The conclusion of this discourse is that the Caliph should be superior to the creatures (he should be the best of men), because if during that time, there is someone who is equal or superior to him, he would be eligible for Caliphate, without any doubt.
If the imam is deficient in one of the qualities, in instances in which his knowledge is deficent and his insight regarding it, is less, it only can be removed through the two ways:
He can deliver a verdict without knowledge and offer a view without proof, or ask someone to bring him to the right path. The first path is a source of corruption and weakness, and the second path is source of decline of his status; when the imam is supposed to be obeyed like the Prophet.
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا لِيُطَاعَ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ
“And We did not send any apostle but that he should be obeyed by Allah’s permission.”1
In the Holy Quran, obedience of the imam is regarded at par with obedience of God and the Prophet.
أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ
“Obey Allah and obey the Apostle and those in authority from among you.”2
So that He may give him power to establish divine limits and destroy falsehoods. And how often if the source of establishment of religion and its elder, who calls people to religion, is unable to remove doubts from it, those doubts fall on the call of the Prophet and the reality of religion. And all of them demand that the imam should be perfect in all qualities and should have precedence on all people:
قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
“Say: Are those who know and those who do not know alike?”3
قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الْأَعْمَى وَالْبَصِيرُ أَمْ هَلْ تَسْتَوِي الظُّلُمَتُ وَالنُّوْرُ
“Say: Are the blind and the seeing alike? Or can the darkness and the light be equal?”4
قُلْ هَلْ مِنْ شُرَكَابِكُمْ مَنْ يَهْدِى إِلَى الْحَقِّ قُلِ اللَّهُ يَهْدِي لِلْحَقِّ أَفَمَنْ يَهْدِى إلَى الْحَقِّ أَحَقُّ أَنْ يُتَّبَعَ آمَنْ لَا يَهْدِى إِلَّا أَنْ يُهْدَى : فَمَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَتَحْكُمُونَ
“Is He then Who guides to the truth more worthy to be followed, or he who himself does not go aright unless he is guided? What then is the matter with you; how do you judge?”5
With attention to this explanation, we present in brief, excellences of Ahle Bayt (a.s.) and defects of their enemies, which are explained in the book of Al-Ghadeer.
As for excellence in the book of Al-Ghadeer: the excellence of Ahle Bayt (a.s.) generally; and excellence of our master, Ameerul Momineen (a.s.), Lady Fatima Zahra (s.a.) and Imams Hasan and Husain (a.s.) are especially mentioned although the actual topic of the book is explanation of excellences of Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) and evidences of his immediate Caliphate.