What is Imamah?
Imamah (leadership) is the belief in divine leadership after the last Prophet of Islam.
Allah appointed twelve successors, one after another, after the last Prophet of Islam. These successors are called Imams. Imam literally means ‘leader’ and the plural is ‘aimmah’. The Imam is the leader of the Muslim nation (ummah) regarding affairs of religion and the world. Imamah is necessary in order to preserve the religion of Islam and to continue guiding people to the straight path.
Imamah in the Holy Quran
There are various verses that point to the belief of Imamah, one of them being:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّـهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ
“O you who have faith! Obey Allah and obey the Apostle and those vested with authority among you (4:59).”
Here, the word vested that is used refers to the Imams that are amongst us and hold authority.
Names of the Twelve Imams
The names of the twelve Imams, peace be on them all, are as follows:
- ‘Ali, son of Abu Talib
- Hasan, son of ‘Ali
- Husayn, son of ‘Ali
- ‘Ali Zayn al-Abidin, son of Husayn
- Muhammad al-Baqir, son of ‘Ali Zayn al-‘Abidin
- Ja’far al-Sadiq, son of Muhammad al-Baqir
- Musa al-Kadhim, son of Ja’far al-Sadiq
- ‘Ali al-Rida, son of Musa al-Kadhim
- Muhammad al-Taqi al-Jawad, son of ‘Ali al-Rida
- ‘Ali al-Naqi al-Hadi, son of Muhammad al-Taqi al-Jawad
- Hasan al-‘Askari, son of ‘Ali Naqi al-Hadi
- Muhammad al-Mahdi, son of Hasan al-‘Askari
The Imam of our time
Imam Mahdi (AJTFS), the twelfth Imam, is alive, he can see us but we cannot see him. He will reappear when Allah allows him. This is a time that only Allah (SWT) knows of. It is important for us to learn about the lives of all of our Imams, especially the Imam of our time, Imam Mahdi (AS). May Allah hasten his reappearance and include us among his helpers and followers.
Infallibility of the Imams
The twelve Imams are infallible (ma’sum, sinless), just like the prophets are infallible. As they know the reality, they choose not to sin. This is a quality of people chosen by Allah swt.
