Imamah (Shi'a twelver doctrine)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|
Part of a series on Twelver Shi'a Islam al-Sajjad · al-Baqir · al-Sadiq |
|
|
Twelver doctrine of imamate |
- This is a sub-article to Imamah (Shi'a doctrine) and is specifically about the Shi'a twelver conception of the term.
Imāmah (Arabic: اٍمامة) means "leadership" and it is a part of the Shi'a Roots of Religion: it is obligatory for all Twelver Shi'a Muslims to believe in Imamah. They conclude that the Qur'an and the authentic collections of Hadith provide sufficient evidence that God has assigned certain people with the position of Imamah, or "leadership" to be custodian of the religion after Muhammad's demise. Such a figure is referred to as an imam. Imams are considered members of the Ahl al-Bayt, the Family of Muhammad.
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
Muhammad is reported to have said that the Islamic leadership is in Koreish (i.e. his tribe) and that 12 "Imams" shall succeed him. [1] There is a difference of opinion within Sunni and Shiite sects as to whom Muhammad was referring. It is also important to mention that Muhammad has stated, and this statement has been authenticated by Sunnis and Shiites alike, that "Whoever does not know the Imam of his Lifetime (Hadith of the Current Imam: i.e. recognizes same) has died the death of Ignorance". Again, this statement has different interpretations and consequences with different Sunni and Shiite sects (or Schools of thought). The idea of a prophet appointing a successor is also found in the Old Testament where Joshua son of Nun is declared Moses' successor or manager of his affairs after his death.
Muslims believe that God has appointed certain members of humankind to be the leaders of those who believe in God and practise God's religion. When God's prophet has taught the people the religion, he will then appoint a leader, in accordance with God's orders, to guide believers towards perfection.
Muslims believe that just as Moses appointed Aaron as his successor (Hadith of position), in accordance with God's order, Muhammad, the final prophet, appointed Ali ibn Abi Talib to be the leader of the believers.
[edit] Responsibilities
Shias believe that an imam has several responsibilities. An imam must lead Muslims in all aspects of life. In addition, they believe that because an imam was appointed by God, like prophets and messengers, they are infallible. Shias accept the imams as perfect human beings. Shi'ism teaches that imams must be obeyed. A prophet can also be an imam, but not all prophets are imams. Muhammad is considered by Muslims to be God's final prophet. Shias do not consider that the twelve imams are prophets. They believe that these twelve imams are greater in status than all of God's prophets except Muhammad.
The Shi'a scholar Mohamed Baqer Al-Majlisi, widely considered as the greatest and most influential Shiite scholar of the Safawid era, states:
| “ | The Imams are superior to the prophets (except Muhammad) and the entire creation. The Covenant of the Imams was taken from them (the prophets), the angels and the entire creation. The (major prophets called) ulul-‘Azm (Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa and ‘Isa ) attained the status of ulul-‘Azm on account of loving the Imams.[2] | ” |
[edit] Definition
The Shi'a Twelver denomination of Islam consider it to be the highest level of responsibility given by God to a human.
[edit] Ranks
Shi'a believe there are different ranks that people have achieved:
- Ordinary people
- Shi'a believe that people are able to receive revelations/inspiration/guidance (Arabic: Wahy) from God. In support of this, they quote verse 16: 68 of the Qur'an where even bees are said to receive Wahy.
- Communicating with angels
|
Part of a series on the Islamic creed:  |
|
| Five Pillars of Islam | |
|
Shahādah - Profession of faith |
|
| Sunni Six articles of belief | |
|
Tawhīd - Oneness |
|
| Shi'a Twelver Principles of the Religion (Usul al-Din) |
|
|
Tawhīd - Oneness |
|
| Shi'a Twelver Practices of the Religion (Furu al-Din) |
|
|
Salah - Prayer |
|
| Shi'a Ismaili 7 pillars | |
|
Walayah - Guardianship |
|
| Others | |
|
Kharijite Sixth Pillar of Islam. |
- Some people raise to the rank of communicating with angels. Shi'a honour Fatima Zahra with a nickname implying this, and some honor her with writing a book after conversations with the Angel Gabriel, and the Qur'an also merits the Virgin Mary with having talked to Angels.
- Prophets
- Prophets (Arabic: Nabi) are considered people having the responsibility of sharing the Divine Law (Arabic Shari'a) that was revealed to the latest Messenger. However, they may also privately receive new laws which they are not responsible for sharing. There are considered to have been exactly 124,000 prophets.
- Messenger
- "Messenger" (Arabic Rasul) are considered people receiving a new set of laws from God, in addition of being a prophet.
Shi'as and Sunnis believe there are different status among nabis and rasuls, supported by this Qur'anic verse:
- We have made some of these Messenger (Rasul) to excel the others among them are they to whom Allah spoke, and some of them He exalted by (many degrees of) rank... [2.253]
- Leader
- "Leader" (Arabic: Imam) are considered people having the responsibility of implementing the Divine Law (Arabic Shari'a), by leading a group of people, besides being a Messenger and Prophet.
Shi'a Twelver believe that five Messengers achieved the rank of Leadership:
Shi'as and Sunnis also believe there are different status among these five, Muhammad having the highest.
[edit] Non-prophets
Shi'a believe that Allah perfected the Divine Law through Muhammad (Qur'an 5:3), hence making it impossible to improve it further. This belief results in the role of the prophets and messengers becoming obsolete, since there are no further sets of laws to be received. However, Shi'a believe that the need for guidance that Leaders give is still present. Hence, they believe that after Muhammad, there have been non-prophet leaders.
The shi'i scholar 'Allamah Kashif al-Ghita said about the Imamah:
| “ | Imamah is a divine station, just like Nubuwwah. Just as Allah chooses whomsoever He wants to for Nubuwwah and Risalah ... similarly, for Imamah too, He selects whomsoever He wishes.[3] | ” |
Shi'a believe that those are the rightful successors to Muhammad. They are regarded similar to the Caliph in Sunni Islam only with regards to the aspect of political leadership. In fact, the Shia Imam has many more characteristics and responsibilities than the Sunni concept of Caliph beyond mere political leadership. Unlike the Sunni Caliph, the Imam must be appointed by no one other than God. For details of the position held by a Shia Imam, see Imamah. The majority Shia belief is that the Imams are God appointed. After the prophet Muhammad, were Ali, and eleven of his descendants from his wife, Fatima Zahra. This belief is what led to the split between the Shi'a and Sunni, as the Shi'a felt that the descendants of Ali are the rightful successors to Muhammad, while the Sunni felt that it was any who could take the role of Caliph by the will of God and protect Islam. For details, see Succession to Muhammad.
Shi'a believe that non-prophet Leaders can have the same or even greater status than Leaders that also are prophet. For example, most they believe that Ali held a higher status than Jesus, but lower than Muhammad. They base their conclusion on the Hadith of Jesus praying behind Mahdi.
Shi'as also believe that imams can perform miracles, intercede, and guide the faithful, including speaking in any language and in any accent, that they know about the past, the present and a limited amount of the future[4] and all this knowledge is given to them by Allah.[5] and present narrations as proof. They also believe that it is disbelief to reject the Imamah-doctrine.[6]
Regarding rejecting the Imamah-doctrine, al-Hilli, a 14th century Shi'a Twelver Islamic scholar, writes:
| “ | Imamah is a universal grace (lutf ‘amm) while Nubuwwah (prophethood) is a special grace (lutf khass), because it is possible that a specific period in time can be void of a living Nabi, while the same is not true for the Imam. To reject the universal grace is worse than to reject the special grace[7] | ” |
See also Teleportation in Islam.
[edit] Qur'an
[edit] Abraham
In verse 2.124 of the Qur'an, it describes how Abraham was "promoted" from being a Messenger to a Leader. Shi'a Muslims believe this is a clear proof of the distinct status and responsibility of an Leadership (Arabic imamate).
[edit] Day of Judgement
In verse 17.71, the Qur'an describes that on the Day of Judgement, every person will be asked whom their imam is, to be judged as nations. Shi'a Muslims conclude therefore that the status of imamate is very important. They conclude that this proves that everyone does have an imam, whether he recognizes it or not.
[edit] Hadith
Some of the Hadith Shi'a base their arguments on include:
|
|
[edit] Imams
According to the majority of Shi'a, namely the Ithna Ashariya or Twelvers, the following is a listing of the rightful successors to Muhammad. Each Imam was the son of the previous Imam, except for Husayn ibn Ali who was the brother of Hasan ibn Ali.
| Number | Name | Lifespan, in CE | Title | Well-known for | Cause of death | Place of death | Place of burial |
| 1 | Imam Ali | 600 – 661 | Ali ibn Abi Talib, Amir al-Mu'min | The first Imam; accepted as fourth Caliph by Sunnis as well | Assassinated; slashed with a poisoned sword. | Mosque of Kufa in Kufa, Iraq | Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf, Iraq |
| 2 | Imam Hassan | 625 – 669 | Hassan ibn Ali | Peace treaty with Muawiya | poisoned by his wife on Muawiya's orders (Shi'a Position) | Medina, present-day Saudi Arabia | |
| 3 | Imam Hussein | 626 – 680 | Hussein ibn Ali | Battle of Karbala, Martyrdom | Martyred at Karbala, Iraq | Karbala, Iraq | Imam Husayn Shrine, Karbala, Iraq |
| 4 | Imam Sajjad | 658 – 713 | Ali Zain al-Abedin | Mourning Karbala | Poisoned by Waleed ibn Abdul Malik ibn Marwan | Medina, present-day Saudi Arabia | Cemetery of Jannat al-Baqi |
| 5 | Imam Muhammad | 676 – 743 | Muhammad al-Baqir | Poisoned by Hisham bin Abdul Malik | Medina, present-day Saudi Arabia | Cemetery of Jannat al-Baqi | |
| 6 | Imam Jafar | 703 – 765 | Jafar al-Sadiq | Educated the founder of the Hanafi Madhab Abu Hanifa | Poisoned | Medina, present-day Saudi Arabia | Cemetery of Jannat al-Baqi |
| 7 | Imam Musa | 745 – 799 | Musa al-Kazim | Imprisoned by Harun al-Rashid, Poisoned | Baghdad, Iraq | Kazmain, Baghdad, Iraq | |
| 8 | Imam Ali al-Ridha | 765 – 818 | Ali al-Rida, Ali Reza | Poisoned by Mamun | Mashad, present-day Iran | Mashad. present-day Iran | |
| 9 | Imam Taqi | 810 – 835 | Muhammad al-Taqi, Muhammad al-Jawad | Poisoned | Baghdad, Iraq | Kazmain, Baghdad, Iraq | |
| 10 | Imam Naqi | 827 – 868 | Ali al-Hadi, Ali al-Nadi | Poisoned by Mutaz | Samarra, Iraq | ||
| 11 | Imam Askari | 846 – 874 | Hasan al-Askari | Poisoned by Mo'tamad | Samarra, Iraq | ||
| 12 | Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi | 868 – Present | Muhammad al-Mahdi | The present Imam | Still Alive, but in occultation (hidden by God). Will reappear when God commands him to | Still Alive | Still Alive |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Refer to Sahih Al-Bukari , Sahih Muslim (Books of Hadiths (or sayings of the prophet of Islam) of the Sunnis) etc.
- ^ Bihar al-Anwar by Allamah Mohammad Baqer Al-Majlisi vol. 26 pp. 267-318 - 88 narrations
- ^ Asl ash-Shi'a wa Usuluha p.58 by Allamah Muhammad Hussayn Kashif al-Ghita (Mu'ssasat al-A'lami, Beirut)
- ^ Usul al-Kafi by Muhammad Yaqoub Al-Kulayni vol. 1:260
- ^ Usul al-Kafi by Muhammad Yaqoub Al-Kulayni vol. 1:260
- ^ Talkhis ash-Shafi by Abu Jaafar Al-Tusi vol. 4 p. 131 (Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyyah, Qum, 3rd ed.)
- ^ al-Alfayn pp.3 by Ibn Mutahhar al-Hilli (al-Maktabah al-Haydariyyah, Najaf, 3rd ed. 1388)
[edit] External links
- The Shi'a concept of Imamate
- Imamat vs. Prophethood (Part II)
- Shi'ite Doctorine by MOHAMMAD ALI AMIR-MOEZZI an article in Encyclopedia Iranica
- Hujjat by Maria Dakake an article in Encyclopedia Iranica
