Sunni Feedback on The Issues of Infallibility and Ahulbayt [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Prophethood (Part I)
Imamat vs.

Prophethood (Part I)

The Shia believe that the rank of Imamat (the position of a
divinely- appointed leader) is higher than that of prophethood and
messengership.
Note that here we are comparing the rank of positions and not
the rank of persons.

As such, two divinely appointed Imams
which both have the highest possible position from Allah, may have different ranks.

For
instance, out of the twelve Imams of Ahlul-Bayt, Imam Ali (AS) is the most
virtuous.

Also Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF) is more virtuous than Imam Ali
(AS) thought they were both appointed by Allah as leaders.

In other words, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF) is has the
highest rank among mankind, and is the most virtuous creature of God and the
most honored before Allah.

The above belief does not undermine
his position since Prophet Muhammad was an Imam during his time as well!
However, comparing the * duty * of prophet and Imam is like
comparing apples and oranges or is like comparing the duty of a
physician and an engineer.

Imamat and prophethood are totally
different functions though they may gather in one person such as Prophet Muhammad or
Prophet Abraham, peace be upon them.

Evidence from Quran People who are familiar with Quran to some extent, know that
this belief is not a weird-thing.

In fact, Quran testifies that
the position of Imamat is higher than the position of prophethood and messengership.

Allah,
to whom belong Might and Majesty, said:
And when Abraham was tested by
his Lord with certain commands and he fulfilled them.

Then He
said: Lo! I appoint you an Imam for mankind.

(Quran 2:124).

As we can see, Prophet Abraham was further tested by Allah
during his prophethood, and when he successfully passed the tests (which
were the test on his life, leaving his wife, sacrificing his son), he was
granted the position of Imamat.

This shows position of Imamat
is higher in degree than prophethood which has been given to him later after
acquiring more qualifications.

Degrees are always granted in
ascending order.

We have not seen any person who got his Ph.
D.
degree first,
and then gets his highschool diploma.

At least in the administration
of God there is no such mess!
The first degree of Abraham, may the blessing of Allah be
upon him, was becoming a servant of Allah ('Abd), then he became Prophet (Nabi),
then he became Messenger (Rasul), then he became a Confident (Khalil),
and then he finally became Imam.

BTW, the above verse of Quran (2:124) proves that Allah
assigns Imam, and the designation of Imam is not the business of people.

Below is the Sunni commentary of Yusuf Ali on the above verse
(2:124):
Kalimat, literally
words, here used in the mystic sense of God's Will or Decree or Purpose.

This verse may be taken to be the sum of the verses following.

In everything Abraham fulfilled God's wish: he purified God's house; he
built the sacred refuge of the Kaba; he submitted his will to God's
(referring to sacrifice of his son)
He was promised the leadership of
the world; he pleaded for his progeny, and his prayer was
granted, with the limitation that if his progeny was false to
God, God's promise did not reach the people who proved themselves
false.

As we see, Quran clearly justifies the Shi'ite point of view
in this matter.

But again, since Prophet Abraham, Prophet
Muhammad, and few others were also Imams, such belief (i.
e.
, Imamat higher
than prophethood) does not undermine their position.

Imam means a person who is appointed by God as a leader and
as a guide (see Quran 21:73 and 32:24) to whom obedience is due, and whom
people should follow.

Messengers are Warners and Imams are Guides
(13:7).

Imams are the Stars of Guidance (6:97).

Muhammad (PBUH&HF) was a Prophet, a Messenger, and an
Imam.

By His death the door of prophethood and messengership was closed for
ever.

But the door of Imamat (leadership) remained open because he had
successors (Caliphs;
deputies).

Successor means a person who succeeds
the position of the previous one.

It is the obvious that successors of
Prophet Muhammad did not share anything about his position of prophethood and
messengership.

What remained for them was Imamat (leadership).

And the
number of these Imams are twelve as the Prophet himself testified.

Also
note that Quran clearly says that Imam and Caliph is assigned by God and this
designation has nothing to do with people.

For more evidence in the
assignment of Imam by Allah, see the following verses of Quran: 38:20 (about
David), 2:124 (about Abraham), 2:30 (about Adam), and 7:142, 20:29-36, 25:35
(about Aaron).

A Wahhabi contributor implied that the Shia are non-Muslims
because they believe the above thing (Imamat higher than Messengership)
while he did not present any single evidence from Quran and authentic Hadith
against it.

But I have presented a proof from Quran, and as such, better
better be their own judge as to whether you are a Muslims or not.

As for Angels, Muslims agree that the level of the prophets
are higher than that of angels.

Quran states that all angels
prostrated Adam.

This is enough to prove that the rank of the prophets is higher than
that of angels.

And based on the previous conclusion that
the position of Imamat is higher than that of prophethood, the position of Imamat will
be higher than the rank of angels as well.

Evidence from Sunni Collections of Traditions The Shia further believe that the twelve Imams of the House
of Prophet Muhammad have the rank higher than that of ALL the messengers
(be Imam or not) except Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF).

In
other words, the Status of the successors of the Seal of the Prophets is higher than that of
the successors of all the previous prophets.

(Note that
the sucessors of the previous Prophets were themselves prophets).

Need
Sunni reference? Here are some:
- Imam Ali (AS) having the highest virtues of the early great
Messengers:
The
Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) said: He who wants to
see Noah
(AS) in his determination, Adam (AS) in his knowledge, Abraham (AS) in his clemency, Moses (AS) in his intelligence and
Jesus (AS) in his religious devotion should look at Ali Ibn
Abi Talib (AS).

Sunni references:

- Sahih al-Bayhaqi

- Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, as quoted
in

- Sharh Ibn Abi al-Hadid, v2, p449

- Tafsir al-Kabir, by Fakhruddin al-Razi,
under the commentary of the Verse of Impreciation (Mubilah),
v2 p288.

He wrote this tradition has been accpeted as all
genuine.

- Ibn Batah has recorded it as a
tradition related by Ibn Abbas as is stated in the book
Fat'h al-Mulk al-Ali bi Sihah Hadith-e-Bab-e- Madinat al-Ilm,
p34, by Ahmed Ibn Muhammad Ibn Siddiq al-Hasani al- Maghribi.

- Among those who have admitted that
Imam Ali (AS) is the store house of the secrets of all
the Prophets is the Chief of Gnostics, Muhi al- Din al-Arabi, from whom
al-Arif al-Sha'arni has copied it in his al- Yuwaqit wa al-Jawahir
(p172, topic 32).

- The Light (Noor) of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) and Ali (AS)
preceded the creation of Adam (AS):

Salman al-Farsi (RA) narrated that:

I
heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) saying: I
myself, and Ali
were one light in the hands of Allah fourteen thousand years (14,000) before He created Adam (AS).

When Allah
created Adam (AS)
He divided that light into two parts, one part is me and one part
Ali.

Sunni References:

- Mizan Al-Ei'tidal, by al-Dhahabi,
v1, p235

- Fada'il al-Sahaba, by Ahmad Ibn
Hanbal, v2, p663, Tradition #1130

- al-Riyadh al-Nadhirah, by al-Muhib
al-Tabari, v2, p164, v3, p154

- History of Ibn Asakir Remark: hand of Allah
means His power.

The phrase within the hands of Allah means in His
presence, domain, realm, kingdom.

This clearly shows that the rank of
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF) and Imam Ali (AS) are better than any
human being ever created by Allah.

- No one crosses the Path except by a passport from Ali (AS):
Anas Ibn Malik narrated:

When Abu Bakr neared death,
, Abu Bakr
said that he heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) saying: That there is an
obstacle on the
Path which no one crosses unless with a passport (permission) from
Ali Ibn Abi Talib (AS).

And I heard the Messenger
of Allah (PBUH&HF)
saying: I am the seal of the prophets and you, Ali, the
seal of the Awliyaa.

Sunni references:

- Tarikh, by al-Khateeb al-Baghdadi,
v10, p356

- al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn
Hajar, Ch.
9, subheading 2, p195

Imam Ali (AS) narrated:

The
Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) said: When Allah gathers the first-ones and the last-ones on the Day of Judgment, and the
Path has
been erected on the bridge of Hell, no one can cross it unless
he had along proof of allegiance (Wilaya) to Ali Ibn Abi Talib.

Sunni reference: al-Riyadh al-Nadhirah,
by Muhibbuddin al-Tabari, v2, p172
- Ali (AS) is the divider of People to Paradise and Hell:
The prophet (PBUH&HF) said to Ali (AS): You are the
divider of Paradise and Hell on the Day of Judgment, you say to Hell:
This one
for me and that one for you.

Sunni reference:

al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah,
by Ibn Hajar, Ch.
9, subheading 2, p195

Ali (AS) said: I am the alloter/divider of Hell.

Sunni references:

- Kanzul Ummal, by al-Muttaqi
al-Hindi, v6, p402

- Radd al-Shams, by Shathan Al-Fudhaily

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) has said: Ali is
the divider of Hell.

Sunni reference:

Kunooz Al-Haqa'iq,
by Abdul Raouf al-Manawi, p92

And here is a poem from al-Shafi'i
(one of the four Sunni Imams):

Ali will judge mankind and allot them either paradise
or hell.
He was
the leader of men and Jinns, the true Testator of the Holy Prophet.

If the followers of Ali are 'Rafidhi'
verily I am one of that
sect.

Ali at the time of breaking of the symbols in
the Ka'ba
put his feet on that shoulder where God had put his hand on the
'Night of Mi'raj' and verily Ali was that into whose eyes shone
the light of God.

Do I need to comment?! Now look at
what your master Umar said on the virtue of Imam Ali (AS):

Umar
Ibn al-Khattab said: If all the seven planets, and the
all the
seven heavens are put in one scale of balance and the faith of Ali
in the other, Ali's pan will turn the scales.

Sunni References:

- al-Riyadh al-Nadhirah, by
Muhibbuddin al-Tabari

- Izalat al-Khifa Maqsad

- Ali (AS) the best of people after Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF):

Jabir said: The messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF)
said: Ali is the best
of humanity (after me), so whoever has doubt is a Kafir.

Sunni references:

- Kinooz Al-Haqa'iq, by Abdul Raouf
al-Manawi, p92

- Tarikh, by al-Khateeb al-Baghdadi,
v7, p421

Here is another one:

Zar
quoting Abdullah, quoting Ali (AS), that the Prophet (PBUH&HF)
said: Whoever does not say that Ali is the best in my people, is a Kafir.

Sunni references:

- Tarikh, by al-Khateeb al-Baghdadi,
v3, p19

- Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, by Ibn Hajar
al-Asqalani, v9, p419

also Barida narrated:
The
messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) said to Fatimah (AS) that:
I gave
you in marriage to the best in my Ummah, the most knowledgeable in them, the best in patience in them, and the first
Muslim among them.

Sunni reference:

Kanz al-Ummal, by
al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, v6, p398

Now, let us now look at a future episode on the appearance of
Imam Mahdi (AS) (the last Imam of the House of the Prophet(PBUH&HF)).

Sunnis
have narrated in their authentic books that when Imam Mahdi (AS)
comes, Prophet Jesus (AS) will descent and will pray behind him.

This
clearly shows that the rank of Imam Mahdi (AS) is higher than that of Prophet
Jesus who was one of the five greatest messengers of Allah.

It is
narrated in Sahih Muslim that:
Jabir Ibn Abdillah al-Ansari (RA)
said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying: A group of my Ummah
will fight for the truth until near the day of judgment when Jesus, the son
of Marry, will descend, and the leader of them will ask him to lead
the prayer, but Jesus declines, saying: No, Verily, among you
Allah has made leaders for others and He has bestowed his bounty upon
them.

Sunni reference:

- Sahih Muslim, Arabic, part 2, p193

- Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v3, pp 45,384

- Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, p251

- Nuzool Isa Ibn Maryam Akhir al-Zaman, by Jalaluddin al-Suyuti,
p57

- Musnad, by Abu Ya'ala which provides another version of the
tradition with more clear words on the authority of Jabir that
the Messenger of Allah said: A group among my Ummah will continue
to fight for the truth until Jesus, the son of Marry, will descend, and the
Imam of them will ask him to lead the prayer, but Jesus replies:
You have more right to it and verily Allah has hnonored some of you over others
in this Ummah.

Ibn Abu Shaybah, another Sunni traditionist, and the mentor
of al-Bukhari and Muslim, has reported several traditions about Imam al-Mahdi
(AS).

He has also reported that the Imam of the Muslims who will lead
Prophet Jesus in prayer is Imam al-Mahdi himself.

Jalaluddin al-Suyuti mentioned that: I have heard some
of the deniers of (truth) deny what has been conveyed about Jesus that when he
descends will pray the Fajr prayer behind al-Mahdi.

They say,
Jesus has higher status than to pray behind a non-Prophet.

This is a
bizarre opinion since the issue of prayer of Jesus behind al-Mahdi has been proven
strongly via numerous authentic traditions from the Messenger of Allah,
who is the most truthful.

And then al-Suyuti goes on narrating some
of the traditions in this regard.

(See Nuzool Isa Ibn Maryam Akhir al-Zaman,
by Jalaluddin al- Suyuti, p56).

Also al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani mentioned that:
The Mahdi is of this Ummah,
and that Jesus (PBUH&HF) will come down and pray behind him.

Sunni reference:

Fat'h al-Bari, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, v5,
p362

This is also mentioned by another scholar, Ibn Hajar al-Haythami,
who wrote:
The Ahlul-Bayt are like the
stars through whom we are guided in the right direction, and if the starts
are taken away (or hidden) we would come face to face with the signs of
the Almighty as promised (i.
e.
, the Day of Resurrection).

This
will happen when the Mahdi will come, as mentioned in the traditions, and
the Prophet Jesus will say his prayers behind him, the Dajjal will
be slain, and then the signs of the Almighty will appear one after
another.

Sunni reference:

Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami,
Ch 11, p91

All these clearly show that the rank of Imam Mahdi (AS) is
higher than that of Prophet Jesus (AS) who was one of the five greatest
messengers of Allah.

Are the Imams Inspired There is no doubt that when the verse:
Today I have perfected your
religion and completed my bounty upon you, and I was satisfied that Islam
be your religion.

(Quran 5:3)
the religion completed.

Allah revealed Quran as
well as the Shari'ah (Divine law) ONLY to the Prophet (PBUH&HF), and non of
such things was revealed to Imam Ali (AS).

If Imam Ali was inspired
(ILHAM) it had nothing to do with religious commandments; it was rather about what
happened and what will happen.

There are many methods that Allah may inform His servants of
something.

One way is revelation (WAHY).

The other way is
inspiration (ILHAM).

By inspiration, Allah induces the knowledge into the heart of
His servant.
This is unanimously held by the all the Islamic Schools.

But do you really think revelation (WAHY) is only for the
prophets and the messengers? If yes, then you have contradicted Quran, for
Quran confirms that Allah sent revelation (WAHY) to the mother of Moses.

The
mother of Moses was neither a prophet nor a messenger.

Agreed?
Allah revealed to her to leave her son in the river so that Pharaoh's soldier
could take it to the Palace:
And We REVEALED to
the mother of Moses: Suckle (thy child) but when thou hast fears
about him cast him into the river but fear not nor grieve: for We
shall restore him to thee and We shall make him one of Our
apostles.

(Quran 28:7) Notice that Quran straightforwardly uses the word WAHY
(revelation).

Here, Yusuf Ali has translated the word WAHY into inspiration.

But
Quran uses WAHY (revelation), and not ILHAM (inspiration).

WAHY and ILHAM are two different things.

However one thing which is clear is that the revelations to
those who were neither prophet nor messenger, did NOT have anything to do
with Shari'ah (divine law).

It did NOT have anything to do with
religious practices etc.
Rather, It was an order to what way to choose at the time of
confusion and/or informing what has happened or what will happen.

So we can conclude that even revelation has different types.

Only
the revelation to Prophets and messengers is related to Shari'ah
(divine law) and new religious practices, while others do NOT receive this
type of revelation.

Remark: Quran also uses the word WAHY for non-human beings,
but I am not concerned about that.

I was focusing on different
types of WAHY for human being only.

About our Imams: There are twelve Imams (Guides) after
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF).

Prophet mentioned that the number of
his successors are twelve, and al-Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Ahmad, .

recorded
that.

The first of them, Imam Ali, got his knowledge of religion
and the Divine Laws from Prophet Muhammad DIRECTLY.

Later Imams
got it from the preceding Imams.

There was NO revelation of Divine Law
(concerning oneself or people) after Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF).

Allah may
inform something to his appointed Imam, but the information is NOT any how related to
Divine Law since the religion is complete.

The information
is only related to what happened and what will happen.

Do Imams Meet Angels Also, according to Quran, talking to angels is NOT exclusive
to prophets and messengers.

Allah mentioned in Quran that Mary
(the mother of Jesus) talked to angels, and angels talked to him.

Look at
Quran, to see the conversation of Mary and the angels:
Behold! the angels said
O Mary! Allah gives you glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be
Christ Jesus the son of Mary held in honor in this world and the
Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Allah.

(Quran
3:45)
There is a whole conversation between Mary and the angel.

See
a couple of verses before and after the above verse.

Mary
(AS) was neither a prophet nor a messenger, yet she talked to angels.

However
the communication of Mary with angels had nothing to do with Shari'ah (Divine
Law).

It did not have anything to do with religious practices.

Rather
it was a news to what is about to happen, and instructions of what to do.

In this connection, also see verses 11:69-73 where angels
talked to the wife of Abraham and gave her the glad tiding that she is
pregnant of prophet Isaac (AS).

Even Sunnis claim that Imran Ibn al-Husayn al-Khuza'i (d.
52/672)
who was one of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF),
was VISITED by angels, greeted by angels, SHOOK HANDS with angels and saw
them, only being left by them for a short period after which the angels
returned to him till the end of his life.

Sunni references:

(1) Sahih Muslim, V4, pp 47-48

(2) Also commentaries of Sahih Muslim by al-Nabawi, V8, P206,
and by al-Abi and al-Sanusi, V3, P361.

(3) Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, V4, PP 427-428

(4) Sunan Darimi, V2, P305

(5) al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, V3, P472

(6) Tabaqat, by Ib Sa'd, V7, part 1, P6

(7) al-Isti'ab, by Ibn Abd al-Barr, V3, P1208

(8) Usdul Ghabah, by Ibn Athir, V4, P138

(9) Jami'ul Usul, by Ibn Athir, V7, P551

(10) al-Isabah, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, V3, PP 26-27

(11) Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, V8, P126

(12) Fathul al-Bari, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, V12, P261

(13) Sharh al-Mawahib, by al-Qastalani, V7, P133

There is no shadow of doubt that Imam Ali (AS) was
Muhaddath which means a person who has been spoken to.

Not
only him, but also, all the twelve Imams as well as Lady Fatimah (AS) were Muhaddath/Muhaddathah.

Based on the authentic Sunni traditions, it is narrated by
Abu Huraira and Aisha that:
Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith: 4.
675

(Arabic-English Version) Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet said, Amongst the
people preceding you there used to be 'Muhaddathun' (i.
e.
persons
who can guess things that come true later on, like those persons have been
inspired by a divine power), and if there are any such persons amongst
my followers, it is .

Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith: 5.
38

(Arabic-English Version) Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah's Apostle said, Among
the nations before you there used to be people who were inspired (though
they were not prophets).

And if there is any of such a persons amongst my
followers, it is .

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet
said, Among the nation of Bani Israel who lived before you, there
were men who used to be inspired with guidance though they were not
prophets, and if there is any of such persons amongst my followers,
it is .

Also:

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF)
said: Verily among the nations before your time there have been
Muhaddathoon (those who have been spoken to), and if there is one
among my people it is .

Also the Messenger of Allah said:
Verily among the Children of Israel before your time there have been men who
have been spoken to (rijalun yukallamoon) who were NOT prophets
and if there is one among my people it is .

Sunni reference:

- Sahih al-Bukhari, Arabic version, v4, p211, v5, p15, and
also its commentaries:

- Fat'h al-Bari, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani,
v7, p324, v8, pp 49-51

- Umdatul Qari, by al-Ayni, v16, pp
55,198-199

- Irshad al-Sari, by Qastalani, v6,
p103

- Sahih Muslim, Arabic version, part 7, p115, and its
commentaries:

- Sharh Nawawi (sahih Muslim),
part 15, p166

- Sharh al-Abi, part 6, pp 203-205

- Sahih al-Tirmidhi, v5, p622, and its commentaries:

- Aridah al-Ahwadhi, by Ibn al-Arabi,
v13, pp 149-150

- Tuhfah al-Ahwadhi, by al-Mubarak
Furi, v10, pp 182-183

- Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v6, p55

NOTE: I have deleted the name of the companion of the Prophet
mentioned in the above traditions since his being Muhaddath is not
confirmed by the Shia.

Concerning the opinion of the Shia see al-Ghadir,
by al-Amini, v5, pp 42-54, v8, pp 90-91.

It is mentioned in the above Sunni commentaries that the
meaning of Muhaddath here is a person who is divinely inspired, who
meets the angels and is spoken to by them, and who is informed of the news of
Ghayb (not to be confused with the knowledge of Ghayb which belongs to
Allah only) which is the information about the present time and the future, and
that the companions who are mentioned in those traditions had these
attributes!!!
The conclusion is that the existence of Muhaddathoon (those
who are spoken to) is a matter attested by ALL Muslims and that it is not
something contrary to the fundamentals of Islam.

The above
Sunni documents also give evidence to the fact that Muhaddathoon are NOT prophets and
they did NOT bring Shari'ah (divine law) from Allah to people.

Here are the defenitions of messenger, prophet, and Imam:

1.
A Prophet (Nabi) is a person to whom the Divine
Law (Shari'ah) descends;

this divine law may be concerned with beliefs (aqa-id)
or with practical activities (Ibadat, like prayer).

This
Divine Law either deals with the Nabi's OWN life or with that of
his community; or both.
This is the fundamental definition of
prophethood, though the prophet may also be informed of other things.

The
descent of the Divine Law (Shari'ah) may be direct, or through an
intermediary like an angel.

2.
A Human Messenger/Apostle (Rasool) is a Prophet
who receives a Divine Law that concerns himself AND people other than
himself.

3.Imam means a person who is appointed by God as a
leader and as a guide (see Quran 21:73 and 32:24) to whom obedience is
due, and whom people should follow.

Messengers are Warners
and Imams are Guides (13:7).

Imams are the Stars of Guidance (6:97).

It is also interesting to remark about the time when the
verse of the completeness of religion was revealed.

It should
be quite surprising that many Sunni scholars of Tafsir have confirmed that the verse:
Today I have completed your
religion and my bounty upon you, and I was satisfied that Islam be your
religion.

(Quran 5:3)
Was revealed in Ghadir Khum when the Messenger of Allah
declared his successor.

Some of Sunni references which mentioned
the revelation of the above verse of Quran in Ghadir Khum after the speech of the
Prophet:
(1) al-Durr al-Manthur, by al-Hafiz Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, v3,
p19 (2) Tarikh, by Khatib al-Baghdadi, v8, pp 290,596 from
Abu Hurayra (3) Manaqaib, by Ibn Maghazali, p19 (4) History of Damascus, Ibn Asakir, v2, p75 (5) al-Itqan, by al-Suyuti, v1, p13 (6) Manaqib, by Khawarazmi al-Hanfi, p80 (7) al-Bidayah wal-Nihayah, by Ibn Kathir, v3, p213 (8) Yanabi' al-Mawaddah, by al-Qudoozi al-Hanafi, p115 (9) Nuzul al-Quran, by al-Hafiz Abu Nu'aym narrated on the
authority Abu Sa'id Khudri.
.

and more.

The above verse clearly indicates that Islam without
announcing the leadership of Imam Ali was not complete, and perfection of
religion was due to announcement of the Prophet's immediate successor.

End of Part 1 of 2