IMAM and WILAYAT

To those who have acquaintance (even
though a little) with the invaluable treasure of Shiite traditions and the
precious heritage of the immaculate Imams (A.S.), the importance of "Imamah" (leadership) and "Wilayah"
(vicegerency) amongst the various discussions in
this treasure and heritage is not concealed.
If we superficially glance over the whole set of traditions we will come
across such chapters as:

(chapter concerning the need of a Hujjah)
(chapter concerning the necessity of possessing knowledge of Imam
(chapter concerning non-acceptance of deeds except by means of Wilayah) and therein, we see and read at times the Imams
saying:

"If the earth remains without a leader (even) for an hour it
will perish.1"'
"The one who dies while he has not recognized his time has died the
death of ignorance."2
1.Biharul Anwar 23 page 21, number 20.
2.Same reference page 78, number
"Islam has been established on five pillars:

Salat
(prayers), Zakat (alms-tax), Saum
(fasting), Haj (pilgrimage) and Wilayah
(vicegerency). Amongst these, none has been invited
the way Wilayah has been invited ) About the
questioning on the Day of Retribution, they have said:

"When a slave appears before his Lord, Exalted be He, the first matter
which he will be questioned about is the obligatory , players, the obligatory
alms-tax, the obligatory fasting, the obligatory pilgrimage and our Wilayah. If he has confessed to our Wilayah
and dies, his prayers, alms-tax, fasting and pilgrimage will be accepted. If
he fails to confess to our Wilayah and friendship
before Allah, Exalted be He, all his deeds will be rejected."2
In hadith Qudsi (divine
saying), it has come down that the trustworthy Gabriel addressed the holy
Prophet (S.A.W.A.) as such:

'0 Muhammad! Allah sends His greetings upon you and says:

!
have created the seven skies and whatever is over
them and the seven earths and whatever is in them and I have not created any
place better than the place of' Rukn" and
"Maqam" (position of Abraham). If a slave
worships Me in this very place from the time I created the heavens
and the earths and then comes to Me denying the Wilayah
of Ali, I shall cast him in the Fire.1
Although each of these traditions is a specimen of tens of other similar
traditions, yet each on its own, is sufficient to drive every Muslim to
contemplation and reflection and encourage him to strive in perceiving (the Wilayah) more and more since, he sees that a divine holy
life in this world and the Hereafter is linked to it. And this brief
discussion has been prepared for the purpose of assisting the researchers in
achieving their aim. May it be beneficial even though a little and acceptable
to his holy presence, the master of Wilayah, Hazrat Baqiyatullah, Imam-e-Zaman (A.S.).

THE NEED FOR DIVINE LEADERS:

EXPOSITION:

"And surely We have honored the children of Adam"'
Thereafter, He has introduced piety as the highest generosity:

"Surely the most honorable of you before Allah is the one among you who
is most careful (of his duty)."2 As such. He (also) shows him the path
of piety and says:

"And certainly We enjoined those who were given the Book before you and
(We enjoin) you too that you should be careful of (your duty to) Allah"3
It is obvious that deviation and crookedness is meaningful only when the path
of piety has been made clear and apparent.
"It is not (attributable to) Allah that He should lead a people astray
after He has guided them; He even makes clear to them what they should guard
against."'

REMINDER:

forgetful2. However, the necessary
condition for achieving any aim is firstly to remember it and not to forget
it. Thus, by possessing such a quality, man is constantly in need of a
"reminder". For this very reason, "reminding" has been
one of the most vital role of the divine leaders:

Bani-Israil / 70. Hujjrat
/ 13. Nisay 131.
"Therefore do remind, for your are only a
reminder"'
On the same basis, even the glorious Quran is
revealed as a "reminder":

"What! do you wonder that a reminder has come
to you from your Lord through a man from among you that he might warn
you?"2
And Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W.A.) too is named by this
very characteristic:

"Allah has indeed revealed to you a reminder, An Apostle who recites to
you the clear communications of Allah."3

INVITATION:

A
person who becomes alert as a result of the "reminding" of the
divine leaders as well as fearful from the possible harm and loss which he
might have to face in case of shortcomings and faults on his side, (still)
requires a
summons others towards Allah) as demanded by his very negligence and
ignorance; a caller who calls him to the path and destination which is most
desired; so that the one who has awaken and found a desire to move does not
tread on the deviated path nor gets into the fire nor sinks into a whirlpool.
Thus, the divine leaders are assigned with the duty of inviting (the people);
inviting them to the divine path and God:

"Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation."]
"Say:

This is my way:

I call to Allah, I and those who follow me being
certain."2
"Say:

I am only commanded that I should serve Allah and not associate
anything with Him, to Him do I invite (you) and to Him is my return."3
on the other hand, the people too have been to obey:

"0 you who believe! answer (the call of) Allah
and His Apostle when he calls you to that which gives you life."'

TRAINING:

One should know that inclination and avidity towards the true path is not
adequate for a wayfarer. Rather, one should recognize this path by possessing
knowledge of the deviated path (too). In proportion to man's ignorance, man
is in need of a teacher who can impart him the knowledge
of the origin and the end and show him the
appropriate path between the two. In other words, he gives them training in
connection with the manner of living which is commensurate with his origin
and end.
Allah conferred a benefit upon the believers when He raised among them an
Apostle from among themselves, reciting to them His communications and purifying
them, and teaching them the Book and ^
wisdom, although before that they were surely in manifest error."

CONVEYING:

The
main role of the divine leaders is conveying the illuminating divine message
to the people:

"And nothing is incumbent on the Apostle but a plain delivering (of the
message)."2
This is so that the right way is distinguished from the error.
"Truly the right way has become clearly distinct from error."3 And
then, anyone can choose whichever he desires:

"Surely We have shown him the way:

he may be thankful or
unthankful."4
And for the one who forsakes the "truth" and the guidance" and
inevitably Jags behind in achieving the desired goal, there remains no excuse
and finalization of argument before God.
"Surely We have revealed to you as We revealed to Noah,
and the prophets after him, and We revealed to Abraham and Ishamel and Issac and Jacob and
the tribes, and Jesus and Job and Jonah and Aaron and Soloman
and We gave to David the Psalms.
And (We sent) apostles We have mentioned to you before and apostles We have
not mentioned to you; and to Moses, Allah addressed His Word, speaking (to
him):

(We sent) apostles as the givers of good news and as warners, so that people should not have a plea against
Allah after the (coming of) apostles; and Allah is Mighty. Wise."'
It is for this very reason that conclusive finalization or argument, audible
guidance and decisive reasoning has always come from God's side and its
continuity is appropriate with the Divine Wisdom:

"Say:

Then Allah's is the conclusive argument."'
Thus for the one who chooses the straight path and selects the divine
guidance, there exists a guide:

^You are only a warner and (there is) a guide for
every people."2
"And of those whom We have created are a people who guide with the truth
and thereby they do justice."3
And this guide will lead him to the (straight) path:

"Guiding to the right way, so we believe m it"4 As such. The
Almighty God says:

"And whomsoever He causes to err, you shall not find for him any friend
to lead (him) aright."' * * *
Whatever has been said has also come down in lucid terms in the traditions
narrated from the Aimmas (A.S.). Hereunder, we set
forth two such traditions as examples:

1. Abu-Abdullah (A.S.) says:

Verily, Gabriel descended upon Muhammad (S.A.W.A.)
and conveyed to him this message from God:

'O.Muhammad!
I shall not let loose the earth but that there should exist in it a learned
man who recognizes My submissiveness and guidance. He shall be the savior
from the time a prophet passes away until the time the next prophet is
appointed. I shall not set free the Satan to deviate the people while the
earth is devoid of a Proof and a caller towards Me; a guide to My path and a gnostic aware of My commands. Verily, I have fixed a
guide for every group by means of which I show the path to the prosperous
ones. He shall be My Proof over the deviated ones2
2. Hisham-ibn-Hakam narrates that one of the
apostates once had a discussion with Imam Sadiq
(A.S.) and asked Imam a few questions. Amongst the questions he asked was
this:

How do you prove the necessity of the
appointment of Prophets? Imam replied:

when it is proved that there exists a Creator and designer Who is far above
us and also far above all that He has created, and this Creator is All-Wise
and Exalted and ^ One Who cannot possibly be seen nor sensed by His creatures
so that there could be any direct relationship
between Him and His creatures or His creatures and Him, d so that He could
argue with His creatures (to convince them) and His creatures could argue
with Him (in their turn) it is therefore proved that there are envoys to
establish a relation between Him and His creatures, to explain His purpose to
His creatures and slaves, and to guide them towards what is good and
profitable for them, and also towards that which preserves their existence
and which, when abandoned, brings annihilation. In this manner, it is
established that there are those among His creatures who command and forbid
on behalf of the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, and who speak on behalf of Him,
to Whom belongs Might and Majesty. They are the Prophets (A.S.) and the
chosen ones amongst His creatures. They are the sages who have been refined
with wisdom and have been sent with wisdom. They are never similar to the
people in any of the affairs even though they are on par with them in
creation. They have been aided with wisdom by the All-Wise, the All-Knowing.
Thereafter, this matter has been proved and established for all eras and all
times, according to the evidence and proofs which the Prophets and Messengers
have brought with them, so that the earth of Allah should not remain devoid a
Proof who possesses the evidence for the truth of what he says and (who
requires) obedience to his commands."1

ELIMINATION OF DIFFERENCES:

Every path possesses its own specific pits. Thus a guide should possess
knowledge of every nook and comer of that path so that he succeeds in causing
every wayfarer reach his destination in a safe manner. The enemies have vowed
to create doubts and skepticisms in the minds of the wayfarers on the path of
God by means of internal and external whisperings. Moreover, contact and
association with corrupt and non-divine beliefs causes differences in beliefs
as well as disharmony and discord amongst the believers. On this basis, man
is consistently in need of a "Eliminator of
differences" and Repulse of doubts and skepticisms".
"O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the apostle and those in
authority from among you, then if you quarrel about anything, refer it ti Allah and opostle,if you
believe in Allah and the last day, this is better and very good in the end.2
As such, the Satans of jinn and men (who cry loud
their envy and express their rage at the descension
of divine envy and its implementation) are consistently lying in wait in
order to destroy this great barrier lying on their path ^debasement and ruin
the firm stronghold and the divine security Thus, this elevated divine
structure requires a
"guard'* Jafar-ibn-Muhammad (A.S.) narrates
from his great fathers
that the holy Prophet (S.A.W.A.) said:

In every generation of my "Ummah" (nation), there is a righteous one from my
progeny who will keep this religion safe from the extremists alteration; and
from the invalidators attributing the religion to themselves and from the
interpretation of the fools '
In the beautiful and prolific speech of Ali-ibn-Musa
Ridha (A.S.), the term "Imam" has been
described as follows:

Imam defends the religion of Allah and calls (the
people) towards the divine path by means of wisdom, good counsel and eloquent
arguments. Imam is like the shining sun which has covered the world with its
light and has fixed its place in the sky such that the eye and the hand
cannot have access to it, Imam is the proof of guidance and the deliverer
from destruction Imam is Allah's custodian over His creatures; His plea over
His slaves and His representative in the lands. He is the caller towards
Allah and the defender of His bounds.......He is an exhort Allah's slaves and
a guard of His religion.

AID:

Besides, knowledge and acquaintance (alone) are sufficient for reaching the
extreme end. Rather, a power commensurate with all these is necessary too. As
per Unique God's explanation, man has been created weak. Thus, a competent
scholar should, under the auspices of the knowledge and ability and on the
basis of his love and sympathy make the human-beings stand upright and walk,
That is to say, there should exist guidance as well a. ^uide
to accompany man so long as man remains in the state of anxiety.
in other words, the "Wilayah"
(mastership) develops him makes him achieve the level of perfection and
trains h; very moment. That is to say, it is his trainer:

Imam is an
affectionate companion, the sympathetic father the blood-brother and mother
who is tender to her small chlild 2
Thus Imam Baqir (A.S.) says:

"Trough us, Allah
can be worshipped and by our means Allah can be recognized. (Moreover), due
to us the Oneness of Allah can be firmly established."'
Fmam Sadiq (A.S.) says:

^
an intermediate between you and Allah."1
Yet another tradition. Imam Baqir (A.S.) says The
religion of Is'am established on five pillars:

Salat, Zakat (alms tax), Haj (pilgrimage to Mecca,
fasting and Wilayah (mastership). Zarrareh says:

1 asked:

Among the five, which is most
superior Imam replied:

Wilayah is more superior
because Wilayah is the key to all others and the Waali (custodian) is the guide to all of them.
Considering this very weakness and man's need of a voucher. God commands man
to seek a channel:

-
0 you who believe! be careful of (your duty to)
Allah and seek means of nearness to Him."'
In explanation of the term "wasela" the
holy Prophet (S.A.W.A.) says:

"The leaders are from the offspring of
Hussein (A.S.). Anyone who obeys them has obeyed Allah and anyone who
disobeys them has disobeyed Allah. It is they who are the firm rope
(covenant) and the channel towards the Almighty God"1
Inorder to remain safe from descending and getting
destroyed, one requires a strong and reliable rope to cling on. Thus, a
believer who has been placed under the care of the divine Wilayah
is introduced by the Almighty God as:

i.e. one who holds by the strong rope. Moreover, He says:

"Therefore, whoever disbelieves in the Satan and believes in Allah, he
indeed has laid hold on the firmest rope which shall not break off."2
Moreover, He has commanded all to hold fast by this untearable
rope:

"And hold fast by the covenant of Allah all together and be not
disunited."'
In explanation of this verse. Imam Baqir (A.S.) has
said:

"The divine rope which Allah has mentioned (And hold fast by
covenant of Allah all together and be not disunited) refer to us, Verily, the
Almighty Allah was All-Aware that yhey would
separate from each other and disputes would arise between them. Thus, He has
forbidden them from seprating from each other just
as He had forbidden the past generation. As such. He has commanded them to h
Id fast by the "Wilayah" of the Prophet's
household and the "Salat" and not to
disunite."'
On this basis, it is only the believers who can come out of the darkness and
step into the light since the message of a "Wall" (master) and the
divine leaders is this very one and nothing else.
"Allah has indeed revealed to you a reminder, An Apostle who recites to
you the clear communications of Allah so that he may bring forth those who
believe and do good deeds from darkness into light."2
And the meaning and aim of "Tawasal"
(which holds great importance in the Shiite culture) is nothing but what has
come down in the afore-said verses:

"Seeking the means wasela and holding fast by it. It is on this basis that
worship, (no matter to what extent one may worship and no matter how humble
one may be in his worship) without the acceptance of the divine Wilayah is unacceptable before God. In other words, such a worship does not possess merit and cannot be regarded as
correct. Thus, the basic condition of a true worship is to pay devotion to
the threshold of divine Wilayah.

PROTECTION OF THE SOCIAL SYSTEM:

Aside from man's personal need of an Imam and the necessity of abiding by the
divine Wilayah, he is inevitably bound to live
collectively with others in his journey on the divine path. And it is quite
obvious that in a collective living, it is necessary to have a ruler, leader,
judge and supervisor.
Amir-ul-Mumineen (A.S.) says:

"Verily, the
people are helpless but to have a ruler -whether good or bad- so that a
believer is preoccupied in his deeds under his rule and a disbeliever (too)
derives benefit. and through him, 'the spoils are collected, the enemies are
confronted and the paths are made secure. By his means, the right of the weak
is taken from the strong until the virtuous one gains comfort and is relieved
from the evil one" As per Imam Ridha (A.S.)
saying, if it is asked:

Why "people vested with authority" have
been appointed and why others have been commanded to obey them? then, they should be replied as such:

For numerous
reasons. Amongst them are:

At the time when the people become aware of the
prescribed limits and they are commanded not to exceed those limits or else
they would have to face destruction
this perseverant will not come into force unless in this regard they are
given a trustee who will safeguard them in whatever has been prescribed for
them and refrain them from aggression and all that which has been prohibited
for them. This is because if such a trustee is not amongst them, then verily
someone will emerge who will violate other's rights in order to fulfill his
personal desires and gains. Thus, a guardian is appointed for preventing them
from corruption and in establishing the limits and commandments among them.
Amongst the other reasons, we may say:

We cannot find any group among all the
groups or any nation among all the nations which have survived except that
they had a leader and guardian amongst them. Since a leader and guardian is
necessarily required in their spiritual and 1-n.aterial affairs, it is
against the divine Wisdom to forsake the people in that which is necessary
for them and which He is Aware of. They fight the enemies by his help and he
distributes the spoils of war amongst them and establishes the Friday
congregational prayers for them. He prevents the criminals amongst them from
oppressing the innocent ones.
Amongst other reasons, we may also say:

If a reliable, protective and trustworthy
leader is not appointed for them, then the sacred laws will turn stale, the
religion will get ruined and the commandments will undergo a change.
Moreover, the heretics will add something to it while the atheists will
delete something from it and religion will be rendered dubious for the
Muslims. This is because we have found man to be defective, needful and
imperfect with all the difference that exists between themselves
as well as the differences in their carnal desires and their various goals.
Thus, if a protective guardian (the same which the Prophet has introduced)
remains absent amongst them then due to the afore-mentioned reasons, they
shall be destroyed and the sacred laws, sunnah
(practice of the Prophet), commandments and faith will undergo alteration
Under such circumstances, the creatures will be dragged towards corruption
and get destroyed It is in consideration of these points that in a part of Imam's elegant and
precious speech, Imam(A.S.) divulges the social message of an Imam and the role
of Imamat in the leadership of a society as such:

An Imam makes lawful the lawful things of God and makes unlawful the unlawful
things of God and establishes God's bounds. The Imam is the state of order of
the religion, the might of the muslims, the one who
enrages the hypocrites and the destroyer of the infidels. Imam is wise in
civility, his obedience necessary. He is one owho
rises for the affairs of the Almighty Allah, an adviser to Allah's slaves and
the protector of Allah's religion2
And perhaps we can reckon all these to be an interpreter of God's words in
the Quran which says:

"Certainly We sent Our apostles with clear arguments, and sent down with
them the Book and the balance that men may conduct themselves with equity,
and We have made the iron, wherein is great violence and advantages to men.
Besides these, we have to add this point too:

Islam has promised man the rise
of a society with the following specialties:

The holy Prophet (S.A.W.A.) said:

When I ascended the seventh sky and from
there, reached the farthest lote-tree and stepped
into the veil of light, the Almighty Allah addressed me as such:

'0 Muhammad! you are My slave and 1 am your Lord. So be humble before Me and worship Me
only. Have trust on Me only. Verily, I am satisfied with your servitude,
friendship and prophethood as well as with the
successor ship of All, your brother. Thus, he is the proof over My slaves and
the leader of My creatures. It is through him that My friends will be
distinguished from My enemies and the Satan's party will be separated from My
party. By his means. My religion will be established; the commandments
implemented and the limits protected. I shall shower My Mercy on My slaves
and maid-slaves for the sake of you and Ali and the leaders from his progeny.
Through your Qaem, (the Savior) I shall make the
land to flourish by means of My glorification, praise, sanctification and
commendation.
Through him, I shall cleanse the earth of My enemies and will make My friends
to inherit the earth. Through him, I shall degrade the creed of the infidels
and elevate My own creed. Through him, I shall enliven My slaves and My
cities. Through him, I shall manifest the riches and the buried treasure and
shall reveal to him the secrets and the hidden (facts). I shall assist him in
implementing My commands and proclaiming My religion. Verily, he is My Wall
and the Mahdi of My slaves.'
With regards to Mahdi's rule. Imam Sadiq (A.S.) says in a part of his speech to one of his
companions as such:

"Glory be to Allah! Don't
you wish that Allah Exalted be He, establishes the truth and justice in the
cities and sets good the state of all the people?! And makes all the creeds
into a single creed, associates the diverse hearts and eliminates
disobedience on the earth?! And that Allah's bounds gets enforced amongst the
creatures and Allah restores back the right to its owner and He manifests
this in such manner that nothing remains concealed due to someone's fear from
the creatures "2
It is in such a society that moral soundness with all its internal, external,
individual and social dimensions will replace immorality. This is because
moral soundness is the guarantee for getting deliverance from the existing
condition and achieving the ultimate goal. The holy Quran
says:

"But as to him who repents and believes and does good, maybe he will be
among the successful."'
"Whoever does good whether male or female and he is a believer. We will
most certainly make him live a happy life.
"Therefore, whoever hopes to meet his Lord, he should do good deeds.
"And convey good news to those who believe and do good deeds, that they
shall have gardens in which rivers flow and in them, they shall abide"'

REFORM OF SOCIETY:

" I desire nothing but reform so far as I am able."
The endurance of leadership and the selection of a successor too has been accepted on these very lines. The holy Quran narrates Aaron's succession on the part of Moses
(A.S.) as such:

"And Moses said to his brother Aaron:

Take my place among my people, and
act well and do not follow the way of the mischief-makers."4
Thus whatever divine bounties and gifts have been created .
^g world of existence are all for the virtuous ones indeed.
"On those who believe and do good there is no blame for what they-eat,
when they are carefull their duty) and believe and
do good deeds, then they are careful (of their duty) and believe, then they
are careful (of their duty) and do good (to others),
and Allah loves those who do good (to others)."'
There by, they shall eventually inherit the earth and for them shall be the
Caliphate (too).
"Allah has promised to those of you who relieve and do good that He will
most certainly make them rulers in the earth as He made rulers those before
them,, arid that He will most certainly establish for them their religion
which He has chosen for them, and that He will most certainly, after their
fear, give them security in exchanger they shall serve Me, not associating
aught with Me; and whoever is ungrateful after this, these it is who are the
transgressors."'
Thus, under the auspices of the divine leaders
guidance, the earth and its inhabitants welcome reform. In explanation and
interpretation of the verse:

Imam Baqir (A.S.) points out as such:

"Verily,
there was mischief on the earth and Allah rectified it through His prophet
and then said:

Do not make mischief in the land after you have brought faith
in the Messenger of Allah and Amir-ul-Muminin. And
when they abandoned Amir-ul-Muminin (A.S.), they
indeed created mischief in the land.'

IMMACULATENESS OF THE DIVINE LEADERS:

From what was explained, it becomes obvious that the one possessing such
characteristics and bearing such responsibilities should be pure from any
offence and immune from any sins. Since, according to the sayings of Amir-ul-Muminin (A.S.), the foundation of obedience and
submissiveness towards the divine leaders is this very immaculateness:

Verily, obedience is for Allah, His prophet and those vested with divine
authority. Verily, obedience of the "Wali(s)"
(master) has been ordered since they are sinless and pure and they never call
for the disobedience of Allah'
In reply to Hazrat Ibrahim's
request to allow the Imamate to continue in his own progeny, the Exalted
Allah replies:

"My covenant does not include the unjust"2
Why shouldn't it be so?! As a matter of fact, isn't license to obey a sinful
person nothing but a license to commit sin?
whereas. God never allows sin and falsehood.

PERPETUATION OF DIVINE LEADERS:

Thus, the Mercy of the All-Merciful and the All Compassionate and the divine
Wisdom necessarily requires that right from the time of creation of the earth
and its inhabitants, the divine Mercy' and Wisdom2 should
embrace them. Moreover, the means of guidance and progress and the results
derived from them (i.e. advisability and reform) should be kept within their
reach. Considering man's qualities and the wide spectrum which he can
traverse from unlimited negative ness to unlimited positiveness,
he is helpless but to taste the leadership of those endowed with lofty
position .and perfection. Thus, God has appointed a few amongst mankind (chosenones) and acquainted them with the realities of
Origin.
and (eschatology) and the path between this
beginning and end (i.e. Prophethood). A group amongst them have been charged with the duty of
transmitting these messages (Messenger ship) and the people too have been
commanded to obey them. Moreover, He has given yet another group the responsibility
of guiding, supervising and assisting the human-beings in all aspects (Imamah and Wilayah)'
Here are some examples from the sayings of the Immaculate Imams (AS.):

Abu-Abdullah (A.S.) says:

"The earth shall not last but with the existence of a learned man who
shall reform it and the people (themselves) shall not be reformed but with
his presence."2
Again, he says:

"People will not reform save with the help of a leader.
The earth too shall not be reformed but through him."3
Abu-Jafar (A. S.) said:

"I swear by Allah that since the time the earth \v^g
inherited by Adam (A.S.) it has never been delivered except when it shall be
inherited by a leader through whom it shall be guided towards Allah and he
shall be Allah's plea over His creatures. And the earth shall not last
without Allah's plea over His creatures."1
One of Imam Sadiq's followers said:

I heard Hazrat saying:

"If there does not remain on the
earth but two persons then surely one of them shall be the "HuJJah" (proof)."2
Muhammad-ibn-Muslim has narrated from Imam Baqir (A.S.) who said:

"The earth shall not endure
without a leader " (whether apparent or concealed)3
Since, under such circumstances, the earth will not remain fit and life in it
will be suitable but for a while as both of these will have then given away
the medium for divine bounties as well as the wise objective of remaining
firm in position.
Thus a "Messenger" should possess the knowledge of a
"Prophet" and a "Leader" (and "Master" (jj) should possess (either directly or indirectly) the
knowledge of a "Messenger" By direct, we may cite the case of an
Imam who is also a Prophet and a Messenger. By indirect, is meant an Imam who
is the Messenger's successor. Just as the people have no choice in the
selection of a Prophet and Messenger in the same manner, they have no choice
in the appointment of an "Imam" and "Wali":

"And your Lord creates and chooses whom He pleases; to choose is not
theirs."2
"And it behoves not a believing man and a
believing woman that they should have any choice in their matter when Allah
and His Apostle have decided a matter."3
T^ it has come down that one cannot become a leader without an explicit
designation and it is necessary for an Imam to explicitly stipulate the Imam
who is to follow him'
Verily, is it possible for a legatee to be appointed by someone other than a legator Verily, the hierarchy of divine leaders began
from Hazrat Adam (A.S.) and continued in the
progeny of Hazrat Ibrahim
(A.S.) and finally continues to last in the pure progeny of Amir-ul-Mumineen and Fatemah
(A.S.). Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said:

The Messenger of
Allah (S.A.W.A.) said:

"I am the chief of all the Prophets. My legatee
is the chief of all the
legatees and my legatees are the chief of all (other) legatees. Verily, Adam
(A.S.) requested Almighty Allah to appoint a worthy legatee for himself. Then Allah revealed to him as such:

'Verily, I
honored the prophets with prophethood. Then, 1
appointed the legatees amongst the best of My creatures.'Thereafter,
Allah revealed to him as such:

'0 Adam, appoint Shais
as your legatee.' He appointed Shais as his legatee
and Shais was Adam's son. Shais
appointed his son Shabban as his legatee. He was
the son of Nazlah Hura
who was sent from the Paradise by Allah for Adam and Adam had given her hand
in marriage to his son, Shais.
Shabban appointed Muhlas
as his legatee and Muhlas in turn appointed Muhwaq as his legatee. Muhwaq
too appointed Amisha as his legatee and Amisha appointed
j Okhnukh (Prophet Idris)
as his legatee. Idris appointed |"iNahur and Nahur entrusted the executorship to Prophet |f<oah.
j|jj|ifoah appointed Saam as his legatee and Saam
handed over <he executorship to Athamer. Ethasha, Yafeth, Bareh,
; Jafiseh and Imran
followed Athamer in sequence. I ilniran
entrusted the executorship to Ibrahim
who was later succeeded by his son Ismail.
Thereafter, Ishaaq, Ya'qub,
'usuf, Yathriya and Shuaib followed in order. Shuaib
trusted the executorship to Musa-ibn-imran
who in turn ^pointed Yushah-ibn-Nun as his legatee.
Thereafter, the (editorship was entrusted to Sulaiman,
Asif-ibn-Barkhiya id Zakaria
in order.
ikaria entrusted the executorship to Isa-ibn-Maryam
who otrusted to Sham'un-ibn-Hamun
as-Safa. Yahya-ibn-ikaria^-Miiny.ar,
Sulaimah and Bardah
followed Sha.'mun sequence.
Then, the holy Prophet (S.A.W.A.) said:

And Bardah
entrusted the executorship to me. From my side, I
shall and over this executorship to you 0 Ali. You
in turn entrust it to your legatee. Your legatee too shall entrust it , your legatees one after the other and they shall be
from your progeny until it shall be handed over to the best creature on the
earth after you. Verily," people will turn atheist after your departure
and a great dispute will arise amongst them over you. The one who remains
loyal to you who will reside next to me and the one who forsakes you will
dwell in Hell; and the Hell is the abode of the disbeliveers
Jabir-ibn-Abdullah Ansari
says:

About the verse
"I asked the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.A.) as such:

We know Allah and
His Messenger but who are these (those vested with authority)? He replied:

'0
Jabir! they are my
successors and the leaders of the Muslims after me. They are Ali-ibn-Abi Talib and then Hassan, then Hussein, then Ali-ibn-Hussein,
then Muhammad-ibn-Ali who has been mentioned as
"Baqir" in the Torah. '0 Jabir, you shall see him and when you do so, convey my
greetings to him. After him shall follow Jafar-ibn-Muhammad
Sadiq, then Musa-ibn-JafarHassan-ibn-Ali. Then Allah's plea and the "spared
one" amongst His creatures, the son of Hassan-ibn-Ali
whose name and agnomen shall be the same as mine will come and Almighty Allah
will relieve the earth from East to West by his hands. He is the same one who
will be concealed from his followers for such a long that his followers will
not remain firm in- their belief (during occultation) save those whom Allah
has tested their hearts with faith.'

HADITH -E- LUH:

In the glorious hadith-luh (the divine gift from
God to the last of His prophets who in turn gifted it to his dear daughter Fatemah) the hierarchy of Imams has been -introduced:

In
the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
This is a writ of command from the wise and mighty Allah to Muhammad, His
prophet. His light and Mighty Aliah, His sent one,
His curtain and His guide The trustworthy sprit has brought this down from
Allah
0 Muhammad! keep My Name Exalted, Be thankful to My
bounties and do not bely them, except for Me there
is no (other) Allah,I am the smasher
of the oppressors; the Redresser of the Dominator of religion. Verily, I am
Allah and besides Me there is no (other) Allah. So, anyone who trust other
but not Me and fears but not from Me then I shall so torment him that would
be unprecedented so, glorify Me only and have trust on Me only.
Verily, I have not appointed any Prophet nor perfected his life nor completed
'revelation upon him save that I have fixed for him a legatee. Verily I made
you superior to all the prophets and granted superiority to your legatee more
than all other legatees moreover, I honored you with your two grandsons, Hassan and Husain, I made Hassan the treasure-house of knowledge after his father I
made Hussein the treasurer of my revelation and honored him with
martyrdom-and brought his affair to a prosperous end. Thus he is the most
superior of all the martyrs. I placed My absolute creed with him and
entrusted My conclusive evidence with him. Moreover, I shall give reward and
punishment through his offspring. I made the first amongst them the leader of
the adorers andornament of
(My) saints. Therefore, his son who is similar to his great grandfather is
splitter or My Knowledge and the mine of My wisdom. Soon it shall be
when the doubters in Jafar will perish. Anyone who
rejects him has indeed rejected Me.
My words are certain that verily I shall honor Jafar's
abode and haven and shall make him glad amongst his followers, friends and
companions. After him, Musa will encounter blind
and severe seditions. But inspite of this, My
precepts shall never be severed and My plea (Hujjah)
shall never regain covered. Verily, My saints will be quenched from the
overflowing cup. Anyone who denies any one of them has indeed denied My
bounty and anyone who alters any verse has indeed attributed a lie to Me. Woe
be to those who belong to the group of deniers and liars. After the termination
of Musa's age shall come
My slave, friend and appointed one Ali who is My friend, helper and the one
upon whom 1 placed the prophethood for several
times and tested his capability for it. A wicked and haughty person shall
kill him and he will be buried next to the worst creature in a city which
will be built by a worthy man.
Verily, 1 shall make him glad by appointing his son Muhammad to succeed him
and Inherit his knowledge. He is the deposit of My Knowledge, the stronghold
of My secrets and My plea over My creatures. None shall be inclined to him
but that I shall make the Paradise his abode and 1 will accept his
Intercession for seventy persons from his family members who otherwise would
be worthy of the Fire. I shall bring the affairs of his son Alt to a
prosperous end and he shall be My friend, helper, a
witness over My creatures and a trustworthy one over My revelation. And from
him I will create the caller to My path and the treasurer My Knowledge. And 1
shall perfect the affairs through his son, who is a mercy for mankind. He
possesses the perfection ofMusa (Moses), the
brightness of-Isa (Jesus) and the patience of Ayub (Job). During his time. My friends will be despised
and degraded and their heads will be presented as gifts just like the heads
of Turks and Dylamites. Thus, they shall be killed
and burnt and fear and terror will grip them. The land shall be colored with
their blood. The crying, wailing and; recitation of elegy by their women
shall become manifesf Verily,
they are My friends by the truth. By their means, i
shall eliminate every blind and dark sedition. And
by their means, I shall put away the earthquakes and bury the fetters. My
greetings and Mercy be upon them. And they are those who have found
guidance."
Abdur-Rahman-ibn-Salem says:

Abu-Baseer says:

If you have not heard any hadith in your life time save this one suffice it will be
for you. So keep it a secret save from its people.1
It is in this manner that in the length of divine leadership, the "Prophethood" and "Messengership"
ends in Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W.A.) the last of the
Prophets but the "Imamat" still
continues. As such, it should be said that Amir-ul-Mumineen
(A.S.) is not the first Imam (even though he is reckoned to be the best of
all the Prophet's legatees) and his Imamat is the
continuation of the Imamat of other Imams.
Imam Abul-Hassan' ar-Ridha
(A.S.) has expressed in beautiful and audible terms the position of Imamat, the specialities of an
Imam. the necessity of Imam's appointment through
designation, the continuity of Imamat right from
the beginning till the end of this world and all other points related to this
matter. Abdul Aziz-ibn*Muslim says' We were in
Imam's presence at Marv. On Friday, which was the
first day of our entry to this city, we gathered at the Friday mosque. The
people involved themselves in the discussion of Imamat
and the various differences that existed amongst the people in this matter.
So 1 approached my master and informed him about the various things the
people had said. He smiled and said;
'0 Abdul Aziz! the people
do not know and have been deceived in their opinion. Almighty Allah did not
seize (the life of) His prophet but after having perfected the religion for
him and having revealed the Quran upon him wherein
one can find the clarification of every thing. In it. He has clarified the
lawful and the unlawful acts, the restrictions
and the commands and all that the people need. He to Whom belongs Might and
Majesty says:

'We have neglected nothing in the Book.'1
And in the farewell pilgrimage which took place at the end of the Prophet's
life, Allah revealed this verse:

Today I have perfected your religion for
you, and 1 have completed My blessing upon you, and 1 have approved Islam for
your religion.'' And the matter of Imamat is the
means by which the religion has been brought to perfection; The holy Prophet
(S.A.W.A.) did not depart from the world until he clarified to his nation the
guiding principles of their religion and the path to be pursued by them. And
he appointed for them Ali (A.S.) as a sign and as an Imam. And he has not
left out the clarification of any matter which is essential for the nation.
So, whoever reckons that the Almighty Allah has not perfected His religion
has indeed rejected the Book of Allah, and whoever rejects the Book of Allah
is an unbeliever in it. Do they know the worth of Imamat
and Its position among the nation so that their selection could b^ decided by
the people? Verily the Imamat is too sublime among
values, too great among ranks, too high among stations, too impenetrable on
all sides, too profound amoung the depths for
people to reach it with their intellects, or to grasp it with their opinions,
or to establish an Imam by their choice. Verily, Allah granted Abraham (A.S.)
the Imamat in the third stage only after bestowing
him the prophethood and His friendship. And it is a
grace by which He has bestowed him with honor and raised his renown and said:

'Behold! I make you an Imam (leader) for this people.3 And Allah's friend
joyfully said:

'And of my seed'? Allah, the Sublime said:

'My covenant shall
not reach the evil-doers'2 Thus, this verse has nullified the leadership of
all oppressors till
the Day of Resurrection and has set the Imamat
amongst the chosen ones only.
Then, Almighty Allah honored him by placing the Imamat
amongst the chosen and pure ones of his off springs and said:

'And We gave him Ishaq and Ya'qub
in superabundance, and everyone made We righteous and appointed them to be
Imams guiding by Our commands, and We revealed to them the doing of good
deeds and the keeping up of prayer and the giving of the alms, and Us (alone)
did they serve.''
So, this affair continued in his offspring, one inheriting from the oilier
generation after generation till Allah, the Sublime, made the holy Prophet
(S.A.W.A.) inherit. And He the Majestic, the Sublime said:

Surely, the
nearest of people to Abraham are those who followed him and this Prophet and
those who believe and Allah is the Master of the believers.
So, Imamat belonged to him particularly, and hence
he invested Ali (A.S.) with it by the command of Allah, the Sublime, in the
way in which Allah had made obligatory. So it came to be in his (All's)
selected seed, those to whom Allah has given knowledge and faith, as in the
words of He Who is the Sublime:

'But those who have been given knowledge and faith shall say:

Certainly, you
have tarried according to Allah's Book till the Day of Resurrection.''
Therefore, Imamat shall be only for All's offspring
till the Day of Judgement since, there shall be no
Prophet after Muhammad (S.A.W.A.). Then, how can these foolish people have
the right to select (their leader)?! Verily, Imamat
is the rank of the Prophets and the heritage of the successors. Verily, the Imamat is the vicegerency (Khilafah) of Allah and the vicegerency
of the Messenger, the station of Amir-ul-Mumineen
(A.S.) and the heritage of al-Hassan and al-Hussein
(A.S.). Verily, Imamat is the reins of the
religion, the state of order of the muslims, the
rectitude of the world and the might of the believers. Verily, Imamat is Islam's growing root and its lofty branches.
Through the Imam, the 'Salat' (prayer), 'Zakat' (alms), Saum1 (fasting), 'Hajj(pilgrimage
to Mecca) and 'Jihad' (holy war)
are perfected, the general wealth and charity are augmented, the restrictions
and precepts are put into practice and the frontiers and territories are
protected. An Imam makes lawful what Allah has made lawful and prohibits what
Allah has prohibited; he establishes the restrictions of Allah, he defends
the religion of Allah and he calls the people towards His Lord with wisdom
and good admonition and perfect and complete arguments. Imam is like the
radiant sun which gives embellishment to the world with its light and it is
(placed) on the highest point of the sky where no hand or eye can reach it.
Imam is like the glaring moon; the glowing lamp; the luminous light and the
brilliant stars which act as a guidance in the dark gloomy night and in the
lands, deserts and oceans. Imam is a refreshing water for the thirsty people;
a guide on the path of guidance and deliverer from the deviations. Imam is
(like) the fire on the heights, and which warms those who seek the heat and
an indicator in dangers. He who moves away from him will perish. Imam is
(like) the pluvial cloud, the rainfall that covers everywhere, the shining
sun, the shady sky, the smooth earth, the overflowing spring, the pool and
the meadow. Imam is an affectionate associate; the sympathetic father; the
blood-brother; the mother who is tender to her small child and a shelter for
those in misfortunes. Imam is Allah's custodian over His creatures; His plea
for His creatures. His vecegerency in His lands, a
caller towards Allah and the defender of Allah's precincts. The Imam is the
one who is immune from sins, free from all shortcomings, characterized by
knowledge, distinguished by forbearance, the state of order of the religion,
the might of the muslims, the one who enrages the
hypocrites and the destroyer of the infidels. The Imam is the unique one of
his time; no one is comparable to him; no scholar can approach his rank; no
one can replace him nor anyone can be found who is
similar to him. All the virtues can be found only in him without him seeking
it or acquiring it. Rather, it has come upon him from the Bestower
of virtues, the All-Giving. So, who is there who can arrive at the knowledge
of Imam or have the ability to select him?! How far from the truth!
Intellects have lost (themselves), imaginations have gone astray, minds have
become perplexed, eyes have turned away, the great have been made small, the
wise have confounded themselves, those who reflect forever fall short,
orators falter, the intelligent become ignorant, poets become expressionless,
prosodists turn incapable and the eloquent stammer
in describing one of his aspects or one of his eminences. All of them have
confessed their incapability and indequacy. How can
this totality be described and how can his inner essence be
characterized? How can anything concerning him be understood? Who can be
found who can replace him and give what he can give? Nay! how
can it be possible? while he is like the position of
a star where hands cannot reach it nor the adorers can eulogize. So,:

what a difference between this and selection! What a
difference between this and the thoughts! And where can the like of him be found?! Do you imagine that this can be found somewhere
other than the Prophet's household?! By Allah, they have lied to themselves,
they have promised to themselves the impossible, they have climbed up to a
difficult and dangerous height, (and) their feet will slip and fall to the
bottom. They want to appoint an Imam with (their) confused, unproductive and
defective minds, and (their) misguided opinions. Nothing accrued to them but
remoteness from him. [May Allah assail them! How
they are turned away!]
Surely, they have intended to engage in a difficult affair with the result
that they have uttered the untruth and have gone astray into far error; they
have put themselves into confusion, because they have knowingly abandoned the
Imam. And the Satan made their deeds fair-seeming to them and barred them
from the way, though they saw clearly. They turned their backs on the choice
of Allah, the choice of the Messenger of Allah and his Ahlu'1-bayt, and
instead turned to their own choice whereas the Quran
has called out to them:

" Thy Lord creates whatsoever He pleases and He chooses; they have not
the choice. Glory be to Allah! Exalted be He above what they associate." '
And He to Whom belongs Might and Majesty says:

"And it behooves not a believing man and a believing woman that they
should have any choice in their matter when Allah and His Apostle have
decided a matter."2
And He says:

" What ails you then, how you judge? Or have you a Book wherein you
study? Surely therein you shall have whatever you choose! Or have you oaths
from Us, reaching to the Day of Resurrection? Surely you shall have whatever
you judge! Ask them, which of them will guarantee that! Or do they have
associates? Then let them bring their associates, if they speak truly
"''
Yet in another verse, the Almighty and Exalted God says:

"What, do they not ponder the Quran? Or is it
that there are locks upon their hearts?4 or"
Allah has set a seal upon their hearts, so they understand not."' or
" And be not like
those who said. We hear, and they hear not. Surely the worst of beasts in
Allah's sight are those that are deaf and dumb and do not understand. If
Allah had known of any good in them He would have made them hear and if He
had made them hear, they would have turned away, swerving aside."2 or
"They said:

We have heard and we
disobey. Rather, that is the Grace of Allah. He grants it to whomsoever He
wishes and Allah is the Owner of Grace. So how can they have (the right) to
choose an Imam? Since, the Imam is a man of knowledge in whom ignorance
cannot penetrate, a shepherd who does not shirk (his duty), a mine of
sanctity and purity, of piety and renunciation, of knowledge and worship. He
is the one specifically mentioned in the supplication of the Messenger (S.A.W.A),
and he is of the seed of the purified one, the chaste al-BatuI,
Fatemah (A.S.)]. Aspersion cannot be cast on him in
relation to his parentage, no one can approach him in honourability,
Verily, Allah accommodates the Prophets and the Imams, may Allah bless them;
He bestows to them of His stored Knowledge and Wisdom, which He does not give
to anyone else. Thus their knowledge is far above the knowledge of the people
of their time, as He, the Sublime says:

"Is He who guides to the truth,
the worthier to be followed, or he who himself does not go aright unless he
is guided? What then ails you, how you Judge?
In another verse. Almighty Allah says:

"And who so is given the wisdom,
has been given much
good;12
About Thalut (Saul), He says:

Verily, Allah has chosen
him over you, and has increased him broadly in knowledge and body. Allah
gives the kingship to whom He wills. And Allah is
All-embracing,
All-knowing;'1'
In His address to the Prophet, He says:

" Allah has sent down on thee
the Book and the Wisdom, and He has taught thee that thou knowest
not:

Allah's bounty to thee is very great."4
About the Imams from His Pophefs Ahlu'1-bayt and
progeny. He says:

"Or are they jealous of the people for the bounty that
Allah has given them? Yet We gave the progeny of Abraham the Book and the
Wisdom, and We gave them a mighty kingdom. And some of them (i.e. those that
were Jealous) there are that believe, and some of them that bar from it, Gehenna suffices for a Blaze!"
Verily, when Allah, to Whom belongs Might and Majesty, selects a slave for
the affairs of His creatures He expands his breast for it. He deposits in his
heart the fountains of wisdom and profoundly inspires him with knowledge. So
after this, he does not stammer in answers and he does not deviate from the truth.
Thus, he is immaculate, supported (by Allah), he is accommodated (to the
right path), his steps being firmly guided, he will be safe from errors,
slips and stumbling. Allah distinguishes him by this, because he is His Proof
over his slaves, and His witness over His creatures.
That is the bounty of Allah, He gives it to whom He will, and Allah is of
bounty abounding. So, do they have the power to do the like of this, so that
they can choose him? Or can the one of their choice possess this attribution so
that they may prefer him? By "the House of Allah, they have transgressed
against the truth, they have rejected the Book of Allah behind their backs as
though they did not know, and in the Book of Allah there is guidance and
cure. So they have rejected it, and they have followed their own desires.
Thus, Allah has found fault with them, detested them and casted
them down, as He, to Whom belongs Majesty and Sublimeness,
has said:

tt And who is further astray then he who
follows his own caprice without guidance from Allah? Surely, Allah guides not
the people of the evil-doers;'' And He has said:

tt
And (as for)
those who disbelieve, for them is destruction, and He has made their deeds
ineffective;'2 And He has said:

greatly hated it is by Allah and by those who
believe. Thus does Allah set a seal over the heart of every proud, haughty
one."' And may Allah bless the Prophet, Muhammad and his progeny, and
bestow peace upon them with much bestowing."2

Peace be upon Mahdi (a.j), the one regarding whom
Allah has promised the people.