Abu Ja`far Muhammad b. Ali b. al-Husayn b. Musa b. Babuwayh al-Qummi narrated to us. He said: Muhammad b. Musa al-Mutawakkil narrated to us. He said: Muhammad b. Ya`qub narrated to us. He said: Abu Muhammad al-Qasim b. al-`Ala’ narrated to us from `Abd al-`Aziz b. Muslim. He said: In the days of `Ali b. Musa al-Rida , we were in Marv, and we gathered in a mosque that we would attend on Friday. The people were speaking about the matter of Imamate, and they mentioned the multitude of differences of opinion regarding it. So, I visited my Master al-Rida , and I informed him of the people’s discord regarding it. So, he smiled, then said: O `Abd al-`Aziz! The people are ignorant, and they are deceived with regards to their religions. Surely, Allah did not cause His Prophet (s) to pass away without perfecting the religion for him. He revealed the Quran to him, in which there is elucidation for everything. In it, the lawful, the forbidden, the limits, and the rulings were made clear; as well as all of what the people need. So, He says, “We have neglected nothing in the Book” (6:38). At the Farewell Pilgrimage, at the end of his (s) life, this was revealed, “This day I have perfected your religion for you, and I have completed My favour unto you, and I have chosen for you Islam as a religion.” (5:3) The matter of Imamate is from the completion of religion. He (s) did not pass away until he clarified to the people the landmarks of their religion. He clarified their paths for them, left them on the way toward truth, and established `Ali as their scholar and Imam. He did not leave anything that the Nation would need except that he clarified it for them. He who alleges that Allah did not perfect His religion has turned away from the Book of Allah, and he who turns away from the Book of Allah is a disbeliever. Do they even know the significance and station of Imamate in respect to the Nation for them to dare give their opinions? Surely, Imamate is of a majestic station and great affair. It is the most exalted position, the most prohibited side, and the furthest valley for the people to try to reach with their intellects, attain with their opinions; or [even] establish an Imam by their own selection. The Imamate is something Allah selected Ibrahim the Friend (s) with after prophethood and friendship as a third rank. It is a virtue that He lauded him with, and He mentions it, “Surely, I have made you an Imam for the people”, so the Friend , joyed by it, said, “and from my descendants?” So, Allah said, “My covenant does not go to the oppressors” (2:124). This verse invalidates the Imamate (leadership) of every oppressor until the Day of Resurrection; and it went to the elite ones. Allah honoured him by making his progeny the elite, pure people, for He says, “We blessed him with Ishaq and Ya`qub in addition, who We made of the righteous. We made them Imams who guide by Our command. We revealed to them the doing of good works, establishing prayer and giving alms; and they were worshipers of Us.” (21:73-74) His progeny did not stop inheriting it, one after the other, century after century, until it was inherited by the Prophet (s). So, He says, “Those who have most right to Ibrahim are those who follow him, this Prophet, and those who believe – and Allah is the Guardian of the believers.” (3:68) So, it was specifically for him, and the Prophet (s) bequeathed it to `Ali by the command of Allah and in accordance with what Allah has ordained. Then, it went to his progeny, whom Allah gave knowledge and faith – by His saying, “As for those who were given knowledge and faith, they will say: ‘You remained, in accordance with Allah’s decree, until the Day of Resurrection’” (30:56) – so it is specifically in the progeny of `Ali until the Day of Resurrection; and there is no prophet after Muhammad (s). So, how can these ignorant ones choose [for themselves]? Surely, the Imamate is the station of the prophets and the inheritance of the deputies. Surely, Imamate is the vicegerency (khilafa) of Allah, the vicegerency of the Messenger (s), the rank of Amir al-Mu’minin , and the inheritance of al-Hasan and al-Husayn . Surely, Imamate is the reins of the religion, the order of the Muslims, the rectification of this world, and the glory of the Muslims. Surely, Imamate is the foundation of Islam and its lofty branch. Through the Imam, prayer, alms, fasting, Hajj, jihad, the giving of fay’, charity, the implementation of penalties and rulings, and the frontiers are perfected. The Imam makes permissible what Allah makes permissible and makes forbidden what Allah makes forbidden. He establishes the limits of Allah, defends the religion of Allah, and calls to the way of his Lord with wisdom, goodly exhortations, and clear proof. The Imam is like the Sun that rises over the world, in the horizons where no hands and no vision can encompass it. The Imam is the shining full Moon, the illuminating glow, the dazzling light, and the guiding star in the shroud of darkness, barren wastelands, and depths of the sea. The Imam is fresh water during thirst, the indicator to guidance, and the saviour from apostasy. The Imam is the fire of the highlands, heat for whoever needs it, and the indicator for the wayfarer – he who opposes it is destroyed. The Imam is the raincloud, the falling rain, the illuminating Sun, the soft earth, the abundant river, and the meadowy brook. The Imam is the trustworthy friend, the kind father, the caring brother, and the shelter for servants during catastrophe. The Imam is the trustee of Allah in His Earth, His Proof over His servants, His vicegerent in His lands, the caller to Allah, and the defender of the sanctity of Allah. The Imam is the purifier from sins and the curer of blemishes. He is the specialist of knowledge, bestowed with forbearance, the order of the religion, the glory of the Muslims, the wrath against the hypocrites, and the destruction against the disbelievers. The Imam is the foremost of his time – no scholar is equal to him, and there is no substitute to him. None resemble or match him. He has been wholly specified with virtue, without a need for him to seek it or reap it; surely, he is specified by the Bestower of Virtue and Gifts. So, who is him who reaches full recognition of the Imam or subjects him to their choosing? Far, far have their intellects deviated, their imaginations strayed, their minds bewildered, their eyes perplexed, their great ones drifted, their wise ones confused, their sensible ones fallen short, their preachers confined, their hearts become ignorant, their poets become speechless, and their writers become incapable. The rhetoricians cannot describe one quality of his qualities, or one virtue of his virtues, so they acknowledge their inability and shortcoming. How can [the Imam] be described in his essence? How can one comprehend a thing of his matter? How can one find one present to take his place and his prosperity? How, when he is as far as a star from the hands of the takers and the description of the describers? Where is the choice here? Where are the intellects with respect to this? What is comparable to this? Do they think that this [Imamate] exists outside of the Family of the Messenger ? By Allah, they have belied themselves and led themselves into fallacies. They have risen to a confuted difficulty and their feet have slipped to the bottom. They want to establish an Imam with minds that are perplexed, perverted, and partial, and with imprudent perspectives. They do not increase in it except in distance. “May Allah destroy them – how deluded they are!” (63:4) They have run into difficulty, spoken calumnies, deviated far astray, and trapped themselves in perplexity because they have abandoned the Imam. Satan has adorned their deeds for them, misguiding them from the path when they were able to see. They have gone from the selection of Allah and His Messenger to their own selection, when the Quran calls to them, “Your Lord creates what He wills, and He selects what is good for them. May Allah be glorified from what the pagans [claim].” (28:68). He says, “It is not for a believing male or female to have a choice in their affair if Allah and His Messenger commanded something.” (33:36) He says, “How is the matter with you? How do you judge? Do you have a scripture which you read that you will have whatever you choose? Or do you have oaths binding on Us until the Day of Resurrection that you will have whatever you decide? Ask them which of them can guarantee that? Or do they have partners? Then let them bring their partners if they are truthful.” (68:36-41) He says, “Do they not contemplate over the Quran, or are there locks on their hearts?” (47:24) Has Allah sealed their hearts, so they cannot understand? Or, “they say: ‘we listened’, but they do not listen. Surely, the evillest of creatures to Allah is the deaf and dumb that cannot think. Had Allah known of any good in them, He would have made them listen. If He had made them listen, they would have still turned away whilst refusing.” (8:22-23) “They said: ‘We listen and we disobey’” (2:93) Rather, “that is the blessing of Allah. He bestows it upon whom He wills. Allah is of great blessing.” (62:4) So, how would they have a choice in the Imam, when the Imam is knowing and not ignorant? He is a tireless shepherd, and the source of sanctity, purity, offering, asceticism, knowledge, and worship. He is specified by the call of the Messenger. He is of the pure, chaste lineage – he is not of an obscure ancestry, and no nobleman comes close to him. He is of the House from Quraysh, crystallized from Hashim; from the progeny of the Family of the Messenger (s), from Allah's acceptance. He is the noblest of nobles, and he is a branch from `Abd al-Manaf. He is well-versed in knowledge, perfect in forbearance, in charge of leadership, proficient in civilizing, obligatory in obedience, establishing the command of Allah, an advisor to the servants of Allah, and a protector of the religion of Allah. Surely, the prophets and the Imams are supported by Allah. He gives them of His stored knowledge and His forbearance, which is not given to anyone else. Their knowledge is above the knowledge of the people of their time – as per His saying, “Is, then, He who guides to the truth more worthy of being obeyed, or he who has no guidance at all unless he is guided [by someone else]?” (10:35) Also, His saying, “He who is given wisdom has been given much good.” (2:269) Also, His saying with regards to Talut, “Surely, Allah has selected him over you, and increased him in knowledge and in physique. Allah gives His kingdom to whomever He wills – and Allah is encompassing in knowledge.” (2:247) Also, He said to His Prophet (s), “The blessing of Allah upon you is great.” (4:113) He says, regarding the Imams from his Ahl al-Bayt, his progeny and his offspring (s), “Do the people envy those whom Allah has given His blessing? For We have given the Family of Ibrahim the Book and the wisdom, and We gave them a great kingdom. From them are those who believe in Him, and from them are those who reject Him – and Hell is a sufficient blaze.” (4:54-55) When Allah chooses a servant for the affairs of His worshipers, Allah expands his chest for that, puts fountains of wisdom in his heart, and inspires (ilham) him with knowledge. After that, he is aware of no other answer, and his reasoning remains consistent. He is immaculate, aided, supported, and directed. He is safe from errors, slips, and stumbles – Allah specifies this for him so that he may be His proof over His servants and His witness over His creation. “That is the blessing of Allah. He bestows it upon whom He wills. Allah is of great blessing.” (62:4) So, are they capable of being something like this, so that they may select him? Or, is the one that they select capable of taking on this description? They have transgressed, and the House of Allah is the truth. They threw the Book of Allah behind their backs, as though they do not know; and in the Book of Allah is guidance and healing, but they neglected it and followed their whims. So, Allah cursed them, despised them, and made them miserable. He says, “Who is more misguided than him who follows his whims without guidance from Allah? Surely, Allah does not guide the oppressive people.” (28:50) He says, “May they be doomed and may He render their deeds void.” (47:8) He says, “It is greatly hateful in the sight of Allah and in the sight of those who believe. In this way, Allah seals the heart of every arrogant tyrant.” (40:35)