allah spoke to prophet mohammad and his ahlebaith
GENERAL AND SPECIAL PROPHETHOOD
There is a great difference
between general prophethood and special prophethood.
The rank of the Imamate is higher than the rank
of general prophethood, but lower than special prophethood. The last Prophet is the highest stage of
special prophethood.
The Holy Qur'an says: "And when his Lord tried Abraham with
certain words, he fulfilled them. He said: 'Surely I will make you an Imam of men.' Abraham said: 'And
of my offspring?' 'My covenant does not include the unjust,' He said." (2:124) This verse, which
indicates the position of the Imamate, also proves that the rank of the Imamate is superior to that of general
prophethood, since the position of the Prophet Abraham was raised from prophethood to the Imamate.
DIFFERENCES IN THE RANK OF THE PROPHETS
From the point of view of the aim of
prophethood, all the prophets of Allah are equal. However, because of differences in rank and
knowledge, they are different. The Holy Qur'an says: "We have made some of these Apostles to excel
the others; among them are they to whom Allah spoke, and some of them He exalted by (many degrees
of) rank." (2:253)
SUNNI REFERENCE- Jarullah Zamakhshari says in his Tafsir-e-Kushshaf that the above verse means that our
Prophet was superior in rank to all others because of his special merits, the most important of which was
that he was the last of the prophets.
Man's power of articulation renders him superior to all existence. But there is one condition attached to
it: that he cleanse his soul of all impurities with knowledge and right action. These two factors in man
are like two wings of a bird, which fly higher according to the strength of the wings. Similarly, man's
level of human attainment rises according to his knowledge and right action. To pass beyond the
province of animality and to reach the sphere of humanity depends upon the perfection of the soul. The
man who combines in himself the faculties of knowledge and right action and reaches the third of three
classes of men (the common people, the elite, and the most elite), arrives at the lowest stage of
prophethood. When such a man becomes the object of Allah's special attention, he becomes a prophet.
Of course prophethood also has different stages. A prophet may reach the highest point in the highest of
these three classes. This rank is the highest in the sphere of possibility, which the sages call the First
Wisdom, and which is the First Effect or the First Consequence. There is no rank higher than this in the
realm of existence. This position is occupied by the last of the prophets, who is second to none except
the First Cause. When the Prophet was raised to this highest stage, prophethood was concluded.
The Imamate is a stage lower than the highest stage of prophethood, but it is a stage higher than all other
ranks of prophethood. Since Ali was raised to the stage higher than prophethood and was one in spirit
with the Holy Prophet, he was endowed with the office of the Imamate and was thus superior to all
previous prophets.
ARGUMENTS FOR THE RANK OF
PROPHETHOOD FOR ALI FROM
HADITH OF MANZILA
Ali attained the rank of prophethood can be proven by the reference to the Hadith
of Manzila (Tradition Regarding Ranks), which has been unanimously narrated in more or less the same
words. The last of the holy prophets repeated a number of times and in different congregations: "Are you
not content that you are to me what Aaron was to Moses, except that there shall be no prophet after me?"
On other occasions he said to his followers: "Ali is to me as Aaron was to Moses."
Abu Abdullah Bukhari in his Sahih, Volume III, the Book of Ghazawa, Qazwa Tabuk, p. 54, and in
his book Bida'u'l-Khalq, p. 180; (2) Muslim bin Hajjaj in his Sahih, printed in Egypt, 1290 A.H.,
Volume II, under the heading, "The Merits of Ali;" pages 236-7; (3) Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal in
Musnad, Volume I, "Grounds for Naming Husain," pages 98, 118, 119; and footnote of the same book,
Part 5, page 31; (4) Abu Abdu'r-Rahman Nisa'i in Khasa'isi'l-Alawiyya, page 19; (5) Muhammad bin
Sura Tirmidhi in his Jami'; (6) Hafiz Ibn Hajar Asqalani in Isaba, Volume II, page 507; (7) Ibn Hajar
Makki in Sawa'iq Muhriqa, chapter 9, pages 30 and 34, (8) Hakim Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin
Abdullah Nishapuri in Mustadrak, Volume III, page 109; (9) Jalalu'd-Din Suyuti in Ta'rikhu'l-Khulafa,
page 65; (10) Ibn Abd Rabbih in Iqdu'l-Farid, Volume II, page 194; (11) Ibn Abdu'l-Birr in Isti'ab,
Volume 2, page 473; (12) Muhammad bin Sa'd Katib Waqidi in Tabaqatu'l-Kubra; (13) Imam Fakhru'd-
Din Razi in Tafsir Mafatihu'l-Ghaib; (14) Muhammad bin Jarir Tabari in his Tafsir; as well as in his
Ta'rikh; (15) Seyyed Mu'min Shablanji in Nuru'l-Absar, page 68; (16) Kamalu'd-Din Abu Salim
Muhammad bin Talha Shafi'i in Matalibu's-Su'ul, page 17; (17) Mir Seyyed Ali bin Shahabu'd-Din
Hamadani in Mawaddatu'l-Qurba, towards the end of Mawadda 7; (18) Nuru'd-Din Ali bin Muhammad
Maliki Makki, known as Ibn Sabbagh Maliki, in Fusulu'l-Muhimma, pages 23 and 125; (19) Ali bin
Burhanu'd-Din Shafi'i in Siratu'l-Halabiyya, Volume II, page 49; (21) Sheikh Sulayman Balkhi Hanafi in
Yanabiu'l-Mawadda, Chapter and (22) Mulla Ali Muttaqi in Kanzu'l-Ummal, Volume VI pages 152-
153; (23) Ahmad bin Ali Khatib in Ta'rikh Baghdad; (24) Ibn Maghazili Shafi'i in Manaqib; (25)
Muwaffaq bin Ahmad Khawarizmi in Manaqib; (26) Ibn Athir Jazari Ali bin Muhammad in Usudu'l-
Ghaiba; (27) Ibn Kathir Damishqi in his Ta'rikh; (28) Ala'u'd-Daula Ahmad bin Muhammad in Urwatu'l-
Wuthqa; (29) Ibn Athir Mubarak bin Muhammad Shaibani in Jami'u'l-Usul; (30) Ibn Hajar Asqalani in
Tahdhibu't-Tahdhib; (31) Abu'l Qasim Husain bin Muhammad Raghib Isfahani in Muhadhiratu'l-Udaba',
Volume II page 212. Many other eminent scholars of yours have narrated this grand hadith with slight
variations in words from many of the companions of the holy Prophet, such as: (1) Umar bin Khattab,
(2) Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas, (3) Abdullah bin Abbas, (4) Abdullah bin Mas'ud, (5) Jabir bin Abdullah
Ansari, (6) Abu Huraira, (7) Abu Sa'id Khudri, (8) Jabir bin Sumra, (9) Malik bin Huwairi's, (10) Bara'a
bin 'Azib, (11) Zaid bin Arqam, (12) Abu Rafi', (13) Abdullah bin Ubai, (14) Abu Suraiha, (15)
Hudhaifa bin Assad, (16) Anas bin Malik, (17) Abu Huraira Aslami, (18) Abu Ayyub Ansari, (19) Sa'id
bin Musayyab, (20) Habib bin Abi Thabit, (21) Sharhbil bin Sa'd, (22) Umme Salma (wife of the holy
Prophet), (23) Asma bint Umais (wife of Abu Bakr), (24) Aqil bin Abi Talib, (25) Mu'awiya bin Abu
Sufyan, and a host of other companions. In short, all of them have related with slight variation of words
that the holy Prophet said: "O Ali, you are to me as Aaron was to Moses, except that there will be no
prophet after me."
Allah mentioned his prophethood in many verses. He says: "Surely We have revealed to
you as We revealed to Noah, and to the prophets after him. We revealed to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, and
Jacob and the tribes, and to Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon; and We gave to David
Psalms." (4:163)
And again He says: "And mention Moses in the Book; surely he was one purified, and he was an
apostle, a prophet. And We called to him from the blessed side of the mountain, and We made him draw
nigh, holding communion (with us). And We gave to him out of Our Mercy his brother, Aaron, a
prophet." (19:51-53)
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Originally Posted by Zees
