A Comparative Study of the Views of al-ʿAllāma al-Ḥillī and Ibn Taymiyya in Invoking Verse 124 of Surah al-Baqara regarding Imam ʿAlī’s Imamate

Al-ʿAllāma al-Ḥillī, a prominent early Shiite scholar, drew upon Quranic verses pertaining to the imamate and authority of Ahl al-Bayt (the Prophet’s Household), as well as hadiths cited within Sunni sources, to affirm the imamate and authority of Amīr al-Muʾminīn ʿAlī and other Shiite Imams in his work, Minhāj al-kirāma. Certain Sunni scholars, notably Ibn Taymiyya in his Minhāj al-sunna, sought to challenge al-ʿAllāma al-Ḥillī’s citations and arguments. This research scrutinizes al-Ḥillī’s reference to verse 124 of Surah al-Baqara regarding the immediate caliphate and Imamate of Amīr al-Muʾminīn ʿAlī, followed by Ibn Taymiyya's objections to al-Ḥillī’s position. The study aims to assess these objections against al-Ḥillī’s utilization of a hadith transmitted under verse 124 of Surah al-Baqara to establish the caliphate and Imamate of Imam ʿAlī, employing an analytical methodology. Findings indicate that none of the five objections raised by Ibn Taymiyya against this hadith under verse 124 of Surah al-Baqara hold validity.