possess infallibility, by consensus, whereas Ali is infallible; therefore, he is the imam.”

[Response to the First Premise—Namely, His Claim That an Infallible Imam Is Indispensable]

The response to this is as follows:

We say (1): Both premises are false.

As for the first, it is his statement: “It is necessary to appoint an infallible imam who will restrain them (2) from injustice and transgression, prevent them from vying for mastery and coercing one another, secure justice for the wronged against the wrongdoer, and deliver every right to the person entitled to it. He must be incapable of error, forgetfulness, or sin.”

In response, it may be said:

If this argument is sound, we affirm what it entails: the Messenger is the infallible one, and obedience to him is incumbent upon everyone at all times. The community’s knowledge of his commands and prohibitions is more complete than the knowledge possessed by individual subjects concerning the commands and prohibitions of an absent imam, such as the Awaited One and others like him. Thus, the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—is an infallible imam, and the community knows (3) his commands and prohibitions. By contrast, their succession of infallible imams culminates in the absent Awaited One, of whom—even if he were infallible—neither his commands [nor] his prohibitions would be known to anyone (4). Indeed, even Ali’s subjects did not know his commands and prohibitions as the community knows (5) the commands and prohibitions of its Prophet. Rather, the community of Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—knows his commands and prohibitions [so well that this renders them independent of every imam besides him: they never need the one governing them for any knowledge of their religion, and in putting it into practice they need him only in matters requiring cooperation. They know his commands and prohibitions] (6) more fully than the knowledge possessed by individual subjects of the infallible imam, even if one were to suppose