“Ali Radiallahu Anhu is the vicegerent of Allah and deserving of being the Imaam”
Question:-
What is the status of the īmaan of someone who makes the following statement:
“As a Shia, I believe there is no God but Allah, Muhammad ﷺ is the final prophet of Allah, and that Ali ْعَلَيْهِ السَّلَام is the vicegerent of Allah. Meaning, he was supposed to be rightful Imaam after the demise of Rasulullah ﷺ.”
Answer:-
Baqir Majlisi writes:
“The rank of these ‘Imaams’ surpasses that of prophethood. The ‘Imaam’ is Ma’soom. Allah’s special support and inspiration is with him. Allah Ta’ala keeps him straight. He is protected against errors, mistakes and slip-ups. Allah confers this special favour of being Ma’soom on an ‘Imaam’ so that he may be a proof for His servants and a witness to His creation.” [Usul-al-Kafi Page.121]
“Hadrat Ali Radiallahu Anhu was the Imaam after Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam. He was followed by Hasan and then Hussein…anyone who rejects this is as if he rejects Allah and His messenger Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam.” [Ibid Pg.106]
Ghulam Husain Najafi writes, “The one who rejects the superiority of Hadrat Ali Radiallahu Anhu after the prophet is a Kaafir.”
The Shias make many other similar claims about “Imaamat”.
The Ahlus Sunnah state that this belief of “Imaamat” is also Kufr. Mufti Wali Hassan Saheb Taunki Rahimahullah writes the following Fatwa on this issue:
“Since the era of the Sahaabah, to this day, the Ummah unanimously agree that Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam is the final prophet. No new prophet will be born after him. Therefore, the intrinsic elements which are peculiar to prophethood such as revelation, Shariah, Ismah, etc. have ceased until the day of resurrection.”
Although the Shias do not make the bold statement of rejecting the end of prophethood, they believe behind a veil, in its continuity. This is because their belief in the concept of “Imaamat” necessitates rejection of the end of prophethood. Thus, based on Taqiyyah, they will abstain from referring to their “Imaams” as prophets, but in reality, they affirm the intrinsic elements of prophethood for their “Imaams”. In other words, they believe that divine revelation comes to their “Imaams” and that they receive a Shariah. Furthermore, they also give them the right to abrogate injunctions of the Shariah. In fact, according to Ruhullah Khomeini, their “Imaams” have reached the level of divinity, which is absolute blasphemy and Kufr.
ALLAH TA’ALA KNOWS BEST!
ANSWERED BY:
Mufti Mohammed Desai
Date: 26 Shawwal 1444 / 17 May 2023