Leadership 1 - Page 1

16 - الإمامة (1)

16. LEADERSHIP (1) GENERAL LEADERSHIP (IMAMA) 1

89 - أهَمِّيَّةُ الإمامَةِ

89. The Importance of Divinely Appointed Leadership

(الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلامَ دِيناً)2 .

"Today I have perfected your religion for you, and I have completed My blessing upon you, and I have approved Islam as your religion." 3

284.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : الإمامةُ نِظامُ الاُمّةِ .4

284.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'Imama is the [structural] system of the [Muslim] community.' 5

285.الإمامُ الباقرُ عليه السلام : بُنِيَ الإسلامُ على‏ خَمْسٍ : عَلى الصَّلاةِ ، والزَّكاةِ ، والصَّومِ ، و الحَجِّ ، والوَلايةِ ، ولَمْ يُنادَ بِشَيْ‏ءٍ كَما نُودِيَ بالوَلايةِ .6

285. Imam al-Baqir (SAWA) said, 'Islam is based on five: prayer, alms, fasting, the obligatory pilgrimage(hajj), and the divine guardianship and no other issue has been called for as much as divine guardianship.' 7

286.الإمامُ الكاظمُ عليه السلام : الإمامةُ هِيَ النُّورُ ، وذلكَ قولُهُ عزّوجلّ: (آمِنُوا باللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ والنُّورِ الّذي أنْزَلْنا)8، قالَ : النُّورُ هُوَ الإمامُ .9

286.Imam al-Kazim (AS) said, 'Imama is the light, and that is the purport of His saying [in the Qur'an]: "So have faith in Allah and His Apostle and the light which We have sent down". He (AS) said, 'The light is the Imam.' 10

287.الإمامُ الرِّضا عليه السلام : وأنْزَلَ في حِجَّةِ الوَداعِ وَهِيَ آخِرُ عُمْرِهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله (اليَومَ أكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ) وأمرُ الإمامةِ مِنْ تَمامِ الدِّينِ .11

287.Imam al-Rida (AS) said, 'And it was revealed in the Prophet's farewell pilgrimage, during the end of his life: "Today I have perfected your religion for you..." and the issue of Imama is the completion of the religion.' 12

288.الإمامُ الرِّضا عليه السلام : إنَّ الإمامةَ اُسُّ الإسلامِ النّامي، وفَرْعُهُ السّامي .13

288.Imam al-Rida (AS) said, 'Verily Imama is the basis of the progressive Islam, as well as its lofty branches.' 14

289.الإمامُ الرِّضا عليه السلام : إنّ الإمامةَ زِمامُ الدِّينِ ، ونِظامُ المُسلِمينَ، وصَلاحُ الدُّنيا، وعِزُّالمُؤمِنينَ .15

289.Imam al-Rida (AS) said, 'Verily Imama is the reins of religion, the ruling system of the Muslims, the prosperity for the world and an honour for the believers.' 16

(اُنظر) الصراط : باب 1119 .

(See also: THE PATH: section 1119)

1.Imama in its general sense in Arabic refers to any type of leadership, positive or negative, divinely appointed or otherwise. Within general Islamic terminology, however, it has been coined to refer to leadership within a Muslim community, where an Imam is the leader of a congregation, of the congregational prayer or of a mosque. In Shia terminology and creed, in addition to the above, it also refers quite specifically to the divinely appointed leadership of the twelve Imams (AS) from the lineage of the Prophet (SAWA) for mankind's spiritual and worldly prosperity. In this chapter, where the word Imama refers to this last meaning, the word will be left as 'Imama' in order to differentiate it from other types of leadership referred to in the text. Similarly, Imam will be left as it is wherever it refers to one of the divinely appointed Imams, and will be specified as 'leader' or otherwise elsewhere. (ed.)

2.المائدة : ۳ .

3.Qur'an ۶:۳

4.غرر الحكم : ۱۰۹۵ .

5.Ghurar al-Hikam, no. ۱۰۹۵

6.الكافي : ۲ / ۱۸ / ۳ .

7.al-Kafi, v. ۲, p. ۱۸, no. ۳

8.التغابن : ۸ .

9.الكافي : ۱ / ۱۹۶ / ۶ .

10.Ibid. v. ۱, p. ۱۹۶, no. ۶

11.الكافي : ۱ / ۱۹۹ / ۱ .

12.Ibid. v. ۱, p. ۱۹۹, no. ۱

13.الكافي : ۱ / ۲۰۰ / ۱ .

14.Ibid. v. ۱, p. ۲۰۰, no. ۱

15.الكافي : ۱ / ۲۰۰ / ۱ .

16.Ibid.

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