But if there is abundant evidence that the Prophet had been...

But if there is abundant evidence that the Prophet had been giving special training to the Imam in order to continue the leadership of the Mission after he was gone, the evidence is no less great that the Prophet as leader of the Ummah had made known his plan; and that intellectual and political leadership over the Mission was transferred by him to Imam 'Ali.

This is observable in the hadiths of “al-Dar,”[^16] 'al­Thaqlayn” (“the Two Weighty Things”),[^17] “al-Manzilah,”[^18] al­“Ghadir”[^19], indeed, of tens of other Prophetic traditions.”[^20] Within the framework of the Islamic Call, Shi'ism is thus embodied in the thesis postulated by the Prophet - at God's behest - aimed at securing the future of the Mission. Accordingly, it is not a phenomenon…