عَنْ عُبَيْدِ بْنِ زُرَارَةَ عَنْ اَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِؑ قَالَ كُنْتُ عِنْدَ زِيَادِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللهِ وَ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنْ اَهْلِ بَيْتِي فَقَالَ يَا بَنِي عَلِيٍّ وَ فَاطِمَةَ مَا فَضْلُكُمْ عَلَى النَّاسِ فَسَكَتُوا فَقُلْتُ اِنَّ مِنْ فَضْلِنَا عَلَى النَّاسِ اَنَّا لَا نُحِبُّ اَنْ نَكُونَ اَحَداً سِوَانَا وَ لَيْسَ اَحَدٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ لَا يُحِبُّ اَنْ يَكُونَ مِنَّا اِلَّا اَشْرَكَ ثُمَّ قَالَ ارْوُوا هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ
Obaidullah Ibn Zoraarah reports from Imam Abu Abdillah (al-Sadeq a.s.), “I and a group of my Ahle Bait (peace be upon them) was with Ziyaad Ibn Obaidillah when he said, ‘O progeny of Ali and Fatemah! What is your excellence upon the people?’ Everyone was silent. So I said, ‘Surely, from our excellences upon the people is that we don’t love that we become anyone except us and none from the people wishes that he becomes one of us except that he has become a polytheist.” Thereafter, he (peace be upon him) ordered, ‘All of you narrate this tradition’.”
Notes:
1) In the original manuscript, it is Obaidillah and not Abdillah as recorded in Behaar al-Anwaar.
2) Imam (peace be upon him) says ‘from our excellences’ which shows that he (peace be upon him) is narrating only one of the excellences of the Ahle Bait (peace be upon them).
3) Narration shows the incomprehensible position of the Ahle Bait (peace be upon them). Only Imams (peace be upon them) can understand this position and hence, they cannot even think of becoming anything else.
4) From the commonality, nobody can ever compare himself or think himself to be like an infallible Imam (peace be upon him). If anyone dares to do so, he is out of the domain of Islam and monotheism and becomes a polytheist.
References:
1. Al-Mahaasin, vol. 2, p. 333, H. 101
2. Elal al-Sharaae’, vol. 2, p. 583, H. 24
3. Behaar al-Anwaar, vol. 26, p. 241, H. 4