ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Selected Narrations about the Twelfth Imam volume 1 Appendix To Chapter Two: Who Are The Twelve Caliphs? Evidently, the greatest duty of every Muslim is the recognition and knowledge of the established facts of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah, and to learn them with maximum reflection and thorough study. Also, one must seek from these two, guidance towards the goals of the strong religion and the straight path of Allah.

For, these only are the guides that mankind needs to achieve bliss and success in his intellectual, religious, ethical, social and political life. Moreover, from the most important responsibilities of a researcher of traditions that establish the caliphate of the twelve caliphs is to indulge in deep deliberation over these that he may recognize the twelve caliphs, whose caliphate and Imamat has been documented in these traditions that surpass consecutivity.

He must ask himself the following questions: Who are they? Who are these caliphs? What did the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) intend through these quotes? With whom are these traditions compatible? Why are the caliphs restricted to this number? And so on and so forth. It is not proper for the one who studies these traditions to be content with their reading and interpretation, and then moving on to the next tradition.

It is also not correct for him to simply glance through them as this would lead to negligence in his learning. Yes, it is obligatory on him to stop at them and not to simply speed through them that he recognizes their purpose in detail and with certainty. For, being careless and negligent towards them is tantamount to carelessness and negligence towards the sayings of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.), in whose reverence Allah, Blessed and High be He, declares: وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَى.

إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَى Nor does he speak out of desire. It is naught but revelation that is revealed . (Qur’an Surah Najm 53: 4-5.) Here, in this treatise, in the company of our thoughtful, researching, learning and cultured readers, we shall place these traditions before us and investigate in it. We will also keep as standard the views that have been expressed earlier concerning them.

It should also be known that the aforementioned traditions are not in need of external or whimsical explanations because some of these explain the others and make the researcher needless of interpretation from other than these traditions.