IMAMAH

The Final Revelation

ALLAH (swt)sent his final message through

Prophet Muhammad(as), who

taught and explained it to the people and guided them to the

straight path

But was this teaching and

guidance only for Muslims of the time of Prophet

Muhammad (as)?

What would happen to the Muslims after the holy Prophet?Who would guide them?

Prophet hood would end with Prophet Muhammad (as)

So would our creator leave the coming generations without any guide?

Journey of mankind

Who leads after the Prophets?End of chain of Prophets (632

AD)

Beginning of Chain of prophets

Adam(as) Muhammad (as) ? ? Day of Judgement

After the death of the Prophet in

632 A.D. and hence the end of Prophet hood, would

mankind be left on their own, without a guide appointed by the all

Mighty?

ALLAH (swt ) in his infinite wisdom, sent his selected servants, who would take

up the work left by the Holy Prophet (saw) and guide the

generations to come

These individuals were also announced

by Prophet Muhammad(saww)

When he said;

“I am leaving among you two weighty things. If you keep attached to them firmly after me, you will never go astray. One is the Quran and the other my descendants, the AhlulBait.”

Prophet Muhammad (saww)

These special persons were called IMAMS

Who were these chosen ones?

Journey of mankind

IMAMS complete the

leadership gap

End of chain of Prophets

(632 AD)

Beginning of Chain of prophets

Adam(as) Muhammad (as) Imams Day of Judgement

Why the need of IMAMS?

ALLAH (swt) would never leave the people to find their own guidance, hence he chose Imams who he Purified and gave them knowledge to be capable to guide the Muslims towards the straight path

1. ALLAH (swt) would never leave us without a guide

There fore, after Prophet Muhammad(as) passed away, ALLAH (swt) gave the duty of teaching and guiding of the final message to his selected servants….the IMAMS

CONTINUATION OF GUIDANCE

These imams had special qualities, just

like Prophet Muhammad(as) and the prophets before

him in order to continue guiding the

people

ALLAH (swt) wanted leaders who would guard Islam from being destroyed, corrupted and the pure message from being changed.

2. Guardians of Islam

ALLAH (swt) has always wanted his representative to be present amongst mankind.

First it was the prophetsAnd after the end of Prophet hood, it was the Imams

3. Representative

ALLAH swt wanted to unite all Muslims under one leader. A leader who would be in his time ;

The most learned The most Just The bravest The most pious The most kind and generous

4. Need to unite the Muslims

From the family of Prophet Ibrahim

And (remember) when his Lord tried Ibrahim with certain words, then he fulfilled them. He said: "Surely I am going to make you an Imam for mankind" (Ibrahim) said: "And of my descendants?" He ALLAH (swt)said: "My promise will not include the unjust”

(Qur’an 2:124)

Origin of IMAMS

Hence from the verse 2:124 we can conclude that the Imams had to be from the family of Prophet Ibrahim(as), through Prophet Muhammad (saw)

Descendants of Prophet Ibrahim

They were from the Bloodline of the Prophets

PR. IBRAHIM

ISHMAEEL ISHAK

ABDUL MUTALIB JACOB

ABDULLAH ABU TALIB

PR.MUHAMMAD(SAWW)IMAM

SYEDA FATIMA ZAHRA IMAM ALI (As) 1ST

IMAM HASSAN(AS) 2ND

IMAM HUSSEIN (AS) 3RD

IMAM ZAINUL ABEDIN(AS) 4TH

IMAM MUHAMMAD BAQIR (AS) 5TH

IMAM JAFFER AS-SADIQ(AS) 6TH

IMAM MUSA AL-KAZIM(AS) 7TH

IMAM ALI RIDHA (AS) 8TH

IMAM MUHAMMAD AL-TAQI (AS) 9TH

IMAM ALI AL-NAQI (AS) 10TH

IMAM HASSAN AL-ASKARY (AS) 11TH

IMAM MUHAMMAD MAHDI (AS) 12TH

An Imam must be free from committing any SIN or ERROR-just like the Nabi and Rasool

An imam who commits sins cannot be a role model and hence cannot be an example to others to guide them

Qualities of Imams

1.Must be Masum (free of sin)

Therefore an Imam must be strong in his belief and

refrain from committing any sin

A man asked Imam Sadiq (as) if he was free from sin. The Imam took him to a butcher shop and took him to the back where all the rotten meat was kept. It was swarming with insect, bad odor, and discoloration.

Then the Imam turned to the man and said; "This is what a sin looks like to us-smelly and rotten. We hence avoid sins”

An Imam has to have the most knowledge of the Quran, Islam and even general knowledge ,so he can answer any question that he is asked.

2. The Most knowledgeable

Power of knowledge

ALLAH swt had given all the Imams the power of knowledge and they answered all questions without referring to any one.For if they hesitated or gave the wrong answer , they cannot be counted as a representative of the all knowing ALLAH (swt )

A man asked Imam Ali (a.s.) "What is the distance between me and (pointing towards the sun) and the sun”?

Imam ALI’s (saw)

knowledge

Imam Ali (a.s.) answered : "If an Arabian horse starts running from here and continues running for 500 years, then he (horse) will reach the sun."

the average speed of an arab horse is 22 mph

22x 24 hours= 528 miles in one day

96,360,000 miles a horse would cover in 500 years

528x365=192720 miles in a year

192720miles x 500

years comes to96,360,000 miles covered by the horse

The Sun is at a distance of about 95Million milesAt its farthest.

Imam Ali calculated it at 96Million miles

without any instruments or

calculators

“I am the City of Knowledge and ´Ali is its Gate; whoever intends to enter the City should come through its Gate”

The Prophet (saww) said ;

Imam Mohamed Baqir (as) and his father Imam Jaffer Al-Sadiq (As) established a university in Madinah which had 4000 students.

Knowledge of the Imams

Apart form religious education, the imams taught:

Science Mathematics Medicine Astronomy And other subjects

Knowledge of the Imams

An imam, being the representative of ALLAH swt, must have and show the best of;

Manners (akhlaq) Bravery Justice Generosity Kindness

Superior in all good qualities

Once Imams Hassan (as) and Hussein(as), when they were young, noticed an old man performing his Wudhu, which had some errors.

Instead of criticizing the old man, they approached the old man and asked him to judge who amongst the two was performing a better Wudhu.

As the old man watched the 2 grandsons of the prophet perform Wudhu, he realized his mistake and was grateful to the two young boys

Manners (Akhlaq)

Imam Ali (as) was known for his extraordinary acts of bravery

The enemies of Islam planned to murder Prophet Muhammad(as) as he slept,

ALLAH (swt) informed the Prophet and commanded him to leave for Madina.

It was Imam Ali (As) who took the Prophet’s place in the bed as the enemies gathered outside with swords ready to kill.

Bravery of the Imams

Imam Ali(as) also fought many battles to defend Islam. In the battle of Khandaq, Imam stood up to fight Arabia’s greatest warrior, when the rest of the companions retreated in fear.Imam fearlessly defended Islam and the holy Prophet , when the enemies attacked the Muslims in the battles of;BadrUhudKhandaqKhaybar

Bravery of Imams

A candle burnt by Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib's (as) side, as he was working

Just then Talha and Zubair appeared. They wanted to talk personal business with the

imam(as) Just as they sat down, Imam Ali (as) put out the

candle and lit another one.

Justice of the Imams

Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (as) replied: "That was a candle bought of State Treasury (Baitul Mal) funds. As long as I worked for the treasury, I used it. Now you have come for some personal work, so I use the candle bought of my personal fund."

An imam must not love this world and cannot be distracted from all worldly things.

If he did, he would amass wealth, build palaces and gain power over others and be tempted with bribery and corruption

An imam must live a simple lifestyle

Free from the love of this world

It was well known that the Holy Prophet Muhammad(saww) and all the Imams lived a simple lifestyle.

They had simple homes and their food was very simple and they all worked hard for a living in the day and worshipped at night

Abu Nuziya, a tailor of Kufa narrates that Imam Ali purchased two shirts from his shop, one was of superior quality, which he handed over to his slave Qambar to put on and the other which was cheap, reserved it for himself.

A simple lifestyle

Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (as) also lived a simple life. He himself would work in his garden.

ALL IMAMS LIVED A SIMPLE LIFESTYLE. THEY WORKED FOR A LIVING, WHILE OFFERING GUIDANCE TO WHOEVER ASKED. THEY LIVED IN SIMPLE DWELLINGS AMONGST THE PEOPLE. THEIR DIET WAS SIMPLE LIKE BREAD AND MILK

IN CONTRAST, THE SO CALLED “LEADERS” OF ISLAM LIKE MUAWIYAH IBN ABU SFYAN, HIS SON YAZEED AND THE LIKES OF HARUN AL RASHID AND THE ABBASIDES LIVED IN MANSIONS AND PALACES LIKE KINGS, FEASTING AND ENJOYING MONEY FROM THE PUBLIC TREASURY

A SIMPLE LIFESTYLE

Kindness and generosity of the IMAMS

Imam Ali(as), Sayeda Fatima(as) their two sons Hassan (as) and Hussain(as) and also Fizza their servant made avow to fast for 3

days.

In the first day, Imam Ali (as) brought flour enough for 3 days to feed the family.

Fatima(as) baked 5 loaves of bread. And as they were preparing to break their fast a

beggar came asking for foodWithout hesitation, they all gave him their

breadand they drank only water and slept

The next day, they fasted and Fatima (as) ground some more flour and baked another 5 loaves of bread.

As they were about to break their fast, an Orphan knocked on the door complaining that he had not eaten for days

Again, without hesitation the family and their maid gave away their food.

Again they slept hungry, with only water to fill their stomach

On the third day they again fasted to complete the vow. Fatima (as) ground the final measure of flour and made bread. This time a traveler,

who was lost and hungry came to their doorstep. They again

happily gave away their dinner

Imam Musa al-Kazim  was very generous and no beggar ever returned from his door empty handed. Even after his death, people came to his holy tomb with prayers which are granted by God.

Once a group of poor persons, were sitting on the ground and eating pieces of bread. When they saw Imam Hasan(a.s.) they said to him: "Son of the Apostle of Allah, come to lunch!" So he dismounted his camel and said: "Indeed, Allah does not love the proud." He began eating with them. Then he invited them and gave them food and clothes.

kindness and generosity of Imams

Imam Ali (as) would fill a sack full of food and distribute it to the poor at night, covering his face so no one would recognize him

Imam Hasan (a.s) was the most hospitable person. His dinner cloth was very vast. The poor, the deprived, travelers and orphans dined on his food spread. He had the best possible food cooked for the guests, but he never partook anything from it. His diet consisted of barley bread and salt. 

Ali Ibn Ibrahim relates: I went to meet Imam Hasan Askari (a.s) and found him in a disturbed state. When I asked the reason he said, “I am having some guests today but I have nothing to serve them.” I said, “Son of Allah's Messenger, just mention it, I will get all that is needed.” The Imam said, “We Ahl ul-Bayt do not serve our guests at the expense of others.” “All right! Then tell me what I can do?” I said. He told me, “Go and sell this blanket of mine. It was cold and imam sold his blanket.From the sale of the blanket Imam prepared for dinner for his guests

Jabir Al- ansari has said; I have seen that when a person becomes Imam Hussayn’s (as) guest he

serves him to the best of his ability. If he is in debt, the Imam repays his debts. If he is on foot, the Imam gives him a Horse. If he is sick the Imam

arranges treatment for him.

An Imam should be able to perform miracles to convince people.

ALLAH swt gave the imams such a power, just like he did to the Prophets

Imams Should be able to perform miracles

After the martyrdom of Imam Husain (A.S) and after Imam Zainul Abidin (A.S) had returned to Medina, some people began to consider Hazrat Muhammad Hanafiya as their Imam. Hazrat Muhammad Hanafiya was Imam Husain's younger brother He was very pious and had not himself said that he was Imam. Only some misguided people began to consider him as their Imam.

It became necessary to remove this misunderstanding. Therefore, Imam (A.S) and his uncle, Muhammad Hanafiya decided to go together to where "Hajar Aswad" (The black stone near Ka'aba) was.

Miracle by Imam Zainul Abidin

At first, Hazrat Muhammad Hanafiya addressed the Hajar asking it to confirm who the Imam was. But there was no reply. Then Imam Zainul Abidin (A.S) addressed the Hajar. Aloud and clear voice came from "Hajar Aswad" saluting the Imam by his full name and confirming that he and he alone was the Imam of the time.

 The Prophet (pbuh) foretold about the twelve succeeding Imams to many of his Companions, at different occasions. 

 (Sahih Al-Bukhari Vol 4, Page 164.  Also Sahih Muslim Page 119 Both are Sunni sources). 

IMAMS IN SUNNI BOOKS

 As for the choice of his first successor-in-command, this took place on a special occasion after his last Haj.  After arriving at a place called Ghadeer Khum, 3 miles north of Mecca, Muhammad (pbuh) received a Revelation as a command to announce his appointment: (Surah  5:  Ayah  67) ا   Tَم Tَف WْلTَع WْفTَت Wَّل[ْم ِإ̀ن Tَو Tَكdِّب َّر[ ِ̀من TَكWْيTِإَّ̀ل Tنِ̀زَلmُأ ا Tِم WْغdِّلTِّب mوَل mُس اَّلَّر[ ا TَهvُّيT ُأ ُّيTا

mُهTَتTاَّل Tَّ̀رُس TَتWِّل[ْغTِّب اَّلَّن[اِ̀س Tِ̀من Tَكmِ̀صَمWَعTُّي mاَّلِّل�ُه Tَو

 O' MESSENGER, DELIVER WHAT HAS BEEN SENT TO YOU FROM YOUR LORD, AND IF YOU DO NOT, THEN,

(IT IS AS IF) YOU HAVE NOT DELIVERED HIS MESSAGE, AND ALLAH WILL PROTECT YOU FROM

(THE MISCHIEF OF) PEOPLE.

Appointment of the 1st Imam

Muhammad (pbuh) gave a speech, a long oration.  It was a speech that was resolute and firm, whereby he also spoke of his approaching end.

    Then, he raised Ali's arm, and affectionately declared:      عاده ِمTن� َوعا̀د َوااله WنTِم َواَ̀ل اَّلِّلَهْم[ ِمواله، عِّلٌّي� َفَهذا ِمواله mكَّنَت ِمن ذTَّلُه Tَخ ِمن Wَلmَواَخذ ه Tِ̀صَّرTن WنTِم Wَوانِصَّر   داَّر حْيثا mُهTَع Tِم اَّلحَّق[ َوُأT̀دَّر WHOMSO I AM HIS OVERLORD  SO THIS ALI WILL BE HIS

OVERLORD (after I die), O' LORD!  UPHOLD HIM WHO UPHOLDS ALI; ANTAGONIZE HIM WHO ANTAGONIZES ALI; ADVANCE HIM WHO ADVANCES ALI; IMPEDE HIM WHO IMPEDES ALI, AND TURN THE TRUTH WITH ALI WHEREVER HE GOES!  (Sahih Muslim Vol 2, Page 362.  Also Mustadrak Al-Haakim Vol

3, Page 154.  Also Masnad Ahmad Vol 4, Page 33 (all Sunni sources.)

Ghadeer