From: Ilm, Vol. 3, No.

1 July, 1977

IMAMAT-THE DIVINE INSTITUTION

By Alwaez Jehangir A. Merchant The Ismaili concept of and belief in Imamat is strikingly important because it stands for Ismailis as a central point around which the other Fundamental Principles of Faith, viz. Tauhid, Nabuwwat, Adl and Qiyamat, revolve. It is in the acceptance of this concept that they find new and fresh dimensions of the meaning and practices of Faith in relation to their own physical, mental and spiritual needs, and to the time, place and circumstances in which they live. This wonderful concept and belief has suffered greatly at the hands of antagonists who have led people to believe that the idea of a 'Permanent Institution of Imamat' was only a cover up for a very ambitious political movement. The cobwebs of extreme prejudices lie so thickly over the Truth of this concept that it is absolutely necessary to view the establishment of this Divine Institution, and consider its constant need and unique position in relation to the other Fundamental Principles of Islam. For a faithful treatment of this subject it would only be fair and logical to enumerate the Sunni-Shi'a claims separately and look at them in the light of the Holy Qur'an, Sunna and historical facts. Sunni Claims Sunni Muslims say. 1. that the Holy Qur'an and Sunna are sufficient to guide the Muslims in their worldly and spiritual matters; 2. that our Holy Prophet Muhammed (s.a.s.) never indicated any successor after him; 3. and that hereditary succession was never an order amongst the Arabs and hence election was the only correct solution to give a Caliph to the Muslims. Sunni Claims Discussed in the Light of Holy Qur'an, Sunna and Historical Evidence 1. In addition to the Holy Qur'an and Sunna, the Sunni Muslims depend on the idea of Ijtehad which holds an important and significant place in their legislation. Explaining Ijtehad, Maulana Muhammed Ali writes in his voluminous work 'The Religion of Islam':
"The sphere of Ijtehad is a very wide one, since it seeks to fulfill all the requirements of Muslim Community which are not met with expressly in the Holy Qur'an and Sunna. The great mujtahids of Islam have endeavoured to meet these demands by various methods, technically known as Qiyas (analogical reasoning), Istihsan (equity), Istislah (public good) and Istidlal (inference)."1

Seeing the stagnated condition of the Muslims, he looks into its cause and adds:
"The impression prevailing in the Muslim world at present that no one has the right, even in the light of the new circumstances which a thousand years of the world's progress have brought about, to differ with the four Imams2 is entirely a mistaken one. The right to differ with the highest of men below the Prophet is a Muslim's birth-right, and to take away the birth-right is to stifle the very existence of Islam. Under present circumstances when conditions have quite changed and the world has been moving on for a thousand years, while the Muslims have more or less stagnated, it is the duty of Muslim states and Muslim peoples to apply their own judgment to the changed conditions, and find out the ways and means for their temporal salvation."3

The idea of Ijtehad in Sunnism conclusively proves that Holy Qur'an and Sunna need new interpretations in the light of changed circumstances, but how can it be considered logical to leave this important factor in the hands of millions of Muslims or in the hands of a hundred or even less mujtahids or even two at a time, for the two will also differ. History has shown that God's Divine Revelations, A UNIFYING FORCE, become an agent of discord and disunity in the wrong hands.
"And say: 'I am indeed he that warneth openly and without ambiguity,' (of just such wrath) as We sent down on those who divided (Scripture into arbitrary parts), (so also on such) as have made Qur'an into shreds (as they please)." Holy Qur'an, Ch. 15 : vs. 89-91.

Again, God's Divine Revelations are not meant to become the property of all and sundry.
"Also they say: 'Why is not the Qur'an sent down to some leading man in either of the two (main) cities'? Is it they who would portion out the Mercy of thy Lord?" Holy Qur'an, Ch 43 : vs. 31, 32.

Ijtehad becomes a system which portions out the Mercy of God under the supervision and at the hands of mujtahids, the leading men. This system can never give to the Muslim World the same status of ONE STRONG COMMUNITY which it enjoyed during the life-time of our Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.). Imam Ja'far-as-Sadiq was once asked: "O the son of the Messenger of Allah! why are the Muslims so divided?" The Imam replied: "Were they divided during the time of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.)?" The man answered: "No, they were not divided." Imam Ja'far-as-Sadiq then said: "This was so because they were under the sole authority of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.)." 2. Sunnis claim that Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) had never indicated any successor after him. They also quote a very stray and irrelevant event in support of Hazrat Abu Bakr's choice as Caliph. During his last days, our Holy Prophet had deputed Abu Bakr to lead the congregational prayers and this, the Sunnis say, was Prophet's indication of a choice of his successor. The weakness of this argument as a basis for Hazrat Abu Bakr's choice as Caliph is of course quite obvious. It is also worth noting that in advancing this argument, the claim that Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) never indicated a successor is contradicted. 3. If election was the only solution left to find a Caliph for the Umma (community), one may well ask: "Does the Holy Qur'an or Sunna indicate any such procedure?" If not, then this election could well be termed as the first breach of the Holy Qur'an and Sunna. 4. Was it after all. a fair election? Our Holy Prophet had only just breathed his last when there was a mad rush by the few to give a leader to the Muslims. At this stage not all Muslims were aware of the passing away of our Prophet and so there can be no doubt as to the fact that a large number of Muslims never

participated in electing the Caliph. Moreover, when the dispute became severe between the Mohajirs (the immigrants) and the Ansars (the helpers) gathered at Saqa-e-fae-bani Saa'ada over the question of leadership, Hazrat Omar cried out to Hazrat Abu Bakr to stretch out his hand so that he could swear allegiance to him, and when Hazrat Abu Bakr did so, Hazrat Omar declared him to be the Chief and paid him his homage. Could this be said to be an election in any sense of the term or was it only a choice of one individual forced upon the others? When Hazrat Abu Bakr got ill and there was no hope of recovery, he nominated Hazrat Omar to succeed him. What happened to the principle of election and on what authority was the nomination affected? Hazrat Omar chose a different course. He avoided election and stayed from nominating his successor. Instead, he appointed a committee of six men to elect a successor for him. The course taken at Saqa-e-fae-bani Saa'ada and the events of history which followed later, set up a humanly instituted authority quite in contrast to IMAMAT, the Divinely ordained Institute of Authority of Oolul Amr Minkum mentioned in the Holy Qur'an and which, our Holy Prophet declared, belonged to Hazrat Ali and through him to his progeny till the Day of Judgment.

Shi'a Claims The following passage from 'The Memoirs of Aga Khan' beautifully explains in clear terms the Shia concept of Imamat:
"The Shia school of thought maintains that although direct Divine inspiration ceased at the Prophet's death, the need of Divine Guidance continued and that could not be left merely to millions of mortal men, subject to whims and gust of passion and material necessity, capable of being momentarily but tragically misled by greed, by oratory, or by the sudden desire for material advantage. These dangers were manifest in the period immediately following our Holy Prophet's death. Mohammed had been, as I have shown, both a temporal and a spiritual sovereign. The Khalif or successor of the Prophet was to succeed him in both these capacities; he was to be both Emir-al-Momenin or 'Commander of the true believers' and Imam-al-Muslimin or 'Spiritual chief of the devout.' Perhaps an analogy from the Latin, Western world will make this clearer: he would be Supreme Pontiff as well as Imperator or temporal ruler. "Ali, the Prophet's cousin and son-in-law, the husband of his beloved and only surviving child, Fatimah, his first convert, his bold champion in many a war, who the Prophet in his lifetime said would be to him as Aaron was to Moses, his brother and right-hand man, in the veins of whose descendants the Prophet's own blood would flow, appeared destined to be that true successor; and such had been the general expectation of Islam. The Shias have therefore always held that after the Prophet's death. Divine power, guidance and leadership manifested themselves in Hazrat Ali as the first Imam or spiritual chief of the devout."4

The points gathered from the above passage from 'The Memoirs of Aga Khan' can be enumerated as under: 1. Divine Guidance is always available to mankind and did not cease at Prophet Muhammad's (s.a.s.) death. 2. Divine Guidance could not be left in the hands of ordinary mortals.

3. The Khalif was to hold both, temporal and spiritual authority. 4. Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) had indicated Hazrat Ali as his Successor. 5. Imamat is the hereditary right of the descendants of Hazrat Ali. Shi'a Claims Discussed in the Light of Holy Qur'an, Sunna and Historical Evidence.
"And there never was a people without a warner having lived among them." Holy Qur'an, Ch. 35 : v. 24. "All Islamic schools of thought accept it as a fundamental principle that, for centuries, for thousands of years before the advent of Mohammed, there arose from time to time messengers, illumined by Divine Grace, for and amongst those races of the earth which had sufficiently advanced intellectually to comprehend such a message. Thus Abraham, Moses, Jesus and all the Prophets of Israel are universally accepted by Islam. Muslims indeed know no limitation merely to the Prophet of Israel; they are ready to admit that there were similar Divinely inspired messengers in other countriesGautama Buddha, Shri Krishna, and Shri Ram in India, Socrates in Greece, the wise man of China, and many other sages and saints among people and civilizations of which we have now lost trace. Thus Man's soul has never been left without a specially inspired messenger from the Soul that sustains, embraces, and is the Universe."5 The Memoirs of Aga Khan.

1. The verse from the Holy Qur'an quoted above and the passage from The Memoirs of Aga Khan explain the Divine Scheme under which Prophets were raised for the regeneration of the world. This Divine Scheme is briefly summed up thus: During the period of gradual development of Man, messengers of God, with their souls which had drunk deep at the Fountain of Divine Inspiration, came forward with the Divine Messages to cope with the requisite needs of human aspirations. Prophets were raised up in every nation, but their messages were limited to certain areas and in some cases to one or a few generations. All these Prophets were, so to say, National Prophets, and their work was restricted to the moral uplift and spiritual regeneration of one nation only. But while national growth was a necessity of the first condition of the human race, when each nation lived almost an exclusive life and the means of communication between different races were wanting, the grand aim which the Divine Scheme contained was the uplift and unification of the whole human race. Stating the mission of earlier Prophets, the Holy Qur'an says:
"We sent Noah to his people (with the command)."Ch. 71: v. 1. "To the 'AD' people (we sent) Hud, one of their own brethren."Ch. 7 : v. 65. "To the 'THAMUD' people (we sent) Salih,. . Ch. 7 : v. 73. "We sent Moses with our signs (and the command): 'Bring out thy people from the depths of darkness into light and teach them to remember the days of God'."Ch. 14 : v. 5. "And God will teach him the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel, and (appoint him) an apostle to the children of Israel."Ch. 3 : vs. 48, 49.

The period of National Prophets ended when it had served its purpose. The stage was set for the World Prophet and it is therefore that the Holy Qur'an speaks of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) in different terms. It says:
"We have not sent thee but to ALL MEN as a bearer of good news and as a warner."Ch. 34 : v. 28.

The Arabic for 'ALL MEN' is 'Kaffat-anli'l-nas', where even al-nas carries the idea of all people, and the addition of Kaffah is meant to emphasize further that not a single nation was excluded from the heavenly ministration of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.).

Therefore, the finality of Prophethood was established to preserve the unity and purity of Faith, and to unify the human race; and as such, we have the Holy Qur'an saying:
"Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the messenger of Allah and the 'last of the Prophets' (Khatam al-nabiyyin), and Allah is cognizant of all things."Ch. 33 : v. 40.

If Prophethood came to a close with our Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.), are we to believe that the doors of Divine Guidance are no longer open to mankind? Reason would revolt against the suggestion that God exercised His attributes of speech up to the time of the World Prophet and there-after ceased to do so. As we repudiate as blasphemous any suggestion that God possessed the attributes of seeing up to the time of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) but thereafter ceased to see. or that He was capable of creating up to our Prophet's time but that thereafter He lost the attribute of creation, so also we must repudiate the suggestion that God spoke up to any particular period and thereafter ceased to speak. Again, if it were to be supposed that God has withheld His Guidance to mankind, how could one explain God's ADL (Justice) when the Holy Qur'an says:
"God is never unjust in the least degree."Ch. 4 : v. 40. "O ye that believe! fear God and believe in His Apostle, and He will bestow on you a double portion of HIS MERCY: He will provide for you a LIGHT by which ye shall walk (straight in your path) and He will forgive you (your past) for God is oft-Forgiving most Merciful."Ch. 57 : v. 28.

His ADL (Justice) lies not only in His Judgment to reward or punish but in His providing the Divine Guidance even after the last of the Prophets. It is IMAMATthe Divinely ordained Institution which manifests God's Divine Justice over mankind, and without which the belief in ADL would only be meaningless. 2. Could the Divine Guidance be left in the hands of ordinary mortals? Pir Shihabu'd-in Shah al-Husayni writing in his Risala dar Haqiqat-i Din (True Meaning of Religion) says:
"If it were destined that a manifestation (zuhur) of the Divine Substance should take place at some time, what should be the fault of those who were not yet born at that time? Or of those who lived before it, or did not recognise it? What have they to do, and how can people find the way of Truth, how can they follow it? "It is obvious, therefore, that there must be in the world a Supreme Leader (rah-nama) at every time. Humanity are like childrenthey may be clever in their own way, and yet there are many things that are beyond their power of comprehension. Therefore they need a teacher, who may give them necessary knowledge. Even an adult, however aged he may be, needs a guide in the matters in which he had no previous experience. Thus there is great need for a guide to help the people, at every time, if God wishes to lead all who are continuously being born, to the knowledge of His Light. And He Himself revealed that He does wish this: 'God leads to His Light those whom He wants to lead'. (Ch. 24 : v. 35). Times differ one from the other, every period of time has its own destinies and history. The Leader of humanity is one who commands some things and prohibits other things in accordance with the requirements of the time. But if the Divine Manifestation (z.uhur) is to take place in an ordinary mortal body, the latter, inevitably, has to become old and worn out, like clothes of man, and ultimately it would be necessary to replace it with a new one. "Ordinary people whose duty is only to obey the command of God, have no capacity to act as they wish or to elect (as their leader) any one whom they want, disregarding the real one. Leadership, which is the real meaning of the term Imamat, obviously is a matter of greatest possible importance, which cannot be left to the decision

of the mob. "Muhammad and Ali both were manifestations of one and the same Divine Light, but they came in two different persons (libasdress) in order to uphold each other's mission amongst humans, and in order to introduce each other to the people. However the people did not recognise them. Salman Farsi said in Persian, on the day when Abu Bakr was in appearance (tahir) elected as a caliph: 'kardidna-kardid', that is 'you have done this, and yet you have not done it.' He meant that they had appointed a lieutenant to the Prophet, and yet in reality, nothing had been done. But this is a long story, O God."6

This clearly explains that Divine Authority was to be held by the Chosen Ones amongst the people about which the Holy Qur'an also says:
"Verily God has chosen Adam and Noah; and Abraham's descendants and Imran's descendants above all people one after another in the lineage; and God both hears and knows."Ch. 3 : vs. 33, 34.

In the brief discussion on the gradual development of Nabuwwat (Prophethood). it was seen that the office of National Prophets found its climax in the World Prophet, yet this was not to be the end of all. Being the last and final in the long line of God's messengers. Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) was left with a very grave and heavy responsibility, that of completing God's message and hence he was commanded as expressed in the Holy Qur'an:
"O Apostle! deliver (to the people), what has been revealed to thee from thy Lord; and if thou did not do so, then thou hast not delivered His Message, and Allah will protect thee from the people."Ch. 5 : v. 67.

A clear warning was laid out in this command and so. unhesitatingly, our Holy Prophet declared Hazrat Ali as the Maula (Lord) of the believers'. Had he not done so, his mission would have remained incomplete. Finally, God placed a seal of His acceptance of Prophet Muhammad's (s.a.s.) mission, saying:
"This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you and chosen for you Islam as your religion."Ch. 5 : v. 4.

National Prophets had raised the platform for Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.), the World Prophet, and he in turn completed Deen-e-lslam and his own mission by glorifying Imamat. Nabuwwat, in the final analysis, can be seen as having the grand purpose of guiding mankind to IMAMATThe Divine Institution. Pir Shihabu'din Shah quotes the following Hadith in his work 'True Meaning of Religion which explains the most fundamental relationship between NABUWWAT and IMAMAT:
"O Muhammad! if it were not for thy sake, We would not have created the world. And if there were no Ali, We would not have created thee."7Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s).

3. As affirmed earlier in the discussion that Divine Guidance for mankind has continued after Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.), it naturally follows that the temporal and spiritual authority enjoyed by the Prophet during his life-time had to be the sole privilege of none but Hazrat Ali and his rightful successors. The Holy Qur'an therefore commands:
"0 ye who believe; obey God and obey the Apostle and obey those in authority (Oolul Amr) from amongst you."Ch. 4 : v. 59.

Prophet Muhammad's (s.a.s.) authority over Muslims was so high that they were asked to bring all their disputes to him and accept his decision as final and binding upon them. The supremacy of the Prophet's authority did not simply lie in this fact alone, but more so in the fact that his authority was made the measure by which the faith of the Muslims was to be gauged, for being a Muslim was not to be a mu'min (faithful). God says in the Holy Qur'an:
"The desert Arabs say. 'We believe.' Say (unto them O Muhammad): Ye have no faith; but ye (only) say, 'We

have submitted our will to God,' for faith has not yet entered your hearts."Ch. 49 : v. 14.

The above-quoted verse speaks of the two different states, viz. (i) that of the mindof being a Muslim and (ii) that of the heartof being a mu'min (faithful). To identify one from the other God made the authority, which He had bestowed upon His Prophet, the testing instrument. He says:
"But no, by thy Lord, they can have no real faith, until they make thee judge in all disputes between them, and find in the souls no resistance against the decisions, but accept them with the fullest conviction." Ch. 4 : v. 65.

Our Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.), in his turn, said:

"He who dies without the recognition of the living Imam, dies the death of an unbeliever."8Hadith.

Thus, iman (faith) finds its fulfilment in acknowledging the authority of the Living Imam, for he who disowns the right of Imamat altogether is not a mu'min (faithful). 4. Now we shall look briefly into the historical evidences which speak of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) indicating Hazrat Ali as his successor.
a. "Here is my proxy and my lieutenant. Here standeth my brother. Listen to him and obey," declared our Holy Prophet on the occasion of 'Dawat-e-Asheera' (Invitation to Faith to his relatives).9 b. On the field of Khyber, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) declared: "Tomorrow I shall give the command of this army to a man who is brave, who will keep on attacking, who will not run away from the battle-field, who loves God and His Prophet and is beloved of God and His Prophet, and who will not come back to me without success." Next day the command was handed over to Hazrat Ali. His success so pleased the Prophet that he, though ill, came out to greet the victor, embraced him and said, "O Ali! you are from me and I am from you; you will inherit me and I will inherit you; you are unto me as AARON was to MOSES; enmity against you is enmity against me; war against you is war against me; your flesh is my flesh, your blood is my blood. As commanded by God I will give you these tidings that your friends will be rewarded in Heaven and your enemies will be punished in Hell"10 c. When Sura Barat was to be read before the infidels of Mecca, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) first ordered Hazrat Abu Bakr to carry the forty verses and convey them to the people, but hardly had he left Medina when he was recalled by the Prophet, who then took the verses from Hazrat Abu Bakr and gave them to Hazrat Ali to be read before the Meccans. When Hazrat Abu Bakr complained about this change, the Apostle of God replied: "I have done it under the orders of God which said explicitly that I should perform this duty or somebody who is like me."11 d. During the expedition of Tabuk, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s) decided to leave Hazrat Ali behind to act as a regent in his place. He called Hazrat Ali and said: "O Ali! nobody could look after this centre of Muslim state but you or I." Hazrat Ali stayed back at Medina but when the hypocrites started a whisper-campaign that the Prophet had lost faith in Hazrat Ali, he left Medina immediately and met the Prophet at Jerf where he stated to him all that had passed. Thereupon, the Holy Prophet said: "O Ali! they are lying against you as they have lied against me. They have called me an epileptic, a magician, a sorcerer and a necromant. I have appointed you as my Vicegerent and my Caliph over all whom I have left behind. Are you not satisfied to realise that you are unto me as Aaron was to Moses?"12 e. Returning from his Farewell Pilgrimage, our Holy Prophet halted at Ghadir-e-Khumm and declared before a large gathering: "Hear and remember, that to whomsoever I am the Lord, Ali is the Lord. He is to me what Aaron was unto Moses." He then prayed: "O God! be a friend to his friends and a foe to his foes. Help those who help Ali and frustrate the hopes of those who betray Ali.13

From the above instances quoted from history there can be no doubt that Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s) did indicate Hazrat Ali as his successor.

5. The fact that Imamat runs in hereditary succession can be logically concluded from the Qur'anic verses 33 and 34 of Sura Aal-e-lmran (Ch. 3), quoted earlier. Moreover, this claim can be further substantiated by the fact that Prophets had always wished to be succeeded by their progeny.
"And remember that Abraham was tried by his Lord with certain commands, which he fulfilled. He said: 'I will make thee an Imam to the Nation.' He (Abraham) pleaded: 'And also (imams) from my offspring?' He answered: 'But My promise is not within the reach of evil doers."Ch. 2 : v. 38.

"Then did Zakariya pray to his Lord, saying: 'O my Lord! grant unto me from Thee a progeny that is pure; for
Thou art He that heareth prayer."Ch. 3 : v. 38.

To possess a male child was always considered the greatest blessing one could receive and to be without one was regarded as the greatest curse. A man without issue was regarded as dead. He who died without leaving his posterity was considered as one who had failed in his mission. These thoughts were prevalent in the minds of the people during the time of our Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) and it is for this reason that taunts were hurled at him of being an Abtar, meaning the one whose succession in his seeds has ceased and the one who has no heir. The enemies even rejoiced in the fact that there would be no one to uphold his religion after him, but that was not to be for God speaks of the abundance in posterity, with which our Holy Prophet was blessed, saying:
"Lo! We have given thee Kauthar (abundance); so pray unto thy Lord, and sacrifice. Lo! it is thy insulter (and not thou) who is without posterity."Sura Kauthar, Ch. 108.

The following Hadith should prove sufficient to explain the meaning of Kauthar, which says:
"Two things I am leaving amongst you after me, the Qur'an and my posterity; verily, if you follow them both you will never go astray. Both are tied with a long rope and cannot be separated till the day of Judgment."14 Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.).

If Kauthar is not to mean 'Abundance in Posterity' then how could our Holy Prophet be speaking of 'MY POSTERITY' in his hadith? The Holy Imams through his daughter Bibi Fatima and Hazrat Murtaza Ali are his posterity on this earth who arc to be followed and obeyed implicitly.
"And hold fast, all of you together, to the 'Rope of Allah' (Hablillah), and be not divided." Ch. 3. : v. 103. Holy Qur'an,

During the course of our discussion on Shi'a claims, we saw how Nabuwwat (Prophethood) and Adl (God's Justice) found fresh dimensions to their meanings when studied in relation to the concept of Imamat. Let us now seek a better understanding of the two remaining Fundamental Principles of Faith, viz. Tauhid and Qiyamat, by similarly relating them to the central point Imamat. The human mind is unable to conceive of the Nature of God which is Absolute (Ahad) and hence the call to belief in Tauhid (Oneness of God) would naturally seem meaningless. However, this lofty concept, which is beyond the grasp and reach of human comprehension, finds action in its belief through faith in IMAMGod's Divine Mazhar (Manifestation) on this earth and amongst humans.
"Behold the Lord said to the angels: 'I will create a vicegerent on earth.' They said: 'Wilt Thou place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed blood? Whilst we do celebrate Thy praises and glorify Thee?' He said: 'I know what ye know not.' And He taught Adam the nature of all things; then He placed them before the angels and said: 'Tell Me the nature of these if you are right.' They said: 'Glory to Thee: of knowledge we have none save what Thou

hast taught us: in truth it is Thou Who are perfect in knowledge and wisdom.' He said 'O Adam! tell them their natures.' When he had told them, God said: Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of heavens and earth and 1 know what you reveal and what ye conceal' And behold. We said to the angels: Bow down to Adam,' and they bowed down: not so Iblis: he refused and was haughty: he was of those who reject Faith." Ch. 2 : vs. 30 34.

Prostration to Adam became incumbent upon the angels on God's command and when the angels prostrated they did not commit shirk (sin of giving a partner to God) but perfected their belief in Tauhid (Oneness of God), whereas Iblis. who did not prostrate to Adam and claimed his superiority over him. in fact committed shirk. Instead of obeying God's command and prostrating to the Noor (Light) of God. Iblis chose to follow his own judgment and earned God's displeasure. God was obeyed and loved through Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) in his time and so God is obeyed and loved through Imam of the time. Imam Ja'far-as-Sadiq has said: "God is believed and worshipped in us." Thus, belief in Tauhid becomes active and finds completion in the belief in Imamatthe Divine Institution. Finally, on the day of Qiyamat when all will be summoned to account for their deeds, it is then that each one will rise with his guide he served on this earth. The Holy Qur'an says: _
"One day We shall call together all human beings with their respective Imam: Those who are given their record in their right hand will read it (with pleasure), and they will not be dealt with unjustly in the least. But those who are blind in this world will be blind in the Hereafter, and most astray from the Path." Ch. 17: v. 71.

A man came to Imam Ja'far-as-Sadiq and spoke to him about a man who had died recently, and he said: "O Son of the Messenger of God, the deceased had a very high regard for you and loved you sincerely. The Imam said: "Everyone who bears love to us, will be with us on the Day of Resurrection. He will be under our protection and be our companion in all stations (in Paradise). Doubly do 1 swear by God. God purifies the heart of every one who loves us. And no one's heart shall be purified until he accepts our Imamat. And when he accepts our authority. God will save him from the punishment of his sins on the Day of Judgment and keep him safe from the Great Terror. Verily, this salvation takes place when a persons life reaches hereand he pointed to his throat (that is at the moment of his death).15 The love for the Imam leads a soul from its transient abode to the Eternal in God. Imam therefore is, for the mu'mins, the Lord and Master of both the worlds. Holy Qur'an therefore calls upon the mu'mins to supplicate this. so that. both in life and death, he may enjoy the love and care of the IMAM, THE DIVINE GUIDE and AUTHORITY.
"Say, 'O my Lord! let my entry be by the Gate of Truth and Honour and likewise my exit by the Gate of Truth and Honour; and grant me from Thy presence an AUTHORITY to aid (me)'."Ch. 17 : v. 80.

Just as one cannot conceive of a circle without a centre, so also Tauhid. Nabuwwat, Adl and Qiyamat without its Central Point in the concept of Imamat would bear no meaning. It is the circumference which emerges from and merges into the centre; so also the true understanding of Tauhid, Nabuwwat. Adl and Qiyamat emerges from and merges into ImamatThe Divine Institution.

Imam Muhammad al-Baqir said:

"Verily, Paradise welcomes the presence of the progeny of the Prophet and their party, and its brightness will be the brighter for their arrival. If a servant of God worships Him with excessive devotion between the Rukn and the Maqam Ibrahim in the Ka'ba, so that his ligaments are torn (by running), but his faith does not include love for us and acceptance of the Authority of the People of the House, God will not accept his devotions."16

For the Shi'a Imami Nizari Ismailis, Hazrat Mowlana Shah Karim al-Hussayni (His Highness The Aga Khan IV) is their Present Living Imam (Hazar Imam) to whom they owe their complete devotion and allegiance, and in whom they see their path to the Eternal Abode in Noor-e-Ilahi.

References:
1. 2. Op. cit., p. 103, 104. The founders of the four Sunni schools are designated as 'Imams. They are: Imam Abu Hanifa Nu'man ibn Thabit 80 - 150 AH (699 - 767 A.C.); Imam Malik ibn Anas93-175 AH (713-795 A.C.); Imam Abu AbdAllah Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi150-204 A. H. (767-204 A.C.); Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal 164-241 A.H. (781 -241 A.C.). Op. cit., p. 115. Op. cit., p. 178. Op. cit., p. 174. Op. Cit., pp. 29-31. Op. Cit., pp. 13 The Book of Faith' (Da'im al-Islam) tr. by A. A. A. Fyzee. Tafseer-e-Tabari Vol IXX - p. 68; Tafseer-e-Mo'allam-ul-Thunzeel, p. 663; Masnad Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Vol. 1 p.163; Musthadrik. Imam Hakim. Vol. III p. 133; History of Tabari, Vol. II p. 216; History of Kamil, Vol. II p. 26; History of Abdul Fida. Vol. I - p. 116.

3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

10. Moarej-un-Nabuwwat, Vol. IV - p. 216; Almanquibe of Akhtab-e-Kharazami, Ibne Hasham's Seerat: Tabari's History. 11. Musthadrik, Vol. Ill - p 32; Riaz-ul-Nazarah, Vol. II - p. 203; Musnad-e-lmam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Vol. I - p. 331; Asaba-fee-Ma'arayfath-e-Sahaba, Vol. IV - p. 270; Izalath-ul-Khifa Section 2 - p. 261. 12. Musthadrik of Imam Hakim; Istheeaab of Allama Ibne Abdul Bur: Izalath-ul-Khifu of Shah Waliullah; Kunzul Ummal of Allama Ali Muttaquee; Sahee Bukhari, para 18 - p. 89; para 145 - p. 387. 13. Musnad Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal, Vol. V - p. 281; Imam Ghazalee in Sir-ul-Aalameen: Ibne Shebab al-Zohri; Mohammed ibn Ishaq; Hakeem Tirmizee. Abu Bakr Siddiquee, Omar Farooq, Othman Ghani, Zubair ibn Awam, Abdullah ibn Omar, Bibi Aiyesha, Umme Sulma, Abdulla ibn Masood and Hussain ibn Sabith are among the narrators of the above event The book Arhahul Maltaiib cites 100 names of the companions of our Holy Prophet, and 153 historians, collectors of traditions, authors of Seehas and Massaaneed who have narrated the whole incident in detail. See 'Ghadir Khumm' by L. Veccia Vaglieri in ILM, Vol 2, No. 2. - p 28 14. Sahee Muslim, Vol. II - p. 279. p 15. The Book of Faith' (Da-aim al-Islam) tr. by A. A. A. Fyzee, para. 132 -p. 83. 16. Ibid.. para. 138 - p. 85.

10