Source: Fatawa Aman Puri by Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Aman Puri
Question:
What is the ruling on the marriage of a person who considers Imamat to be superior to Prophethood?
Answer:
The marriage of such a person is annulled, because one who considers Imamate superior to Prophethood is a disbeliever, apostate, and heretic. Prophethood is an eternal honor; Prophethood is only for some, not for everyone. The chain of Prophethood has been severed. After the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), there is no Prophethood remaining in any sense. A Prophet is infallible in conveying the message. His obedience is obligatory. His speech is through revelation. He does not speak from desires. This is the consensus and agreement of Ahl al-Sunnah. In contrast, some people consider Imamate to be a superior position to Prophethood, while there is no evidence for this in the Quran, Hadith, or consensus.
❀ Allah Almighty has quoted the saying of Moses (peace be upon him):
﴿فَوَهَبَ لِي رَبِّي حُكْمًا﴾
Reference: (Ash-Shu'ara: 21)
"My Lord has granted me the knowledge of Prophethood."
This verse clarifies that Prophethood and the knowledge of Prophethood are only for some, and there is no existence of any Prophethood in Islam, let alone in previous Shari'ahs.
❀ Allah Almighty's command is:
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ﴾
Reference: (An-Nisa: 59)
"O believers! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger, and likewise obey those in authority among you."
In this verse, Allah Almighty has commanded obedience to Himself and His Messenger. The obedience to those in authority is made subordinate to the obedience of Himself and His Messenger. The obedience to Allah and His Messenger is independent in essence. The obedience to those in authority is not independent in essence. If the position of Imamate were superior to Prophethood, its obedience would also have been mentioned.
Sayyidina Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that I asked: O Messenger of Allah! Which people face the most severe trials? He said:
الأنبياء ثم الأمثل فالأمثل
"The most severe trials come upon the Prophets, then those of lesser virtue, then those of lesser virtue."
Reference: (Sunan At-Tirmidhi: 2398, Sunan Ibn Majah: 4023, and its chain is authentic)
❀ Allama Aini Hanafi (may Allah have mercy on him)
Reference: (855 AH)
writes:إنما قال أولا : ثم الأمثل بلفظ ثم ، وقال ثانيا : فالأمثل، بالفاء للإعلام بالبعد والتراخي فى المرتبة بين الأنبياء وغيرهم .
"The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) first said ”ثم الامثل“, meaning ”ثم“. And the second time he said ”فالامثل“, meaning ”ف“. Through this, the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) wants to convey that there is a significant difference in the ranks of Prophets and non-Prophets."
Reference: (Umdat al-Qari: 212/21)
❀ Allama Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Baiti Zund Wisti Hanafi (may Allah have mercy on him)
Reference: (382 AH)
writes:أجمعت الأمة على أن الأنبياء أفضل الخليقة وأن نبينا عليه الصلاة والسلام أفضلهم
"The consensus of the Ummah is that among the creation, the Prophets are the most virtuous, and our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the most virtuous among the Prophets."
Reference: (Al-Bahr al-Ra'iq by Ibn Najim: 353/1, Hashiyat al-Tahawi: 184/1, Fatawa Shami: 527/1)
❀ Allama Abdul Qahir ibn Tahir Baghdadi (may Allah have mercy on him)
Reference: (429 AH)
states:"The majority of the Ummah, along with our companions, agree that every Prophet is superior to every non-Prophet, while the extremist Rawaafidh believe that their Imams are superior to the Prophets."
Reference: (Usul al-Din, p. 298)
❀ Qadi Iyad (may Allah have mercy on him)
Reference: (544 AH)
states:نقطع بتكفير غلاة الرافضة فى قولهم : إن الأئمة أفضل من الأنبياء
"We categorically declare the excommunication of those extremist Rawaafidh who say that their twelve Imams are superior to the Prophets."
Reference: (Al-Shifa bi Ta'rif Huquq al-Mustafa, p. 290)
❀ Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him)
Reference: (728 AH)
states:الأنبياء أفضل الخلق باتفاق المسلمين
"The consensus of the Muslims is that the Prophets are the most virtuous among the creation."
Reference: (Minhaj al-Sunnah: 417/2)
❀ Hafiz Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him)
Reference: (774 AH)
states:إن النبوة أعلى رتبة بلا خلاف
"Undoubtedly, Prophethood is the highest position, and there is no disagreement about this."
Reference: (Tafsir Ibn Kathir: 222/1)
❀ Allama Zarkashi (may Allah have mercy on him)
Reference: (794 AH)
writes:"The command of Allah Almighty: ﴿وَخَاتَمَ النَّبِيِّينَ﴾ and the Hadith in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim: 'There is no Prophet after me.' and the consensus of the Ummah indicates this. There is no other opinion on this; a group of philosophers says that Prophethood is not severed, or they believe that a Wali is superior to a Prophet, they are heretics, and it is obligatory to kill them. Whenever someone claimed Prophethood, the Muslims killed him. In our time, a poor man named Malqah claimed Prophethood, and the king of Andalusia, Sultan Ibn Ahmar, had him killed in Granada and hanged him until his flesh was scattered."
Reference: (Al-Bahr al-Muhit: 485/8)
