The Question of Imāmah

Indeed, although the descendants of the Prophet (saw) may not be far ahead of others in conviction and īmān, they are nevertheless far advanced in submission, commitment, and loyal support. For they are supporters of Islam by nature, lineage, and temperament. Even if innate loyalty is weak, inglorious, or even unjust, it is not easily abandoned.

How, then, could a person abandon his loyalty to an extraordinarily powerful, true, and glorious reality, to which his entire chain of forefathers was attached, through which they gained honour, and for which they sacrificed their lives—especially when he clearly feels how deeply rooted and natural that loyalty is?

Thus, because of this intense commitment and innate attachment to Islam, the descendants of the Prophet (saw) accept even the slightest indication in favour of Islam as though it were a powerful proof. For they are its supporters by nature. Others, by contrast, commit themselves only after witnessing a powerful proof.

The Fourth Point

In connection with the Third Point, we shall briefly mention a matter concerning which the Shī‘a and the Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘ah disagree, and which has been magnified to such an extent that it has even entered books of theology and come to be regarded as a matter related to īmān. The matter is as follows:

The followers of the Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘ah say that Ali (ra) was the fourth of the Rightly Guided Caliphs. Abū Bakr as-Siddīq (ra) was superior to him and more deserving of the caliphate; thus he became the first caliph.

The Shī‘a, however, say that Ali (ra) had the right to be the first caliph; they believe that injustice was done to him. They claim that Ali (ra) was superior to the others. The summary of their arguments regarding these claims is as follows:

The narrations of the Prophet (saw) concerning Ali (ra); his being regarded as the leader of the awliyā, by which he stands at the forefront of the great majority of the awliyā and Sufi orders; his extraordinary qualities in knowledge, courage, and worship; and the strong attachment the Prophet (saw) had to him and to his descendants—all of these, they say, show that he was most worthy of the caliphate. Under all circumstances, the caliphate was his right; yet it was taken from him.

The answer is this: the fact that Ali (ra), for more than twenty years, repeatedly acknowledged the three caliphs, accepted their succession, and held the position of Shaykh al-Islām during their rule, refutes the claim of the Shī‘a. Likewise, the conquests of Islam and the resistance against its enemies during the caliphate of the three caliphs, as well as the events that occurred during the caliphate of Ali (ra), refute the claims of the Shī‘a from the perspective of the Islamic caliphate. This confirms that the position of the Sunnis is correct.

If one were to say: the Shī‘a consist of two groups: those who regard Ali (ra) as superior to others in terms of walāyah, known as the Shī‘a of walāyah, and those who regard him as superior to others in terms of the caliphate, known as the Shī‘a of the caliphate. It may perhaps be said that the claim of the second group is unfounded because of envy and political involvement. The first group, however, is free from envy and politics. Yet the Shī‘a of walāyah have joined the Shī‘a of the caliphate. That is, a number of awliyā from the Sufi orders regard Ali (ra) as superior and confirm the claims of the Shī‘a of the caliphate.