In the midst of a difficult era of consolidating doctrines, Imam al-Kadim (peace be upon him), citing authentic prophetic sources, analyzed the unparalleled station of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him). From the perspective of Imam al-Kadim (peace be upon him), Wilayah is not merely a political position; rather, faith is the sole path to divine guidance.
Birth and Imamate
Imam Musa al-Kadim (peace be upon him) was born on the 20th of Dhu al-Hijjah in the year 128 AH in the village of Abwa’, between Mecca and Medina. Musa ibn Jafar’s lineage reaches Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) through four intermediaries. His father was Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), the sixth Imam of the Shiites, and his mother was Hamidah al-Barbariyyah.
Imam al-Kadim (peace be upon him) was born during the rule of Marwan ibn Muhammad, the last Umayyad caliph, and attained Imamate at the age of 20. The duration of his Imamate was 35 years. [1]
The Unparalleled Station of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) on the Path of Guidance
This narration, with its explicit and cautionary tone, emphasizes the special station of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) and the error of giving precedence to anyone over him.
Imam al-Kadim (peace be upon him) narrated from the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) that he said:
“Be aware that I do not give precedence to anyone over Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him); so whoever gives precedence to another over him is an oppressor. And pledging allegiance, after me, to anyone other than Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) is misguidance, error, and a slip. Woe to the first, the second, and the third! And woe to the fourth! Then woe to him, woe to him and his father! And also woe to the one who was before him! Woe to those two and their two companions! May Allah not forgive them.” [2]
Wilayah in the Light of the Verses
Regarding the precise meaning of the phrase “the one who has knowledge of the Book” in verse 43 of Surah ar-Ra’d, Imam al-Kadim (peace be upon him) explained as follows:
“In this verse, God says: ‘Say, sufficient is Allah as a witness between me and you, and the one who has knowledge of the Book.'” Then Imam al-Kadim (peace be upon him) said: “The one who has knowledge of the Book is Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him).” [3]
The Station of the Imams
Imam al-Kadim (peace be upon him) explains the meaning of the term “the side of Allah” and the station of the Infallibles (peace be upon them) as follows.
It is narrated from Imam al-Kadim (peace be upon him) regarding the word of Allah Almighty:
“O my regret for what I neglected concerning (the side of) Allah” that he said: “What is meant by ‘the side of Allah’ is Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him), and after him, his successors, ending with the last of them.” [4]
Wilayah; the Mirror and Qibla of Truth
Musa ibn Jafar (peace be upon him) likens the station of Wilayah of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) to a door from among the doors of guidance.
Ibrahim ibn Abi Bakr said:
“I heard Musa ibn Jafar (peace be upon him) say: ‘Indeed, Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) is a door from among the doors of guidance. So whoever enters through that door is a believer, and whoever exits from it is a disbeliever. And whoever neither enters it nor exits from it will be in a station where their affair is with Allah, and Allah will do concerning them whatever He wills.'” [5]
The Reason for Omitting a Part of the Adhan
This narration explains why the phrase “Hayya ‘ala khayr al-‘amal” (Hasten to the best of deeds) was omitted from the adhan, distinguishing between the apparent excuse and the inner reality.
Muhammad ibn Abi Umayr said:
“I asked Imam al-Kadim (peace be upon him): ‘Why was the phrase “Hayya ‘ala khayr al-‘amal” omitted from the adhan?'”
Imam al-Kadim (peace be upon him) said: “Do you want the apparent reason or the inner reason?”
He replied:
“I want both.”
Then he (peace be upon him) said:
“The reason they outwardly cited was that people might abandon jihad due to relying on prayer. But the inner reason was that what is meant by ‘khayr al-‘amal’ (the best of deeds) is the Wilayah of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) and his infallible children. And the one who ordered the phrase ‘Hayya ‘ala khayr al-‘amal’ to be removed from the adhan did so with the aim that no invitation or encouragement towards Wilayah should take place.” [6]
The Station of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him)
In the supplication of the Day of Mubahala, Imam al-Kadim (peace be upon him), with a perspective full of gnosis, expresses the station of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) alongside the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his family).
In this supplication, he says:
“O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), and upon his brother and successor, Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him), and the Qibla of the gnostics.” [7]
[1] Bihar al-Anwar, Allamah Majlisi, vol. 48, p. 1; Zindigani-yi Chahardah Ma’sum (translation of A’lam al-Wara), p. 401; Al-Irshad, Shaykh Mufid, p. 559.
[2] Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 65, p. 394
[3] Basa’ir al-Darajat, p. 57; Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 35, p. 431; Tafsir Nur al-Thaqalayn, vol. 2, p. 477
[4] Usul al-Kafi, vol. 1, p. 145
[5] Usul al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 388
[6] ‘Ilal al-Shara’i’, vol. 2, p. 368
[7] Misbah al-Mutahajjid, p. 767
