Are Prophets and Imams Infallible and Possessing 'Ismah'?

Are prophets and, as Shiites believe, the Imams infallible and possess 'Ismah'? Why should prophets have infallibility? If a prophet is a human being or, as stated in the Quran, 'a human like you', how can it be accepted that they do not commit any 'sin', error, or even unintentional mistake? Some ask, when you cannot sin, how can there be a moral test? Abdol-Fattah Khedmati, a Sunni religious scholar, emphasizes the infallibility of prophets mainly based on Quranic verses during this week's taboo discussion. Meanwhile, the term 'Ismah' does not appear in the Quran. Majid Mohammadi, a sociologist with religious studies, considers the infallibility of prophets as a construct of jurists and theologians, and believes the Muslim faith in it stems from their ignorance of their own religious texts. This week's program begins with Mr. Khedmati and the central question of whether what is referred to as infallibility and the purity of prophets and Imams exists and whether you believe in it. Abdol-Fattah Khedmati: In relation to the issue of prophets, yes. However, regarding the Imams; this term does not have a place among Sunnis in the same sense as it does for Shiites. Therefore, infallibility is for the prophets and after the prophets, no one else has it. The majority of Sunnis believe that due to the cessation of revelation, no one else is protected and no one can claim to be infallible and not commit sin, thus infallibility belongs to the prophets. The last prophet is Muhammad Mustafa, peace be upon him, who did not intentionally commit major sins in the matter of preaching the religion, and they were infallible, meaning they conveyed what was revealed to them completely and without error. However, in minor sins, yes, prophets did commit them due to verses in the Quran indicating that they would forget but were quickly reminded by God or if they committed a sin, they would repent and be forgiven quickly. We have dozens of verses indicating that all prophets from Noah to Solomon, John, Jesus, Moses, and the last of them, Muhammad, if they committed a sin, would seek forgiveness. Therefore, we must say that since the time of Adam, infallibility means that they conveyed all religious and legal matters entrusted to them to their nations excellently. Mr. Khedmati, to move the discussion forward with our other guest, Mr. Mohammadi, do prophets have infallibility or not? Abdol-Fattah Khedmati: The rest of humanity is not connected to revelation. If we make a mistake, there is no one to correct our mistake. Therefore, the difference between ordinary people and prophets is that they were chosen by God and were the best of humans. But this does not mean that they never forgot. What is agreed upon is that these great figures never made mistakes in conveying doctrinal and religious matters because the noble verse of the Quran states that whatever he says is not from himself; this is a revelation sent to him. This indicates that prophets had nothing of their own in religious and doctrinal matters, and whatever they said was revealed to them by God. Very well, we also believe that God does not make mistakes. When God sends revelation to someone He has chosen, it is obvious that this is not a mistake and there is no error in it. Very well, Mr. Mohammadi! You heard Mr. Khedmati's remarks. He believes that mistakes have no place, especially regarding the preaching of religion and laws. Of course, in ordinary actions and matters, infallibility also exists for prophets and, in the Shiite view, for the Imams. What is your view and what response can you give to this program's question? Majid Mohammadi: I will advance this discussion more within the framework of Shiite viewpoints. I will mention five examples in the intra-religious discussion that clearly show that prophets were individuals like ordinary humans. The first example is verse 110 of Surah Al-Kahf, which states that the prophet should say, 'Say, I am only a human like you, to whom it is revealed.' The second example is a statement by Ali, the first Imam of Shiites, in Nahj al-Balagha in sermon 216, where he says, 'I do not consider myself superior to make mistakes and be safe from them.' The third example is letter 71 addressed to Manzhar ibn Jarud in Nahj al-Balagha, where the first Imam of Shiites says, 'Your father's piety deceived me about you.' See, the Imams are also deceived like other humans. The fourth example is regarding Adam, whom Shiites consider infallible. Verse 11 of Surah Taha states that 'Adam disobeyed his Lord and was led astray.' This statement is very clear and I don't think it needs interpretation. Of course, Shiite jurists and interpreters have given strange interpretations of these verses and narratives that make it very difficult to attribute them to these verses and narratives. The fifth example is the act of Moses killing an Egyptian, which is clearly mentioned in Surah Al-Qasas, verse 15, where it is narrated that Moses killed an Egyptian in a dispute between him and one of the Israelites, and he admits that such an event occurred. These are statements, but if we refer to historical evidence in religious behavior, you can see various errors in the actions of the Prophet of Islam and the Imams. A very simple example is the defeat of the Prophet of Islam in the Battle of Uhud. Other instances that critics have mentioned among Muslims also exist regarding the Prophet of Islam's multiple marriages, up to twelve, many of which were simultaneous, marrying a child who had not reached the age of maturity at the age of six according to some Muslims - though not all - and marrying someone whom his adopted son had previously married - referring to Zainab, the divorced wife of Zayd. These are all issues that can be raised as mistakes. You mentioned points that actually fit into the questions of this program. I ask Mr. Khedmati, particularly regarding Mr. Mohammadi's remarks on several issues, how do you explain the Prophet's defeat in battles to Muslims when you believe the Prophet was infallible and did not make mistakes? Or the multiple marriages, simultaneous marriages, and marriages of the Prophet of Islam are particularly controversial for those who doubt the issue of infallibility. What is your specific response to these points? Khedmati: Regarding Mr. Mohammadi's remarks, I completely agree with the first part where he said that the Imams are not infallible. He brought various arguments. There are dozens of other reasons for this issue, where Ali admits that he makes mistakes and reprimands Hasan, indicating that he did not know the unseen and thus made mistakes, and other examples. However, the second part that Mr. Mohammadi referred to regarding the Prophet being human and referring to Surah Al-Kahf is correct up to this point. The last part you mentioned; the marriages and the Prophet's defeat in the Battle of Uhud or the marriage to Zainab, the wife of his adopted son Zayd, were all by God's command. If we consider the Quran as our model and guide, if we return to Surah Al-Ahzab, we find the story of the Prophet's wives completely. One by one, this was by God's command. Even the end was by God's command. That is, when God says, 'You are not allowed to take any more women after this, nor to exchange them for other wives,' you are not allowed to take any more women, and this is enough, and you are not even allowed to divorce them and replace them with other women. Interestingly, this verse is addressed so precisely to the Prophet. All these women were one by one by God's command. You limit yourself to this number and you are not allowed to divorce them and replace them with others. However, the fact that there were so many is a characteristic of the Prophet. The Quran says, 'The woman who came to you to offer herself, we have made this specifically for you, not for other believers.' You can find these verses in Surah Al-Ahzab. Therefore, these matters are revelation, meaning they are supernatural and metaphysical, which we cannot grasp. We are obliged to believe in it. Because we believe in the Quran; what is in the Quran must be accepted. In the Quran, God addresses the Prophet or the community of the Prophet, saying that if this Prophet attributes something to us that we have not said, we will sever his jugular vein. This means that the Prophet cannot say anything from himself and attribute it to revelation. Therefore, whatever has been revealed to him is certainly from God and without addition or subtraction. Now, regarding minor mistakes and forgetfulness, I also mentioned that the Prophet, for example, forgot in prayer, and the companions reminded him that you prayed the noon prayer in three units. Is it reduced and we do not know, or did you forget? To investigate the correctness of this matter, the Prophet asked whether the one who said this, Dhul-Yadayn, is correct? Everyone said yes, he is correct; you prayed the noon prayer in three units. They stood up and prayed another unit. And in other places, I presented the verse to you, which even addresses Adam, saying that Adam forgot. So forgetfulness was for the prophets. What I have insisted on is the issue of the infallibility of the prophets in the matter of preaching, and that they did not deliberately commit any sin... Mr. Khedmati, I apologize for interrupting your speech. In any case, prophets did not only influence their target community, which was Muslims, through preaching religion; rather, their lives and lifestyles and the decisions they made in life also played a role in determining obligations even for Muslims. Therefore, here our listeners might ask how you can make such a distinction, and another point is that the term infallibility is not used in the Quran, and not committing sin is only attributed to angels. You, who refer to the Quran in your explanations, how do you explain this? Khedmati: Yes. The term infallibility is used in the Quran addressed to Muhammad, peace be upon him, where it says, 'And God will protect you from people.' God has placed you in a state of immunity from harm from people. There are other verses in the Quran that if you want to follow your desires, you will go astray and lead others astray, so be careful and follow what is revealed to you. 'Follow what has been revealed to you from your Lord.' The question here is whether any of the prophets of God remained in error and died? No, never. If they committed a mistake, it would be corrected by God and revelation would come, and an example of this is in the Quran, if not ten times, at least five or six times. Majid Mohammadi: I would like to point out three points to clarify or, in a sense, critique Mr. Khedmati's remarks. The first point regarding the discussion of revelation that he raises in relation to infallibility is that I believe there is no necessary relationship between revelation and infallibility. Even if you can establish such a relationship, it is only about the transmission of the message, meaning that the prophet did not change the divine messages, but this does not imply that the Prophet of Islam did not commit sin, error, or mistake in social and human life. The second point is that there is a confusion between immunity and infallibility in his discussion; well, now God may have protected His prophet, but this does not mean that He also protected him from sin and error. The third point that appears in both his remarks and in the justifications that interpreters and theologians usually provide regarding these verses and narratives that clearly show that prophets and Imams are ordinary people is that they say it is true that in some cases they made mistakes and errors, but God forgave them. Forgiveness does not negate the commission of sin. You also pointed out. Let me be more explicit that in the text of the Quran and in the text of our hadiths, there is no theory of infallibility. Nowhere did the Prophet or the Imams of Shiites or other prophets claim that we are immune and free from sin and error. These are matters that were later constructed by Muslims. Muslims usually with caveats first constructed this theory of infallibility, which is very difficult to impose, and then with successive caveats tried to maintain this theory. All of this, in my opinion, are patchworks to preserve the theory of infallibility. Allow me to ask Mr. Khedmati if he has any responses to the points you raised. We will return to you.