Imamat - A Divine Institution

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From: Ilm, Vol. 3, No. 1 July, 1977

IMAMAT-THE DIVINE INSTITUTION

By Alwaez Jehangir A. Merchant

The Ismaili concept of and belief in Imamat is strikingly important because it stands for Ismailisas a central point around which the other Fundamental Principles of Faith, viz. Tauhid,

Nabuwwat, Adl and Qiyamat, revolve. It is in the acceptance of this concept that they find newand fresh dimensions of the meaning and practices of Faith in relation to their own physical,

mental and spiritual needs, and to the time, place and circumstances in which they live.

This wonderful concept and belief has suffered greatly at the hands of antagonists who have led

people to believe that the idea of a 'Permanent Institution of Imamat' was only a cover up for a

very ambitious political movement. The cobwebs of extreme prejudices lie so thickly over theTruth of this concept that it is absolutely necessary to view the establishment of this Divine

Institution, and consider its constant need and unique position in relation to the other

Fundamental Principles of Islam. For a faithful treatment of this subject it would only be fair andlogical to enumerate the Sunni-Shi'a claims separately and look at them in the light of the HolyQur'an, Sunna and historical facts.

Sunni Claims

Sunni Muslims say.

1. that the Holy Qur'an and Sunna are sufficient to guide the Muslims in their worldly andspiritual matters;

2. that our Holy Prophet Muhammed (s.a.s.) never indicated any successor after him;3. and that hereditary succession was never an order amongst the Arabs and hence election was

the only correct solution to give a Caliph to the Muslims.

Sunni Claims Discussed in the Light of Holy Qur'an, Sunna and Historical Evidence

1. In addition to the Holy Qur'an and Sunna, the Sunni Muslims depend on the idea of Ijtehadwhich holds an important and significant place in their legislation. Explaining Ijtehad,

Maulana Muhammed Ali writes in his voluminous work 'The Religion of Islam':

"The sphere of Ijtehad is a very wide one, since it seeks to fulfill all the requirements of Muslim Community

which are not met with expressly in the Holy Qur'an and Sunna. The great mujtahids of Islam have endeavouredto meet these demands by various methods, technically known as Qiyas (analogical reasoning), Istihsan

(equity), Istislah (public good) and Istidlal (inference)."1

Seeing the stagnated condition of the Muslims, he looks into its cause and adds:

"The impression prevailing in the Muslim world at present that no one has the right, even in the light of the newcircumstances which a thousand years of the world's progress have brought about, to differ with the four

Imams2 is entirely a mistaken one. The right to differ with the highest of men below the Prophet is a Muslim's

birth-right, and to take away the birth-right is to stifle the very existence of Islam. Under present circumstances

when conditions have quite changed and the world has been moving on for a thousand years, while the Muslims

have more or less stagnated, it is the duty of Muslim states and Muslim peoples to apply their own judgmenttothe changed conditions, and find out the ways and means for their temporal salvation."3

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The idea of Ijtehad in Sunnism conclusively proves that Holy Qur'an and Sunna need new

interpretations in the light of changed circumstances, but how can it be considered logical toleave this important factor in the hands of millions of Muslims or in the hands of a hundred

or even less mujtahids or even two at a time, for the two will also differ.

History has shown that God's Divine Revelations, A UNIFYING FORCE, become an agent

of discord and disunity in the wrong hands.

"And say: 'I am indeed he that warneth openly and without ambiguity,' (of just such wrath) as We sent down onthose who divided (Scripture into arbitrary parts), (so also on such) as have made Qur'an into shreds (as they

please)." Holy Qur'an, Ch. 15 : vs. 89-91.

Again, God's Divine Revelations are not meant to become the property of all and sundry.

"Also they say: 'Why is not the Qur'an sent down to some leading man in either of the two (main) cities'? Is it

they who would portion out the Mercy of thy Lord?" Holy Qur'an, Ch 43 : vs. 31, 32.

Ijtehad becomes a system which portions out the Mercy of God under the supervision and atthe hands of mujtahids, the leading men. This system can never give to the Muslim World the

same status of ONE STRONG COMMUNITY which it enjoyed during the life-time of our

Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.).

Imam Ja'far-as-Sadiq was once asked: "O the son of the Messenger of Allah! why are the

Muslims so divided?" The Imam replied: "Were they divided during the time of ProphetMuhammad (s.a.s.)?" The man answered: "No, they were not divided." Imam Ja'far-as-Sadiq

then said: "This was so because they were under the sole authority of Prophet Muhammad

(s.a.s.)."

2. Sunnis claim that Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) had never indicated any successor after him.They also quote a very stray and irrelevant event in support of Hazrat Abu Bakr's choice asCaliph. During his last days, our Holy Prophet had deputed Abu Bakr to lead the

congregational prayers and this, the Sunnis say, was Prophet's indication of a choice of his

successor.

The weakness of this argument as a basis for Hazrat Abu Bakr's choice as Caliph is of course

quite obvious. It is also worth noting that in advancing this argument, the claim that ProphetMuhammad (s.a.s.) never indicated a successor is contradicted.

3. If election was the only solution left to find a Caliph for the Umma (community), one maywell ask: "Does the Holy Qur'an or Sunna indicate any such procedure?" If not, then thiselection could well be termed as the first breach of the Holy Qur'an and Sunna.

4. Was it after all. a fair election?Our Holy Prophet had only just breathed his last when there was a mad rush by the few to

give a leader to the Muslims. At this stage not all Muslims were aware of the passing away of

our Prophet and so there can be no doubt as to the fact that a large number of Muslims never

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participated in electing the Caliph.

Moreover, when the dispute became severe between the Mohajirs (the immigrants) and the

Ansars (the helpers) gathered at Saqa-e-fae-bani Saa'ada over the question of leadership, HazratOmar cried out to Hazrat Abu Bakr to stretch out his hand so that he could swear allegiance to

him, and when Hazrat Abu Bakr did so, Hazrat Omar declared him to be the Chief and paid himhis homage.

Could this be said to be an election in any sense of the term or was it only a choice of one

individual forced upon the others?

When Hazrat Abu Bakr got ill and there was no hope of recovery, he nominated Hazrat Omar to

succeed him. What happened to the principle of election and on what authority was thenomination affected?

Hazrat Omar chose a different course. He avoided election and stayed from nominating his

successor. Instead, he appointed a committee of six men to elect a successor for him.

The course taken at Saqa-e-fae-bani Saa'ada and the events of history which followed later, setup a humanly instituted authority quite in contrast to IMAMAT, the Divinely ordained Institute

of Authority ofOolul Amr Minkum mentioned in the Holy Qur'an and which, our Holy Prophet

declared, belonged to Hazrat Ali and through him to his progeny till the Day of Judgment.

Shi'a Claims

The following passage from 'The Memoirs of Aga Khan'beautifully explains in clear terms the

Shia concept of Imamat:

"The Shia school of thought maintains that although direct Divine inspiration ceased at the Prophet's death, the need

of Divine Guidance continued and that could not be left merely to millions of mortal men, subject to whims and gustof passion and material necessity, capable of being momentarily but tragically misled by greed, by oratory, or by the

sudden desire for material advantage. These dangers were manifest in the period immediately following our Holy

Prophet's death. Mohammed had been, as I have shown, both a temporal and a spiritual sovereign. The Khalif orsuccessor of the Prophet was to succeed him in both these capacities; he was to be both Emir-al-Momenin or

'Commander of the true believers' andImam-al-Muslimin or 'Spiritual chief of the devout.' Perhaps an analogy from

the Latin, Western world will make this clearer: he would be Supreme Pontiff as well as Imperator or temporal ruler.

"Ali, the Prophet's cousin and son-in-law, the husband of his beloved and only surviving child, Fatimah, his first

convert, his bold champion in many a war, who the Prophet in his lifetime said would be to him as Aaron was to

Moses, his brother and right-hand man, in the veins of whose descendants the Prophet's own blood would flow,appeared destined to be that true successor; and such had been the general expectation of Islam. The Shias have

therefore always held that after the Prophet's death. Divine power, guidance and leadership manifested themselves inHazrat Ali as the first Imam or spiritual chief of the devout."4

The points gathered from the above passage from 'The Memoirs of Aga Khan'can be enumeratedas under:

1. Divine Guidance is always available to mankind and did not cease at Prophet Muhammad's(s.a.s.) death.

2. Divine Guidance could not be left in the hands of ordinary mortals.

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3. The Khalif was to hold both, temporal and spiritual authority.4. Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) had indicated Hazrat Ali as his Successor.5. Imamat is the hereditary right of the descendants of Hazrat Ali.Shi'a Claims Discussed in the Light of Holy Qur'an, Sunna and Historical Evidence.

"And there never was a people without a warner having lived among them." Holy Qur'an, Ch. 35 : v. 24.

"All Islamic schools of thought accept it as a fundamental principle that, for centuries, for thousands of years

before the advent of Mohammed, there arose from time to time messengers, illumined by Divine Grace, for and

amongst those races of the earth which had sufficiently advanced intellectually to comprehend such a message.

Thus Abraham, Moses, Jesus and all the Prophets of Israel are universally accepted by Islam. Muslims indeed

know no limitation merely to the Prophet of Israel; they are ready to admit that there were similar Divinelyinspired messengers in other countriesGautama Buddha, Shri Krishna, and Shri Ram in India, Socrates in

Greece, the wise man of China, and many other sages and saints among people and civilizations of which we

have now lost trace. Thus Man's soul has never been left without a specially inspired messenger from the Soulthat sustains, embraces, and is the Universe."5The Memoirs of Aga Khan.

1. The verse from the Holy Qur'an quoted above and the passage from The Memoirs of AgaKhan explain the Divine Scheme under which Prophets were raised for the regeneration ofthe world. This Divine Scheme is briefly summed up thus:

During the period of gradual development of Man, messengers of God, with their souls

which had drunk deep at the Fountain of Divine Inspiration, came forward with the Divine

Messages to cope with the requisite needs of human aspirations.

Prophets were raised up in every nation, but their messages were limited to certain areas andin some cases to one or a few generations. All these Prophets were, so to say, National

Prophets, and their work was restricted to the moral uplift and spiritual regeneration of one

nation only. But while national growth was a necessity of the first condition of the humanrace, when each nation lived almost an exclusive life and the means of communication

between different races were wanting, the grand aim which the Divine Scheme contained wasthe uplift and unification of the whole human race.

Stating the mission of earlier Prophets, the Holy Qur'an says:"We sent Noah to his people (with the command)."Ch. 71: v. 1.

"To the 'AD' people (we sent) Hud, one of their own brethren."Ch. 7 : v. 65.

"To the 'THAMUD' people (we sent) Salih,. . Ch. 7 : v. 73.

"We sent Moses with our signs (and the command): 'Bring out thy people from the depths of darkness into lightand teach them to remember the days of God'."Ch. 14 : v. 5.

"And God will teach him the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel, and(appoint him) an apostle to the children of Israel."Ch. 3 : vs. 48, 49.

The period of National Prophets ended when it had served its purpose. The stage was set forthe World Prophet and it is therefore that the Holy Qur'an speaks of Prophet Muhammad

(s.a.s.) in different terms. It says: "We have not sent thee but to ALL MEN as a bearer of good news and as a warner."Ch. 34 : v. 28.

The Arabic for 'ALL MEN' is 'Kaffat-anli'l-nas', where even al-nas carries the idea of allpeople, and the addition of Kaffah is meant to emphasize further that not a single nation was

excluded from the heavenly ministration of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.).

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Therefore, the finality of Prophethood was established to preserve the unity and purity ofFaith, and to unify the human race; and as such, we have the Holy Qur'an saying:

"Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the messenger of

Allah and the 'last of the Prophets' (Khatam al-nabiyyin), and Allah is cognizant of all things."Ch. 33 : v. 40.

If Prophethood came to a close with our Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.), are we to believe

that the doors of Divine Guidance are no longer open to mankind?

Reason would revolt against the suggestion that God exercised His attributes of speech up tothe time of the World Prophet and there-after ceased to do so. As we repudiate as

blasphemous any suggestion that God possessed the attributes of seeing up to the time of

Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) but thereafter ceased to see. or that He was capable of creating

up to our Prophet's time but that thereafter He lost the attribute of creation, so also we mustrepudiate the suggestion that God spoke up to any particular period and thereafter ceased to

speak.

Again, if it were to be supposed that God has withheld His Guidance to mankind, how could

one explain God's ADL (Justice) when the Holy Qur'an says:"God is never unjust in the least degree."Ch. 4 : v. 40."O ye that believe! fear God and believe in His Apostle, and He will bestow on you a double portion of HIS

MERCY: He will provide for you a LIGHT by which ye shall walk (straight in your path) and He will forgive

you (your past) for God is oft-Forgiving most Merciful."Ch. 57 : v. 28.

His ADL (Justice) lies not only in His Judgment to reward or punish but in His providing the

Divine Guidance even after the last of the Prophets. It is IMAMATthe Divinely ordainedInstitution which manifests God's Divine Justice over mankind, and without which the belief

in ADL would only be meaningless.

2. Could the Divine Guidance be left in the hands of ordinary mortals?Pir Shihabu'd-in Shah al-Husayni writing in his Risala dar Haqiqat-i Din (True Meaning of

Religion) says: "If it were destined that a manifestation (zuhur) of the Divine Substance should take place at some time, whatshould be the fault of those who were not yet born at that time? Or of those who lived before it, or did not

recognise it? What have they to do, and how can people find the way of Truth, how can they follow it?

"It is obvious, therefore, that there must be in the world a Supreme Leader (rah-nama) at every time. Humanityare like childrenthey may be clever in their own way, and yet there are many things that are beyond their

power of comprehension. Therefore they need a teacher, who may give them necessary knowledge. Even an

adult, however aged he may be, needs a guide in the matters in which he had no previous experience. Thus there

is great need for a guide to help the people, at every time, if God wishes to lead all who are continuously being

born, to the knowledge of His Light. And He Himself revealed that He does wish this:'God leads to His Light those whom He wants to lead'. (Ch. 24 : v. 35).

Times differ one from the other, every period of time has its own destinies and history. The Leader of humanity

is one who commands some things and prohibits other things in accordance with the requirements of the time.

But if the Divine Manifestation (z.uhur) is to take place in an ordinary mortal body, the latter, inevitably, has tobecome old and worn out, like clothes of man, and ultimately it would be necessary to replace it with a new one.

"Ordinary people whose duty is only to obey the command of God, have no capacity to act as they wish or to

elect (as their leader) any one whom they want, disregarding the real one. Leadership, which is the real meaning

of the term Imamat, obviously is a matter of greatest possible importance, which cannot be left to the decision

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of the mob.

"Muhammad and Ali both were manifestations of one and the same Divine Light, but they came in two different

persons (libasdress) in order to uphold each other's mission amongst humans, and in order to introduce each

other to the people. However the people did not recognise them. Salman Farsi said in Persian, on the day when

Abu Bakr was in appearance (tahir) elected as a caliph: 'kardidna-kardid', that is 'you have done this, and yetyou have not done it.' He meant that they had appointed a lieutenant to the Prophet, and yet in reality, nothing

had been done. But this is a long story, O God."

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This clearly explains that Divine Authority was to be held by the Chosen Ones amongst the

people about which the Holy Qur'an also says: "Verily God has chosen Adam and Noah; and Abraham's descendants and Imran's descendants above all people

one after another in the lineage; and God both hears and knows."Ch. 3 : vs. 33, 34.

In the brief discussion on the gradual development of Nabuwwat (Prophethood). it was seenthat the office of National Prophets found its climax in the World Prophet, yet this was not to

be the end of all. Being the last and final in the long line of God's messengers. Prophet

Muhammad (s.a.s.) was left with a very grave and heavy responsibility, that of completingGod's message and hence he was commanded as expressed in the Holy Qur'an:

"O Apostle! deliver (to the people), what has been revealed to thee from thy Lord; and if thou did not do so,then thou hast not delivered His Message, and Allah will protect thee from the people."Ch. 5 : v. 67.

A clear warning was laid out in this command and so. unhesitatingly, our Holy Prophet

declared Hazrat Ali as the Maula (Lord) of the believers'. Had he not done so, his mission

would have remained incomplete. Finally, God placed a seal of His acceptance of ProphetMuhammad's (s.a.s.) mission, saying: "This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you and chosen for you Islam asyour religion."Ch. 5 : v. 4.

National Prophets had raised the platform for Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.), the WorldProphet, and he in turn completed Deen-e-lslam and his own mission by glorifying Imamat.

Nabuwwat, in the final analysis, can be seen as having the grand purpose of guiding mankindto IMAMATThe Divine Institution. Pir Shihabu'din Shah quotes the following Hadith in

his work 'True Meaning of Religion which explains the most fundamental relationshipbetween NABUWWAT and IMAMAT:"O Muhammad! if it were not for thy sake, We would not have created the world. And if there were no Ali, We

would not have created thee."7Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s).

3. As affirmed earlier in the discussion that Divine Guidance for mankind has continued afterProphet Muhammad (s.a.s.), it naturally follows that the temporal and spiritual authority

enjoyed by the Prophet during his life-time had to be the sole privilege of none but Hazrat

Ali and his rightful successors. The Holy Qur'an therefore commands:"0 ye who believe; obey God and obey the Apostle and obey those in authority (Oolul Amr) from amongst

you."Ch. 4 : v. 59.

Prophet Muhammad's (s.a.s.) authority over Muslims was so high that they were asked to

bring all their disputes to him and accept his decision as final and binding upon them. The

supremacy of the Prophet's authority did not simply lie in this fact alone, but more so in thefact that his authority was made the measure by which the faith of the Muslims was to be

gauged, for being a Muslim was not to be a mu'min (faithful). God says in the Holy Qur'an:"The desert Arabs say. 'We believe.' Say (unto them O Muhammad): Ye have no faith; but ye (only) say, 'We

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have submitted our will to God,' for faith has not yet entered your hearts."Ch. 49 : v. 14.

The above-quoted verse speaks of the two different states, viz. (i) that of the mindof beinga Muslim and (ii) that of the heartof being a mu'min (faithful). To identify one from the

other God made the authority, which He had bestowed upon His Prophet, the testing

instrument. He says: "But no, by thy Lord, they can have no real faith, until they make thee judge in all disputes between them, and

find in the souls no resistance against the decisions, but accept them with the fullest conviction." Ch. 4 : v. 65.

Our Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.), in his turn, said:"He who dies without the recognition of the living Imam, dies the death of an unbeliever."8Hadith.

Thus, iman (faith) finds its fulfilment in acknowledging the authority of the Living Imam, forhe who disowns the right of Imamat altogether is not a mu'min (faithful).

4. Now we shall look briefly into the historical evidences which speak of Prophet Muhammad(s.a.s.) indicating Hazrat Ali as his successor.a. "Here is my proxy and my lieutenant. Here standeth my brother. Listen to him and obey," declared our HolyProphet on the occasion of 'Dawat-e-Asheera' (Invitation to Faith to his relatives).9

b. On the field of Khyber, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) declared: "Tomorrow I shall give the command of this

army to a man who is brave, who will keep on attacking, who will not run away from the battle-field, who loves

God and His Prophet and is beloved of God and His Prophet, and who will not come back to me withoutsuccess."

Next day the command was handed over to Hazrat Ali. His success so pleased the Prophet that he, though ill,

came out to greet the victor, embraced him and said, "O Ali! you are from me and I am from you; you will

inherit me and I will inherit you; you are unto me as AARON was to MOSES; enmity against you is enmityagainst me; war against you is war against me; your flesh is my flesh, your blood is my blood. As commanded

by God I will give you these tidings that your friends will be rewarded in Heaven and your enemies will be

punished in Hell"10

c. When Sura Barat was to be read before the infidels of Mecca, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) first orderedHazrat Abu Bakr to carry the forty verses and convey them to the people, but hardly had he left Medina when

he was recalled by the Prophet, who then took the verses from Hazrat Abu Bakr and gave them to Hazrat Ali to

be read before the Meccans. When Hazrat Abu Bakr complained about this change, the Apostle of God replied:"I have done it under the orders of God which said explicitly that I should perform this duty or somebody who

is like me."11

d. During the expedition of Tabuk, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s) decided to leave Hazrat Ali behind to act as a

regent in his place. He called Hazrat Ali and said: "O Ali! nobody could look after this centre of Muslim state

but you or I." Hazrat Ali stayed back at Medina but when the hypocrites started a whisper-campaign that theProphet had lost faith in Hazrat Ali, he left Medina immediately and met the Prophet at Jerf where he stated to

him all that had passed. Thereupon, the Holy Prophet said: "O Ali! they are lying against you as they have lied

against me. They have called me an epileptic, a magician, a sorcerer and a necromant. I have appointed you asmy Vicegerent and my Caliph over all whom I have left behind. Are you not satisfied to realise that you are

unto me as Aaron was to Moses?"12

e. Returning from his Farewell Pilgrimage, our Holy Prophet halted at Ghadir-e-Khumm and declared before alarge gathering: "Hear and remember, that to whomsoever I am the Lord, Ali is the Lord. He is to me whatAaron was unto Moses." He then prayed: "O God! be a friend to his friends and a foe to his foes. Help those

who help Ali and frustrate the hopes of those who betray Ali.13

From the above instances quoted from history there can be no doubt that Prophet Muhammad

(s.a.s) did indicate Hazrat Ali as his successor.

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5. The fact that Imamat runs in hereditary succession can be logically concluded from theQur'anic verses 33 and 34 of Sura Aal-e-lmran (Ch. 3), quoted earlier. Moreover, this claimcan be further substantiated by the fact that Prophets had always wished to be succeeded by

their progeny."And remember that Abraham was tried by his Lord with certain commands, which he fulfilled. He said: 'I will

make thee an Imam to the Nation.' He (Abraham) pleaded: 'And also (imams) from my offspring?' He

answered: 'But My promise is not within the reach of evil doers."Ch. 2 : v. 38.

"Then did Zakariya pray to his Lord, saying: 'O my Lord! grant unto me from Thee a progeny that is pure; forThou art He that heareth prayer."Ch. 3 : v. 38.

To possess a male child was always considered the greatest blessing one could receive and to

be without one was regarded as the greatest curse. A man without issue was regarded as

dead. He who died without leaving his posterity was considered as one who had failed in his

mission. These thoughts were prevalent in the minds of the people during the time of ourHoly Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) and it is for this reason that taunts were hurled at him of

being an Abtar, meaning the one whose succession in his seeds has ceased and the one who

has no heir. The enemies even rejoiced in the fact that there would be no one to uphold his

religion after him, but that was not to be for God speaks of the abundance in posterity, withwhich our Holy Prophet was blessed, saying: "Lo! We have given thee Kauthar (abundance); so pray unto thy Lord, and sacrifice. Lo! it is thy insulter (andnot thou) who is without posterity."Sura Kauthar, Ch. 108.

The following Hadith should prove sufficient to explain the meaning of Kauthar, which says:"Two things I am leaving amongst you after me, the Qur'an and my posterity; verily, if you follow them both

you will never go astray. Both are tied with a long rope and cannot be separated till the day of Judgment." 14

Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.).

If Kauthar is not to mean 'Abundance in Posterity' then how could our Holy Prophet be

speaking of 'MY POSTERITY' in his hadith? The Holy Imams through his daughter Bibi

Fatima and Hazrat Murtaza Ali are his posterity on this earth who arc to be followed andobeyed implicitly."And hold fast, all of you together, to the 'Rope of Allah' (Hablillah), and be not divided." Holy Qur'an,

Ch. 3. : v. 103.

During the course of our discussion on Shi'a claims, we saw how Nabuwwat (Prophethood) and

Adl (God's Justice) found fresh dimensions to their meanings when studied in relation to the

concept of Imamat. Let us now seek a better understanding of the two remaining FundamentalPrinciples of Faith, viz. Tauhid and Qiyamat, by similarly relating them to the central point

Imamat.

The human mind is unable to conceive of the Nature of God which is Absolute (Ahad) and hence

the call to belief in Tauhid (Oneness of God) would naturally seem meaningless. However, thislofty concept, which is beyond the grasp and reach of human comprehension, finds action in its

belief through faith in IMAMGod's Divine Mazhar (Manifestation) on this earth and amongsthumans."Behold the Lord said to the angels: 'I will create a vicegerent on earth.' They said: 'Wilt Thou place therein one who

will make mischief therein and shed blood? Whilst we do celebrate Thy praises and glorify Thee?' He said: 'I know

what ye know not.' And He taught Adam the nature of all things; then He placed them before the angels and said:

'Tell Me the nature of these if you are right.' They said: 'Glory to Thee: of knowledge we have none save what Thou

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hast taught us: in truth it is Thou Who are perfect in knowledge and wisdom.' He said 'O Adam! tell them their

natures.' When he had told them, God said: Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of heavens and earth and 1

know what you reveal and what ye conceal' And behold. We said to the angels: Bow down to Adam,' and they

bowed down: not so Iblis: he refused and was haughty: he was of those who reject Faith." Ch. 2 : vs. 30 34.

Prostration to Adam became incumbent upon the angels on God's command and when the angels

prostrated they did not commit shirk (sin of giving a partner to God) but perfected their belief inTauhid (Oneness of God), whereas Iblis. who did not prostrate to Adam and claimed his

superiority over him. in fact committed shirk. Instead of obeying God's command and prostrating

to the Noor (Light) of God. Iblis chose to follow his own judgment and earned God's displeasure.God was obeyed and loved through Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) in his time and so God is obeyed

and loved through Imam of the time.

Imam Ja'far-as-Sadiq has said: "God is believed and worshipped in us."

Thus, belief in Tauhid becomes active and finds completion in the belief in Imamatthe Divine

Institution.

Finally, on the day of Qiyamat when all will be summoned to account for their deeds, it is then

that each one will rise with his guide he served on this earth. The Holy Qur'an says: _"One day We shall call together all human beings with their respective Imam: Those who are given their record in

their right hand will read it (with pleasure), and they will not be dealt with unjustly in the least. But those who are

blind in this world will be blind in the Hereafter, and most astray from the Path." Ch. 17: v. 71.

A man came to Imam Ja'far-as-Sadiq and spoke to him about a man who had died recently, and

he said: "O Son of the Messenger of God, the deceased had a very high regard for you and lovedyou sincerely. The Imam said: "Everyone who bears love to us, will be with us on the Day of

Resurrection. He will be under our protection and be our companion in all stations (in Paradise).Doubly do 1 swear by God. God purifies the heart of every one who loves us. And no one's heartshall be purified until he accepts our Imamat. And when he accepts our authority. God will save

him from the punishment of his sins on the Day of Judgment and keep him safe from the Great

Terror. Verily, this salvation takes place when a persons life reaches hereand he pointed to his

throat (that is at the moment of his death).15

The love for the Imam leads a soul from its transient abode to the Eternal in God. Imam therefore

is, for the mu'mins, the Lord and Master of both the worlds. Holy Qur'an therefore calls upon themu'mins to supplicate this. so that. both in life and death, he may enjoy the love and care of the

IMAM, THE DIVINE GUIDE and AUTHORITY."Say, 'O my Lord! let my entry be by the Gate of Truth and Honour and likewise my exit by the Gate of Truth and

Honour; and grant me from Thy presence an AUTHORITY to aid (me)'."Ch. 17 : v. 80.

Just as one cannot conceive of a circle without a centre, so also Tauhid. Nabuwwat, Adl andQiyamat without its Central Point in the concept of Imamat would bear no meaning. It is the

circumference which emerges from and merges into the centre; so also the true understanding ofTauhid, Nabuwwat. Adl and Qiyamat emerges from and merges into ImamatThe Divine

Institution.

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Imam Muhammad al-Baqir said: "Verily, Paradise welcomes the presence of the progeny of the Prophet and their party, and its brightness will be the

brighter for their arrival. If a servant of God worships Him with excessive devotion between the Rukn and the

Maqam Ibrahim in the Ka'ba, so that his ligaments are torn (by running), but his faith does not include love for us

and acceptance of the Authority of the People of the House, God will not accept his devotions."16

For the Shi'a Imami Nizari Ismailis, Hazrat Mowlana Shah Karim al-Hussayni (His Highness

The Aga Khan IV) is their Present Living Imam (Hazar Imam) to whom they owe their completedevotion and allegiance, and in whom they see their path to the Eternal Abode in Noor-e-Ilahi.

References:

1. Op. cit., p. 103, 104.2. The founders of the four Sunni schools are designated as 'Imams. They are: Imam Abu Hanifa Nu'man ibn

Thabit 80 - 150 AH (699 - 767 A.C.); Imam Malik ibn Anas93-175 AH (713-795 A.C.); Imam Abu Abd-

Allah Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi150-204 A. H. (767-204 A.C.); Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal 164-241A.H. (781 -241 A.C.).

3. Op. cit., p. 115.4. Op. cit., p. 178.5. Op. cit., p. 174.6. Op. Cit., pp. 29-31.7. Op. Cit., pp. 138. The Book of Faith' (Da'im al-Islam) tr. by A. A. A. Fyzee.9. Tafseer-e-Tabari Vol IXX - p. 68; Tafseer-e-Mo'allam-ul-Thunzeel, p. 663;Masnad Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal,

Vol. 1 p.163;Musthadrik.

Imam Hakim. Vol. III p. 133;History of Tabari, Vol. II p. 216;History of Kamil, Vol. II p. 26;History of Abdul Fida. Vol. I - p. 116.

10.Moarej-un-Nabuwwat, Vol. IV - p. 216;Almanquibe of Akhtab-e-Kharazami,Ibne Hasham'sSeerat: Tabari's History.

11.Musthadrik, Vol. Ill - p 32; Riaz-ul-Nazarah, Vol. II - p. 203; Musnad-e-lmam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Vol. I - p.331; Asaba-fee-Ma'arayfath-e-Sahaba, Vol. IV - p. 270;Izalath-ul-Khifa Section 2 - p. 261.

12.Musthadrik of Imam Hakim;Istheeaab of Allama Ibne Abdul Bur: Izalath-ul-Khifu of Shah Waliullah; KunzulUmmal of Allama Ali Muttaquee; Sahee Bukhari, para 18 - p. 89; para 145 - p. 387.

13.Musnad Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal, Vol. V - p. 281; Imam Ghazalee in Sir-ul-Aalameen: Ibne Shebab al-Zohri;Mohammed ibn Ishaq; Hakeem Tirmizee.

Abu Bakr Siddiquee, Omar Farooq, Othman Ghani, Zubair ibn Awam, Abdullah ibn Omar, Bibi Aiyesha,

Umme Sulma, Abdulla ibn Masood and Hussain ibn Sabith are among the narrators of the above event The

bookArhahul Maltaiib cites 100 names of the companions of our Holy Prophet, and 153 historians, collectors

of traditions, authors ofSeehas andMassaaneedwho have narrated the whole incident in detail. See 'Ghadir

Khumm' by L. Veccia Vaglieri in ILM, Vol 2, No. 2. - p 28

14. Sahee Muslim, Vol. II - p. 279. p15. The Book of Faith' (Da-aim al-Islam) tr. by A. A. A. Fyzee, para. 132 -p. 83.16. Ibid.. para. 138 - p. 85.

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Imamat - A Divine Institution