum’ and declared that Ali would be his successor.[54]

After the Prophet's assigning Ali as the coming Imam, authority and (caliph), the following Holy Verse was revealed: (This day have I perfected for you your religion and completed My favor on you and chosen for you Islam as a religion.) This very Verse was revealed in Ghadeer Khum, the exact place where Amirul­Mu'minin Ali, was declared as the succeeding leader. The revelation of that Verse occurred in Dhul­Hijja (the last month of the Hijri year) immediately after the ceremonies of assigning Ali as the succeeding leader.[55]

Exactly after the ceremonies of designating Amirul­Mu'minin Ali, Omar­bn­Al­Khattaab approached him and said kiddingly: “Congratulations, son of Abu­Talib! You became my master as well as the entire Muslims.” This is an authentic report.[56]

In the coming eras, the Ghadeer day became a general festivity for Muslims.[57] The hadith of Ghadeer has attained such a high rank of continuous narration that many Sunni scholars compiled thorough books in this concern. As examples of these books, we mention the following:

bn­Hajar At­Tabari's Kitabul­Wilaya.

Abul­Abbas­bn­Ahmed­bn­Uqdeh's Kitabul­Wilaya. (333A.H.)

Abu­Bakr Al­Jessabi's Men Rawa Hadithe Ghadeeri Khum. (355A.H.)

Ad­Darqutni's ways of narrating the Hadith of Ghadeer. (385A.H.)

Abu­Sa'd As­Sejistani's Ad­Dirayeh Fi Hadithil­Wilaya. (477A.H.)

Abul­Qasim Ubeidullah Al­Hanafi's Du'atul­Hudati Ila Eda'i Haqqil­Muwalat. (490A.H.)

In addition, a great deal of other compilers of hadiths did collect hadiths appertained to this concern in many books. 116 Sahaba and 84 Sahaba's followers reported the hadith of Ghadeer. Beginning with the second to the fourteenth Hijri century, almostly, all of the Sunni scholars of various classes and sects, narrated the hadith of Ghadeer. Al­Amini, in his Al­Ghadeer, mentions that 360 scholars did refer to the hadith of Ghadeer. We should be sufficed with the fact that Omar­bn­Al­Khattaab approached Ali and addressed at him: “Congratulations, son of Abu­Talib! You have become the master of every male and female believer.” That was on the day of the Ghadeer declaration.

A Model of the Ghadeer Declaration

In his Al­Mu'jamul­Kabeer, At­Tabarani relates:

(Hutheifeh­bn­Useid Al­Ghefari, the reverent companion of the Prophet, said:

As he accomplished the rites of the Farewell Pilgrimage, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) warned his companions against residing at some bushes in an elevated place. After a while, he (peace be upon him and his family) ordered them of sweeping that place by removing thistles found there. Next to these bushes, the Prophet had performed a prayer before he stood erect and orated: “O people! The Aware, the Knowing informed me that prophets attain only half of the age of the succeeding ones. I do conclude that I am to be soon invited, and I am to answer. I, as well as you, shall be questioned. What will you reply?” “We do confirm that you have conveyed, done well and advised. God may reward you with good.” They answered.

Thence, the Prophet said: “Do you maintain there is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is Allah's slave and apostle, and the Paradise is true, the Hell­fire is true, death is true, the post­earthly life is true and the Hour is coming, there is no doubt about it; and Allah shall raise up those in graves?” “Yes, we do maintain.” they answered. “O Allah! Be the witness.” supplicated the Prophet, and added: “O people! Allah is surely my Master. I am the master of the believers. I am preceded to the believers' souls. He whomever I was his master, this - Ali - is his master. O Allah! Accede to whom accedes to him, and oppose whom opposes him.”[58]

The Prophet then added: “O people! I will be preceding you to the Heavenly Pool and you shall be following. It is a pool of an area larger than the distance between Busra - Syria and San'a - Yemen. In it, there shall be cups as numerous as stars. When you shall be coming to me on that Pool, I will ask you about the two weighty things. Suppose how should you esteem me in these two. The major weighty thing is the Book of Allah, the Elevated. It is a cord, one of its brims is at Allah's hand while the other is at yours. Cling to it and deviate not and distort not. The other is my clan; my household. The Aware, the Knowing has informed me that they shall never separate until they shall join me on the Pool.”[59]

The Doctrinal Assertion on Ali's Leadership

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) addressed at Ali: “You are my successor in this world and in the Hereafter.”[60] “After me, you are the master of every Muslim.” “He whomever I was his leader, Ali is his leader.” “Ali does deserve more than the share he had taken. He is your leader after me.” “You are surely the master of every believer, after me.” “He whomever I was his chief, he - Ali - is being his chief.” “He whomever I was his master, this - Ali - is being his master.” “You are surely the leader of the believers after me.”[61]

The Hadith of Manzila - the credit - assured Ali's leadership; “Your credit to me is as same as Aaron's to Moses. Yet, there is no prophet proceeding me.” This hadith is one of the Prophet’s most authentic traditions that the entire hadithists reported and recorded.[62]

Hadith, part.1 pages 172, 175, 177, 179, 182 and 185, and part.6 pages 331, 269 and 438, and part.3 page32. As­Suyouti's Tarikhul­Khulefa, page65. (In this reference, the compiler mentions that At­Tabarani and Al­Bezzaz have recorded this hadith.) At­Tirmithi's Book of Hadith, hadith 2504. Abdul­Berr's Alisti'ab, Chapter: Ali's Manners.

Guidance After the Prophet

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) expressed: “I am the forewarner and Ali is the guide. By you, Ali, the guided - to the right path - shall be led.”[63]

The Attester After the Prophet

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) stated: “This, Ali, and I shall be the attesters on my people on the Day of Resurrection.”[64] “Ali is the door to my knowledge. After me, he shall be settling questions of what I have been asked to communicate to my people. Cherishing him is creed. Despising him is hypocrisy.” “I am the city of knowledge. Ali is its door.” In the Chapter: political leadership, these hadiths shall be detailedly debated. In a like manner, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) addressed at Ali: “After me, you shall be settling questions of discrepancy my people will be engaged in.”[65]

Such traditions do assert that the Prophet had designated the succeeding authority to whom people should refer to in both political and religious affairs. That single authority was Ali­bn­Abi­Talib. In the Fourth Title of this book, a detailed debate will be given to this subject concerning political leadership of Islam.

The Shias' Congregational Authority

Shias appraise the Prophet and his immaculate household (peace be upon them all) as their guide owing to their seniority in Islam and God's preferring them. They are, as Shias see, the sons, women and near people intended in the Holy Verse of Mubahala - supplicating God to curse the liar party: (But whoever disputes with you in matter after what has come to you of knowledge, then say: Come on let us call our sons and your sons and our women and your women and our near people and your near people, then let us be earnest in prayer, and pray for the curse of Allah on the liars. 3:61)

This Holy Verse was revealed in the favor of the Prophet, Ali, Fatima, Al­Hassan and Al­Hussein (peace be upon them).[66] In addition, they are the rope - covenant - of Allah; (And holdfast to the covenant (rope) of Allah altogether and be not disunited, 3:103)[67]

They are people of the reminder - the Quran - about whom God said: (so ask the followers (people) of the reminder if you do not know. 21:7)[68] They are also the envied intended in the Verse: (Or do they envy the people for what Allah has given them of His grace? 4:54)[69] Similarly, they are the near of kin intended in the Verses: (And give to the near of kin his due.. 17:26) (.. It is for Allah and for the Apostle and for the near of kin.. 59:7) (And know that whatever thing you gain, a fifth of it is for Allah and for the Apostle and for the near of kin.. 8:41)[70] They are the purified intended in the Verse: (Allah only desires to keep away the uncleanness from you, o people of the House! and to purify you a thorough purifying. 33:33)[71] In the same way, they are the ones whose commitment is imposed by God[72] and whose being blessed during obligatory prayers is also imposed as a pillar rite.[73]

In addition, the Prophet's household are the minor weighty. The Holy Quran and they are standing for the fortress against deviation.[74] They are the leading people[75] and the ship of salvation; he shall be saved that whoever embarks it, while the tardy shall be surely sunk.[76] They are the security against discrepancies. He should be reckoned with the party of the Satan that whoever opposes them.[77] They are the security of this nation.[78]

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) stated: “With each generation of my nation, there will be decent individuals from my descendants, whose mission shall be eliminating, away from this religion, distortion of the deviated and falsification of the dishonest and Zeini Dehlan's As­Sirewtun­Nubawiyyeh, (In the margins of As­Seeretul­Halabiyeh) part.3 page332 and many other references.

misrepresentation of the ignorant. Your Imams are your delegates to Allah. Decide on the most proper delegates.”[79]

The Fruit of the Shias' Pursuing the Doctrinal Authority

Since they have acceded to Mohammed and his immaculate household, and they betaken the head of the Prophet's household as their Imam and guide, Shias are selected, by Allah, for conserving the religion with its total sturdy principals. Hence, the Prophet foretold of the good tidings that they are the best of mankind. As the Holy Verse: (As for those who believe and do good, surely they are the best of men (mankind) 98:7), was revealed, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) addressed at Ali: “O Ali! These are you and your group.”[80]

Part 4 - Chapter 1

Regulations of the Society Movement

Like any other political society, the Islamic is bound by two main regulations:

The first regulation is the divine jurisprudential formulation. It is the doctrine that represents the law efficacious in the Islamic society. It is the general and the detailed outlining that totally covers the entire fields of the Islamic society. Namely, it is the central pharmacy that contains the curative remedy of every ailment that may act upon that society. This formulation comprises the hypothetical, as well as the applicable, bases of every malady and remedy, and provides a proved guarantee of the potency and the effectuality of this treatment. Moreover, this formulation is so highly designed that it covers the lives of individuals, families, societies, countries and the world as a whole. It is also designed to line up societies, lead them to cooperation and harmony and satisfy their material and mental needs.

The second regulation is the political leadership decided by the doctrine. Pursuant to the rules of the divine political formulation, this authority is empowered to submit the movement of the Islamic society to these rules. To wit, the authority stands for the engineer who is fully acquainted of the detailed and the general outlining of the divine doctrine, or the physician who supplies physical services, prescribes the remedy and the way of taking it and, finally, watches how the unhealthy takes it till the achievement of recovery. He is, also, the hypothesizer of the divine political formulation and the general supervisor on the applications and the authority to whom people should refer in understanding the ruling and their aims. This is by the reason that that authority is being the most familiar with the rulings and the aims of the divine formulation, the most favorable and the fittest for leading the followers of that doctrine.

It is to add that that authority is the explicator, of the formulation, whose mission is communicating and conveying it as exactly as he has received from his Lord, and applying its texts into factuality. He is the witness on the process of the hypothetical and applicable explication of the formulation. He is the foreteller of the individuals loyal to the doctrine, and the warner of those impeding it. He is the solicitor to Allah and the illuminated lamp that lights up the course of the society during its movements.

Harmony and Perfection Between the Divine Doctrine and the Political Leadership

The Islamic divine doctrine is, totally and fundamentally, relied upon two basic pillars; the revealed Book of Allah - the Holy Quran - and Allah's Apostle, Mohammed (peace be upon him and his family). He is the political leader whom is divinely authorized of leading the solicitation of the advocacy and designated for leading the government derived from that solicitation. This means that the political leadership of the solicitation and the government established on its basis are inseparable parts of the doctrine. In the same way, the political leadership of Saul was an inseparable part of the doctrine operative at that time. The same thing can be said about the leadership of David and Solomon, the prophets.

Pursuant to the natural criteria, it is impractical to solicit the divine doctrine and explicate and implement its rulings without the political leadership of Mohammed. He is the only individual authorized to interpret the texts of that doctrine into application. Thus, he himself did this job through the solicitation he called for and the government established as a result of that solicitation. He was the pivot and base of the political leadership to whom position of authority of both solicitation and government had been designated.

This pertinent and constitutive dependence and perfection is sustained by the fact that God, the Exalted, had never revealed a - divine - missive to mankind without an apostle, and had never revealed a - divine - book without the existence of an individual the mission of whom was guiding the believers with respect to the rulings of that book. Had it been useful to disunite the interrelated bind between the divine doctrine and the political leadership - the missive and the apostle, it would have been elementary for God to reveal copies of the divine book to each sane individual through which He, the Elevated, would have enjoined of applying the rulings given. By the same token, there would not have been need for selecting thousands of apostles, prophets and guides.

On the intellectual, logical, religious and natural criteria, the disunity of the interrelation and perfection between the divine doctrine and the political leadership is inapplicable. Similarly, adherence to the Quran and neglecting the political leadership is a matter out of the circle of reasoning. Unanimously, those who believe in Quran and disbelieve in Mohammed as a political and religious leader, are decided as disbelievers. Those who believe in Mohammed as the political leadership and neglect the Quran are, correspondingly decided as disbelievers. Giving credence to the divine doctrine as the effective law, and Mohammed as the religious and political leader whose mission is guiding the believers through that effective law, is among the fundamental bases of faith.

The political leadership, consequently, is the instituting body whose responsibility is explicating the doctrine and guiding the followers according to the rulings of that doctrine. Like doctoring, atomics and engineering, the approaches of explicating the doctrine and guiding the followers are completely procedures of specialization. It is unfeasible to leave such missions to fancies and individual hypotheses.

Qualifications of the Doctrinal Political Leadership

Mohammed (peace be upon him and his family), as being the first political and religious leader of Islam, should be taken as the guide and the exemplar of that political leadership. Those who take the position of leadership were characterized as the Prophet's successors. Hence, being the most knowledgeable, the keenest of the divine doctrine and its rulings, the most favorable and the fittest, politically and religiously, have been the qualifications of the Prophet's political and religious leadership. Our evidence is that it was God, the Elevated, Who nominated him for joining political leadership to the religious. No single Muslim can protest against this fact.

Thereupon, any political or religious leadership succeeding the Prophet should be carrying the same qualifications. Hence, the leader succeeding the Prophet should be:

1. The most knowledgeable of the divine doctrine.

2. The keenest to the rulings of the divine doctrine.

3. The most favorable among the followers of that divine doctrine, and

4. The fittest for guiding the followers.

These are positive criteria, orderly prospects and finite purposes of every individual intending but the right and disdaining humors. It is for the good of believers - in Islam - entirely that the most knowledgeable, the keenest, the most favorable and the fittest should guide them. In a like manner, it is for none's good that any unqualified individual leads the nation.

Adept At Assuring Availability of the Qualifications Involved

There is no single individual, group or nation can assure in a way of certitude and conviction, the availability of the qualifications involved in a certain person. As those individuals, groups and nations enjoy natural, logical and systematic capacities and competencies too short to assure, in ways of certitude and conviction, any fact, and that they realize the manifestation only, they are not adept at assuring availability of the qualifications involved at any individual. As a matter of fact, the hiddens are unknown. The results attained after the utmost endeavors of elicitation and scrutinizing the most knowledgeable, the keenest, the most favorable and the fittest, shall be indisputably grounded upon conjecture and surmise. These results may be right and may be wrong. The most unquestionable fact is that these endeavors of elicitation and scrutiny, which are the fruit of learnedness, are suffocated by whims.

Since everyone's actual demand is certitude and conviction, not conjecture and surmise, the qualified and competent of providing the secure information based upon certitude and conviction is none but Allah, the elevated. It was He Who introduced Mohammed for us and positively informed of his being the most knowledgeable, the keenest, the most favorable and the fittest. It is Allah Who is the Owner of the doctrine and the Most Observant of its interest. Conformably, it is Allah Who is the One intended to introduce the qualified individual, on bases of certitude and conviction, every time commencing with the day of Mohammed's decease till the Resurrection Day.

Striving for carrying out his Lord's mandate, Mohammed worked for introducing the one elected for the political and religious leadership after him since the earliest hours of his solicitation. He also showed the course according to which the process of scrutinizing the one bearing the qualifications involved shall be adopted.

As an abstract, we can brief this study by saying that it is Allah, the Glorious, the Elevated, Who is in charge of assuring the availability of the qualifications of the political and religious leader.

The Acceptingness of the Divine Volition

Swearing allegiance is the procedure through which people can express their acceptingness of the divine volition and their admissibility of so­and­so's being elected as the most qualified for guiding the nation. Thus, people's will and purpose shall be concordant to God's will and purpose. Accordingly, the one elected shall be acquiring the legality of his position from two sources; God, Who identified the qualifications and designated as the leader due to which, and people, who accepted God's identification of the most qualified and declared their fealty to the political and religious leader.

In due course, the entire affairs of the nation, as well as the doctrine and the political leadership, shall be amenable, and everyone shall be cropping the sweetest fruits of that government. The solicitation and the government shall be sailing towards God in a peaceful climate and, finally, the shadows of the divine grace shall be covering every body.

The Refusal of the Divine Volition

In case people disagree with the divine volition of the most knowledgeable, the keenest, the most favorable and the fittest based upon certitude and conviction, and they name someone else for succeeding the Prophet, this conceivably means that they refuse the divine volition based upon certitude and conviction, and substitute it for another earthly one based upon conjecture and surmise.

As a matter of fact, this process of refusal and substitution does not change the reality in any way. It does never make the substitute more fitter than the one divinely elected. Conversely, this process acts such a categorical disunity that political and religious leadership is held by an individual other than the one divinely appointed. Considering the political and religious leadership is an approach of specialty and that the substitute is unqualified for this position, the occurrence of consecutive collapses shall certainly be befalling and continuing till disunion and degradation occupy the whole state of Islam. The nation, as well, shall be progressively moving out of the circle of the divine jurisprudential formulation to that of intellect, surmise, craving or a mixture of these three circles. When this falls, the divine doctrine shall be refraining from any more bestowal, and God's ire shall ceaselessly be chasing this nation. These deadfalls shall never be evaded unless affairs, including the leadership appointed and conformed by God, take their proper places anew.

Without a doubt, God does never coerce the diseased to take the curing remedy, nor does He drive the deviate compulsorily to the right path. God only prescribes and provides the remedy and urges the diseased to take it. In the same way, He shows the deviate the right path and encourages them to take. It is, then, the diseased's fault if they abstain from taking the remedy, and the deviate's fault if they desist to take that right path. The same thing is said about those who repel both the divine doctrines and the loyalty to the apostles of God, or any of them singly.

Varieties of Refusal of the Divine Volition

First: Accepting the divine doctrine and rejecting being loyal to the political leadership. An example on this variety is the Israelites' believing in their prophet and rejecting the leadership of Saul. They surmised that he had been unqualified for leadership. God, then, notified that He had (increased him abundantly in knowledge and physique) and backed him with clear evidences. So, they had to accept him, and their refusal was changed into recognition.

Second: Accepting the divine doctrine and rejecting being loyal to the political leadership succeeding the prophet. The rejectors claim that the successive leadership had been arisen by the prophet's own inference, not God's mandate. Since the prophet, according to the rejectors' opinion, is not more than an ordinary person that may make errors, there should be no blame if they violate his inference and substitute the appointed leader for another. Applying this variety on Mohammed's companions, it is to say that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) nominated a man from the Hashemites, whom had been gifted the divine prophesy, as his successor, and it is more appropriate for everybody in the Muslim society that a non­Hashemite occupies the position of leadership. In addition, the one nominated by the Prophet had been enjoying good­humoredness and a sort of self-esteem. There were many individuals, who were the celebrities of Quraish, older than that young­aged man elected by the Prophet. For the previous reasons, the Prophet's society believed in the divine doctrine, but rejected being loyal to the man God had prepared and the Prophet had contrived and introduced as his successor. This man was Ali­bn­Abi­Talib.

Third: Rejecting the divine doctrine being the effective law in the society and rejecting declaring loyalty to the individual identified by God. This sort of rejection takes its embracers to atheism directly. God protect us against atheism.