The classical encyclopedic work of Bihar Al-Anwar written by Allamah Baqir Al-Majlisi echoes this same line of thinking. In it, Majlisi dedicated a completed chapter for the belief of the Imāms’ superiority entitled: "Their preference (A.S) over the prophets and all the people etc" [Bihar Al-Anwar Vol 26, Chapter 6]. Parts of his arguments in favor of this position are as follows, where Mullah Majlisi quotes the Shia Shaykh Al-Sadooq:
" It should be believed that Allah –tala- did not create a creation better than Muhammad (Salla Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam) and after him the Imams (A.S) and that they are the most beloved creation to Allah and honorable to him, and the first to believe in him when Allah –tala- took the covenant from the prophets in the atom (stage). And that Allah –tala- gave to every prophet based on his knowledge of our Prophet (Salla Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam) and his early confirming of it. And it should be believed that Allah –tala- created all of creations for him and his Ahlul Bayt (A.S) , and if it was not for them, he would not have created the Heavens and the Earth, Paradise or Hell, Adam or Eve, Angels or anything else he created, May Allah's blessings be upon all of them "
After quoting Al-Sadooq, Al-Majlisi said: " You should know that what he, Rahimahu Allah, mentioned of the preference of our Prophet and Imams (A.S) over all creation and that our Imams are higher than the rest of prophets is a matter that is no doubted by one who examined their traditions (A.S) on they way of submitting and truly believing, and the traditions to this effect are too numerous to count, we have only reported in this chapter a few and it is spread in chapters, especially chapter about the description of the prophets and their types (A.S), chapter that they (A.S) are the word of Allah, and chapter on the appearance of their lights and chapter that they are more knowledgeable than the prophets and chapters about the merits of Ameer-ul-Momineen and Fatimah (A.S), and this is the main opinions of the Imāmis (Shia), and is only rejected by one who is ignorant about the traditions. 17
☞ ACKNOWLEDGMENT
▶ Why look into Imamah as a doctrine?
☞ LOOKING INTO IMAMAH IN SHIAISM▶
Usul-e-Deen and Imamah
▶ Method
of Imam’s
appointment
▶ Existence
of an Imam
more Important for Humankind than Existence of a Prophet
▶ The Imams superiority
in
comparison to all Creation, the Shia view
▶ Testimony from
Ayatollah
Lankarani’s office
▶ Ayatollah Khomeini’s
comments
▶ The statement from Allamah
Majlisi
▶ Shia Encyclopedia’s
statement
▶ The statement from
Peshawar Nights
▶ Denying Imamah
and its
consequences
▶ What
we can conclude about
Imamah in Shiaism
☞ THE QURAN AS OUR
REFERENCE
☞ "IMĀMS"
IN THE QURAN
☞ "NABIS"
AND "RASOOLS" IN
THE QURAN
☞ GENERAL AND
SPECIFIC VERSES
OF THE QURAN AND PROBLEMS WITH IMĀMAH
☞ MUHAMMAD
(Salla Allahu
Alayhi wa Sallam) AS "IMĀM"?
☞ CONCLUSION
☞ BIBLIOGRAPHY