Proofs that the Ahlul-Bayt are the Rightful Imams

Proofs that the Ahlul-Bayt are the Rightful Imams

Introduction

In the previous article, we showed proofs that 4:59 demonstrates the obligation of obeying the Imam, and that 4:59 proves that the Imams must be infallible. We then discussed narrations and verses which establish the necessity of knowing the Imam and the necessity of the existence of a divinely appointed guide on the earth. Finally, we showed proofs that the Imams must be divinely appointed by demonstrating that it was necessary for the Prophet to have appointed a successor and that it was the continued practice of Allah in the Quran to explicitly designate authority. 

The goal of this article is to continue the discussion of Imamate by showing that the Imams of Ahlul Bayt are the correct Imams. We will do this by showing that they are the only candidates which can fulfill this position. In a later article, if Allah gives us the ability, we will be going over proofs for the Imamate of each Imam, and then eventually proving the existence of Imam Mahdi (a). 

Proofs that the Imams of Ahlul Bayt are Ulil Amr

Up until now, we’ve been discussing Khilafa/Imamate in a general sense, and we have not yet discussed specific proofs that the Ahlul Bayt occupy the role of Ulil Amr—as successors after the Prophet. We have laid out general principles and ideas, and now we will show that only the Ahlul Bayt could have fit the criteria and met the principles laid out above. 

Infallibility of Ahlul Bayt

As we’ve discussed in the previous article, Ulil Amr must be infallible. The only ones who meet this criteria are the Ahlul Bayt since the Quran has said: “Allah intends only to remove from you the impurity [of sin], O people of the [Prophet’s] household, and to purify you with [extensive] purification.” (33:33). (An extensive discussion of this verse and proof that it establishes infallibility can be found in “An In-Depth Analysis of the Verse of Tathir: Who are the Ahl al-Bayt?” (Part 2), and “Ayat Tatheer and Infallibility”—and it is highly recommended to read these articles). This means that Ulil Amr must include the Ahlul Bayt, and therefore it is necessary to obey Ahlul Bayt, and thus their Imamate is established. In fact, Imam Hasan, in both Sunni and Shia sources used the language of Ayah Tathir in order to legitimize his claim to leadership:

14798 - Narrated Abil-Tufayl, who said [as follows]: ‘Hassan bin Alee bin Abi Taalib (a.s) gave a sermon, he praised Allah (swt), and he mentioned the Commander of the faithful, Alee (r.a), the seal of the awsiyah, and the successor of the Prophets, and the [most] honest of the truthful and the martyrs. Then he said: "O people, you have lost a man whom the first has never preceded, and whom the last would never know. The Messenger of Allah (saw) used to give him the flag, and then Jibra'eel would fight on his right and Mika'eel on his left, and he would not return before Allah (swt) would conquer through him, and he was taken by Allah on the night when the successor of Moosa (a.s) was taken, and his soul was raised on the night when the soul of 'Isa ibn Maryam (a.s) was raised, and on the night when Allah - the Exalted - sent down Al-Furqan, and by Allah (swt), he did not leave any gold nor silver, and there is nothing in his bank except for seven-hundred and five dirhams, with which he wanted to buy a servant for Umm Kulthum." Then he (Hassan ibn ‘Alee (as)) said: "Whoever knows me then he knows me, and whoever does not know me, then I am Hassan bin Mohammad (saw)." Then he recited this verse, the saying of Yousuf: "And I followed the religion of my fathers, Ibraheem, and Ishaq, and Yaqoob…" (Q 12:38), then he grabbed the Book of Allah (swt), and then said: "I am the son of the man, I am the son of the warner, and I am the son of the Prophet. I am the son of the caller to Allah by His permission, and I am the son of the lighting lamp, and I am the son of the one sent as a mercy to all the worlds, and I am from the Household whom Allah has removed all uncleanliness (rijs) from and purified them with a complete purification, and I am from the Household for whom Allah - the Exalted - has made their friendship and leadership obligatory (for all)." And then he said what has been sent down upon Mohammad (saw): "Say: 'I do not ask of you any reward for it, except for love for the near relatives." (42:23) (Majma al Zawa’id — And it is highly recommended to read the accompanying article to this reference) (Al Kafi)

Mahmoud bin Muhammad al Wasiti from Wahb bin Baqiyyah from Husain from Abi Jameelah from Imam Hasan (a): When Ali (a) was killed he (Hasan (a)) succeeded. While he was leading prayer, a man suddenly attacked him with a dagger in his thigh, causing him to be bedridden for several months. Then he stood up on the pulpit to deliver a sermon and said “Oh people of Iraq, fear Allah concerning us, for we are your rulers. We are the Ahlul Bayt who have been mentioned in the Quran “Allah intends to purify you of all impurity, Oh Ahlul Bayt, and purify you a thorough purification.” (Mu’jam al Kabir al Tabarani) (The narration is authentic)

Nass for Imam Ali

As demonstrated in the previous article, it was necessary for the Prophet to have appointed a successor. We say that the Prophet explicitly appointed Imam Ali during the event of Ghadeer and implicitly with different statements over the course of his lifetime. The proof that the event of Ghadeer was a divine appointment will follow shortly.  

Sunnis, however, are split between three contradicting beliefs about whether the Prophet appointed a successor. 

1. Some say that the Prophet made no appointment whatsoever. “Narrated Ibn 'Umar: 'Umar said: I shall not appoint a successor, for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not appoint a successor. If I appoint a successor (I can do so), for Abu Bakr had appointed a successor. He Ibn 'Umar) said: I swear by Allah, he did not mention (anyone) but the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and Abu Bakr. So I learnt he would not equate anyone with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), for he did not appoint any successor. (Abu Dawud)
2. Some say the Prophet directly appointed a successor by explicitly mentioning Abu Bakr and Umar: “Narrated Hudhaifah [may Allah be pleased with him]: "We were sitting with the Prophet (ﷺ) and he said: 'I do not know how long I will be with you, so stick to the two after me, and he signaled towards Abu Bakr and 'Umar." (Tirmidhi)
3. And some say that the Prophet indirectly appointed Abu Bakr through various indications such as pointing out his love for Abu Bakr and by pointing out his virtues and excellence. For example, some point to the Prophet allegedly (linked inside is a book refuting this myth) telling Abu Bakr to lead prayer before the Prophet had died. And some point to hadiths such as: “It was narrated that 'Abdullah bin Shaqiq said: "I said to 'Aishah: 'Which of the (Prophet's) Companions was most beloved to him?' She said: 'Abu Bakr.' I said: 'Then which of them?' She said: ''Umar.' I said: 'Then which of them?' She said: 'Abu 'Ubaidah.'" (Ibn Majah)

As for the first possibility that the Prophet did not appoint a successor, then we have already proven this wrong in the first part of this article where we showed that it was required for the Prophet to have appointed someone and told us how to identify the successor after him. 

As for the second possibility, apart from the narration that says “stick to the two (Abu Bakr and Umar) after me,” Sunnis do not have a single piece of evidence where the Prophet directly appointed Abu Bakr and Umar. Rather, they only have evidence against this claim, as Umar himself is quoted as saying: “for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not appoint a successor.” Sunnis are free to sort out the contradiction in their own hadiths. That is not our concern. 

The only possibility that we have left to deal with is the third possibility. As for Sunnis who claim that Abu Bakr was appointed indirectly and implicitly over the course of multiple events and sayings of the Prophet, then we say the evidence for this is contradicted by stronger evidence for the appointment of Imam Ali. First, we can point to the explicit appointment of Imam Ali. And second, far stronger evidence can be brought to prove the superiority of Imam Ali over Abu Bakr, and many of the evidences brought for the superiority of Abu Bakr actually belong to Imam Ali as we will show shortly.

Ghadeer — Explicit Nass for Imam Ali

In the previous section, we proved that Imam Ali was the rightful successor to the Prophet by showing implicit proofs—proofs that hinted at Imam Ali being the caliph after the Prophet as well as proofs that showed his superiority over the rest of the Sahaba. Now we will turn our attention to the explicit nass for Imam Ali: Ghadeer. Ghadeer is the most straightforward direct appointment of Imam Ali. The hadith of Ghadeer reads as follows:
(1a) It is like I have been called and I will respond. I have left Two Weighty Things behind among you, if you hold fast to which you will never go astray. One of them is greater than the other: the Book of Allah and my progeny, my Ahl al-Bayt. (1b) Watch how you treat them after me, for the two shall never separate until they meet me at the Pond. (2) “O mankind! Do you not testify that Allah the Almighty is your Lord?” // Allah is my Master, and I am the master (mawla) of all believers. (3) “Do you not testify that Allah and His Messenger are more entitled to you than yourselves and that Allah the Almighty and His Messenger are your Mawla?” (33:6) (4) (Then he held Ali's hand and said) “For whomever I am his master (mawla), Ali is his master.” (5) O Allah, love whoever loves him and be hostile to whoever is hostile to him. (Reconstructed)

The context of this hadith should make it clear that when the Prophet said man kuntu mawla fa’Ali’un mawla, that he wanted to indicate that Imam Ali was his successor. 

First, Allah revealed Ayah Tabligh—Allah’s instruction to the Prophet to deliver the sermon of Ghadeer: “Oh Apostle! Convey what has been revealed to you from Your Lord; and if you do not do so, then you have not conveyed His Message. And Allāh will protect you from the people. Indeed, Allāh does not guide the disbelieving folk.” (5:67)

And then once the Prophet had delivered the sermon of Ghadeer where he told the people to follow the Thaqalayn—the Quran and Ahlul Bayt—and indicated Imam Ali as his successor, the verse of Ikmaal al Din was revealed: “This day I have perfected for you your religion, and completed My Blessing upon you, and have approved for you as religion, Submission (Islam).” (5:3)

For proofs that the revelation of 5:67 and 5:3 is related to Ghadeer, it is highly recommended to read “A Detailed Analysis of Ayah al Tabligh.”

Moving onto the hadith itself, we read that the Prophet says: “It is like I have been called and I will respond,” and in another wording of the same, he says: “O people, I am only a human being and I am about to respond to the messenger of my Lord” (Muslim). This indicates that the Prophet was warning people of his impending death.

Immediately after telling the people that he would die soon, the Prophet says he is leaving behind two weighty things (Al Thaqalayn) which are a source of guidance: “I have left behind over you that which if you hold fast to it you will never go astray...” 

And then immediately before or after this—it does not matter either way—the Prophet prefaces by first asking: “Do you not testify that Allah and His Messenger are more entitled to you than yourselves and that Allah the Almighty and His Messenger are your Mawla?” (33:6)

And finally concludes with the statement: “Whosoever I am his master (mawla), Ali is his master (mawla).” 

In summary:

1. Allah reveals 5:67 instructing the Prophet to deliver an important piece of revelation: Oh Apostle! Convey what has been revealed to you from Your Lord; and if you do not do so, then you have not conveyed His Message… (5:67)
2. People are gathered around for a sermon
3. The Prophet warns people of his incoming death: “It is like I have been called and I will respond…”
4. Then the Prophet explains which sources of guidance to go to after him: “I have left behind over you that which if you hold fast to it you will never go astray…”
5. The Prophet then prefaces by asking the believers “am I not more worthy of the believers than their own selves?” (a reference to 33:6)
6. Then the Prophet says “man kuntu mawla fa’Ali’un mawla”
7. And then finally, Allah reveals 5:3, indicating that the religion was perfected: “This day I have perfected for you your religion, and completed My Blessing upon you…” (5:3)

So in context, it’s more than abundantly clear that the Prophet was discussing matters which are essential to the religion—so much so, that without conveying it the religion would not have been conveyed, and that conveying it meant the completion of the religion—and that the Prophet was talking about something which would be necessary after his death. Even if somehow, someone were to remove the revelation of 5:67 and 5:3, anyone of sound mind who keeps all of this in mind will recognize that man kuntu mawla fa’Ali’un mawla has no other meaning than divine appointment of Imam Ali. (For more information on the discussion of the meaning of mawla, Kamal Haydari explains this in his lecture titled: "What is the Meaning of Mawla", and Toyib Olawuyi also explains likewise in “What Does Wali Mean” from his Book “On the Khilafa of Ali Over Abu Bakr.” It is highly recommended to refer to these two sources.)

In fact the narration of Ghadeer is so clear that early Sunnis deliberately tried to avoid discussing it:

Aboo Bakr Khallal: Zakariyya ibn Yahya reported to us that Aboo Talib narrated to them that he asked Aboo Abdullah (Ahmad ibn Ḥanbal) was asked regarding the words of the Prophet (saw) about Imam Alee (a.s): “Whoever I am his Mola, Alee is his Mola” what does it mean? He said: ‘Do not discuss this, leave the report as it is’. Aboo Bakr Al-Marudhi narrated to us and said: “I asked Aboo Abdullah (Ahmad ibn Ḥanbal) regarding the words of the Prophet (saw) to Imam Alee (a.s) ‘Your position to me is like that of Haroon (a.s) to Musa (a.s)’- What is it’s understanding? He said: ‘Remain quiet and do not ask about it, (leave) the report as it has been transmitted’.” (Kitab al Sunnah) (The narration is authentic)

Nonetheless, Sunnis will still bring a number of objections. We will respond to each in turn:

Objection 1: Mawla means friend. Response: 

1. First: The above discussion about the context of the statement of man kuntu mawla should make it clear that the Prophet was speaking about an appointment after him. 
2. Second: the Prophet prefacing the statement of man kuntu mawla… with verse 33:6 should make it even clearer. Tabari says in his tafsir: [Allah] the Exalted says, the Prophet Muhammad is “awla bil mu’minin,” meaning he has more right over them than they have over themselves, to rule between them however he likes. (Tafsir Tabari); Baydhawi in his tafsir says: “The Prophet has more authority over the believers than they have over themselves” in every affair, because he does not order them or ask from them anything except that it’s in their own benefit and salvation. And for that reason it’s absolute, so they are obligated to obey that which is more beloved to them than themselves. So his order supersedes the order of others. (Tafsir Baydhawi); and finally Shawkani says: The Prophet has more authority over the believers than they have over themselves” meaning he has a right over them in all religious and worldly affairs. And he is more entitled to them over their own selves, so it is obligatory for them to obey him. (Tafsir Shawkani). So the Prophet prefacing man kuntu mawla with a verse describing the Prophet’s authority over the people in all matters means that the Prophet is explaining what mawla means in this hadith—that Imam Ali has authority over the believers after the Prophet.
3. Third: Sunni hadiths have no problem using the word wali in the context of successorship when it comes to Abu Bakr and Umar. Consider the following: Abu Bakr said “I am the successor of Allah’s Messenger” (فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ أَنَا وَلِيُّ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم) (Bukhari); “when Umar succeeded..” (فَلَمَّا وَلِيَ عُمَرُ) (Musnad Ahmad). 

Objection 2: This hadith was a response to Burayda complaining about Imam Ali’s management of the war booty during the expedition to Yemen. Response: The Prophet had already resolved this issue immediately after it had come up: 

Narrated Buraida: The Prophet (ﷺ) sent `Ali to Khalid to bring the Khumus (of the booty) and I hated `Ali, and `Ali had taken a bath (after a sexual act with a slave-girl from the Khumus). I said to Khalid, "Don't you see this (i.e. `Ali)?" When we reached the Prophet (ﷺ) I mentioned that to him. He said, "O Buraida! Do you hate `Ali?" I said, "Yes." He said, "Do you hate him, for he deserves more than that from the Khumus." (Bukhari)

Narrated 'Imran bin Husain: that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) dispatched an army and he put 'Ali bin Abi Talib in charge of it. He left on the expedition and he entered upon a female slave. So four of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) scolded him, and they made a pact saying: "[If] we meet the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) we will inform him of what 'Ali did." When the Muslims returned from the journey, they would begin with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and give him Salam, then they would go to their homes. So when the expedition arrived, they gave Salam to the Prophet (ﷺ), and one of the four stood saying: "O Messenger of Allah! Do you see that 'Ali bin Abi Talib did such and such." The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) turned away from him. Then the second one stood and said as he said, and he turned away from him. Then the third stood before him, and said as he said, and he turned away from him. Then the fourth stood and said as they had said. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) faced him, and the anger was visible on his face, he said: "What do you want from 'Ali?! What do you want from 'Ali?! What do you want from 'Ali?! Indeed 'Ali is from me, and I am from him, and he is the ally of every believer after me." (Tirmidhi)

This is a completely separate incident and a completely separate hadith from the Hadith of Ghadeer. There is no proof that Ghadeer has anything to do with Imam Ali’s treatment of war booty in Yemen. For a more in depth treatment, see RevisitingTheSalaf’s article about Ghadeer: Alee (a.s.) The Master of Every Believer, and “The Case of the Yemeni Red Herring.”

Objection 3: If Imam Ali was appointed as Caliph, why didn’t he fight back against Abu Bakr and Umar when they took power? Response: The explanation, according to Shia hadith, is that Imam Ali did not fight against Abu Bakr and Umar because fighting would have caused a rift in the Ummah which is a greater evil than Imam Ali not having the throne:

Imam Muhammad al-Baqir [a] said: When the people (i.e. the Muslims) did what they did, when they gave allegiance to Abu Bakr, nothing prevented Amir al-Mu’minin from calling the people to [give allegiance to] him except that he looked around at the people and feared that they would leave Islam and return to worshipping idols and [that they] would not testify that there is no god except Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, and it was preferable to him to agree with them on what they had done (i.e. giving allegiance to Abu Bakr) rather than them leaving Islam entirely. But the one who did what they did is destroyed. And as for the one who did not do that (i.e opposed Imam Ali), and entered into what the people had entered into (i.e. giving allegiance to Abu Bakr) without knowledge [of the truth] and without hatred against Amir al-Mu’minin, then they have neither blasphemed nor left Islam, and it is for that reason that Ali concealed his matter (i.e. Imama), and had to pledge allegiance unwillingly, when he did not find anyone to help. (Al Kafi) 

And in Sunni books it is recorded that:
“When Talha and Zubayr rebelled against Ali, Um al-Fadhl bin al-Harith wrote to Ali informing him about their rebellion, he (Ali) said: ‘This is a astonishing from Talha and Zubayr. When Allah (swt) brought his Prophet back to Him and we said ‘We are his (prophet) family and guardians, no one disputes us in his authority (leadership)’ our people rejected us and made others as their leaders. By Allah! Had it not been a fear of dissension and a return to apostasy, and my fear of the destruction of the religion, we would have changed things, but we maintained silence.” (Al Isti’aab; see also Al Amali al Mufid)

This of course, is the same approach Harun took when Prophet Musa went to Mount Sinai and almost all of Bani Israil apostated in Musa’s absence: 

Aaron replied, "Son of my mother, do not seize me by my beard or head. I was afraid that you might consider me responsible for causing discord among the children of Israel and would not pay attention to my words." (20:94)

When Moses returned to his people with anger and sorrow, he said, "What you have done in my absence is certainly evil. Why were you hasty about the commandments of your Lord?" He threw away the Tablets (which contained the commandments of God), grabbed his brother and started to pull him to himself. His brother begged him saying, "Son of my mother, the people suppressed me and almost killed me. Do not humiliate me before the enemies or call me unjust". (7:150)

Indeed, the Prophet said “You will follow the wrong ways, of your predecessors so completely and literally that if they should go into the hole of a mastigure, you too will go there." We said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Do you mean the Jews and the Christians?" He replied, "Whom else?" (Bukhari) And the Prophet also said to Imam Ali: “you are to me like Harun was to Musa.” The Shia narrative confirms exactly these two statements.

1. During the lifetime of the Prophet, his companions went on many difficult expeditions, saw numerous miracles of the Prophet and so on. In the same way, Bani Israil went on the Exodus, saw Musa split the red sea in front of them and all successfully crossed to safety.
2. The Prophet, in parallel to Musa’s departure for Sinai, died, leaving behind Imam Ali, in parallel to Harun’s management of Bani Israil. 
3. When the Prophet died, the Shia narrative says that Abu Bakr and Umar usurped the caliphate from Imam Ali and most of the people fell into deviance and misguidance in the same way that Samiri constructed the Golden Calf and tempted most of the people towards idol worship
4. And again, according to the Shia narrative, the people overpowered Imam Ali and forced him to give the oath of allegiance, and Imam Ali then succumbed because he feared dividing the Ummah in the same way that Harun feared that fighting back would be dangerous and would divide Bani Israil. 

Objection 4: Why did the Prophet pick the time after Hajj, in the middle of the path back to Medina in order to deliver the sermon of Ghadeer if it were so important and if it established the Khilafa of Imam Ali? Response: The Prophet did not pick this time. As mentioned above, it was Allah who commanded the Prophet to deliver the sermon. 

However, one report might give a hint as to why the sermon was not given during the Farewell Hajj itself:

`Abdur-Rahman said, "I said, 'Oh [Umar]! Do not do that, for the season of Hajj gathers the riff-raff and the rubble, and it will be they who will gather around you when you stand to address the people. And I am afraid that you will get up and say something, and some people will spread your statement and may not say what you have actually said and may not understand its meaning, and may interpret it incorrectly, so you should wait till you reach Medina, as it is the place of emigration and the place of Prophet's Traditions, and there you can come in touch with the learned and noble people, and tell them your ideas with confidence; and the learned people will understand your statement and put it in its proper place.' (Bukhari)

So perhaps it was possible that Allah chose to protect the sermon of the Prophet by delivering it only to a select group of people who would be able to understand, preserve and pass along the message properly. 

Objection 5: No one considered Imam Ali to be the appointed Caliph after the Prophet. Response: It is clear that many had considered Imam Ali to be the rightful caliph after the Prophet:

1. At least as early as the time of Aisha, there was a group of people who believed Imam Ali was given a direct appointment: It was mentioned in the presence of `Aisha that the Prophet (ﷺ) had appointed `Ali as successor by will. Thereupon she said, "Who said so? I saw the Prophet, while I was supporting him against my chest. He asked for a tray, and then fell on one side and expired, and I did not feel it. So how (do the people say) he appointed `Ali as his successor?" (Bukhari). Aisha rejecting this claim is irrelevant. Not only because we have no good reason to trust her testimony on an issue that would possibly discredit her own father’s khilafa, but also since no one claims the Prophet appointed a successor on his deathbed in the first place. As for her claim that the Prophet died in her lap, we have no reason to accept her statement or care about it. In Tabaqat ibn Saad we read: “Narrated Muhammad bin Umar from Suleiman bin Dawood bin Al Husayn from this father from Abi Ghatafan: I asked Ibn Abbas, did you see the messenger of Allah (sawa) die and his head in the lap of anyone? He (Ibn Abbas) said: He died leaning to Ali's chest. I said, Urwa told me from A'isha that she said the messenger of Allah (sawa) died between my chest and neck. Ibn Abbas said: How can that be? I swear by God, the messenger of Allah (sawa) died while leaning to the chest of Ali and he is the one that washed him with my brother Al-Fadhl bin Abbas, and my father refused to attend.” (Tabaqat ibn Saad). And in Musnad Ahmad we read: “Narrated to me by Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Abi Shayba, he said: From Jarir bin Abd al Hamid, from Mughira, from Um Musa, from Um Salama, she said: "by the One I swear with, Ali was the nearest in time of people to the messenger of Allah (sawa)." She said: "We got used to the messenger of Allah (sawa) saying day after day: Did Ali come? many times." She said: "I think he had sent for him for some need," and she said: "He [Ali] came after, so I thought he had with him a need, so we went outside the house and sat at the door, and I was of the nearest from them to the door, Ali then turned closely to him and started to say secret/personal things to him and call on him with emotion. Then the messenger (sawa) died that day, and he [Ali] was the nearest in time of people to him." (Musnad Ahmad)
2. We read in Tarikh al Tabari: “From Ibn Humayd from Jarir from Mughira from Abu Ma’shar Ziyad b. Kulayb from Abu Ayyub from Ibrahim that… some of the Ansaar said: ‘We will not give the oath of allegiance to anyone except Ali!” (Tarikh Tabari)
3. Other companions recognized Ghadeer as an appointment of Imam Ali. We read in Majmu al Zawa’id: from Abu Al-Tufayl’s testimony: "Ali gathered the people at Rahba and said to them: "I call to all the Muslims to bear witness that they heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) saying on the day of Ghadeer Khumm what he (is said to have) said." When he stood up, 30 men from among the people came to him (in affirmation of his claim) Abu Na'eem said: 'A lot of people stood up and looked on when he raised his hand'. "Do you know that I am the first and foremost over the believers than themselves?" They said: "Yes! O Messenger of Allah! (saw).” He continued: "If I were to be your Master, then he is your Master; O Allah befriend whoever befriends him, and be an enemy to who seeks enmity against him." He (Abu Tufayl) said: "I went out as if there was something inside me, until I encountered Zaid b. Arqam and said to him: "I heard Ali (r.a) saying so and so, he said to me: "Don't refuse it! For I (too) heard the Messenger of Allah (swt) saying that." (Majmu al Zawaid) (See Abu Tufayl — Rafidhi Companion of the Prophet for an explanation of the report). 

Further Implications from Hadith Thaqalayn

Beyond what was mentioned regarding the appointment of Imam Ali, Hadith Thaqalayn also serves nass ijmaali (generalized nass) for Ahlul Bayt until the Day of Judgment. This is derived from the line in (1b), where the Prophet (s) says: “Watch how you treat them after me, for the two shall never separate until they meet me at the Pond.” This means the Prophet is indicating that as long as the Quran is present, Ahlul Bayt will exist alongside it. Therefore, if someone accepts this report, they must believe that there is a guide from Ahlul Bayt present at this very moment, and that there always has been a guide from Ahlul Bayt present amongst the people. If this is the case, then one only needs to find the most appropriate candidates who fulfill this position. Of course, the only viable line of candidates is the Twelver lineage of A’imma. Once one refutes all other lineages of Imamate and other faulty views of other sects, the only possible sect that remains is Ithna ‘Ashari Shiism. 

Implicit Nass for Imam Ali 

In addition to the explicit evidences that Imam Ali is the rightful successor to the Prophet, there are numerous implicit indications of this as well. What is clear is that the Prophet (s) in multiple instances during his lifetime, hinted to the people about Imam Ali’s superiority and status. We will mention a few examples:

1. According to countless quotations from Ibn Abbas, and Zayd b. Arqam and others, Imam Ali was the first to become Muslim (“Imam Ali was the First to Convert and Pray”), and the Quran says: “And the first forerunners [in the faith] among the Muhajireen and the Ansar and those who followed them with good conduct - Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him, and He has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. That is the great attainment.” (9:100)
2. The Prophet (s) declared Imam Ali to be the most knowledgeable of the Ummah: ‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) - Abu Ahmad – Khalid b. Tahman – Nafi’ b. Abi Nafi’ – Ma’qil b. Yasar: I was with the Prophet, peace be upon him, one day. Then he said, “Would you like to visit Faṭimah, may Allah be pleased with her?” I said, “Yes.” So, he stood up, leaning on me, and said, “But, someone else apart from you will soon bear its weight and its reward will be for you.” It was as though I was carrying nothing until we entered upon Faṭimah, peace be upon her. He (the Prophet) said to her, “How do you feel?” She answered, “By Allah, my grief has intensified, my want has worsened and my sickness has lasted long.” He said, “Are you not satisfied that I have married you to the one who was the first of my Ummah to accept Islam, and the most knowledgeable of them, and the most clement of them?” (Musnad Ahmad) (Its authenticity is discussed in Toyib Olawuyi’s book “Ali: The Best of the Sahaba”)
3. The Prophet (s) said to Imam Ali: “Are you not pleased to be to me what Harun was to Musa (i.e. Khalifah, brother, helper, partner) except that you are not a prophet? You are my khalifa over every believer after me!” (Multiple sources) This report implies a special status for Imam Ali. Even though the Prophet (s) had left others in charge at other times, he never mentioned this merit for anyone except for Imam Ali. In fact, the wordings of other versions seem to heavily hint that the Prophet was implying successorship: Narrated Jabir bin 'Abdullah: that the Prophet (ﷺ) said to 'Ali: "You are to me in the position that Harun was to Musa, except that there is no Prophet after me." (Tirmidhi). There is no point to the Prophet mentioning that there is no prophet after him unless he is speaking about a relationship that exists after his death. Naturally, this means the hadith implies Imam Ali was a successor to the Prophet with the exception that he was not a prophet. 
4. ‘Uthman – Jarir – al-A’mash – Isma’il b. Raja – his father – Abu Sa’id al-Khudri: I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, “Verily, among you is he who will fight for the implementation of the Qur’an as I fought for its revelation.” So, Abu Bakr said, “Am I the one, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “No”. ‘Umar said, “Am I the one, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “No. Rather, he is the one repairing the shoe”. And he had given his shoe to ‘Ali which he was repairing. (Musnad Abu Ya’la) (Its authenticity is discussed in Toyib Olawuyi’s book “On the Khilafa of Ali Over Abu Bakr”)
5. Many more narrations can be found in Toyib Olawuyi’s two books proving that Imam Ali was the greatest Sahaba: “On the Khilafa of Ali Over Abu Bakr” and “Ali: The Best of the Sahaba.” It is highly recommended to read these. 

However, despite the above implicit proofs of Imam Ali’s superiority and implicit proofs indicating his successorship to the Prophet, Sunnis claim that Abu Bakr had many implicit indications from the Prophet that established his Khilafa. That being said, it is necessary to respond to the evidences that Sunnis bring for proving the supposed indications of Abu Bakr’s superiority. 

Objection 1: Ibn Umar narrates: “While the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was alive, we used to say: 'Abu Bakr, and (then) 'Umar, and (then) 'Uthman.' This indicates that the Sahaba considered Abu Bakr to be the greatest after the Prophet. Response: Ibn Umar is wrong. This statement is only the testimony of Ibn Umar, and therefore the reliability of this statement depends on Ibn Umar’s reliability. Naturally, we would expect Ibn Umar to be biased towards his father, Umar. Consider the following reasons why Ibn Umar is wrong:

1. Multiple authentic hadiths establish the superiority of Imam Ali over Abu Bakr. Moreover, this is contradicted by statements from other Sahaba. For example, Abdullah ibn Mas’ud said: “We used to say that the best of the people of Madinah was ‘Ali b. Abi Talib.” (Musnad Ahmad) (Its authenticity is discussed in “Ali: The Best of the Sahaba”). Burayda said: “The most beloved among the people to Rasulallah was Fatima, and among the men it was Ali.” (Mustadrak ala Sahihain). Ibn Aqeel al-Hadhrami al-Shafi'i records in his authority work al al-Atab al-Jameel ala ahl al-Jarh wa al-Tadeel: “According to Ibn Hajr Asqalani, all those lovers of Ali that deem him to be superior to Abu Bakr and Umar are Rafidhi. The conclusion of Ibn Hajr’s research would be that many major Sahaba, such as Miqdad, Zaid bin Arqam, Salman, Khabbab (Ibn Arrat), Abu Dharr, Jabir (Ibn Abdullah Al Ansari), Abu Sa'id Al Khudri, Ammar, Ubayy Ibn Ka'ab, Hudhayfa (Ibn Al Yaman), Buraida, Abu Ayyub (Al Ansari), and Sahl Ibn Hunayf, Uthman Ibn Hunayf, Abu Haytham Ibn Al Tayihan, Khuzayma Ibn Thabit, Qays Ibn Saad, Abu Al Tufayl Amir Ibn Wathila, Al Abbas Ibn Abd Al Muttalib and his sons, as well as all of the the Banu Hashim and all of the Banu Abdul Muttalib are Rafidhi, since they were his lovers and deemed him superior to Abu Bakr and Umar” (al-Atab al-Jameel ala ahl al-Jarh wa al-Ta’deel). 

Objection 2: According to Musnad Ahmad, Imam Ali said: “The best of this Ummah is Abu Bakr, then Umar…” (Musnad Ahmad). So if Imam Ali is testifying that Abu Bakr and Umar are better than him, then why don’t you follow his words? Response: This hadith is called Hadith Al Afdhaliyya. Even if we took Hadith Afdhaliyya for the sake of argument, we would simply say that this was said out of taqiyyah because of the danger and fitna it would have caused during the sensitive and tumultuous political environment of Imam Ali’s Khilafa. The following are proofs that this was said in taqiyyah (if we took it as authentic for the sake of argument): 

1. There is a wording of Hadith Afdhaliyya which indicates that Imam Ali was being politically prudent and doing taqiyyah: “"Oh people, what I say to you of the words of Allah or the Prophet or from the Quran, then stick to it, for by Allah, it's better for the sky and the birds to take me away and the wind to blow me far away than to lie upon Allah or his Prophet or the Quran. And as for what I say from my own self then verify it/reexamine it. The best of the people of this ummah after the Prophet are Abu Bakr, then Umar, and I could name you the third.” (Musnad Ahmad). So here, Imam Ali is clearly saying if he mentions something from the Quran or the Prophet, then it is not a lie, and then says to verify and re-examine things that come from his own self, and then mentions his own opinion. And in another hadith, Imam Ali says: “When I mention a tradition to you from the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him), it is dearer to me that I fall from the heaven than I lie on him. But when I talk to you about matters between me and you, then war is a deception.” (Abu Dawud). So Imam Ali used a similar wording when talking about how during wartime, one can be deceptive and prudent.
2. Hadith al Tayr: “From Anas b. Malik who said: Birds were given as gifts to the Messenger of Allah. So, he distributed them and left a bird. Then he said, “O Allah, bring to me the most beloved to You of Your creation to eat with me from this bird. So, ‘Ali b. Abi Talib came and entered and ate with him from that bird.” (Tirmidhi) This hadith is mutawatir and authentic and it is a clear indication that the greatest of the creation is Imam Ali. A discussion of its authenticity can be found in Toyib Olawuyi’s book: “Ali: The Best of the Sahaba.” 
3. Imam Hasan testified to the superiority of Imam Ali over the rest of the Ummah: "O people, you have lost a man whom the first has never preceded, and whom the last would never know. The Messenger of Allah (saw) used to give him the flag, and then Jibra'eel would fight on his right and Mika'eel on his left, and he would not return before Allah (swt) would conquer through him” (Sourced above)
4. The people of Kufa to whom Hadith Afdhaliyya was addressed did not believe Abu Bakr and Umar were better than Imam Ali: “Ibn Muḥriz (d. 236), who was a student of Yaḥyā b. Maʿīn, has a poorly known Sūʾālāt work which preserves his teacher’s answers to questions about different narrators and other random observations as the one given below: I heard Yaḥyā b. Maʿīn say: A man came to ʿUbaydallāh b. Mūsā and said to him: ‘Who was better – ʿAlī or Abū Bakr and ʿUmar?’ So I heard ʿUbaydallāh b. Mūsā saying: ‘No one used to entertain doubt that ʿAlī was better than Abi Bakr and ʿUmar!’” (Abd al Razzaq’s Shiism and the Limits of Sunni Hadith Criticism, quoting Tarikh Ibn Ma’in)
5. Additionally, the people in Kufa, apparently considered the wording to be tawriyyah. We read in Musnad Ahmad: I heard ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) saying on the minbar: The best of this ummah after its Prophet are Abu Bakr and ʻUmar, and if l wanted to name the third one, I would name him. A man said to Abu lshaq: They are saying that you say they were the best in evil. He said: Are you a Haroori (i.e.Khariji)?” (Musnad Ahmad). Some may object and say that this tawriyyah cannot make sense, because it would mean the Prophet (naudzubillah) would have been evil. However, if this tawriyyah were true, then it could be read as: “The worst people after the time of the Prophet are Abu Bakr and Umar.” 
6. Imam Hussain challenged the authority of Umar: Imam Hussain said: “I went to Umar while he was speaking, and I said to him: ‘Get off of the pulpit of my father, and ascend the pulpit of your father!” (Tarikh Dimishq)
7. Imam Ali believed himself to be more fit for the caliphate: Ruh b. 'Abd al-Mu'min narrated to me, from Abi 'Uwana, from Khalid al-Hadha, from 'Abd al-Rahman b. Abi Bakra that 'Ali came to them once and said: "No one from this nation (ummah) has faced what I have faced. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) died and I was the most worthy of the people for this matter (the caliphate), but the people gave allegiance to Abu Bakr and he was succeeded by 'Umar, so I gave allegiance to them and accepted and submitted. Then the people gave allegiance to 'Uthman, so I gave him allegiance and submitted and accepted. And now they sway between myself and Mua'wiyah?!" (Ansab al-Ashraf, see especially 'Ali's Claim to the Caliphate and Distortion of Hadith); 
8. Imam Ali had rafidhi companions such as Abu Tufayl, Hudhaifa al Yaman, and Kumayl bin Ziyad. (Sourced above). For example, when Abu Bakr was appointed, Salman Al Farsi said: "You have done what you have done, but had you pledged allegiance to Imam Ali, you would have eaten from below you and above you!" (Ansab Al Ashraf; Mustadrak ala Sahihain; Al Kafi) The meaning is that pledging allegiance to Imam Ali was the right course of action according to Salman Al Farsi. 
9. In Shia Hadith, it is narrated that Imam Ali felt tremendous pressure during his caliphate, to the extent that he could not establish the Sharia as it was meant to be established. We read in an authentic narration in Al Kafi: “What prevented [Ali] to explain it to people? He (the Imam) replied, ’Because he was afraid of people’s not listening to him. Had Ali (a.s), been able to establish a strong foothold he would execute all the rules of the book of Allah and all of the truth.’” (Al Kafi). This hadith indicates that Imam Ali had good reason to be doing taqiyyah, and that it was not true that Imam Ali had unconditional support during his Khilafa. 

Hadith of the 12 Caliphs

The Prophet (s) instructed us that there would be Twelve Caliphs who would succeed him. The Prophet said:

It has been narrated on the authority of Jabir b. Samura who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: Islam will continue to be triumphant until there have been twelve Caliphs. Then the Prophet (ﷺ) said something which I could not understand. I asked my father: What did he say? He said: He has said that all of them (twelve Caliphs) will be from the Quraish. (Muslim) (It is highly recommended to view “Hadith of the 12 Imams” (Part 1) (Part 2) explaining the argument further, since much of what follows will be a summary of the arguments in those videos).

The reason this proves Tashayyu is because the Prophet (s) describes these caliphs with descriptions that can only apply to Imami Twelver Shia. If for example, someone had mentioned to you that tomorrow you will see someone with certain characteristics, that they will wear a red shirt, that they will wear glasses, that they will have shorts on and will wear a blue hat, and a person matching those characteristics shows up—we would naturally say that this is the person that I foretold. The same applies for the description of the caliphs. If the Prophet describes the caliphs with certain characteristics and they only match with Shia beliefs, then it is clear that the Prophet was speaking of Shia beliefs.

Some object to this premise of the argument by saying that matching descriptions can only bring a speculative sort of knowledge and cannot actually bring certainty. However, the Quran itself calls for the use of this type of reasoning. In verse 7:157, the Quran says “Those who follow the Messenger, the Ummi (unlettered) prophet whom they find written with them in the Torah and the Bible, and who bids them the Fair and forbids the Unfair, and makes pure things permissible for them and makes in pure things pitted to them, and relieves them of their burden, and of the shackles that were upon them. So, those who believe in him and strengthen him, and help him and follow the light sent down with him, those are the ones who are successful." (7:157)

If a Christian or Jew sees this verse, they would naturally challenge a Muslim to show them where in the Bible the Prophet is mentioned. However, the Prophet is not named anywhere in the Bible nor the Torah. A Muslim cannot appeal to the Bible and Torah being corrupted either, since 7:157 makes it clear that the Bible and Torah in our hands currently makes reference to Prophet Muhammad (s). 7:157 clearly says that the Prophet is found in the books that are with them (عندهم) (i.e. the Jews and Christians) and not just in the original, undistorted revelations. Rather, the only definitive indication of the Prophet in the Bible is the passage of Deutoronomy 18: “18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee (Moses)...” (Deuteronomy 18) (It is highly recommended to read the article “A Prophet Like Moses” to see how this proves the Prophethood of Muhammad (s)). 

A Muslim who is faced with a Christian or Jew who demands to know where the Prophet is in the Bible because of 7:157 would have no choice but to match the descriptions of Moses to the descriptions of the Prophet. So, if someone objects to matching descriptions of the 12 Caliphs to the 12 Imams of Ahlul Bayt as a way of showing that the Prophet’s prophecy was fulfilled, then they should also object to matching the descriptions of Moses to the descriptions of the Prophet. But if they object to that, then they will have to admit there is no indication of the Prophet in the Bible. And if that is the case, then they would have to admit that 7:157 is wrong, and that the Bible does not contain a description of the Prophet. Obviously, that is an incorrect result, so we have no other choice but to say that matching descriptions is a valid way of determining if the Prophet’s prophecy came true.

With that said, the following are descriptions of the 12 Caliphs that match with the 12 Imams of Ahlul Bayt:

What is noteworthy is that Sunnis have no coherent explanation for this group of hadiths about Khilafa. (See “Tarikh al-Khulafa Banu Umayya” for an in depth discussion of the Sunni explanations of the Hadith of 12 Caliphs). Rather, only the Shia have a coherent explanation for these hadiths of Khilafa—that there is a divinely appointed set of 12 Imams who are obligatory to obey, and who are always present on this earth. 

With that said, we will now answer a few objections.

Objection 1: The Prophet said that Islam will be “azeez” while these 12 Caliphs are present, yet the Imams were oppressed and never had legitimacy on the throne. Response: 

1. The Quran says the Prophet was in a state of  “izzah” even though the polytheists had outnumbered him and tried to humiliate him: “(O Prophet!) Let not the utterances of the opponents distress you. Indeed all honour (izzah) is Allah's. He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.” (10:65). The meaning of this is that honor is bestowed on the Prophet even when he is not triumphant in territory and conquest. Therefore, the objection that the A'imma were not in a state of izzah because they were being oppressed falls.
2. We read in Mu’jam al Kabir: “Narrated to us Ibraheem ibn Hashim Al-Baghawi from Muhammad ibn Abdul-Rahman from Muhammad ibn Sawa from Sa'eed from Qatada from Al-Sha'bi from Jabir ibn Samura who said: I was with my father in the presence of the Prophet (saw), so he said: "There will be twelve guardians (Qayyim) for this Ummah, people abandoning them does not harm them." Then the Messenger of Allah (saw) silently said something, I asked my father: "What was that sentence the the Prophet (saw) said silently?" He said: "All of them will be from Quraysh.” (Mu’jam al Kabir) (See especially “Imam Al-Mahdi (ajf) Part III”). What this hadith implies is that even if people disregard these caliphs, they still have legitimacy, so whether or not people recognize Ahlul Bayt is irrelevant to whether they will have legitimacy. 
3. Islam has never been in a state of absolute triumph in the sense of conquest and numbers, so if this is what the Sunnis intend by izzah, then this cannot be the real meaning of izzah. From the start of Islam until even today, Islam has always been in the minority. 

Objection 2: It is ineloquent to mention that the Caliphs are all from Quraish if they are only from Ahlul Bayt. Response: 

1. For the sake of argument, if we took this wording, the response is that the Imams are from Quraish and that the Prophet, in other hadiths, fully explained all of the other characteristics of these 12 Caliphs enough for us to identify the Imams and free the Prophet from the accusation of ineloquency. 
2. However, (1) We only know of this detail through the father of Jabir b. Samura, (2) Other wordings, like the following in Musnad Ahmad mentioned different details instead: “From Hasan b. Musa from Hammad b. Zayd from Mujalid from Shu’ba from Masruq who said: I was sitting with Abdullah b Mas’ud and he was reciting Qur’an, and I said to him: ‘Oh Abdulrahman, did you ask the Prophet how many Caliphs will be from this Ummah?’ Abdullah b Mas’ud responded: “No one asked me about this before you since I came to Iraq. Yes we asked Rasulallah and he said: Twelve, as many as the chieftains of Bani Isra’il” (Musnad Ahamad). This report gives us reason to question the wording of “all of them will be from Quraish.” In fact, we should prefer this wording for the following reasons. First, the Prophet makes many parallels between Bani Israel and the events after him. For example, the Prophet tells the Ummah that they will follow the wrong ways of the Jews and Christians of before. The Prophet also tells Imam Ali that he is to the Prophet like Harun was to Moosa. In the case of the Caliphs, the Prophet has also made a similar comparison: ““The affairs of the Children of Israel were administered by their Prophets. Every time a Prophet left, he was followed by another, but there will be no Prophet among you after I am gone.” [Note that the Prophet also said to Imam Ali when saying that he was like Harun was to Moosa that “except that there is no Prophet after me.”] They said: “What will happen, O Messenger of Allah?” He said: “There will be caliphs and there will be many of them.” They said: “What should we do?” He said: “Fulfill your pledge to the first one, then the one who comes after him, and do the duties required of you, for Allah will question them about the duties upon them.” (Ibn Majah). So it is more than likely that the wording of Ibn Mas’ud would have been more accurate than the wording of Jabir. 

Source: https://docs.google.com