The Shia

25. Shi’ah tenets on the question of the imamate.

Linguistically, Shi’ah means “companions and followers.”

In the customary usage of old and modern jurists and speculative theologians, ‘Shiah’ is used for the followers and descendants of Ali. They believe that the imamate is not a public interest to be delegated or appointed.

To the Shi’ah, this is a fundamental article of Islam.

No prophet is permitted to neglect it or to delegate the appointment of an imam.

• The prophet Mohammad appoints an imam for the Muslims.
• The imam cannot commit sins.

Ali is Muhammad’s appointee.

The Shi’ah transmit texts of traditions in support of this belief.

The authorities on the Sunnah and the transmitters of the religious law do not know these texts.

• Most of them are supposititious, or
• some of their transmitters are suspect, or
• their true interpretation is very different from the wicked interpretation of the Shi’ah

To the Shi’ah, these texts fall into the 2 categories of express and implied statements.

An express statement is:

They believe that ‘master’ applies only to Ali. Umar thus said to Ali:

“You have become the master of all believers, men and women.”

Another tradition of this sort is the following statement of Muhammad:

“Your best judge is Ali.”

Imamate means exclusively the activity of judging in accordance with the divine laws.

The activity of judging and being a judge is what is meant by “the people in authority” whom God requires us to obey in the verse of the Qur’an:

“Obey God, and obey the Messenger and the people in authority among you.”

Therefore, Ali and no other was arbitrator in the question of the imamate on the day of the Saqifah.252

Another statement is:

“He who renders the oath of allegiance to me upon his life is my legatee and the man who will be in charge of this authority here after me.“Only ‘Ali rendered the oath of allegiance to him (in this manner).

To the Shi’ah, an implied argument is the fact that the Prophet sent Ali to recite the surat al-Bara’ah at the festival in Mecca when it had just been revealed.

He first sent Abu Bakr with it. Then it was revealed to Muhammad that “a man from you,"-or= “. . . from your people”-“should transmit it.”

Therefore, he sent Ali to transmit it.

As they say, this proves that ‘Ali was preferred (by Muhammad). Furthermore, it is not known that Muhammad ever preferred anyone to ‘All, while he preferred Usamah b. Zayd 254 and ‘Amr b. al-’ As 255 to both Abu Bakr and ‘Umar during two different raids.

To the Shi’ah, all these things prove that ‘Ali and no one else was appointed (by Muhammad) to the caliphate.

However, some of the statements quoted are little known, and others require an interpretation very different from that which (the Shi’ah) give. Some Shi’ah hold the opinion that these texts prove both the personal appointment of ‘All and the fact that the imamate is transmitted from him to his successors.

They are the Imamiyah.

They renounce the two shaykhs Abu Bakr and Umar because they:

• did not give precedence to Ali
• did not render the oath of allegiance to him, as required by the texts.

The Imamiyah do not take the imamates (of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar) seriously. But we do not want to bother with transmitting the slanderous things said about (Abfi Bakr and ‘Umar) by (Imamiyah) extremists.

They are objectionable in our opinion and (should be) in theirs.

Other Shi’ah say that these proofs require the appointment of ‘All not in person but as far as (his) qualities are concerned. They say that people commit an error when they do not give the qualities their proper place. They are the Zaydiyah.

They do not renounce the two shaykhs (Abu Bakr and ‘Umar). They do take their imamates seriously, but they say that ‘All was superior to them. They permit an inferior person to be the imam, even though a superior person may be alive (at the same time).

The Shi’ah differ in opinion concerning the succession to the caliphate after Ali.

Some have it passed on among the descendants of Fatimah in succession, through testamentary determination (nass).

They are called the Imamiyah, with reference to their statement that knowledge of the imam and the fact of his being appointed are an article of the faith. That is their fundamental tenet.

Others consider the descendants of Fatimah the (proper) successors to the imamate, but through selection (of an imam) from among the Shi’ah. The conditions governing (selection of) that imam are that he have knowledge, be ascetic, generous, and brave, and that he go out to make propaganda for his imamate.

They are the Zaydiyah, so named after the founder of the sect, Zayd b. ‘Ali b. al-Husayn, the grandson of Muhammad. He had a dispute with his brother Muhammad al-Bagir concerning the condition that the imam has to come out openly.

Al-Bagir charged him with implying that, in the way Zayd looked at it, their father Zayn-al-‘abidin would not be an imam, because he had not come out openly and had made no preparations to do so.

He also accused him of holding Mu’tazilah tenets which he had learned from Wasil b. ‘Ata. When the Imimiyah discussed the question of the imamates of the two shaykhs (Abu Bakr and ‘Umar) with Zayd, and noticed that he admitted their imamates and did not renounce them, they disavowed him and did not make him one of the imams.

On account of that fact, they are called “Disavowers” (Rafidah).

Some Shi’ah consider as successors to the imamate, after ‘All-or after his two sons, Muhammad’s grandsons (al-Hasan and al-Husayn), though they disagree in this respect-(al-Hasan’s and al-Husayn’s) brother, Muhammad b. al-Hanafiyah, and then the latter’s children.

They are the Kaysiniyah, so named after Kaysin, a client of (‘Ali’s). 258

There are many differences among these sects which we have omitted here for the sake of brevity.

There are also Shi’ah sects that are called “Extremists” (ghulah). They transgress the bounds of reason and the faith of Islam when they speak of the divinity of the imams. They either assume that the imam is a human being with divine qualities, or they assume that he is God in human incarnation.

This is a dogma of incarnation that agrees with the Christian tenets concerning Jesus. ‘Ali himself had these (Shl’ah) who said such things about him burned to death. Muhammad b. al-Hanafiyah was very angry with alMukhtir b. Abi ‘Ubayd when he learned that al-Mukhtar had suggested something along these lines concerning him.He cursed and renounced al-Mukhtir openly.

Ja’far as-Sidiq did the same thing with people about whom he had learned something of the sort. Some (Shi’ah) extremists say that the perfection the imam possesses is possessed by nobody else. When he dies, his spirit passes over to another imam, so that this perfection may be in him. This is the doctrine of metempsychosis.

Some extremists stop (w-q-f) with one of the imams and do not go on. (They stop with the imam) whom they consider (to have been) appointed as the (last one). They (who believe this) are the Wiqifiyah. Some of them say that the (last imam) is alive and did not die, but is removed from the eyes of the people. As a proof for that (theory), they adduce the problem of al-Khidr.

Something of that sort has been stated with regard to ‘Ali himself.

He is said to be in the clouds. The thunder is his voice, and lightning his whip.260 Something similar has also been stated with regard to Muhammad b. al-Hanafiyah. He is said to be in the Mountain of Radwi in the Hijiz. The poet of (the sect holding that belief), Kuthayyir,261 says:

The Qurashite imams, The champions of the Truth, are four, all alike= ‘Ali and his three sons, They are the grandsons of Muhammad. To them, no obscurity is attached. One grandson is the grandson of faith and piety. Another was “removed” through Kerbela.

There is a grandson who will not taste death, until He shall lead an army preceded by the flag.

He is “removed,” and has not been seen among them for a time,

In Radwi, having with him honey and water.

The extremist Imimiyah, in particular the Twelvers, hold a similar opinion.

They think that the 12th of their imams, Muhammad b. al-Hasan al-‘Askari, who they call “al-Mahdi” entered the cellar of their house in al-Hillah and was “removed” when he was imprisoned (there) with his mother. He has remained there “removed.” 262

He will come forth at the end of time and will fill the earth with justice. The Twelver Shi’ah refer in this connection to the tradition found in the collection of atTirmidhi regarding the Mahdi. 263

The Twelver Shi’ah are still expecting him to this day. Therefore, they call him “the Expected One.” Each night after the evening prayer, they bring a mount and stand at the entrance to the cellar where (the Mahdi is “removed”). They call his name and ask him to come forth openly. They do so until all the stars are out. 264 Then, they disperse and postpone the matter to the following night.

They have continued that custom to this time.