hadith
1800
۞
Imam Zayn al-Abidin (AS) said, ‘An Imam from among us can only be infallible. Infallibility is not an outward physical feature that can be noticed which is why it must be documented [in the Quran or traditions]. He was then asked, ‘O son of the Prophet, and what does infallible mean to which he replied, ‘It refers to one who clings fast to the rope of Allah, and the rope of Allah is the Quran. They do not separate from each other until the Day of Resurrection, and the Imam guides to the Quran and the Quran guides to the Imam, which is the purport of Allah s saying [in the Quran] “Verily this Quran guides to what is most upright”
معاني الأخبار عن الإمامِ الكاظم عن آبائه عن الإمامِ زينِ العابدينَ
الإمامُ مِنّا لا يَكونُ إلّا مَعصوماً، ولَيسَتِ العِصمَةُ في ظاهِرِ الخِلقَةِ فيُعرَفَ بِها ، ولِذلكَ لا يَكونُ إلّا مَنصوصاً. فقيلَ لَهُ: يَابنَ رَسولِ اللّهِ ، فَما مَعنَى المَعصومِ؟ فقالَ: هُوَ المُعتَصِمُ بِحَبلِ اللّهِ ، وحَبلُ اللّهِ هُوَ القُرآنُ، لا يَفتَرِقانِ إلى يَومِ القِيامَةِ، والإمامُ يَهدي إلَى القُرآنِ، والقُرآنُ يَهدي إلَى الإمامِ ، وذلكَ قَولُ اللّهِ عزَّوجلَّ: «إنَّ هذا القُرآنَ يَهْدي لِلَّتي هِيَ أقْوَمُ».
Similar narrations
- Maʿānī al-ʾAkhbār #172 O son of Allah’s Messenger, then what is the meaning of an Infallible? He said: It is he who adheres to the Rope of Allah, and the Rope of...