In addition to Wilayah Tashri’i (legislative authority of making things haram or halal), Allah (swt) has given the Prophet (pbuh) and imams (as) Wilayah Takwini (the authority and power of making changes in our material world eg. splitting the moon).  They have the ability to make any changes in our physical world, and this authority or power isn’t limited to their lifetime, but they also possess it after their deaths, because they are very sacred beings, yet they don’t make use of this power at all times and places, on the contrary, they use it whenever it is to the advantage of religion and the guidance of the people and not in contrast with Allah’s (swt) unchangeable precedents and courses of action.

On one hand, respecting the imams is the way of guidance, while disrespecting them and their holy shrines is transgression and going astray.  On the other hand, one of Allah’s (swt) traditions and courses of action throughout history has been to leave people to their own will and leave them free to their own decisions, right or wrong.  Allah (swt) doesn’t always make use of His never-ending power although He can, and the same goes for the Prophet (pbuh) and the imams (as) for the same reasons.  Throughout history, there have been assaults on the Ka’bah, ending up in its partial destruction, yet Allah (swt) only prevented such a raid in one case, and that being the raid of Abrahah (in which its story has been pointed to in the surah of Fil).