Elementary Islamic Teaching

What are the sources of Shi‘i jurisprudence (fiqh)? Following the Book of Allah and the  Sunnah  of the Prophet (S), the Shi‘ah infer religious laws from four fundamental sources:

1. The Book of Allah (Qur’an);

2. The  Sunnah  of the Prophet (S);

3. Consensus { ijma‘ }; and

4. Reason { ‘aql }.

The quoted traditions affirm that the Holy Prophet (S) called upon all Muslims to follow his progeny, considering them, alongside the Book of Allah, as the authorities for people to refer to after his departure. He said very clearly: “The Qur’an and my progeny will never be separated from each other.”

Now, because the  Ahl al-Bayt  of the Prophet (S) who are introduced by the Messenger of Allah (S) as equal to the Qur’an, we realize that they enjoy the station of infallibility { ‘i s mah } and they have access to the pure fountain of Islamic knowledge; for, if this is not the case, they will be separated from the Book of Allah (the Qur’an), whereas the Holy Prophet (S) says: “The Qur’an and my progeny will never be separated from each other until they meet me at the Pool { h aw d } (of  Kawthar ).”

As such, it is necessary to fully recognize the  Ahl al-Bayt  ( ‘a ) and their outstanding attributes, which characterize only the Imams followed by the Shi‘ah, all of whom are among the progeny of the Prophet (S).