[Commentary on the Statement That the Imams Are Infallible Like the Prophets]
Chapter
As for his statement (1): “And that (2) the imams are infallible like the prophets in that respect” (3):
This doctrine is exclusive to the Imāmī Rāfida. No one else shares it with them—not the Zaydī Shi'a, nor (4 any of the other Muslim groups—except those who are even worse than they are, such as the Ismā'īlīs, who hold the Banū Ubayd to be infallible: 4) (4) those who claim descent from Muhammad ibn Ismā'īl ibn Ja'far and maintain that, after Ja'far, the imamate [was vested in Muhammad ibn Ismā'īl] (5) rather than Mūsā ibn Ja'far. Those people are heretics [and hypocrites] (6).
The Twelver Imāmiyya (7) are far better than they are. Among the Imāmiyya, despite [the extremity] (8) of their ignorance and misguidance, there are people who are Muslims inwardly and outwardly and are not heretical hypocrites. They have, however, fallen into ignorance and error and followed their whims. As for those others, their senior leaders (9), who know the true nature of their mission (10)—an esotericist mission (11)—are heretics and hypocrites. As for