Imāmah: Divinely Appointed Leadership
Tawhid Prophethood Divine Justice Imamah The Day of Resurrection Ethics and Society
Wilayah 11 Obedience 1 Infallibility 6
Quotations without a link appear in the ʿAllāmah’s separate discourses, which are not on this website; they can be read in the printed volumes and the Al-Mizan App.
Wilayah
On the Imamate as Inner Authority Over All Creation
The Imām is a leader who guides by a Divine Command which is closely associated with him. The Imāmah, in its esoteric sense, is al-wilāyah — guardianship, authority — over the people in their actions and activities. It is essential for an Imām to be a man of absolute certainty, who sees the world of the 'kingdom' of Allāh which is based on the 'words' of Allāh. The reality of the deeds of men — both good and bad — is always within the vision of the Imām, always under his observation.
Wilāyah as the Completion of Religion
The wilāyah of God—His management of the servants' affairs through the religion—cannot be complete except through the wilāyah of His Messenger; nor will the wilāyah of His Messenger be complete without the wilāyah of those vested with authority after him. Islam is a religion because it is a collection of what was sent down from God for guidance of His servants; and it is a Divine favor and bounty inasmuch as it contains in itself the wilāyah of God, the wilāyah of His Messenger, and of those vested with authority after him.
When a People Abandon God's Favor
God has called religion or religious guardianship a favor or bounty, as He says: 'This day have I perfected for you your religion and completed My favor on you and chosen for you Islam as religion.' If this favor is changed it is through their own agency. It is expected that they would go out of divine protection by cutting relation from Him, inclining towards the unjust people and taking the disbelievers and the People of the Book for friends.
The Nature of Wilāyah: Proximity, Right, and Authority
When wilāyah — a special proximity — is affected in spiritual and immaterial affairs, it follows that the waliyy has a right and an authority over the mawlā which others do not have except through him. All such managemental aspects that may be delegated to another will automatically be taken over by the waliyy — for example, the waliyy of a deceased person: the estate which the deceased used to manage by right of ownership, his heir now has the right to manage by wilāyah of inheritance.
The Two Dimensions of Divine Wilāyah
God has ascribed to Himself the Authority Over Creation (al-Wilāyah al-Takwīniyyah): through this authority, He manages everything and disposes the creatures' affairs as He pleases and in whatever way He pleases. And He has ascribed to Himself the Authority Over Legislation (al-Wilāyah al-Tashrīʾiyyah): God has ascribed to Himself this wilāyah, which concerns the believers' religious affairs — legislation of the laws, guidance, advice, help and so on.
The Prophet's Wilāyah as God's Wilāyah
The Prophet has the wilāyah over the ummah, inasmuch as he leads them to God, rules over them, judges and decides in all their affairs; it is incumbent on them to obey him unconditionally. In this way, his wilāyah springs from God's wilāyah in the meaning of the authority of legislation. In other words, his wilāyah is the wilāyah of God — the Prophet has precedence over them as they are bound to obey him, because his obedience is God's obedience.
The Party of God and the Nature of Triumph
al-Falāḥ means victory and acquisition of the object of desire — triumph. It is this triumph and success which God has promised to bestow on the believers. Gaining felicity, adhering to truth, vanquishing infelicity and refuting falsity in this world and the hereafter: in this world through good life which is found in a virtuous society made up of the friends of God, in an earth cleansed from the friends of Satan, based on piety; and in the hereafter, in the neighborhood of the Lord of the worlds.
Wilāyah as Soul to the Body of Religion
The fact that if this commandment was not conveyed, then no other order was conveyed, shows its utmost importance, and makes it crystal clear that this particular order occupies such a central position in the whole structure that if it was left unannounced, it would amount to leaving all other orders unannounced — because its relation to other items is like that of soul with body; if it is disconnected, there would remain only a dead body, devoid of feeling, movement and perception.
Why Islam Cannot Be Without a Guardian
Islam is a religion so comprehensive and all-encompassing that it has laid down for the whole mankind in all regions and for all times all fundamental gnosis, ethical principles and practical rules which cover all human movement and stillness, separately and collectively, contrary to other general legal systems. How can it be imagined that such a comprehensive system does not need a guardian who should protect and preserve it properly?
Allegiance as the Elimination of Every Barrier
The term wilāya ('allegiance') has many meanings, but its original meaning is the elimination of any barrier between two things so that there is nothing between them that is not part of them. It is then metaphorically used for the closeness of one thing to another in various ways, such as closeness in familial relation, place, rank, friendship, or otherwise. God is the ally of His believing servant because He takes charge of their affairs and looks after their well-being by guiding them to His straight path, commanding and forbidding what is appropriate or inappropriate for them, and supporting them in this worldly life and the Hereafter.
Imamate as Inward Link
The Imam is the link between the people and their Lord in receiving inward effusions from God and passing them to the people, just as the prophet is a link between the people and their Lord in receiving outward effusions.
Obedience
True Freedom Is Servanthood to God Alone
God is the absolute ruler who must be obeyed unconditionally. He has given the right to command, prohibit, and demand obedience to His messengers, those in authority, and the believers of the Islamic nation. Therefore, there is no freedom against the truth they bring and call for.
Infallibility
On the Covenant That Cannot Be Reached by the Unjust
Allāh did not say: The unjust will not reach My covenant — because it would have implied that it was within the power of man, albeit a just one, to reach the status of the Imāmah. The present sentence does not leave room for any such misunderstanding; it clearly shows that getting the Imāmah is not within human jurisdiction; it is exclusively in the hand of Allāh, and He gives to whom He pleases.
Al-ʿIsmah: The Knowledge That Cannot Be Overpowered
All good characteristics, like bravery, chastity and generosity are forms of knowledge deep-rooted in the psyche that prevent one from indulging in their opposites. However, whenever man goes against the dictates of virtue, it happens because some causes overpower the others and man forgets the dictates of virtue. But as for the faculty called the power of al-ʿIsmah, it is a conscious cause emanating from knowledge which can never be overpowered.
The Holy Spirit as Divine Protection from Error
This Divine gift which we call al-ʿIsmah is a sort of knowledge and consciousness which is totally different from all other types of knowledge inasmuch as this knowledge is never overpowered by any other faculty; rather it overpowers all other faculties and uses them according to its own wisdom. In this way, it fully protects the holder of al-ʿIsmah from going astray and committing mistakes. It has come in the traditions that the Prophet and the Imāms possess a spirit called the Holy Spirit, which supports them and protects them from sin and mistake.
Only the Self-Guided Can Lead Others to Truth
Guidance to the truth, meaning leading to the explicit truth and the core of reality, is only from God Almighty or from those who are guided by themselves, meaning those whom God guides without any intermediary between them and Him. They are guided by God and guide others by the command of God. Therefore, whoever guides to the truth must first be guided themselves, but not by virtue of anyone else guiding them, as whoever relies on others for guidance cannot guide to the truth.
Infallibility Prevents Even the Contemplation of Sin
God endowed them with knowledge that serves as a shield against them committing sins or transgressions. Endowed with this knowledge, they abstain from every sin, whether minor or major. This characteristic distinguishes infallibility (ʿiṣma) from moral rectitude or righteousness (ʿadāla). While both prevent sinful actions, infallibility inherently prevents the contemplation of sins, unlike moral rectitude.
Evil Diverted Away, Not He Diverted from It
A subtle aspect of the verse lies in the passage: that We might turn away from him all evil and indecency, implying that evil and indecency are being diverted away from Joseph, rather than him being diverted away from them. The latter would suggest that he possessed an inclination to commit such acts, needing to be diverted. This contradicts God's testament that Joseph was among His sincere and devoted servants.