Whenever one of his deputies found a matter unclear, he would send word to the Messenger and ask him (1) about it.

Thus, during his lifetime, the Messenger—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him—would teach his deputies what they did not know, correct them when they deviated, and dismiss them when they failed to act properly. Yet they were not infallible. This shows that he was not required to appoint someone infallible.

Moreover, such a requirement would be impossible to fulfill, for Allah created no infallible person other than the Messenger—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him. Had he been required to appoint someone infallible, he would have been charged with something beyond his capacity; the purpose of appointments to authority would have gone unrealized, and people’s religious and worldly affairs would have fallen into disorder.

Once it is understood that it was permissible—indeed, obligatory—for him to appoint someone who was not infallible as his deputy during his lifetime, then, had he designated someone to succeed him after his death, just as he appointed deputies during his lifetime, he would likewise have designated (2) someone who was not infallible. Yet he would have been unable to teach and correct that person as he had done during his lifetime. It was therefore better not to designate a successor than to designate one (3).

The community had already received Allah’s commands and prohibitions, and its members knew what Allah had commanded and forbidden. They therefore appoint someone to uphold the commands of Allah and His Messenger and assist him so that together they may fully carry out