hadith
2323
۞
Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘Verily Allah, Blessed and most High, took Abraham [Prophet Abraham (AS) is known in the Arabic tradition as Abraham (ed.)] as a slave before He took him as a prophet, and verily Allah took him as a prophet before He took him as an apostle, And verily Allah took him as an apostle before He took him as a friend. And verily Allah took him as a friend before He made him an Imam. And when all these ranks came together in him, He said, “I am making you the Imam of mankind.”
الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): إنَّ اللّهَ تبارَكَ وتعالى اتَّخَذَ إبراهيمَ عَبْداً قَبْلَ أنْ يَتَّخِذَهُ نَبِيّاً، وإنَّ اللّهَ اتَّخَذَهُ نَبِيّاً قَبْلَ أنْ يَتَّخِذَهُ رَسُولاً، وإنَّ اللّهَ اتَّخَذَهُ رَسُولاً قَبْلَ أنْ يَتَّخِذَهُ خَليلاً، وإنَّ اللّهَ اتَّخـَذَهُ خَليلاً قَبْلَ أنْ يَجْعَلَهُ إماماً، فَلَمّا جَمَعَ لَهُ الأشياءَ قالَ: إنّي جاعِلُكَ لِلنّاسِ إماماً.