Grand Ayatollah Shirazi: Only the Infallibles Are “Ulu’l-Amr”

On Thursday, the 29th of Rabi al-Awwal, the daily scholarly sessions led by Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Sadiq al-Hosseini al-Shirazi continues at his residence. As in previous sessions, the Supreme Marja addressed questions from attendees regarding various jurisprudential issues.

In relation to the primary sources from which religious directives can be derived, Grand Ayatollah Shirazi stated that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) established the Quran and the Ahl al-Bayt as the foundation for utilizing religious sources, emphasizing that only these two sources are credible in this regard, with no third source.

He further explained that the Quran is Hujjat (Proof), and likewise, anything that is clearly issued by the Ahl al-Bayt is also considered Hujjat.

Grand Ayatollah Shirazi stressed that interpretations found in some commentaries suggesting that “Ulil Amr” refers to rulers are not valid. He asserted that the legitimacy of governance by anyone other than the Ahl al-Bayt is incorrect and contradicts the well-established narrations from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family). Therefore, he concluded that “Ulil Amr” refers solely to the 14 Infallibles (peace be upon them).