So I leave behind me among you two weighty [very worthy and important] things...

So I leave behind me among you two weighty [very worthy and important] things: the Book of Allah, which is a rope stretched between the heavens and the Earth; and my progeny [Ahlul Bayt]. For verily Allah, the Merciful, the Aware informed me that these two would never become separated from each other until they meet at the Fount of Abundance.[^7] Therefore, be careful how you will treat these two in my absence.

This was not the first time that the Holy Prophet had named ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib as his successor (aside from referring to the designated members of his Ahlul Bayt that were to succeed him) on numerous occasions, such as in the “Feast of the Clan” ( al-Indhar ).[^8] Moreover, portions of the Holy Qur’an refer to ‘Ali Ibn Talib’s successionship.[^9] Quraysh Group Appears on the Scene Prior to the Prophet’s departure, the Quraysh group had been quiescent. The time was nearing and they sensed it.

The first wave of the emergence began when the group distinguished itself from the population by refusing the Prophet’s orders to join the dispatch of…