Imam

By Author: Ibrahim Machiwala Lodhi
Total Articles: 463
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The word Imam (pl. a'imma) is derived from amma, meaning to lead the way, precede, or to lead by example. Thus, the Imam means a model, an exemplar, a teacher, a guide or a path.

With the Prophet, the Khatim al-anbiya (seal of the prophets), the cycle of prophecy (da'irat an-nubuwwa) was closed, but God did not thenceforth leave His people without guidance on the way to Himself. For the majority, the guide was the revealed Book. For the others, the exoteric laws, though accepted, was not enough. For these who became known as the Shi'ites, the guide through this world of divine wisdom (hikma ilahiyya) was the infallible Imam. The Imam is also Wali Allah and the closing of the prophetical cycle heralded the opening of another, i.e., the da'irat al-walaya.

The word Imam is used seven times in singular and five times in plural form in the Koran. These Koranic verses may be classified into five groups in consonant with different shades of meaning.
Group A:

"In the first group, the word Imam is used in six Koranic verses for the prophets and leaders in an honorific and positive sense as under:-

1. ...
... "And when his Lord tried Abraham with certain words, he fulfilled them. He said: Verily, I make you Imam for the mankind. Abraham said: And of my offspring? He (God) said: My covenant does not include the unjust" (2:124).

2. "And We made them Imams guiding people by Our command and We revealed to them the doing of good and keeping up of prayer and the giving of the alms, and Us (alone) did they serve" (21:73).

3. "And We made Imams among them to guide by Our command when they were patient and they were certain of Our signs" (32:24).

4. "And We desired to bestow a favour upon those who were deemed weak in the land, and to make them the Imams and to make them heirs" (28:5).

5. "And those who pray: O our Lord! Grant in our wives and our progeny the comfort of our eyes and make us Imams to lead the righteous" (25:74).

6. "Verily, We give life to the dead and We write down what they have sent before and their footprints, and We have counted everything in a Manifest Imam" (36:12).

The above verses indicate that the rightful Imams are divinely designated and that they are from the progeny of Prophet Abraham. Hence, Ali bin Abu Talib was from the same descent, designated Imam by the Prophet at the command of God.

Group B:

"Quite different from the above six verses, where the Imam means a rightful leader, in the second group of two Koranic verses, the term Imam is used for the leaders of the infidels:-

7. "And if they violate their oaths after their covenant, and revile you for your religion, then fight the Imams of the unbelievers. Verily their oaths are nothing, so that they may be restrained" (9:12)

8. "And We made them Imams, who call to the fire and on the day of judgment they shall not be assisted" (28:41)

The above two verses, referring to the leaders of unbelievers, indicate a common theme. In 9:12, it is mentioned that if the people violate their oaths, then the Prophet should fight the leaders of the unbelievers. This is so because their leaders were the principle source of infidelity and they should be fought first. Conversely, it implies that the true leaders (Imams) are the source of righteousness. In 28:41, it is indicated that those who are not righteous leaders, they invite their followers to the fire (nar). The converse however implies that the true leaders (Imams) invite their followers to the light (noor).

It may be possible that someone may raise a question, why the word Imam is used as the leader of unbelievers? In reply, it should be known that the word mawla is used for God in the Koran: "Then they are returned unto God, their Mawla (Master), the only Real One" (6:62), and "And if they turn back, then know that God is your Mawla (Master); and Most Excellent is the Mawla (Master), and Most Excellent the Helper" (8:40), and also "Say: Nothing will afflict us save what God has ordained for us: He is our Mawla (Master); and on God let the believers rely" (9:51).

On the other hand, the word mawla is also used in the Koran for the hellfire: "So today ransom shall not be accepted from you nor from those who disbelieved; your abode is the fire (nar); it is your mawla (master) and evil is the resort" (57:15).

Group C:

"After quoting the eight verses where the term Imam stands either a just or unjust leader, we will now deal in the third group with two Koranic verse where the term Imam stands to connote a book:-

9. "Is he then (like him) who has a clear proof from his Lord and a witness from Him and preceded by the Book of Moses, and Imam (guide) and a mercy" (11:17).

Here the Torah, the Book revealed to Moses has been referred to an Imam (guide) and mercy. The Koran further says:-

10. "And before this, was the Book of Moses as an Imam (guide) and a mercy and this Book (Koran) confirms (it) in the Arabic language to admonish the unjust and as a glad-tidings for the doers of good" (46:12).

It can be easily known that the word Imam used in the above two verses, referring to a Revealed Book, connotes its functions as a guide.

Group D:

"Apart from this, the term Imam implies the meaning of a path in the single Koranic verse as follows:-

11. "We inflicted retribution on them, and they are both (cities), indeed, on an open road (Imam-i Mubin) (15:79).

The context of above verse refers to a place called Aika, between Hijaz and Syria. In the time of Prophet Lut and Prophet Shu'aib, the people of Aika were rebellious, whom God punished. Nonetheless, it is interesting to see that the word Imam is used to mean road, highway or path. In fact, it is to be noted that the word like din, shariah, tariqah, mazhab or sirat signify, in one sense or another, a path or way. It implies that Imam is a path of guidance.

Group E:

"Lastly, in the single Koranic verse of this group, the term Imam is used in the sense of a witness, i.e. the Imam will serve as a witness on behalf of his followers:-

12. "(Remember) the day (hereafter) when We will summon every people with their Imam (leader-witness) then, whosoever is given his book in his right hand, these shall read their books and they shall not be dealt with (even) a shred unjustly" (17:71).

Ibn Arabi quotes the Prophet as saying in Tafsir al-Koran al-Karim (1:30) that, "Every man shall be brought together on the day of judgment with what he loves. If a man loves a stone, he shall be gathered together with it." Naturally, one who loves Imam, he will be with the Imam in last day.

Thus, the rightful Imams will be witness of their faithful followers and the unjust will accordingly testify for their followers. One should therefore hold fast to the rightful Imams for the benefit of his soul, because those who are unjust Imams will not be able to intercede for their followers' actions. The Koran says: "None shall have the power of intercession, but such who has received permission (or promise) from (God), the Most Glorious" (19:87) and also: "And those whom they call upon besides Him have no authority for intercession, except he who bears witness of the truth and they (people) know (that)" (43:86).

The Imam is the mazhar (epiphany) of God on earth as the electric bulb is a device of manifestation of electricity, which itself is invisible. The bulb plays the same role as the body of the Imam. Thus, the Imam is held to be the manifestation of the divine light, which is ever-present in the world.

The Imam is the Proof of God (Hujjat Allah) to mankind and the Sign of God (Ayat Allah) on earth. Ali bin Abu Talib is reported to have said: "God has no greater sign than me" (Bihar al-Anwar, 23:206). The Imam is the successor of the Prophet and the Vicar of God on earth. Obedience to him is obligatory. Imam Jafar Sadik said: "We are the ones to whom God has made obedience obligatory. The people will not prosper unless they recognized us and the people will not be excused if they are ignorant to us. He who has recognized us is a believer and he who has denied us is an unbeliever, and he who has neither recognized nor denied us is in error unless he returns to the right guidance which God has made obligatory for him. And if he dies in a state of error, God will do with him what He wishes" (al-Kafi, 1:187).

The ever-presence of an Imam is imperative. The Koranic verse, "If you should quarrel about anything, refer it to God and the Messenger" (4:59), necessitates the presence of an Imam physically after the Prophet, so that the believers may refer to him what they have quarrelled about. Shaikh al-Mufid (d. 413/1022) writes in Awa'il al-maqalat (Tabriz, 1951, p. 35) that, "The Imams take the place of the prophets in enforcing judgments, seeing to the execution of the legal penalties, safeguarding the law and educating mankind."

In addition, the Koran says, "And if when they had done injustice to themselves, they had but come to you and asked God's forgiveness, and the Prophet had (also) asked forgiveness for them. Surely, they would have found God Forgiving, Merciful." (4:64). It indicates that when God commanded the people to have recourse to the Prophet for the forgiveness of their sins and ask for forgiveness through him, does this not establish the necessity of this means and should it not be living and present in the world for ever?

The Koran also says, "And if two parties of the believers (mu'minin) fight with each other, make peace between them" (49:9). Urwa narrates that once Zubayr quarrelled with a man from the Ansar because of a natural mountainous stream at al-Harra. The Prophet said, "O'Zubayr! Irrigate your land and then let the water flow to your neighbour." The Ansar said, "O'Apostle of God! This is because Zubayr is your cousin?" The Prophet's face became red in displeasure and said, "O'Zubayr! Irrigate your land and then withhold the water till it fills the land upto the walls and then let it flow to your neighbour." So the Prophet enabled Zubayr to take his full right after the Ansar provoked his anger. The Prophet however previously given an order that was in favour of both of them (Bukhari, 6:109). On this occasion, the Koranic verse revealed: "But no! By your Lord! They do not believe (in reality) until they make you a judge in all disputes between them" (4:65). The questions here arises, who will solve the local and international disputes of the Muslims in this age? It clearly means the necessity of the Imam on earth in every age.

Besides, the Koran says: "And God is not going to chastise them while you are, O Muhammd among them" (8:33). It is the universal belief of all the Muslims that the followers of the Prophet are not going to be doomed with extirpation as was the case with the followers of other prophets. They attribute two reasons for this privileged protection; first that the Prophet was the last of the prophets and if his followers were to be doomed to destruction, there would be no other apostle to raise another nation of believers. And secondly that the Prophet a mercy to the whole world. But on reading the above Koranic verse, one comes to the conclusion that the privilege is restricted only to the life time of the Prophet as it reads: "While you are among them." The Prophet is admittedly not among us at present, why then do we still enjoy the privilege? The explanation of this is to be found in another verse: "And had there not been God averting some people's (doom) by others, certainly there would have been pulled down cloisters and churches and synagogues and mosques in which God's name is much remembered" (22:40). This verse makes it clear that there always exists in this world an infallible one through whose inherent auspiciousness this world exists. This infallible one is no other than the Prophet's progeny. Ibn Hajar writes, "Inasmuch as the Prophet was a security for the inhabitants of this earth, the people of his house (ahl al-bayt) are likewise the securities." This is further corroborated by the hadith, "If the Imam were to be removed from this earth, the earth together with its inhabitants would have cleaved asunder." It implies that that the existence of an Imam in every age is necessary and indispensable.

The Koran says: "O ye! Who believe, obey God and obey the Apostle and those among you invested with authority" (4:59). It is an undoubted fact that every apostle is sent to be obeyed by his people as is obvious from the following verse: "And We never sent an apostle but he who ought to be obeyed by God's permission" (4:64). Inasmuch as the extent of the obedience is not restricted, the last verse should be treated as an injunction for an absolute and complete obedience. The question arises as to the identity of these persons who are described "Invested with authority." Everyone knows the Prophet, but who are the "Invested with authority/" To be brief, the commentators are agreed that the expression "Those invested with authority" either means the Imams or the ruling princes of the time. The second alternative is obviously incorrect. The ruling prince is certainly not an infallible person. To solve the question, we have a tradition from Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari, who relates that the verse: "O ye! Who believe, obey God and obey the Apostle and those among you invested with authority" (4:59) was revealed, he asked the Prophet, "We know God and His Prophet, but who are these persons invested with authority?" The Prophet said, "Ali and his descendants are invested with authority." In sum, the Imam of every age is the Hujjatullah (Sign of God), the Noorullah (Light of God) and Mazhar (Epiphany) of God. He is Mansus (designated), Ma'sum (infallible) and Afdal an-na's (the best of the mankind).

The Prophet brought the law to guide the men, and after him the Koranic revelation ceased and men are left with a law, which corresponds to the exoteric aspect of the revelation. There then must come those who can interpret the inner meaning of the law and the esoteric content of the revelation. In Islam, the door of prophecy closed with the Prophet. He was both the exoteric and esoteric source of the revelation, but in his function as revealer of Divine legislation he represented the exoteric aspect. After him there must be those who inherited his esoteric function and whose duty is to expound the inner meaning of the Divine law. Just as the function of prophecy, in as much as it concerns the bringing of Divine legislation, is called nabuwat, so is the function of interpreting its inner meaning to men and preserving a link with the source of revelation called walayah in Shi'ism.

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