The significance of the hadith of the position of Aaron for the formulation of the Shia doctrine of authority

From quite early on, the Shi a endeavoured to provide both historical and rational arguments for their central claim that Ali ibn Abi alib (d. 40/661), the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Mu ammad (d. 11/632), was not only his legitimate successor but also the person best qualified to lead the umma. In particular, there are several statements attributed to the Prophet Mu ammad which are used as evidence of the special position of Ali and his family. One of these is a report known in the Muslim tradition as the adith manzilat Harun ( adith of the position of Aaron). According to this report, cited by such eminent authorities on adith as Muslim ibn al- ajjaj (d. 261/875), al-Tirmidhi (d. 279/892) and Ibn anbal (d. 241/855), Mu ammad said to Ali: “Are you not content to be with respect to me as Aaron was to Moses, except that after me there shall be no other Prophet?” The adith alludes to the parallels and similarities between the status of Mu ammad and Ali and their close relationship, and that of Moses and Aaron in the Jewish tradition. The article examines the significance of this report for the formulation of the doctrine of the special status of Ali in Shi i Islam through its use and interpretation in the Muslim literary and historical tradition.