The Shiite Apologetics
Question Twenty-eight
What are the sources for the Shiite Jurisprudence ?
Answer:
In compliance with the Book of God and the Prophets Sunnah, the Shiites base their understanding of the Islamic law (the Shariah) on the following four basic sources:
the Book of God
the Prophets Sunnah
consensus
reason
The Book of God and the Prophets Sunnah, concerning which a summary discussion will be given below, are the most basic ones.
The Book of Allah (The Quran)
Those following the Shiites school of law have taken the Book of Allah as the most unwavering and normative source of jurisprudential issues and of religious tenets. Their religious leaders, the Imams, have announced it to be the loftiest source from which to derive juridical precepts, i.e. all views and statements should be accepted only after they are matched with and verified by the content of the Quran; if there is no correspondence, they should be
rejected. The sixth leader of the Shiites, Imam Ja`far al-Sadiq (a.s) says, Any statement not in conformity with the Quran is baseless.[1] Imam Sadiq (a.s) also quotes the Noble Prophet as having said, O people, if I am quoted as having said something that agrees with the Book of Allah, it is my words; if it contradicts the Book of Allah, then I have not said it.[2]
These two traditions clearly show that the Book of Allah is, according to the Shiite Imams, the firmest source to derive religious precepts from.
The Prophets Sunnah
The Prophets Sunnah, i.e. the words, the deeds and whatever the Messenger of God (a.s) has approved of, is the second clearest fountainhead of the Shiite jurisprudence. The Imams from the household of the Prophet (a.s) are believed to be the carriers of his Sunnah and the treasure - house of his knowledge. The words of the Prophet are also accepted even if they are handed down through other reliable sources. The following discussions are deemed necessary here:
Why Should the Prophets Sunnah be Resorted to ?
The Imams of the Shiites have advised their followers not only to study the Quran but also to follow the Prophets Sunnah, thus praising both the Book of God and the Prophets Sunnah. Imam Sadiq (a.s) says, Accept a hadith
[1] Usul al-Kafi, vol. 1, chapter: Superiority of Knowledge; subdivision: al-Akhd bi'l-Sunnah wa Shawahid al-Kitab, hadith 3. [2] Ibid, hadith 5.
only after you have found evidence for it in the Book of Allah or in the statements made by the Messenger of God; otherwise, the hadith is good only for the person who has narrated it.[1] Imam Baqir (a.s) maintains that observing the Prophets Sunnah is obligatory for the jurisprudent: The true jurisprudent is one who leads an austere life, is desirous of the Hereafter and resorts to the Prophets Sunnah.[2] The Imams of the Shiites esteem the Quran and the Prophets Sunnah so highly that any opposition to it is considered a cause of disbelief. Imam Sadiq, (a.s) has said, One who opposes the Book of Allah and the Prophets Sunnah is certainly a disbeliever.[3]
This lucid statement shows that more than any other Islamic sect, it is the Shiism that values the Prophets Sunnah, and this proves how baseless are the words of those who accuse the Shiites of being alienated from the Prophets Sunnah.
Why is it necessary to stick to the traditions of Ahl al-Bayt ?
To clarify the Shiites view in regard to the traditions of the household of the Prophet, Ahl al-Bayt (a.s) it is necessary first to deal with the following two points: (a) the nature of the words of the infallible Imams, (b) the reasons for the authenticity of Ahl al- Bay and the necessity to follow them.
[1] Usul al-Kafi, vol. 1, chapter: Superiority of Knowledge, subdivision: al-Akhd bi'l-Sunnah wa Shawahid al-Kitab, hadith 2. [2] Ibid, hadith 8. [3] Ibid hadith 6.
Nature of the words of the Prophets itrah
The Shiites maintain that only God has the right to codify rules for mankind, and it is only He Who propagates the Divine Law through His Messenger, who is merely an intermediary between God and mankind in respect to the Revelation. Thus, the Shiites acceptance of the traditions of the household of the Prophet as one of the sources of jurisprudence does not imply that these hadiths maintain an authenticity independent pf the Prophets Sunnah; they are considered authentic only because they represent the Messenger of Gods Sunnah. This means that the infallible Imams of the Shiites have nothing of their own to convey. What they say is nothing but the Prophets Sunnah Below are cited a few of the hadiths from the Prophets itrah to clarify the matter.
- In answer to a question someone had asked, Imam Sadiq (a.s) said, Any answer I gave you has come from God's Messenger (a.s); we do not utter things of our own will.[1] On another occasion, the same Imam said, My words are those of my fathers, and what my father has said has come from my grandfather; the words of my grandfathers are those of al-Husayn, and his words and the latters words are those of al-Hasan; Al-Hasans words are those of the Commander of the Faithful, and what the Commander of the Faithful has said is what the Messenger of Allah (a.s) has said, and the words of the Messenger of God are the words of God Himself, may He be exalted.[2]
[1] Jami` Ahadith al-Shiah, vol. 1, p. 129. [2] Ibid, p. 127.
- Imam Baqir, (a.s) tells Jabir the following: My father quoted traditions from the Messenger of God and he from Gabriel, and Gabriel from the Exalted God; this is the chain of the narrations I have narrated.[1]
Thus, the nature of the statements the Imams of the Shiites have made is clearly understood to be that of the Prophets Sunnah.
Reasons for the authenticity of Ahl al-Bayt and the necessity to follow them
Both Shiite and Sunni traditionists maintain that the Messenger of God left two precious things behind invited all Muslims to follow them and made Muslims prosperity dependent upon following these two: The Book of Allah and his household, Ahl al-Bayt. Below are a few sample traditions in this respect:
a) In his Sahih, Tirmidhi has narrated the following hadith from Jabir ibn `Abdullah Ansari, on the authority of the Messenger of God: O people, I leave two things among you: The Book of Allah and my itrah, my household; if you stick to them, you shall never be misguided.[2]
b) Tirmidhi has also narrated the following hadith in the same book: The Messenger of Allah (a.s) said I leave behind two things among you; if you stick to them, you will never be misguided after me; one of them is greater than the other: One of them is The Book of Allah, which is a
[1] Ibid, p.128. [2] Sahih al-Tirmidhi , the book of al-Manaqib, chapter: Manaqib Ahl Bayt al-Nabi, vol. 5 pp 662 and 3786, printed in Beirut.
rope extended from the heaven to the earth, and the other one is my itrah, my household; these two will never separate until they return to me by the pond (of Kawthar). So heed how you will deal with them.[1]
c) In his Sahih, Muslim ibn Hajjaj quotes the Holy Prophet (a.s) as having said: O people! I am a human being who is about to be summoned by the divine angel and who is to respond to this call. I am leaving behind two precious things (thaqalayn) among you: The first is the Book of Allah, which contains guidance and light. So stick to the Book of Allah. Then he persuaded people to follow it. Then he added, The second is my household. I remind you of Allah about Ahl al-Bayt (my household); again I remind you of Allah about Ahl al-Bayt (my household); and again I remind you of Allah about Ahl al-Bayt (my household).[2]
d) A group of traditionists have quoted the blessed Prophet as having said, I am leaving behind among you two precious things: the Book of Allah and Ahl al-Bayt (my household); the two will never separate until they return to me by the pond (of Kawthar).[3]
Relevant hadiths are too many to be mentioned here, for only the chain of the transmitters of the hadith has
[1] Ibid, p. 66; hadith 3788. [2] Sahih Muslim, part 7, chapter: On the Excellence of `Ali Ibn Abi-Talib, pp. 122, 123, printed in Egypt. [3] Al-Hakim's al-Mustadrak `ala al-Sahihayn, part 3, p. 148; al-Sawa`iq al-Muhriqah, book 11, chapter 1, p. 149. See also: Musnad Ahmad, part 5 pp. 182 and 189; Kanz al-`Ummal, part one: al-I`tisam bil-Kitab wa'l-Sunnah, p. 44.
occupied a six-volume book, `Abaqat al-Anwar, compiled by the eminent scholar, Sayyid Mir Hamid Husayn.
The hadiths mentioned above clearly show that requisite for ones faith in Islam are sticking to the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet (a.s) and following them as well as the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Blessed Prophet, and that going astray will be the result of not following Ahl al-Bayt. Now, the question that arises is: Who are the itrah of the Prophet whose following the Blessed Prophet has made obligatory on usa Below is an explanation of the term itrah as is understood from the hadiths.
Who are itrah of the Prophet (a.s)?
The hadiths properly show that the Blessed Prophet (a.s) by clearly saying that The Quran and itrah will never separate juxtaposed his itrah, his household, with the book of God, called on all Muslims to obey his itrah and declared them as the authorities after his departure. The household of the Prophet (a.s) based upon the Prophets statement are introduced as the peers of the Quran, i.e. infallible, and well versed in pure Islamic knowledge; were it otherwise, they would separate from the Quran; this, however, is impossible since the Prophet announced: The Quran and the itrah will never separate until they return to me by the pond of Kawthar. It is thus proved a necessity to recognize Ahl al-Bayt and, their characteristics which correspond to the Shiite Imams.
Below is a presentation of our proofs based on the traditions the great Islamic traditionists have narrated:
- Having narrated the hadith of thaqalayn, Muslim Ibn Hajjaj says, Yazid Ibn Hayyan asked Zayd Ibn Arqam,
Who are Ahl al-Bayt of the Blessed Prophet (a.s) ? Are they the Prophets wives ? Zayd Ibn Arqam replied, No (such is not the case); by God, a wife lives with her husband only for some time, and then the husband divorces her; then she will return to her parents and relatives. Ahl al-Bayt of the Blessed Prophet (a.s) are of the same descent as he himself, they are his close relatives, who are forbidden to receive alms after (the demise of) the Prophet.[1]
This tradition clearly testifies the fact that the Prophets itrah, the following of whom has, like the Quran, been made a duty, are not the Prophets wives, but they are the people who in addition to coming from the same stock and besides being spiritually related to him, are so particularly merited as to be called the Muslims authorities, the same as the Book of Allah.
- The Noble Prophet not only described the attributes of the Ahl al-Bayt, but also specified their number as being twelve. Muslim ibn Hajjaj quotes Jabir ibn Samarah as having said, I heard the Prophet (a.s) say, Islam will always be dignified under twelve successors. Then he said something I hardly heard. I asked my father What did the Prophet saya He answered, 'The Prophet said that they would all come from the Quraysh.[2]
Muslim Ibn Hajjaj also quotes the Prophet (a.s) as having said, So long as these twelve men rule, the peoples affairs
[1] Sahih Muslim, part 7, book: Superiority of `Ali Ibn Abi-Talib, p. 123, printed in Egypt. [2] Ibid. vol. 6, p. 3.
will run appropriately.[1] The above two narrations are lucid proof to the Shiites claim that The twelve Imams of the Shiites are the peoples true leaders after the Prophet (a.s). In Islam, there are no other immediate vicegerents of the Prophet, twelve in number, who brought honor and glory to Islam except the twelve Imams from the itrah of the Prophet. If we exclude the four Rashidun Caliphs, other caliphs from the Umayyad, and the `Abbasids brought Islam shame and blemishes by their deeds, to which history testifies.
Thus, the Ahl al-Bayt that the holy Prophet has introduced to the totality of Muslims throughout the world are the twelve leaders from his household, who are protectors of the Prophets Sunnah and bearers of his knowledge.
- The Commander of the Faithful, `Ali (a.s), also maintains that the Imams of the Muslims come from Bani-Hashim clan; this is another clear proof for the Shiites claim that they know who Ahl al-Bayt really are. `Ali (a.s) says: The Imams stem from Bani-Hashim clan; no one else is worthy (of ruling) over Muslims. The others rule is baseless.[2]
[1] Ibid. [2] Subhi al-Salih's Nahj al-Balaghah, sermon 144.
Conclusion:
A survey of the traditions cited above indicate that:
It is a religious duty to stick to and follow the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet, (a.s) parallel to obeying the Quran.
The Ahl al-Bayt of the Messenger of Allah, introduced as the peers of the Quran, have the following characteristics:
a) They are all from the Quraysh tribe and Bani-Hashim clan
b) They are so closely related to the Messenger of Allah that it is forbidden to pay them alms (sadaqah).
c) They are all infallible; otherwise, they would be separated from the Quran. But the Holy Prophet has said, They will never separate from the Quran until they come to me by the pond of Kawthar.
d) They are twelve in number, and one after another succeed the Messenger of God as walis and leaders of Muslims.
e) These twelve vicegerents of the Prophet (a.s) bring increasing glory and honor to Islam.
The descriptions given in the traditions make it crystal clear that the Ahl al-Bayt that the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his descendants, had mind, and whose obedience he charged Muslims with are none but the twelve Imams from the household of the Holy Prophet, the ones the Shiites take pride in following and whose instructions the Shiites stick to in recognizing their juridical code of belief.
