Reply: In Arabic “Shī‘ah” literally means “follower”. The Glorious Qur’an states: ﴾ لإِبْرَاهِيمَ شِيعَتِهِ مِن وَإِنَّ ﴿ “Indeed Abraham was among his followers [Shī‘ah].”[1]
But the Muslims use the word “Shī‘ah” to mean the group of people who believe that prior to his demise, the Prophet (ṣ) had designated his successor and the caliph of the Muslims in numerous occasions such as the day known as “Ghadīr” on Dhū’l-Ḥijjah 18, 10 AH and in a mammoth assembly (of Muslims) he (ṣ) appointed him as the political, intellectual and religious authority after him (ṣ).
To elucidate, after the Holy Prophet (ṣ), the Muhājirūn[2] and the Anṣār[3] were divided into two groups:
1. A group believed that the Prophet of Allah (ṣ) did not ignore the question of caliphate and he designated ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (‘a)—the first person who believed in him (ṣ)—as his successor.
This group is composed of Muhājirūn and Anṣār with all the leading figures of the Banī Hāshim[4] and a number of great Companions [ṣaḥābah][5] such as Salmān al-Fārsī, Abū Dharr, Miqdād, Khabbāb ibn Art, and the like. They remained firm in their belief and were called the “Shī‘ah of ‘Alī (‘a)”.
Of course, this appellation has been given by the Holy Prophet (ṣ) himself during his lifetime to the followers of the Commander of the Faithful (‘a). While pointing to ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (‘a), he said:
“.القيامة يوم الفائزون لهم شيعته و هذا إنّ بيده نفسي والّذي”
“By Him in Whose hand my life is, verily this man (‘Alī) and his Shī‘ah shall be the triumphant on the Day of Resurrection.”[6]
Therefore, “Shī‘ah” means a group of Muslims of the early period of Islam who, on account of the belief that wilāyah [guardianship][7] is based on revelation [tanṣīṣī], are given this appellation, and this group has remained faithful to the Prophet’s Household [Ahl al-Bayt] (‘a) until today.
From this, we realize the station and position of the Shī‘ah, and in this way the groundless statement of some ignorant or spiteful concocters who claim that Shī‘ism is a product of the later periods, becomes clear. For further information on the history of the Shī‘ah, one may refer to such books as Aṣl ash-Shī‘ah wa Uṣūluhā, Al-Murāja‘āt, and A‘yān ash-Shī‘ah.
2. Another group believed that the station of caliphate is an electoral position. As such, they paid allegiance to Abubakr and later on, they were known as the “Ahl as-Sunnah” or “Sunnī”. The result was that notwithstanding the fact that these two Muslim sects have so many common views about the roots of religion, they have different attitudes toward the question of caliphate and succession to the Prophet. The members of each of the two groups were from among the Muhājirūn and Anṣār. ?
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[1] Sūrah aṣ-Ṣāffāt 37:83.
[2] Muhājirūn: a title given to the Muslims of Mecca who accompanied the Prophet (ṣ) in his hijrah (migration) to Medina. [Trans.]
[3] Anṣār: a title given to the Muslims of Medina who received the Prophet (ṣ) and the Muslims of Mecca who migrated (hijrah) to Medina. [Trans.]
[4] Banī Hāshim: a clan in Mecca to which the Prophet and his descendants belong. [Trans.]
[5] Companions [ṣaḥābah]: it refers to the Companions of the Prophet (ṣ). In earlier times, the term was given only to his close friends who had close contact with him. Later, the term was extended to include the believers who had seen him, eventhough it was for a brief moment or at an early age. [Trans.]
[6] Jalāl ad-Dīn as-Suyūṭī, Ad-Durr al-Manthūr, vol. 6, on the commentary of Sūrah al-Bayyinah 98:7: ﴾ الْبَرِيَّةِ خَيْرُ هُمْ أُوْلئِكَ الصّالِحَاتِ وَعَمِلُوا ءامَنُوا الَّذِينَ إنَّ ﴿ “Indeed those who have faith and do righteous deeds—it is they who are the best of creatures.”
[7] For further information about the idea of guardianship [wilāyah] and the guardian [wālī], see Murtadā Mutahharī, Wilāyah: The Station of the Master, trans. Yahyā Cooper (Tehran: World Organization for Islamic Services, 1982). [Trans.]
