1. The Successor of the Prophet
TheShi‘aIthnā`AshariMuslimsbelievethataftertheProphetofIslam,
theleadershipoftheworldofIslamfelltoAmiral-Mu'minin,‘Ali(a.s.),
andthentohiseleveninfallibledescendants.Thisbeliefisasclearasthe
raysofthemorningsun,andthosewhoareunprejudicedandimpartial
will have no cause to doubt it.
Jābirbin‘Abdullāh,one oftheprominentcompanionsoftheProphet
(a.s.),said,"ThedaytheverseconcerningobediencetoAllah,theProph-
etandtheUlu'l-Amrwasrevealed(4:59),IaskedtheProphet:Weknow Allah and the Prophet, but who is the third?' He said,They are the
Imams,mysuccessors,thefirstofwhomis‘AlibinAbiTālib,then,inor-
der, Hasan, Husayn, ‘Ali ibn Husayn, Muhammad bin ‘Ali, who was
calledBāqirintheTorah,andwhomyou,Jābir,willmeetandtowhom
you will convey my salām; then, after him, Ja‘far ibn Muhammad as-
Sādiq, Musa ibn Ja`far, ‘Ali ibn Musa, Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, ‘Ali bin
Muhammad,Hasanibn ‘Ali, andin the end the sonof Hasanibn‘Ali
willcome, whosename willbe the sameas mine(MuhammadAbu 'l-
Qāsim).'"[16]