“Imam” means a leader, one who is an example and a giver of guidance to those who follow him. Allah Rabbul Alamin has appointed an “imam” for every community in every age.

يَوۡمَ نَدۡعُواْ كُلَّ أُنَاسِۭ بِإِمَٰمِهِمۡۖ فَمَنۡ أُوتِيَ كِتَٰبَهُۥ بِيَمِينِهِۦ فَأُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ يَقۡرَءُونَ كِتَٰبَهُمۡ وَلَا يُظۡلَمُونَ فَتِيلٗا

“(Remember) the day when We shall call every people with their imam; and whoever is given his record in his right hand, they will read their record (well), and they will not be wronged in the least.” (QS17 (Al-Isra):71)

All Muslims agree that the greatest imam for mankind is the great Prophet Muhammad SAAW, the bearer of light and the perfecter of the teaching of Allah. But what of the imams after the Prophet Muhammad (saaw)? Most Muslims hold that an Imam may be appointed on the basis of consultation. So after the Messenger died, whoever should rise, provided it rested on consultation, is a legitimate Imam. Yet given the very great role of the imam for mankind, a question arises: is consultation the right basis for determining an “imam”? Is the opinion of a group of people (who are not even tested in their religious knowledge and character) enough to determine an “imam”?

Allah, in His noble Book the Qur’an, has given mankind guidance about the existence and the importance of an “imam”. Of course this is followed by guidance and explanation as to who is fit to be an imam, and so let us open the pages of Allah’s words to find the answer regarding the conditions of an “imam”.

فَبِأَيِّ حَدِيثِۭ بَعۡدَهُۥ يُؤۡمِنُونَ

“Then in what teaching after this Qur’an will they believe?” (QS 77 (Al-Mursalat):50)

1. The Imam is Fi’lullah, not Fi’lun nas (the Imam is Allah’s determination, not man’s)

وَإِذۡ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلۡمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ إِنِّي جَاعِلٞ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ خَلِيفَةٗۖ قَالُوٓاْ أَتَجۡعَلُ فِيهَا مَن يُفۡسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسۡفِكُ ٱلدِّمَآءَ وَنَحۡنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمۡدِكَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَۖ قَالَ إِنِّيٓ أَعۡلَمُ مَا لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ

“Remember when your Lord said to the angels, ‘Indeed I am placing (ja’ilun) a vicegerent on the earth.’ They said, ‘Will You place on it one who will cause corruption there and shed blood, while we glorify You with praise and sanctify You?’ The Lord said, ‘Indeed I know what you do not know.’” (QS 2 (Al-Baqarah):30).

In the creation of Adam a.s, Allah swt held a dialogue with the angels. The verb used in this verse is “placing” (ja’ilun) a vicegerent on the earth. The use of the word ja’ilun indicates the will of Allah without the involvement of any other party. So the vicegerent is Allah SWT’s determination.

۞وَإِذِ ٱبۡتَلَىٰٓ إِبۡرَٰهِـۧمَ رَبُّهُۥ بِكَلِمَٰتٖ فَأَتَمَّهُنَّۖ قَالَ إِنِّي جَاعِلُكَ لِلنَّاسِ إِمَامٗاۖ قَالَ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِيۖ قَالَ لَا يَنَالُ عَهۡدِي ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ

“And remember when Ibrahim was tried by his Lord with certain trials and he fulfilled them. Allah said, ‘Indeed I am making you an imam for all mankind.’” (QS 2 (Al-Baqarah):124)

On the basis of the verse above, it is plain that Allah SWT appointed the prophet Ibrahim as imam for all mankind!

“...Ibrahim said, ‘And I ask also for my descendants.’ Allah said, ‘My covenant does not reach the wrongdoers.’” (QS 2 (Al-Baqarah):124)

وَإِذۡ قَالَ لُقۡمَٰنُ لِٱبۡنِهِۦ وَهُوَ يَعِظُهُۥ يَٰبُنَيَّ لَا تُشۡرِكۡ بِٱللَّهِۖ إِنَّ ٱلشِّرۡكَ لَظُلۡمٌ عَظِيمٞ

The definition of wrongdoer here is set out in QS31 (Luqman):13 “And (remember) when Luqman said to his son, while instructing him, ‘O my son! Do not associate anything with Allah; indeed shirk is the greatest wrong.’”

So whoever has associated partners with Allah (shirk) has committed the greatest wrong.

Now let us return honestly to history: was there a single companion in the time of the Messenger SAAW who never worshipped an idol, other than Amirul Mu’minin Ali bin Abi Thalib? Whereas Allah promised that no wrongdoing descendant of Ibrahim a.s. would be entitled to bear the title of Imam. That is to say, no one who has ever committed wrong can become an imam!

In accordance with that promise of Allah SWT, the choice of who is to be raised as imam lies in the hand of Allah, as set out in the following verse:

وَرَبُّكَ يَخۡلُقُ مَا يَشَآءُ وَيَخۡتَارُۗ مَا كَانَ لَهُمُ ٱلۡخِيَرَةُۚ سُبۡحَٰنَ ٱللَّهِ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ عَمَّا يُشۡرِكُونَ

QS28 (Al-Qasas):68 “And your Lord creates and chooses what He wills. For them (mankind) there is no choice. Glory be to Allah, and exalted is He above what they associate with Him.”

So for mankind there is no choice other than what Allah SWT has determined. And what of those who keep looking for another choice? They are the ones who are astray!

وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤۡمِنٖ وَلَا مُؤۡمِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَى ٱللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُۥٓ أَمۡرًا أَن يَكُونَ لَهُمُ ٱلۡخِيَرَةُ مِنۡ أَمۡرِهِمۡۗ وَمَن يَعۡصِ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ فَقَدۡ ضَلَّ ضَلَٰلٗا مُّبِينٗا

QS33 (Al-Ahzab):36 “And it is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, to have any choice (of their own) in their affair. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly strayed into manifest error.”

So if Allah in His Book says that the imam is the prerogative of Allah, Lord of all the worlds, then we must reject human involvement in the determination of an “imam”. If Allah and His Messenger have appointed an Imam for mankind, man has no right to choose a leader for himself outside the determination of Allah and His Messenger.

2. The Imam must be ma’shum (infallible)

وَجَعَلۡنَٰهُمۡ أَئِمَّةٗ يَهۡدُونَ بِأَمۡرِنَا وَأَوۡحَيۡنَآ إِلَيۡهِمۡ فِعۡلَ ٱلۡخَيۡرَٰتِ وَإِقَامَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ وَإِيتَآءَ ٱلزَّكَوٰةِۖ وَكَانُواْ لَنَا عَٰبِدِينَ

QS21 (Al-Anbiya):73 “And We made them leaders who guide by Our command, and We revealed to them the doing of good deeds, the establishment of prayer and the giving of zakat, and they were worshippers of Us alone”

So one of the tasks of the imam is to “give guidance”. This shows that the imam must certainly have been given guidance by Allah, so that it is impossible for them to err in guiding mankind.

وَنُرِيدُ أَن نَّمُنَّ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسۡتُضۡعِفُواْ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَنَجۡعَلَهُمۡ أَئِمَّةٗ وَنَجۡعَلَهُمُ ٱلۡوَٰرِثِينَ

QS28 (Al-Qasas):5 “And We wished to bestow favour upon those who were oppressed in the land, and to make them leaders and to make them the inheritors.”

The verse above states that the leaders (imams) are made by Allah SWT the inheritors of the earth. For this reason the imam must be ma’shum; were it otherwise, he could destroy all that the earth contains.

وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مِنكُمۡ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَٰتِ لَيَسۡتَخۡلِفَنَّهُمۡ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ كَمَا ٱسۡتَخۡلَفَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمۡ دِينَهُمُ ٱلَّذِي ٱرۡتَضَىٰ لَهُمۡ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ خَوۡفِهِمۡ أَمۡنٗاۚ يَعۡبُدُونَنِي لَا يُشۡرِكُونَ بِي شَيۡـٔٗاۚ وَمَن كَفَرَ بَعۡدَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡفَٰسِقُونَ

QS24 (An-Nur):55 “Allah has promised those among you who believe and do good deeds that He will surely make them successors in the earth as He made those before them successors, and that He will surely establish for them their religion which He has approved for them, and that He will surely change their state, after their fear, to security. They worship Me, associating nothing with Me. But whoever disbelieves after that, they are the transgressors”

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ أَطِيعُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ ٱلرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي ٱلۡأَمۡرِ مِنكُمۡۖ فَإِن تَنَٰزَعۡتُمۡ فِي شَيۡءٖ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَٱلرَّسُولِ إِن كُنتُمۡ تُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلۡيَوۡمِ ٱلۡأٓخِرِۚ ذَٰلِكَ خَيۡرٞ وَأَحۡسَنُ تَأۡوِيلًا

QS4 (An-Nisa):59 “O you who believe, obey Allah, obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. Then if you differ over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is better and best in outcome.”

In the verse above, obedience to those in authority is set alongside obedience to Allah and the Messenger; the word obey here means absolutely, so it is impossible that the one obeyed should not be ma’shum. If we refer to the hadith of Tsaqalain (1) (the two weighty things), the Messenger saaw said he left behind two treasures, namely “kitabullah” and “itrati ahlul bayt”. Itrah here means the descendants of the Messenger until the Day of Resurrection, whom the Messenger included among his ahlul bayt. The Messenger said the two would never (2) part, for ever; this shows that the itrah ahlul bayt and the Qur’an will remain together, and so just as the purity of the Qur’an is preserved, the infallibility of the Messenger of Allah’s itrah has likewise been preserved by Allah SWT.

لَّا يَأۡتِيهِ ٱلۡبَٰطِلُ مِنۢ بَيۡنِ يَدَيۡهِ وَلَا مِنۡ خَلۡفِهِۦۖ تَنزِيلٞ مِّنۡ حَكِيمٍ حَمِيدٖ

QS41 (Fussilat):42 “Falsehood cannot come to it from before it or from behind it; a revelation from One All-Wise, All-Praiseworthy.”

On the basis of the verse above, we may conclude that if anyone holds that the imam is not ma’shum, that means the imam has been parted from the Qur’an, since there can be no falsehood in the Qur’an.

3. The Imam must possess knowledge (wajibul ’alim)

The knowledge of the imams is not obtained from teachers, nor from books, but is an inheritance from the Messenger of Allah SAAW. All the words of the imams come from the words of the Messenger of Allah SAAW.

عَٰلِمُ ٱلۡغَيۡبِ فَلَا يُظۡهِرُ عَلَىٰ غَيۡبِهِۦٓ أَحَدًا

إِلَّا مَنِ ٱرۡتَضَىٰ مِن رَّسُولٖ فَإِنَّهُۥ يَسۡلُكُ مِنۢ بَيۡنِ يَدَيۡهِ وَمِنۡ خَلۡفِهِۦ رَصَدٗا

QS72 (Al-Jinn):26 - 27 “He knows the unseen, and He does not disclose His unseen to anyone. Except to a messenger whom He has approved, and indeed He sends before him and behind him a guard.”

In this verse, Allah says that no one knows the things of the unseen except Ar-Rasul saaw, and Allah uses the word “Illa”, which means a particular exception for the Messenger whom He has approved. And this verse also shows that it is impossible for the Messenger SAAW to err, because of the protection Allah promised for the Messenger SAAW.

وَيَوۡمَ نَبۡعَثُ فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٖ شَهِيدًا عَلَيۡهِم مِّنۡ أَنفُسِهِمۡۖ وَجِئۡنَا بِكَ شَهِيدًا عَلَىٰ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِۚ وَنَزَّلۡنَا عَلَيۡكَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ تِبۡيَٰنٗا لِّكُلِّ شَيۡءٖ وَهُدٗى وَرَحۡمَةٗ وَبُشۡرَىٰ لِلۡمُسۡلِمِينَ

QS16 (An-Nahl):89 “...And We sent down the Book to you as an explanation of all things, as guidance, and as mercy and glad tidings for those who submit.”

وَمَا مِنۡ غَآئِبَةٖ فِي ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ إِلَّا فِي كِتَٰبٖ مُّبِينٍ

QS27 (An-Naml):75 “And there is nothing hidden in the heaven and the earth but it is in a clear Book.”

On the basis of the verse above, we may conclude that there is nothing in the heavens and the earth that has not been explained in the Qur’an, as an explanation of all things, a guidance, a mercy and glad tidings for those who submit. The question is: who explains the Book of the Qur’an? The Messenger of Allah SAAW, of course.

But who explains it after the Messenger of Allah SAAW died?

ثُمَّ أَوۡرَثۡنَا ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱصۡطَفَيۡنَا مِنۡ عِبَادِنَاۖ فَمِنۡهُمۡ ظَالِمٞ لِّنَفۡسِهِۦ وَمِنۡهُم مُّقۡتَصِدٞ وَمِنۡهُمۡ سَابِقُۢ بِٱلۡخَيۡرَٰتِ بِإِذۡنِ ٱللَّهِۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلۡفَضۡلُ ٱلۡكَبِيرُ

QS35 (Fatir):32 “Then We gave the Book as inheritance to those We chose from among Our servants ...”

This Qur’an, which Allah says explains all things, is given as an inheritance to those of His servants who are chosen. And so those servants must be ma’shum.

Imam Ar-Ridho a.s said to Ibnu Haddaf, “O Ibnu Haddaf, if I were to tell you today that you will die today, at such an hour, in this place, in such a state, would you believe it?” Ibnu Haddaf said, “I would not believe it.” And then Ibnu Haddaf brought forward verse 26 above but did not go on to verse 27. The Imam then went on to verse 27 and asked Ibnu Haddaf, “Now I ask you, Ibnu Haddaf: did the Messenger of Allah know the things of the unseen or not?” Ibnu Haddaf answered, “Plainly.” Then the Imam a.s. said, “We are the inheritors of the Messenger of Allah SAAW.”

A student of Imam Ja’far a.s asked the Imam, “O Imam, there is a group of people who hold that you know the things of the unseen.” The Imam a.s. answered, “By Allah, there is not a hair of mine that does not know the unseen. By Allah I know what is in the heavens, I know who will enter paradise and who will enter the Fire, I know what has happened, what is happening and what will happen until the Day of Resurrection. But all that knowledge I obtained from the Messenger of Allah SAAW.”

Returning to the hadith of Tsaqalain, it is said that the Book of Allah and the Itrah Ahlul Bayt will never part, because the two of them are one rope, one end of which is in the hand of Allah and the other end in the hand of man. The end in the hand of Allah is the Qur’an and the end in the hand of man is the Ahlul Bayt a.s. So if the Itrah Ahlul Bayt were not learned, that would mean they had parted from the Qur’an.

What of the claim that the Messenger of Allah and the imams are ordinary people?

Imam Shadiq a.s. said, “If our position as Imams were the same as yours, then what would be the difference between us and you?”

Imam Baqir a.s, when asked about proof outside the Qur’an that the Imams are the most noble among people, answered, “They always ask us, while we never ask them. They always need us, while we do not need them.”

One of the great habibs said before he died, “Their need (the companions’ and all mankind’s) of him (Amirul Mu’minin), and his not needing any of them, is proof that he is the Imam of them all.”

How was that knowledge passed down from the Messenger of Allah SAAW?

It was passed down inwardly, not by ordinary hearing — by the will of Allah SWT, of course.

4. The Imam must be continuous

۞وَإِذِ ٱبۡتَلَىٰٓ إِبۡرَٰهِـۧمَ رَبُّهُۥ بِكَلِمَٰتٖ فَأَتَمَّهُنَّۖ قَالَ إِنِّي جَاعِلُكَ لِلنَّاسِ إِمَامٗاۖ قَالَ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِيۖ قَالَ لَا يَنَالُ عَهۡدِي ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ

QS 2 (Al-Baqarah):124 “And remember when Ibrahim was tried by his Lord with certain trials and he fulfilled them. Allah said, ‘Indeed I am making you an imam for all mankind.’ Ibrahim said, ‘And I ask also for my descendants.’ Allah said, ‘My covenant does not reach the wrongdoers.’”

On the basis of the verse above, it is plain that the prophet Ibrahim a.s. asked Allah that his zuriat (descendants) also be raised as Imams. The word zuriat means descendants until the Day of Resurrection. What of the present condition? If it is said that the Muslim community has no imam at present, that would mean the supplication of the prophet Ibrahim a.s. was not fulfilled, and would mean too that Allah’s promise fell short!

(1) This hadith is among the Mutawatir hadiths

(2) The word “never” part uses the word Lan, which means will never (for ever)