Angels -as and the Prophets -as and Imams -asws fulfilled...
Angels -as and the Prophets -as and Imams -asws fulfilled their duties on behalf of Allah -azwj , so they are the Wasila, (and they are Made by Allah -azwj ) the means (door) of getting to know the Divine Commands, as Imam -asws says, for example: يُونُسُ عَنْ مُوسَى بْنِ بَكْرٍ عَنْ أَبِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ ( عليه السلام ) قَالَ إِنَّ عَلِيّاً ( عليه السلام ) بَابٌ مِنْ أَبْوَابِ الْجَنَّةِ فَمَنْ دَخَلَ بَابَهُ كَانَ مُؤْمِناً وَ مَنْ خَرَجَ مِنْ بَابِهِ كَانَ كَافِراً وَ مَنْ لَمْ يَدْخُلْ فِيهِ وَ لَمْ يَخْرُجْ مِنْهُ كَانَ فِي الطَّبَقَةِ الَّتِي لِلَّهِ فِيهِمُ الْمَشِيئَةُ .
Yunus, from Musa Bin Bakr, (It has been narrated) from Abu Ibrahim -asws (7 th Imam -asws ) having said that Ali -asws is a door from the doors of the Paradise. So the one who enters his -asws door would be a Momin , but the one who exits from his -asws door would be a Unbeliever ( Kafir ), and the one who does not enter into it and does not exit from it would be in the category whose (fate would depend on) Allah -azwj ‘s ‘الْمَشِيئَةُ’ Will (Desire/Decision) regarding them’.
[21] Further Ahadith on showing-off are given in Appendix II. So, what are the Kufr and the Shirk ? Kufr and Shirk: عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ هَارُونَ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ مَسْعَدَةَ بْنِ صَدَقَةَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) وَ سُئِلَ عَنِ الْكُفْرِ وَ الشِّرْكِ أَيُّهُمَا أَقْدَمُ فَقَالَ الْكُفْرُ أَقْدَمُ وَ ذَلِكَ أَنَّ إِبْلِيسَ أَوَّلُ مَنْ كَفَرَ وَ كَانَ كُفْرُهُ غَيْرَ شِرْكٍ لِأَنَّهُ لَمْ يَدْعُ إِلَى عِبَادَةِ غَيْرِ اللَّهِ وَ إِنَّمَا دَعَا إِلَى ذَلِكَ بَعْدُ فَأَشْرَكَ .
Ali Bin Ibrahim, from Haroun Bin Muslim, from Mas’ada Bin Sadaqa who said, ‘I heard Abu Abdullah -asws and he -asws had been asked about the disbelief ( Kufr ) and the association ( Shirk ), ‘Which of the two occurred earlier?’ So he -asws said: ‘(It was) the disbelief ( Kufr ), and that is because Iblees -la was the first one who disbelieved and his -la disbelief was other than Shirk , because he -la did not (initially) submit to the worship of other than Allah -azwj , and rather he -la called towards that afterwards, so he -la associated (committed Shirk )’.
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