Critique of the Definition of Infallibility (Ismah) from the Perspective of the Self-Proclaimed Yamani Faction

Dar al‑Hidayah | One of the claims of the sect of Ahmad Isma‘il Basri is the infallibility of the Yamani. They attempt, by using certain narrations, to present this claim as documented and to attribute the station of infallibility to Ahmad Basri, and to instill such a belief in their followers.

The Narration of the Infallibility of the Yamani

Ahmad Basri and his followers believe that the Yamani is infallible, and they have derived his infallibility from a narration in which Imam Muhammad al‑Baqir (peace be upon him) says that among the banners, there is no banner more guided than the banner of the Yamani; it is a banner of guidance because he calls toward your master. When the Yamani rises, the buying and selling of weapons becomes forbidden for the people and for every Muslim. When the Yamani rises, hasten toward him, for indeed his banner is a banner of guidance. It is not permissible for any Muslim to oppose that banner; whoever does so is of the people of the Fire, because the Yamani calls toward the truth and toward a straight path.

Al‑Ghaybah (al‑Nu‘mani), vol. 1, p. 253

The Argument of the Sect’s Followers

They argue that the necessary implication of calling toward the truth and the straight path is infallibility, and in defining infallibility they have said:

“An infallible person is one who does not commit an error whose result would be leading people into falsehood or removing them from the truth.”

Mutashabihat, vol. 4, p. 34.

First Point

The chain of transmission of the narration from which Ahmad Basri derives the infallibility of the Yamani is weak, and from a single weak narration, not even a recommended act can be established—let alone infallibility, which is an extremely serious matter.

Second Point

Infallibility, in terminology, means the protection of a select group of God’s servants from sin, error, forgetfulness, and negligence. The source of this protection and infallibility is the grace and divine assistance that God bestows upon those individuals. As a result, the infallible person, despite having the ability to commit sin or error, refrains from doing so.

The Definition of Infallibility from the Perspective of Imami Scholars

Shaykh al‑Mufid says:

Infallibility is a grace that God bestows upon the morally responsible person, such that the occurrence of sin and the abandonment of obedience becomes impossible for him, even though he has the ability to commit both.

Al‑Nukat al‑I‘tiqādiyyah wa Rasā’il Ukhrā, p. 37

Sayyid al‑Murtada defines infallibility as:

Infallibility is that which prevents the morally responsible person from committing an evil act or neglecting an obligation; and if it were not present, he would not be prevented from doing so, even though he is capable of both states. In other words, infallibility is something that God does for His servant, and He knows that with that divine act, the servant will not commit sin—on the condition that this divine act does not lead to compulsion or the removal of free will.

Rasā’il al‑Murtada, vol. 2, p. 277

‘Allāmah al‑Hilli, in al‑Nāfi‘ Yawm al‑Hashr, defines infallibility as:

Infallibility is a subtle grace that God bestows upon the morally responsible person, such that after it, he has no motivation to abandon obedience or commit sin, even though he has the ability to do so. For if he were not infallible, trust in his words would not be achieved, and thus the purpose of prophethood would be nullified—and this is impossible.

Al‑Nāfi‘ Yawm al‑Hashr, p. 89

Summary of the Scholars’ Statements

From the collection of these definitions, two points are understood:

1. Infallibility is a spiritual quality that has a divine origin and is a grace from God, granted to whomever He wills.
2. The infallible person does not avoid sin due to compulsion; rather, despite having the ability to commit sin, he refrains from it through divine grace and assistance—just as we are “infallible” from certain sins, such as walking naked in the street, even though we have the ability to do so.

The Result of the Claim of Infallibility

What Ahmad Basri and his followers present as the definition of infallibility contradicts the well‑known technical meaning. The reason they present such a definition is their inability to prove infallibility for Ahmad Basri, because there are glaring mistakes in his audio recordings—mistakes that even many children do not make in speech or Qur’an recitation. Moreover, the definition of infallibility they present does not apply to Ahmad, because with his false belief, he led all his followers into falsehood and removed them from the truth. They affirmed the false call of Ahmad and accepted him as the thirteenth Imam, and they believed in the existence of eleven Imams after him—an idea that, by the consensus of the Shi‘a community from the era of the Imams (peace be upon them) until now, is considered false.