Rational Understandings of the Narrations about the Religious Authority of an Imam

By referring to religious texts we find that ahlulbait (peace be upon them all) have rational and narrational reasons to explain their different positions. In this article, the reasons that ahlulbait (peace be upon them all) have given to their opponents or followers to prove their religious authority will be examined in an analytical library research. These reasons are sometimes extra-religious and sometimes intra-religious. That means some of them are based on those Islamic teachings which are indisputable among Muslims or Shi’a people. They have considered an Imam as the protector of Islamic law (sharia), the guide to religion, the proof of God, the guardian and companion to the Qur'an, obligatory to obey and the place where Gabriel descends to and have mentioned those cases to prove the religious authority of an Imam.