Time only permits me to answer some of the issues brother Zamestaneh has raised. I hope this is of benefit to you and to users in general.
No shia argues [or should argue] purely based on this hadith, that there are twelve Imams , and that it therefore proves shia Islam. The proof of Shia Islam is based on more solid groundwork, clear ahadith, and clear argumentation. This hadith is thus used only after affirming the clear, for anyone seeking truth to recognise that, despite distortion of ahadith, there was some truth that remained, and some reference to a truth.
You know, whenever i ask my brothers in the ahlus-sunnah about this, i often get different replies. On the i-soc thread itself, a few brothers admitted it means following the Sunnah of the Prophet s.a.w as preserved by the ahlulbayt. It's really important to understand that these are your intepretations of these matters - and not what the matters are. So let us examine the hadith:
It is narrated in Sahih Muslim as well as many other sources that:Someday (after his last pilgrimage) the Messenger of Allah (S) stood to give us a speech beside a pond which is known as Khum (Ghadir Khum) which is located between Mecca and Medina. Then he praised Allah and reminded Him, and then said: "O’ people! Behold! It seems the time approached when I shall be called away (by Allah) and I shall answer that call.
Behold! I am leaving for you
two precious things. First of them is
the book of Allah in which there is light and guidance...
The other one is my Ahlul-Bayt. I remind you in the name of Allah about my Ahlul-Bayt. I remind you in the name of Allah about my Ahlul-Bayt. I remind you in the name of Allah about my Ahlul-Bayt. (three times)."• Sahih Muslim, Chapter of the virtues of the companions, section of the virtues of ‘Ali, 1980 Edition Pub. in Saudi Arabia, Arabic version, v 4, p1873, Tradition #36.Important points:1. The context of the hadith is important. Muhammed s.a.w knows he will soon die, and has this one chance to tell the people of the important things to latch onto after him, in a sense, it is an ultimatum.
2. Muhammed s.a.w clearly states he is leaving behind two precious things, two things of vital importance. This denotes that whatever it is Muhammed s.a.w is leaving must have enormous benefit to the muslims, and must be of immense importance. The muslims must be able to truly benefit from these two things - and as Muhammed s.a.w himself is about to die, these are the two things he is leaving behind for his people thus, to latch onto.
3. The first of them is the Quran, and the second is the Ahlulbayt a.s. You see, Muhammed s.a.w places the Ahlulbayt a.s next to the Quran as two precious things muslims must hold onto for guidance after his death. As the Quran is a form of guidance, so too is what he places next to it.
4. Not just once, but three times does he tell the people about the Ahlulbayt a.s
For any truth-seeking individual, they must objectively analyse this hadith and ask themselves, given the context, the way the words are are arranged, the manner in which things are said, does it really only mean to look after the Ahlulbayt a.s , and be good to them ? Does it not clearly mean, after the death of Muhammed s.a.w, in the vacuum that then ensues, he is commanding the Ummah to latch onto two precious things, two forms of guidance, two weighty things that will be of enormous benefit, and not merely a matter of 'just look after my family' ?
We find that you have many sheikhs in the ahlus-sunnah who also agree with me on this, and would disagree with you, i highly recommend you to watch this video of a sheikh from the ahlus-sunnah:
[video="youtube;5lmmqo-3zyw"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lmmqo-3zyw[/video]
Abu Bakr is a Qunyah , note a name. No-one names their child Abu Bakr, and Abu Bakr's father did not even name his child Abu Bakr himself. The son of Ali ibn Abi Talib a.s who was given the Qunyah 'Abu Bakr' - a very famous and common Qunyah at that time (there were many, many 'Abu Bakr's) does not mean Ali ibn Abi Talib a.s named his son that.
With regards to actual naming of other sons I can name my child George , for example, a very common name in the UK (i know i wouldn't, but this is for illustration). Am i naming him after George Bush?
This argument does not really hold. We reject that Ali ibn Abi Talib a.s angered Fatima a.s. We also do not need that hadith you speak of to prove that angering Fatima a.s is like Angering Rasulullah s.a.w. It would be the case even if that hadith was not accepted, as we find many ahadith about the love Rasulullah s.a.w had for Fatima a.s
However, for sake of argument lets say that did happen. Once can argue that Fatima a.s would have forgiven Ali ibn abi talib a.s and quickly gotten over it in a matter of days, if not weeks.
As for Hazrat Abu Bakr, not only did Fatima a.s get angry with him, she stopped speaking to him until she died, died angry with him, and was buried secretly at night. This is all contained in Saheeh Al Bukhari:
Saheeh Al Bukhari"
She(Fatima) forsook him and did not talk to him until the end of her life. She lived for six months after the death of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).
When she died, her husband. 'Ali b. Abu Talib, buried her at night. He did not inform Abu Bakr about her death and offered the funeral prayer over her himself. During the lifetime of Fatima, 'All received (special) regard from the people. After she had died, he felt estrangement in the faces of the people towards him. So he sought to make peace with Abu Bakr and offer his allegiance to him.
He had not yet owed allegiance to him as Caliph during these months."Fatima, the daughter of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)
got angry and stopped speaking to Abu Bakr, and continued assuming that attitude till she died. Fatima remained alive for six months after the death of Allah's Messenger"
http://sunnah.com/bukhari/57/2This shows , with due respect, a lack of understanding about nahjul balagha, and shia books in general.
Firstly, nahjul balagha is not regarded as saheeh or an 'authentic' collection of sermons. Secondly, while the chains of the individual sermons and narrations are not contained in the book, many of the narrations, sermons, do have chains and these chains are found in other sources, and other classical shia books of hadith.
A number of the narrations and sermons are even agreed upon by the ahlus-sunnah, and are taken from sunni sources, and used by sunni's in their own historical works and books
Furthermore, nahjul balagha does not rank in our top four books of ahadith. They are Al Kafi, manyaradul faqih, etc.
Eitherway, it is a wonderful book, it has its place and position, each sermon and narration and hadith is examined not just by isnaad (which we can find for many) but also matn - content, among many other factors.