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AN OBJECTIVE PERSPECTIVE

Imaamah and the Quran

BY: ABU SALIH

chapter six
Muhammad(ﷺ)As “imaam”?


It has been noted that the belief in Imaamahstands on very weak foundationsonce the Quranis opened and compared with the Shia ideologies.

Another issue of utmost importance in this discussion is this section, which tries to discover whether Muhammad(ﷺ)who is accepted as both a Nabi and a Rasool (Prophet and Messenger) by Sunnis and Shias, holds the special and specific type of Imaamah Shias speak of, in light of the Quranic Verses. The non-existence of “Imaamah” among many of the Prophets whom the Shias contend to be Imaams was discussed, but the case of Muhammad(ﷺ)is of special significance.

Shia ideology states that the highest position Muhammad(ﷺ)occupied was in his role as an Imaam, and not as a Prophet or Messenger (Rasullulah or Nabi-u-llah). Thus, according to the Shia, the highest position ever held by any creation of Allah ever is that of “Imaam Muhammad”. This is an important idea put forward by many Shias, since it changes everything about the way we look at Muhammad(ﷺ).

Before going through the question of Muhammad(ﷺ)as an “Imaam”, it is important that we consider the following questions, so that we can realize the obviousness of Muhammad’s (ﷺ)Prophethood:

  • During Muhammad's(ﷺ)time, how many Muslims who followed him were unaware that he was a Prophet of Allah?
  • During this same time, how many disbelievers and enemies of Islaam did not know that Muhammad(ﷺ)was calling himself a Prophet of Alllah?
  • Even today, is there anyone who knows little about Islaam, Muslim or non-Muslim, who does not know that Muhammad(ﷺ)claimed that he was a Prophet of Allah?

The answer to these questions is none. There is not a single person since the advent of Muhammad (ﷺ)who has gone through Islam as a religion without realizing that he claimed to be a Prophet and Messenger of Allah.

However, the case with Muhammad(ﷺ)as an "Infallible Imaam" is quite different. Some people may say that it is intuitively obvious that Prophet Muhammad(ﷺ)was the Infallible Imaam of the Muslim Ummah. This is a completely wrong statement, and is stated by those who think that everyone has Imaamah as part of their belief system. The reality is that so called “intuitive concepts” vary from nation to nation, so that what seems to be obvious for one religious group is completely rejected by another. If belief was truly intuitive as I personally see things, there would not be a single person on this earth who would believe that God can incarnate in form of a human. As it stands, though, more than half of the world’s population believes in the theory of divine incarnation into a human body, something that is readily rejected by the Muslim mind.

So we see that religion is a matter of revelation, not intuitiveness or deep meditation. We as Muslims know of Muhammad(ﷺ)as the leader of all Muslims from his time up to the Day of Resurrection. But the specifics of his “Infallible Imaamah” are very sketchy even according to the Shia side. The dogma of Imaamah according to Shias is too complex for all Muslims to come to this conclusion based on common sense alone.

What is perhaps even more amazing is that while almost all Shia propaganda focuses on showing Ali and his progeny as Imaams, millions of ordinary Shias live and die with the misconception that Imaamah did not exist prior to the death of Muhammad(ﷺ). This is the consequence of the Shias constantly mentioning the “12 Imaams” as Imaams, while largely neglecting Muhammad’s(ﷺ)role as “Imaam”. Even the alternate name of the Imaamiyah sect is the Ithna Ashariyah (the Twelvers), a connotation that further blurs Muhammad’s(ﷺ) supposed position as Imaam. Notwithstanding, the top ranks of Shia scholars hold Muhammad(ﷺ)to be an “Imaam”, in the same way Ibrahim (Alayhi Salam), Musa (Alayhi Salam), Isa (Alayhi Salam) are “Imaams”, so this is perhaps the only reason why Muhammad(ﷺ)is held as such in the traditional scholarly Shia explanation of religion.

How was Muhammad(ﷺ)addressed?

It is of extreme importance to note that when any dignitary or official in this world is addressed, he/she is referred to by the highest rank that he/she occupies. For example, it is obvious that George W. Bush is a politician and leader of the Republican Party in the United States. However, he is never addressed as “Politician Bush” by anyone, but always as The President of the United States George W. Bush, or as President Bush. The same overall principle can be seen when talking of “President” General Musharraf of Pakistan, “Prime Minister” Tony Blair of Great Britain, and so on with all of the world’s leaders.

Even among religious scholars and leaders, they are referred to by the highest position they occupy. For example, John Paul II was a Cardinal and a Bishop of the Catholic religion, but he was referred to each and every single time as “Pope John Paul II”. In Shiaism as well, the Grand Ayatullahs have passed through the positions of Mubaligh, Hujattul Islam, and Ayatullah, but they are always referred to as “Grand Ayatullah” (Ayatullah al-Uzma) by their peers and followers. If anyone has had experience with close followers of these scholars, they will know that referring to Sistani (for example) as a Hujattul Islam will draw very heavy criticism from his followers, as they consider it to be a tremendous insult to the rank he has achieved.

Given this criteria, it is interesting to note that the Holy Quran never addresses Muhammad(ﷺ)as “Oh Imaam” or “This Imaam”. None of the places where Allah uses the word “Imaam” directly refers to Prophet Muhammad(ﷺ). Even when there is a possibility for the Verse to refer to Muhammad(ﷺ)such as in Ayah 36:12, some of the Shia commentaries instead try to present the Verse as referring to Ali instead of Muhammad (ﷺ).

In view of this fact, I believe it is extremely important for us to see how Allah does refer to Muhammad (ﷺ)directly in the Quran, whether it is when his name is mentioned, or in other instances.

Muhammad referred to by name, any hint of him being an Imaam?

There are five places in the Quran where the Prophet(ﷺ)is referred to by name. Four of them are by the name Muhammad(ﷺ), while the other is by Ahmad. A brief look at them will show that while Allah explicitly says that Muhammad(ﷺ)is indeed His Rasul and Nabi, none of them mention him as an Imaam or anything even similar to that. Thus, Allah says:

وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلَّا رَ‌سُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِ الرُّ‌سُلُ ۚ ﴿١٤٤﴾

Muhammad(ﷺ)is no more than a Messenger, and indeed (many) Messengers have passed away before him. (Quran 3:144)

مَّا كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَبَا أَحَدٍ مِّن رِّ‌جَالِكُمْ وَلَـٰكِن رَّ‌سُولَ اللَّـهِ وَخَاتَمَ النَّبِيِّينَ ۗ ﴿٤٠﴾

Muhammad(ﷺ)is not the father of any man among you, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the last (end) of the Prophets (Quran 33:40)

وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَآمَنُوا بِمَا نُزِّلَ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَهُوَ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّ‌بِّهِمْ ۙ كَفَّرَ‌ عَنْهُمْ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ وَأَصْلَحَ بَالَهُمْ ﴿٢﴾

But those who believe and do righteous good deeds, and believe in that which is sent down to Muhammad(ﷺ), for it is the truth from their Lord, He will expiate from them their sins, and will make good their state. (Quran 47:2)

مُّحَمَّدٌ رَّ‌سُولُ اللَّـهِ ۚ ﴿٢٩﴾

Muhammad(ﷺ)is the Messenger of Allah (Quran 48:29)

وَإِذْ قَالَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْ‌يَمَ يَا بَنِي إِسْرَ‌ائِيلَ إِنِّي رَ‌سُولُ اللَّـهِ إِلَيْكُم مُّصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ مِنَ التَّوْرَ‌اةِ وَمُبَشِّرً‌ا بِرَ‌سُولٍ يَأْتِي مِن بَعْدِي اسْمُهُ أَحْمَدُ ۖ ﴿٦﴾

And (remember) when 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), said: "O Children of Israel! I am the Messenger of Allah unto you confirming the Taurat [(Torah) which came] before me, and giving glad tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmed. (Quran 61:6)

By reading these Verses of the Quran, one can immediately gather that Muhammad(ﷺ)is a Prophet of Allah (Rasullulah) and a Nabi. It will not require a specialized commentary for any Muslim to understand that in these Verses Muhammad(ﷺ)is being called a Prophet of Allah. Even a non-Muslim completely opposed to Islam would accept that Muhammad(ﷺ)is referred to as a Prophet and Messenger of Allah in the Quran, even though he/she will not accept his Prophethood.

However, none of the Verses above even remotely refers to Muhammad(ﷺ) as an Imaam. Among Shia scholars as well, none of them has seriously attempted to show that these Ayats call Muhammad(ﷺ)as an Imaam, since the text of the Quran is overwhelmingly clear in this respect.

“Oh Imaam”?

Another issue that should be tackled concerns how Allah addresses Muhammad(ﷺ)in various parts of the Quran. Now, there are certain times in the Quran when Allah directly addresses Muhammad(ﷺ), in order to give him a directive, or to advise him on how to deal with certain groups of people, etc. While Allah does refer to Muhammad by the words “O Messenger” and “O Prophet”, not once is the phrase “O Imaam” or even “O Leader” being used to refer to Muhammad(ﷺ).

Thus, the phrase “Yaa Ayuhaa Nabi” (O Prophet):

﴿ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ ﴾

Is used in the following Verses of the Quran: 8:64, 8:65, 8:70, 9:73, 33:1, 33:28, 33:45, 33:50, 33:59, 60:12, 65:1, and 66:1.

In a similar manner the phrase “Yaa Ayuhaa Rasuul” (O Messenger):

﴿ يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ ﴾

Is used in Verses 5:41 and 5:67.

Tthe Verses presented above are not the only times when the Quran speaks about Muhammad(ﷺ)specifically. There are a multitude of Verses in the Quran where the reader will undoubtedly notice that Allah is referring to Muhammad(ﷺ)as His Prophet and/or Messenger. The total number of these instances approaches 200 (Muhammad as a Prophet about 170 times, and Muhammad as Nabi about 30 times). As an example, in Surah At-Tawbah (Chapter 9) alone, it can be seen in 33 separate instances that the “Rasool” being referred to is Muhammad(ﷺ), as well as 2 more referring to him as the “Nabi”. Scholars of all ages and all sects have agreed without much argument that in all these instances, the “Rasool” or “Nabi” being referred to is indeed Muhammad(ﷺ).

Considering the following passage from the Quran where a number of Muhammad’s(ﷺ)attributes have been mentioned, a reference to Muhammad's(ﷺ) “Imaamah” cannot be observed either. For example, the Quran states:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ شَاهِدًا وَمُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا ﴿٤٥﴾ وَدَاعِيًا إِلَى اللَّـهِ بِإِذْنِهِ وَسِرَاجًا مُّنِيرًا ﴿٤٦﴾

O Prophet! Lo! We have sent thee as a witness and a bringer of good tidings and a warner. And as a summoner unto Allah by His permission, and as a lamp that giveth light. (Quran 33:45-46)

None of these attributes and titles of the Prophet(ﷺ)either by themselves or as a group can be taken to mean he was an “Imaam” as understood by the Shias. For example, it can be derived that being a “Nadhir” and “Bashir” are some of the primary functions of a Prophet and alternative ways for Allah to call them (such is the case with many Ayahs of the Quran, such as Verse 4:165 which was shown before). Being a “summoner who calls towards Allah” or a “lamp that gives light” are also not qualities that would be unique to “Imaams” even according to the Shia faith.

Perhaps the only title that may remotely be connected to “Imaam” is “Witness” (Shaahid). Looking at the Quran, though, it is obvious that the Muslims as a whole have this task of being witnesses (in this case, witnesses over humanity): 123

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ارْكَعُوا وَاسْجُدُوا وَاعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمْ وَافْعَلُوا الْخَيْرَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ۩ ﴿٧٧﴾ وَجَاهِدُوا فِي اللَّـهِ حَقَّ جِهَادِهِ ۚ هُوَ اجْتَبَاكُمْ وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ ۚ مِّلَّةَ أَبِيكُمْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ۚ هُوَ سَمَّاكُمُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مِن قَبْلُ وَفِي هَـٰذَا لِيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ شَهِيدًا عَلَيْكُمْ وَتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ ۚ فَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِاللَّـهِ هُوَ مَوْلَاكُمْ ۖ فَنِعْمَ الْمَوْلَىٰ وَنِعْمَ النَّصِيرُ ﴿٧٨﴾

O ye who believe! Bow down and prostrate yourselves, and worship your Lord, and do good, that haply ye may prosper. And strive for Allah with the endeavour which is His right. He hath chosen you and hath not laid upon you in religion any hardship; the faith of your father Abraham (is yours). He hath named you Muslims of old time and in this (Scripture), that the messenger may be a witness against you, and that ye may be witnesses against mankind. So establish worship, pay the poor-due, and hold fast to Allah. He is your Protecting friend. A blessed Patron and a blessed Helper! (Quran 22:77-78)

Therefore, nowhere in the Quran is Muhammad(ﷺ)refered to as an “Imaam” either in a direct or indirect manner. The contrast between Muhammad’s(ﷺ) supposed position and the treatment of this “rank” in the Quran is staggering and cannot be overlooked by anyone seeking to discover the true nature of “Imaamah”.

People of the Book, the coming of Muhammad(ﷺ), and Imaamah?

In the previous section the confusion of the Shias with respect to the “succession of Imaams” between Isa (Alayhi Salam) and Muhammad(ﷺ)was discussed. It was also seen that between the times of Musa (Alayhi Salam) and Isa (Alayhi Salam) there is more than enough evidence to prove that Imaamah as viewed in Shiaism did not exist during this period either.

It is important to note that the Ahl-ul-Kitaab (People of the Book) were a people who have been addressed quite particularly in many places of the Quran. One of the Ayahs that caught my attention was:

يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولُنَا يُبَيِّنُ لَكُمْ عَلَىٰ فَتْرَةٍ مِّنَ الرُّسُلِ أَن تَقُولُوا مَا جَاءَنَا مِن بَشِيرٍ وَلَا نَذِيرٍ ۖ فَقَدْ جَاءَكُم بَشِيرٌ وَنَذِيرٌ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ﴿١٩﴾

People of the Book! Our Messenger has come to you, making things clear to you, after a period with no Messengers, lest you should say, ‘No one came to us bringing good news or warning.’ Someone has come to you bringing good news and a warning. Allah has power over all things. (Quran 5:19)

Allah also addresses the People of the Book a few Verses before this, saying:

يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولُنَا يُبَيِّنُ لَكُمْ كَثِيرًا مِّمَّا كُنتُمْ تُخْفُونَ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَيَعْفُو عَن كَثِيرٍ ۚ قَدْ جَاءَكُم مِّنَ اللَّـهِ نُورٌ وَكِتَابٌ مُّبِينٌ ﴿١٥﴾

O People of the Scripture! Now hath Our messenger come unto you, expounding unto you much of that which ye used to hide in the Scripture, and forgiving much. now hath come unto you light from Allah and plain Scripture (Quran 5:15)

In both these cases, the Quran is talking to the Jews and the Christians, with Allah informing them that a Messenger has come to them after a period wherein there were no Messengers, and that “Now” has the light come unto them.

With respect to the “Imaamah doctrine”, the researcher is immediately forced to ask the following questions:

  • Why would Allah mention absence of Messengers if the weight of preserving the Message and calling unto Allah actually rests with the Imaam?
  • Why would Allah say that “now” the light has come to them, if supposedly there was an Infallible Imaam (the light from Allah) living among them even before the advent of Muhammad(ﷺ)?

This Ayah refers to the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) as a whole, thus nullifying the possible explanation that certain Christians were following an Imaam before the advent of Muhammad(ﷺ). This explanation is null, not only because there is no mention of such an “Imaam” in the Islamic traditions, but also because the presence or absence of Messengers (i.e. Rasools) is what determines the bringing of good news and warnings to a people (as opposed to the Shia ideology, where the Imaams are presented as the upholders of the religion).

From these Verses it can also be concluded that the Jews and Christians did not have the concept of Imaamah in their consciousness, and that Allah did not reprimand them for it. This is of extreme consequence, since Allah brings the Jews and Christians to account and reprimands them for a whole array of wrong deeds and unjustified inventions they had been steeped into before the coming of Muhammad(ﷺ). Yet, their “neglect of Imaamah” is never mentioned anywhere in the Quran, either directly or indirectly.

For those readers that may be unfamiliar with the various actions the Jews and Christians of the past and present are blamed for in the Quran, the following sins can be given as examples:

  • Killing the Prophets without just cause by the Jews (Verses 2:60, 3:21)
  • Breaking the treaty taken from them on the Mount by the Jews (Verse 2:83-84). This treaty included worshipping Allah, being good to parents, kindred, orphans and the needy, establishing Salah, giving Zakah.
  • Exaggerating the position of Isa (Alayhi Salam) by the Christians and equating him with God (Verses 5:17, 5:73)
  • Taking the priests and rabbis as Lords in place of Allah by both Jews and Christians (Verse 9:31).
  • The Israelites asking Musa (Alayhi Salam) to give them an idol-god similar to the one of a nation they passed (Verses 7:138-141)

Of course, there are many more Verses where the misdeeds of the Jews and Christians are mentioned. Only a small portion of them has been mentioned here, since the total number of Verses mentioning their stories runs into the triple digits. But Allah never blames or reprimands the People of the Book for “failing to follow the Divinely Appointed Imaam”. It is truly amazing that the Quran goes to great lengths to recount very specific instances of the sins the Jews and Christians had fallen into, stories that may have been forgotten over the centuries before the coming of Muhammad(ﷺ). Yet when it comes to the supposedly more important issue of not following the “proper Imaam’ the Quran says absolutely nothing about it.

If the characteristics of the sincere followers from among the People of the Book were to be enumerated, it would be obvious that “belief in Imaamah” was not a part of their required faith. For example, the Quran says:

لَيْسُوا سَوَاءً ۗ مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ أُمَّةٌ قَائِمَةٌ يَتْلُونَ آيَاتِ اللَّـهِ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ وَهُمْ يَسْجُدُونَ ﴿١١٣﴾ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّـهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَيُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَأُولَـٰئِكَ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ ﴿١١٤﴾ وَمَا يَفْعَلُوا مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَلَن يُكْفَرُوهُ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ عَلِيمٌ بِالْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿١١٥﴾

They are not all alike. Of the People of the Scripture there is a staunch community who recite the revelations of Allah in the night season, falling prostrate (before Him). They believe in Allah and the Last Day, and enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency, and vie one with another in good works. These are of the righteous. And whatever good they do, they will not be denied the meed thereof. Allah is Aware of those who ward off (evil). (Quran 3:113-115)

It is seen here that the good people from among the Jews and Christians were not good because they “followed the correct Infallible Imaams” of their time. Rather, their beliefs and practices are very close to the general way that Allah wants a Muslim to believe and behave. This includes the belief in Allah and the Last Day, enjoining the good and forbidding the evil. Yet neither in this Verse nor in any other place do are the believing Jews and Christians equated with following a non-Prophet divine representative. (It was already seen in the discussion of Ayahs 28:5 and 32:24 that the “Imaams” in those cases could not possibly be Imaams as the Shias see it).

Pagans and coming of Muhammad(ﷺ)… as an Imaam?

Muhammad’s(ﷺ)coming was obviously witnessed by the Jews and Christians of his time. However, the main group to which he was initially sent to was the Pagan Arabs. It is noteworthy to point out that there are a number of broad analogies that can be made between the Pagans and the People of the Book in terms of showing that Imaamah was never preached to them as a concept. For example, Allah says about the coming of Muhammad(ﷺ)to his people:

أَمْ يَقُولُونَ افْتَرَاهُ ۚ بَلْ هُوَ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكَ لِتُنذِرَ قَوْمًا مَّا أَتَاهُم مِّن نَّذِيرٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ ﴿٣﴾

Or say they: He hath invented it? Nay, but it is the Truth from thy Lord, that thou mayst warn a folk to whom no warner came before thee, that haply they may walk aright. (Quran 32:3)

AND

لِتُنذِرَ قَوْمًا مَّا أُنذِرَ آبَاؤُهُمْ فَهُمْ غَافِلُونَ ﴿٦﴾

That thou mayst warn a folk whose fathers were not warned, so they are heedless. (Quran 36:6)

It is seen that as in the case with the Jews and the Christians, Allah affirms that the Makkans had no one who had come to them immediately before the coming of Muhammad(ﷺ). Other Ayahs of the Quran, like Verse 28:49 which was discussed before, point towards the same general idea: The Pagan Arabs had not witnessed the coming of any divine representative immediately before the arrival of the Last Prophet(ﷺ). This is all obviously against the Shia understanding of Imaamah, and the Quran is very clear and very specific about these issues.

Not explaining Imaamah to the Pagans?

The incongruence between the way Imaamah is discussed in Shiasim and the way the Quran discusses this “doctrine” comes to light most forcefully when looking at the way the Islamic message was delivered to the Pagan Arabs. If the Shia viewpoint is viewed as correct for the sake of argument, the belief of Imaamah is not something that the Arab tribes would be expected to know much about. As had been noted before while looking at Ayah 5:19, even the Jews and Christians were at least aware of the weight Messengers (i.e. Rasools) had in calling people to the path of Allah, yet they did not have the notion of Imaamah in their vocabulary. Seen from a rational viewpoint, explaining a belief about which the people are completely ignorant about is at the same level as explaining a belief that has been wrongly distorted by the masses.

For example, the Arabs of the Ignorance Period had all sorts of wrong ideas about the nature of Prophets. The Quran says:

وَقَالُوا مَالِ هَـٰذَا الرَّسُولِ يَأْكُلُ الطَّعَامَ وَيَمْشِي فِي الْأَسْوَاقِ ۙ لَوْلَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مَلَكٌ فَيَكُونَ مَعَهُ نَذِيرًا ﴿٧﴾

And they say: What aileth this messenger (of Allah) that he eateth food and walketh in the markets? Why is not an angel sent down unto him, to be a warner with him. (Quran 25:7)

Thus, the Pagans imagined that the Messenger to be sent to them should be an angel, since they believed that a mere human could not be sent as a Messenger by Allah. Similar Verses dealing with the same misconception by previous nations are mentioned in other locations, such as Ayah 36:15 and Ayah 54:24. To this, the reply is:

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ إِلَّا إِنَّهُمْ لَيَأْكُلُونَ الطَّعَامَ وَيَمْشُونَ فِي الْأَسْوَاقِ ۗ وَجَعَلْنَا بَعْضَكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ فِتْنَةً أَتَصْبِرُونَ ۗ وَكَانَ رَبُّكَ بَصِيرًا ﴿٢٠﴾

We never sent before thee any messengers but lo! they verily ate food and walked in the markets. And We have appointed some of you a test for others: Will ye be steadfast? And thy Lord is ever Seer. (Quran 25:20)

In addition to this Verse, there are others such as Ayah 21:7-8 and Ayah 6:8-9 that generally give similar rebuttals to the ignorant excuses of the Pagan Arabs when Muhammad(ﷺ)came to them with the Message from Allah.

The important part in our discussion relates to the humanity of Messengers sent to different nations having been mentioned by Allah in the Holy Quran. It may be taken as granted by many Muslims today, but there is a considerable chance that an ignorant nation will have conjured up a whole host of ideas about what a Messenger is and what he is not. Such was the case with the Pagan Arabs to whom Muhammad(ﷺ)was sent. The great length the Quran goes into in order to state the truth with respect to this false invention is clear for all to see.

The same type of statements may be seen when many of the other false ideas the Pagan Arabs had are considered. This can be seen with respect to a range of issues such as:

  • Mentioning that Angels are not females begotten by Allah (Verses 37:149-53)
  • Declaring as false the pagan idea that the jinn and Allah were related by kinship (Verse 37:158)
  • Stating that the Day of Judgement will come to pass, in spite of the Pagans notion that such an occurrence was merely a conjecture (Verses 45:24-37)
  • Exposing and correcting the false notions the Pagans had about Cattle (Verses 6:136-144)

Many Muslims reading about the stories of the pagans during the Period of Ignorance may find some of their actions and beliefs hilarious. Nevertheless, there is nothing funny about it at all, since these wrong thoughts were serious enough that Allah mentioned each one of them in the Quran. Yet, there is no effort from part of the Quran to explain to these people what an Imaam is, what are his qualities, how is an Imaam tied to every time, why did the Pagans not follow the “true Imaams” before the coming of Muhammad(ﷺ), or that Muhammad(ﷺ)is an Imaam. Any reasonable researcher would be amazed at the fact that Allah includes Verses on all the above issues, some of which are supposedly lower than Imaamah (and certainly not part of the Usool-e- Din in Shiaism), while Imaamah and its pillars are not dealt with in any manner at all.

These issues made me think that the “Imaamah of Muhammad” was not based on any strong evidence. It seemed more like a concept artificially added to the Shia thought because of the “Imaamah of the 12 Imaams”. The general ignorance of the Muslim Ummah and most Shias about the Prophet’s position as “Imaam”, coupled with the manner in which the coming of the Prophet(ﷺ) is mentioned in the Quran cannot allow any other conclusion for the fair-minded truth-seeker.

CONCLUSION

I started my research on the premise that the Quran would be the first and most important text that would determine the truth or falsehood of the Imaamah doctrine. As I read the Quran over and over again, each time looking for different aspects in the lives of previous Prophets and Prophet Muhammad(ﷺ), the explanation of the concepts of Prophethood and Imaamah, and the specific usage of the words from which the dogmas are formed I reached a definite conclusion. I reasoned that there is no way a balanced Muslim could “see Imaamah” in the Quran the way the Shias have developed this doctrine. Considering the nature of Imaamah in Shiaism and the fact that it is an all-encompassing belief that supercedes Prophethood in almost every aspect, it is difficult to see a strong emphasis being placed on this dogma from the Quranic perspective. I saw that there was some mention in the Quran of “Imaamah” and “Imaams” among the nations of the past, though in no way could it be tied to Shia ideology. If the dogma of Imaamah was not strongly stressed in the lifetimes of the past Prophets or during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad(ﷺ), it is impossible for this doctrine to come out of the blue after

the Prophet’s(ﷺ)demise. With this truth established, looking into the “Imaamah of the 12 Imaams” was redundant, just like looking into the supposed crucifixion of Jesus when it is known that substitutionary punishment is not a Divine Tool of justice. Thus, judging the general legitimacy of the doctrine based on the main Holy Book before moving on to other issues was a proper way to find the truth. I look forward to this methodology being used by all Sunnis and Shias who wish to step out of the normal spiral of unproductive discussions and judge for themselves where the correct faith lies.

While I was preparing this book, I received news that an acquaintance of mine I had known for some months decided to leave Shiaism. Like the brother I mentioned at the beginning of this book, he had read about Shiaism deeply. In this case, the brother actually entered the fold of Shiaism and started to learn more about his new faith before deciding that Shiism was not the true form of Islam.

The thing that struck me the most about his case is that he took a lot of time going through the Ahadeeths from both Sunni and Shia sides, and dug deeply into Islamic history and other fields. Inded, most of his querries into the Sunni and Shia faiths centered around historical events and the sciences of Ahadeeth. However, when he decided to leave Shiaism after 18 months, he declared that his first reason for converting back to Sunnism was that the message of the Quran and the message of Shiaism did not go together.

The other aspects of Shiaism that troubled him did indeed feature in his decision to leave the Shia faith, yet the Quran’s inconsistency with the tenets of Shiaism was the first reason leading to his decision. It is unfortunate that sometimes people do not understand the central relevance of the Quran in Islam. They see the Holy Book as a revelation shrouded fully in mystery. This is obviously not the case. The Quran can be used as the primary basis for us Muslims to decide the truthfulness of the claims by whichever group that claims absolute truth.

I wish that through this work, it has been established for the well intentioned and sincere researcher that the doctrine of Imaamah as understood by the Shia faith stands on a very weak footing as far as the Quran is concerned. The objective analysis of the instances wherein the word “Imaam” is found in the Quran does not, in any way, advance the Shia belief in this concept. In some instances, a close analysis of the Verse shows that many or all of the Shia scholars themselves did not hold these Verses to refer to the Imaamah doctrine. In other cases, the narrations presented did not agree with the established principles of Shia belief, and opened up a number of inconsistencies between the presented narrations and the standard Shia belief in Imaamah.

This is marked contrast with the very strong and explicit mention, through literally hundreds of clear Quranic Ayahs about the Islamic belief in Prophets and Messengers, including the explicit mention of many Prophets/Messengers by name, and the statements that these holy personalities were indeed Prophets and Messengers of Allah. Additionally, the explicit statements about various characteristics of Prophets and Messengers in the Quran shows the wide discrepancy between the manners in which the Quran uses the term Imaam, and the way the words Rasool and Nabi are used.

The objective-minded reader will have been able to note these differences between the way Imaamah is presented in Shia beliefs and the way it is shown in the Quran, as well as the harmony between the presentation of the concepts of Nubuwwah and Risalah as one of the pillars of Islamic belief and the Quran’s agreement in this respect.

Allah says:

إِنَّ هَـٰذَا الْقُرْ‌آنَ يَهْدِي لِلَّتِي هِيَ أَقْوَمُ ......... ﴿٩﴾

Lo! this Qur'an guideth unto that which is straightest.......... (Quran 17:9)

I end this work by quoting this Verse from the Holy Quran. I pray for the success of the honest seeker in his quest towards finding the truth. May Allah help those who wish to sincerely find the true faith. Ameen.


BIBLIOGRAPHY

Standard References

Sunni references

Tafseer Quran al Kareem, by Al-Hafeedh Ibn Katheer, Revised by Saami bin Muhammad as-Salaamah, Dar Taybah, Second Edition, 1419 H, 1999 C.E.

Tafseer at-Tabari, Imaam At-Tabari, Revised by Shaykh Muhammad Ahmad Shakir, Dar ar-Risalah, First Edition, 1420 H, 2000 C.E.

Tafser Al Qurtubi (Jami’ Al Ahkam al Quran), by Abi Abdillah al Ansari al Qurtubi, Dar al Ahya Turaath Al Arabi, Beirut, Lebanon, 1405 H, 1985 C.E.

Shia references

The Holy Quran: Text, Translation & Commentary (The Example Commentary in Brief) by Ayatullah Al- Ozma Naser Makarem Shirazi, Translated by Mansoor Aminy- Baghbadorani

At-Tibbyan fi Tafseer al Quran, Shaykh Abi Jafar At-Tusi, Revised by Ahmad Habib Al- Amily, First Edition, Dar Ahya Turaath Al-Arabi, Beirut, Lebanon, 1409 H

Shi'ism: Imaamate & Wilayat, by Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi, Ansarian Publication, Qom, Iran

Shi’a, by Allamah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabatabai, Translated by Sayyid Husayn Nasr, Ansarian Publication, Qom, Iran

Aqaed Al Imaamiyah, by Muhammad Redha Mudhaffar, Ansarian Publication, Qom, Iran

Asl-ul-Shia wa Usuluha, by Muhammad Hussayn Al Kashif Al Ghita, Revised by ‘Ala Al Jafar, Imaam Ali Foundation, Qom, Iran, 1415 H, 1994 C.E.

Awail Muqalat, Shaykh al-Mufid, Revised by Ibrahim Zinjani al Khoeini, Dar al Mufid, Beirut, Lebanon, Second Edition, 1414 H, 1993 C.E.

Islamic Government: Hukumat-i-Islami, by Ayatullah Ruhollah al-Musavi al-Khomeini, Translated and annotated by: Dr. Hamid Algar, http://www.wandea.org.pl/khomeini-pdf/hukumat-i-islami.pdf

Bihar al Anwar, by Allamah Muhammad Baqir Majlisi, Al-Wafa Foundation, Beirut, Lebanon, Second Edition, 1403 H, 1983 C.E.

A Shiite Creed, by Shaykh As-Saduq, translated by Asaf A.A. Fyzee, World Organization for Islamic Services, Teheran, Iran, Third Edition, 1420 H, 1999 C.E.

Al Mizan fi Tafseer al Quran, by Allamah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabatabai, First Edition Published by Group of Scholars in the Hawzah Ilmiyah in Qom, Iran

Al-Istibsar, by Shaykh at-Tusi, Revised by Hasan al Musawi, Dar Al Kitab Al Islamiyah, Teheran, Iran, Fourth Edition, 1390 H.

Nahjul Balagha, Compilation of the Sayings of Imaam Ali by Sharif Ridha, Commentary by Muhammad Abduh, Dar Al Ma’rifah, Beirut, Lebanon

Tafseer al-Safi, by Muhsin al Faydh al Kashani, Revised by Allamah Hussayn al-A’lami, Maktbah Al Sadr, Teheran, Iran, Second Edition, 1416 H

Majma ul Bayan fi Tafseer al Quran, by Abi Ali al-Fadhl bin Hussayn al –Tabbarsi, al-A’lami Foundation, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition, 1415 H, 1995 C.E.

Tafseer Al-Qummi, by Abil Hussayn Ali bin Ibrahim al Qummi, revised by Sayyed Tayyeb Al-Jazairy, Dar al Kitab Foundation, Qom, Iran, Third Edition, 1404 H.

Imaamate: The Vicegerency of the Prophet, by Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizivi, Annotated by Sayyid Muhammad Rizivi, World Organization for Islamic Services, Teheran, Iran, Revised Fourth Edition, 1405 H, 1985 C.E.

Kamal ad-Din wa Tamaam-e-Nihmah, by Shaykh Sadooq, Revised by Ali Akbar al-Ghifari, Islamic Distribution Foundation, Qom, Iran, 1405 H

Online References

Sunni references

Saheeh Bukhari, USC-MSA Compendium of Muslim Texts,
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/

Saheeh Muslim, USC-MSA Compendium of Muslim Texts,
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/muslim/

Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthal Quran translation, USC-MSA Compendium of Muslim Texts,
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/

he Noble Quran, Rough Translation in the English Language, by Dr. Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali
and Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan,
http://www.equran.org/qrn/view/trans/mohsin/

Shia references

The Origin of Shiite Islam and its Principles (translation of Asl-ul-Shia wa Usuluha), by Muhammad Hussayn Al Kashif Al Ghita,
http://home.swipnet.se/islam/books/Shia-origin/index.htm

Imaamate and Leadership, Lessons on Islamic Doctrine, by Sayyid Mujtaba Musavi Lari, Translated by: Hamid Algar, Published by: Islamic Education Center, Potomac, Maryland, USA,
http://www.musavilari.org

“Miscellaneous Religious queries answered by Grand Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani”,
http://www.lankarani.org/English/faq/110q.html

Imaamat vs. Prophethood (Part I), Shia Encyclopedia,
http://www.alislam.org/encyclopedia/chapter6b/8.html

Peshawar Nights, by Sultan Waizin Shirazi, http://www.al-islam.org/peshawar/S.V. Mir Ali/Ayatullah Mahdi Puya Quran commentary,
http://www.al-islam.org/quran/

Questions & Answers, Fiqh & Beliefs, “Who is a just person?”
http://www.sistani.org/html/eng/main/index.php?page=4&lang=eng&part=4

Questions & Answers: Questions asked to islamic scholars, Dar es Salaam Tabligh,
http://www.dartabligh.org/q_a/

FootNote

123 Some Shia commentaries naturally paint the picture that the “Holy Imaams” are the ones who are the witnesses being refered to in this and other Verses. Nevertheless, the Verse talks in general to all the believers and mentions that Ibrahim (Alayhi Salam) named this group as “Muslims”. It is beyond doubt that no Shia considers the “12 Imaams” to have been the only group of “Muslims”.