The Imamate II

“Glorified be God! How numerous are Ali’s virtues and merits! I believe they may even be three thousand!”

The inheritance

Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem.

Ali ibn Abu-Talib (peace be upon him), the one who inherited even before the death of his predecessor Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), because they were made of the same light, but assigned to different positions, one to to receive the final revelation, the other to preserve that same revelation and guide mankind… and in the end, their paths meet, for the sake of the one who has no partners or the like, the one who has no beginning or end, as he always was; Allah, the Most High.

In the previous article we discussed the belief in the Imamate and how the presence of the Imam is and was present in all eras (of human life) on earth; for the second part we will cover the following topics: the importance of Ahlul Bayt, virtues of the first Imam, how the Imamate is passed on and finally, we will reach the conclusion.

The importance of Ahlul Bayt

The holy and purified family of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon them), is one of the great points to approach our beloved prophet; everything in them emanates light, eloquence, wisdom and pure spirituality, even during all the oppression they suffered, in the midst of so many calamities and suffering, they served and serve as an example for us, even today.

We must hold fast to the “rope of Allah”, and what is that rope? The Ahlul Bayt and it is highly recommended that we know about them, that we have love for them, a genuine love and this is shown to us within the Qur’an:

“(Love for my relatives) brings happiness in this world and the next, while neglecting them causes damnation.” — 42:23

A verse that at first glance may go unnoticed and without being understood, however, when we analyze it, we realize the weight that is in this statement, a love that causes happiness in this world and the next cannot be said without being true, and something said without being truth leads to negligence, negligence leads to perdition and what we seek is not to be lost, but to find the right path, ease and detachment from materialism.

To understand a little more about the nobility of such a family, below is one of the most transmitted narrations among both Sunnis and Shi'a.

Hadith al-Thaqalayn

إِنِّی تَارِک فِیکمْ أَمْرَینِ إِنْ أَخَذْتُمْ بِهِمَا لَنْ تَضِلُّوا- کتَابَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ أَهْلَ بَیتِی عِتْرَتِی أَیهَا النَّاسُ اسْمَعُوا وَ قَدْ بَلَّغْتُ إِنَّکمْ سَتَرِدُونَ عَلَی الْحَوْضَ فَأَسْأَلُکمْ عَمَّا فَعَلْتُمْ فِی الثَّقَلَینِ وَ الثَّقَلَانِ کتَابُ اللَّهِ جَلَّ ذِکرُهُ وَ أَهْلُ بَیتِی

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): “Indeed I am leaving two things between you which, if you cling to it, you will never go astray: the book of Allah and my Ahlul Bayt (family). Oh people, listen! And I have announced to you that: indeed, you will come into my presence (on the day of judgement) and I will ask what you have done to thaqalayn (two weighty things) and thaqalayn are the book of Allah and my Ahlul Bayt.”

Thus, the law of Thaqalayn was formed; some may ask, “Does this really prove the importance of Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them)?” And the answer is: yes, but we can go deeper into their meanings, so that this importance can also be understood and not just affirmed.

And as mentioned earlier, if the earth does not remain without the presence of an Imam (appointed by God) and the 12 holy Imams are part of the Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them), then we can see that Allah has placed them as pillars of creation , from guidance and leadership, the best examples to be followed; and how can this be proved? Here are some hadiths that can clear our minds:

Imam al-Baqir (peace be upon him): “When Allah created the intellect, he said: ‘By my power and majesty! I have created nothing more loved by me than you; it is through you that I will ordain, forbid and reward.’” — Bihar al-Anwar

So we remember that: the first thing to be created was the divine light of our beloved prophet Muhammad and Imam Ali ibn Abu-Talib (peace be upon them). “The first thing that Allah created was the intellect…” (al-Bihar) and Muhammad al-Mustafa (peace be upon him and his family) is the city of knowledge, the intellect itself and if there is nothing more loved by Allah than the intellect, it is evident that the earth and we human beings were created by the great love of Allah by the light of the seal of the prophets…

Keeping in mind the first thing to be created, we can point out the distinction of Ahlul Bayt in relation to other human beings, according to the hadith below:

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): “Ali and I are from the same tree, while other people are from a different tree.” — al-Iqbal, Bihar al-Anwar

The distinction and high standing of Ahlul Bayt then becomes clear; ‘while other people are from a different tree.’ What is this different tree? This refers to Bani Adam, the children of Adam (peace be upon him), that is the tree of humanity, while the tree of Ahlul Bayt is another, a heavenly tree for heavenly beings, so we can see why this distinction exists and because the love that we affirm for Ahlul Bayt cannot be false, it cannot be empty words, but actions that complement the beautiful words, our life must be a poem and the best way to write a poem is to act in according to the will of Allah, respecting and following those he appointed as our guides (the Imams).

The capacity and magnitude of Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them) cannot be compared to other human beings, no matter what position those humans represent. For this reason it is forbidden for us to take as “Imams” those who are clearly not appointed by God, because we owe loyalty and obedience to the twelve infallibles of Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them), because Allah created them from light before the creation of other things and blessed them with knowledge and placed them as pillars of creation.

“Indeed, we dignified the children of Adam, carried them on land and sea, provided them with good and legal provisions, and privileged them far above many¹ of our creatures.” — 17:70

1: Above many, but not all

Why Ali ibn Abu-Talib?

The one who inherited even before the death of his predecessor, the bearer of Zulfiqar, the brother of Muhammad al-Mustafa (God’s peace upon him), the first and last, the apparent and the hidden, the one who gives life and death and the one who rose and won.

The First and the Last?

Yes, for he was the first to accept Islam and the last because he was the one who buried the prophet and was with him in his last moments. First and last because he is the first Imam and the knowledge of the last is equal to the knowledge of the first.

The one who gives life and death?

Yes, for he is the one who gives life to prophetic tradition (Sunna) and gives death to innovation (Bid’ah).

The apparent and the hidden?

Yes, because he has both apparent and hidden knowledge.

The one who rose and won?

Yes, that means he is the one who rose through the sword and won battles until the heathen believed in Allah and his prophet.

(Al-Ikhteesaas)

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family): “Ali ibn Abu-Talib is the best of creatures after me.” — The Hundred Virtues, Ibn Shadhan

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family): “Whoever loved Ali ibn Abu-Talib during his lifetime, Allah wrote security for him; whoever hated Ali during his lifetime, died in ignorance (jahiliyyah) and will be held responsible for what he did.” — Fadhail al-Shia

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family): “…He who loves Ali, loves me and Allah will accept the one who loves me.” — Fadhail al-Shia

How does the Imamate continues?

Prophet Muhammad (God’s peace upon him): “I am the master of the first (past) and the last (future) generation and you, O Ali, are the master of creatures after me. The first of us (Ahlul Bayt) is the same as the last of us and the last of us is the same as the first of us.” — The Hundred Virtues, Ibn Shadhan

Is the first equal to the last and the last equal to the first?

The Imams are the spiritual light and examples to humanity and this question can be answered simply: the divine light (Nur) and the distinction of Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them) that we discussed earlier; in this way the Nur of an Imam passes on to his successor, so we understand that the knowledge of the former is equal to the latter and we cannot distinguish between them but must love them equally.

Imam al-Ridha (peace be upon him): “The successor to the Imamate must be his father’s eldest son and have the will (God’s appointment).”

Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him): “Imamate does not happen to two brothers after al-Hassan and al-Hussein (peace be upon them).”

(al-Kafi)

And even with his high and superior position, the Imam gives us an example of humility and asceticism, with a total detachment from the life of this world, because in fact, this world is a prison for the believer…

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): “No, by Allah. I do not like and not for a moment did I enjoy this worldly life.” — Kitab al-Ghayba

The system that God created cannot be imperfect, so he appointed infallible leaders, who are examples for our spiritual evolution, to help us live free from materialism and carnal desires.

Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him): “Ali is the door of guidance, he who opposes Ali is an infidel and he who denies him will enter the fire.” — al-Mahasin

Opposing the first is the same as opposing all and if you neglect the first then you have neglected all 12 (Imams).

Imam al-Ridha (peace be upon him): “An Imam is a luminous moon, a bright lamp, a bright light and a guiding star in dark nights, in deserts and on the high seas. An Imam is like pure water for the thirsty. He is the light that leads to guidance and the savior, who saves from perishing. An Imam is like a bonfire on a hill. He is warm for those who want to keep warm, and a sign of guidance for the lost. Whoever turns away from this will perish.” — Kitab al-Ghayba

So, finally, we understand the importance of this sacred family, to whom we owe loyalty and obedience, each of us has our own process of spiritual evolution, each of us has our time, as long as we are alive in this world, there are still chances to repent , because our God is the most merciful and our guides are the best of creation.

I hope this article was beneficial to those who read it, so we close the subject of Imamate for now.

All praises are dedicated to God who has no partners or peers and may God bless Muhammad and his purified family.