We observe that Imam al-Ḥasan (upon him be peace) was righteous and gentle, while Imam al-Ḥusayn (upon him be peace) fought.
Does this not indicate their independent reasoning (ijtihād)?
Differences in the behaviour of the Infallibles (upon them be peace) could appear in various forms:
The First Form: Differences in matters that are open for them (upon them be peace)
al-Kulaynī has narrated via an authentic (ṣaḥīḥ) chain: ʿAlī, from his father; and Muḥammad b. Ismāʿīl, from al-Faḍl b. Shādhān, together from Ibn Abī ʿUmayr, from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. al-Ḥajjāj, Hafṣ b. al-Bakhtarī, and Salama Bayyāʿ al-Sāburī, from Abū ʿAbdullah (upon him be peace), [who] said:
“When ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn (upon him be peace) took the Book of ʿAlī (upon him be peace) and looked into it, he would say: ‘Who can bear this? Who can bear it?’” He said: “Then he would act upon it. And when he stood for prayer, his colour would change to the point that it would be seen in his face. No-one among his children after him could bear the works of ʿAlī (peace be upon him) except ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn (upon him be peace).” [1]
What can be derived from this hadith is the difference between the Imams (upon them be peace) in terms of the amount of worship, despite the grand status of all of them.
And Saʿd b. ʿAbdullah al-Ashʿarī narrated via what appears to be an authentic (ṣaḥīḥ) chain: And via this chain [2], from Yūnus, from Isḥāq b. ʿAmmār, from Abū Baṣīr, [who] said:
“I asked Abū ʿAbdullah (upon him be peace): ‘What do you say about coitus interruptus (al-ʿazl)?’ He said: ‘ʿAlī (upon him be peace) would not practice it, as for me, I practice it.’ I said: ‘This is contradictory!’ Thus he (upon him be peace) said: ‘What harm did it cause Dāwūd (upon him be peace) that Sulaymān (upon him be peace) differed with him? And God (the Mighty and Majestic) says:
{So We granted understanding of it to Sulaymān} [Q21:79].’” [3]
The Imam (upon him be peace) clarified that ʿAlī (upon him be peace) did not practice coitus interruptus (al-ʿazl), whilst he (upon him be peace) himself did. The narrator objected, claiming this was contradictory, but the Imam (upon him be peace) explained that this is a permissible difference, citing an example between two infallible prophets, despite their high status. He (upon him be peace) cited: {And remember Dāwūd and Sulaymān, when they passed judgement concerning the field where the sheep of the people strayed at night grazing therein, and We were witness to their judgment. * So We granted understanding of it to Sulaymān. And to each We gave sound judgment and knowledge.} [Q21:78-79].
The disagreement between Dāwūd (upon him be peace) and Sulaymān (upon him be peace) over this issue, without either of them falling into error, is because in some cases the truth is not always binary.
There is no objection to accepting such a difference among the Imams (upon him be peace) as long as it does not contradict their infallibility or their high rank, for al-Ḥimyarī has narrated via an authentic (ṣaḥīḥ) chain: Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. ʿĪsā, from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Abī Naṣr, [who] said:
“I wrote to al-Riḍā (upon him be peace), saying: ‘I am a man from Kūfa, and I and my family follow Allah by the means of obeying you, and I would like to meet you to ask you about my religion…’
He (upon him be peace) wrote: ‘Abū Jaʿfar (upon him be peace) said: ‘A slave’s belief is not complete until he knows that what the final ones are in the same condition as the first ones in terms of proof, obedience, and what is forbidden and permissible. And Muḥammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) and the Commander of the Faithful (upon him be peace) have their due preference, and the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: ‘Whoever dies without having an Imam who is alive that he knows, dies a death of the age of ignorance (jāhiliyya)’ [...].’” [4]
The Second Form: Differences due to differing circumstances and particularities
The basis of this form lies in the differing circumstances from one time to another, whereby this leads to a difference in obligation (taklīf). With the change in obligation, the Imam (upon him be peace) fulfills his responsibilities in a manner that befit his circumstances.
al-Kulaynī narrated via an authentic (ṣaḥīḥ) chain: Muḥammad b. Yahyā, from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad, from Ibn Maḥbūb, from Ibn Riʿāb, from Ḍurayṣ al-Kināsī, [who] said:
“I heard Abū Jaʿfar (upon him be peace) say, while people from amongst his companions were with him: ‘I am astonished by people who ally themselves with us, make us their Imams, and describe our obedience as being obligatory upon them, like the obedience to the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his progeny), yet they break their argument and defeat themselves with the weakness of their hearts, and thus they derogate our Right and criticise those who have been granted by God the proof of the truth of our knowledge and the acceptance of our command! Do you think that God (Blessed and Exalted is He) has made the obedience to His saints obligatory upon His servants and then hides from them the knowledge of the heavens and the earth, cutting off the sources of knowledge about matters that are vital to their religion?!!’ Ḥumrān said: ‘May I be your ransom, what about the case of ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib, al-Ḥasan, and al-Ḥusayn (upon them be peace), their uprising, their standing for the religion of God (Great be His Mention), and what happened to them in terms of the killing of the tyrants who killed them and triumphed over them until they were killed and overpowered?’ Abū Jaʿfar (upon him be peace) said: ‘O Ḥumrān, verily, God (Blessed and Exalted is He) had already decreed that, ratified it and enforced it upon them, by way of their own free-will. [5] Then He let it run its course, and thus by prior knowledge given to them from the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his progeny), ʿAlī, al-Ḥasan, and al-Ḥusayn (upon them be peace) rose. And by this [same] knowledge, those of us who remained silent did so. Had they, O Ḥumrān, asked God (the Mighty and Majestic) to remove that which had descended upon them from what God has ordained, and insisted on asking for the removal of the reign of the tyrants and the destruction of their kingdom, He would have answered them and removed it. The end of the tyrants’ reign and the destruction of their rule would have been faster than a string of beads that breaks and scatters. What happened to them, O Ḥumrān, was not due to a sin they committed or a punishment for an act of transgression that they opposed God by. However, it was for the ranks and honour from God that He wanted them to reach. Do not be misled by the false notions regarding them.’” [6]
The hadith signifies that what the Imams (upon them be peace) do in significant moments of the Umma’s journey is an entrusted matter from God, and the only possible meaning behind this is difference in circumstances; for the Halal of Muḥammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) is Halal until the Day of Judgment, and what he has deemed Haram is Haram until the Day of Judgment. Therefore, in order to justify the difference in obligation (taklīf), it must be attributed to the differences in circumstances and particularities.
al-Kulaynī has narrated via his chain: Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā and al-Ḥusayn b. Muḥammad, from Jaʿfar b. Muḥammad, from ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī [7], from Ismāʿīl b. Mihrān, from Abū Jamīla, from Muʿādh b. Kathīr, from Abū ʿAbdullah (upon him be peace), [who] said:
“The will (waṣiyya) descended from the heavens as a book upon Muḥammad (peace be upon him and his progeny), and no sealed book was sent down upon Muḥammad except for the will. Then Jibraʾīl (upon him be peace) said: ‘O Muḥammad, this is your will regarding your Umma for your Ahl al-Bayt.’ The Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) asked: ‘Which Ahl al-Bayt of mine, O Jibrīl?’ He said: ‘The noble one from among them and his descendants, they will surely inherit the knowledge of prophethood just as Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) inherited it, and its inheritance will go to ʿAlī (upon him be peace) and your descendants from his loins.’” He said: “It had seals on it.” He said: ʿAlī (upon him be peace) opened the first seal and proceeded with what it contained. Then al-Ḥasan (upon him be peace) opened the second seal and followed what was commanded in it. When al-Ḥasan passed away, al-Ḥusayn (upon him be peace) opened the third seal, and it contained: ‘Fight, be fought and be killed, go out with a group for martyrdom, there is no martyrdom for them except with you.’” He said: “So he (upon him be peace) did so. When he passed away, it was handed to ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn (upon him be peace), who opened the fourth seal and found it contained: ‘Remain silent and lower your eyes, for knowledge has been concealed.’ When he died and passed away, it was handed to Muḥammad b. ʿAlī (upon him be peace), who opened the fifth seal, and it contained: ‘Explain the Book of God (the Mighty and Majestic) and confirm your father’s (upon him be peace) truth, and inherit from your son. Form the community and establish the rights of God (the Mighty and Majestic). Speak the truth in times of fear and safety, and do not fear anyone except God.’ Thus, he did so, and then handed it over to the one who followed.” [Muʿādh said:] “I said to him: ‘May I be your ransom, is it you?’ He said: ‘There is no harm for me to tell you, except I fear, O Muʿādh, that you will go and narrate it on my authority.’ I said: ‘I ask God, who conferred this status from your ancestors upon you, to confer the same upon your descendants before death.’ He said: ‘God has already done that, O Muʿādh.’ I said: ‘Who is it, may I be made your ransom?’ He said: ‘This one, who is lying down,’ and he pointed with his hand to the righteous servant (i.e. al-Kāẓim), who was lying down.’” [8]
And through this, it becomes clear that there is no necessary relationship between the difference in actions and the negation of infallibility (ʿiṣma); as it is possible for such differences to occur in ways that do not contradict infallibility.
------------------------------------
[1] Muḥammad b. Yaʿqūb al-Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, Vol. 15, pg. 388, Hadith 14987.
[2] What is apparent from the ishāra in the chain is that it is: “Muḥammad b. al-Ḥusayn b. Abī al-Khaṭṭāb, al-Ḥasan b. Mūsā b. al-Khashshāb, and Muḥammad b. ʿIsā b. ʿUbayd, from ʿAlī b. Asbāṭ,” there is also another possibility in this regard, though what we support is what has been understood by al-Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī in al-Wasāʾil, Hadith 25277.
[3] al-Ḥasan b. Sulaymān al-Ḥilli, al-Majmūʿa al-Ḥadīthiyya, Hadith 269.
[4] ʿAbdullah b. Jaʿfar al-Ḥimyarī, Qurb al-Isnād, Hadith 1260.
[5] The phrase “by way of their own free-will” does not appear in other sources of the hadith from al-Kāfī and al-Baṣāʾir. What I lean towards is that this phrase was in the marginalia of the book to prevent a misunderstanding of compulsion (jabr), and was mistakenly incorporated into the report itself.
[6] Muḥammad b. Yaʿqūb al-Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, Vol. 1, pg. 651, Hadith 683.
al-Kulaynī narrates a portion of it in al-Kāfī Vol. 1, pg. 701, Hadith 744 with the same chain, and it is narrated by al-Ṣaffār in al-Baṣāʾir, Vol. 3, Chapter 5, Hadith 3:
“Aḥmad b. Muḥammad and Muḥammad b. al-Ḥusayn reported to us, from al-Ḥasan b. Maḥbūb, from ʿAlī b. Riʾāb, from Ḍurayṣ…”
It is also narrated by Saʿd b. ʿAbdullah al-Ashʿarī in Baṣāʾir al-Darajāt based on what is found in Chapter 16 of al-Kharāʾij wa-l-Jaraʾiḥ, Hadith 87:
“And from Muḥammad b. al-Ḥusayn b. Abī al-Khaṭṭāb, and Aḥmad and ʿAbdullah, the two sons of Muḥammad b. ʿIsā, from al-Ḥasan b. Maḥbūb, from ʿAlī b. Riʾāb, from Ḍurayṣ al-Kināsī…”
It was also transmitted by al-Hasan b. Sulaymān in al-Majmūʿa al-Ḥadīthiyya, Hadith 357, from al-Kharāʾij and not from the Mukhtaṣar al-Baṣāʾir of Saʿd.
[7] That is what is written, this is a copyist error, and what is correct is that it is: “ʿAlī b. al-Hasan b. ʿAlī”, namely, Ibn Faḍḍāl, who is the narrator of the book of Ismāʿīl b. Mihrān.
[8] Muḥammad b. Yaʿqūb al-Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, Vol. 1, pg. 697, Hadith 742.
