Hadith of Twelve Caliphs: Difference between revisions

[[Al-Qunduzi al-Hanafi]] cited the hadith and then said that a close look into hadiths according to which the caliphs after the Prophet (s) are twelve reveals that by those twelve caliphs he meant the [[Twelve Imams]] from his own Ahl a-Bayt (a). He holds that the hadith does not refer to the [[Rashidun Caliphs]] since their number is smaller than twelve. It does not refer to [[Umayyad]] or Abbasid kings either, since their number is greater than twelve. Moreover, some of them were vice and unjust people, and were not committed to Islamic rulings, except [['Umar b. 'Abd al-'Aziz]]. What is more, [[Banu Umayya]] were not from [[Banu Hashim]], but the Prophet (s), according to 'Abd al-Malik’s narration from Jabir, said that they are all from Banu Hashim. So the hadith can only refer to the Twelve Imams from the Prophet’s (s) Ahl al-Bayt (a), since they were the most knowledgeable as well as the most pious people of their time, and were superior to others with respect to their acts and genealogy. Most important of all, they had inherited their knowledge from their ancestor, the Prophet Muhammad (s). Al-Qunduzi also appeals to hadiths, such as [[Hadith al-Thiqlayn]], to support his view.

[[fa:حدیث دوازده خلیفه]]

[[tr:On İki Halife Hadisi]]