Ibn Babuyeh Quds-Sar narrates from Abu Saeed Khadri who said: We were sitting with the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant her peace, when suddenly a person came to him and said:
O Messenger of God; About this verse that God said to Iblis:
“Are you arrogant, or you are one of the highest ranks”
Tell me who is meant by these dignitaries who are higher than the angels? The Holy Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said:
I, Ali, Fatimah, Hasan and Hussain (peace be upon them) were at the veil of the Throne two thousand years before the creation of Adam, glorifying God and the angels learned glorification from us. When God created Adam, he commanded the angels to To prostrate to Adam (because we were in his core, he gave such a command). All the angels obeyed this command and prostrated to him, except Iblis, who refused to prostrate.
God Almighty said:
«يا إبْليس ما مَنَعَك أنْ تَسْجُد لِما خَلَقْت بِيَديّ أسْتَكْبَرْت أمْ كُنْت مِن العالين»، »
“O Iblis; What prevented you from prostrating the person whom I created by my power? Did you become arrogant or were you one of the high ranks – that is, from those five holy lights whose names are written on the veil of the throne?
فنحن باب اللَّه الّذي يؤتى منه، بنا يهتدى المهتدون، فمن أحبّنا أحبّه اللَّه وأسكنه .
We are the door of God’s mercy that whoever wants to find a way to Him must enter through it. Those who were guided found their way because of us. Whoever has our friendship, God will love him and make him dwell in his paradise. 2)
This shows the high status of the fourteen holy lights (AS) and also the light creation of those nobles before the creation of Hazrat Adam (AS) and other creatures, and also they are the leaders of guidance and humans will achieve eternal happiness with the guidance of those nobles!
In this regard, Ibn Babouyeh, may God have mercy on him, quoted Abu Hamzah who said: I heard from Imam Sajjad, peace be upon him, that he said:
إنّ اللَّه تبارك وتعالى خلق محمّداً صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم وعليّاً عليه السلام والأئمّة الأحد عشر عليهم السلام من نور عظمته أرواحاً في ضياء نوره، يعبدونه قبل خلق الخلق، يسبّحون اللَّه عزّوجلّ ويقدّسونه، وهم الأئمّة الهادية من آل محمّد علیهم السلام.(3)
God, blessed and exalted, created Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, Ali, peace be upon him, and the eleven Imams after him from the light of his greatness, while they were spirits, and in the light of God’s light, they worshiped God’s creatures before creation. They glorified God and sanctified him, and they are the leading leaders from the family of Muhammad, peace be upon him.
Sources:
(1) Surah S, verse 75.
(2) The virtues of Shia: 49 H 7, Bahar al-Anwar: 142/11 H 21/15 9 H 2/25 34 H 3 and 306/39 H 120.
(3) Kamal al-Din: 318 AH 1, Bihar al-Anwar: 23/15 AH 39 and 15/25 AH 28.
