3. Beliefs of the Imami Rsfidi Shia

The Twelver REifidi Shia believe that imamate is an important pillar of Islam and one of the fundamentals of faith; a person's faith is not complete, and no deed may be accepted from hi, unless he believes in it. The first person who spoke of the concept of imamate as believed in by the R2fidi Shia was Ibn Saba'. He spread the idea that imamate was something about which the Prophet (g) gave instructions, that it is limited to the one whom he mentioned in those instructions (the appointed heir), and that if anyone other than him takes the position of imamate (or caliphate), he must be disavowed and regarded as a disbeliever. The books of the Shia admit that Ibn Saba' was the first one to spread the idea of 'Ali's imamate being obligatory, openly 'Ali ibn Abi Telib disavowing his enemies, standing up to his opponents and denouncing them as disbeliever^.^'^ He was of Jewish origin, and he believed that the one who was instructed by Moosa to take his place was Joshua; when he became Muslim be applied this same idea to 'Ali ibn Abi mib.266 This is what was agreed upon by the shaykhs of the RZdi Shia. Ibn Bi'ibawayh al-Qummi recorded the beliefs of the Shia in the fourth century AH, and he said that they believed that evey prophet had an appointed heir whom Allah (&) instructed should come after the prophet.267 He stated that the number of appointed heirs was 124,000.~'~ Al-Majlisi stated in his AkhbLirthat 'Ali was the last of the appointed heirs.269 One of the chapter headings in al-Kij? says: "Imamate is a covenant from AUah (&), which is passed on from one to another."270 Another heading says: "What Allah (&) and His Messenger instructed with regard to the Imams and mentioning their names one after another."271 He included a number of their reports, which they regard as evidence beyond any shadow of a doubt. Hence their shaykh Miqdid al-mli (d. 821 AH) said: "The one who is entitled to the position of imamate has to be a man who is appointed by Allah and His Messenger, not just by any man."272 Muhammad Husayn .&l Kishif al-Ghata', one of the senior religious authorities of the Twelver Sbia in modem times, stated: "Imamate is a divinely-appointed position like prophethood.

Just as AUah chooses whomever He wills among His slaves for prophethood and messengership and supports them with miracles which are like a statement from AUah concerning him, so He also chooses for imamate whomever He wills and enjoins His Prophet to mention him by name as his successor and issue instructions that he should be a leader (Imam) for people after he is gone."273 So you see that the concept of imamate in their view is like the concept of prophethood. Just as Allah chose prophets from among 'Ali's attitude towards the Kharijites andshin His creation, He also chooses Imams, mentioning them by name, telling mankind about them, establishing proof through them, supporting them with miracles, and sending down Books and revelation to them. They do not say or do anything except by the command and revelation of Allah. In other words, imamate is the same as prophethood, and the Imam is aProphet; the change is in name only. Hence al-Majlisi said: "Trying to work out the difference between a Prophet and an Imam based on these reports may be problematic."274 Then he said: "We do not h o w the reason why they are not given the title of prophet except as a kind of respect to the Seal of the Prophets; our minds cannot fathom the difference between propbethood and This is what they say with regard to the concept of imamate, and it is sufficient criticism of it that they have no support for this view except (the words of) Ibn Saba', the ~ew."~ 3.1. The status of the Imam in their view, and the ruling on the one who denies it For the Sunnis, the issue of imamate (caliphate or rulership) is not one of the basic fundamentals of religion that a Muslim cannot afford to be unaware of, and this has been stated by a number of ~cholars.'~' According to the Ufi& Shia, though, it is something else altogether.

In al-Kifi, there are reports that describe imamate as the greatest pillar of Islam. Al-Kulayni narrated, with his chain of narration from Abu Ja'far, that the latter said: "Islam is built on five billars): the prayer, zaka, fasting, hajj and imamate. There is no issue that is emphasised as much in Islam as imamate. The people took four and they abandoned this - meaning imamate."278 You can see that they dropped the twin declaration of faith from the five pillars of Islam and replaced it with imamate, which they regard as the greatest of the pillars, as is indicated by their 'Ali ibn Abi Tiilib saying: "There is no issue that is emphasised as much in Islam as imamate," and by other words of theirs, such as the text quoted above, to which the narrator added: "I said: 'Which is the best of these?' He said: 'Imamate is the best."'z79 Al-Majlisi said: "No doubt belief in the imamate of the Imams and submitting to their authority are among the fundamentals of faith. and better than all physical acts of worship because these are the starting point."280 Al-Mudhaffar, - who is one of their contemporary scholars, says: "We believe that imamate is one of the fundamentals of religion, and that faith is not complete without believing in it. It is not permissible to imitate parents, family or educators, no matter how great they are; rather it is essential to examine the issue, just as it is essential to examine the issues of tawhid and prophethood."281 The reports go even further than that, as they say: "The Prophet f&) taught more about the imamate of 'Ali and the Imams who came after him than he taught about obligatory These reports of the RZ& Shia, and others like them in the books of the R%i& Shia, were enough to make the issue of imamate the criterion to judge whether a man was a believer or a disbeliever, and to leave the Muslim exposed to accusations of disbelief for merely differiug with the Imami Shia with regard to the issue of imamate, in which they believe. Hence we see some senior Shiite scholars, both earlier and later, frankly stating this bitter truth, Ibn Bzbawayh al-Qummi said, in his essay al-l'tiqzdzt: "Our belief about those who deny the imamate of Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali ibn Abi T2ib (&) is the same as that about one who denies the prophethood of all the prophets, and our belief about the one who affirms the imamate of 'Ali and denies one of the Imams who came after him is that he is like one who affirms all the prophets but denies the prophethood of Muhammad (@)."283 'Ali's attitude towards the Kharijites and Shia Yoosuf al-B-i says in his encyclopaedia al-Hadri'iq anNridirah j5 Ahkrim al-'Ztrah at-T6hirah: "I wonder what difference there is between one who disbelieves in Allah (s) and His Messenger, and one who disbelieves in the Imams, even though it is proven that imamate is one of the fundamentals of religion."284 Al-Majlisi says: "It should be noted that the fact that the words polytheism and disbelief are applied to the one who does not believe in the imamate of 'Ali and the Imams who are descended from him, and believes that others are superior to them, indicates that they will abide forever in Ibn al-Mutahhar al-Hilli said: "Imamate is a general mercy, and prophethood is a more specific mercy, because it is possible for there to be a time without a living prophet, which is not the case with regard to the Imam.

Denying general mercy is worse than denying specific mercy."286 He describes the one who does not believe in their Imams as being worse in disbelief than the Jews and Christians. Based on that, he says that there should never be any time without an Imarn. This is a reference to their belief in the existence of a hidden, awaited Imam, which is something that is rejected by many Shiite groups. The scholars of genealogy and histoty who examined this issue stated that this Imam was never even born, hut here a shaykh of the RX~Lfidi Shia says that denying him is worse than disbelief!287 Their shaykh, al-Mufeed, stated that there was consensus among them on this view of regarding the Ummah of Islam as disbelievers. He says: "The Imamis are agreed that the one who denies the inlamate of one of the Imams, and rejects what Allah (&) has enjoined upon him of obedience to the Imams, is a misguided disbeliever who deserves to abide forever in The matter went so far that their shaykh Ni'matullah al-JazZ'iri declared the Shia 'Ali ibn Abi Ttlib to be separate from the Muslims because of the issue of imamate. He said: "We do not have either a God or a Prophet or an Imam in common with them, because they say that their Lord is the one Whose Prophet Muhammad (gJ is, and his successor who came after him was Abu Bakr, but we do not believe in that Lord or in that Prophet; rather we say that the Lord whose Prophet's successor was Abu Bakr is not o w Lord, and that Prophet is not our Prophet."289 So imamate is at the same level as prophethood, if not greater.

It is the basic foundation of religion, in their view. Hence the ruling of the Twelver Shia against anyone who denied the imamate of any one of their twelve Imams gave the final shape to their extremism, as they deemed him to he a disbeliever who was doomed to spend eternity in hell, and they included in their curses and rulings of apostasy all Muslim groups except the Twelvers. They included in their denunciation as disbelievers all of the following: 3.1.1. Their denunciation of the Companions (&) The hooks of the RZifidi Shia are filled with curses and condemnation as disbelievers for those with whom Allah (B) is pleased and who are pleased with Him: the Muh2jireen and An& those who were present at Badr, those who swore allegiance to the Prophet (&) in the pledge of Radwk, and the rest of the Companions, with only a very few exceptions who can be counted on the fingers of one hand. After it appeared in their books and became widely known, this became one of the issues that could not he concealed by means of taqiyyah.z90 Some of the scholars who studied Shiite sects and groups examined this issue among the Twelver Shia. AI-QZdi 'Abdul-Jabb2r said: "As for the Imamis, they are of the view that the way to prove the imamate of the twelve Imams is by means of the clear text that denounces as disbelievers those who deny it, as they must be 'Ali's attitude towards the Khurijites and Shia denounced as disbelievers.

Hence they regard the Companions of the Prophet (&) as di~believers."'~' Something similar was said by 'Abdul-Q%r al-Baghdadi. As for the Imamis, most of themz9' claimed that the Companions apostatised after the death of the Prophet (g), except for 'Ali (&), his two sons and a small number of others, making a total of thi~teen.~~' Ibn Taymiyah said: "The Riififidis say that the Muhiijireen and An?% concealed the Prophet's clear instructions (to appoint 'Ali as caliph) and disbelieved, spat from a small group, a little over ten or more. Then they said: 'Abu Bakr, 'Umar and others like them had always been hypocrites,' and they said: 'Rather, they believed then they disbelieved.' The books of the Twelvers say that the Companions apostatised because they appointed Abu Bakr as caliph, with the exception of three of them. Some of their reports add three or four others to Imam 'Ali, bringing the total to seven, but they did not add more than that. The Shia narrated this myth in their socalled reliable books and recorded it in the first book of theirs that appeared, which was the book of Sulaym ibn ~ a ~ s . " ' ~ ~ Then their books came one after another to confirm and propagate this idea.

Foremost among them are al-Kij, which is regarded as the most authentic of their four books; R@l al- ~ a s h s h i , ' ~ ~ which is their main reference concerning the biographies of narrators; and other references of theirs.296 We will discuss the attitude of the R2fifidi Shia towards the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) in detail below. 3.1.2. Their denunciation of Ahl al-Bayt as disbelievers The reports accusing the members of that unique and ideal society of apostasy do not make exceptions for any of them except seven individuals, according to the highest estimate. These seven do 'Ali ibn Abi Tcilib not include any member of the household of the Messenger of Allah (@), apart from a few of their reports which make an exception only for 'Ali (&). This is the report of al-Fudayl ibn Yas& from Abu Ja'far, who said: "All of the people became people of ignorance except four: 'Ali, al-Miqdid, Salmh and Ahu Dharr. I (al-Fudayl) said: 'And 'Ammk?' He said: 'If you want those who never faltered at all, then it is these three."'z97 The verdict of apostasy in these texts includes all of the Companions and the household of the Prophet, such as the wives and relatives of the Messenger of Allah (@), even though the fabricator claims to be a supporter of Ah1 al-Bayt. This is clear evidence that claiming to be supporters of the Prophet's household (Shiism) was no more than a cover under which to cany out evil ulterior motives against Islam and its people, and that the fabricators of these reports were enemies of the Companions and relatives of the Prophet (@).298 The Rififidi Shia focused their slander and accusations of disbelief on a number of the members of the family of the Messenger of Allah (a).

They said that the verse dAnd whoever is blind in this world [i.e., does not see Allah's Signs and believes not in Him], will be blind in the hereafter, and more astray from the Path) (Quran 17: 72) was revealed concerning his paternal uncle alL'Abb6. They also singled out AbduUah ibn 'Abbh, the scholar of the Ummah and the interpreter of the Quran; they cursed him and described him as a 'foolish man',299 as it says in al-Kc$. In Rijcil al-Kashshi, it says: "0 Allah, curse the two sons of so-and-so, blind them as You blinded their hearts, and make the blindness of their eyes a proof of the blindness of their heart^."^'' Their Shaykh Hasan al-Mustafawi commented on this: "They are Abdullah ibn 'Abbss and 'Ubaydnllah ibn ' ~ h b L . " ~ ~ ~ The daughters of the Prophet (s) are also included in the hatred and resentment of the Twelver Shia, who do not mention them 'Ali's attitude towards the Kharijites and Shia among those excluded from their accusations of becoming disbelievers (after the death of the Prophet). Some of them even denied that the Prophet (s) had any daughters apart from F2Ciah (r+&).302 Can the one who says such things about the Messenger of Allah (s) and his daughters really love the Messenger of Allah?303 The author of al-Ki$ said in his reports that everyone who does not believe in the twelve Imams is a disbeliever, even if he is descended from 'Ali and ~ i t i m a h . ~ ' ~ In reality, this implies that the entire generation of the Companions and those who came after them, including Ah1 alBayt and the Companions, are dishelievers because they did not know about the idea of the twelve Imams, which did not exist until after 260 AH. This also implies that the Mothers of the Believers, the wives of the Messenger of Allah (g), were disbelievers, since they did not exempt a single one of them in their texts.

They particularly focused on ';l'ishah305 and ~ a f ~ a h ~ ' ~ (may AUah be pleased with them) for their criticism, curses and denunciation as disbelievers.307 Their sbaykh al-Majlisi wrote a chapter entitled Bib Ahwil 'ii'ishah wa Hajjah in which he quoted seventeen reports,?08 and referred the reader to more reports in other chapters,309 which offend the Messenger of Allah (g) with regard to the members of his household, in the most abhorrent terms. In their reports, they even accused the one whom AUah (&) declared to he innocent from above seven heavens, 'A'ishah bint as-Siddeeq, of immoral conduct. In the most prominent of their tafseers, Tafieer al-~urnrni,~'~ there is a homble slander which implies disbelief in the noble Quran. Ibn Katheer said in his comment?ty on Soorat an-Noor: "The scholars (may AUah have mercy on them) are unanimously agreed that the one who reviles her and accuses her after this which is mentioned in this verse is a disbeliever, because he is stubbornly rejecting the ~ur'an."~" Al-Qurtubi said: "Everyone who reviles her by accusing 'Ali ibn Abi Trilib her of that which AUah (&) has declared her innocent of is disbelieving AUah (B), and whoever disbelieves Allah (g) is a di~believer."~'~ 3.1.3. Their denunciation of the Rightly Guided Caliphs and their governments as disbelievers According to the Imami Riifidi Shiite religion, any government other than an Imami Riifi@ govemment is invalid; its ruler is an unjust oppressor who is being worshipped instead of Allah (s), and the one who swears allegiance to him is worshipping something other than Allah (&). Al-Kulayni confirms this in a number of chapters, such as his chapter on "One who claims to be a ruler but is not qualified to rule, one who denies the Imams or some of them, and one who a f f i s the imamate (rulership) of one who is not qualified for it," in which he mentions twelve hadiths from their ~ m a m s ; ~ ' ~ and his chapter on "The one who accepts the authority of the ruler who has no sanction from Allah (;gig.)," which includes five h a d i t h ~ . ~ ' ~ According to their point of view, all the caliphs of the Muslims - apaa from 'Ali (&) and d-Hasan - are unjust and evil, even if they call people to the truth, treat Ah1 d-Bayt kindly and establish the religion of AUah (B).

They say, "Every banner that is raised before the banner of the awaited Mahdi, the one who raises it is unjust and evil."315 The commentator on al-Kc?$ said: "Even if the one who raises it calls people to the Al-Majlisi deemed this report to be sound3" according to their standards.318 3.1.4. Judging Islamic regions to be 'the abode of disbelief' In some of their reports, many Muslim countries are singled out for slander, and their people are deemed to be disbelievers in 'Ali's attitude towards the Kharijites and Shia particular. Usually they target regions where the people are adhering more to Islam and following the Sunnah. They stated that the people of Makkah and Madinah were disbelievers during the best generations. At the time of Ja'far as-Sidiq, they said of the people of Makkah and Madinah: "The people of Syria are worse than the people of Byzantium (meaning, worse than the Christians); the people of Madinah are worse than the people of Makkah, and the people of Makkah openly show disbelief in ~ l l a h . " ~ ' ~ They also said: "The people of Makkah openly show disbelief in Allah, and the people of Madinah are more evil than the people of Makkah, seventy times more evil."3z0 It is well known that the people of Madinah, especially during the best generations, were following in the footsteps of the Messenger of Allah (B) more than the people of other regions, and the people of Madinah continued to adhere to their M a k i madl-hab until the beginning of the sixth century AH or thereabouts, when some of the Rsifidis from the east came and corrupted many of them?" They said of Egypt and its people: 'The sons of Egypt are cursed on the lips of Diwood (-1, and Allah (&) turned some of them into monkeys and pigs."3ZZ~hey said: "When Allah (&) got angry with the children of Israel, He caused them to enter Egypt, and when He was pleased with them, He caused them to leave it."323 They also said: "What a bad land Egypt is.

It was aprison for those of the children of Israel with whom Allah (s) was angry."324~nd they said: "Avoid Egypt and do not seek to stay there, because staying there makes one a They have a number of reports that criticise Egypt, slander its people and warn against living there. They attribute these reports to the Messenger of Allah (&), Muhammad al-BZqir and 'Ali al-B2qir. This was the RZdi view of Egypt at the time when Islam was Xli ibn Abi Tcilib flourishing. Al-Majlisi commented on these texts by saying that Egypt had "become one of the worst of lands at that time, because its people were among the most wretched and doomed of disbeliever^."^^^ These texts express the Rsfidi's resentment and grudges against Egypt and its people, and it is not far-fetched to suggest that these feelings were due to the fall of the state of their brethren the Ismajli 'Ubaydis at the hand of Saladin, who cleansed Egypt of their filth and impurity. What comparison can there be between these unjust words against Egypt and its people and the chapter that Muslim included in his sahih under the title 'The Prophet's instructions to he kind to the people of ~ ~ ~ ~ t " ? The R%@s criticised many regions of the Islamic world and their people,328 and they did not exempt anyone except those who followed their sect, who were very few at that time.

It is even narrated that they said: "Allah commanded people to love and support us and offered that to the people of different regions, but no one accepted it except the people of ~ u f a h . " ~ ' ~ 3.1.5. The Muslim judges Their reports regard the Muslim judges as evildoers because of - rhcirconnccrio~~ IO the. caliphate, which i h q >ec. ~lr a 'Ill,' ;~urhont! '. Ir 1s nurr:nc.d in rrl-KG/i th:n 'Illn~cl. ihn ilantlhalah \aid: "1 asketl Abu - Abdullah (m) about two of our companions who had a dispute about a debt or inheritance, and they referred their case to the ruler and to the judge; is that permissible?" He said: "Whoever refers to them for judgement, whether the case is valid or not, he is referring for judgement to false judges. Whatever is ruled in his favour, he is only taking something h&m, even if it is his proven right, because he is taking it on the basis of the ruling of false judges, and Allah has enjoined us to reject it."330 Allah (&) says: (And they wish to go for 'Ali's attitude towards the Kharijites and Shia judgement [in their disputes] to the T6ghoot [false judges] while they have been ordered to reject them) (Qur'an4: 60).

Tnis report criticises the judges and judiciary system at the time of Ja'far as-Sidiq, as is clear from their chains of narration going hack to him. If this was their opinion of the Muslim judges during the best generations, then what do you think is the opinion about those who came after them?331 3.1.6. The imams and scholars of the Muslims They warned against learning from the shaykhs and scholars of the Muslims, regarding them as people of polytheism. It was narrated that Haroon ibn Khirijah said: "I said to Abu Abdullah (!ii): 'We go to those people who differ from and listen to their tak, so that it might be proof for us against them.' He said: 'Do not go to them and do not listen to them, may Allah curse them and their polytheist ways."'333 In al-Kij?, it is narrated from Sudayr that Ahu Ja'far said: "0 Sudayr, shall I show you those who divert people away from the religion of Allah?" Then he looked towards Abu Haneefah and Sufyin ath-Thawri, who were sitting in circles in the mosque, and he said: "These are the ones who divert people away from the religion of Allah without knowledge, or guidance, or a Book giving light.334 These are the evildoers; if they sat at home, people would look for someone to learn from, and they would not find anyone tell to them about Allah (&) or about His Messenger (@J, so they would come to us, and we would tell them about Allah (@) and about His Messenger ( B ) . " ~ ~ ~ Ibn Taymiyah explained their attitude towards the early generations and leading scholars of this Ummah, the An$%, and those who followed them in truth, those with whom Allah is pleased and who are pleased with Him. They describe as disbelievers the majority of the Ummah of Muhammad (g), ~- both the earlier and later 'Ali ibn Abi Trilib generations.

They describe as disbelievers everyone who believes Abu Bakr, 'Umar, the Muhijireen and the An& to be of good character, or who is pleased with them as Allah ($) is pleased with them, or whoprays for forgiveness for them as Allah (s) has enjoined us to pray for forgiveness for them. Hence they regard as disbelievers the most prominent scholars of the Ummah, such as Sa'eed ibn alMusayyab, Abu Muslim al-Khawlini, Uways al-Qurani, 'Ata' ibn Abi Rab% and Ibr2heem an-Nakha'i, as well as Imam M&k, al-Awzi'i, Imam Abn Haneefah, Hammid ibn Zayd, Hammid ibn Salamah, athThawri, Imam ash-Sh2fafa'i, Imam b a d ibn Hanbal, Fudayl ibn 'Iy8, Abu Sulaymin ad-D2rini, Ma'roof al-Karkhi, al-Junayd ibn Muhammad, Sahl ibn Abdullah at-Tastari and others. This alleged disbelief is worse than that of the Jews and Christians, because the latter in their view are originally disbelievers, but these people are considered apostates - and according to scholarly consensus, the disbelief of apostasy is worse than original disbelief. Most of their scholars regard Abu Bakr, 'Umar, the majority of the Muhijireen and An$%, the wives of the Prophet (gJ such as 'kishah and Haf~ah, the rest of the leaders and scholars of the Muslims and their common folk as not having believed in Allah (&) even for a second, because faith which is followed by disbelief, in their view, is invalid in the first place. Some of them even suggest that the private parts of the Prophet (BJ, with which he had intimate relations with 'kishah and H a a h , should be touched by fire in order to be purified from having had intercourse with women whom they claim to be disbelievers, because intercourse with disbelieving women is h a r h in their view.336 No one was safe from this comprehensive denunciation of people as disbelievers. Does it need any further examination?

Its falseness is too apparent to require additional explanation. Regarding the Ummah as disbelievers is an extension of regarding the 'Ali's attitude towards the Kharijites and Shia Companions as disbelievers; the reason for it is the same and not different. It is not surprising that the one who resents the Companions of the Messenger of AUah (g), reviles them and regards them as disbelievers will also resent the entire Ummah and regard them as disbelievers. As one of the early generation said: "Anyone who bears grudges in his heart against any of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (g) will have more resentment in his heart towards the ~uslims."'~' If such a person does not approve of Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthmk, those who were present at Badr, those who swore allegiance in the pledge of Radwh, and the Muhzjireen and An$%, who represent the pinnacle of virtue and goodness, will he approve of anyone after them? The basis of this attitude is the claim of the RZ~dis that the Companions (&) denied the divine instruction appointing an heir to the Prophet (g), and we will explain that this so-called divine instruction is false on the basis of texts, reason and well known facts. What is based on falsehood is also false.

Their verdict of apostasy against the generation of the Companions is one of the clearest signs of the utter falseness of the RZdi Shiite ma~Ih-hab.~~* Hence Ahmad al-Kasrawi, an Iranian of Shiite background, said: "As for what they said about the apostasy of the Muslims after the death of the Prophet (g), this is a blatant lie and fabrication on their part. One might ask: How could they apostatise when they were the Companions of the Prophet (g), who believed in him when others disbelieved, who protected him and put up with persecution? How could they then apostatise during the caliphate of Abu Bakr and leave their religion in order to make him the caliph? Which of the two matters is easier to believe or more likely to have happened: to disbelieve one or two men who had corrupt motives or that a few hundred of the most sincere Muslims would apostatise? Give us your answer, if you have any answer."339 Xli ibn Abi Tiilib In the noble Quran, Allah ( g ) explains the basic principles of faith, and it is an explanation or exposition of all things. Allah (B) says: dAnd We have sent down to you the Book [the Quran] as an exposition of everything) (Quran 16: 89).

Allah ( g ) says, describing His Book, that it omits no matter on which religion is based: (We have neglected nothing in the Book) (Quran 6: 38). If that is the case, one may wonder: what is the basis of Shiite beliefs? The sacred book of Islam, the Quran, mentions prayer, fasting, zakih and hajj many times, but it makes no reference to the twelve Imams or to the imamate (caliphate) after the Messenger, even though the imamate according to the theory of the Rsidi Shia - is the most important pillar of Islam! Is it not strange that the Quran mentions the details of how to do wudoo', lists the h a r k types of food and drhk, speaks of jihad sometimes and of peace sometimes, and discusses moral issues, but it ignores the imamate of the twelve Imams, which is described by h Kishif al-Ghata' as being a "divinely-ordained position like prophethood"? These Qur'anic texts clearly testify that the noble Quran did not neglect any issue that people need. So how could it neglect the issue of imamate, which is supposed to be based on a text?

The Imami Shia talk about it and then leave it for their scholars to shape and define this idea, when the appointment of the Imams was supposed to come from Allah (B) and not from them.340 3.2. Infallibility according to the Riifidi Shia Infallibility of the Imam, according to the Imami Rifidi Shia, is one of the conditions of imamate, and it is one of the basic principles and foundations of their belief. It is of major importance for them and is a result of the qualities, abilities and unlimited intellectual talents that the Shia ascribed to their Imams. They believe that the Imam is not answerable to any person, and that it is impossible for him to make a mistake, no matter how many actions 'Ali's attitude towards the Khariiites and Shia he does. It is essential to believe that everything he does is good, with nothing evil in it, because he has knowledge that no one else can possess. Hence the Shia ascribed infallibility to the Imam, among other things.

They believe that the Imams are infallible throughout their lives and do not commit any sin, major or minor. They commit no act of disobedience, and it is not possible for them to make mistakes or forget.341 Their Shaykh al-Mufeed narrated that there was consensus on this point, and he said: "The Imams, who take the place of the prophets in fulfilling Shariah rulings, carrying out hadd punishments, protecting the religion of Islam and disciplining the people, are infallible like the prophets. It is not possible for them to commit any major or minor sin, and it is not possible for them to be forgetful or m&e mistakes in any matter of religion or rulings. This is the view of all the Imamiyyah, except for those who are regarded as odd among them and adhered to the apparent meaning of some reports that could have an interpretation different than their corrupt understanding in this regard."342 Ihn al-Mulahhar d-Hilli said: 'The Imamis and Ismailis are of the view that the Imam must be infallible, and they differed in that from all other This was also stated by al-Majlisi when he said: "It should be noted that the Imamis, may Allah be pleased with them, agree on the infallibility of the Imams (m), who are free from sin, both minor and major. They do not commit any sin at all, whether deliberately, or because of forgetfulness or mistakes in interpretation, or because Allah (g) caused them to forget."344 AS-Sadooq narrated with a chain of narration going back - falsely - to Ihn 'Abbb that he said: "I beard the Messenger of Allah (g) say: 'I, along with 'Ali, d-Hasan, al-Husayn and nine of the descendants of al-Husayn, are infallible.'"345 He also said, affirming that: "Our belief concerning the Prophets, Messengers and Imams is Xli ibn Abi Tilib that they are infallible and purified from all impurity. They do not commit sin, minor or major; they do not disobey Allah (&) in what He commands them; and they do what they are instructed.

Whoever denies that they are infallible in any way is ignorant of them, and the one who is ignorant of them is a di~believer."~~ This belief was not limited to the early generations of the Rififidis; it is also shared by many contemporary Shia. Muhammad Rida al-Mudhaffar - says: "We believe that the imam, like the Prophet, must be infallible and protected against all things and immoral actions, both open and hidden, from childhood until death, whether those actions are deliberate or by mistake. He must also be infallible and protected against absentmindedness, mistakes and forgetf~lness."'~~ This was stated by az-Zanjki in 'AqG'id alImamiwah 348 and also by al-Bahrini in Manir al-Huda 349 and asSayyid Murtada al-'Askari in Ma'Glim a l - ~ a d r a s a t a ~ n . ~ ~ ' However, there are some reports in the Imami Shiite madh-hab that contradict this view. Al-Majlisi was baffled when he saw texts that are contrary to the consensus of his companions, and he said: "The matter is very problematic because there are many reports and verses which indicate that it is possible for them to en, yet there is consensus of all our companions, except a few, that it is not possible for the Imams to err."351 This is an admission on the part of alMajlisi that the consensus of the later Shia on the infallibility of the Imams is contrary to their own reports. This is real life evidence and a clear admission that they may all agree on misguidance, even though there is no evidence for it in their own books.352 It seems that the idea of infallibility went through various stages, and that the Shia initially differed in their beliefs and definitions of infallibility. For example, during the era of Abu Ja'far ibn Biibawayh (d. 381 AH) and his shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Qummi, the opinion of most of the Shia was that the first level of 'Ali's attitude towards the Kharijites and Shia extremism was to deny forgetfulness on the part of the Prophet (3g).353 In other words, they regarded anyone who said that the Prophet ( a ) could not forget as being one of the extreme Shia.

Things changed after that, and denying that the Imam could be absent-minded or could forget was equivalent to putting the Imams at the level of Allah (&), the One whom neither slumber nor sleep overtakes. Infallibility in that extreme form, denying that the Imams could be absent-minded or forgetful, was the belief of an unknown Shiite group in Kufah. In al-Bihrir, al-Majlisi says: "It was said to alRida - the eighth Imam of the Shia - that there were some people in Kufah who claimed that the Prophet (g) never forgot or made a mistake in his prayer. He said: 'They are lying, may Allah (&) curse them; the One who never forgets or makes a m i s a e is Allah (B), besides Whom there is no other god."'354 This indicates that the belief that the Imam cannot m;&e a mistake was the belief of an unspecified group of people and was considered strange and odd. They said that the Prophet (g), who was the best of the Imams, could not make mistakes, but they did not say that about their Imams. Then this belief expanded to include the twelve Imams of the Shia, and the notion spread to all of the Irnami Shia.

The contemporary Shiite shaykh and 'Grand Ayatollah', Abdullah al-Mamqzni, affms that believing that the Imams cannot make mistakes became one of the fundamentals of the Shiite madhhab.355 He does not deny that their earlier shaykhs regarded that as extreme, hut he says: "What was regarded as extreme in the past has today become one of the fundamentals of the Shiite madh-hab."35h If this belief in the infallibility of the Imams means taking them to the level of the Prophet, then believing that they cannot err is taking them to the level of divinity, as was indicated by the eighth Imam of the Shia, 'Ali a-Rida. Ibn Bibawayh al-Qummi and others stated that this belief was the line that separates the extremists from others,357 'AEi ibn Abi Tilib but their contemporary shay!&, al-Mamqini, thinks that believing that the lmams cannot em is one of the fundamentals of the Shiite madh-hah, and that the one who rejects the fundamentals is a disbeliever. This view was also confirmed by their contemporary shaykh, Mnlpin a l - ~ r n e e n . ~ ~ ~ What this means then is that their later scholars regarded their earlier scholars as disbelievers, and vice versa. Al-Mamq2ni believes that a fundamental belief of the Shiite madh-hab is that the Imams cannot make mistakes, and some of them even say that there is consensus on this point.'59 However, in some books that are addressed to the ~ u n n i s , ~ ~ ' we are told that the view of all the Shia is that the Imams can make mistakes.361 Thus they denounce one another as disbelievers and contradict one another, each one claiming that what he says is the Shia view.962 Belief in the infallibility of the Imams was one of the reasons for belief in changes in the divine will and taqiyyah - as we shall see below. This is because the real lives of the Imams were not at all in harmony with the claims of infallibility, so when differences or contradictions were found in their statements, the Shia explained them by saying that this was due to a change in the divine will or a case of taqiyyah, as some of the Shia have admitted.363 One of the most serious academic implications of the claims of infallibility is that they regard everything that was uttered by their twelve Imams as having a status similar to the words of Allah (&) and His Messenger (g). Hence in their sources, most of the chains of narration for the reports end at one of their Imams instead of going back to the Messenger of Allah (g).

The Shia claim for their Imams a level of infallibility that was not even achieved by the prophets and messengers of AUah, as clearly indicated in the Quran, Sunnah and 'Ali's attitude towards the Kharijites and Shia 3.2.1. Their evidence from the Noble Quran for the infallibility of their Imams Even though the Book of AUah makes no mention at all of the twelve, as we have seen above, let alone their infallibility, the Twelves Shia quote the Quran to support their belief in the infallibility of their Imams. All their shaykhs agree on quoting as evidence the verse: (And [remember] when the Lord of Ibraeem [Abraham] [i.e., Allah] tried him with [certain] Commands, which he fulfilled. He [Allah] said [to him], 'Verily, I am going to make you an Imam [a leader] for mankind [to follow you].' [Ibdheem (Abraham)] said, 'And of my offspring [to make leaders].' [Allah] said, 'My Covenant [prophethood] includes not aiilimoon [polytheists and wrongdoers1.b (Quran 2: 124) With this verse, al-Majlisi begins the chapter that he wrote in al-Bihiir entitled: "The Necessity of the Imam's ~nfallibility."~~~ Many contemporary Shiite shaykhs regard this verse as their main evidence from the Quran and do not quote any other verses to establish this point. Two of them are M+sin a l - ~ m e e u ' ~ ~ and Muhammad Husayn h Khhif al-Gham', who says that this verse is 'clear evidence which proves the infallibility of the ~ r n a m s ' . ~ ~ ~ The author of Majrna' al-Bayin explained how his companions found evidence in this verse for what they wanted, as he said: "Our companions quoted this verse as evidence that the Imams must inevitably be infallible and protected from bad deeds, because Allah (&) stated that no evildoer can attain the Covenant, which is imamate.368 Whoever is not infallible may be a wrongdoer who transgresses either against himself or others. If someone suggests that this verse confirms that no wrongdoer will attain the Covenant when he is in the state of being a wrongdoer, but that if he repents he will no longer be a wrongdoer, so it is possible for him to attain that Covenant, the answer is that even if he repents, the verse still 'Ali ibn Abi Trilib excluded him when he was a wrongdoer.

If it excluded him when he was a wrongdoer, then it is decreed that he will never attain it. The verse is general in meaning and is not limited to any particular time, so it should be applied to all times. Thus no wrongdoer will attain that status, even if he repents later on."369 Refutation of their interpretation of the verse (a) The early generations differed concerning the meaning of the word al- 'ahd (translated here as 'the Covenant'). Ibn 'Abhh and as-Suddi said: "It refers to prophethood. Allah (B) said, 'My Covenant (prophethood) includes not limoon on (polytheists and wrongdoers),' meaning prophethood." Muj2hid said: "It refers to leadership, meaning 'I will not appoint a wrongdoer as a leader whom others may follow."' Qatidah, Ihrilheem anNakha'i, 'Ala', al-Hasan and 'Ikrimah said: "The Covenant of Allah (%) in the hereafter will not include the wrongdoers, hut in this world, wrongdoers may attain it and thus he granted security, food and sustenance." Az-Zajjgj said: "This is a good opinion, meaning 'My safety and security are not granted to the wrongdoers;' in other words, 'I will not grant them security from My punishment.' What is meant by wrongdoer is the polytheist." Ar-Rabee' ihn Anas and a&Dal&% said: "The Covenant of Allah 1%) that is given to His slaves is His religion, and He says the wrongdoers do not follow His religion. Do you not see that He says: 4We blessed him and Ishiq [Isaac].

And of their progeny are [some] that do right, and some that plainly wrong themselves?# (Quran 37: 113) He says: Not all of your descendants, 0 Ibriheem, will do right and follow the truth." Ibn 'Ahhi% also said, concerning the words: "My Covenant (prophethood) includes not wlimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers)," that "the wrongdoers have no Covenant, and if you give them a covenant, then break it."370 As we can see, 'Ali's attitude towards the Kharijites and Shia the early generations differed as to the interpretation of this verse, but according to the majority, it bas nothing to do with the imamate or leadership at all. Those who did interpret it along the lines of imamate (leadership) interpreted it as referring to leadership in knowledge, righteousness and setting an example. not imamate according to the R%c$i concept.371 @) Even if the verse was about imamate (rnlership), there is nothing to indicate infallibility. It cannot be said that one who is not a wrongdoer is thus infallible - that he never makes a mistake, forgets anything, is absent-minded, or the like, as with the Shia concept of infallibility. According to their view, the one who forgets and the one who makes a mistake are both wrongdoers, but no one agrees with them on that, and it is not in accordance with the basic principles of Islam. It is quite clear that there is a big difference between denying the attribute of wrongdoing and affirming infallibility, because saying that someone is not a wrongdoer is an affirmation of his good character, not of infallibility in the Shiite sense.37z (c) Their argument that the one who does wrong and then repents from it is still described as a wrongdoer, and that repentance does not help to take away this description of being a wrongdoer, is not acceptable. The greatest of wrongdoing is polytheism, and Allah (&) says: $It is those who believe [in the Oneness of Allah and worship none but Him Alone] and confuse not their Belief with @ulm [wrong, i.e. by worshipping others besides AUah]...) (Quran 6: 82) He also explains what is meant by wrongdoing in the verse: (Join not in worship others with Allah.

Verily, joining others in worship with Allah is a great mulm [wrong] indeedb (Quran 31: 13). Yet despite this, Allah says concerning the disbelievers: $Say to those who have disbelieved, if they cease [from disbelief], their past will be forgiven) (Quran 8: 38). 'Ali ibn Abi TtZib But the implication of what these Shia say is that the one who associates something else with Allah (%) even for a moment, or commits a sin, even if it is a minor sin, is a wrongdoer who will never be free of the attribute of wrongdoing. What this implies is that the polytheist, even if he becomes Muslim, will still be a polytheist, because wrongdoing is polytheism.373 Thus they became even harsher than the Kharijites, because the Kharijites do not confirm the warning of punishment to the one who commits major sin unless he does not repent. It is well known on the basis of common sense, let alone Shariah, custom and linguistics that the one who disbelieves or does wrong and then repents and becomes righteous can no longer be called a disbeliever or wrongdoer. Otherwise it would be possible to call an old man a boy, one who is awake a sleeper, one who is rich poor, one who is full hungty, one who is dead alive, and vice versa.

Moreover, if that is applied in other situations, it means that, for example, a person who swore that he would never greet a disbeliever then greets a believer, who had been a disbeliever many years ago, has broken his oath. However, no one says that.?74 It is well known that a person who repents from wrongdoing may be better than one who never did anything wrong. ~ s s e r t i n ~ that the person who never did an act of disbelief or killed or sinned is better than anyone who believed after disbelieving, or was guided after going astray, or repented after committing sin, is going against what is well-established in Islam. It is well known that the early generations were better than their children; is there anyone with any sense who would compare the children of the Muhijireen and An& with their fathers?375 Moreover, this conclusion would imply that all the Muslims - including the Shia and Ahl alBayt, except those whom the Shia believe are infaL1ible - are wrongdoers because they are not infallible. 'Ali's attitude towards the Kharijites and Shia Their shaykh at-Toosi said that the word - zulm (wrongdoing) implies something bad, so it cannot be applied to anyone except one who deserves to be cursed, because Allah (s) says: 6No doubt! the Curse of Allah is on the milimoon [polytheists, wrongdoers, oppressors1.i) (Quran 11: 18) (d) One of the Zaydi Shiite scholars stated, criticising the Twelver interpretation of this verse: The Rxdis quote the verse as evidence that the one who does wrong, even once, is not deserving of the position of imamate (rulership), and they wanted to undermine the caliphate of Abu Ba!a and 'Umar. However, this is not correct because if the word al-'ahd (the Covenant) is interpreted as refemng to prophethood, then there is no evidence for them in the verse, but if it is interpreted as refemng to imamate (rulership), then the one who repents from wrongdoing can no longer be described as a wrongdoer, and thus Allah (s) will not exclude him from attaining the Covenant (al- 'ahd) except if he is a wrongdoer.376 3.2.2. The verse of purification and the hadith of the cloak The verse of purification is the verse in which Allah (s) says: (Allah wishes only to remove Ar-Rijs [evil deeds and sins] from you, 0 members of the family [of the Prophet], and to purify you with a thorough purificationb (Quran 33: 33).

As is well known, this is part of the verse in which Allah ($) says: h d stay in your houses, and do not display yourselves like that of the times of ignorance. And perform As-Salrit (Iqrimat-as-Salit), and give Zakcit and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah wishes only to remove Ar-Rijs [evil deeds and sins] from you, 0 members of the family [of the Prophet], and to purify you with a thorough (Quran 33: 33) The Twelver Shiite scholars deliberately took the verse of purification out of its Qnr'anic context in which Allah (&) was 'Ali ibn Abi Tcilib addressing the wives of the Prophet (g), because they wished to exclude the wives of the Prophet. Then they added to that the hadith of the cloak, which was narrated by Muslim in his sahih from the Mother of the Believers 'kishah (I&,).~~~ She said: "The Prophet (g) went out one morning wearing a striped cloak of black camel hair. Al-Hasan ibn 'Ali came, and he enfolded him in the cloak, then al-Hnsayn came and he enfolded him in it, then F2timah came and he enfolded her in it, then 'Ali came and he enfolded him in it, then he said: (Allah wishes only to remove Ar-Rijs [evil deeds and sins] from you, 0 members of the family [of the Prophet], and to purify you with a thorough (Quran 33: 33)." They also added the hadith of theMother of the Believers Umm Salamah (I$+,) refening to when this verse was revealed to the Prophet (&). Umm Salamah asked: "Am I included with them, 0 Prophet of Allah?" He said: "You are still as yon are (one of Ah1 al-Bayt), and you are good," in order to confirm the meaning that they wanted for this verse.378 The Twelver Shiite scholars think that in this verse there is evidence for the infallibility of the people of the cloak, 'Ali, Fgtimah, al-Hasan and al-Husayn, and that they are protected from sins, both major and minor, and even from human error and forgetfulness.379 Their interpretation may be refuted in several ways: The hadith of Umm Salamah quoted above was narrated in a number of versions.

It was narrated from Umm Salamah (ed) that she said: "TheProphet ( g ) was in my house, along with 'Ali, gztimah, alHasan and al-Husayn, and I made some khazeerah (a dish made with ground meat and flour) for them. They ate and slept, and he covered them with an 'abayah or blanket, then he said: '0 Allah, these are the people of my household, remove from them ar-rijs (evil deeds and sins) and purify them with a thorough purification."' According to another report, the Prophet ( g ) made them sit on a cloak, then he took 'Ali's attitude towards the Kharijites and Shia hold of its four edges in his left hand and held it above their heads, and he gestured with his right hand to his Lord and said: "These are the people of my household, remove from them ar-rijs (evil deeds and sins) and purify them with a thorough purification." These two reports are in accordance with the report of Muslim from 'A'ishah (&), that these five are included in the verse, but this does not necessarily mean that others are not included.380 There are other reports from Umm Salamah (&) that contain additional material indicating that she was not included with the people of the cloak. Most of these reports have some weaknesses, although some of them are sound, including the following report: 'When this verse was revealed to the Prophet (g): BAllah wishes only to remove Ar-Rijs [evil deeds and sins] from you, 0 members of the family [of the Prophet], and to purify you with a thorough pnrificationB (Quran 33: 33) in the house of Umm Salamah (%), he called F2emah and al-Hasan and al-Husayn, and covered themwith a clo* 'Ali was behind him and he covered him with a cloak, then he said: '0 Allah, these are the people of my household, remove from them ar-rijs (evil deeds and sins) and purify them with a thorough purification.' Umm Salamah said: 'Am I included with them, 0 Prophet of Allah? He said: 'Yon are still as you are (one of Ah1 alBayt), and you are good."'381 There is a very impotrlant report, with a reliable chain of narration, which indicates that Umm Salamah (I$&,) was included under the cloak after the people of the cloak went out from under it.382 Perhaps the reason for that is that it would not have been proper to include Umm Salamah with 'Ali ibn Abi T%ih (&) under one cloak, so the Messenger of Allah (gg) took her under it after they had come out. It was narrated that ~ h a k said: "I heard Umm Salamah, the wife of the Messenger of Allah (B), when news came of the death of alNusayn ihn 'Ali. She cursed the people of Iraq and said: 'They have 'Ali ibn Abi Tilib killed him, may Allah kill them.

They have deceived him and let him down, may Allah curse them. I saw the Messenger of Allah (g) when F2timah came to him one moming with a pot in which she had made some 'a~eedah (a gruel made of flour with butter and honey) for him, which she was canying on a tray of hers, and she put it down in front of him. He said to her: "Where is your cousin (meaning 'Ali)?" She said: "He is in the house." He said: "Go and call him, and bring me his two sons." So she came with her two sons, holding each one by the hand, and 'Mi was walking behind her, until they entered upon the Messenger of Allah (g). He seated the two children in his lap, and 'Ali sat on his right, and sat on his left.' Umm Salamah said: 'He picked up a cloak from Khaybar that had been spread out on the sleeping place in Madinah, and the Messenger of Allah (s) covered them all with if then he took hold of the two edges of the girment in his left hand, gestured with his right hand towards his Lord (&) and said twice: "0 Allah, (these are) the people of my household, remove from them ar-rijs (evil deeds and sins) and purify them with a thorough purification." I said: "0 Messenger of AUah, am I not part of your family?" He said: "Of course, come under the cloak."' So she went under the cloak after he finished his supplication for his cousin 'Ali and (Ali's) two sons and his daughter ~ i t i m a h . " ~ ~ ~ So the Messenger of Allah (g) testified that Umm Salamah (@) was part of his household, and he admitted her under thecloak after he had offered supplication for them.384 Another indication that the verse does not refer to infallibility or imamate (caliphate) is that the entire verse is addressed to the wives of the Prophet (g); it starts with them and ends with them. Allah (s) says: (0 Prophet [Muhammad]!

Say to your wives: 'If you desire the life of this world, and its glitter, then come! I will make a provision for 'Ali's attitude towards the Kharijites and Shia you and set you free in a handsome manner [divorce]. But if you desire Allah and His Messenger, and the Home of the hereafter, then verily, Allah has prepared for or-Muhsinit [good-doers] amongst you an enormous reward.' 0 wives of the Prophet! Whoever of you commits an open illegal sexual intercourse, the torment for her will be doubled, and that is ever easy for Allah. And whosoever of you is obedient to Allah and His Messenger (&), and does righteous good deeds, We shall give her her reward twice over, and We have prepared for her Rizq Karim [a noble provision - paradise]. 0 wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women.

If you keep your duty [to Allah], then be not soft in speech, lest he in whose heart is a disease [of hypocrisy, or evil desire for adultery] should be moved with desire, but speak in an honourable manner. And stay in your houses, and do not display yourselves like that of the times of ignorance, And perform AS-SalZt [Iqhat-as-Salit], and give Zaka and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah wishes only to remove ArRijs [evil deeds and sins] from you, 0 members of the family [of the Prophet], and to purify you with a thorough purification. And remember [0 you the members of the Prophet's family, the Graces of your Lord], that which is recited in your houses of the Verses of Allah and Al-Hikmah [i.e. Prophet's Snnnah - legal ways, so give your thanks to Allah and glorify His Praises for this Quran and the Sunnah]. Verily, Allah is Ever Most Courteous, Wen-Acquainted with all things.) (Quran 33: 28-34) It is addressed to all the wives of the Prophet (B).

The command, prohibition, promise and warning are for them, but as there is benefit which may include them and other members of the Prophet's household, the masculine pronoun [in the original Arabic] is used with regard to the issue of purification, because if there are both males and females, words appear in the masculine form. This is the case here, since the purification issue includes all the members of the household (Ah1 al-Bayt). 'Ali, Fitimah, al-Hasan and al-Husayn 'Ali ibn Abi Trilib (may Allah be pleased with them) are more entitled to that than others, so the Prophet (g) singled them out in his supplication for them. Moreover, a man's wife is part of his household, so it is common in Arabic for a man to say to his friend "Kayfa ahluka (how is your family)?" meaning, "How are your wife and womenfok?" The answer will be, "Hum bikhayr [They (using the masculine plural) are fine]." AUah (g) says: "They said: (Do you wonder at the Decree of Allah? The Mercy of Allah and His Blessings be on yon, 0 the family [of Ibriiheem (Abraham)]) (Quran 11: 73). The person addressed in this verse, according to scholarly consensus, is Skah the wife of Ibraeem (m).

This indicates that a man's wife is one of his household.385 Allah (&) also says: (Then, when Moosa [Moses] had fulfilled the term, and was travelling with his family, he saw a fire in the direction of Tilr [Mount]. He said to his family: 'Wait, I have seen a fie; perhaps I may bring to you from there some information, or a burning firebrand that you may warm yourselves'% (Quran 28: 29). The person addressed here is the wife of Moosa (m). Allah (&) says: (And mention in the Book [the Quran] Ismri'eel [Ishmael]. Verily, he was true to what he promised, and he was a Messenger, [and] a Prophet. And he used to enjoin on his family and his people As-Sala [the prayers] and the Zakrit, and his Lord was pleased with himb (Quran 19: 54-55).

Who are his family whom he used to enjoin to pray? This is like the verse in which Allah (g) says, addressing the Prophet (s): (And enjoin AS-Sala [the prayer] on your family, and be patient in offering them [i.e. the Saliih @rayers)].D (Quran 20: 132). Undoubtedly the word family here includes his wives, or at least Khadeejah, as this surah was revealed in ~ a k k a h . ~ ' ~ Allah (%) says: (So they raced wrth one another to the door, and she tore his shirt from the back. They both found her lord [i.e. her 'Ali's attitude towards the Kharfjites and Shia husband] at the door. She said: 'What is the recompense [punishment] for him who intended an evil design against your wife [ahlika], except that he be put in prison or a painful torment?) (Quran 12: 25) This refers to the ruler of Egypt. In the phrase, "What is the recompense (punishment) for him who intended an evil design against your wife [ahlika]," the word translated as wife here is ahl (which is usually translated as 'family').

This is quite c ~ e a r . ~ ~ ' The idea of removing ar-rijs (evil deeds and sins) does not, in either the Arabic language or the language of the Quran, imply infallibility at all. Ar-R2ghib al-Isfah2ni said in Mufradrit Alf& alQuran, under the heading rajasa: "The word ar-rijs refers to something dirty, so it may be said rajul rajsi (a dirty man) or rij6l arj& (dnty men). Allah (&) says: (...are an abomination [rijs] of Satan's handiwork) (Quran 5: 90). From the point of view of Sbaria, rijs refers to alcohol and gambling. The disbelievers are regarded as rijs because believing in polytheism is the most abhorrent of all things. Allah (B) says: (But as for those in whose hearts is a disease [of doubt, disbelief and hypocrisy], it will add suspicion and doubt [rijsan] to their suspicion, disbelief and doubt [ila rijsihim]) (Quran 9: 125).

Allah also says: (And He will put the wrath [al-rijs] on those who are heedless.) (Quran 10: 100). It was said that ar-rijs means stench, or torment, as in the verses @erily, the Mushrikoon [polytheists, pagans, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah, and in the Message of Muhammad] are Najasun [impure]) (Quran 9: 28) and (or the flesh of swine [pork]; for that surely, is impure [rijslb (Quran 6: 145). To sum up, the basic meaning of the word rijs is dirt or filth, and it is used to refer to polytheism, as in the verse, (So shun the abomination [rijs] [worshipping] of idols, and shun lying speech [false statements1.b (Quran 22: 30). The word is also used to refer to h a r k and evil things, such as food and drink, as in the verses: (Say 'Ali ibn Abi Tilib [O Muhammad]: 'I find not in that which has been revealed to me anything forbidden to be eaten by one who wishes to eat it, unless it be Mayfah [a dead animal] or blood poured forth [by slaughtering or the like], or the flesh of swine [pork]; for that surely, is impure or impious [unlawful] meat...') (Quran 6: 145) and (Intoxicants [all kinds of alcoholic drinks], and gambling, and Al-AnsLib [stone altars for sacrifices to idols, etc.], and Al-AzlZm [arrows for seeking luck or decision] are an abomination [rijs] of ShaytLin's [Satan's] handiwork$ (Quran 5: 90). There is no proof that the Quran uses the word rijs to refer to sin in a general sense, such that removing rijs would imply infallibility."388 Purification from rijs is not an affirmation of infallibility for anyone. Just as the word rijs does not refer to a man's sins or errors in ijtihid ((reasoning and deriving rulings) and instead refers to dirt, stench and impurities - both tangible and intangible, so too the word purification does not imply infallibility.

Allah (&)wants to purify all the believers, not just the members of the Prophet's household, even though Ah1 al-Bayt are the most entitled and most deserving of purification among people. Allah (&) says in His Book about the Companionsof the Messenger of Allah (@): (Allah does not want to place you in difficulty, but He wants to purify you, and to complete His Favour to you$ (Quran 5: 6). Allah (%) also says: (Take Sadaqah [alms1 from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them with itB (Quran 9: 103). QTruly, Allah loves those who turn unto Him in repentance and loves those who purify themselves.) (Quran 2: 222) Just as Allah (s) tells us that He wants to purify the members of the Prophet's household (Ah1 al-Bayt), He also tells us that He wants to purify the believers. If the fact that Allah (&) wants to 'Ali's attitude towards the Kharijites and Shia purify them meant infallibility, then that would have happened to the Companions and to all the believers, because of the verses stating that Allah (g) wanted to purify them. Allah (&) says of the Companions who frequented the mosque of Qub2: (In it are men who love to clean and to purify themselves.

And Allah loves those who make themselves clean and pure) (Quran 9: 108). However, these people were not infallible or protected from sin, according to consensus. Allah (s) also says of the people of Badr, of whom there were three hundred and tween men: 4And He caused water [rain] to descend on yon from the sky, to clean you thereby and to remove from you the Rijz [whispering, evil suggestions] of Shaytcin [satan].) (Quran 8: 11). This is not an affirmation of their infallibility. Moreover, there is no difference in wording between this verse and the verse in which Allah (&) says of Ah1 al-Bayt: (to remove Ar-Rijs [evil deeds and sins] f~om you, 0 members of the family [of the Prophet], and to purify you with a thorough purification), (Quran 33: 33). The words rijz and rijs are very close in meaning, and the purification mentioned in both verses is the same.

It is whims and desires that made the second verse, and not the first, evidence for infallibility. What is strange is that the Shiite scholars adhere to the verse and apply it to the people of the cloak, then interpret Allah's wanting to purify them as confuming the infallibility of the people of the cloak, yet at the same time they deliberately forget the verses in which Allah (s) speaks of wanting to purify the Companions. On the contrw, they take the opposite view and criticise the Companions, accusing them of turning back on their heels, even though Allah (&) stated that He wanted to purify them, according to the verse: (And he for whom Allah has not appointed light, for him there is no light.) (Qur'alz 24: 40).389 'Ali ibn Abi Trilib 3.2.2.e. The divine will referred to in the verse is His legislative will, which is different from His universal decree. In other words, it means: AUah (s) loves to remove ar-rijs (evil deeds and sins) from you. The Sunni scholars have discussed the two aspects of the divine will - the religious, legislative will and the universal, foreordaining will - and they said: "The religious, legislative will includes that which Allah (s) loves and approves of, as in the verses where AUah (&) says: (Allah intends for you ease, and He does not want to make things difficult for you.) (Quran 2: 185) and BAllah wishes to accept your repentance, but those who follow their lusts, wish that you [believers] should deviate tremendously away [from the Right Path].

Allah wishes to lighten [the burden] for you; and man was created weak) (Quran 4: 27-28). "The universal, foreordaining will is that which encompasses all of His creation, as in the verses where Allah (a) says: 4But AUah does what He likes$ (Quran 2: 253) and 4And my advice will not profit you, even if I wish to give you good counsel, if Allah's Will is to keep you astray$ (Quran 11: 34). "Sin comes under the heading of the universal, foreordaining will. AUah b+&) does not love, approve of or enjoin sin; rather He despises it, hates it and forbids it. This is the view of all the early generations and the imams (leading scholars); they differentiated between the divine will, which encompasses that which He loves and is pleased with, and the universal, foreordaining divine will and decree, which does not necessarily include that which He loves and approves of."390 Undoubtedly Allah (&) removed ar-rijs from Fshmah, alHasan, al-Husayn, 'Ali and the wives of the Prophet (may Allah be 'Ali's attitude towards the Kharijites and Shia pleased with them all), but the divine will referred to in this verse is the legislative will. Hence it says in the hadith that when the Prophet (g) wrapped them in the cloak, he said: "0 Allah, these are the people of my household, remove from them ~ r - r i j s .

" ~ ~ ' 3.2.2.f. The supplication of the Prophet (&J settles the matter. If there was any indication in the verse of purification that purification of the people of the cloak had already taken place, the Messenger of Allah (B) would not have covered them with the cloak and prayed for them by saying, "0 Allah, these are the people of my household, remove from them ~r-rijs."~~' This is clear evidence that the verse was revealed concerning the wives of the Prophet (g), ~ ~ and the Messenger of AUah (&) wanted the people of the cloak to be included in this divine revelation of purification, so he gathered them and covered them with the cloak and prayed for them, and Allah (&) accepted his supplication for them393 and purified them as He (a) purified the wives of the Prophet, as indicated by the text of the verse. 3.2.2.g. Among the refutations proving that the verse does not indicate imamate and infallibility is the fact that what they claim as being unique to Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali, awasan and al-Husayn (may AUah be pleased with them) on the basis of this verse would also apply to Fstimah (I&). However, the position of leadership cannot be . , proven for women. If this is evidence that those who are included in the verse are infallible and deserve to be leaders, then Fztimah (%) would be like that too, in the same (true) sense.

This indicates that the verse is not speaking about imamate or infallibility. Another point is the fact that nine of their Imams are not referred to in this verse, because it refers to three of the twelve only.394 'Ali ibn Abi Ttlib 3.2.3. Their evidence from their own reports The Twelvers base their beliefs in infallibility and other matters on the reports narrated by the author of al-Krfi, Ibr2heem alQummi, al-Majlisi and others of their kind. The reports that affirm this so-called infallibility for the twelve Imams are strange both in their texts and their chains of narration. In his book about the infallibility of their Imams, al-Majlisi quoted twenty-three reports from his shaykhs such as al-Qurnmi, al- 'Ayyishi, al-Mufeed and others, after quoting this verse as evidence: (And [remember] when the Lord of Ibr2heem [Abraham] [i.e., Allah] tried him with [certain] Commands, which he fulfilled. He [Allah] said [to him], 'Verily, I am going to make you an Imam [a leader] for mankind [to follow you].' [Ibr2heem (Abraham)] said, 'And of my offspring [to make leaders].' [Allah] said, 'My Covenant [prophethood] includes not @2limoorz [polytheists and wrongdoersl'b (Quran 2: 124).

This shows that their interpretation of the verse to prove their point is false. In al-Kzfi, al-Knlayni wrote a number of chapters about this so-called infallibility, in which he quoted reports with chains of narration from the twelve Imams, claiming that they were infallible and even partners in prophethood; they even claimed to have some divine attributes. You will find some examples of that in al-Kdfi, in the chapter on their beliefs in the basic principles of faith. In the chapter entitled, "The Imams are the pillars of the earth," there are three reports which say that the twelve Imams are like the Messenger of Allah (&) in that they must be obeyed; they are like the Prophet (g) in virtue and with regard to the duties that they were given, and obedience was due to 'Ali (&) after the Messenger of Allah (g) as it was due to the Messenger of Allah (@).395 Soon after that, the author raises 'Ali to a status higher than that of the Messenger of Allah (@), to the status of the Lord of the 'Ali's attitude towards the Kharijites and Shia Worlds, when he says that 'Ali said: "I have been given attributes that were not given to anyone before me. I have been given knowledge of death and calamities, so I did not miss knowledge of what came before me, and knowledge of what is in tbe future is not withheld from me."396 In reality, the only One who has knowledge of death and calamities is Allah (B): $No person knows what he will earn tomorrow, and no person knows in what land he will die), (Quran 31: 34). Nothing escapes His knowledge, for He is the Creator (&).

Allah (&) says: 4N0t even the weight of an atom [or a small ant] or less than that or greater escapes His Knowledge in the heavens or in the earth), (Quran 34: 3). The one who studies the chapter of al-K6ji on this topic will note that it includes claims similar to those of false prophets and heretics throughout history; the only difference is that they attributed these fabrications to a number of the members of Ah1 a l - ~ a ~ t . ~ ~ ~ 3.2.4. Their rational evidence for infallibility They say that it is essential for the Ummah to have an infallible leader to correct its mistakes because if it were possible for him to make mistakes, then he would need someone else to correct him, and thus there would be an endless chain ... so there must be a leader who is infallible. This is because their reliance is on the leader (the Imam) and not on the Ummah. They say that he is the protector of Shariah, that there can be no reliance on the Quran, Snnnah or scholarly consensus without him, and so on.398 As a matter of fact, the exact opposite is true. The Ummah is protected from error (infallible) by means of the Book of its Lord and the Sunnah of its Prophet (g), for the Ummah cannot be united on misguidance.

The infallibility of the Ummah means that there is no need for the ruler (the Imam) to be infallible himself. This was stated by the scholars with regard to the wisdom behind the infallibility of 'Ali ibn Abi Ttlib the Ummah; they said: 'When the nations before us changed their religion, Allah sent a Prophet to show them the truth. But there is no Prophet after the Prophet of this Ummah; therefore its infallibility takes the place of prophethood. If anyone tries to alter the religion, Allah will enable and inspire someone to explain the error of his ways. Hence Allah mentioned the way of the believers alongside obedience to His Prophet when He (s) said: #And whoever contradicts and opposes the Messenger [Muhammad] after the right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than the believers' way, We shall keep him in the path he has chosen, and bum him in hell -what an evil destination!8 (Quran 4: 115). So the infallibility of the Ummah and its protection against misguidance, as mentioned in the Islamic texts, is completely different from the idea that one of the Muslims must be infallible and that it is possible for the entire Muslim community to fall into error if there is no infallible leader among them."399 All the words that they wrote, filling many pages with their rational evidence to confirm the need for an infallible Imam, are fulfilled in the Messenger (&).

Hence in the case of a dispute, the Ummah refers to what the Messenger brought, namely the Quran and Sunnah, they do not refer to the ruler (the Imam). @i[And] if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to AUah and His Messenger) (Quran 4: 59). The scholars said that this means: "Refer to the Book of Allah and to His Prophet (&), and after he dies, refer to his ~unnah."~" With the guidance provided by the Quran and Sunnah, the Ummah cannot unite on misguidance, because it will never be without those who adhere to both, until the Hour begins. Hence proof was established for the Ummah by means of the Messengers. Allah (,gy;i) says: #Verily, We have sent the Revelation to you [0 Muhammad] as We sent the Revelation to Nooh moah] and the Prophets after him; We 'Ali's attitude towards the Khartjites and Shia [also] sent the Revelation to Ibriheem [Abraham], Ismi'eel [Ishmael], Ishiq [Isaac], Ya'qoob [Jacob], and Al-Asbit [the offspring of the twelve sons of Ya'qoob (Jacob)], 'Eesa [Jesus], Ayyoob [Job], Yoonus [Jonah], Hiroon [Aaron], and Sulaymib [Solomon]; and to D2wood [David] We gave the Zahoor [Psalmsl. And Messengers We have mentioned to you before, and Messengers We have not mentioned to you, - and to Moosa [Moses] Allah spoke directly. Messengers as bearers of good news as well as of warning in order that mankind should have no plea against Allah after the [coming ofl Messengers.) (Quran 4: 163-165) Allah (s) did not add "and the Imams".

This proves false the view of those who believe that people need someone other than the Messengers, such as the ~ m a m s . ~ ~ ~ Their claim of infallibility has no proof except for their suggestion that Allah (B) will never leave the world devoid of infallible Imams, because of the interests and mercy to he found in that. But it is well known that no interest or mercy has been achieved by this supposed absent, awaited Imam; the same is true of his grandfathers who preceded him. No interest or mercy was achieved by any infallible Imam as was achieved after the Hijrah by the Prophet (s). He was the leader of the believers, whom they had to obey and-through whom they achieved happiness. After he died, authority was not acquired by anyone whom they can claim was infallible except 'Ali (&). It is also known that the interests and mercy enjoyed by the believers at the time of the three previous caliphs were greater and better than those during 'Ali's caliphate, which was a time of killing, turmoil and divi~ion.~' With regard to the other Imams, who are lower than 'Ali (&) in status, people could acquire from their knowledge and examples what they could acquire from others like them.

'Ali ihn al-Husayn and his son Abu Ja'far, and the two sons of Ja'far ihn Muhammad, 'Ali ibn Abi Tilib taught peopIe that which Allah (&) taught them, in the same manner as other imams of their time. During their eras, there were other scholars who were more knowledgeable and more beneficial than them, and this is well known among the scholars. Even if they were more knowledgeable and more religiously committed, people of knowledge and religious commitment could not achieve what could be achieved by people in positions of power and authority, who were able to oblige the people to adhere to the truth and prevent them from indulging in falsehood. The Imams after these three, such as the two al-'Askaris, did not show great knowledge from which the U r n a h could benefit, and they did not perform any actions from which the Ummah could benefit. They were just like other members of Banu Hiishim who had a certain sanctity and status, and they had enough knowledge about Islam to fulfil their religious duties, which is knowledge that many ordinary Muslims also had; that should he expected of people like them. Hence the scholars did not take from them as they had taken from the first three.40" 3.2.5.

General discussion of the idea of infallibility of the Imams The claim of infallibility of the Imams is similar to giving them a share of prophethood. The infallible one must be followed in all that he says, and it is not permissible to go against him in any way. This is something that is only for the Prophets, hence we are enjoined to believe in what was revealed to them. Allah (@) says: aSay [O Muslims]: We believe in Allah and that which has been sent down to us and that which has been sent down to Ibr&eem [Abraham], Ismii'eel [Ishmael], Ishi? [Isaac], Ya'qoob [Jacob], and to Al-Asbiit [the offspring of the twelve sons of Ya'qoob (Jacob)], and that which has been given to Moosa [Moses] and 'Eesa [Jesus], and that which has been given to the Prophets from their Lord. We make no 'Ali's attitude towards the Kharijites and Shia distinction between any of them, and to Him we have submitted [in Islam]% (Quran 2: 136). We are directed to say: "We believe in what was given to the Prophets." Belief in what the Prophets brought is one of the tenets that we are obliged to say and believe in; this is something on which there is consensus among the Muslims.

The one who regards anyone after the F'rophet as infallible in all that he says has given him the status of prophethood, even if he does not call him This is contrary to the religion of Islam; it is contrary to the Quran, the Sunnah and the consensus of the early generations and leading scholars of the Ummah. With regard to the Quran, AUah says: 40 you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger [Muhammad], and those of you [Muslims] who are in authority. [And] if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger) (Quran 4: 59). He commands us, in the case of a dispute, to refer only to Allah (&) and the Messenger. If the people had any figure who was infallible, apart from the Messenger (g), Allah would have enjoined us to refer to him, so the Quran indicates that there is no infallible figure after the Messenger (g).405 ~ l l a h (&) says: #And whoso obey Allah and the Messenger [Muhammad], then they will be in the company of those on whom Allah has bestowed His Grace, of the Prophets, the Siddeeqoon [those followers of the Prophets who were first and foremost to believe in them, like Abn Bakr as-Siddeeq], the martyrs, and the righteous. And how excellent these companions are!) (Quran 4: 69) dAnd whosoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, then verily, for him is the fire of hell, he shall dwell therein forever.) (Quran 72: 23) 'Ali ibn Abi Tilib So the Quran, in more than one place, indicates that the one who obeys the Messenger is one of the blessed, and it is not stipulated that he obey any other infallible figure.

In the same way, the one who disobeys the Messenger is one of the doomed, even if he obeys one whom he thinks is infallible. The scholars are unanimously agreed that the words of every person may be accepted or rejected except the Messenger of AUah (g). He must be believed in everything he says and followed in everything he commands. His prohibitions must be heeded, and AUah should only be worshipped in the ways he prescribes. He is the one who is infallible, and he does not speak of @ns own) desire; it is only a revelation revealed.406 The Sunnah also indicates this, but the Shia only refer to the words of their Imams. Below are some words of Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&), . .. which prove that their understanding is flawed.

There are reports narrated in Nahj al-Balighah, a book in which the Shia believe, which demolish all that they have built of claims that the Imams are infallible. Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&>) says, according to what is narrated by the author of Nahj alBalighah: "Do not try to flatter me, do not think that I would be upset when you tell me the truth and do not think that I want to be above people, for if a person finds truth burdensome when it is told to him or finds justice burdensome when it is discussed with him, he will find acting upon them to be even more burdensome. So do not refrain from speaking the truth or advising me to be fair and just, for I myself am not above making mistakes and am not safe from e r r ~ r . " ~ ' Here he does not claim what the Shia claim for him, that he does not make mistakes; on the contrary, he confums that he is not safe from error. Similarly, he does not say that he has no need of people's advice; rather he seeks advice on the basis of truth and justice, because the Ummah cannot unite on misguidance, but each individual on his own is vulnerable to misguidance. Thus we know that the claim of infallibility comes from the extreme ~ h i a . ~ " 'Ali's attitude towards the Kharijites and Shia It also says in Nahj al-Balighah: 'The people have no choice but to have a leader, whether he is righteous or a wrongdoer, under whose leadership the believer will strive and under whose authority the fay' will be collected, the enemy will be fought, the roads will be kept safe and the weak will be supported against the strong."409 We can see that infallibility is not stipulated for the ruler and is not referred to at all.

He thought that it was essential to appoint a leader to serve the interests of the people and the countq, but he did not say that no one should be in charge of the people's affairs except an infallible Imam, or that every banner that is raised other than the banner of the infallible one is a banner of ignorance, as the books of the Shia say. He did not limit rulership to the twelve who are regarded as infallible by the Shia, or regard as disbelievers those who take positions of leadership, such as the caliphs of the Muslims - as is the view of the Shia. He thought that it was essential for there to be a ruler, even if he is a wrongdoer, and he regarded his leadership as legitimate. He considered it permissible to engage in jihad under the leadership of a bad ruler. What does this have to do with what the Shia believe - that jihad is not permissible until the Awaited one4'' emerges, because legitimate mlership is limited to the twelve Imams? The Imams admitted their sins and asked Allah for forgiveness for them.

According to Nalzj al-Bakighah, Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&) said in his supplication: "0 Allah, forgive me for what You know better than I, and if I repeat it, then forgive me again. 0 Allah, forgive me for what I have promised but which You did not find fulfilled with me. 0 Allah, forgive me for what I said for the purpose of drawing close to You but which was different from what was in my heart. 0 Allah, forgive me for brief glances, saying what I did not mean, desires of the heart and slips of the tongue."4" We can see this admission of sin and of returning to it after repentance, this admission of saying what is not meant and desires of the heart. All of that is contrary to what the Shia claim of infallibility, because if 'Ali and the 'Ali ibn Abi Tilib Imams were infallible, then seeking repentance for their sins would be in vain. The books of the Shia narrate that each of their Imams sought forgiveness from Allah for sins and errors, but if they were infallible, they would not have any sin.412 The Shiite shaykhs did not know how to interpret such supplications, which are contrary to their belief in infallibility.413 There is another matter from the books of the Shia themselves that shows the claim of infallibility to be false: differences and contradictions in their views on various issues. The actions of those who are infallible should not be contradictory; they should confirm and support one another. Differences of opinion are contrary to the concept of infallibility, and infallibility is a condition of imamate in their view; hence they contradict the principle of imamate itself. The fact that there are differences and contradictions in the actions of the Imams was a direct cause of many people leaving Shiism, because they were confused about this contradiction.

For example, al-Qummi and an-Nawbakhti mentioned that after the killing of al-Hnsayn, a number of his co~npanious were confused and said: "We see a contradiction between the actions of al-Hasan and the actions of alHusayn (45). Lf what al-Hasan did - making peace with Mu'iiwiyah and giving up his leadership to him because he was unable to fight him, despite the large number and strength of his supporters - was right, correct and essential, then what al-Husayn did - fighting Yazeed ibn Mn'Zwiyah, despite the small numbers and weakness of his suppoaers and the large number of Yazeed's supporters, until he and all his companions were killed - was an invalid action that was not essential. Al-Hnsayn had a greater excuse to refrain from fighting Yazeed and to seek a peace deal than alHasan had to refrain from fighting Mu'iiwiyah. If what al-Husayn did by fighting Yazeed until he and his children and companions were killed, was right, correct and essential, then al-Hasan's giving up the 'Ali's attitude towards the Khanjites and Shia fight against Mu'%wiyah, despite the large numbers that he had with him, was wrong." They had doubts about the validity of the leadership of both, so they recanted and joined the common folk.414 As for examples of differences and contradictions in the opinions of the Imams, there are many of them, and this was another reason why some of the Shia gave up Shiism. One of the prominent Shiite scholars, at-Dosi, testified to that and said that the reports narrated from them contradicted and differed from one another to such an extent that you cannot fmd any report without finding another that conflicts with it. This is regarded as one of the greatest flaws of the Shiite madh-hab and as one of the reasons why some of the Imami Shia left the madh-hab.

The books at-Tahdheeb and alIstib~&r, which are two of the four main reference books of the Shia, bear witness to this contradiction in many of their reports. A!-Toosi tried to reconcile these differences and deal with these contradictions by interpreting some of the reports as being an example of taqiyyah, but he only succeeded in making matters worse, as at-Toosi is the one who was deciding which of these reports were and were not examples of taqiyyah and hence which reports were to be acted upon and which were not. FVhat is agreed upon is that atToosi himself was not infallible and would inevitably make mistakes in his decision on some of these reports. He may have regarded some things that were not taqiyyah as being taqiyyah, and the Shia followed him in his verdicts. It is clear that in their religious affairs, the Shia are following people like at-Toosi, and they are not following one who is infallible. The Riififidi Shia came up with their beliefs in taqiyyah and changes in the divine will, which we will discuss below, as a means of explaining these differences in the reports and actions of the Imams.

Some of the Shia discovered these attempts and found out the reason for the fabrication of these two doctrines, so they left Shiism 'Ali ibn Abi Trilib and said: The Rzfifidi Imams invented two doctrines for their followers whereby they will never notice any of the lies of their Imams, namely the idea of changes in the divine will and the permissibility of taqiyyah. There is another matter which shows the claim of infallibility to be false, which is that the infallible one whom they supposedly follow could not protect them from developing differences with regard to the foundation of their religion, namely the imamate. We find that they differ, forsake one another, curse one another and regard each other as disbelievers due to their differences with regard to the number and identities of their Imams and the question of whether to await the return of the h a m or to go ahead and choose another Imam. This is in addition to the various contradictory reports that discuss many religious issues, both basic and minor. The socalled infallibility did not prevent the Shia from differing among themselves, and the fact that the concept of infallibility did not benefit them indicates that it does not exist at all. It could be said that their belief in the infallibility of the Imams is irrelevant today anyway, since the line of the Imams effectively came to an end in 260 AH, and there is nothing left but to wait for the promised 'absent Imam'. However, this belief has an impact on the lives of the Shia today in several ways: