Shi’a belief holds that the Prophet and Imam are chosen by God and must possess specific qualities. Just as a teacher must have certain characteristics to be deemed competent, a divine messenger must also have traits that confirm their divine election and their leadership role appointed by God. One of these qualities, alongside infallibility and miracles, is ilm ladunni (knowledge granted directly by God).
In any act of obedience, there are two parties involved: the one who obeys and the one who commands (the one being obeyed). However, for the one being obeyed to be legitimate, their orders and prohibitions must be based on knowledge. As the Qur’an states: “… Indeed, conjecture is of no use in determining the truth” [1].
The Qur’an presents obedience to the Imam in the same absolute manner as obedience to the Prophet, saying: “O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you” [2][3].
If obedience to someone is obligatory in an absolute and unconditional manner, that person must possess special qualities, including infallibility and ilm ladunni. Otherwise, they would inevitably make mistakes, making absolute obedience to such a person unwise.
This issue is an important lesson that the Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them) impart through numerous hadiths and debates.
For instance, Durays Kanasī narrates that he heard Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) say in the presence of a group of his companions:
“I am astonished by those who claim to follow us and regard us as their leaders, believing that obeying us is as obligatory as obeying the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), yet despite this, they break their arguments and weaken themselves in front of our opponents, diminishing our right. Those whom Allah has granted clear proofs of our knowledge and submission to our command, find faults in us.”
“Do you accept that Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, would make obedience to His saints obligatory upon His servants and then hide the knowledge of the heavens and the earth from them? And shut off the very knowledge that they are asked about, even though the foundation of their religion is in it?”
Therefore, from the perspective of Imam Baqir (peace be upon him), Allah is too great to appoint someone to the position of Imamate and make their obedience absolutely obligatory while withholding from them the knowledge of the realities of the universe. Such a belief is an insult to God and a failure to understand His wisdom.
But truly, if the Imams (peace be upon them) are granted knowledge of the realities of existence by the permission of Allah, why did they face such hardships, difficulties, and trials from the oppressors, and in the end, appear to be defeated and martyred? This is the question that Humran, one of the companions of the Imam, asked Imam Baqir (peace be upon him).
Humran said: “May I be your ransom! You know the difficulties faced by Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), Hasan, and Husayn (peace be upon them) in their struggle for the faith, and what befell those Imams at the hands of the tyrants until they were martyred and defeated.”
Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) replied: “O Humran! Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, ordained these hardships for the infallibles and they willingly accepted them. Imam Ali, Imam Hasan, and Imam Husayn (peace be upon them) rose up with the knowledge they inherited from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). Each of us who chose silence did so out of knowledge and insight.”
“O Humran! If any of them had, during their hardship and when the oppressors attacked, asked Allah to remove their harm, He certainly would have done so. Allah would have dispelled the oppression more quickly than the breaking of a string, and their reign would have crumbled.”
“O Humran! These afflictions that befell them were not due to any sin or punishment for their wrongdoing, but rather were intended to elevate them to a higher rank and honor that Allah wished to bestow upon them. Do not let false beliefs lead you astray and take you away from the path of truth.”[4]
Thus, it becomes clear that the validity of Imamate and the acceptance of the faith, which requires divine revelation, is only ensured if the Imams can answer all the questions of the people. For this to be possible, their comprehensive knowledge is necessary. In this context, their actions, whether standing, sitting, calling out, or remaining silent, are all tools necessary for the establishment of the religion, and the Imams (peace be upon them) acted upon them with full knowledge of their consequences.
Source: Excerpt from the book “The Knowledge of the Chosen Ones in Narration, Reason, and Mysticism”, by Dr. Mohammad Asadi Garmarodi (slightly modified).
Footnotes:
[1] Surah Yunus, Verse 36
[2] Surah An-Nisa, Verse 59
[3] Explanation of this verse and the confirmation that the “owners of authority” refer to the Imams (peace be upon them) can be found in Shi’a commentaries and theological works, including Volume 2 of *Dr. Asadi Garmarodi’s Lessons in the Fundamentals of Beliefs.
[4] Usul al-Kafi, Volume 1, pages 262-261.