How many Imams are there?
Mu' meneen Brothers
and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa
Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be
upon all of you)
One of our
brothers/sisters has asked this question:
Dear brother in islam. Q1- Some sects believe that there are 12 imams after the prophet, some believe there are only 5-6 and then comes the family.., some believe otherwise. What is your stand on this ?
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Answer:
In the name of Allah, We praise
Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can
misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We
bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no
imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness
that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Imam could mean one of many
things in Arabic… a political leader, a religious leader, a guide, or even one
who leads the prayers, etc.
Brother, one thing we must
understand is that only the Prophets of Allah have a right to come to mankind
and declare themselves as the appointed Messengers of Allah Subhanah. No Imam, no leader, no dai, no peer, no
other person has a right to come to mankind and declare himself a leader
appointed by Allah! All these leaders
are chosen and appointed by human beings amongst themselves.
Indeed, there are many sects who
believe there are 5 or 6 or 7 or 9 or 11 or 12 or 17 or even 21 imaams! Some like the Islmailis (Aga Khanis)
believe that their imam is continuous from the descendants of Hadrat Ali (r.a.),
and believe in the present Aga Khan as their Imam! While some sects believe that their imams have gone into
‘purdah’ or hiding and will reveal themselves near the end of time! Some sects believe that the Imams can only
be from the ‘ahle-bayt’ of the Prophet (saws); while others do not put any such
restrictions on them. There are many
many theories, and each sect tries to justify its own story!
The majority of the believers do
not have a fixed number of imams; nor do they hold that the imams must be from
a particular family. Whoever amongst
the leaders and scholars amongst the believers who were leaders in the fields
of Islamic knowledge were called imams.
No Imam brings a new religion or
a new Shariah… his duty is to lead the believers and call them to obey and
follow Allah and His Messenger (saws).
If he does that, he is a true leader and Imam, and if he does anything
against that, he is a false leader!
Allah has not made a duty upon the believers to name, number, and
recognize the imams…. Nor will He ask us about their names and numbers on the
Day of Judgment. The duty that Allah
has laid on the believers is to worship Allah Alone and associate no partners
with him; obey and follow Allah, His Message, and His Messenger (saws). That is what He will question us about on
the Day of Judgment.
Some sects have made the issue
of Imams, their names, their numbers, and their families a big deal in Islam;
whereas it holds absolutely no importance from the Quran and the Sunnah of the
Messenger (saws). They have broken away
from Islam and formed their own sects with their own names and numbers of
enlisted Imams, each claiming that they alone are on the Right Path! This is nothing but misguidance and they
have absolutely no authority from Allah and His Messenger (saws) to do so.
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 23 Surah Mu’minoon verse 52-54:And you all belong to one and the
same ummah, and I(Allah) am your Lord; so fear Me Alone! Yet afterwards the people divided themselves
into different sects, and each sect rejoicing in what it has. Well, leave them deeply involved in their
heedlessness up to an appointed time.
Whatever written of Truth and
benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error
is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He
is the Only Source of Strength.
Your Brother in
Islam,