O believers! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. Should you disagree on anything, then refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day. This is the best and fairest resolution. 4:59
The Sunni scholars so far have not come to an agreement on who “Ulil Amr” are and whether it means their imams or their caliphs since they were always contradictions between the two teams. However, we Shias know that it means people who are infallible otherwise why would Allah SWT make their obedience equivalent to obeying him and the prophet SAWA? Furthermore, they should be the most knowledgeable, as the Allah SWT says:
Do they not then reflect on the Quran? Had it been from anyone other than Allah, they would have certainly found in it many inconsistencies. And when they hear news of security or fear, they publicize it. Had they referred it to the Messenger or their authorities, those with sound judgment among them would have validated it. Had it not been for Allah’s grace and mercy, you would have followed Satan—except for a few. 4:82-83
And the prophet SAWA already stated that those “Ulil Amr” are twelve:
“The affairs of the people will continue to be conducted (well) as long as they are governed (ما وليهم) by twelve men.”
He is the One Who Revealed the Book unto you; from it are Decisive Verses - these are the Mother of the Book; and others are Allegorical. Then as for those in whose hearts there is perversity, so they are following what is allegorical from it, seeking the Fitna and seeking its interpretation. And none knows its interpretation except Allah, and those who are firmly rooted in the Knowledge. They are saying, ‘We believe in it. It is all from the Presence of our Lord’. And none (would) mention except those with the understanding [3:7]
Wahhabis try to say that “only Allah knows Ta’weel” (since they try to slice up the verse). However, imam Ja’far al Sadiq AS, and imam Muhammad al Baqir AS disprove this false interpretation by narrating:
Ja’far bin Muhammad (AS) said: "My father (AS) told me: 'We came to Jabir bin `Abdullah and asked him about the Hajj of the Prophet (ﷺ). He told us: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stayed in al-Madinah for nine years of Hajj, then it was announced to the people that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was going to perform Hajj this year. Many people came to al-Madinah, all of them hoping to learn from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and to do as he did. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) set out when there were five days left of Dhul-Qa’dah, and we set out with him,: Jabir said; "And the Messenger of Allah was among us; the Qur’an was being revealed to him, and he knew what it meant.(وهو يعرف تأويله) Whatever he did based on it (the Qur’an), we did, and we set out with no intention other than Hajj.
As for who knows the Ta’weel after the prophet SAWA, the prophet SAWA himself said:
from Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, who said: “We were sitting, waiting for the Messenger of Allah (SAWA), when he came to us with his sandals damaged and torn. He threw it to Ali (AS) and said, 'There will be among you those who will fight for the interpretation (تأويل) of the Quran, just as I have fought for its revelation.’ Abu Bakr said, ‘Is it me?’ The Prophet replied, ‘No.’ Umar said, ‘Is it me?’ Again, the Prophet said, ‘No.’ Then he said, ‘It is the one who has the sandals.’”
And this can also prove that what those two did in al Ridda was not Lawful as they did not know the Ta’weel of the Quran yet fought Muslims due to it. Moreover, Allah SWT says:
We did not send before you except mere men inspired by Us. So ask the people of the reminder if you do not know. With clear proofs and divine Books. And We have sent down to you the Reminder, so that you may explain to people what has been revealed for them, and perhaps they will reflect. (16:43-44)
Now, even though the context of the verses indicate that Ahlul Thikr are the interpreters of the holy Quran, and even in their own tafseers:
Likewise, Abu Ja`far al-Baqir (AS) said: “We are the people of the reminder.”
Wahhabis still have the audacity to say this refers to Jews and Christians, which clearly contradicts the holy Quran since Allah SWT said:
O believers! Take neither Jews nor Christians as guardians—they are guardians of each other. Whoever does so will be counted as one of them. Surely Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people. (5:51)
and the verse after it applies to the Wahhabis and Salafis who narrate nothing but Israeliyates in their books:
You see those with sickness in their hearts racing for their guardianship, saying, “We fear a turn of fortune will strike us.” But perhaps Allah will bring about victory or another favour by His command, and they will regret what they have hidden in their hearts. (5:52)
And the first 2 lines of the next verse is about their “sahaba” whom Ran Away countless times during fights:
O believers! Whoever among you abandons their faith, Allah will replace them with others who love Him and are loved by Him. They will be humble with the believers but firm towards the disbelievers, struggling in the Way of Allah; fearing no blame from anyone. This is the favour of Allah. He grants it to whoever He wills. And Allah is All-Bountiful, All-Knowing. (5:54)
As for the highlighted part. No doubt it is about imam Ali AS as the prophet SAWA said:
"Tomorrow I will give the flag to somebody who will be given victory (by Allah) and who loves Allah and His Apostle and is loved by Allah and His Apostle."
and for those who are good at grammar, the prophet SAWA saying this statement for imam Ali AS specifically indicates that the two before him do not share the merit… And finally, the verse that no one from humans nor jinns can deny it was revealed upon imam Ali AS:
Your only guardians are Allah, His Messenger, and those who have believed, those who establish prayer and give Zakat while with kneeling (5:55)
ans this is the correct translation for those who understand Arabic. And there isn’t a need for a Hadith as the verse is as clear as the sun. Moreover:
Whoever allies themselves with Allah, His Messenger, and fellow believers, then it is certainly Allah’s party that will prevail. (5:56)
The prophet SAWA said:
Ali adjured the people at ar-Rahbah, saying: Whoever heard the messenger of Allah (ﷺ) speak on the day of Ghadeer Khumm, let him stand up. And (of the people) around Sa’eed, six men stood up, and (of the people) around Zaid, six men stood up, and they testified that they had heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say to ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) on the day of Ghadeer Khumm. “Isn’t it Allah Who is closer to the believers?” They said: Yes. He said: O Allah, if I am a person`s mawla (friend and supporter) then ‘Ali is also his mawla; O Allah, take asfriends(Allies) those who take him as afriend(master), and take as enemies those who take him as an enemy.”
As for the statement of Ibn Kathir in his tafseer (saying that imam Baqir AS referred to the whole ummah), it is wrong since Allah SWT in the holy Quran:
The Messenger has cried, “O my Lord! My people have indeed received this Quran with neglect.” Similarly, We made enemies for every prophet from among the wicked, but sufficient is your Lord as a Guide and Helper. (25:30-31)
and there are hypocrites (even at the time of the prophet SAWA), thus why Surat al Munafiqun was revealed. And enough proof is that this ummah killed the son AS of the daughter SA of its prophet SAWA:
from Umm Salamah, who said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) entered my house and said, ‘No one else should enter with me.’ Then I heard a voice, so I entered. There, I found him holding Husayn ibn Ali, and he was sad or, she said, crying. I asked, ‘Why are you crying, O Messenger of Allah?’ He replied, 'Jibril informed me that my Ummah (community) will kill this son of mine after me.’ I asked, ‘Who will kill him?’ He took a handful of sand and said, ‘The people of this land will kill him.’”