The Superiority Among the Ahl al-Bayt

Question

The question addresses the concept of superiority among the Ahl al-Bayt, asking if such a distinction exists and in what aspects it may be found. It also raises a concern about whether the existence of superiority contradicts the idea of the Ahl al-Bayt being the perfect human beings. [AR_ID:2329]

Answer 1

Peace be upon you.

☆ Regarding the issue of superiority among the Imams, there are multiple opinions:

¤ One opinion denies superiority, asserting that all of them are equal in virtue.

¤ Another opinion suggests that superiority exists based on their order.

¤ A further view posits that the companions of the cloak hold the highest rank, with Ali being the best, followed by the Mahdi, and then the other nine descendants of Hussein.

⊙ Al-Karajaki, may Allah have mercy on him, indicates in his work that the last opinion is attributed to the beliefs of the Shia, stating that it must be believed that the best of the Imams is Amir al-Mu'minin Ali ibn Abi Talib, and that the best Imam after him is his son Hasan, then Hussein, and the best of the remaining Imams is the Imam of the time, the Mahdi, followed by the other Imams as established in tradition.

⊙ A quick review of the reports on superiority suggests that most of them are weak in terms of their chain of narration. Additionally, many of these reports seem to have emerged in response to certain phenomena prevalent at the time of their issuance, such as exaggeration and negligence.

⊙ Secondly, disregarding the weakness of the chains, it can be said that the basis of these reports is not uniform. In some, the focus is on authority, obedience, and knowledge of lawful and unlawful matters, where the infallibles are equal. This is supported by a narration from Al-Bazanti about Al-Ridha, who wrote to him that Abu Ja'far said: "A servant's faith is not complete until he knows that what applies to the last of them applies to the first in terms of authority, obedience, and lawful and unlawful matters equally." Similar sentiments are found in Al-Kafi.

⊙ If we consider superiority in terms of the influence of each Imam on the others and their actions, we must then refer to those reports that imply superiority based on their order in the Imamate. Furthermore, regarding the superiority in knowledge, it appears from Al-Bihar that the later Imams carry the knowledge of the earlier ones, augmented by the events of their time.

⊙ Thirdly, concerning rank and virtue, it can be firmly stated that the best of the infallibles after the Messenger of Allah is Amir al-Mu'minin Ali ibn Abi Talib, with overwhelming evidence supporting this claim. There are indications of the superiority of the companions of the cloak over other infallibles, but this evidence does not reach the level of establishing Ali's superiority in terms of strength and certainty. As for the superiority among Hasan and Hussein, or between each of the nine infallibles, any evidence for this is speculative and does not reach a definitive conclusion, especially given the weakness of the chains.

⊙ Fourthly, regarding the superiority of Imam al-Mahdi over the other nine, as mentioned by Al-Karajaki, its source is a weak narration from Al-Ghaybah by Al-Nu'mani, which states that the Prophet said: "Allah has chosen from everything something... and the completion is twelve Imams from the descendants of Hussein, the ninth of whom is their hidden one, who is their best and their Qaim." This narration, in addition to its weak chain, is not clear in its intent, as noted by Sheikh Al-Tusi, due to the possibility that the pronoun in "their best" refers to the people of his time or the followers of Amir al-Mu'minin, Hasan, and Hussein.

⊙ Fifthly, the dispute over superiority must be considered in the context of the actual Imamate of each infallible. For instance, Hasan, during his time of actual Imamate, is undoubtedly superior to his brother. The question is whether Hasan during his Imamate is superior to Hussein during his Imamate, or vice versa.

⊙ It is clear from the above that certainty in superiority can only be established for some of the Imams, while in other cases, it is not appropriate to attribute superiority, especially in the absence of any obligation on our part regarding this matter.

Moreover, the Imamate is a rank of existential perfection for the Imam himself, and it is not a single rank after establishing superiority, but rather multiple ranks. This difference in ranks is termed gradation, where there are higher and lower ranks of Imamate. The Imams differ among themselves in the quantity and quality of divine knowledge, and according to this difference, their degrees vary. For example, although they share the Imamate with the Prophet Ibrahim, their rank in Imamate is higher than that of Prophet Ibrahim.

May you be successful in all good.

Source: Rawdat al-Wilayah + Doctrinal Questions.