The reason for clinging to the ḥadīths of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a)
In order to clarify the Shī‘ah’s view regarding the ḥadīths of the Prophet’s progeny (‘a), two topics are worth considering:
- The essence of the ḥadīths of the infallible Imāms (‘a), and
- The proofs of the credibility and necessity of holding fast to the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet (ṣ).
Having provided solid proofs, we shall examine the two topics briefly:
The essence of the ḥadīths of the progeny of the Messenger of Allah (ṣ)
According to the Shī‘ah, only the Lord of the worlds has the right to legislate for human society. He disseminates sacred religious laws and ordinances to the world through His Prophet (ṣ). It is obvious that the Messenger of Allah (ṣ) is the only one who receives revelation and religious instructions from God and imparts them to the people. Therefore, it is clear that when the Shī‘ah regard the ḥadīths of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) as a source of their fiqh, this does not mean that they consider these ḥadīths as independent of the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (ṣ) but they ascribe the credibility of the ḥadīths of the Prophet’s progeny (‘a) to the fact that they clarify the meaning of the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (ṣ).
Therefore, the ḥadīths of the infallible Imāms followed by the Shī‘ah are not of their own; whatever they say is the same as the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (ṣ).
In order to prove this idea, it is appropriate to quote some of the narrations of the Prophet’s progeny (‘a):
1. In response to a man’s question, Imām aṣ-Ṣādiq (‘a) says:
“.شيء من برأينا نقول لسنا (ص) الله رسول عن فهو بشيء فيه أجبتك مهمّا”
“All the answers I give you are based on the words of the Messenger of Allah (ṣ) and we do not say anything of our own.”[1]
He (‘a) also says elsewhere:
حديث و جدّي حديث أبي حديث و أبي حديث حديثي
و الحَسن حديث الحُسين حديث و الحُسين حديث جدّي
أميرالمؤمنين حديث و أميرالمؤمنين حديث الحَسن حديث
.عزّوجلّ الله قول الله رسول حديث و (ص) الله رسول حديث
My ḥadīth is my father’s ḥadīth, and my father’s ḥadīth is my grandfather’s ḥadīth, and my grandfather’s ḥadīth is al-Ḥusayn (‘a)’s ḥadīth, and al-Ḥusayn’s ḥadīth is al-Ḥasan’s ḥadīth, and al-Ḥasan’s ḥadīth is the Commander of the Faithful’s ḥadīth, and the Commander of the Faithful’s ḥadīth is the Messenger of Allah’s ḥadīth (ṣ), and the Messenger of Allah’s ḥadīth is from Allah, the Honorable and Glorious.[2]
2. Imām Muḥammad al-Bāqir (‘a) thus says to Jābir (ibn ‘Abd Allāh al-Anṣārī):
(ص) الله رسول جدّي عن أبي حدّثني”
“.الإسناد بهٰذا أُحدّثك وكلّما عزّوجلّ الله عن u جبرئيل عن
My father narrated to me from the Messenger of Allah (ṣ), and he from Jibra’īl (Archangel Gabriel) (‘a), and Jibra’īl from God, the Honorable and Glorious, and all my narrations are based on this chain of transmission.[3]
The mentioned ḥadīths show clearly that the ḥadīths of the Imāms followed by the Shī‘ah are the very Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (ṣ).
