Fakhr al-Rāzī’s Judgment Regarding the Superiority of ʿAlī (a.s.)

Fakhr al-Rāzī says regarding the verse under discussion:

In Ray, there was a man named Maḥmūd ibn Ḥasan al-Ḥimṣī who was a teacher of the Twelver Shi’is and believed that ʿAlī was superior to all prophets (a.s.) except Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.), and he argued thus:

What indicates this claim is God’s statement: “our souls and your souls.” The meaning of “ourselves” (anfusanā) is not the Prophet himself, because a person does not invite himself, rather someone else is meant, and by consensus, that person is ʿAlī, so the verse indicates that ʿAlī is the “self” (nafs) of the Prophet. Of course, it cannot mean that he is identical to him, so it must mean that he is like him.

This generality [of similarity] has been specified in terms of prophethood and virtue, since we have consensus that ʿAlī (a.s.) was not a prophet and that the Prophet was superior to him; however, the general similarity remains in other aspects. Then we have consensus that Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) is superior to other prophets, therefore ʿAlī (a.s.) is superior to all prophets.

… The narration which states: “Whoever wishes to see Adam in his knowledge, Noah in his obedience, Abraham in his friendship [with God], Moses in his awe, and Jesus in his purity, should look at ʿAlī (a.s.),” supports the inference from this verse.

Other Shi’is from ancient times have argued using this verse that ʿAlī is like Muhammad himself, except in matters that have been excluded by evidence, and since Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) was superior to all companions, therefore ʿAlī is superior to all companions. This was the Shi’i belief.

Response [to Maḥmūd ibn Ḥasan al-Ḥimṣī]: Just as we have consensus that Muhammad (s.a.w.) is superior to ʿAlī (a.s.), we also have consensus that a prophet is superior to a non-prophet, therefore just as the apparent meaning of the verse has been specified regarding Muhammad (s.a.w.), it has also been specified regarding other prophets.(715)

In response to Fakhr Rāzī, it must be said that in addition to the narrations from which the superiority of Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a.s.) over other prophets (a.s.) can be inferred, and which state that Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a.s.) possesses all the virtues of all prophets (a.s.) in one place - such as when the Prophet (s.a.w.) said about Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a.s.): “Whoever wishes to see Adam in his knowledge, Noah in his obedience, Abraham in his friendship [with God], Moses in his awe, and Jesus in his purity, should look at ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (a.s.)”(716) - another evidence for his superiority over previous prophets (a.s.) is that, firstly, the status and rank of every prophet is limited to his heavenly book; and the Qur’an not only confirms the Torah, Gospel, and scriptures of previous prophets, but also has dominion, authority and oversight over them: “We have sent down to you the Book with the truth, confirming what was before it of the Book and as a guardian over it.”(717) Secondly, based on the hadith of Thaqalayn,(718) all the People of the Household (a.s.), especially Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a.s.), are equal to the Qur’an in all spiritual degrees, and there is no truth in the Qur’an that the People of the Household (a.s.) have not attained, just as the People of the Household (a.s.) do not possess any perfection that the Qur’an lacks, otherwise separation between the Qur’an and the Family would be necessary, whereas the companionship of the Qur’an and the Family until the Pool of Kawthar means that in the manifest world, the intermediate realm, the great resurrection and in all longitudinal degrees, there is no degree of truth that the Qur’an possesses which the People of the Household (a.s.) do not possess.

Based on these evidences, the infallible People of the Household, especially Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a.s.), carry with them the truth of the Qur’an, and since the Qur’an has authority over all the books of previous prophets, and the rank of previous prophets is limited to their books, and ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (a.s.) has reached the essence of the guardian Qur’an, he is certainly superior to other prophets.

The statement of Fakhr Rāzī and others stems from a consensus they claim regarding the superiority of prophets over non-prophets. However, firstly, there is no such consensus, due to the numerous narrations with the content “Whoever wishes…” These narrations are abundant (istifāḍa), and their collective meaning establishes his superiority over the prophets, and this is not a singular narration (khabar wāḥid) through which such doctrinal knowledge cannot be established. Secondly, that consensus is not authoritative, as it does not include the infallible one. They have been negligent of these truths, and in this discussion, the truth lies with the esteemed scholar “Maḥmūd ibn Ḥasan Ḥimṣī.”

Yes, ʿAlī (a.s.) did not have prophethood (nubuwwa), but he possessed the foundation of prophethood, which is divine authority (wilāya) that gives value to prophethood.

One should not be surprised how a non-prophet, namely Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a.s.), could be superior to a prophet, because he is the successor of the Prophet of Islam (s.a.w.), and the scope of the Messenger of God’s (s.a.w.) mission encompassed the entire expanse of earth and time. This is unlike other prophets whose missions were limited both spatially and temporally, like the prophets who were not among the resolute ones (ulū l-ʿazm), or even if their mission covered the entire earth, like the resolute prophets, it was for a specific time period. Thus, absolute leadership across the earth and throughout time is exclusive to the Prophet (s.a.w.), and Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a.s.) is the successor to such a position. In evaluation, the deputy (nāʾib) should be measured against the one being represented (manūb ʿanhu), and Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a.s.) is the successor of the Prophet of Islam (s.a.w.), not the successor of previous prophets (a.s.). If there is a consensus, the definitive minimum of that rational evidence is that every prophet is superior to the successor, deputy, and imam after him who is his successor.