For this reason...

For this reason, we have to sum up the issues which we will take up in the next chapters: suppose we were to put aside the issues of caliphate and the Islamic leadership, we can firmly assert that in accordance with the Prophet's explicit confirmations and according to the Holy Quran, after the Prophet's passing the only scientific and religious sources for Muslims are the Innocent ones.

This is because the Prophet at different junctures had referred to the unbreakable bond between the holy Quran and the Innocent ones: “أَيّها النّاس إنّي يوشك أن ادعی فاجيب و إنّي تارك فيكم الثقلين كتاب الله وعترتي كتاب الله حبل ممدود من السماء إلی الأرض و عترتي أَهل بيتي و أنّ اللطيف أخبرني أنّهما لن يفترقا” “O People! I will soon join God. I will leave with you two valuable things: one is the Book of God and the other one is my kinfolk.

The Book of God is the divine inspiration and the cord of salvation which has stretched to the Earth from the sky and my kinfolk are my family members and my God has informed me that the two will never separate” On the days of Arafah and Ghadir the great Prophet, who was unwell at the time, announced in front of a huge crowd of his sahabah (close followers) “هذا عليٌّ مع القرآن و القرآن مع علي لا يفترقان” “Ali is with Quran and the Quran is with Ali the two will never separate”[^3] Documents for narration of Thaqalain are too numerous to be listed here.

The cleric Allamah Mir Hamed Husain, in the twelfth volume of his book, called “Abaghat Al-Anwar”, which was printed in India, has presented these documents. This book was reprinted in six volumes in Isfahan several years ago. A pamphlet has also been published on this issue by Darol Taqrib of Egypt.

In this regard, Sheikh Shaltut, the religious leader of Al-Azhar, has nulled the necessity of following any of the four religions and has issued the verdict that every Muslim could follow any of the four. Here is his Islamic verdict: He was asked: some believe that every Muslim has to follow one of the four religions in his prayers and transactions; however, Shi’ites of twelve Imams and Zaidies are not among the four.

Your honor, do you believe in such a segregation and do you advise people not to follow Shi’ism? Concerning this, he answered: Islam has not deemed it compulsory for its followers to follow a specific religion (in minor issues). We believe every Muslim can follow any religion which is authentic. Any follower of the four religions can change his or her religion freely.