The Fourteen Infallibles

In Imamiyya theological circles the members of the household of the Holy Prophet (s) are referred to as the fourteen infallibles. Namely, the Prophet (s) himself, his daughter Fatima (as), his son-in-law Ali (as), then his grandsons Hassan (as) and Hussein (as) and the nine descendants from Hussein (as): Ali ibn Hussein (as), Muhammad ibn Ali (as), Ja'far ibn Muhammad (as), Musa ibn Ja'far (as), Ali ibn Musa (as), Muhammad ibn Ali (as), Ali ibn Muhammad (as), Hassan ibn Ali (as) and the Messiah known as al-Mahdi (ajfs). The principle aim of this examination is three-fold: The first reason we are going to dissect the biographies of each member of the household of the Prophet (s) is to apply their lessons in our life, because when we dissect the lives of these personalities we must ask ourselves, "What of their lives over one thousand years ago affects our lives today in 2012? Which of their standpoints, which of their ethics, and which of their principles can relate to my standpoints, my ethics and my principles today? Which situations did they face in their life may I be facing in my life?" When we come to dissect the lives of every one of these leaders, it should not just be a theoretical discussion about when they were born, or how many children they had, or whom they were married to. While that part of knowledge is important, what is equally important, and what should really be important, is a practical discussion that examines the way their lives can affect our lives. Which circumstances did they fall into which we may fall into as well? We find that the first of the important points in dissecting the biographies of these fourteen infallibles is that we want their lives to relate to ours.