Discussion of the Narrations

1) The Main Addressees of the Command “Say”

On the authority of Abū Jaʿfar (a.s.) regarding the words of the Almighty: “Say, ‘We have believed in God and what has been revealed to us,’” he said: “This refers specifically to Ali, Fāṭima, al-Hasan, and al-Husayn, then it continued after them to the Imams. Then God’s words returned to the people, saying: ‘So if they believe’ meaning the people ‘as you have believed’ meaning Ali, Fāṭima, al-Hasan, al-Husayn, and the Imams ‘then they have been guided, but if they turn away_—_they are only in dissension’ (534) meaning the people.” (535)

Note: Since belief in God and in what has been sent down or revealed from Him, or given as a miracle, is obligatory for everyone and is not exclusive to the Imam or the community, whatever appears to suggest exclusivity in this regard refers to the most perfect example, not evidence of the exclusion of other examples.

2) The Tribes

The Prophet (s.a.w.) said: “The tribes (asbāṭ) were from the children of Jacob and they were twelve men.” (536)

Abū Jaʿfar al-Bāqir (a.s.) said: “… and between Hūd and Abraham there were ten prophets among the prophets … So between each prophet and prophet there were ten fathers, nine fathers, and eight fathers, all of them prophets … until it reached Joseph son of Jacob son of Isaac son of Abraham. Then after Joseph it continued in the tribes, his brothers [in the tribes of his brothers] …”(537)

On the authority of Nabīṭ ibn Ṣāliḥ al-Bajalī who said: I asked Abū ʿAbdallāh (a.s.): “Were Joseph’s brothers prophets?” He said: “No, nor were they righteous or pious. How could they be when they said to their father Jacob: ‘By God, you are indeed in your old error.’”(538)

On the authority of Sulaymān ibn ʿAbdallāh al-Ṭalḥī who said: I asked Abū ʿAbdallāh (a.s.): “What was the state of Jacob’s sons? Did they leave the faith?” He said: “Yes.” I said to him: “What do you say about Adam?” He said: “Leave Adam out of this.”(539)

Abū ʿAbdallāh (a.s.) said: “The sons of Jacob, after what they did to Joseph, sinned and they were prophets?”(540)

On the authority of al-Ḥasan ibn Asbāṭ who said: I asked Abū l-Ḥasan: “How many of Jacob’s sons entered upon Joseph?” He said: “Eleven of his sons.” It was said to him: “The tribes (asbāṭ)?” He said: “Yes.”(541)

On the authority of Ḥannān ibn Sadīr from his father from Abū Jaʿfar who said: I said to him: “Were Jacob’s children prophets?” He said: “No, but they were tribes (asbāṭ), children of prophets, and they did not depart this world except as blessed ones; they repented and remembered what they had done.”(542)

On the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās who said: “The tribes (asbāṭ) were the sons of Jacob, they were twelve men, each of whom fathered a tribe, a nation of people.”(543)

Note: Many exegetes, such as al-Ṭabarī(544) and Ibn ʿArabī(545) and others, believe that the tribes (asbā__ṭ) were prophets. A group of exegetes, such as al-Ṭūsī and al-Ṭabrisī and others, insist that the tribes (asbāṭ), meaning the children of Jacob and brothers of Joseph, were not prophets, because they were not infallible and a prophet must be infallible, therefore they were not prophets.(546)

It is necessary to note that although the tribes (asbāṭ) are mentioned in the verse under discussion and also in verse 84 of Āl ʿImrān and others in the context of those with virtue, no verse of the Qur’an indicates their prophethood, and the mere descent to them could be of the type of descent to the community: “sent down to us.” The narrations on this subject, regardless of their chain of transmission, are contradictory and must be presented to the Qur’an.

The necessity of the infallibility of prophets and their purity from any corruption is a Qur’anic principle. After examining the traditions relating to this, it becomes clear that Joseph’s brothers lacked the qualifications for the high position of prophethood. Of course, the children, tribes (asbāṭ), and descendants of Abraham (a.s.) are of two groups: righteous and corrupt, virtuous and oppressive…; those who were or are virtuous and righteous have been or will be blessed with the special grace of divine leadership (imāmat), and those who were corrupt and oppressive will not reach that lofty position. Since a narration that agrees with the Qur’an takes precedence over one that contradicts it, the narration that denies the prophethood of the tribes (asbāṭ) is preferable.