CHAPTER V
HIS IMAMATE
The Ima`mate is an important element in forming the civilizational and political thought in Islam. It is an inseparable part of the immortal message of Islam; rather it is the essence and reality of Islam. Without the Ima`mate, Islam will lose its qualities and activities and will be a lifeless, vague religion. We will briefly talk about the affairs of the Ima`mate, the Ima`mate of Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him, and what was reported on his authority in this respect.
The Meaning of the Ima`mate
The theologians and others defined the Ima`mate as follows: "The Ima`mate is the spiritual and temporal authority of a person who leads the community according to good inclinations and noble qualities such as justice, self-negation, generosity, disobeying one's passions and all the external effects except that which concerns truth and justice."
The Necessity of the Ima`mate
As for the Ima`mate in Islam, it is necessary for the Islamic life. It is a basic element in establishing social justice and building the best society in which there is no social injustice nor poverty and deprivation.
The Ima`mate in Islam takes care of dividing the bounties of Allah among His servants, securing equal opportunities for them, and protecting them from exploitation and enslavement. It is a developed human thought in the world of government and politics. It fulfills the objectives which Islam has planned for it when it is undertaken by the Allah-fearing Ima`ms from the family of the Prophet, may Allah bless
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him and his family, who are the equals of the Qur'a`n and the life-boats of this community. We will explain that in the following study.
The Prophet and the Ima`mate
It is certain that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, prepared the succession (to authority) and the Ima`mate after him. He did not leave the community after him to lead a life of chaos, dangers, and crises, rather he nominated his successors, the twelve Ima`ms from the members of his family. The foremost of them was their lord, Ima`m 'Ali, the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, whom the Prophet appointed as a signpost and an authority for the community regardless of the traditional sentiments. He, may Allah bless him and his family, designated him to undertake this important office because of his ('Ali's) qualifications, talents, genius, and firm clinging to religion. The Muslim scholars, regardless of their inclinations and doctrines, have unanimously agreed that Ima`m 'Ali was the most knowledgeable of the people after the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, in the affairs of the Islamic law, the precepts of religion, the affairs of policy, army, and society. The community embraced Islam for the first time. It was, first of all, in need of explaining the beauties of the precepts of the Islamic law and detailing the social matters such as contracts, inheritances, and punishments. It is natural that if Ima`m 'Ali had not been appointed to undertake the office of the Ima`mate, the community would have been deprived of his outstanding merits. This is rationally impossible for the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, who took great care of his community and was kind to it, as Allah, the Exalted said: "Certainly an Apostle has come to you from among yourselves, grievous to him is your falling into distress, excessively solicitous respecting you, to the believers (he is) compassionate, merciful.
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As for the traditions which were reported on the authority of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, concerning the Ima`mate
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1. Surat al-Tawba, verse 128.
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of Ima`m 'Ali, the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, they are numerous. The narrators and the historians have unanimously agreed on them. The most important one of them is the hadith of al-Ghadir in which the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, appointed Ima`m 'Ali as successor after him and ordered the Muslims to pledge allegiance to him, saying: "Whoever I am the master (mawla`) of, this man, 'Ali, is his master. O Allah, befriend whoever befriends him, be hostile to whoever opposes him, support whoever supports him and desert whoever deserts him." Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him, was asked about the meaning of this tradition and he replied: "Allah's Apostle told them about the Ima`m after him.
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The Shi'ite religious scholars and other scholars mentioned in their theological books unquestionable scientific proofs for the Ima`mate of the twelve Ima`ms, peace be on them. They indicated that the twelve Ima`ms were the trustees of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, to authority, that their behavior and laudable deeds indicated their Ima`mate and their general deputyship on behalf of the Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family. Also that they had abundant knowledge, piety, and devotion to religion, so no one before or after them has such outstanding qualities.
The high Position of the Ima`ms
As for the high position of the Ima`ms and their great place with Allah, no one knew it except them. Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him, talked about it in many places. The following are some of them:
1. He, peace be on him, said: "Allah created from His magnificent light Mohammed, 'Ali, and eleven (Ima`ms) form his ('Ali's) sons. They glorified and sanctified Allah. They were the Ima`ms from among the grandsons of Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless
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1. Al-Saduq, Ma'ani al-Akhbar, p. 65.
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him and his family.
1" Abu al-'Ala`' al-Ma'arri, the wise man of al-Ma'arra, mistrusted the people except the Ima`ms of the Household, peace be on them, and believed in their high position. He said:
And the persons whose high rank shined
before the creation of Mars and Scales
before the heavens were created
and their bodies were ordered to move.
2. He, peace be on him, said: "We are the Ima`ms of the Muslims, the proofs of Allah over mankind, the lords of the believers, the leaders of the luminous ones, and protectors of the believers. We are the safety for the people of the earth as the stars are safety for the people of heaven. With us He (Allah) prevents the heaven from falling on the earth, and with us He prevents the earth from swinging its people (from side to side). The earth has not been void of the proof of Allah publicly acknowledged or secretly since Allah created the earth. The earth will not be void of the proof of Allah till the Hour starts. Were it not for that, Allah would not have been worshipped."
A person rose and asked the Ima`m: "How can the people make use of the hidden one?"
The Ima`m answered the person with a convincing proof, saying: "As they make use of the sun when the clouds cover it.
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Yes, by Allah, the Ima`ms of the Household were the Ima`ms of the Muslims and the proofs of Allah over all the creatures. Were it not for them, no worshipper would have worshipped Allah, no monotheist would have professed His unity, and no sunna of Islam would have been established. The Ima`ms were the stored sign and the door through which the people were tested. Whoever knew and obeyed them was safe, and whoever denied and disobeyed them went astray.
3. He, peace be on him, said: "My Lord, bless the best of his
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1. Usul al-Kafi, vol. 1, p. 530.
2. Al-Saduq, al-Amali, p. 112. Yanabi' al-Mawadda, vol. 3, p. 147 Roudat al-Wa'izin, p. 170.
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(the Prophet's) Household, those whom You have chosen for Your command, appointed the treasurers of Your knowledge, the guardians of Your religion, the vicegerents in Your earth, and the arguments against Your servants, purified from uncleanness and defilement through a purification by Your desire and made the mediation to You and the road to Your Garden!
"My Lord, bless Mohammed and his Household with a blessing which makes plentiful Your gifts and generosity, perfects for them Your bestowals and awards, and fills out their share of Your kindly acts and benefits!
"My Lord, bless him and his Household with a blessing whose first has no term, whose term has no limit, and whose last has no utmost end!
"My Lord, bless them to the weight of Your Throne and below it, the amount that fills the heavens and all above them, the number of Your worlds and all below and between them, a blessing that will bring them near to You in proximity, please You and them, and be joined to its likes forever!
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Allah chose the Ima`ms of the Household, peace be on them, to carry out His message. He appointed them treasurers of His knowledge, guardians of His religion, vicegerents in His earth, and arguments against His servants. He granted them the highest position with Him and made them the mediation to Him, the road to His Garden, and the doors to His mercy.
4. He, peace be on him, said: "We are the vicegerents in the earth. We are more appropriate for the position with Allah than the people. We are those who are singled out in the Book of Allah, and we are those to whom Allah has legislated His religion when He said: 'He has made plain to you of the religion what He enjoined upon Noah and that which We have revealed to you and that which We enjoined upon Ibra`him and Musa` and 'Isa.' We have understood their (the prophet's) knowledge, stored it, and delivered it. We are the
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1. Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiya, Supplication no. 47.
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inheritors of the prophets and the progeny of those who had knowledge. Establish the religion through the Household of Mohammed, may Allah bless him and his family, and be not divided therein.
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As for you, the Ima`ms of the Household, you are the vicegerents of Allah in His earth and more appropriate for the position with Allah than men. Allah legislated His religion for you, chose you to spread it and was satisfied with you to deliver His message. No one denies your outstanding merits except those who are unbelievers or deviated from the religion, and no one loves you but those believers whose hearts Allah tested for faith.
Referring to the Ima`ms is obligatory
It is obligatory to refer to the Ima`ms of the Household, peace be on them, in obtaining the religious rules because they are more knowledgeable than the people in the affairs of the Islamic law and the rules of the religion. Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him, underlined this point when he said: "The religion of Allah, the Great and Almighty, is not attained by incomplete intellects, false opinions, and corrupt measures. It is not attained but through submission. Whoever submits to us is safe, and whoever follows us is guided. Whoever puts into effect analogy and opinion is ruined. Whoever is dissatisfied with what we say and decide is unbeliever in Him who sent down the seven verses of (Surat al-Fa`tiha) (i.e., Allah) and the Holy Qur'a`n while he does know that.
2" Through their jurisprudential and principle researches, the Ima`mi Shi'ite religious scholars have established that it is incorrect to conform to analogy and application of discretion in the affairs of the Islamic law, and that jurisprudence depends on religious texts. If there is no text or the text is synopsis or it is opposed by a similar text, it is obligatory to depend on the
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1. Nasikh al-Tawarikh, vol. 2, p. 49. Al-Majjlisi, Bihar al-Anwar.
2. Nasikh al-Tawarikh, vol. 1, p. 141. Quoted from Ikmal al-Din.
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scientific principles to which the doubter should resort at the time of action. As for resorting to other than that such as analogy, it is insufficient, and the one who resorts to it will be punished.
Obeying the Ima`m is obligatory
Islam takes great care of obeying the Ima`m, this is because the establishment of the social regime in Islam and the Islamic life depend on it. As disobedience leads to chaos and exposes the community to crises and dangers, Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him, underlined the importance of obeying the Ima`m, saying: "O Allah, surely You have confirmed Your religion in all times with an Ima`m whom You have set up as a guidepost to Your servants and a lighthouse in Your lands, after his cord has been joined to Your cord! You have appointed him the means to Your good pleasure, made obeying him obligatory, cautioned against disobeying him, and commanded following his commands, abandoning his prohibitions, and that none goes ahead of him or none keeps back from him! So he is the preservation of the shelter-seekers, the cave of the faithful, the handhold of the adherents, and the radiance of the worlds!
"O Allah, so inspire Your guardian to give thanks for that in which You have favored him, inspire us with the like concerning him, grant him an authority from You to help him, open for him an easy opening, aid him with Your mightiest pillar, brace his back, strengthen his arm, guard him with Your eye, defend him with Your safeguarding, help him with Your angels, and assist him with Your most victorious troops!
"Through him, establish Your Book, Your bounds, Your laws, and the norms of Your Messenger's Sunna (Your blessings, O Allah, be upon him and his Household), bring to life the guideposts of Your religion, deadened by the wrongdoers, burnish the rust of injustice from Your way, sift the adversity from Your road, eliminate those who deviate from Your path, and erase those who seek crookedness in Your straightness!
"Make his side mild toward Your friends, stretch forth his hand
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over Your enemies, give us his hearers and obeyers, strivers toward his good pleasure, assistants in helping him and defending him. Make us seek nearness through that to You and Your Messenger (Your blessings, O Allah, be upon him and his Household).
1" In this masterpiece of his, Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him, underlined the obligatory obedience to the Ima`m, prohibited disobedience to him, and commanded following his commands. He, peace be on him, also stressed the high and important position of the Ima`m, who is the preservation of the shelter-seekers, the cave of the faithful, the handhold of the adherents, and the radiance of the worlds. Then he supplicated for him when he said: "Guard him with Your eye, defend him with Your safeguarding, help him with Your angels, and assist him with Your most victorious troops! Through him, establish Your Book, Your bounds, Your laws, and the norms of Your Messenger's Sunna (Your blessings, O Allah, be upon him and his Household), bring to life the guideposts of Your religion, deadened by the wrongdoers."
The Infallibility of the Ima`m
The Ima`m should have qualities; he should be infallible from inward and outward sins and offenses throughout the stages of his life. Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him, stressed infallibility of the Ima`m when he said: "The Ima`m should be infallible." He was asked about the meaning of the infallible Ima`m and he replied: "It is he who clings to the cord of Allah. The cord of Allah and the Qur'a`n do not separate from each other till the Day of Resurrection.
2" Those who have no piety in religion blames the Shi'ites for their belief in the infallibility of their Ima`ms. They compare the Ima`ms with other people who submit to their inclinations and desires. This comparison results from either harboring malice against the Ima`ms of the Household or from having no knowledge of them. It is certain that whoever carefully considers the behavior of the pure Ima`ms, peace be
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1. Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiya, Supplication no 47.
2. Tarikh al-Tarbiya inda al-Imamiya, p. 19.
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on them, will firmly believe that they had firm piety and faith which prevented them from committing any sin. Didn't the Lord of the family, Ima`m 'Ali, the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, say: "By Allah, If I was given the seven regions and what was under their havens to disobey Allah in taking a grain of barely from the mouth of a locust, I would not do that." Isn't this infallibility? However, those who criticize the Shi'ites have put veils over their intellects, so they do not understand infallibility.
His Ima`mate
As we have talked about what has been reported on the authority of Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him, concerning the affairs of the Ima`mate, we will return to talk about his Ima`mate, which is among the unquestionable maxims, for he was endowed with noble inclinations and outstanding merits which were not found except in those whose hearts Allah tested for faith. We have mentioned some of them when we talked about his behavior and psychological qualities. The following are some proofs for his Ima`mate:
His Textual Ima`mate
The Ima`mi Shi'ites regard text as an important proof of designating the Ima`m and removing doubt from him. Many texts (traditions) were reported concerning the Ima`mate of Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him. The following are some of them:
1. The greatest Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, appointed his trustees (of authority) and his twelve successors after him, and he mentioned their names.
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2. Ima`m 'Ali, the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, designated his grandson Zayn al-'Abidin as an Ima`m when he was about to die. He appointed as an Ima`m his pure son Ima`m al-Hasan, peace be on him, and gave him the tablets of the prophets, and he
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1. Kafayat al-Athar,p. 311. Al-Tusi, al-Ghayba, p. 105. Mukhtasar al-Basa'ir, p. 39. Saleem b. Qays, p. 94.
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asked his sons Ima`m al-Husayn and Mohammed b. al-Hanafiya and all his sons as well as the chiefs of his Shi'ites to bear witness for that, and then he said to al-Husayn: "You are the one who will undertake the office of the Ima`mate after your brother al-Hasan, and Allah's Messenger ordered you to give the tablets (of the prophets) to your son Zayn al-'Abidin, for he will be the proof after you." Then he took Zayn al-'Abidin, who was still a child, by the hand and said to him: "Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, ordered you to designate your son, Mohammed al-Ba`qir, as an Ima`m after you, and recite to him the greetings of Allah's Apostle and that of mine.
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3. Ima`m al-Husayn appointed his son Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him, as an Ima`m and entrusted the Ima`mate to him. Al-Zuhri reported: "I was with al-Husayn b. 'Ali when 'Ali b. al-Husayn al-Asghar (i.e., Zayn al-'Abidin) came in. So al-Husayn called him, embraced him, and kissed him between his eyes. I (i.e., al-Zuhri) turned to Ima`m al-Husayn and asked him: 'Son of Allah's Apostle, who will be the Ima`m after you?' Al-Husayn replied: 'This son of mine, 'Ali, will be the Ima`m. He is the father of the Ima`ms.
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A similar tradition to this was narrated by 'Abd Allah b. 'Uttba.
3 The Shi'ite narrators said: "When Ima`m al-Husayn, peace be on him, wanted to go to Iraq, he entrusted the tablets, which he received from his brother al-Hasan, to Umm Salama, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, and ordered her to give them to Zayn al-'Abidin. When Ima`m al-Sajja`d (Zayn al-'Abidin) returned to Medina, Umm Salama gave him the tablets, which were among the signs of the Ima`mate.
4" The old Shi'ite books have mentioned numerous texts (traditions) similar to the above-mentioned text. If there were no texts for his Ima`mate, his ideals and his outstanding qualities would confirm it.
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1. 'Usul al-Kafi, Chapter on the Teexual Imamate of al-Hasan.
2. Roudat al-Jannat, pp. 247-248.
3. Ithbat al-Hudat, vol. 5, p. 214.
4. Usul al-Kafi, Chapter on the Texual Imamate of al-Hasan.
