Imamate in Shia doctrine
In Shia Islam, the Imamah is a doctrine which asserts that certain individuals from the lineage of the Islamic prophet Muhammad are to be accepted as leaders and guides of the ummah after the death of Muhammad. Imamah further says that Imams possess divine knowledge and authority as well as being part of the Ahl al-Bayt, the family of Muhammad. These Imams have the role of providing commentary and interpretation of the Quran as well as guidance.
Etymology
The word "Imām" denotes a person who stands or walks "in front". For Sunni Islam, the word is commonly used to mean a person who leads the course of prayer in the mosque. It also means the head of a madhhab. However, from the Shia point of view this is merely the basic understanding of the word in the Arabic language and, for its proper religious usage, the word "Imam" is applicable only to those members of the house of Muhammad designated as infallible by the preceding Imam.Introduction
The Shia believe that only the A'immah have the legitimate right to serve as caliphs, viewing all other caliphs—whether chosen by consensus or otherwise—as political leaders who usurped a divinely designated role.According to the hadith, Muhammad said: "To whomsoever I am Mawla, Ali is his Mawla." This hadith has been related in different ways in no less than 45 Shia and Sunni hadithic sources, including compendia by al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and others.The major conflict between Sunni and Shia Muslims centers on the interpretation of the word "mawla." For Shia Muslims, "mawla" means "master" and holds the same elevated significance as it did when the term was used to address Muhammad during his lifetime. They believe that Muhammad publicly designated Ali as "Mawla" for all Muslims at the Ghadiri Khum Oasis, just months before his death. This event involved Muhammad’s closest companions—Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman —taking Ali's hand in both of theirs as a token of their allegiance to him. Those who viewed Ali as Muhammad's immediate successor, even before Muhammad's death, came to be known as the Shia.
In contrast, for Sunni Muslims, "mawla" means "beloved" or "revered" and does not hold any significant implications beyond that.
Sects
Within Shia Islam, the various sects came into being because they differed over their Imams' successions, just as the Shia–Sunni separation within Islam itself came into being from the dispute that had arisen over the succession to Muhammad. Each succession dispute brought forth a different tariqah within Shiism. Each Shia tariqah followed its own particular Imam's dynasty, resulting in different numbers of Imams for each particular Shia tariqah. When the dynastic line of the separating successor Imam ended with no heir to succeed him, then either he or his unborn successor was believed to have gone into a concealment known as The Occultation.The Shia tariqah with a majority of adherents are the Twelvers who are commonly known as "Shia". After that come the Nizari Ismailis commonly known as the Ismailis, then the Mustalian Ismailis also called the "Bohras", and there are further schisms within their Bohri tariqah. The Druze tariqah initially were part of the Fatimid Ismailis but separated from them after the death of the Fatimid Imam and Caliph Al Hakim Bi Amrillah. The Shia Sevener tariqah no longer exists. Another small tariqah is that of the Zaidi Shias, or the "Fivers"; they do not believe in the Occultation of their last Imam.
Although all these different Shia tariqahs belong to the Shia sect in Islam, there are major doctrinal differences between the main Shia tariqahs. After that there is the complete doctrinal break between all the different Shia tariqahs whose last Imams have gone into Occultation and the Shia Nizari Ismailis, who deny the concept of Occultation and so have to have a present and living Imam until the end of time.
Twelver view
Shias believe that Imamah is of the Principles of Faith. As the verse 4:165 of Quran expresses the necessity to the appointment of the prophets, so after the demise of the prophet who will play the role of the prophet, until the people have no plea against Allah. The same logic that necessitated the assignment of prophets also is applied for Imamah. That is, Allah must assign someone similar to the prophet in his attributes and Ismah as his successor to guide the people without any deviation in religion.They refer to the verse 5:3 of the Quran which was revealed to the prophet when he appointed Ali as his successor at the day of Ghadir Khumm.
By the verse Quran, 2:124, Shias believe that Imamah is a divine position always Imamah is accompanied by the word guidance, of course a guidance by God's Command. A kind of guidance which brings humanity to the goal. no age can be without an Imam. Regarding 17:71, So, according to the upper verse, 1. Imamah is a position which is appointed by God and must be specified by Him; 2. Imam is protected by a divine protection and no one excels him in nobility; 3. No age can be without an Imam and finally Imam knows everything which is needed for human being to get to the truth and goal.
Why only specific members of Muhammad's family?
Sunnis reject the doctrine of Imamate on the basis of their interpretation of verse 33:40 of the Qur'an which says that Muhammad, as the, "is not the father of any of your men"; and that is why God let Muhammad's sons die in infancy. This is why Muhammad did not nominate a successor, as he wanted to leave the succession to be resolved "by the Muslim Community on the basis of the Qur’anic principle of consultation ". The question Madelung proposes here is why the family members of Muhammad should not inherit aspects of Muhammad's character, apart from prophethood, such as rule, wisdom, and leadership. Since the Sunni concept of the "true caliphate" itself defines it as a "succession of the Prophet in every respect except his prophethood", Madelung further asks, "If God really wanted to indicate that he should not be succeeded by any of his family, why did He not let his grandsons and other kin die like his sons?"It is narrated that it is forbidden for the Divine Leader not to be from the family of Muhammad. According to Ali al-Ridha, since it is obligatory to obey him, there should be a sign to clearly indicate the Divine Leader. That sign is his well-known ties of kinship with Muhammad and his clear appointment so that the people could distinguish him from others, and be clearly guided toward him. Otherwise others are nobler than Muhammad's offspring and they are to be followed and obeyed; and the offspring of Muhammad are obedient and subject to the offspring of Muhammad's enemies such as Abi Jahl or Ibn Abi Ma’eet. However, Muhammad is much nobler than others to be in charge and to be obeyed. Moreover, once the prophethood of Muhammad is testified they would obey him, no one would hesitate to follow his offspring and this would not be hard for anyone. While to follow the offspring of the corrupted families is difficult. And that is maybe why the basic characteristic of Muhammad and other prophets was their nobility. For none of them, it is said, were originated from a disgraced family. It is believed that all Muhammad's ancestors up to Adam were true Muslims. Jesus was also from a pious family, as it is mentioned in the Quran that after his birth, people said to Mary: "O sister of Aaron, your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste."
The Ismā'īlī view
The doctrine of the Imamate in Isma'ilism differs from that of the Twelvers because the Isma'ilis had living Imams for centuries after the last Twelver Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, went into hiding. They followed Isma'il ibn Jafar, elder brother of Musa al-Kadhim, as the rightful Imam after his father, Ja'far al-Sadiq. The Ismailis believe that whether Imam Ismail did or did not die before Imam Ja'far, he had passed on the mantle of the imamate to his son Muhammad ibn Isma'il as the next imam.According to Isma'ilism, God has sent seven great prophets known as Nātiqs "Speaker" in order to disseminate and improve his dīn of Islam. All of these great prophets has also one assistant known as Sāmad "Silent" Imām. At the end of each seven Sāmad silsilas, one great Nātiq has been sent in order to improve the faith. After Adam and his son Seth, and after six Nātiq–Sāmad silsila, the silsila of Nātiqs and Sāmads have been completed with Muhammad ibn Isma'il.
Why Imams from only (specific) family members
Ismailis view Imams as the true representative of God. God has made all prophets his representative. Individual prophets era are distinct. After one prophets God created next prophet. Islam view that Mohammed is last prophet. Mohammed appointed his specific representative Ali. Ali made imams as his next representative and one imam appointed another until date. The Isma'ili view that these Imam are only from their hereditary chain and their appointment is a must, and Earth cannot remain vacant, without presence of Imam.Zaidi view
or Zaidi is a Shia madhhab named after the imam Zayd ibn Ali. Followers of the Zaidi fiqh are called Zaidis. However, there is also a group called the Zaidi Wasītīs who are Twelvers.In the context of the Shi'a Muslim belief in spiritual leadership or Imamate, Zaydis believe that the leader of the Ummah or Muslim community must be Fatimids: descendants of Muhammad through his only surviving daughter Fatimah, whose sons were Hasan ibn ʻAlī and Husayn ibn ʻAlī. These Shi'a called themselves Zaydi so they could differentiate themselves from other Shi'is who refused to take up arms with Zayd ibn Ali.
Zaydis believe Zayd ibn Ali was the rightful successor to the Imamate because he led a rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphate, who he believed were tyrannical and corrupt. Muhammad al-Baqir did not engage in political action and the followers of Zayd believed that a true Imām must fight against corrupt rulers. The renowned Muslim jurist Abu Hanifa, who is credited for the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam, delivered a fatwā or legal statement in favour of Zayd in his rebellion against the Umayyad ruler. He also urged people in secret to join the uprising and delivered funds to Zayd.
Unlike Twelver Shi'ites, Zaydis do not believe in the infallibility of Imāms The Imamate can be passed down to anyone of the household of Muhammad.