Some questions about Shia concept of Imamat

[zeen]

Assalam-o-Alaikum:

I've always wondered about these questions yet never found a convincing answer. So let's try it here.

1)What is the purpose of an Imam?
2) What specifically is his job that only he can do and others (non-divinely appointed people) can't?
3)What are some of the contributions of Shia Imams 'during' their appointed times? And how are they any different from other (non-devinely appointed) Muslim leaders in history?

Thanks.

[HeartBreaker]

Wa Alaykum as-Salam brother

I hope this finds you in good health and faith

1)What is the purpose of an Imam?

The purpose of the Imam is to guide. Allah says in Surat 13 Verse 7, "You (the prophet) are the warner and for every people there is a guide". In the Shia canon of hadith, and indeed in some Sunni narrations (refer to Sunni exegesis of the Quran), the guide is Ali Ibn Abi Taleb, and his successors.

2) What specifically is his job that only he can do and others (non-divinely appointed people) can't?

Our beliefs are that the Imams have been made infallible from sin by Allah, and have been given knowledge of the unseen by Allah, to help them in their role of propagating the religion. They are the leaders of the Muslim community and nation, and amongst the roles that only they can execute are being the caliph of the Islamic government, leading the Friday prayers, implementing the executions, launching offensive jihad, etc. etc. In this period of the Major Occultation, other conditions come into play, and there is debate how far the authority of the Shia scholarship stretches (e.g. Can a jurist lead an Islamic government) and jurisprudential issues (e.g Is Friday Prayer obligatory or recommended?)

3)What are some of the contributions of Shia Imams 'during' their appointed times? And how are they any different from other (non-devinely appointed) Muslim leaders in history?

Their contribution is the vast heritage and knowledge they left for the Muslims. For instance, Abu Hanifa, Malik Bin Anas and Sufyan al-Thawri were all students of Jafar al-Sadiq (as), the sixth Imam. Many of the Sunni narrators of hadith would label Ali al-Sajjad, the fourth Imam, as being the oracle of the Banu Hashim etc etc. In the Shia books of hadith, thousands upon thousands of traditions of the Imams are present, on issues pertaining to jurisprudence, beliefs, exegesis and other aspects of the religion.
During their appointed times, the Imams would also for instance offer advice to the kings and sultans if they requested, in spite of the tyranny of these hereditary rulers. This is because the survival and existence of Islam was more important to the Imams.

For more elaborate and dare I say accurate information refer to the Shia literature.

Regards
HeartBreaker

[Kadhim]

The distinguishing characteristic of an imam is their position as ultimate authority on the different branches of religious knowledge, including theology and laws both of ritual and of practical social, economic, family, and political situations.
This authority stems from intellectual merit and spiritual purity, which are of course, in the Islamic picture, linked. That is, thanks to both divine inspiration (not wahy/revelation, but the same sort of inspiration we have when we get insight to figure something out), illumination (the spiritual clarity of thought and comprehension achieved through spiritual purification), and their unique ability to learn Islam according to the best, most authentic chain of transmission (From Muhammad to Fatimah and Ali and then from father to son on downwards), they are the best to refer to in their time for any matter which relates to human life.

Their primary role is as a spiritual guide, but deally, if the people accept them, they are the best to handle the leadership of the ummah, and humanity in general as well. However, in respect of the free will of people, they cannot take leadership by force, but must receive the mandate of the people. If the people neglect that right of them, then their role is to teach those who come to them.
The difference between them and other teachers is that they have ultimate authority to teach because of their knowledge and level of purity and intellect. Anyone else is second best. Their spiritual purity is an essential aspect; the Qu'ran is a key source of wisdom, and, as the Qu'ran says, "laa yamsahu illal mutahireen," ie, "none will touch it (that is, understand the deepest meanings) except the pure (of heart and soul)."

This is the heart of what Imamat is about.

[Rida]

I've heard from shia's & some of their scholars, that they (the imams) are equal in knowledge to that of Rasulullah (sallAllahu alaihiwasallam). Do the shi'ah really believe this?

[rahat]

Salaam,

1)What is the purpose of an Imam?

From this verse:

002.030
YUSUFALI: Behold, thy Lord said to the angels: "I will create a vicegerent on earth." They said: "Wilt Thou place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed blood?- whilst we do celebrate Thy praises and glorify Thy holy (name)?" He said: "I know what ye know not."

We believe that from this verse, Allah is saying that there will always be a Vicegerent (Khalifatullah) of Allah on Earth. The Prophethood ended with Prophet Muhammad, so a vicegerent must still somehow be on Earth, otherwise the promise of Allah in this ayat would be violated.

The purpose of the Imam is to be the representative of Allah.

2) What specifically is his job that only he can do and others (non-divinely appointed people) can't?

The "job" of the Imam is to uphold, maintain, and spread the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet, and carry out his orders on his authority. Also, since the Prophet granted the Wilayat to Imam Ali, and thus to the other Imams - the Imam is the leader of the community.

3)What are some of the contributions of Shia Imams 'during' their appointed times? And how are they any different from other (non-devinely appointed) Muslim leaders in history?

Imam Ali was so highly regarded in knowledge that all 3 preceeding Caliphs openly declared that they would have been destroyed or lost if not for Imam Ali.

Imam Hasan prevented a civil war that would have destroyed the Ummah.

Imam Husain died to uphold the values of his grandfather, setting off a massive rebellion against various tyrants, and sparking an unwavering devotion to Haqq that still exists in many sects of Islam today, and amongst the majority of Muslims.

Imam Zainul Abideen through Imam Musa Kadhim were highly renowned teachers in various schools, and in fact Imam Muhammad Baqir and Imam Jafer Sadiq were regarded as the teachers of various Imams of the 4 madhabs.

After Imam Musa Kadihm, the remaining heads of the Ahlul Bayt were kept imprisoned by various Abbasid caliphs until they were poisoned or otherwise died under "mysterious" circumstances. As such their activities were more underground, but mostly amounted to establishing the current system of Ulema that the Shia follow today.

-
rahat

[rahat]

Rida said

I've heard from shia's & some of their scholars, that they (the imams) are equal in knowledge to that of Rasulullah (sallAllahu alaihiwasallam). Do the shi'ah really believe this?

Salaam,

That is a misrepresentation of what we believe. We believe that Rasulullah taught Imam Ali everything that was necessary for Imam Ali and the latter 11 Imams to know. We believe that Prophet Muhammad is superior to all the Imams in the eyes of Allah, and to all other creations, in every regard.

-
rahat

[Rida]

rahat said

Salaam,

That is a misrepresentation of what we believe. We believe that Rasulullah taught Imam Ali everything that was necessary for Imam Ali and the latter 11 Imams to know. We believe that Prophet Muhammad is superior to all the Imams in the eyes of Allah, and to all other creations, in every regard.

-
rahat

A scholars word would be more authoritative, since i've read many scholars such as shiachats Al Qazwini state otherwise when it comes to the knowledge of the Imams.
If you have any sources from shia scholars explaining the difference between the knowledge of the Imams and Rasulullah (sallAllahu alaihi wasallam) and knowledge of Imams and other Prophets (alaihis salaam) then please post it.

[rahat]

Salaam,

No problem! We always appreciate it when someone asks for an earnest answer supported by evidence.

Imam Ja`far al-Sadiq (a) said: " My words (hadith) are the words of my
father, and the words of my father are the words of my grandfather, and the
words of my grandfather are the words al-Husayn, and the words of al-Husayn
are the words of al-Hasan, and the words of al-Hasan are the words of Amir
al-Mu'mineen (a), and the words of Amir al-Mu'mineen are the words of the
Prophet of Allah (s) and the words of the Prophet are the sayings (qawl) of
Allah." (AL-KAFI, The Book of Excellence of Knowledge, Hadith 154-14).

Also, the Shia Alim network response:
['Aalim Network QR] Hadith from our Imams

-
rahat

[LEGALEAGLE]

rahat said

Salaam,

No problem! We always appreciate it when someone asks for an earnest answer supported by evidence.

Imam Ja`far al-Sadiq (a) said: " My words (hadith) are the words of my
father, and the words of my father are the words of my grandfather, and the
words of my grandfather are the words al-Husayn, and the words of al-Husayn
are the words of al-Hasan, and the words of al-Hasan are the words of Amir
al-Mu'mineen (a), and the words of Amir al-Mu'mineen are the words of the
Prophet of Allah (s) and the words of the Prophet are the sayings (qawl) of
Allah." (AL-KAFI, The Book of Excellence of Knowledge, Hadith 154-14).

Also, the Shia Alim network response:
['Aalim Network QR] Hadith from our Imams

-
rahat

However there's a problem with your response as we already know that 12ever religious leaders do not feel bound by the sayings of any of their predecessors hence any reply one 12ever leader provides is neither conclusive nor does it provide a precedent.

[Khairan]

Rida said

I've heard from shia's & some of their scholars, that they (the imams) are equal in knowledge to that of Rasulullah (sallAllahu alaihiwasallam). Do the shi'ah really believe this?

Yes. That is, in fact, part of the purpose of the imam -- to provide a level of leadership and spiritual guidance which is undiminished following Rasoolillah's leaving us. This -- in the shia belief system -- is what allows Islam to remain the perfect religion that the Prophet established during his lifetime.

[Revert]

Thanks for clarifying these issues. They are things I have been wanting to ask but been afraid to in fear of having another sunni/shia flame war.

Everyone in this thread has shown the greatest fo adab and for that I am glad. May Allah reward you all inshaAllah.

[Kadhim]

Rida said

I've heard from shia's & some of their scholars, that they (the imams) are equal in knowledge to that of Rasulullah (sallAllahu alaihiwasallam). Do the shi'ah really believe this?

Equal is a pretty loose terminology. Equal in that they transmit as authentically as possible the depths of the knowledge and heritage of the prophet (saws), both in terms of exoteric (zahir) and esoteric (batin) knowledge, then to an extent, this is true. They are the brightest light after the Prophet (saws). Nevertheless it is a lesser, more mediated light. Imams share in the highest levels of intellect and illumination, but they do not share in the same direct experience of wahy. So in terms of this direct experiential knowledge of the process of revelation, they are lesser. As the Prophet said about Ali, "I am the city of knowledge, and Ali is it's gate. Whoever wants to enter the city should approach through the gate." I think this saying more than any other establishes the relationship.

In any case, when you reach such illuminated individuals, you are getting into hair splitting territory making differences. It is not so much important to conceptualize some ranking of their knowledge; more important from us is to learn something of the knowledge of all of them, and to put it to work, no?

[rahat]

LEGALEAGLE said

However there's a problem with your response as we already know that 12ever religious leaders do not feel bound by the sayings of any of their predecessors hence any reply one 12ever leader provides is neither conclusive nor does it provide a precedent.

Salaam,

No Mujtahid is bound to another Mujtahid - however, there can be zero contradiction between any Imam, and all Shias are bound to the words of the Imams. I hope that clarifies. The hadith I quoted was from Imam Jafer Sadiq, the 6th Imam.

-
rahat

[LEGALEAGLE]

rahat said

Salaam,

No Mujtahid is bound to another Mujtahid - however, there can be zero contradiction between any Imam, and all Shias are bound to the words of the Imams. I hope that clarifies. The hadith I quoted was from Imam Jafer Sadiq, the 6th Imam.

-
rahat

So clarification is possible but not contradiction of an established precedent ?

[rahat]

Salaam,

I think you've got it. Its just that if a scholar establishes a particular precedent, it must be based on Quran and hadith. If another (later) scholar agrees with the authenticity of those hadith, the research into it, and the conclusions - then the precedent is maintained.

However, if a later scholar feels that the "precedent" is not accurate, then it is abandoned in favor of more modern research in hadith.

But not scholar, no matter what, can "overrule" the Quran, the Prophet, or any of the 12 Imams.

-
rahat