Whoever recognizes me and my right has recognized his Lord...

Whoever recognizes me and my right has recognized his Lord, because I am the Vicegerent of His Prophet (S) on the earth and the proof on His creations. Only those can deny it, those who reject the statements of Allah and His Prophet. There is a tradition in Tawheed from other sources from the same Imam that Ali (a.s.) said: I am the knowledge of Allah, I am His knowledgeable heart, I am His seeing eyes, I am His speaking tongue, I am His side, I am His hands.

Some have said that it means the religion of Allah and His worship. Ibne Babawayh in Tawheed has narrated from Ibne Khusaima that I asked Imam Sadiq (a.s.) about its explanation and he replied: The face of Allah is the religion of Allah and the Holy Prophet (S) and Amirul Momineen (a.s.) were the religion of Allah and creatures of Allah they were the eyes of Allah who used to see their action by the light of Allah and they were the tongue of Allah, as Allah used to converse through them.

And these gentlemen used to convey the knowledge of Allah to His creatures. And they were hands of Allah, that is they were His mercy upon His creatures and we are the face of Allah, as people can reach Allah through us. As long as Allah desires that the conditions of His creatures should remain all right He would keep us among and whenever He wants to punish them and does not see any goodness in them, He would remove us from them.

After that He would send whatever chastisement He likes upon them. There is another authentic tradition from the same Imam that: Allah has made us in the best creation and bestowed us the best form (face) and appointed us as the caretaker of His creatures and bestowed us a tongue that testifies for Him and made us His wide hands for His creatures and appointed us as the face of Allah as we guide the people towards Him. And we are the treasurers of Allah in the Heavens and the earth.

By our blessings trees bear fruits and reach perfection, and rivers flow.