Imamah (Shi'a doctrine)
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- This article is about the Shi'a concept, for the more general Islamic term, see Imam.
Imamah (Arabic:إمام) is the Shi'a Islamic doctrine of leadership.
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
Shi'a believe that at any given time, a certain leader titled The Imam of Time, is the Guardian of all Muslims.
A Twelver Shi'a Imam is a Guide in all religious and worldly matters, and is believed to have been Divinely appointed. A Sunni Caliph, on the other hand, is appointed by a part of the community, and is mostly a temporal ruler, where the Quran is taken to be the only authority in all matters pertaining to religion.
Within Shi'ism, there are various sects that differ over the number of Imams, or path of succession. The issue of who is the rightful Imam has led to the growth of 3 sects within Shi'ism including: Twelvers, Ismailis & Zaidis.
They also differ in some of the definitions of a Shi'a Imam.
[edit] Imams
[edit] Twelver view
According to the majority of Shī'a, namely the Twelvers (Ithnā'ashariyya), the following is a listing of the rightful successors to Muhammad. Each Imam was the son of the previous Imam except for Hussayn ibn 'Alī, who was the brother of Hassan ibn 'Alī.
| Number | Name | Kunya (title) | Nasab (patrynomic) | Laqab (nickname/epithet) | Known by Twelvers for | Lifespan, in CE |
| 1 | cĀlī (علي) |
Abū al-Ḥassan (أبو الحسن) |
Ibn Abī Ṭālib (إبن أبي طالب) |
Amīr al-Mu'minīn (أمیر المؤمنین) - Commander of the Faithful |
The first Imam and the most significant person beside Mohammed of the Shi'a | 600 – 661 |
| 2 | al-Ḥassan (ألحسن) |
Abū Muḥammad (أبو محمد) |
Ibn cAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (إبن علي إبن أبي طالب) |
Al-Mujtabā (ألمجتبی) |
Signing a peace treaty to better Islam, greatly loved by Mohammed and along with his brother one of the Masters of the Youth of Paradise | 625 – 669 |
| 3 | al-Ḥussayn (ألحسین) |
Abū cAbdillāh (أبو عبداللھ) |
Ibn cAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (إبن علي إبن أبي طالب) |
Sayyid ash-Shuhadā' (سید الشھداء) - Lord of the Martyrs |
Battle of Karbala | 626 – 680 |
| 4 | cAlī (علي) |
Abū Muḥammad (أبو محمد) |
Ibn al-Ḥussayn (إبن الحسین) |
Zayn al-cĀbidīn (زین العابدین) - Jewel of the Worshipers |
Wept for twenty years on the subject of Karbala, the first Imam after the Battle of Karbala | 658 – 713 |
| 5 | Muḥammad (محمد) |
Abū Jacfar (أبو جعفر) |
Ibn cAlī (إبن علي) |
Al-Bāqir (ألباقر) |
Wearing clean clothes and had extremely good character, was the least oppressed of all twelve imams by the caliph of the time | 676 – 743 |
| 6 | Jacfar (جعفر) |
Abū cAbdillāh (أبو عبداللھ) |
Ibn Muḥammad (إبن محمد) |
Aṣ-Ṣādiq (ألصادق) |
A high scholar revered by both Sunnis and Shias | 703 – 765 |
| 7 | Mūsā (موسی) |
Abū Ibrāhīm (أبو إبراھیم) |
Ibn Jacfar (إبن جعفر) |
Al-Kāẓim (ألکاظم) |
Grew up in prison to be weak and thin | 745 – 799 |
| 8 | cAlī (علي) |
Abū al-Ḥassan (أبو الحسن) |
Ibn Mūsā (إبن موسی) |
Ar-Riḍā (ألرضا) (pronounced "Reza" by Persian- and Urdu-speakers) |
The only Imam to be buried in Iran | 765 – 818 |
| 9 | Muḥammad (محمد) |
Abū Jacfar (أبو جعفر) |
Ibn cAlī (إبن علي) |
At-Taqī (ألتقي) |
Defeated people in debates at the age of 8 | 810 – 835 |
| 10 | cAlī (علي) |
Abū al-Ḥassan (أبو الحسن) |
Ibn Muḥammad (إبن محمد) |
Al-Hādī (ألھادي), an-Naqī (ألنقي) |
(To be added later) | 827 – 868 |
| 11 | Al-Ḥassan (ألحسن) | Abū Muḥammad (أبو محمد) |
Ibn cAlī (إبن علي) |
Al-cAskarī (ألعسکري) |
The penultimate Imam, lived almost his entire life under house arrest and yet still preached to people | 846 – 874 |
| 12 | Muḥammad (محمد) |
Abū Qāsim (أبو قاسم) |
Ibn al-Ḥassan (إبن الحسن) |
Al-Mahdī (ألمھدي) |
Current Imam, known to be al-Mehdi, the saviour, believed to be in occultation | 868 – Present |
The Twelvers further believe that the 12th Imam, Muḥammad al-Mahdī, is believed to be in occultation and it is believed will reveal himself on the Day of Resurrection.
[edit] Ismaili view
The Ismailis believe that the first five of the first six Imams listed above are the rightful successors of Muhammad, but differ as to the seventh, believing that Ismail bin Jafar was the rightful successor to his father Jafar al-Sadiq, and not his brother Musa al-Kazim. It is important to note that Hasan ibn Ali is not counted as Imam by the Ismailis on the ground that continuation of the Imamate can only occur from the current Imam to a male descendant. Since Hasan and Husayn were siblings, the Imamate could not pass from one of them to the other.
- Ali ibn Abi Talib (600 CE-661 CE)
- Husayn ibn Ali (626-680)
- Ali ibn Husayn (658-713), also known as Zayn al-Abidin
- Muhammad al-Baqir (676-743)
- Jafar al-Sadiq (703-765)
- Ismail bin Jafar
The Ismaili line of Imams continues unbroken up to Imam al-Mustansir, where it diverges into the Nizaris - of whom the Aga Khan IV is the 49th and current Imam - and the Mustaalis.
[edit] Zaydī view
The Zaydī believe that the first four Imāms listed above are the rightful successors of Muhammad but differ as to the fifth. The Zaydiyya believe that Zayd ibn ˤAlī and not his brother Muhammad al-Baqir was the rightful successor to the Imamate. For Zaydiyya, the Imamate was transferred from Zayd ibn ˤAlī to the Imāms who followed him; they often took the title of caliph. Unusually, the Zaydī caliphate was not hereditary, although the caliph has to be descended from ˤAlī ibn Abī Tālib.
- Alī ibn Abī Tālib (600 CE-661 CE)
- Hassan ibn Alī (625-669)
- Hussayn ibn Alī (626-680)
- Zayn al-Abidin (658-713), also known as Ali ibn Husayn
- Zayd ibn Alī (d. 740)
Not all "Zaydiyya" believe Zayd was the true Imām - Wasitis believe in the Twelve Imams and are considered Twelvers. Most Wasitī settled in India and Pakistan; the largest group is known as Saadat-e Bahra. Saadat means "descendants of Muhammad" and bahra means "twelve" in Hindi-Urdu. Saadat-e Bahra's biggest gathering is in Karachi, Pakistan and Muzaffarnagar, India.
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