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InShia Islam, theImamah (Arabic:إمامة) is adoctrine which asserts that certain individuals from the lineage of theIslamic prophetMuhammad are to be accepted as leaders and guides of theummah after thedeath of Muhammad. Imamah further says that Imams possess divine knowledge and authority (Ismah) as well as being part of theAhl al-Bayt, the family of Muhammad.[1] These Imams have the role of providing commentary and interpretation of the Quran[2] as well as guidance.
The word "Imām" denotes a person who stands or walks "in front". ForSunni Islam, the word is commonly used to mean a person who leads the course of prayer in themosque. It also means the head of amadhhab ("school of thought"). However, from the Shia point of view this is merely thebasic understanding of the word in the Arabic language and, for its proper religious usage, the word "Imam" is applicableonly to those members of the house of Muhammad designated asinfallible by the preceding Imam.
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The Shia believe that only theA'immah (Imams) have the legitimate right to serve as caliphs, viewing all other caliphs—whether chosen byconsensus or otherwise—as political leaders who usurped a divinely designated role.
According to thehadith, Muhammad said: "To whomsoever I amMawla,Ali is his Mawla."[citation needed] This hadith has been related in different ways in no less than 45 Shia and Sunni hadithic sources,[citation needed] including compendia byal-Tirmidhi,[3]Ibn Majah,[4] and others.The major conflict between Sunni and Shia Muslims centers on the interpretation of the word "mawla." For Shia Muslims, "mawla" means "master" and holds the same elevated significance as it did when the term was used to address Muhammad during his lifetime. They believe that Muhammad publicly designated Ali as "Mawla" for all Muslims at the Ghadiri Khum Oasis, just months before his death. This event involved Muhammad’s closest companions—Abu Bakr,Umar, andUthman (the three future Caliphs who preceded Ali)—taking Ali's hand in both of theirs as a token of their allegiance to him. Those who viewed Ali as Muhammad's immediate successor, even before Muhammad's death, came to be known as the Shia.
In contrast, for Sunni Muslims, "mawla" means "beloved" or "revered" and does not hold any significant implications beyond that.
Within Shia Islam (Shiism), the various sects came into being because they differed over their Imams' successions, just as the Shia–Sunni separation within Islam itself came into being from the dispute that had arisen over the succession toMuhammad. Each succession dispute brought forth a differenttariqah (literal meaning 'path'; extended meaning 'sect') within Shiism. Each Shia tariqah followed its own particular Imam's dynasty, resulting in different numbers of Imams for each particular Shia tariqah. When the dynastic line of the separating successor Imam ended with no heir to succeed him, then either he (the last Imam) or his unborn successor was believed to have gone into a concealment known asThe Occultation.
The Shia tariqah with a majority of adherents are theTwelvers who are commonly known as "Shia". After that come theNizari Ismailis commonly known as theIsmailis, then the Mustalian Ismailis also called the "Bohras", and there are further schisms within their Bohri tariqah. TheDruze tariqah initially were part of the Fatimid Ismailis but separated from them after the death of the Fatimid Imam and Caliph Al Hakim Bi Amrillah. The Shia Sevener tariqah no longer exists. Another small tariqah is that of theZaidi Shias, or the "Fivers"; they do not believe in the Occultation of their last Imam.
Although all these different Shia tariqahs belong to the Shia (as opposed to the Sunni) sect in Islam, there are major doctrinal differences between the main Shia tariqahs. After that there is the complete doctrinal break between all the different Shia tariqahs whose last Imams have gone into Occultation and the Shia Nizari Ismailis, who deny the concept of Occultation and so have to have a present and living Imam until the end of time.[citation needed]
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Shias believe that Imamah is of the Principles of Faith(Usul al-Din). As the verse 4:165[5] ofQuran expresses the necessity to the appointment of theprophets, so after the demise of the prophet who will play the role of the prophet, until the people have no plea againstAllah. The same logic that necessitated the assignment of prophets also is applied for Imamah. That is, Allah must assign someone similar to the prophet in his attributes and Ismah as his successor to guide the people without any deviation in religion.[6]
They refer to the verse 5:3 ("This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion")[7] of theQuran which was revealed to the prophet when he appointedAli as hissuccessor at the day ofGhadir Khumm.[8]
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By the verse Quran, 2:124,[9] Shias believe that Imamah is a divine position always Imamah is accompanied by the word guidance, of course a guidance by God's Command. A kind of guidance which brings humanity to the goal. no age can be without an Imam. Regarding 17:71,[10] So, according to the upper verse, 1. Imamah is a position which is appointed by God and must be specified by Him; 2. Imam is protected by a divine protection and no one excels him in nobility; 3. No age can be without an Imam and finally Imam knows everything which is needed for human being to get to the truth and goal.[11]
Sunnis reject the doctrine of Imamate on the basis of their interpretation of verse 33:40 of theQur'an which says thatMuhammad, as theseal of the Prophets, "is not the father of any of your men"; and that is why God let Muhammad's sons die in infancy.[a] This is why Muhammad did not nominate a successor, as he wanted to leave the succession to be resolved "by the Muslim Community on the basis of the Qur’anic principle of consultation (shura)".[12] The question Madelung proposes here is why the family members of Muhammad should not inherit aspects of Muhammad's character, apart from prophethood, such as rule (hukm), wisdom (hikma), and leadership (imama). Since the Sunni concept of the "true caliphate" itself defines it as a "succession of the Prophet in every respect except his prophethood", Madelung further asks, "If God really wanted to indicate that he should not be succeeded by any of his family, why did He not let his grandsons and other kin die like his sons?"[12]
It is narrated that it is forbidden for the Divine Leader not to be from the family of Muhammad.[13] According toAli al-Ridha, since it is obligatory to obey him, there should be a sign to clearly indicate the Divine Leader. That sign is his well-known ties of kinship with Muhammad and his clear appointment so that the people could distinguish him from others, and be clearly guided toward him.[14] Otherwise others are nobler than Muhammad's offspring and they are to be followed and obeyed; and the offspring of Muhammad are obedient and subject to the offspring of Muhammad's enemies such asAbi Jahl or Ibn Abi Ma’eet. However, Muhammad is much nobler than others to be in charge and to be obeyed.[14] Moreover, once the prophethood of Muhammad is testified they would obey him, no one would hesitate to follow his offspring and this would not be hard for anyone.[14] While to follow the offspring of the corrupted families is difficult.[original research?] And that is maybe why the basic characteristic of Muhammad and other prophets was their nobility.[original research?] For none of them, it is said, were originated from a disgraced family.[citation needed] It is believed that all Muhammad's ancestors up to Adam were true Muslims.[b][citation needed] Jesus was also from a pious family, as it is mentioned in the Quran that after his birth, people said toMary: "O sister of Aaron, your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste."[16][c][improper synthesis?]
The doctrine of the Imamate in Isma'ilism differs from that of the Twelvers because the Isma'ilis had living Imams for centuries after the last Twelver Imam,Muhammad al-Mahdi, went intohiding. They followed Isma'il ibn Jafar, elder brother ofMusa al-Kadhim, as the rightful Imam after his father,Ja'far al-Sadiq. The Ismailis believe that whether Imam Ismail did or did not die before Imam Ja'far, he had passed on the mantle of the imamate to his son Muhammad ibn Isma'il as the next imam.
According to Isma'ilism,God has sent seven great prophets known asNātiqs "Speaker" in order to disseminate and improve hisdīn ofIslam. All of these great prophets has also one assistant known asSāmad "Silent" Imām. At the end of each sevenSāmadsilsilas, one greatNātiq has been sent in order to improve the faith. AfterAdam and his sonSeth, and after sixNātiq–Sāmad silsila[17] (Noah–Shem,Abraham–Ishmael,Moses–Aaron,Jesus–Simeon, son of Jacob,[clarification needed]Muhammad–Ali), the silsila ofNātiqs andSāmads have been completed withMuhammad ibn Isma'il.
Ismailis view Imams as the true representative of God. God has made all prophets his representative. Individual prophets era are distinct. After one prophets God created next prophet. Islam view that Mohammed is last prophet. Mohammed appointed his specific representative Ali. Ali made imams as his next representative and one imam appointed another until date. The Isma'ili view that these Imam are only from their hereditary chain and their appointment is a must, and Earth cannot remain vacant, without presence of Imam.[18][19][original research?]
Zaidiyyah or Zaidi is a Shiamadhhab (sect, school) named after the imamZayd ibn Ali. Followers of the Zaidi fiqh are called Zaidis (or are occasionally calledFivers in the West). However, there is also a group called the ZaidiWasītīs who are Twelvers.
In the context of the Shi'a Muslim belief in spiritual leadership or Imamate, Zaydis believe that the leader of theUmmah or Muslim community must beFatimids: descendants of Muhammad through his only surviving daughterFatimah, whose sons wereHasan ibn ʻAlī andHusayn ibn ʻAlī. These Shi'a called themselves Zaydi so they could differentiate themselves from other Shi'is who refused to take up arms with Zayd ibn Ali.
Zaydis believe Zayd ibn Ali was the rightful successor to the Imamate because he led a rebellion against theUmayyad Caliphate, who he believed were tyrannical and corrupt.Muhammad al-Baqir did not engage in political action and the followers of Zayd believed that a true Imām must fight against corrupt rulers.[20][21] The renowned Muslim juristAbu Hanifa, who is credited for theHanafi school ofSunni Islam, delivered afatwā or legal statement in favour of Zayd in his rebellion against the Umayyad ruler. He also urged people in secret to join the uprising and delivered funds to Zayd.[22]
UnlikeTwelver Shi'ites, Zaydis do not believe in the infallibility of Imāms[23][24] The Imamate can be passed down to anyone of the household of Muhammad.
The period of occultation (ghaybah) is divided into two parts:
During the Minor Occultation (Ghaybah al-Sughrá), it is believed that al-Mahdi maintained contact with his followers via deputies (Arabic:an-nuwāb al-arbaʻa, "the Four Leaders"). They represented him and acted as agents between him and his followers. Whenever the believers faced a problem, they would write their concerns and send them to his deputy. The deputy would ascertain his verdict, endorse it with his seal and signature and return it to the relevant parties. The deputies also collectedzakat andkhums on his behalf.
For the Shia, the idea of consulting a hidden Imam was not something new because the two priorTwelver Imams had, on occasion, met with their followers from behind a curtain. Also, during the oppressive rule of the later Abbasid caliphs, the Shia Imams were heavily persecuted and held prisoners, thus their followers were forced to consult their Imams via messengers or secretly.
Shia tradition hold that four deputies acted in succession to one another:
In 941 (329 AH), the fourth deputy announced an order by al-Mahdi, that the deputy would soon die and that the deputyship would end and the period of the Major Occultation would begin.
The fourth deputy died six days later and the Shia Muslims continue to await the reappearance of the Mahdi. In the same year, many notable Shia scholars such asAli ibn Babawayh Qummi andMuhammad ibn Ya'qub Kulayni, the learned compiler ofKitab al-Kafi, also died.
One view is that the Hidden Imam is on earth "among the body of the Shia" but "incognito". "Numerous stories" exist of the Hidden Imam "manifesting himself to prominent members of the ulama".[25]
The Ismailis differ fromTwelvers because they had livingimams for centuries after the last Twelver Imam went into concealment. They followedIsma'il ibn Jafar, elder brother ofMusa al-Kadhim, as the rightful Imam[26] after his fatherJa'far al-Sadiq. The Ismailis believe that whether Imam Ismail did or did not die before Imam Ja'far, he had passed on the mantle of the imamate to his son Muḥammad ibn Ismail as the next imam.[27] Thus, their line of imams is as follows (the years of their individual imamats during the Common Era are given in brackets):
| NizārīImām | Mustā‘līImām | Ismā'īlīImām | Period |
| 1 | Asās/Wāsīh | Ali:Mustaali "Foundation" and firstNizārīImām | (632–661) |
| Pir | 1 | Hasan ibn Ali: FirstMustaaliImām;Nizārīs consider him apir, not anImām | (661–669)Mustā‘lī |
| 2 | 2 | Husayn ibn Ali: SecondIsmā'īlīImām | (669–680)Mustā‘lī (661–680)Nizārī |
| 3 | 3 | Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin: ThirdIsmā'īlīImām | (680–713) |
| 4 | 4 | Muhammad al-Baqir: FourthIsmā'īlīImām | (713–733) |
| 5 | 5 | Ja'far al-Sadiq: FifthIsmā'īlīImām | (733–765) |
| 6 | 6 | Isma'il ibn Jafar: SixthIsmā'īlīImām and first distinctlyIsmā'īlī(non-Twelver)Imām | (765–775) |
| 7 | 7 | Muhammad ibn Ismail: SeventhIsmā'īlīImām | (775–813) |
The eighth Imam,Abd Allah al-Akbar of theIsmaili Shia remained hidden but continued the Ismaili movement in the 9th century inSalamiyah, Syria. The eighth to tenth Imams (Abadullah,Ahmed andHusain), remained hidden and worked for the movement against the period's time's rulers. First phase of seclusion ends with 10th Imam. The 11th ImamAbdullah al-Mahdi Billah, under the guise of being a merchant, and his son had made their way toSijilmasa,[28] fleeing persecution by theAbbasids. Imam Abdullah foundedFatimid Caliphate. The Fatimid Ismaili Imams continued until the 20th Imam also holding the post of caliph, ruling a vast part of the Arabian peninsula.
Upon the death of the twentiethImam,al-Amir bi-Ahkami'l-Lah (d. 526 AH (1131/1132CE)), his two-year-old childat-Tayyib Abu'l-Qasim (b. 524 AH (1129/1130CE)) was appointed twenty-first Imam. The supporters of Tayyeb became theTayyibiIsmāʿīlī. As Tayyeb was not in a position to run thedawah, QueenArwa al-Sulayhi, theDa'i al-Mutlaq, acted as hisregent. Imam Tayyeb was hidden, and the second phase of seclusion started. The Da'i had now been given absolute authority and made independent from political activity. With the period of time the Tayyibi divided further into several sects headed by different Dais. TheseDa'i al-Mutlaq continued acting on behalf of the hidden Tayyibi Ismāʿīlī Imams until date.[clarification needed]Dawoodi Bohra is the biggest sub-sect amongst the Tayyibi Ismāʿīlī with a population spread over many countries.
According to the majority of Shī'a, namely theTwelvers (Ithnā'ashariyya), the following is a listing of the rightful successors to Muḥammad. Each Imam was the son of the previous Imam except forHussayn ibn 'Alī, who was the brother ofHassan ibn 'Alī.The belief in this succession to Muḥammad stems from various Quranic verses which include: 75:36, 13:7, 35:24, 2:30, 2:124, 36:26, 7:142, 42:23.[citation needed] They support their discussion by citing Genesis 17:19–20 and Sunni hadith:Sahih Muslim, Hadith number 4478, English translation by Abdul Hamid Siddiqui.[29][original research?]
According to Twelvers, there is always an Imam of the era, who is the divinely appointed authority on all matters of faith and law in the Muslim community.Ali was the first of the Twelve Imams, and, in the Twelvers and Sufis' view, therightful successor to Muhammad, followed by maledescendants of Muhammad through his daughterFatimah. Each Imam was the son of the previous Imam, with the exception ofHusayn ibn Ali, who was the brother ofHasan ibn Ali. The twelfth and final Imam isMuhammad al-Mahdi, who is believed by the Twelvers to be currently alive, and hidden inthe Major Occultation until he returns to bring justice to the world.[30] It is believed by Twelver andAlevi Muslims that the Twelve Imams have been foretold in theHadith of the Twelve Successors. All of the Imams met unnatural deaths, with the exception of the last Imam, who according to Twelver and Alevi belief, is living in occultation.
The Ismaili line of imams for both sects (theNizari andMusta'li) continues undivided untilal-Mustansir Billah (d. 1094). After his death the line of the imamat separates into the Nizari and Musta'li dynasties.
The line of imams of the Musta'li Muslims (also known as the Bohras/Dawoodi Bohra) continued up to Aamir ibn Mustali. After his death, they believe their 21st Imam,at-Tayyib Abu'l-Qasim went into a Dawr-e Satr (period of concealment) that continues to this day. In the absence of an imam they are led by aDa'i al-Mutlaq (absolute missionary) who manages the affairs of the Imam-in-Concealment until re-emergence of the Imam from concealment.
The line of imams of the Nizari Ismaili Shia Muslims (also known as the Agha-khani Ismailis in South and Central Asia) continues to their present living 50th hereditary imam,Aga Khan V (son ofAga Khan IV). They are the only Shia Muslim community today led by a present and living (Hazir wa Mawjud) imam.[31]
The Zaidi branch of Shi'ism established its own line of Imams starting in the year 897; the line continued without interruption until 1962 when theNorth Yemen Civil War brought the Imamate to an end and established a republic.
Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH/1328 AD) composed a long refutation of the notion of the Imamate in hisMinhaj as-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah.[32]
The belief of the Twelver Imamah with the consideration of the sacred status of the fourRashidun Caliphs is shared inSunni Islam, due to the following hadith of Muhammad:
I heard the Prophet of Allah say "Islam shall not cease to be glorious up to twelve Caliphs, every one of them being from theQuraish". (And in a narration) "The affairs of men will not cease to decline so long as twelve men will rule over them, every one of them coming from Quraish. And in a narration: The religion will continue to be established till the hour comes as there are twelve Caliphs over them, everyone of them coming from the Quraish[33]
The affairs of the people will continue to be conducted as long as they are governed by twelve men, he then added from Quraish[34]
I will be followed by twelve Khalifas all will be Quraysh[35]
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