After the martyrdom of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), the question of who would lead the Muslim Ummah was not one of mere governance. Rather, it was about who could carry forward the trust of divine guidance. Such a role demanded more than seniority or companionship. It required exceptional traits such as moral excellence, deep understanding of the faith, freedom from error, and other attributes essential for guiding the Muslim community.
This brings us to an important question: Who was truly equipped with these qualities to lead the Ummah after the Prophet? Shias believe it was Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a.s.) and his progeny who were appointed by the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) on the orders of Almighty Allah. While the Ahle Tasannun believe it was Abu Bakr who was hurriedly selected by a handful of people at Saqifah while the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) was yet to be buried. A careful look at early Islamic history reveals that the latter never claimed superiority or divine appointment. Both these points were later employed by Imam Ali Reza (a.s.) in a sharp, logical debate that exposed the inconsistencies in the appointment at Saqifah.
The Debate
As recorded in Al-Manaaqib by Ibn Shahr Aashob: Ibn Jarir Ibn Rustam al-Tabari narrated from Ahmad al-Tusi from his teachers in a hadith that a group was appointed to debate with Imam Reza (a.s.) regarding Imamate in the presence of Ma’mun. He gave them permission, and they chose Yahya Ibn al-Dhahhak al-Samarqandi. Then he (a.s.) said, “Ask, O Yahya. “So Yahya said, “Rather, you ask, O son of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.), to honour me with that.”
So he (a.s.) asked: “O Yahya, what do you say about a man who claimed truthfulness for himself and disbelieved the truthful ones? Is he truthful and rightful in his religion, or a liar?”
And he could not reply for a while.
Ma’mun said, “Answer him, O Yahya.”
He said, “He has cut me off (defeated me), O Commander of the Faithful.”
Then he viz. Ma’mun turned to Imam Reza (a.s.) and said, “What is this question in which Yahya admitted defeat?”
Imam Reza (a.s.) replied: “If Yahya claims that he believed the truthful ones, then there is no Imamate for one who testified to his own inability, for he said on the pulpit of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.), ‘I have been appointed over you, but I am not better than you, whereas a ruler should be better than the ruled’.
And if Yahya claims that he believed the truthful ones, then there is no Imamate for one who admitted about himself on the pulpit of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) that ‘There is a Satan over me who pulls me towards himself while an Imam cannot have a Satan for him.’
And if Yahya claims that he believed the truthful ones, then Imamate cannot be for the one whose companion admitted about him, saying, ‘The Imamate of Abu Bakr was a sudden matter, and Allah protected from its evil, so whoever returns to something similar, kill him’.”
So, Ma’mun shouted at them, and they dispersed. Then he turned to Bani Hashim and said to them, “Did I not tell you not to initiate (a discussion) with him and not to gather against him, for their knowledge (referring to the Imams from the Prophet’s household) is from the knowledge of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.).”
[Reference: Behaar al-Anwaar, vol. 10, p. 348, H. 6]
Conclusion
Imam Reza (a.s.) exposed the falsehood of those who defend the appointment at Saqifah by pointing out that the one who was selected himself admitted he was unqualified. Yet, despite this, he took on the Imamate – and his friend later acknowledged that his appointment was all but a sudden decision that occurred accidentally, with serious consequences if that approach was followed by anyone else. The result of this faulty caliphate became clear when power later went to people like Yazid, whose corrupt rule led to the tragedy of Karbala. These events make it clear that, just as a Prophet is divinely appointed, his successor must also be chosen by Allah, not by fallible human judgment.