Imamate as per the Holy Qur’an (3)

Welcome to the 3rd edition of our special 4-part programme titled Imamate as per the Holy Qur’an.

Yesterday we elaborated to you the meaning and concept of Imamate or the divinely-decreed leadership of mankind, which has been specified by God Almighty in the holy Qur’an. Like Prophethood, it is bestowed by the Allah on the deserving, and is not something left to the whims of fallible minds to elect, select, nominate, designate, or remove. As we said, in ayah 124 of Surah Baqarah, we read:

“And when his Lord tested Abraham with certain words, and he fulfilled them, He said, ‘I am making you the Imam of mankind.’ Said he, ‘And from among my descendants?’ He said, ‘My pledge does not extend to the unjust.’”

While citing some of the irrefutable proofs of the divinely-decreed leadership of Imam Ali (AS) and the Infallible Ahl al-Bayt, after the passing away of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny), we presented the event of Mubahela and ayah 61 of Surah Aal-e Imraan. Today we cite another irrefutable evidence of the God-given leadership of Imam Ali (AS), and here is ayah 59 of Surah Nisa:

“O you who have faith! Obey Allah and obey the Prophet and those vested with authority among you. And if you dispute concerning anything, refer it to Allah and the Prophet, if you have faith in Allah and the Last Day. That is better and more favourable in outcome.”

The wordings of God are crystal clear. Obedience to God means obedience of the divine commandments, such as performing the daily ritual prayer, giving of zakat to the poor, fasting in the month of Ramadhan for the able-bodied adults, Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca once in a lifetime for those who can physically and financially afford the journey, enjoining the good and forbidding the evil. All these injunctions have Islam were conveyed to mankind by the Prophet of Islam, who was the recipient of divine commandments. In accordance with what God had inspired him, the Prophet conducted state affairs, and all other issues pertaining to the well-being of mankind, whether political, social, economic, cultural or religious. It thus means obedience to the Prophet is actually obedience to the Almighty Creator. Here a point to note is that obedience to the Prophet is unconditional since he is the emissary of God and whatever he says or does, he is divinely inspired, in contrast to our own parents, who might err, although we are obliged to respect them, as ayah 8 of Surah Ankabout of the holy Qur’an says:

“We have enjoined man to be good to his parents. But if they urge you to ascribe to Me as partner that of which you have no knowledge, then do not obey them.”

In several other ayahs of the holy Qur’an, we find the commandment to obey God and the Prophet, as in ayah 132 of Surah Aal-e Imran which reads:

“And obey Allah and the Prophet so that you may be granted [His] mercy.”

An important point to note is that after the Prophet the Muslims are commanded to obey those vested with authority. Here authority does not mean worldly power or the power accumulated through force, violence, bribes, election, selection, and temporal succession. It actually means divinely-designated authority. In other words, since the Prophet is God-sent, his vicegerent, caliph, successor, or Imam, should also be divinely-decreed, otherwise his authority will be open to questions. This is proof of the fact that the Olul-Amr or the divinely-chosen heir of the Prophet commands the same respect and obedience from the Ummah, as is due to God and the Prophet. To be more precise, the Imam is infallible, sinless and immune from any errors and flaws.

Jaber ibn Abdullah al-Ansari narrates that he once asked the Prophet about the identity of the Olul Amr, and received the reply: They are my successors and Imams of the Muslims after me. The first of them is Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS), followed by Hasan, Husain, Ali ibn Husain, and Mohammad ibn Ali who is called al-Baqer in the Torah. You will meet him O Jaber, and when you do, convey my salaam to him. After him will be Ja'far ibn Mohammad, followed by Musa ibn Ja'far, Ali ibn Musa, Mohammad ibn Ali, Ali ibn Muhammad, Hasan ibn Ali, and then the last of them, who will by namesake. They are the decisive argumentation of Allah on Earth and the mainstay of His religion among mankind. The last of them is the one whom Allah will give victory over the easts and the wests of the Earth, after he had disappeared for a lengthy period from his friends and Shi’as or true follower. It will be a long concealment, during which no one will remain firm in the belief of his Imamate except those whose hearts Allah has tested with faith. Jaber asked the Prophet: "Will his Shi’as derive benefit from him during his occultation?"

"Yes", said the Prophet of Allah, "By Him Who bestowed Prophethood upon me; surely they will obtain light from his 'Noor' and will benefit by his Wilayah during his occultation, like people who derive benefit from the sun even when it is covered by clouds."

AS/ME