Ahl Al-Bayt Strongly Opposed Any Exaggeration of Their Virtues

TEHRAN (IQNA) – Ahl Al-Bayt (AS) strongly opposed and condemned some people who would exaggerate the virtues of Ahl al-Bayt, a researcher says. 

This is according to Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini, an Iranian researcher and lecturer in the field of religion, who made the remarks while discussing the messages of Ziyarat Jamia Kabira. 

Here are excerpts from his speech: 

In the final lines of this supplication, we read:

May my father, mother, soul, family, and possessions be ransoms for you. Your mention is within the mention of others. Your names are called along with other names. Your figures appear among other figures. Your souls are among other souls. Your selves are among other selves. Your traditions are among other traditions. Your graves are among other graves. But how gracious your names are!

There are three views on how to interpret this supplication.

The first view is based on the simple meaning of the words, which is what most books say. This view says that the Ahl al-Bayt (AS) have the same general characteristics as other people, but at the same time, they are very special. So, according to this view, we say that their names are like our names, their remembrances are like our remembrances, their bodies are like our bodies. This view makes them more accessible and relatable to us. This view is correct, but it is not very deep.

Some people tend to exaggerate certain virtues of Ahl al-Bayt (AS), taking their beliefs to extremes, even equating Imams with divine status. Interestingly, the initial critics of this group were actually the Ahl al-Bayt (AS) themselves, who strongly denounced such notions. Throughout history, there have been individuals who erroneously claimed that Ahl al-Bayt (AS) is immortal, and these individuals faced severe condemnation from the Imams. 

The common form of exaggeration that is widely condemned is the attribution of divine powers and authority to the Ahl al-Bayt (AS), which contradicts both Quranic verses and the way of life of Ahl al-Bayt (AS).

The second view is based on a curve that shows the stages from creation to resurrection. This view says that their names were mentioned before they were born, as in the hadith of Jabir, where the Prophet (PBUH) called them by name before they came into existence. Then they reached the stage of having bodies, then souls, then relics, then graves. 

The third view is based on a sacrifice that we offer to them. At the beginning of the supplication, we say: "May my father, mother, soul, family, and possessions be ransoms for you." This means that we are willing to give up everything for them. A sacrifice has three sides: the one who sacrifices, the one who is sacrificed for, and the thing that is sacrificed.