The answer to an old doubt about the infallibility of the prophet (pbuh) and the shiite imams (pbuh) based on the distinction between objective and subjective languages

There is a relatively old doubt regarding the infallibility of the Prophet and the Shiite Imams, which refers to some verses of the Qur'an and the verbal prayers of the Shiite imams, in which the Prophet and the imams seek forgiveness from God for their sins and thereby seek His protection and mercy. If the Prophet and Shiite Imams are infallible, they should not commit sins, and if they do not commit sins, why do they seek forgiveness from God for committing sins? Various answers have been given by Shiite scholars to this doubt. The vast majority of these answers presuppose that the words uttered by the Prophet or Imams containing "forgiveness" and "sin" are objective texts that speak of the external world and the events and actions (sins) have been committed there. The answer presented in this article does not agree with that premise. The method of this research is analytical and it is based on the hypothesis that the phrases containing "forgiveness" (Istighfar) and "sin" (Zdanb) uttered by the Prophet and Imams are subjective texts, not objective. This article tries to show, citing evidence from the Qur'an and Nahj al-Balagha, that the Prophet and Imams' forgiveness is for something that depends on the perceptions, inner states and sensual tendencies of the Prophet and Imams, not for something (sin) that belongs to the world of external realities. One of the most important achievements of this article is that, for the first time, it puts forward the hypothesis that the correct analysis of the language of the Prophet and Imams depends on having a correct understanding of the use of that language whether it is subjective or objective.