Twelver Shi'ite Rejection of Finality of Prophesy (Part 2)

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

والصلاة والسلام على خاتم النبيين

Twelver Shi’ites are certainly guilty of contravening the doctrine of khatm an-Nubuwwa or finality of Prophesy. In their minds the status of an Imam is superior to that of a Prophet of Allah. They believe, for example, that the Imams are infallible, incapable of making the slightest error or even conceiving of an error. Although they technically do not name their Imams ‘Prophets’ for all intents and purposes the conception of an Imam with the Twelver Shi’a is identitcal to, if not greater than, that of a Prophet. I have previously quoted two giants of Twelver Shi’ite theology, Baqir Majlisi and Shaikh al-Mufid, to the effect that the Imams are Prophets rationally.

In the most authoritative book of Hadith for the Twelvers – al-Kafi – in the Kitab al-Hujja, there are several chapter headings which relay their specific beliefs regarding the characteristics of Imamate that make it plain that their concept of an Imam trespasses upon the particularities and exclusive attributes of Prophesy. Here I shall quote the names of those chapters:

أَنَّ الْحُجَّةَ لَا تَقُومُ للهِ عَلَى خَلْقِهِ إِلَّا بِإِمَامِ

The issue that Allah’s holding people accountable remains unjustified without the Imam (al-Kafi; v.1, p.103, ch.61)

And this belief directly contravenes the holy Quran which says that it is only through the Apostles that Allah establishes the proof against the creation, and that there is no other such establishment of proof after them:

رُسُلًا مُّبَشِّرِیۡنَ وَ مُنۡذِرِیۡنَ لِئَلَّا یَکُوۡنَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَی اللّٰہِ حُجَّۃٌۢ بَعۡدَ الرُّسُلِ

Apostles as bringers of good tidings and warners so that mankind will have no argument against Allah after the Apostles

(Sura 4:165)

In chapter 64 of this book there appears a narration attributed to one of the twelve Imams:

لا يَكُونُ الْعَبْدُ مُؤْمِناً حَتَّى يَعْرِفَ الله وَرَسُولَهُ وَالائِمَّةَ كُلَّهُمْ وَإِمَامَ زَمَانِهِ وَيَرُدَّ إِلَيْهِ وَيُسَلِّمَ لَهُ

"One will not be considered a Believer until he knows Allah, His Messenger and all of the Imams and the Imam of one’s time, acknowledges his divine authority and submits his affairs to the Imam." (al-Kafi; v.1, p.105, ch.64, no.2)

Yet nowhere in the Quran does it declare knowledge and acceptance of any non-Prophet Imam as a condition of Faith, unlike the Article of Faith which necessitates belief in the Prophets and Apostles of Allah. This is another way in which the Twelvers elevate the status of the Imams to that of being Prophets for all intents and purposes.

Further on in this book the following statement is attributed to Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq:

إِنَّمَا الْوُقُوفُ عَلَيْنَا فِي الْحَلالِ وَالْحَرَامِ فَأَمَّا النُّبُوَّةُ فَلا

"To refer to us (as the Divine authorities) is valid only in finding the lawful and unlawful matters. To refer to us as prophethood is not valid." (ibid; p.160, ch.110, no.2)

This narration indicates that the Twelvers hold their Imams to be legislators or possessing divine legislative authority, a plain rejection of the spirit of the doctrine of khatm an-Nubuwwa. Only a Prophet can be delegated with divine legislative authority, and after the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) the Shari’a is complete and immutable, remaining in effect until the Apocalypse.

In the same chapter another statement is attributed to Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq:

الائِمَّةُ بِمَنْزِلَةِ رَسُولِ الله صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه إِلا أَنَّهُمْ لَيْسُوا بِأَنْبِيَاءَ وَلا يَحِلُّ لَهُمْ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ مَا يَحِلُّ لِلنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه فَأَمَّا مَا خَلا ذَلِكَ فَهُمْ فِيهِ بِمَنْزِلَةِ رَسُولِ الله صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه

"The Imams possess the position of the Messenger of Allah except that they are not prophets and the number of wives permissible for the Holy Prophet is not permissible for them. In the aspects other than these they possess the same positions as the Messenger of Allah did" (ibid; no.7)

In other words, other than the fact that an Imam is not permitted to have more than four wives, he is identical and equal to the Messenger of Allah in manzila or status and position according to the astray Twelver Shi’a sect.

*Note: The English translations of the narrations I quoted from al-Kafi are by Muhammad Sarwar, as published by The Islamic Seminary INCNY