Theological Instructions

LESSON THIRTY-SIX: IMĀMAH

Introduction

The Prophet of Islam (s) after his migration to Medina established an Islamic state.

The mosque of the Prophet apart from being a place of worship, teaching and training was a haven for the migrants and deprived. It was from this very Mosque that the Prophet contributed in helping towards solving the economical problems of the poor, and from where he managed the governmental and judicial affairs, and from where he determined the strategy of war. Collectively speaking the Prophet of Islam administered the earthly (worldly) and heavenly issues of the people, and the Muslims in return understood that they must remain loyal to the commands of the Noble Prophet.

God the Supreme has made it obligatory for men to be absolutely obedient towards the Prophet, and especially in the political, judicial, and military affairs, God has revealed and emphasized upon the commands for executing the Prophet’s will.

The Prophet of Islam apart from being an apostle, Prophet, teacher of Islam and its rulings, was also nominated by God to rule over the Islamic society. This role subsequently involved him being the military commander, and the head of judiciary …etc. In the same manner as Islam, which is comprised of issues relating to politics, economics and rights other than just encompassing moral and worship, the Prophet was also obliged to act as an executor for issues that encompassed all religious and governmental aspects.

As Islam is a path, which encompasses all spheres of life, apart from just the moral and religious aspect, the Prophet too was appointed to be an executor and guide concerning all these different spheres and issues related to them.

It is obvious that a religion that claims to be complete and to be sufficient for all time would provide clear instructions pertaining to leadership. It is not possible for a society that is based upon such a religion to be vacant of governmental and political privileges.

The question arises as to who shall be the one to fulfill such a position after the Prophet’s demise? Is Divine appointment only for the case of the prophets or can it be extended to others who succeed them? Is the selection of the Imam left to the discretion of the people, or is it a matter ordained by God the Supreme, as with the case of the prophets. Do the people have that right to elect their own Imam?

These are the very points of departure between the school of the Shi’ites and Sunnites.

The Shi’ites believe that the Imam is nominated by the Divine, as with the case of Imam Ali (a), who was appointed by God through the Holy Prophet, and then the other eleven infallible Imams were chosen likewise in turn.

However the Sunnites believe that Divine appointment refers only to prophethood and apostleship, and hence it terminated with the death of the Prophet. This implies that the determination of the leader is in the hands of

the people. Furthermore they are of the opinion that even if an autocrat through his barbarity and atrocity becomes the leader, it is still incumbent on them to obey him. It is self-evident that this view will support and provide the grounds for the autocrats and tyrants to dispel and worsen the condition of the Muslims.

In reality the Sunnite school, by accepting the nomination of Imāmah through people and not through the Divine, have established the initial foundations of the segregation of religion with politics. This representation of segregation is the very reason of deviation from the true teaching and course of Islam, in all affairs and dimensions.

Furthermore it is the essential source of many diversions that took place - and will take place - after the demise of the Prophet.

Likewise, it is necessary that a Muslim must seriously investigate this issue independently without any bias and thereupon recognise the true faith and support it with all his being.

However, it is apparent that one must realise the overall benefit of Islam and must avoid creating grounds for the enemies of Islam to utilise and take advantage from these differences. One must not provide a reason that will cause a split between Muslims in front of the infidels, which will result in the disintegration of the Islamic nations and weaken the Muslims of the world. On the other hand, the maintenance of unity must not become a hurdle for research in order for the realisation of the true path, and it must also not deprive the conditions from investigating the issue of Imāmah, which will have an enormous effect upon the destiny of Muslims.

  1. The Concept of Imāmah

Imāmah, lexically speaking means leadership and whoever becomes the leader of a group, is known as the Imam, whether he leads his group towards the truth or towards the falsehood, as the Noble Qur’an in al-Tawbah:12 has utilized the phrase ‘ Imams of the infidels’ (ai’mmat al- kufr) for the leaders of the disbelievers. Furthermore the person who leads the congregational prayers is also known as the congregational Imam (Imam al- jamā’ah).

However in the terminology of theology, the Imam means the universal administrator over an Islamic state or society, and he administers all the issues relating to this world and the next world. The reason for mentioning the issues relating to this world is to emphasise upon the extension of Imāmah and its perimeters, as in an Islamic society, an issue relating to this world is part of religion.

The standpoint of a Shi’ites with regards to the legitimacy of this administration is due to the fact that it is by Divine appointment coupled with the fact that the person who occupies this station is free from sin and fault. In Islamic sciences such a person is termed as infallible. In reality an infallible Imam will have all the specifications that the Noble Prophet had, except the station of prophethood and messengership.

Therefore his words will be considered as an authority in the field of law and order, and his commands in the different governmental issues will be determined as obligatory.

Thus one can chart out three fundamental differences between the Shi’ites and Sunnites regarding the issue of Imāmah:

  1. The Imam must be nominated by God the Supreme.

  2. He must possess Divinely given knowledge and be free from faults.

  3. He must be infallible.

However being infallible is not equivalent to being an Imam, as according to Shi’ite belief Fatima Zahra’ (a) was also infallible, yet she did not hold the position of Imam.

Likewise Mary (a) and may be several other saints of God, held this station.

Questions

1- What other positions did the Prophet of Islam hold apart from Prophet and Messenger?

2- What is the essential point of departure between a Shi’ite and Sunnite?

3- What were the consequences of accepting leadership without Divine nomination?

4- Give the lexical meaning of the term Imāmah?

5- Explain the fundamental issues of Imāmah.