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)

88 - ما يَخافُ النَّبِيُّ عَلى‏ اُمَّتِهِ‏

88. The Prophet's (SAWA) Fear for His Community

276.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : إنّما أخافُ على‏ اُمّتي ثَلاثاً : شُحّاً مُطاعاً ، وهَوىً مُتَّبعاً ، وإماماً ضالّاً .¹

276.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Indeed I fear three things for my community: obeying their greed, following their desires, and an astray leader.' ²

277.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : ثَلاثةٌ أخافُهُنَّ على‏ اُمّتي : الضَّلالةُ بَعْدَ المَعْرِفةِ، ومُضِلّاتُ الفِتَنِ ، وشَهْوَةُ البَطْنِ والفَرْجِ .³

277.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'I fear three things for my community: deviation after awareness, the misleading temptations, and the desires of the stomach and the private parts.' ⁴

278.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : أشَدُّ ما يُتَخَوَّفُ على‏ اُمّتي ثَلاثةٌ : زَلّةُ عالِمٍ ، أو جِدالُ منافقٍ بِالقرآنِ ، أو دُنيا تَقْطَعُ رِقابَكُمْ فاتَّهِمُوها على‏ أنفُسِكُمْ .⁵

278.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'The worst I fear for my community are three: the downfall of a scholar, the disputation of a hypocrite by means of the Qur'an, and the world which beheads you. So, for your own sakes, be suspicious of this world.' ⁶

279.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : إنّ أخْوَفَ ما أتَخَوَّفُ على‏ اُمّتي مِن بَعْدي : هذهِ المَكاسِبُ المُحَرَّمةُ ، والشَّهْوَةُ الخَفِيّةُ ، والرِّبا .⁷

279.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Verily the most dreadful things that I fear for my community after me are: these unlawful earnings, covert carnal desire [i.e. lust] and usury.' ⁸

280.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : إنّ أخْوَفَ ما أخافُ عَلى اُمّتِي الهَوى‏ وطُولُ الأملِ ؛ أمّا الهوى‏ فَإنّهُ يَصُدُّ عَنِ الحقِّ ، وأمّا طُولُ الأملِ فَيُنْسي الآخِرَةَ .⁹

280.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Certainly the most dreadful things I fear for my community are: [following] desires and entertaining high hopes, for desires obstruct one from the truth and high hopes make one forget the Hereafter.' ¹⁰

281.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : إنّ أخْوَفَ ما أخافُ عَلَيْكُمُ الشِّرْكُ الأصْغَرُ . قالُوا : وما الشِّرْكُ الأصْغَرُ يا رسولُ اللَّهِ ؟ قال : هُوَ الرِّياءُ .¹¹

281.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Certainly the most dreadful thing I fear for you is the lesser polytheism.' They asked, 'And what is the lesser polytheism, O Messenger of Allah?' He (SAWA) replied, 'It is showing off (riya').' ¹²

282.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : إنّ أخْوَفَ ما أخافُ عَلى اُمّتِي كُلُّ مُنافقٍ عَليمِ اللِّسانِ .¹³

282.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Verily the most dreadful thing I fear for my community is every well-spoken hypocrite.' ¹⁴

283.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : أخْوَفُ ما أخافُ على‏ اُمّتي زَهْرَةُ الدُّنيا وكَثْرَتُها .¹⁵

283.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'The most dreadful thing I fear for my community is the splendour and abundance of worldly possessions.' ¹⁶