Muhammad in his knowledge...

Muhammad in his knowledge, in his piety, in his asceticism and in his servitude to God.” This is what Ibn Taymiyah reports from Imam Malik in his book. [^4] In a survey about those people who narrated from Imam Sadiq, Shaykh al-Mufid (d.413) in his al-Irshad asserts that those who were trustworthy among them from different schools of thought were 4000 in number.

Thus, there is no ambiguity here and this is why many Sunny scholars such as the late Shaykh Shaltut have clearly pointed out that every Muslim is allowed to act according to one of the five Islamic schools of fiqh: Ja’fari, Hanafi, Hanbali, Maliki and Shafi’i.

The reason is clear, because if Imam Ja’far Sadiq or other members of the household of the Prophet did not possess more knowledge or better access to the knowledge of the Prophet than the rest, then one has to admit that he must have been at least equal to others, especially if he is to have taught them such as Abu Hanifah, the Imam of Hanafi Muslims who attended Imam Sadiq’s lectures for two years.

People who are educated or who are seeking the truth are expected, therefore, to examine all Islamic sources available, and thereby come to a conclusion about the ways Muslims can lead exemplary lives. Certainly one rich source is the teachings of the household of the Prophet. Now, let us see whether it is necessary to refer to the household of the Prophet in understanding Islam or not.

To provide an answer I will just focus on some traditions from the Prophet narrated by great Sunni narrationists and accepted by both Sunni and Shi’a scholars. But prior to that it has to be noted that all the teachings of the household of the Prophet were always based on the Glorious Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet. No one should think that for example Imam Sadiq was saying something according to his own opinion about Islam.

Whatever they uttered was exactly what they had themselves received from the Prophet. There are many traditions in this regard. For example, in Usul al-Kafi we find that Imam Sadiq said that whatever he said was what he had received through his forefathers from the Prophet. One of these traditions is the famous tradition of Thaqalayn. This tradition was uttered by the Prophet on different occasions, including the day of ‘Arafah in his last pilgrimage and the 18t h of Dhu’l-Hijjah in Ghadir Khum.

Despite minor differences in the wording the essence remains the same in all versions of the tradition.