The Concept of " Correct Knowledge" as Propounded by the Ahl al- Bayt (a) for the Evaluation of Sunni and Shia Hadith

Towards the end of the first century [of the Hijra], the Muslim community was gradually faced with the maturing of various schools of thought. At this time, as different lands came under the domain of Islam, the cultural influences of other nations that had been conquered by the Muslims became amalgamated (such as the Iranian, Roman, Egyptian and Greek nations). As such, various trends of thought and types of knowledge entered the Muslim community. At this time, the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) were able to attract a following from some in the community who realized that it was only the Imams (a) who were the bearers of correct knowledge from the Prophet and hence considered them the primary source of emulation. They deemed the Ahl al-Bayt (a) to be the only ones who possessed this knowledge. The question that this paper addresses is how this thought took root among the Shīʿas, especially when the political and cultural climate was such that the government was completely detached from the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) and at times was even at odds with them.