THE SHIA DOCTRINE OF IMAMAH AND THE REFUTATIONS AGAINST THEIR SO-CALLED SUNNI EVIDENCES

Allmah Muhammad Husayn l Kshif al-Ghit, whowas the most prominent Sh lim of Najaf in Iraq during the seventies, writes in his book Asl ash-Shah wa-Usluh: Immah is a divine station, just like Nubuwwah. Just as Allh chooses whomsoever He wants to for Nubuwwah and Rislah ... similarly, for Immah too, He selects whomsoever He wishes. (Asl ash-Shah wa-Usluh p. 58 (Mussasat al-Alam, Beirut)

"all the people became murtadd after the death of Raslullh, except three." al-Kf vol. 8 (Rawdat alKf) p. 167 (Dr al-Adw, Beirut, 1992)

Ibn Bbawayh al-Qumm (died 381AH), the author of one of the four canonical hadth collections of the Shah, Man L Yahduruh al-Faqh, states in the treatise he compiled on the creed of the Shah: It is our belief about one who rejects the Immah of Amr al-Muminn (Sayyidun Al) and the Imms after him that he is the same as one who rejectsthe Nubuwwah of the Ambiy

Imm Jafar as-Sdiq said: "Whoever doubts the kufr of our enemies is himself a kfir." Rislat al-Itiqd pp. 111-114, quoted by al-Majlis: Bihr al-Anwr vol. 27 p. 62 (Dr al-Kutub al-Islmiyyah, Tehran, 1387)

His student Shaykh Mufd (died 413AH) writes: There is consensus amongst the Immiyyah (the Ithn Ashar or Jafar Shah) that whoever denies the Immah of anyone of the Imms, and denies the duty of obedience to them that Allh has decreed, that such a person is a kfir, misguided, and that he deserves everlasting torment in Hell. al-Masil, quoted in Bihr al-Anwr vol. 8 p. 366

Ab Jafar at-Ts, called Shaykh at-Tifah, (died 460AH), who is the author of two of the four canonical hadth collections, has the following to say: Rejection of Immah is kufr, just as rejection of Nubuwwah is kufr. .Talkhs ash-Shf vol. 4 p. 131 (Dr al-Kutub al-Islmiyyah, Qum, 3rd ed. 1394) The mujaddid of Shism in the eighth century after the Hijrah, Ibn Mutahhar al-Hill (died 726AH) expresses similar sentiments in the following terms:

Immah is a universal grace (lutf mm) while Nubuwwah is a special grace (lutf khss), because it is possible that a specific period in time can be void of a living Nab, while the same is not true for the Imm. To reject the universal grace is worse than to reject the special grace. al-Alfayn p. 3 (al-Maktabah al-Haydariyyah, Najaf, 3rd ed. 1388) al-Khumayn's statement in the book al-Hukmat al-Islmiyyah, upon which rests the entire philosophy of his revolution: It is of the undeniable tenets of our faith that our Imms possess a status with Allh that neither Angel nor Messenger can aspire to. al-Hukmat al-Islmiyyah p. 52 (Ministry of Guidance, Iran. )

THE WORD IMAM IN THE QURAN

A BOOK
The word imm recurs 7 times in the Qurn, while its plural form, aimmah, appears 5 times.In 3 of these cases it refers explicitly to a book:

And before it was the Book of Ms, a guide and a mercy. (Hd 11 : 17) Also in Ahqaf 46:12)

Verily, we will restore the dead to life, and we write that which they sent forth, and that which they left behind; and of everything we have taken account in a Clear Book. (Ysn 36:12)

THE CHAMPIONS OF KUFR

In another 2 cases it refers to the champions of kufr:

Fight the leaders of kufr. (at-Tawbah 9 : 12)

And We made them leaders who call towards the Fire. (al-Qasas 28: 41)

A ROAD
One reference is to a clearly discernible road:

And verily, the two (cities) lie next to a clear road. (alHijr 15 : 79) (The Cities of the Plain and the Companions of the Aykah.)

In the remaining six places where the word is used, it is used in terms of its literal meaning, i.e. leadership.

LEADERSHIP OF THE ISRAELITES

21:73.
We said: O fire, be cool and (a means of ) safety unto Ibrhm. And they plannedagainst him; but We made them the greater losers. And We delivered him and Lt to the land which We blessed for the nations. And We gave him Ishq, and Yaqb as an additional gift; and all of them We made righteous men. And We made them leaders who guide by Our command; and We revealed to them the doing of good, the establishment of prayer and the giving of alms. And they were men who served Us. (alAmbiy21 : 69-73)

32: 24.
Indeed, We gave Ms the Book, so be not in doubt about meeting him; and We made it a (source of) guidance for the Children of Isrl. And We made from amongst them leaders who guided by Our command, when they persevered. And they had full certainty in Our signs. (as-Sajdah 32: 23-24)

 28:5.
And We wished to be gracious to those who were oppressed in the land, and to make them leaders, and to make them heirs. (al-Qasas 28 : 5) Allh speaks of His plans for the oppressed Israelites in Egypt.

LEADERSHIP OF THE PIOUS

25:74.
(They are) those who say: Our Lord, grant us the coolness of (our) eyes in our wives and children, and make us leaders of the pious. (al-Furqn 25 : 74)

BOOK OF DEEDS, OR PROPHETS

17:71.
The day when we will call all people by their leaders. (al-Isr17 : 71) Supported by 4:41

4:41.
How will it be when We bring forth from every Ummah a witness, and bring you (O Muhammad) as a witness over these? (an-Nis:41)

The Immah of Ibrhm alayhis salm

And (remember) when Ibrhm was tested by his Lord with certain words(commands), and he fulfilled
124. them. (Allh) said: I will make you an Imm to mankind. (Ibrhm said): And also from my offspring. (Allh) said: My Covenant will not be attained by the Unjust. (al(Baqarah:124)

This yah is probably the most frequently cited proof for the Sh doctrine of Immah. There are several angles to their approprition of the yah in support of their belief. Our foremost concern here is with the meaning and connotation of the word imm as it appears here. Further on we will also examine the issue of the offspring of Ibrhm. We first need to recall that none of the other usages of the word imm in the Qurn supports the existence of a divinely ordained rank distinct from and superior to the rank of Nubuwwah and Rislah. We have seen it used to denote a book, or a record of deeds. We have seen it used in the sense of a clearly discernible road. We found it at places to refer to the champions of Kufr. At times it indicated leadership of the pious, but that leadership we found to be incompatible with the Sh concept of Immah, since it is of an acquired nature, and not divinely ordained. We also found it to refer to the Ambiy of Ban Isrl, in which case it is a reference to the Ambiy's function of leadership and guidance of their people, and certainly not a rank apart from and higher than that of Nubuwwah. Therefore, when we look at the Sh claim that the Im mah of Ibrhm mentioned in this yah is the same as the Immah they ascribe to their Twelve Imms, we have to treat it as an isolated argument that is unsupported by instances where the word imm is used in the Qurn.

According to a Sh tradition Sayyidun Ibrhm was already a Nab when Allh told him He would make him an Imm for people. It thus follows that Immah has to be a status separate from Nubuwwah as well as superior to it. The narration goes: Zayd ash Shahhm says: I heard Ab Abdillh (i.e. Imm Jafar as9Sdiq) saying: "Verily Allh made Ibrhm an Abd (slave) before He made him a Nab. And verily Allh made him a Nab before He made him a Rasl. And verily Allh made him a Rasl before He made him a Khall (friend). And verily Allh made him an Khall before He made him an Imm al(Kf (Usl) vol. 1 p. 230 (Dr al Adw, Beirut 1992) Firstly, if it as as the Shah claim, that his appointment as Imm superceded in excellence all his other distinctions, then why is it that nowhere else in the Qurn is he referred to as "Imm"?

We find that Allh speaks of him as Nab and Siddq: And make mention in the Book of Ibrhm. Verily he was a Siddq (truthful) and a Nab. (Maryam:41) Nowhere in the Qurn is there to be found any reference to Sayyidun Ibrhm alayhis salm as Imm.

If Sayyidun Ibrhm alayhis salm became an Imm only after he had already been a Nab, a Rasl and a Khall, who was the Imm for the time that he was not yet given that status?

Sh tradition is very emphatic that the earth cannot exist without an Imm; in al(Kf there is an independent chapter under The earth can never be void of a Hujjah (Imm) al(Kf (Usl) vol. 1 p. 233

If there lived during the time that Sayyidun Ibrhm alayhis salm was successively an Abd, Nab, Rasl and Khall, someone who was superior in rank to him, why is it that the Qurn is completely silent about that person?

The Qurn is completely silent about their existence. Whenever mentioned is made in the Qurn of Imms in the sense of leadership and guidance towards Allh it is with reference to the Ambiy. There is nomention at all of Imms other than the Ambiy. This clearly means that in the terminology of the Qurn the term Imm does not denote a rank distinct from and superior to Nubuwwah. Rather it indicates the major function of the Ambiy, which is to guide mankind towards Allh.

The Qurn recognises no divinely appointed guides for humanity other than the Ambiy. Therefore, when we notice the Ambiy being referred to in the Qurn as Imms we are compelled to read therein the fact that guidance of mankind was their prime duty, and not that they were Imms in addition to being Ambiy, or that there could be Imms who were not Ambiy. This also is the meaning of the Immah of Ibrhm alayhis salm.

The Offspring of Ibrhm Sayyidun Ibrhm pleaded with Allh to extend the Immah which Allh promised him, to his progeny after him. Since the Twelve Imms of the Shah are also of the offspring of Sayyidun Ibrhm, they claim the yah as proof of their Immah. Since we have already demonstrated that the Immah of Sayyidun Ibrhm is for all practical purposes synonimous with his Nubuwwah, we maintain here too, that the extension of that promise meant the gift of Nubuwwah to men from amongst his progeny, and as such it was realised in the elevation of Isml, Ishq, Yaqb, Ysuf, Ms, Hrn, Dwd, Sulaymn, Ilys, Yahy, Is and finally Muhammad alayhimus salm to the rank of Ambiy.

27.

And We ordained amongst his progeny Prophethood and Revelation. (al Ankabt:27)

Such was the argument we gave Ibrhm against his people. We raise in degree whomsoever We will, and your Lord is Wise, All(Knowing. We gave him Ishq and Yaqb; each of them We guided. And before that, We guided Nh, and among his (Ibrhm's) progeny (We guided) Dwd, and Sulaymn, and Ayyb, and Ysuf, and Ms, and Hrn; thus do We reward those who good. And (We guided) Zakariyy, and Yahy, and Is, and Ilys; all of them of the Righteous. And Isml, and Alyasa, and Ynus, and Lt; each of them We favoured above all the worlds. (al(Anm 53 : 83-86)

Finally, it must be remebered that this gift of Nubuwwah and came to an end in Sayyidun Muhammad Raslullh sallallhu alayhi wa lih wasallam. 33: 40.

Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of Allh and the Seal of the Prophets. (al(Ahzb 33: 40)

This unequivocal identification of the gift and its recipients proves once again that the word imm in the yah quoted at the start of this artice refers to nothing other than Nubuwwah, and does not in the least provide grounds for belief in Immah as conceived of by the Shah.

THE YAH OF WILYAH

5:55.

Your Wal is only Allh, His Messenger, and the believers who establish salh and give zakh, and they bow down. (al-Midah 5:55)

The Shah have arbitrarily latched on to this meaning, seeking thereby to prove the Immah of Al. By coupling this meaning of the term to the narrations which we will discuss in due coursethe gist of which is that Sayyidun Al . once gave his ring to a beggar whilst in the state of ruk, and that the yah was revealed on that occasionthey draw the conclusion that the only legitimate authority in the Muslim community is that of Allh, His Messenger and the Imm. Any other kind of authority, like that of Ab Bakr, Umar and Uthmn . for example, is then illegitimate and contradicts the Qurn. The other meaning of wilyah, which in this sense might also appear as walyah, is a relationship of affection, attachment and solidarity in which each individual becomes the friend and protector of the other. In this sense the wal is then that person or entity whom you regard as your friend, your ally, the one with whom you associate, who can be counted upon to protect you and defend your rights. In this sense it stands opposed to terms such as enemy, foe and adversary.

For us to get the complete picture of the context in which it stands, we need to go back a few yt. In yah no. 51 Allh Tal says:

.
O you who believe, do not take the Jews and the Christians as your awliy (plural of wal). They are the awliy of one another. Whoever amongst you takes them as his awliy is one of them. Verily Allh does not guide the unjust people. This meaning of wilyah is repeated again in yah 57:

O you who believe, do not take as your awliy those who take your religion for a mockery and fun from amongst those who received the Scripture before you, and from amongst the disbelievers.

The meaning of the yah of Wilyah is therefore that a Muslims allegiance should be only to Allh, His Rasl and the Believers. Of the exclusive and pre-emptive right to authority which the Shah seek to read into it, the yah does not speak at all.

This is further corroborated by an authentic narration documented by Ibn Jarr at-Tabar and others that yah 51 was revealed in connection with Ubdah ibn Smit . and Abdullh ibn Ubayy, both of whom had wilyah relationships with the Jews of Madnah.Ubdah . came to Raslullh and announced that he was severing all ties of wilyah with them, while Abdullh ibn Ubayy insisted on keeping ties with them, saying that he feared a turnabout of circumstances. It was then that the 55th yah of Srah alMidah was revealed. Tafsr Ibn Kathr vol. 2 p. 68 (Maktabah Dr at-Turth, Cairo n.d.)

Narrations The main grounds for forcing the yah out of its context has to be the narrations that exist, according to which it was revealed when Sayyidun Al . gave his ring to a beggar whilst in the position of ruk. There are at least three separate sanads from Ibn Abbs in which this story is recounted. The first is recorded by Ab Bakr ibn Mardawayh in his Tafsr and al-Whid in his book Asbb an-Nuzl. Ibn Mardawayhs Tafsr has not survived, but al-Whids book has been published a number of times, and it is known from as-Suyts ad-Durr al-Manthr that these two sources have at least the last portion of their isnds in common. This last portion is as follows: Muhammad ibn Marwn Muhammad ibn as-Sib Ab Slih IbnAbbs. al-Whid, Asbb anNuzl no. 397 (ed. Kaml Basyn Zaghll, Dr al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut 1411/1991) This particular chain of narration (as-Sudd as-Saghral-KalbAb Slih) became so infamous amongst the ulam that it was given the epithet Silsilat al-Kadhib (the Chain of Mendacity). as-Suyt, Tadrb arRw vol. 1 p. 181 (ed. Abd al-Wahhb Abd al-Latf, al-Maktabah al-Ilmiyyah, Madnah 2nd edition 1392/1972)

This isnd is one of the most famous chains of forgery. Each one of the three narrators before Ibn Abbs was a notorious liar. Ab Slih, whose name was Bdhm or Bdhn, was described as a liar by his own student Isml ibn Ab Khlid. Ab Jafar al-Uqayl, ad-Duaf al-Kabr vol. 1 p. 165 (ed. Dr. Abd al-Mut al- Qalaj, , Dr al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut 1404/1984)

The next narrator, Muhammad ibn as-Sib al-Kalb, was one of the most notorious liars of Kfah. His biography in al-Mizzs Tahdhb al-Kaml is filled with statements of the ulam of his time who denounced him as an extremely unreliable reporter, and even a blatant liar. al-Mizz, Tahdhb al-Kaml vol. 25 pp. 246-253 (ed. Dr. Bashshr Awwd Marf, Muassasat ar-Rislah, Beirut 1413/1992) The third person in this isnd is Muhammad ibn Marwn, who is also known as as-Sudd as-Saghr (the younger Sudd). In him we have another notorious forger whose mendacity was exposed by both his contemporaries and the ulam who came after him. Tahdhb al-Kaml vol. 26 pp. 392-394

The second isnd from Ibn Abbs is also documented in the Tafsr of Ibn Mardawayh. It runs through ad-Dahhk ibn Muzhim from Ibn Abbs. The weak point in this isnd lies in the fact that ad-Dahhk never met Ibn Abbs, leave alone narrate from him. Tafsr Ibn Kathr vol. 2 p. 71./ Alsoin Ibn Ab Htim, al-Jarh wat-Tadl vol. 4 tarjamah no. 2024 (Dirat al -Marifal-Uthmniyyah, Hyderabad, Deccan 1371/1952)

The third isnd Ibn Abbs . goes through the famous mufassir Mujhid ibn Jabr from Ibn Abbs. It is narrated by Abd ar-Razzq as-Sann in his Tafsr. He narrates it from Abd al-Wahhb ibn Mujhid, who narrates it from his father Mujhid. Abd al-Wahhb ibn Mujhid is described by the rijl critics as matrk, which implies that his unreliability is a matter of consensus amongst them. Ibn Hajar, Taqrb atTahdhb no. 4263 (ed. Muhammad Awwmah, Dr ar -Rashd, Halab 1412/1992) Imm Sufyn ath-Thawr described him as a liar. Tahdhb al-Kaml vol. 18 p. 517

From the above it can be seen that not one of the various narrations from Ibn Abbs is authentic. In addition to their spuriousness they also contradict another more reliable report from Ibn Abbs on the tafsr of this yah. This report is documented in the Tafsr of Ibn Jarr, who narrates it with his isnd from the Tafsr of Al ibn Ab Talhah. According to this report Ibn Abbs was of the opinion that the words and those who believe, who establish salh and give zakh, and they bow down in the yah refer to all Muslims in general. Ibn Jarr at-Tabar, Jmi al-Bayn vol. 6 p. 186 (Dr al-Marifah, Beirut 1400/1980) This interpretation by Ibn Abbs is not only in harmony with the meaning of wilyah as outlined above, it also agrees with the use of the plural form (those whobelieve) in the yah.

Summary from the work of Sh. Taha Keran (Imamah) by Abu Jaiyana