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This article is about the Shi'a concept, for the more general Islamic term, see Imam.

Imamah (Arabic:إمام) is the Shi'a Islamic doctrine of political and spiritual leadership of a Caliphate headed by one of the infallible Imams from the blood line of Ali.

Introduction

Islam holds that Muhammad was the last Prophet of Allah. Sunnis maintain that Muhammad did not order the appointment of any person in particular as his successor a Caliph (successor to his leadership) he left that job to the society that he had created. They accept Abu Bakr, the father-in-law of Muhammad as the first leader. Thus, in the Sunni understanding, only the Qur'an and the Sunnah (example of Muhammad) are authorities on matters of faith (deen); a Caliph should be elected by consensus (ijma) from amongst the community, but his authority is temporal, not spiritual, such that the leader cannot sanction new divine laws. Instead, the "Caliph" can only enforce existing divine laws, namely those sent by Allah through Muhammad as interpreted by scholars. Shias, on the other hand, believe that humanity is in need of sustained spiritual guidance, provided by the Imam of the Time, who is the Guardian and guide of all Muslims politically and spiritually. They hold that Muhammad explicitly designated his cousin and son-in-law Ali as his Khalif (Successor). Thus, Shias believe Muhammad designated Ali and his direct descendants to serve as the Imams (leaders) of the Muslim community. This assertion implies that, while the cycle of Nubuwwah (Prophethood) ended with Muhammad, the cycle of Imamah began with Ali and continues amongs his direct descendants. For Shi'a Muslims, an Imam is a Leader, whose guidance extends to spiritual and temporal matters. In other words, an Imam can sanction new laws because he has direct contact with God. This direct contact makes an Imam infallible and invests in him the prerogative of interpreting the Qur'an, thereby gradually revealing its esoteric meaning. Sunnis reject this doctrine of infallibility. Shias believe only these Imams have the right to be Caliphs, meaning that all other caliphs, whether elected by consensus Ijma or not, are usurpers of the Caliphate.

They believe that on the ground of Ghadeer e Khum, Muhammad declared

"To whomsoever I am Master, Ali is his Master"

and following the same principle is Shiasm who believe that Ali ibn Abu Talib is the 1st Imam to teach the correct interpretation of Islam, the successor of Muhammad.

Sects

Within Shi'ism, there are various sects that differ over the number of Imams, and the path of their succession; the majority sect among these are the Twelvers, then the Ismailis, and then the smallest Zaidi sect. There are major doctrinal differences between the Twelvers, and the Ismailis. After the claimed occultation of the twelfth Imam, for the twelvers there was a long period of waiting for new authority until the Mahdi arrives, and in his absence was left a vacuum of leadership, dealt with by traditional twelvers with Quietism. However an alternative theory developed to fill the need, called Wilayat al-Faqih or the absolute guardianship of the jurists, popularised by Ayatollah Khomeini. According to it, those most knowledgeable about Islamic law (Shari'ah) should assume a political role in society, governing the Wilayah in which Shias live. This led to the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

Imams

Twelver view

According to the majority of Shī'a, namely the Twelvers (Ithnā'ashariyya), the following is a listing of the rightful successors to Muhammad. Each Imam was the son of the previous Imam except for Hussayn ibn 'Alī, who was the brother of Hassan ibn 'Alī.The belief in this succession to Muhammad stems from various Quranic ayaths which include: 75:36, 13:7, 35:24, 2:30, 2:124, 36:26, 7:142, 42:23. They support their discussion by putting facts from Genesis verse 17,19–20 and sunni hadeeth:Sahih Muslim, Hadith number 4478, English translation by Abdul Hamid Siddiqui.^[1]

Number	Name	Kunya (title)	Nasab (patrynomic)	Laqab (nickname/epithet)	Known by Twelvers for	Lifespan, in CE
1	Imam Ālī (علي)	Abū al-Hassan (أبو الحسن)	Ibn Abī Tālib (إبن أبي طالب)	Amīr al-Mu'minīn (أمیر المؤمنین) - Commander of the Faithful	The first Imam to live after Muhammad	600–661
2	Imam Hassan (ألحسن)	Abū Muhammad (أبو محمد)	Ibn Alī ibn Abī Tālib (إبن علي إبن أبي طالب)	Al-Mujtabā (ألمجتبی)- Leader of Wisdom	Along with his brother, one of the Lords of the Youth of Paradise; famous for his gentleness and calm demeanor	625–669
3	Imam Husayn (ألحسین)	Abū Abdillāh (أبو عبداللھ)	Ibn Alī ibn Abī Tālib (إبن علي إبن أبي طالب)	Sayyid ash-Shuhadā' (سید الشھداء) - along with his brother, one of the Lords of the Youth of Paradise	Sacrificing himself and his family at the Battle of Karbala for the sake of saving Islam	626–680
4	Imam Ali ibn Husayn (علي)	Abū Muhammad (أبو محمد)	Ibn al-Hussein (إبن الحسین)	Zayn al-Ābidīn (زین العابدین) - Jewel of the Worshippers, Imam Sajjad - The Prostrating Imam	Preaching and propagating Islam through his prayers and supplications	658–713
5	Imam Muhammad (محمد)	Abū Ja^cfar (أبو جعفر)	Ibn ^cAlī (إبن علي)	Al-Bāqir (ألباقر)	Laid the foundations for the Shia seminary system	676–743
6	Imam Jafar (جعفر)	Abū ^cAbdillāh (أبو عبداللھ)	Ibn Muhammad (إبن محمد)	Al-Sādiq (ألصادق)	A teacher who continued his father's practice of codifying Shia theology, law, and jurisprudence; among his many students were Abu Hanifa, Malik ibn Ans, and Jabir ibn Hayyan	703–765
7	Imam Mūsā (موسی)	Abū Ibrāhīm (أبو إبراھیم)	Ibn Ja^cfar (إبن جعفر)	Al-Kāzim (ألکاظم)	Famous for his patience and his ability to swallow anger despite repeated attempts to infuriate him	745–799
8	Imam Ali (علي)	Abū al-Hassan (أبو الحسن)	Ibn Mūsā (إبن موسی)	Ali Ar-Ridā (ألرضا) (pronounced "Reza" by Persian- and Urdu-speakers)	Made the crown-prince by caliph Ma'mun al-Rashid, allowing him a somewhat unprecedented access to preach to the masses	765–818
9	Imam Muhammad (محمد)	Abū Ja^cfar (أبو جعفر)	Ibn ^cAlī (إبن علي)	Al-Jawad (الجواد) Muhammad At-Taqī (التقي)	Famous for his generosity and piety	810–835
10	Imam Ali (علي)	Abū al-Hassan (أبو الحسن)	Ibn Muhammad (إبن محمد)	Al-Hādī (ألھادي), Ali an-Naqī (ألنقي)	Assumed the role of the Imam at a very tender age yet repeatedly defeated many great scholars in theological debates	827–868
11	Imam Hassan (ألحسن)	Abū Muhammad (أبو محمد)	Ibn ^cAlī (إبن علي)	Al-^cAskarī (ألعسکري)	The penultimate Imam, lived almost his entire life under house arrest and yet still preached to people	846–874
12	Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi (محمد)	Abū Qāsim (أبو قاسم)	Ibn al-Hassan (إبن الحسن)	Al-Mahdī (ألمھدي)	Current Imam, known to be al-Mahdi, the saviour, believed to be in occultation	868–Present

The Twelvers further believe that the 12th Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdī, is believed to be in occultation and it is believed will reveal himself when God orders him to. He is said by the Twelvers to be commanded by God to appear when the world is in great turmoil and all the leaders of the nations try but fail to gain peace and stop the chaos.

Ismaili view

The Ismailis differ from the Twelvers in that, they accept Ismail bin Jafar, elder brother of Musa al-Kazim, as the rightful Imam ^[2] after his father Jafar al-Sadiq. He died, however, before his father. They therefore accept Muhammad bin Ismail bin Jafar as their 7th Imam. Thus their line of Imams is as follows (note: figures in brackets indicate the years during which they were Imams):

Ali ibn Abi Talib (632–661)
Hasan ibn Ali who is a trustee (mustawda) Imam (661-669)
Husayn ibn Ali (669–680)
Ali ibn Husayn (Zayn al-Abidin) (680–713)
Muhammad al-Baqir (713–733)
Jafar al-Sadiq (733–765)
Ismail bin Jafar
Muhammad ibn Ismail (765-?)

The Ismaili line of Imams continues undivided till Mustansir Billah (d. 1094), after which it divides into the Nizari and Mustali sects.

The Aga Khan is the 49th hereditary Imam of the Nizari Ismaili Muslims - which remains the only Shia community today led by a present and living (hadir wa mawjud) Imam.

Zaidī view

See Zaidi Zaidiyya, Zaidism or Zaydism (Arabic: الزيدية az-zaydiyya, adjective form Zaidi or Zaydi) is a Shī'a maðhab (sect, school) named after the Imām Zayd ibn ˤAlī. Followers of the Zaidi fiqh are called Zaidis (or are occasionally called Fivers in the West). However, there is also a group called the Zaidi Wasītīs who are Twelvers.

Zaidi Imāms

Followers of the Zaidi fiqh recognise the first four Ithnaˤasharī Imams but they accept Zayd ibn Ali as their "Fifth Imām" instead of Muhammad al-Baqir.

Ali ibn Abu Talib	1st Imam
Hasan ibn Ali	2nd Imam
Husayn ibn Ali	3rd Imam
Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al Abidin	4th Imam
Zayd ibn Ali ash-Shahid	5th Imam

References

^ Imam Muslim (translated by Aftab Shahryar) (2004). Sahih Muslim Abridged. Islamic Book Service. ISBN 81-7231-592-9.
^ Rise of The Fatimids, by W.Ivanow. Page 81, 275

External links

[1] Imam Muslim (translated by Aftab Shahryar) (2004). Sahih Muslim Abridged. Islamic Book Service. ISBN 81-7231-592-9.

[2] Rise of The Fatimids, by W.Ivanow. Page 81, 275

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 137: / Line 137: @@
 {{seealso|Ismaili}}
-The [[Ismailis]] differ from the [[Twelvers]] in that, they accept [[Ismail bin Jafar]], Imam Jafar's designated successor and elder brother of [[Musa al-Kazim]], as the rightful Imam <ref>Rise of The Fatimids, by W.Ivanow. Page 81, 275</ref> after his father [[Jafar al-Sadiq]]. They therefore accept Muhammad bin Ismail bin Jafar as their 7th Imam. Thus their line of Imams is as follows (note: figures in brackets indicate the years during which they were Imams):
+The [[Ismailis]] differ from the [[Twelvers]] in that, they accept [[Ismail bin Jafar]], elder brother of [[Musa al-Kazim]], as the rightful Imam <ref>Rise of The Fatimids, by W.Ivanow. Page 81, 275</ref> after his father [[Jafar al-Sadiq]]. He died, however, before his father. They therefore accept Muhammad bin Ismail bin Jafar as their 7th Imam. Thus their line of Imams is as follows (note: figures in brackets indicate the years during which they were Imams):
 # [[Ali ibn Abi Talib]] (632–661)