Recognizing the Imam’s Station in the Qur’an Is the Key to Opening the Doors of Deliverance from Crises and Seditions

Recognizing the status of the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt through the Holy Qur’an, as a key to deliverance from crises and tribulations within the Islamic community, plays a vital role in guidance and in avoiding misguidance. The Qur’an, as a divine proof and alongside the Ahl al-Bayt, guarantees humanity’s guidance; according to the Hadith al-Thaqalayn, adherence to these two sources is necessary. In this regard, emphasizing recognition of the affair of the Ahl al-Bayt through the Qur’an—especially amid historical tribulations—distinguishes the people of faith from the ignorant. Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, states in this regard that only those who have recognized the affair of the Ahl al-Bayt through the Qur’an are able to escape tribulations. Therefore, turning jointly to the Qur’an and the Ahl al-Bayt, and precisely recognizing the affair of the Ahl al-Bayt through the Qur’an, form the basis of eternal guidance and deliverance from misguidance amid tribulations. In this logical analysis, if the consequents in similar exclusive conditional propositions are alike, the antecedents must likewise be alike; this relationship is clearly seen in the Hadith al-Thaqalayn and the words of Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him. This essay emphasizes the necessity of holding fast to the Qur’an and the Ahl al-Bayt in order to avert tribulations and attain guidance.

The Holy Qur’an is the continuation of the divine proof among the people. This heavenly Book continually proves the truthfulness of the call of the Prophet of Mercy. The Qur’an was written not for a select understanding, but for the guidance of humanity in plain language and without any partiality toward factions. There is no dissimulation in it, and its words have been employed with such precision and subtlety that even experts remain incapable before it.

Reflection upon the Qur’an is the duty of every believer. Understanding and contemplating its verses constitute a firm foundation for the guidance of the Islamic community, alongside following the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt. According to the Hadith al-Thaqalayn, the Qur’an and the Ahl al-Bayt are never separated from one another. Holding fast to these two guarantees guidance and deliverance from misguidance.

If following the Companions of the Prophet had a role in guidance, it should have been mentioned in this mutawatir narration shared by the Shi‘a and their opponents. The Companions do not even have the role of transmitting the hadith, for the Prophet of Mercy introduced certain persons as the Ahl al-Bayt. The least implication of the Hadith al-Thaqalayn is that the Ahl al-Bayt are an authoritative scholarly reference. Once, according to this definitive narration, the Ahl al-Bayt have been introduced as the scholarly authority, referring to anyone else—even under the title of a Companion of the Prophet—is contrary to the statement of the Prophet of Mercy. No Companion has ever been introduced as the primary authority for receiving Prophetic teachings, because alongside the Qur’an, only the Ahl al-Bayt are the correct authority for receiving Prophetic narrations. If any report suggests that one must refer to a Companion, that report conflicts with this mutawatir report; and a mutawatir report is definitive and always takes precedence over a non-mutawatir report, especially one whose indication and chain of transmission are flawed.

A point that must be noted is that the addressees of this noble hadith at the time of its issuance were the Companions themselves. That is, the first people who had to act upon this hadith and were obligated to do so were the Companions of the Prophet; this matter is certain and indisputable. When the Companions were commanded to hold fast to the Ahl al-Bayt and the Qur’an, to refer to them, and to regard the Ahl al-Bayt and the Qur’an as their scholarly authority, it means that a Companion of the Prophet can never be a scholarly authority merely by virtue of being a Companion, nor can he ever be relied upon; we cannot even refer to them in order to learn knowledge. Therefore, in light of the Hadith al-Thaqalayn, the Companions have no right or standing whatsoever for sanctification, obedience, or scholarly reference.

The Shi'a school is founded on reasoning and precise rational understanding. There is no place for fanaticism in Shi'ism. Everything rests on argument and proof. It is God's way that dark tribulations occur—tribulations that can be passed through only with awareness. But how should one become learned? To whom should one turn? And precisely what must one learn in order to distinguish the right path from the wrong one amid dark tribulations?

Certainly, the only source in which there is no disagreement despite all disagreements is the Noble Qur’an. But what should one seek in the Qur’an? How should one reflect upon it? What does the Qur’an contain that illuminates the way amid tribulations and turns darkness into light? Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, peace be upon him—whom the Shi'a regard as an Imam appointed by God, and whose knowledge none of the opponents of Shi'ism has ever denied—says regarding tribulations and the way out of them: «مَنْ لَمْ يَعْرِفْ أَمْرَنَا مِنَ اَلْقُرْآنِ لَمْ يَتَنَكَّبِ اَلْفِتَنَ.» “Whoever does not recognize our matter from the Qur’an will not avoid tribulations.” Whoever has recognized the matter of the Ahl al-Bayt from the Qur’an does not enter tribulation, and tribulations remain distant from him, because his knowledge and awareness prevent him from ever remaining in darkness. Tribulations are only for the ignorant. For one who clearly knows the path, tribulation is meaningless. The path becomes clear when the matter of the Ahl al-Bayt is recognized from the Qur’an.

This narration explains holding fast to the Two Weighty Things. The hadith states that the Qur’an and the Ahl al-Bayt stand together side by side; the question, however, is how these two sources should be used. Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, who is the most knowledgeable person concerning the Noble Qur’an and himself belongs to the Ahl al-Bayt, says that the matter of the Ahl al-Bayt must be recognized from the Qur’an so that we may be delivered from tribulations.

The Hadith of al-Thaqalayn also states that the result of holding fast to the Qur’an and the Ahl al-Bayt is eternal guidance. Put simply, the result of holding fast to the Qur’an and the Ahl al-Bayt, and of recognizing the matter of the Ahl al-Bayt from the Qur’an, is the same. The wording of the Hadith of al-Thaqalayn emphasizes certain guidance and the absence of deviation: if one holds fast to the Two Weighty Things, the result is never to go astray. That is, one will not be placed in the darkness of any tribulation. Likewise, the narration of Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, says that if our matter is recognized from the Qur’an, one emerges from tribulations; that is, misguidance never occurs. Since the language of both narrations is exclusive, this means that if holding fast to a third thing besides the Two Weighty Things were also necessary for guidance, it would have been stated. When the consequents are the same, the antecedents must also be similar.

In exclusive conditional propositions expressed as “if and only if” (usually written as “A ↔ B”), the relationship between the antecedent (condition) and the consequent (result) is exact and reciprocal. That is:

This relationship is found precisely in the Hadith al-Thaqalayn. It is also found in the hadith concerning recognizing the affair of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, in the Qur’an; that is, if someone has emerged from tribulations, they must certainly have known the affair of the Ahl al-Bayt from the Qur’an.

If, in two propositions stated exclusively, the consequents (results or outcomes) are the same, this means that the antecedents (conditions or assumptions) must also be the same. In logic, the “consequent” and the “antecedent” are independent parts of a syllogism or argument, and for two propositions to be related, there must be a logical relation between their antecedent and consequent, not necessarily a similarity or equivalence between the antecedents.

Therefore, ultimately, if the consequents in exclusive statements are similar, this creates a necessary basis for the antecedents to be similar as well.

Therefore, at least one instance of holding fast to the Qur’an and the ‘Itrah is recognizing the affair of the Ahl al-Bayt through the Qur’an. This meaning can facilitate for us the understanding of many Qur’anic teachings. It must be emphasized that the affair of the Ahl al-Bayt in the Qur’an is not confined to one verse or several verses. As the Prophet of Mercy said in the sermon of Ghadir Khumm: “...the merits of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib in the Qur’an are too numerous to be enumerated in one gathering...”. This statement of the Prophet shows that, in order to guarantee guidance and preserve the clarity of the path amid tribulations, the affair of the Ahl al-Bayt must be learned from the Qur’an; and even the phrase “man kuntu mawlahu fa-hadha ‘Aliyyun mawlahu” likewise indicates this very affair of the Ahl al-Bayt in the Qur’an.

Tribulation always occurs among those who truly fall within the circle of faith. Since the Shi‘a of Amir al-Mu’minin, peace be upon him, are those who believe that they hold fast to the Qur’an and the ‘Itrah, they must strive to recognize the affair of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them.

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