اصْطَفَى اللَّهُ مَنْهَجَهُ...

اصْطَفَى اللَّهُ مَنْهَجَهُ، وَ بَيَّنَ حُجَجَهُ‏، وَ أَرَّفَ أُرَفَهُ‏، وَ وَصَفَهُ وَ حَدَّهُ وَ جَعَلَهُ نَصّاً كَمَا وَصَفَهُ‏، Allah -azwj Chose its Manifesto and Explained its arguments, and Presented His -azwj Divine Authorities, and Marked its boundaries, and Described its limits, and Manifested it just as described.

إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ إِذَا أُدْخِلَ حُفْرَتَهُ يَأْتِيهِ مَلَكَانِ أَحَدُهُمَا مُنْكَرٌ وَ الْآخَرُ نَكِيرٌ، فَأَوَّلُ مَا يَسْأَلَانِهِ عَنْ رَبِّهِ، وَ عَنْ نَبِيِّهِ، وَ عَنْ وَلِيِّهِ، فَإِنْ أَجَابَ نَجَا وَ إِنْ تَحَيَّرَ عَذَّبَاهُ. When the servant enters his grave, two Angels come to him, one of them Munkar and the onther one Nakeer. The first of what they question him is about his Lord -azwj , and about his Prophet -saww , and about his Guardian -asws (Imam -asws ).

So, if he were to answer (correctly), he would attain salvation, and if he is confused, they would punish him’. فَقَالَ قَائِلٌ: فَمَا حَالُ مَنْ عَرَفَ رَبَّهُ، وَ عَرَفَ نَبِيَّهُ، وَ لَمْ يَعْرِفْ وَلِيَّهُ؟.

فَقَالَ: ذَلِكَ مُذَبْذَبٌ‏ لا إِلى‏ هؤُلاءِ وَ لا إِلى‏ هؤُلاءِ A speaker said, ‘What is the state of the one who recognises his Lord -azwj , and recognises his Prophet -saww , but does not recognise his Guardian (Imam -asws )?’ He -saww said: ‘That is the wavering one, neither towards these ones nor towards those; [4:143] . قِيلَ: فَمَنِ الْوَلِيُّ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ (ص)؟.

It was said, ‘And who is the Guardian -asws , O Rasool-Allah -saww ?’ فَقَالَ: وَلِيُّكُمْ فِي هَذَا الزَّمَانِ أَنَا، وَ مِنْ بَعْدِي وَصِيِّي، وَ مِنْ بَعْدِ وَصِيِّي لِكُلِّ زَمَانٍ حُجَجُ اللَّهِ كَيْمَا تَقُولُوا كَمَا قَالَ الضُّلَّالُ قَبْلَكُمْ حَيْثُ‏ فَارَقَهُمْ نَبِيُّهُمْ: رَبَّنا لَوْ لا أَرْسَلْتَ إِلَيْنا رَسُولًا فَنَتَّبِعَ آياتِكَ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ نَذِلَّ وَ نَخْزى‏، He -saww said: ‘Your Guardian in this time period is me -saww , and from after me -saww it would be my -saww successor -asws , and from after my -saww successor -asws , there would be a Divine Authority of Allah -azwj for every era, lest you would be saying just as the strayers before you had said when their Prophet -saww separated from them: ‘Our Lord!