Some of them relate to the utterances made by the Prophet at...

Some of them relate to the utterances made by the Prophet at 'Arafah in the course of his Farewell Pilgrimage; others to pronouncements made while he was on his deathbed in Madinah surrounded by the ; another to his address at Ghadir Khumm; and yet another to statements made while returning from Ta'if." He then adds: "None of these versions contradict each other for there is no reason why he should not have repeated the same truth on all these occasions and on others as well given the great significance that both the Qur'an and his Progeny possess." ( 4 ) In another tradition known as the hadith of the Truth (hadith a1-haqq) the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him and his family says: " 'Ali is with the truth and the truth is with 'Ali; wherever the truth is 'Ali will incline to it." ( 5 ) We know that the verses of the Noble Qur'an form a compendium of the divine commands and laws of Islam; the teaching contained in them are a guarantee for man's happiness and salvation.

However the interpretation and exegesis of the Qur'an have to be undertaken by persons who are acquinted with the language of revelation and who fully possess the necessary competence in terms of both knowledge and conduct. The Shi'ah therefore believe that those who possess this competence must be identified by the Prophet himself and appointed by him to administer the affairs of the people and guide them.

It is they who understand the language of revelation and can properly acquit themselves of the task of interpreting and explicating God's verses. The juxtaposition of the Progeny of the Prophet with the Qur'an is ( 63 ) thus due to the need of the Qur'an for an exegesis that will set forth its purposes and regulations.

If we look carefully at the content of the hadith we will see that to separate the Qur'an from the Progeny of the Prophet and to follow the utterances and views of persons unacquainted with its symbols and truths is bound to lead to error and misguidance. The tradition therefore implies that only the Progeny of the Prophet can establish the firm and categorical meaning of the verses in God's Book that are allegorical.

The fact that the Prophet places the Qur'an and his Progeny side by side indicates that both are advancing in the same direction and toward the same goal: the Qur'an is a divine law and book and the Progeny are its interpreters executors and guardians. To separate and distance oneself from the Progeny is therefore to invite destruction.