Imâmah

There is no gainsaying that of all the differences that exist between the Ahlus-Sunnah and the Shî’a, the issue of Imâmah is by far the most serious. It is in fact quite within the limits of reason and logic to say that the question of Imâmah is the root of all Sunni-Shia differences; all other differences will upon closer scrutiny be found to result from the difference that exists on that central point.

Therefore no person or organization who is serious about bringing Shi’is and Sunnis closer to one another can afford to ignore the doctrine of Imâmah. All endeavours aimed at removing the barriers that separate the Ahlus Sunnah from the Shî’a must start from this point. Starting from anywhere else would be similar to treating the symptoms and not the cause of the disease. For a while, the symptoms may disappear, only to be reactivated at a later stage by the dormant cause. Likewise, attempting to solve Sunni-Shî’a differences from any perspective other than that of its root, Imâmah, might for the immediate moment create the impression of removing obstacles to Muslim unity. In reality, those very same obstacles will return as soon as the euphoria at the creation of that unity subsides.

Essentially, Imâmah is about leadership of the Ummah after the demise of Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam). The Shî’a believe that just as Allah chose Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) as his Messenger to mankind, he chose and appointed a line of twelve men to succeed him as the leaders of the Ummah in all matters, spiritual as well as temporal. The first of these leaders, or Imams as they are called, was Ali Ibn Abi Tâlib (Radiallahu anhu). He was succeeded by his eldest son, Hasan, and he by his brother Husain. After Husain, the Imâmah continued in his progeny until the year 260 A.H, when the twelfth Imam, a child of five, disappeared upon the death of his father. He is believed to be the awaited Mahdi who will return from occultation to establish justice upon the earth. To these twelve men from amongst the family of Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) alone belongs the right to assume leadership of the Ummah. There are two aspects of Imâmah that need to be looked at with attention. The first is the nature of the appointment of the Imams, and the second is the nature of their office.

The nature of appointment

As far as the nature of appointment is concerned, it is a matter of consensus amongst the Shî’a that the right of their twelve Imams to lead the Ummah was bestowed by Allah himself. No distinction is made between the appointment of Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) as the Messenger of Allah and the appointment of the twelve Imams as his successors. Underscoring this vital aspect of Imâmah, Allamah M. H. Al Ghita, who was the most prominent Shî’a âlim of Najaf in Iraq during the seventies, writes in his book, Asl ash-Shiah wa-Usuluha:

Imâmah is a divine station, just like nubuwwah. Just as Allah chooses whomsoever he wants to for nubuwwah and risalah ... similarly, for Imâmah too, He selects whomsoever He wishes.

Ibn Babawayh al Qummi (died 381 A.H.), the author of one of the four canonical hadith collections of the Shî’a, Man Lâ Yahduruhu al-Faqih, states in the treatise he compiled on the creed of the Shî’a:

"It is our belief about one who rejects the Imâmah of Amirul Muminîn (Sayyidina Ali) and the Imams after him that he is the same as one who rejects the nubuwwah of the Ambiya."

The nature of the office of Imâmah

On this point it would be sufficient to say that the Shî’a bestow upon their Imams all the perfections and accomplishments of the Ambiya and even more. It would be impossible to document here all the narrations that deal with the status of Imams, but it might be just as informative to quote the chapters under which they have been documented in a source that is described as a veritable encyclopaedia of the knowledge of the Imams: Bihâr al-Anwâr of Bâqir Majlisi.

The titles of these chapters create quite a vivid impression of the narrated material upon which the Shî’a base their faith. The office of Imâmah can thus be seen to incorporate more than just the political leadership of the ummah. The Imams are more than just heads of state with a divine right to rule. They are the repositories of every branch of knowledge and perfection possessed by the Ambiya. The existence of the world depends upon their presence. They are the intermediaries upon whose intercession acceptance of the prayers of even the Ambiya depends. Their office is one that combines political, religious, scientific, cosmological and metaphysical supremacy over the entire creation. From this, one can understand the reason for Khomeini’s statement in the book, Al-Hukumat-al-Islamiyyah, upon which rests the entire philosophy of his revolution:

"It is of the undeniable tenets of our faith that our Imams possess a status with Allah that neither angel nor messenger can aspire to."