ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Hayat Al-Qulub Vol.3 Part 6: It is obligatory to obey the True Imams Kulaini and others have with reliable chains of narrators, narrated from Imam Baqir (a.s.) that the loftiness of religious affairs, its greatness, its key and the door of all good affairs and the pleasure of the Merciful Allah is to obey the Imam after recognizing him.

We have not sent you as their watchman, (so that you may be responsible for his deeds, nor have you to take their account).

Your only job is to convey Our commandments and the job of taking their accounts and to reward or punish them is Our job.[^1] According to reliable source Abu Sabah has narrated that I give witness that I have heard Imam Sadiq (a.s.) saying: Ali (a.s.) was the Imam whose obedience was made obligatory by Allah, and similarly Hasan, Husain and Ali bin Husain (a.s.) were the Imams whose obedience was made compulsory by Allah.

We have granted them a great kingdom… (Sura Nisa 4:54) said the great kingdom means compulsory obedience. We have made their obedience a must for the entire creation and that the Holy Prophet (S) and his Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) are included in Aale Ibrahim. Imam Sadiq (a.s.) is reported to have said to Abul Hasan Attar: Include the prophets and their legatees in the said obedience, that is, just as the obedience of the prophets is compulsory so is the obedience of their legatees (Awsiya).