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INFALLIBILITY OF THE PROPHETS AND THE PURE IMAMS
Allah, the Wise, had sent the
Prophets to guide the humanity
towards piety; advise them to do
virtuous deeds and abstain from
committing vices and sins. They
had to first practice what they
preach. There is a difference
between infallibility and
incapacity. The prophets and the
Pure Imams could commit sin but
they did not do so.
Infallibility of the Prophets
and the Pure Imams is the
cardinal principle of the Shiite
Islam.
However, other Muslims believe
that the prophets did not commit
any sin while delivering the
message but in their personal
lives they made mistakes. If for
a moment, it is agreed that a
prophet commit a sin, then a
strange situation will arise. It
would be necessary to obey and
disobey at the same time, because
Allah says in Surah al-Imran
Ayah 31: “(Muhammad), tell them,
“If you love Allah, follow me.
Allah will love you and forgive
your sins. Allah is
All-Forgiving and All-Merciful.” When
it has been proved for the Noble
Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.), it must be
true for all other prophets
because Allah does not
discriminate between His
Messengers. On the other hand,
it is not allowed to follow a
sinner in his sinful activities.
In order to achieve salvation in
this world and the Hereafter,
Allah is directing the humanity
to obey Him, His Messenger
(s.a.w.a.s.) and the (Qualified)
leaders as mentioned in Surah
al-Nisa Ayah 59: “Believers,
obey Allah, His Messenger, and
your (Qualified) leaders. If you
have faith in Allah and the Day
of Judgment, refer to Allah and
His Messenger concerning matters
in which you differ…”
In Surah al-Baqarah Ayah 44,
Allah says: “Would you order
people to do good deeds and
forget to do them yourselves
even though you read the Book?
Why do you not think?” When
Shaitan said: “By God, I will
make your people to follow the
wrong path except your Mukhlus
believers.” Allah said: “The
people who will follow you, will
be unbelievers. The righteous
people will always follow My
Apostle and their orders.”
When a man commits a sin, he
follows his desires not obeying
his Creator’s commands and is
misguided and the Prophets are
guided by Allah as stated in Surah
al-Zumar Ayah 37: “Who can
mislead one whom Allah has
guided? Is Allah not
Majestic and capable to exact
retribution? Surah al-Najm
Ayah 1-5: “By the star, when
descending (in space), your
companion (Muhammad) is not in
error nor has he deviated. He
does not speak out of his own
desires. It (whatever he says)
is a revelation which has been
revealed to him. The Great
Mighty One taught him.” The
Noble Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.)’s
infallibility is confirmed by
the Divine Ayah Tatheer in Surah
al-Ahzab Ayah 33: “O People of
the house, Allah wants to remove
all kinds of uncleanness from
you and to purify you
thoroughly.” This Ayah
refers to the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.)
of the Noble Prophet
(s.a.w.a.s.) including the Noble
Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.).
Allah provided guidance to the
Prophets as mentioned in Surah
Sad Ayahs 45 to 47: “(Muhammad),
recall our servants Ibrahim,
Ishaque, and Yaqub all of whom
possessed virtuous hands (power)
and clear visions. We gave them
this pure distinction because of
their continual remembrance of
the Day of Judgment. In our eyes
they were of the chosen,
virtuous people.” Similarly, He
is clearly directing the people
to follow the Messenger as in
Surah al-Imran Ayah 31:
“(Muhammad), tell them, “If you
love Allah, follow me. Allah
will love you and forgive your
sins. Allah is All-Forgiving and
All-Merciful.”
Allah is inviting people that if
they want to be successful then
obey Allah and His Messenger as
in Surah al-Nur Ayah 52: “Those
who obey Allah and His
Messenger, who are humble before
Allah, and who have fear of Him,
certainly, be successful.”
Al-Shaykh al-Tusi (r.a.) said:
“Infallibility is necessary for
a Prophet so that surety in him
is attained and the purpose of
creation is fulfilled.”Moreover,
if a Prophet is not infallible,
he will make mistakes and people
will not trust him or his
message. The Noble Prophet
(s.a.w.a.s.) established his
“Trustworthiness” and
“Truthfulness” for 40 years in
Makkah among the Polytheists
before formally invited them
towards Islam.
Whatever is stated above for the
Prophets holds good for the Pure
Imams of Ahlul Bayt (a.s.)
Information obtained from:
The Glorious Qur’an, Faith &
Reason by Ayatollah Mahdi Hadavi
Tehrani |
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