Imamate in Shia doctrine

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

In

Islamic prophet Muhammad are to be accepted as leaders and guides of the ummah after the death of Muhammad. Imamah further says that Imams possess divine knowledge and authority (Ismah) as well as being part of the Ahl al-Bayt, the family of Muhammad.[1] These Imams have the role of providing commentary and interpretation of the Quran[2]
as well as guidance.

Etymology

The word "Imām" denotes a person who stands or walks "in front". For Sunni Islam, the word is commonly used to mean a person who leads the course of prayer in the mosque. It also means the head of a madhhab ("school of thought"). However, from the Shia point of view this is merely the basic understanding of the word in the Arabic language and, for its proper religious usage, the word "Imam" is applicable only to those members of the house of Muhammad designated as infallible by the preceding Imam.

Introduction

The Shia further believe only these A'immah have the right to be Caliphs, meaning that all other caliphs, whether elected by consensus (Ijma) or not, are usurpers of the Caliphate as those were political positions not divine positions.

All Muslims believe that Muhammad had said: "To whomsoever I am Mawla, Ali is his Mawla." This hadith has been narrated in different ways by many different sources in no less than 45 hadith books[citation needed] of both Sunni and Shia collections. This hadith has also been narrated by the collector of hadiths, al-Tirmidhi, 3713;[3] as well as Ibn Maajah, 121;[4] etc. The major point of conflict between the Sunni and the Shia is in the interpretation of the word 'Mawla'. For the Shia the word means 'Master' and has the same elevated significance as when the term had been used to address Muhammad himself during his lifetime. Thus, when Muhammad actually (by speech) and physically (by way of having his closest companions including Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman [the three future Caliphs who had preceded Ali as Caliph] publicly accept Ali as their Master by taking Ali's hand in both of theirs as token of their allegiance to Ali) transferred this title and manner of addressing Ali as the Mawla for all Muslims at Ghadiri Khum Oasis just a few months before his death, the people that came to look upon Ali as Muhammad's immediate successor even before Muhammad's death came to be known as the Shia. However, for Sunnis the word simply means the 'beloved' or the 'revered' and has no other significance at all.

Sects

Within Shia Islam (Shiism), the various sects came into being because they differed over their Imams' successions, just as the Shia – Sunni separation within Islam itself came into being from the dispute that had arisen over the succession to

The Occultation
.

The Shia tariqah with a majority of adherents are the

Zaidi
Shias, or the "Fivers;" they do not believe in the Occultation of their last Imam.

Although all these different Shia tariqahs belong to the Shia (as opposed to the Sunni) sect in Islam, there are major doctrinal differences between the main Shia tariqahs. After that there is the complete doctrinal break between all the different Shia tariqahs whose last Imams have gone into Occultation and the Shia Nizari Ismailis, who deny the concept of Occultation and so have to have a present and living Imam until the end of time.[citation needed]

Twelver view


Shias believe that Imamah is of the Principles of Faith

prophets; so after the demise of the prophet who will play the role of the prophet; until the people have not any plea against Allah. The same logic that necessitated the assignment of prophets also is applied for Imamah. That is Allah must assign someone similar to prophet in his attributes and Ismah as his successor to guide the people without any deviation in religion.[5]

They refer to the verse ("...This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion...") 5:3 of

Ghadir Khumm.[6]

By the verse Quran, 2:124, Shias believe that Imamah is a divine position always Imamah is accompanied by the word guidance, of course a guidance by God's Command. A kind of guidance which brings humanity to the goal. Regarding 17:71, no age can be without an Imam. So, according to the upper verse, 1. Imamah is a position which is appointed by God and must be specified by Him; 2. Imam is protected by a divine protection and no one excels him in nobility; 3. No age can be without an Imam and finally Imam knows everything which is needed for human being to get to the truth and goal.[7]

Why only specific members of Muhammad's family?

Sunnis reject the doctrine of Imamate on the basis of their interpretation of verse 33:40 of the

imama). Since the Sunni concept of the "true caliphate" itself defines it as a "succession of the Prophet in every respect except his prophethood", Madelung further asks, "If God really wanted to indicate that he should not be succeeded by any of his family, why did He not let his grandsons and other kin die like his sons?"[8]

It is narrated that it is forbidden for the Divine Leader not to be from the family of Muhammad.

Ali al-Ridha, since it is obligatory to obey him, there should be a sign to clearly indicate the Divine Leader. That sign is his well-known ties of kinship with Muhammad and his clear appointment so that the people could distinguish him from others, and be clearly guided toward him.[10] Otherwise others are nobler than Muhammad's offspring and they are to be followed and obeyed; and the offspring of Muhammad are obedient and subject to the offspring of Muhammad's enemies such as Abi Jahl or Ibn Abi Ma’eet.However, Muhammad is much nobler than others to be in charge and to be obeyed.[10]
Moreover, once the prophethood of Muhammad is testified they would obey him, no one would hesitate to follow his offspring and this would not be hard for anyone.
Mary: "O sister of Aaron, your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste."[12][c][improper synthesis?
]

The Ismā'īlī view

The doctrine of the Imamate in Isma'ilism differs from that of the Twelvers because the Isma'ilis had living Imams for centuries after the last Twelver Imam,

Musa al-Kadhim, as the rightful Imam after his father, Ja'far al-Sadiq
. The Ismailis believe that whether Imam Ismail did or did not die before Imam Ja'far, he had passed on the mantle of the imamate to his son Muhammad ibn Isma'il as the next imam.

According to Isma'ilism,

Muhammad ibn Isma'il
.

Why Imams from only (specific) family members

Ismailis view Imams as the true representative of God. God has made all prophets his representative. Individual prophets era are distinct. After one prophets God created next prophet. Islam view that Mohammed is last prophet. Mohammed appointed his specific representative Ali. Ali made imams as his next representative and one imam appointed another until date. The Isma'ili view that these Imam are only from their hereditary chain and their appointment is a must, and Earth cannot remain vacant, without presence of Imam.[14][15][original research?]

Zaidi view

Zaidiyyah or Zaidi is a Shia madhhab (sect, school) named after the imam Zayd ibn Ali
. Followers of the Zaidi fiqh are called Zaidis (or are occasionally called Fivers in the West). However, there is also a group called the Zaidi Wasītīs who are Twelvers.

In the context of the Shi'a Muslim belief in spiritual leadership or Imamate, Zaydis believe that the leader of the

. These Shi'a called themselves Zaydi so they could differentiate themselves from other Shi'is who refused to take up arms with Zayd ibn Ali.

Zaydis believe Zayd ibn Ali was the rightful successor to the Imamate because he led a rebellion against the

fatwā or legal statement in favour of Zayd in his rebellion against the Umayyad ruler. He also urged people in secret to join the uprising and delivered funds to Zayd.[17]

Unlike

Twelver Shi'ites, Zaydis do not believe in the infallibility of Imāms[18][19][20]
The Imamate can be passed down to anyone of the household of Muhammad.

The period of occultation

Twelver view

The period of occultation (ghaybah) is divided into two parts:

During the Minor Occultation (Ghaybah al-Sughrá), it is believed that al-Mahdi maintained contact with his followers via deputies (

Arab. an-nuwāb al-arbaʻa or "the Four Leaders"). They represented him and acted as agents between him and his followers. Whenever the believers faced a problem, they would write their concerns and send them to his deputy. The deputy would ascertain his verdict, endorse it with his seal and signature and return it to the relevant parties. The deputies also collected zakat and khums
on his behalf.

For the Shia, the idea of consulting a hidden Imam was not something new because the two prior

Twelver Imams
had, on occasion, met with their followers from behind a curtain. Also, during the oppressive rule of the later Abbasid caliphs, the Shia Imams were heavily persecuted and held prisoners, thus their followers were forced to consult their Imams via messengers or secretly.

Shia Tradition hold that four deputies acted in succession to one another:

  1. Uthman ibn Sa’id al-Asadi
  2. Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn Uthman
  3. Abul Qasim Husayn ibn Ruh al-Nawbakhti
  4. Abul Hasan Ali ibn Muhammad al-Samarri

In 941 (329 AH), the fourth deputy announced an order by al-Mahdi, that the deputy would soon die and that the deputyship would end and the period of the Major Occultation would begin.

The fourth deputy died six days later and the Shia Muslims continue to await the reappearance of the Mahdi. In the same year, many notable Shia scholars such as Ali ibn Babawayh Qummi and Muhammad ibn Ya'qub Kulayni, the learned compiler of Kitab al-Kafi, also died.

One view is that the Hidden Imam is on earth "among the body of the Shia" but "incognito". "Numerous stories" exist of the Hidden Imam "manifesting himself to prominent members of the ulama."[21]

The Ismā'īlī view

The Ismailis differ from

Musa al-Kadhim, as the rightful Imam[22] after his father Ja'far al-Sadiq. The Ismailis believe that whether Imam Ismail did or did not die before Imam Ja'far, he had passed on the mantle of the imamate to his son Muḥammad ibn Ismail as the next imam.[23]
Thus, their line of imams is as follows (the years of their individual imamats during the Common Era are given in brackets):

Imām
Imām
Imām
Period
1 Asās/Wāsīh
Imām
(632–661)
Pir 1
Imām
(661–669)
Mustā‘lī
2 2
Imām
(669–680)
Nizārī
3 3
Imām
(680–713)
4 4
Imām
(713–733)
5 5
Imām
(733–765)
6 6
Imām
(765–775)
7 7
Imām
(775–813)

First phase

The eighth Imam,

Abbasids. Imam Abdullah founded Fatimid Caliphate
. The Fatimid Ismaili Imams continued until 20th Imam holding the post of caliph also, ruling a vast part of Arabian peninsula.

Second phase

Upon the death of the twentieth

Ismāʿīlī. As Tayyeb was not in position to run the dawah, Queen Arwa al-Sulayhi, the Da'i al-Mutlaq, acted as his regent. Imam Tayyeb was hidden, and the second phase of seclusion started. The Da'i had now been given absolute authority and made independent from political activity. With the period of time the Tayyibi divided further into several sects headed by different Dais. These Da'i al-Mutlaq continued acting on behalf of the hidden Tayyibi Ismāʿīlī Imams until date. Dawoodi Bohra
is the biggest sub-sect amongst the Tayyibi Ismāʿīlī with a population spread over many countries.

Imams

al-Masjid al-Nabawi

Twelver Imams

According to the majority of Shī'a, namely the

Twelvers (Ithnā'ashariyya), the following is a listing of the rightful successors to Muḥammad. Each Imam was the son of the previous Imam except for Hussayn ibn 'Alī, who was the brother of Hassan ibn 'Alī.The belief in this succession to Muḥammad stems from various Quranic verses which include: 75:36, 13:7, 35:24, 2:30, 2:124, 36:26, 7:142, 42:23.[citation needed] They support their discussion by citing Genesis 17:19–20 and Sunni hadith:Sahih Muslim, Hadith number 4478, English translation by Abdul Hamid Siddiqui.[25][original research?
]

List of The Twelve Imams

According to Twelvers, there is always an Imam of the era, who is the divinely appointed authority on all matters of faith and law in the Muslim community.

Hadith of the Twelve Successors
. All of the Imams met unnatural deaths, with the exception of the last Imam, who according to Twelver and Alevi belief, is living in occultation.

Ismaili Imams

The Ismaili line of imams for both sects (the

Musta'li) continues undivided until al-Mustansir Billah
(d. 1094). After his death the line of the imamat separates into the Nizari and Musta'li dynasties.

The line of imams of the Musta'li Muslims (also known as the Bohras/

at-Tayyib Abu'l-Qasim went into a Dawr-e Satr (period of concealment) that continues to this day. In the absence of an imam they are led by a Da'i al-Mutlaq
(absolute missionary) who manages the affairs of the Imam-in-Concealment until re-emergence of the Imam from concealment.

The line of imams of the Nizari Ismaili Shia Muslims (also known as the Agha-khani Ismailis in South and Central Asia) continues to their present living 49th hereditary imam,

Prince Aly Khan). They are the only Shia Muslim community today led by a present and living (Hazir wa Mawjud) imam.[27]

Khawlah bint Ja'far

Zaidi Imams

The Zaidi branch of Shi'ism established its own line of Imams starting in the year 897; the line continued without interruption until 1962 when the North Yemen Civil War brought the Imamate to an end and established a republic.

Sunni view of the Shia Imamate

Minhaj as-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah.[28]

The belief of the Twelver Imamah with the consideration of the sacred status of the four Rashidun Caliphs is shared in Sunni Islam, due to the following hadith of Muhammad:

I heard the Prophet of Allah say 'Islam shall not cease to be glorious up to twelve Caliphs, every one of them being from the Quraish'". (And in a narration) "The affairs of men will not cease to decline so long as twelve men will rule over them, every one of them coming from Quraish. And in a narration: The religion will continue to be established till the hour comes as there are twelve Caliphs over them, everyone of them coming from the Quraish[29]

The affairs of the people will continue to be conducted as long as they are governed by twelve men, he then added from Quraish[30]

I will be followed by twelve Khalifas all will be Quraysh[31]

Succession

Various Imāmah sects emerged from the descendants of Al-"Imām" and Al-Sādiq
Natīla
‘Abbas
ʿAbd Allāh
‘Abbas
Ibn al-Hanifiyyah
Al-Mukhtar
)
Hashimiyya
)
Alavids
Muhammad "al-Imām"
′Abd Allah
Sīnbād
)
Seveners
Ali al-RidaIshaq al-Turk
Muqanna
)
Ali al Hadi
Khurrāmīyah (Pāpak, Maziar)
Kızılbaş
‘Ulyāʾiyya
)
Nusairis
)
Baktāshīs
)
Alevis
Shaykhis
Usulis
Iran, Islamic Rep.
)
Mírzá Ḥusayn (Baháʼís)
Other Alevis (Bektashism)
Yarsanis
(Sultan Sahak
)
‘Ali-Ilahis
)
Ḥ. bin Sabbah)
Işık Alevis
Nizārīs)
Alians (Demir &Otman Babas)
Harabatis
(Baba Rexheb
)
Atba-i-Malak
)
Ghulam Hussain Miya Khan
)

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ See Goldziher, Muhammedanische Studien, II, 105-6; Y. Friedmann, 'Finality of Prophethood in Sunni Islam', JSAI, 7 (1986), 177-215, at 187-9.[8]
  2. ^ The Sufi spiritual leader Ibn Arabi said: "A Muslim is a person who has dedicated his worship exclusively to God...Islam means making one's religion and faith God's alone."[11]
  3. ^ 19:28

Citations

  1. ^ Nasr 2006, p. 38
  2. ^ Sociology of religions: perspectives of Ali Shariati (2008) Mir Mohammed Ibrahim
  3. ^ "Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3713 - Chapters on Virtues - كتاب المناقب عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم - Sunnah.com - Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم)". sunnah.com. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  4. ^ "Sunan Ibn Majah 121 - The Book of the Sunnah - كتاب المقدمة - Sunnah.com - Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم)". sunnah.com. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  5. ^ Tabataba'i 2008
  6. ^ al-Tijani al-Samawi 2013, p. 79
  7. ^ Ayoub 1984, p. 157
  8. ^ a b c Madelung 1997, p. 17
  9. ^ Moslem bin Hajjaj (2006). Sahih Moslem. Dar Tayibbah. p. 882.
  10. ^ a b c al-Shaykh al-Saduq 2006, p. 194
  11. ^ Commentary on the Qur'an, Razi, I, p. 432, Cairo, 1900
  12. ^ "Surah Maryam - 28". Quran.com. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  13. ^ Dawr 1 at Encyclopædia Iranica
  14. ^ Historical representations of a Fatimid Imam-caliph: Exploring al-Maqrizi’s and Idris’ writings on al-Mu‘izz Li Din Allah, Dr. Shainool Jiwa
  15. ^ shiite-encyclopedia-ahlul-bayt
  16. ^ Islamic Dynasties of the Arab East: State and Civilization during the Later Medieval Times by Abdul Ali, M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd., 1996, p97
  17. ^ Ahkam al-Quran By Abu Bakr al-Jassas al-Razi, volume 1 page 100, published by Dar Al-Fikr Al-Beirutiyya
  18. ^ "Zaidiyyah". The Free Dictionary.
  19. ^ Zaydi Islam John Pike – http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/intro/islam-zaydi.htm
  20. ^ Momen, Moojan, An Introduction to Shi'i Islam, Yale University Press, 1985, p. 199
  21. ^ Rise of The Fatimids, by W. Ivanow. Page 81, 275
  22. ^ "ISMAʿILISM xvii. THE IMAMATE IN ISMAʿILISM".
  23. ^ Yeomans 2006, p. 43.
  24. .
  25. .
  26. ^ "Aga Khan Development Network".
  27. ^ See "Ibn Taymiyya's Critique of Shia Imamology. Translation of Three Sections of his 'Minhāj al-Sunna'", by Yahya Michot, The Muslim World, 104/1–2 (2014), pp. 109–149.
  28. ^ Mishkat al Masabih Vol 4 p 576, Hadith 5
  29. ^ Sahih Muslim, Hadith number 4478
  30. ^ Sunan Tirmidhi Volume 1 page 813

References

External links