For The Sake of An Infallible Authority: An Analysis of Sectarian Approaches to The Belief In ‘ismah

Authors : Reyhan Erdoğdu Başaran

Pages : 136-158

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Publication Date : 2020-10-31

Article Type : Research

Abstract :This research analyses the notion of ‘ismah, believed to be a natural faculty of the prophets (and the Imams in Shi’ite case) that protects them from sin, even though they are capable of committing sin. The following questions have naturally played a central role in the formation and construction of the subject: is it possible for a human being to be infallible? Is it rational to believe that Allāh, the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, would send forth a fallible or sinful man to guide mankind? As of yet the questions of just what 'ismah really is and who exactly are the infallible ones have not been settled. With those questions in mind, this research seeks to provide a detailed sectarian analysis on the matter of the infallibility of prophets or imams. The views of classical scholars on the concept of ‘ismah will initially be examined, then Sunni and Shi’ite perspectives of the infallibility doctrine will be addressed in depth, as it appears to have been one of the essential religious teachings of both. Afterwards, selected Qur`ānic passages (in which the prophets, specifically Adam and the Prophet Muḥammad, are warned and ask for forgiveness) will be scrutinized not to discuss the question of whether the prophets are fallible or infallible, but to understand and decode the nature and concept of ‘ismah.
Keywords : İsmet, mâsum, hatasız, peygamberler, imamlar