ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Master and Mastership Chapter 5: Wala’ of Imamate " Wala’ of Imamate" signifies religious authority, i.e. a position which makes the Imam a model for others who have to follow him and take instructions from him. Such a position automatically implies the infallibility of the Imam.

It is the same position about which the Holy Qur'an, while referring to the Holy Prophet, says: " The Messenger of Allah is certainly a good example for those of you who have hope in Allah and believe in the Last Day and remember Allah very often ". (al-Ahzab, 33: 21) " Say: If you love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins ".

(Ale Imran, 3: 31) These verses of the Holy Qur'an put forward the Holy Prophet as a model for others who are required to mould their conduct according to his and to follow in his footsteps. This in itself is a proof of his infallibility, because if he were liable to commit mistakes and sins Allah would not have introduced him as the leader and the guide. After the Holy Prophet the succeeded to this position.

There is a hadith quoted on the authority of about 30 companions of the Holy Prophet by most of the Sunni scholars in their books of hadith, history and biography of the Prophet. According to it the Holy Prophet has said "I am leaving behind among you two authorities, the Book of Allah and my . They shall not be separated from each other till they arrive at the Fountain of Kauthar. If you go ahead of them or fall short of expectations, you shall be misled.

Do not try to teach them, for they know better than you''.[^1] Here the Holy Prophet has associated the with the Book of Allah as its co-equal. In respect of His Book, Allah says " Falsehood cannot come at it from any direction ". (Ham-mim, 41: 42) If falsehood could come at the , how could they be its co-equal? Similarly if they had not been infallible like the Holy Prophet, they could not succeed him as the leaders of the ummah.

The contents of the hadith show that it could apply only to certain infallible persons. As Nasiruddin Tusi has pointed out, no one except the is infallible, nor does anybody claim infallibility for anyone else. Hence the hadith can apply only to the Holy Imams (of the Shi'ah). Ibn Hajar 'Asqalani says: "The Holy Prophet has told the people that they would be misled if they go ahead of the or fail to follow them. He has also said that they know better than others.