According to Twelver Shia Imamism, not only “al-Baqir said” is equivalent to “the Prophet said”, but the rulings of the i̶n̶fallibles are nothing but the decree of Allah i.e. revelation.

The Imams are de facto mini-gods who are invoked to fulfill needs and desires just like the “saints” in the church. So it is not surprising that these deified Imams are lawgivers alongside Allah.

Wilayah Tafwidh/Takwiniyyah ( الولاية التكوينية / التفويض )

In his book “The Islamic Government”, Khomeini expresses the extreme Twelver Shia view regarding the Imams:

قال الخميني في كتابه الحكومة الإسلامية : فإن للإمام مقاما محمودا ودرجة سامية  وخلافة تكوينية تخضع لولأيتها وسيطرتها جميع ذرات هذا الكون . وان من ضروريات مذهبنا أن لأئمتنا مقاما لا يبلغه ملك مقرب، ولا نبي مرسل – “الحكومة الإسلامية”: صفحة 52

“The Imam occupies a glorious station and a supreme place and wields such a delegated authority of genesis that every atom in this universe submits to his surpassing glory. And one of the necessary teachings in our sect is that our Imams hold a status that cannot be attained by either an exalted angel or a prophet.” (Khomeini, al Hukumah alIslamiyyah, pg. .52)

This is kufr and riddah by ijma’ and this is why this kafir Khomeini is rightfully takfired by those who know his reality.

Wilayah Tashri’iyyah ( الولاية التشريعية )

In Imamism, Tashri’ ( التشريع ) is attributed to the Imams i.e. they are musharri‘in (lawgivers) who can introduce entirely new forms of worship that have no precedent in the Qur’an or the Sunnah of the Final Messenger (ﷺ).

“Ayatollah” Khomeini took this belief to even further extremes and assigned the authority of the Imams to the supreme leader of Iran (who happened to be him and later his favourite disciple, “Ayatollah” Khamenei).

“The government can even temporarily prevent performing ḥajj, which is among the important Divine obligations” (leader.ir)

‘Ayatollah’ Kamal al-Haydari says in his “Ilm Al-Iman”, p. 508:

فالنبيّ صلّى الله عليه وآله يقوم بوضع بعض التشريعات بإذن منه تعالى في ضوء ما أدّبه سبحانه، وهكذا الأمر بالنسبة إلى أئمّة أهل البيت عليهم السلام، فإنّهم يشرّعون بعض التشريعات التي لم يشرّعها الله تعالى ولا نبيّه صلّى الله عليه وآله، على أساس ما أدّبهم الله تعالى، بحيث لا يشرّعون شيئاً ولا يقولون إلاّ كان مطابقاً لما أراده الله سبحانه

“The Prophet (ﷺ) places some religious laws with the permission of Allah according to how Allah disciplined him. This also applies to the Imams of Ahlul-Bayt; they also legislate some Islamic laws that have not been previously legislated by Allah or his Messenger (ﷺ) according to how Allah disciplined them. This happens in a way, that every law they set and every saying they utter is always in accordance with the will of Allah.”

The Qur’an is the greatest enemy of Shi’ism and simply destroys all such claims in one breath:

 الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا

 «This day, I have completed your religion for you, perfected My blessings upon you, and am pleased with Islaam as your Religion.» [Qur’an, 5:3]

The noble Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (ﷺ), left his nation upon المحجة البيضاء (the clear white path) whose night is the same as its day; no one deviates from it except that he is destroyed.

This verse contains testimony from Allah, the Perfect and Most High, that this religion is complete and that it covers everything of benefit to the servants; they do not need any other legislation after it or any other book to come down or any other messenger or “infallible Imams” to be sent after the final Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).

The verse also contains a refutation of the innovators, those who introduce worship from themselves and ascribe it to the religion, when it has no proof from the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (ﷺ). Rather they just introduce it in accordance with what they deem to be good.

He (ﷺ) said:

«Whoever introduces into this affair of ours that which is not from it, then it is rejected.»  (Bukhari and Muslim)

Whatever was not from the religion in the time of the Prophet (ﷺ) will never be from the religion after him. Allah completed the religion for this nation until the Hour is established for every time and place and for every generation of mankind.