The Study of the Indications of the  al-Manzila Hadith and  al-Thaqalayn Hadith as to the Divine and Political Legitimacy in the Imamate System

The present article studies the textual proofs for the divine legitimacy of Imam in the Shi’a KalÁm according to the two frequently narrated (attested) Hadiths: al-Manzila and al-Thaqalayn. Drawing upon a descriptive-analytic method and adopting the so-called ‘fiqh al-hadith approach’ in the textual KalÁm, the article has dealt with the subject in question. According to what is signified by the al-Manzila Hadith, as Aaron became Moses’ vicegerent in his absence, and had all the positions of Moses as well, Imam 'Ali's (a) was also elevated to Aaron and all of his virtues and thus had all the positions, most important of which was his rightfulness for caliphate after the Prophet. According to the Qur’anic verses, Prophet Moses asked God to choose Aaron as his deputy, and God accepted his request and Aaron became Mose's vicegerent in his absence. The same thing was true of Imam Ali’s succession to the Prophet. Prophet Muhammad could never appoint someone as a successor or caliph without God’s permission.
In the Hadith of al-Thaqalayn, the Prophet’s Holy Family, Ahlulbayt, are introduced as a counterpart (Ýedl ) of the holy Qur’an, and the absolute obedience to the Qur’anic orders and instructions is treated as significant as the absolute obedience to the teachings of the prophets’ household. Since the holy Qur’an is a divine book free from errors that provides guidance to human beings, the Prophet’s household, like the holy Qur’an, should be free from errors and act as a guide to show people the right way and lead them toward perfection. This clearly signifies that the Prophet’s progeny are infallible, i.e. they do not commit sins at all, and are not liable to act erroneously. It is quite obvious that since the Muslim community is not fully capable of recognizing such people among themselves, God, on the basis of the Principle of Grace, has taken the responsibility of designating the people worthy of being successors to the Prophet Muhammad in order to save people from going astray.