If someone not be thoroughly immune to sin and error can...

If someone not be thoroughly immune to sin and error can complete trust be placed in his words or his orders be obeyed with devotion? The effect of inerrancy is such that it protects man from deception by the allurements of this world - power and position wealth and possessions - and enables him to remain steadfast in the face of all types of distraction.

If it is not possible to trust the leader fully the mission of religion which is to enable man to attain perfection will necessarily remain unfulfilled for the credal structure of the religion will be distorted by inevitable suspicions that the commands and edicts of the leader are not based on revelation and the authentic principles of Islam.

In addition possession of the attribute of inerrancy cannot be restricted to the period in which the leader of the Muslims actually exercises the office of Imam. Throughout his life including the period before assuming the Imamate his heart must have been free of all darkness and his person of all sin.

In addition to the fact that sinning entails a loss of human ( 168 ) dignity people will always suspect of continuing sinfulness and pollution one whom they know to have erred in the past however slightly. This suspicion will in turn rob the leadership of such a person of all legitimacy. He will no longer be regarded as an exemplar of piety and purity as one endowed with unique virtues.

The bitter memory of a life spent partially in sin and corruption can never be erased and it will always serve as a pretext for his opponents. They will have a powerful and credible tool for attacking him and destroying his reputation and base of popular support. He will be unable to defend his honor or answer his critics convincingly.

If we examine the life of the Immaculate Imams peace be upon them we will see that the groups opposed to them for all their impudence and shamelessness never resorted to accusations of corruption in order to destroy their reputation.

If there had been the slightest grounds for making such an accusation the enemies of the Imams would never have remained silent and the people in general would have entertained doubt concerning the Imams' pronouncements on matters relating to revelation and God's law.