Hawzah News Agency ­– The Messengers of God are rendered immune from all types of sin and error in their enactment of the rulings of the Shari’a. For were they not absolutely in accord with the divine rulings which they themselves were propounding, nobody could rely upon the truth of their sayings, and in consequence the purpose of prophecy would not be fulfilled.

The sage Nasir al-Din Tusi has given a concise explanation of this proof of the necessity of 'isma: 'Isma is essential for the Messengers, in order that their sayings be trusted, and the purpose of prophecy be realized.'

As for the Messengers being incapable of sin, many verses of the Qur’an stress this in different ways. We allude to some of these below

1. The Qur’an refers to the Messengers as being guided and appointed by the Divine Reality:

 …and We chose them and guided them unto a straight path. (Sura alAn’am, VI:87)

2. It reminds us that whomsoever God guides, none can lead astray:

                And he whom God guideth, for him there can be no misleader. (Sura al-Zumar, XXXIX:37)

3. ‘Sin’ is understood in the sense of ‘misguidance’:

               Yet he hath led astray of you a great multitude. (Sura Ya Sin, XXXVI:62)

These verses, taken together, show that the Messengers are devoid of all kinds of error and sin.

The intellectual proof of the necessity of the <i˚ma of the Messengers that was established above applies equally to the necessity of their ‘isma prior to their receiving their prophetic mission. For one who has spent part of his life in sin and error and then afterwards claims to offer authentic guidance cannot be relied upon. But as for one who, from the very beginning of his life, was devoid of every type of impurity, such a person would elicit the trust of all people.

Also, those who denied the truth of the message would all too easily be able to point to the dark past of the Messenger, vilify his name and character, and thus undermine the message. In such an environment, only one who has lived a life of impeccable purity, such that he merits the title ‘Mu˙ammad the Trustworthy’ (al-Amin), would be able, by the brilliance of his radiant personality, to cast aside the clouds of malicious propaganda generated by his enemies and, through an unwavering and noble rectitude, gradually illumine the murky ambience of the Jahiliyya Arabs.

In addition to such considerations, it is clear that a man who was incapable of sin from the very beginning of his life is elevated above another who is only rendered such after having been appointed to a prophetic mission; and the scope of his guidance will, correspondingly, be much greater. Divine wisdom demands that only the best, most perfectly accomplished person be chosen as model and exemplar for humanity.

Reference:

Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani, Doctrines of Shii Islam, A Compendium of Imami Beliefs and Practices, Translated and Edited by Reza Shah-Kazemi, published by I.B.Tauris Publishers, London • New York  2003.