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Infallibility

 Chapter 7 

Infallibility

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       The Shi'a school of thought maintains the belief that all the prophets of Allah, from Adam (pbuh) to Muhammad (pbuh&hf), as well as the twelve successors to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh&hf) and his daughter Lady Fatima al-Zahra' (pbut), were infallible throughout their entire lives and never committed any type of sin that would dissatisfy Allah.  The clearest way to see this point is to consider that these people were the examples sent for humanity to follow, and so if they committed errors, people would be obliged to follow even their errors, thereby rendering the prophets and messengers unreliable.  Infallibility means protection, and, in Islamic terminology, means the spiritual grace of Allah enabling a person to abstain from sins by his own free will.  The power of infallibility or sinlessness does not make a person incapable of committing sins; rather, he refrains from sins and mistakes by his own power and will.

       Infallibility is essential to the prophets and messengers since their job is not only to convey the divine scriptures of Allah but also to lead and guide humanity towards the right path.  Therefore, they must be role models and perfect examples for all mankind.  Both the Holy Qur'an and conventional wisdom illustrate this point; the Holy Qur'an mentions infallibility thirteen times.  Allah says to Satan: "Certainly you shall have no authority over My servants except those who follow you and go astray."[86]  Satan says back to Allah: "By Your might, I will surely mislead them all, except Your chosen servants among them (the messengers and the imams)."[87]

       There are some verses in the Holy Qur'an which might imply that some of the prophets (such as Adam, Moses (Musa), or Jonah (Yunus)) committed sins.  As for Prophet Adam (pbuh), he did not disobey the obligatory commands of Allah; the command that he did not honor was a recommended one, not a mandatory one, and so - according to Islamic terminology - he did not commit a sin.  "And indeed We made a covenant with Adam before, but he forgot, and We found on his part no firm willpower ('azm)."  His guilt was that he did not have willpower, but he did not violate Allah's rules since the commands were advisory, not obligatory, and so the result of his behavior was to lose the privilege granted him: "Verily, you have a promise from Us that you will never be hungry therein, nor naked, and you will not suffer from thirst therein, nor from the sun's heat."[88]  When speaking about the disobedience of Prophet Adam (pbuh), the Holy Qur'an does not mean disobedience in the literal term; it means that it is not expected from a person like Prophet Adam (pbuh) who is a leader for humanity not to adhere to Allah's advisory commands.  Therefore, such an act is labeled allegorically as a sin in the Holy Qur'an.

       As for Prophet Moses (pbuh), the Holy Qur'an says about him: "And they have a charge of crime against me, and I fear they will kill me."[89]  This charge came about when he pushed a man and inadvertently killed him.  At that time, Prophet Moses (pbuh) was defending one of his tribesmen, and when he pushed the man from the Pharaoh's side, it happened that the man was so weak that he fell to the ground and died.  Prophet Moses (pbuh) did not intend to kill him, but he fled the scene because he did not want to fall captive to the Pharaoh and his army, which was searching for him.  When Prophet Moses (pbuh) speaks of them having a "charge of crime" against him, he is reiterating the accusations of the Pharaoh's people, not necessarily believing that those accusations are true.

     The case of Prophet Jonah (Yunus) (pbuh) is similar.  The Qur'an says: "And remember, when he went off in anger, and he imagined that We would not confine him.  But he cried through the darkness, saying, 'There is no Lord except You.  Glory be to You!  Surely I have been one of those who did injustice to their own souls'."[90]   In this case, Prophet Jonah (pbuh) means that he had been wrongdoing to himself, but doing wrong to one's self is neither a sin nor a mistake.  He had been "wrongdoing to himself" by being impatient with his followers and fleeing them when they persisted in rejecting his call to worship Allah and ridiculed him until he left them to face their destiny.

       Most of the verses of the Holy Qur'an which might imply that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh&hf) committed a sin have deeper, hermeneutic interpretations.  Not all of the verses of the Qur'an are meant to be taken literally; a deeper meaning lies behind many of them.  "It is He who has sent down to you the Book.  In it are verses that are entirely clear. They are the foundations of the book.  And (there are) others not entirely clear (i.e. allegorical), so as for those in whose hearts there is a deviation, they follow that which is not entirely clear thereof, seeking dispute (fitna) and seeking to divert the true meaning.  But none knows the hidden meanings save Allah and those firmly grounded in knowledge (the Holy Prophet and the ahl al-bayt)."[91]  Furthermore, the character and general respect accorded to the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) shows without a doubt that he was not one of the wrongdoers.

       Inappropriate narrations are found in some books of hadith regarding violations committed by various prophets of Allah.  For example, Imam Bukhari narrates:

  'Umar sought permission from the Messenger of Allah (pbuh&hf) to visit him when some women of Quraysh were busy talking with him (pbuh&hf) and raising their voices above his voice.  When 'Umar sought permission, they stood up and went hurriedly behind the curtain.  The Messenger of Allah (pbuh&hf) gave him permission smilingly.  Thereupon 'Umar said: "O Messenger of Allah, may Allah keep you happy all your life."  Then the Messenger of Allah (pbuh&hf) said: "I wonder at those women who were with me, and no sooner did they hear your voice than they immediately wore the hijab."[92] 

  Similarly, Imam Muslim narrates:

  Abu Bakr came to see me (the Holy Prophet Muhammad) and I had two girls with me from among the girls of the Ansar, and they were singing what the Ansar recited to one another at the Battle of Bu'ath.  They were not, however, singing girls.  Upon (seeing) this, Abu Bakr said: "What?  This wind instrument of Satan (being played) in the house of the Messenger of Allah, and this too on 'Id day?"  At this, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh&hf) said: "Abu Bakr, every people have a festival, and this is our festival (so let them play on)."[93]

  It has also been narrated that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh&hf) was seen standing and urinating in public.[94]  Clearly, acts which the first and second caliphs and the laymen alike would consider un-Islamic would not have been done openly by the Prophet of Allah (pbuh&hf).  No Muslim could accept such behavior from the leader of humanity whose example the Holy Qur'an commands to be followed all aspects.  In the books of hadith, there are other unreliable narrations which contradict wisdom and common sense.

  Similar narrations also exist about some of the other Prophets of Allah; for example: 

  The Angel of Death came to Moses (pbuh) and said: Respond to (the call of) Allah (i.e. be prepared for death).  Moses (pbuh) gave a blow at the eye of the Angel of Death and knocked it out.  The Angel went back to Allah and said: You sent me to your servant who does not want to die, and he knocked out my eye.  Allah restored his eye.[95]

  An ordinary Muslim who attacked a man who was doing his normal duty would be called an abuser and an offender, and charges would be brought against him.  Such behavior is completely unbelievable if the person is one of the five universal Prophets sent to guide, enlighten, and educate people with their fine examples and morality.  Why would one such as Prophet Moses (pbuh) attack the Angel of Death who came to bring him closer to Allah?  Narrations like this one are completely unacceptable, and the wise Muslims must open their eyes to such stories in the books of hadith which have no harmony with the teachings of the Holy Qur'an.

      Notes:

  [86] Qur'an 15:42

[87] Qur'an 38:82

[88] Qur'an 20:118-119

[89] Qur'an 26:14

[90] Qur'an 21:87

[91] Qur'an 3:7

[92] Sahih Bukhari, Book on the Beginning of Creation, hadith #3051, Book on Outstanding Traits, hadith #3407; Good Manners, hadith #5621; Sahih Muslim, Book on the Merits of the Companions, hadith #4410; Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, 1:171, 182, 187

[93] Sahih Bukhari, Book on Friday Prayer, hadith #897; Sahih Muslim, Book on the 'Id Prayers, hadith #1479; al-Nisa'i, Book on the 'Id Prayers, hadith #1575, #1576, #1577, and #1579; Sunan ibn Majah, Book on Marriage, hadith #1888; Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal part 6, p. 166, 186, 247

[94] Sahih Muslim, Bab al-Hirab wal-Darq Yawm al-'Id; Muslim, Book of Taharah, ch. 22; Sahih Bukhari, Book of Wudu', vol. 1

[95] Sahih Bukhari, Book on Funerals, hadith #1253; Sahih Muslim, Book in the Virtues, hadith #4374; al-Nisa'i, Book on Funerals, hadith #2062; Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, 2:269, 315, 351, 533

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