Islam prescribes very high qualification for a divine leader. He should be the most knowledgeable, the wisest, and the most gallant of all. He should also be immune from every kind of sin, mistake and error.
The Prophet and the Imams, besides being religious leaders, are in their capacity as leaders of society, responsible for all government functions, and as such should possess the requisite qualifications to shoulder that responsibility.
The Prophet is the founder of religion and Imam is its protector. Both of them are appointed by Allah. The Prophet alone receives revelation whereas Imam is heir to all the prophetic knowledge. He does not receive revelation, but he is master of all the details of Prophet’s religious system.
Both the Prophet and the Imam have a special constructive role, and do not spare any opportunity to sacrifice in the interest of the Muslim society. The role played by Imam Husain (A) in fighting the hypocrites and toppling the machine of tyranny is a great example of such a sacrifice.
In addition, prominent roles played by Imam Baqir (A) and Imam Sadiq (A) in spreading Islamic knowledge and other sciences, and by Imam Ali Reza (A) in defending Islamic tenets and in providing intellectual guidance against the invasion of foreign ideas are undeniable.
The same is true of the role played by other Imams in their respective circumstances. Thus besides performing the functions which were common to all of them as religious heads, each of these leaders had a special mission in conformity with the special circumstances of his age and time and he did not refrain from making any sacrifice in carrying it out.
It has already been proved that an Imam must be nominated by Allah and his Prophet for none else can know who is infallible. As such it is the bounden duty of the Prophet to introduce his successor to the people. Should he not do so, he would fail in his prophetic mission. That is why we believe that the Holy Prophet did nominate his successor and Imam of the Muslims.
With the advent of the Prophet of Islam and the express declaration by the Qur’an that he was the last Prophet, the age of Prophethood came to an end. Now no new religion can be revealed. Islam is the last Divine religion.
Beside the role of a Prophet, still there are certain needs of the Muslim society which should be met, such as:
- All the functions of a ruler and a government, including the settlement of legal disputes and maintenance of law and order.
- Propagation of Islam and the expansion of the sphere of its social and governmental influence.
- Exposition of the Qur’an and the religious law.
- Constructive education of the people, in the sense that the imam being a model of all virtues and being free from all sins and faults sets a practical example and a standard of virtuous life. People can, without any hesitation, acknowledge him to be their leader and attain salvation under his guidance.
To be a true religious leader, it is necessary that all these functions are combined in the person of an imam designated by the holy Prophet.
Nonetheless, the governmental functions, dispensing justice, and taking action to expand Islam through propagation and continuous defensive struggle are possible only when the reins of government are actually in the hands of an Imam.
Else when he does not have a free hand and he is not in power, he cannot practically perform these functions albeit he possesses all the necessary qualifications and capabilities to do so.
As for the last two functions, they imply complete knowledge of Islam and moral leadership of the highest caliber. This is a position which can neither be assigned nor withdrawn by anybody. It is not subject to voting or the issuance of an order.
An imam has full knowledge of the Divine commandments and Islamic standards. He possesses all the virtues and is the mirror of Islam. His knowledge and worth are an undeniable fact and a Divine gift. They are not conferred on him by any human being.
To comprehend the salient functions and roles played by an Imam, we summarize below a portion of the lengthy sermon of Imam al–Riza (P) from Usul al–Kafi, volume one.
- Imamate is religious leadership. It entails the management of the affairs of the Muslim society and improving and exalting the position of the Muslims.
- An Imam protects the Divine bounds; defends the Divine religion and invites the people to Allah by means of logic, argument and good advice.
- An Imam is a trustee of the people appointed by Allah.
- He is His sign and His vicegerent on the earth.
- He is immune against all sins and free from all defects.
- He is peerless in his time. None can attain his position.
- No scholar can equal him.
- All virtues are manifested in him.
- He has many kinds of knowledge which cannot be polluted by ignorance.
- He is an indefatigable guardian of the Islamic nation.
- He is the source of purity, piety, knowledge and devotion.
- He is truly fit to be a leader. He knows the intricacies of politics.
- He is infallible; enjoys Divine support and is free from every fault and slip.
- Allah has given him such a position that he is His sign to the people and a model of virtue and excellence.
In short just as the Prophet of Islam was elevated to the rank of Prophethood on account of his superior qualities, his successor also should at least be the second to Prophet.
References
The following sources are used to prepare the above article.
1. Group of Scholars, Rationality of Islam (1978), under the auspice of Ayatullah Sayyid Abu’l Qasim al-Khu’I, Publisher: Islamic Seminary Publications, Pakistan.
2. Dr. M. H. Behishti, Dr. M. J. Bahonar, Philosophy of Islam, Islamic Seminary Publications (1984)