Imamah

The term imamate or imamah (Arabic: إمامة‎, imāmah) means "leadership" and refers to the office of an imam or a state ruled by an imam.

95331

Imamah . Qur'an

Some people say that the 12 Imams are not divinely appointed as they are not mentioned in the Quran. How can we respond to them from the Quran?

Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 1 day ago

First fact: Allah (SWT) orders all Muslims in Quran to obey the Prophet (SAWA) and follow whatever he says. (Whatever the Messenger orders you, you must take it, and whatever he forbids you, you must abstain from it) ( Sura 59, verse 7).

Second fact: The Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) has clearly and repeatedly said that his real successors will be Twelve, all of them will be from Quraish. This authentic Hadeeth has been narrated by all Sunni books of Hadeeth e.g.

1. Saheeh Al-Bukhari :Hadeeth number 6682.

2. Saheeh Muslim : Hadeeth number 3393 and 3394 and 3395 and 3396 and 3397 and 3398.

3. Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal : from abdullah ibn Mas'ood, Hadeeth number 3593 and 3665 and 19875, and 19884 and 19887 and 19892 and 19901 and 19914 and 19920 and 19922 and 19925 and 19944 and 19946 and 19956 and 19963 and 10064 and many other Hadeeths.

4. Tirmithi , Hadeeth number 2149.

5. Abu Dawood: Hadeeth number 3731 and 3732.

6. Al-Haakim Al-Nisabori in al-Mustadrak : Hadeeth number 6586, and 6589 and 8529.

7. Al-Albani who is well known Wahabi Shaikh in Takhreej al-Hadeeth : Hadeeth number 376 and 1075 and 3598 and 3599. He stated than this Hadeeth is Saheeh (authentic).

8. Al-Bayhaqi in Dala'il al-Nobowwah: Hadeeth number 2589 and 2888 and 2889 and 2890 and 2885 .

9. Saheeh Ibn Hibban, Hadeeth number 6786 and 6787 and 6788.

10. Al-Tabarani in Al-Mu'jam Al-Awsat : Hadeeth 871 and 1484 and 3032 and 4085 and 6391 and 6566 .
These are just examples and there are many other Sunni books of Hadeeth wher this Hadeeth has been narrated from the Prophet (SAWA).

Third fact: Those who believe in the Prophet (SAWA) must obey him by order of Allah in Quran.

Fourth fact: The numbers of Rak'ats in our daily obligatory Prayers are not mentioned in Quran but mentioned by the Prophet, so, can any one claim that it is not compulsory to pray Morning as two and Dhuhr as four and ASR as four and Maghrib as three and Isha as four because the number of units is not mentioned in Quran? This argument obviously makes such person away from Islamic teachings.

Fifth fact: The divine leadership of the Twelve Imams from Ahlul Bayt (AS) is the most compulsory order of the Prophet to keep Islam safe and Muslims on the Right Path till the Day of Judgement. No future for Islam and Muslims with out divine leadership to follow up and continue the divine leadership of the Prophet (SAWA).

Wassalam.

88434

Imamah

Is the status of Imams (as) equal or are some greater than each other?

The status of Ameerul Mo'mineen Ali (AS) is the greatest status after the Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), then the status of Fatimah (AS), then the status of Imam Hasan (AS), then Imam Husain (AS) then others Imams. We have narrations that the status of Imam Al-Mahdi (AS) is higher than the eight Imams before him.

No doubt, all the Infallible Imams are from one Noor.
'Wassalam.

93771

Mankind . Imamah . Ghayba (Occultation)

If the Imams are necessary in order for the religion not to be corrupted, then why would the twelfth Imam go into occultation? Doesn't that inevitably lead mankind astray?

The existence of the Infallible Imam is necessary, but it is not necessary for every one to meet him, especially when certain circumstances of danger require him to be away from eyes of the enemies.

Prophets like Prophet Musa (AS) and Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) and Imams like Imam Musa Al-Kadhim (AS) other Imams during jail periods, were in occultation during times of crisis.That did not mean that they were not existing during such periods of occultation. They always had their own ways to guide people even during being away from the public life.

Imam Al-Mahdi (AS) is also in touch with the Ummah through sincere believers who are entitled to meet him and receive his guidance. Imam Al-Mahdi (AS) is in occultation but he is never absent. His guidance to the Ummah is the guarantee of saving Muslim Ummah from going astray.

Wassalam.

91100

Imamah . Prophet Ibrahim

Is Prophet Abraham (as) considered higher than the 12 Imams (as), since he is a Prophet and an Imam as well?

No prophet is higher in degree than Muhammad (SAWA), and his 12 successors are from him as Allah said in Quran (Progeny from him and he is from them) (ذريّة بعضها من بعض)3:34

No one is higher than the 12 Imams but only the Prophet

'Muhammad (SAWA).

Wassalam.

88643

Imamah . Ahl al-Bayt . Prophet Muhammad

Is it true that the 12 Imams are all considered just like Prophet Muhammad (s)? If so, what is the rational reason for it?

Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answer updated 2 months ago

The 12 Imams are not exactly like the Prophet Muhammad in that each of them were separate individuals and had his own life, experiences, personality, features, etc. (That is, they did not share the same soul.)

However, they all shared the same teachings of the Prophet (S). This is the job of the Imams (A) is to correctly explain the teachings of the Prophet (S). According to dominant Twelver Shi'i belief, knowledge of the correct Prophetic teachings is a divine gift transferred to one Imam after the death of the previous Imam; therefore, they do not make mistakes in the teachings or disagree about what the Prophet (S) taught.

Also, the Prophet and 12 Imams are all considered sinless. They all obviously also shared a strong commitment to Islam.

Maybe this is one reason that they tend to appear the same - it is our flaws and faults that oftentimes distinguish us the most from each other!

The rational reason for this is that Allah appointed them to preserve and expand upon the message as was necessary. If you think about it, most Muslims came to Islam in the latter part of the Prophet's life. Many of them really didn't have enough time to learn much about the religion at all, especially because the Muslims were busy fending off attackers and dealing with a lot of practical things. And after the Prophet, not all the Companions agreed on everything. So it makes sense that if Allah is going to appoint a prophet with the final message that Allah would be sure that message is protected; this is done through the imamate.

83226

Qur'an . Imamah

Why are there only indirect references to Imamat in the Quran instead of having a direct command, such as a verse that could have asked the Muslims to follow the 12 successors of Rasoolullah?

There is very clear evidence in Quran to follow The Twelve Imams after the Prophet Muhammad (SAWA). Allah (SWT) says: Obey whatever the Prophet tells you, and avoid whatever he orders you to avoid. (Sura 59, Verse 7). This order includes everything. That is why we don't find in Quran the mention of number of Rak'ats of our obligatory prayers (two for morning, 4 for Dhuhr, 4 for ASR, 3 four Maghrib and 4 for Esha) , but we took it from the Prophet (SAWA).

The Prophet (SAWA) has clearly stated that his successors will be twelve in Authentic Hadeeths narrated in Sunni and Shia books.

Wassalam.

86588

Imamah . Qur'an . Sunni-Shi'a

Why is Imamah of the Imams after the Prophet not mentioned in the Quran if it is the central point of Shi'ism?

The Imamah is the legitimate succession of the Prophet Muhammad (SAWA). No prophet left his Ummah with out informing them clearly about his legitimate successors who should lead people on the right path and prevent deviation. Quran has mentioned the Imamah in many verses e.g.

(And We made them Imams who call people by Our Order) (Sura 21, verse 73).

(And We made from them Imams who call by Our order) ( Sura 32, verse 24).

Allah (SWT) ordered all Muslims to obey Allah, the messenger and the divine leaders ( the Infallible Imams) (Sura 4, verse 59).

Many books were compiled by prominent scholars in Quranic verses related to Ahlul Bayt (AS) e.g.

Sunni Muslims have no evidence in Quran or authentic Hadeeths to justify the leaders whom they follow from Saqeefa, Bani Umayyad, Bani Abbas and till now.

The names of the Infallible Imams are not mentioned in Quran for a great wisdom known by Allah (SWT) as Allah (SWT) did not openly mentioned many other important matters like the number of Rak'ats of Obligatory Salah. He knows the reason behind that. He ordered in Quran all Muslims to obey the Prophet (SAWA) and the Prophet informed the Muslims about the number of Rak'ats of every obligatory Salah, and informed the names of the Infallible Imams as well.

Imam Jafar Al-Sadiq (AS) was asked: Why the names of the Infallible Imams were not mentioned in Quran? He reportedly replied: Ask those who put this question: Where did Allah mention in Quran the numbers of Rak'ats of Salah?

The Prophet (SAWA) only informed about the numbers of Rak'ats and the names of Infallible Imams.

Wassalam.

86569

Hadith . Quraysh . Imamah

How is the Hadith that says that the Prophet's successors will be twelve, all of them from Quraish, explicit since it mentions no names, nor any specific time periods?

Vinay Khetia, Shaikh Vinay Khetia has studied at various traditional Islamic seminaries in London, Iraq and Syria. He has an undergraduate degree in Religious and Near Eastern Studies from the University of... Answered 2 months ago

Bismihillah

Salaamun Alaykum,

The 12 successors hadith is common between Sunnis and Shiis.Even then the Twelver Shia are the only ones who uniquely have 12 Imams all of them being from Quraysh. This in itself is an important indication.

There are other explicit traditions in the Shii collections in which the Prophet names the 12 Imams. This can be found in Kamal al-Din of Sh. al-Saduq as one such example.

regards

Sh.Vinay

86568

Imamah . Prophets . Qur'an

Where is the proof of Imamah in the Quran directly referring to the 12 Imams and not the Prophets?

Rebecca Masterton, Dr Rebecca Masterton graduated with a BA in Japanese Language and Literature; an MA in Comparative East Asian and African Literature and a PhD in Islamic literature of West Africa. She has been... Answer updated 2 months ago

The speech of Imam al-Ridha (as) in Usul al-Kafi Vol. 1 helps to outline how Imama is established by the Qur'an.

This is a link to it, plus some other extracts from other volumes:

https://onlineshiastudies.com/imamateinquran/

The appointment of a successor was entirely in keeping with 'Allah's Sunna':

There are several verses in the Holy Qur’an that mention the Sunnah, or the Way of Allah, as follows:‘That was the Sunnah of Allah in the case of those who lived before and there will never be any change in the Sunnah of Allah.’ (Surah al-Ahzab, 33:62); ‘{Such was Our) Sunnah in the case of those whom We sent before you {to mankind), and you will never find change in Our Sunnah.’ (Surah BaniIsrail, 17:77); ‘Had the disbelievers fought against you, they would take to flight and would have found no guardian or helper. This is the Sunnah of Allah which existed before you, and you will never find any change in Allah's system’ (Surah al-Fath, 48:23); ‘[Due to] arrogance in the land and plotting of evil; but the evil plot does not encompass except its own people. Then do they await except the way of the former peoples? But you will never find in the Sunnah of Allah any change, and you will never find in the way of Allah any alteration.’ (35:43); ‘Their faith could not avail against Our punishment. Such is Allah's prevailing Sunnah (law) among His servants in the past. Thus the disbelievers are ruined.’ (Surah Mumin, 40:85).

As Dr Ibrahim Ayati explains in regard to these verses, ‘Whenever the word Sunnah has been used in the Holy Qur'an it has been used in this very literal meaning i.e. the manner in which Allah has treated the past nations. And whenever Allah says that His Sunnah is unalterable it means that there is a path for attaining to dignity and honor and He does not change it, and there is also a path and ground which leads to adversity and helplessness and that, too, is unalterable.’

The path for attaining dignity and honour is that revealed by the prophets and supported and explained by the Imams of the prophets. This Sunnah, the sending of prophets accompanied by their supporters and successors, can be seen going all the way back to Adam [whose supporter and successor would have been Habil/Abel]. If we take a look at the prophetic lineage, we can see this.
Scholars provide an approximate outline of this lineage: ‘Adam [and his wasiy] Seth/Abel/Hibat Allah; then Noah and [his wasiy] Shem; Solomon and [his wasiy] Asaf ibn Barakhiya; Ibrahim and his succeeding awsiya Isma’il and Ishaq; Moses and his awsiya Harun and Joshua; Isa and his awsiya Simon; John and the apostles; Prophet Muhammad and his awsiya Imam 'Ali (as) and the other eleven Imams.’ (Amir-Moezzi, Shi‘ i Spirituality, p. 289).

At no time in prophetic history has a prophet not clearly stipulated his successor, and the appointment of a successor is an unchanging part of the prophetic sunnah and the Sunnah of Allah (swt).

Seth means "placed; appointed". In Judaism, Christianity and Islam, he was the third son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel. According to Genesis 4:25, Seth was born after Abel's murder, and Eve believed God had appointed him as a replacement for Abel.]

86587

Imamah . Ilm al-Ghayb

What does it mean to say that the Imams had knowledge of the unseen? Wouldn’t that make a lot of things Haram for them such as drinking or eating something while knowing it had poison in it?

Some Muslims argue that only Allah knows the unseen, and that to claim that a human being, such as the Prophet and Imams (as) knows the unseen is shirk (associating partners with God). However, this accusation arises from a misunderstanding of what constitutes as ‘knowledge of the unseen’ (‘ilm al-ghayb). Here in Nahj al-Balāgha, Imam ‘Alī (as) defines it, by beginning with a prediction of the coming of the Mongol invasion of the Muslim world:

‘I can see a people whose faces are like shields covered with rough-scraped skins. They dress themselves in silken and woollen clothes and hold dear excellent horses. Their killing and bloodshed shall take place freely til the wounded shall walk over the dead and the number of runners-away shall be less than those taken prisoner.’ One of his companions said to him, ‘O Amir al-Mu’minīn, you have been given knowledge of hidden things.’ Whereupon Amir al-Mu’minīn laughed and said to the man who belonged to the tribe of Bani Kalb: ‘O brother of Kalb! This is not knowledge of hidden things (‘ilm al-ghayb). These matters have been acquired from him (namely the Prophet) who knew them. As regards knowledge of hidden things, that means knowledge of the Day of Judgment, and matters touched upon by Allah in the verse, ‘Verily, Allah is He with Whom is knowledge of the Hour’ (31:34). Therefore, Allah alone knows what is there in the wombs, whether male or female, ugly or handsome, generous or miserly, mischievous or pious, and who will be fuel for Hell and who will be in the company of the Prophets in Paradise. This is the knowledge of hidden things, which is not known by anybody except Allah. All else is that whose knowledge Allah passed on to his Prophet and he passed it on to me, and prayed for me that my chest may retain it and my ribs may hold it.’ (Sermon 127, p. 304)

• This is confirmed by the verse in the Qur’an: ‘(He alone is) the Knower of the Unseen, neither does he reveal His secrets unto any (one else) save unto one of the Messengers that He chooses.’ (72:26-27)

Elsewhere in al-Kafi, the Imams clarify that only Allah (swt) knows the unseen, but when He wishes for them to know something, then He makes it known to them. Once it is made known, it is no longer classified as 'knowledge of the unseen ('ilm al-ghayb).'

83311

Imamah . Ahl al-Bayt

Where is it mentioned the identities of the 12 Imams who got their Imamah?

1. The Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) has mentioned that his successors will be twelve, all of them from Quraish (Bukhari, Hadeeth 6682) and from Bani Hashim (al-Qondoozi, in Yanabee' al-Mawaddah, Vol.2, Hadeeth 908).

2. The Prophet (SAWA) informed about the names of the twelve Imams starting with Imam Ali (AS), them Imam Hasan, then Imam Husain, then Imam Ali Zainul Abideen, then Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir, then Imam Jafar Al-Sadiq (AS), then Imam Musa Al-Kadhim, then Imam Ali Al-Redha, then Imam Muhammad Al-Jawad, then Imam Ali Al-Hadi, then Imam Hasan Al-Askari, then Imam Al-Mahdi (Peace and blessings upon all of them).

3. Every Infallible Imam has informed his sincere followers about the next Imam after him. These statements are studied and been confirmed by all our most prominent scholars.

4. It is impossible for any one to claim that he is the Imam if he is not the real Imam, as the Shia in every age have seen from the Imam of their time the maximum knowledge and maximum piousness and miraculous phenomena which prove that he is one of the the twelve successor of the Prophet (SAWA).

5. There is a very good book in this regard called Ethbaat al-Hudaat إثبات الهداة complied by Al-Hurr Al-Aamily in five volumes, containing authentic Hadeeths about the Imamate of the twelve Imams (AS).

Wassalam.

77854

God (Allah) . Imamah . Prophet Ibrahim

When Allah appointed Prophet Ibrahim (as) as an Imam what new responsibilities was he given? What is the difference between a Prophet who is an Imam and the Imams of the Ahlul Bayt who are not Prophets?

The Hadeeth from Imam Jafar Al-Sadiq (AS) says: Allah has made Ebrahim a servant (Abd) before making him a prophet (Nabi)), and made him a prophet before making him a messenger (Rasool), and made him a messenger before making him His Khaleel and made him His Khaleel before making him an Imam. (Al-Kafi 1/175).

This means that the responsibility of Ebrahim was increasing from Abd (servant) to Nabi (prophet), then to Rasool (messenger) then to Imam. That is why Ebrahim asked Allah whether his progeny will have the same status of Imamate? Allah replied him: My appointment does not reach to the sinners.

The prophet (Nabi) receives the revelation from Allah. The Rasool (messenger) is responsible to convey the message of Allah to people. The Imam has the responsibility to implement the orders of Allah in every aspect and every dimension of life. Ebrahim was appointed by Allah as Imam for all people to guide them all to implement the orders of Allah in life. Not all the prophets were Imams but only the greatest of them.

The Twelve Infallible Imams are not prophets but successors of the greatest prophet and greatest messenger Muhammad (SAWA). They are the divine guides who responsible to implement the orders of Allah in every matter.

Wassalam.