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The word “imam” is an Arabic term signifying a leader, a model, an authority, or an exemplar. The term occurs in the Quran, for example at 2:124, with reference to God’s promise to make Abraham an “imam for the people,” and at 11:17 and 46:12, where the “Book of Moses” is characterized as an “imam.” In early theological and juristic literature, the Quran and the Sunna are sometimes referred to as imam, although the Qur’an does not describe itself as such. | The word “imam” is an Arabic term signifying a leader, a model, an authority, or an exemplar. The term occurs in the Quran, for example at 2:124, with reference to God’s promise to make Abraham an “imam for the people,” and at 11:17 and 46:12, where the “Book of Moses” is characterized as an “imam.” In early theological and juristic literature, the Quran and the Sunna are sometimes referred to as imam, although the Qur’an does not describe itself as such. | ||
==Sunni Imams== | ==Sunni Imams== | ||
Debates on the question of who was best qualified to be the imam and whether a sinful leader might be removed from his position as the head of the community played an important role in the development of Sunni religious and political thought. Medieval Sunni jurists held the position of the imam to be deducible from revelation rather than reason, and considered this position to be essential for the defense of Islam and the implementation of the sacred law, the [https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/sharia-COM_1040 shari‘a]. In general, they required that the caliph/imam be a member of Muhammad’s tribe of Quraysh, be duly elected by the people or nominated by his predecessor, and possess moral probity, religious knowledge, and the physical faculties necessary for the discharge of his duties. With the decline of the caliphate and the rise to power of the military warlords, however, the jurists came to recognize that any ruler—and not necessarily the caliph—who wielded effective political power was the legitimate imam, as long as his actions did not flagrantly contravene the shari‘a. | Debates on the question of who was best qualified to be the imam and whether a sinful leader might be removed from his position as the head of the community played an important role in the development of Sunni religious and political thought. Medieval Sunni jurists held the position of the imam to be deducible from revelation rather than reason, and considered this position to be essential for the defense of Islam and the implementation of the sacred law, the [https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/sharia-COM_1040 shari‘a]. In general, they required that the caliph/imam be a member of Muhammad’s tribe of Quraysh, be duly elected by the people or nominated by his predecessor, and possess moral probity, religious knowledge, and the physical faculties necessary for the discharge of his duties. With the decline of the [[caliphate]] and the rise to power of the military warlords, however, the jurists came to recognize that any ruler—and not necessarily the caliph—who wielded effective political power was the legitimate imam, as long as his actions did not flagrantly contravene the shari‘a. | ||
==Shi’a Imams== | ==Shi’a Imams== | ||
To the Shi‘ites, the term imam has a different signification altogether. It refers to a member of the family of the Prophet ([[Ahl Al-Bayt]]), and usually to a member of “the family” as descended from Muhammad’s daughter [[Fatima]] (d. 633) and her husband [[ʿAli ibn Abi Talib|‘Ali ibn Abi Talib]] (d. 661). The history of Shi‘ism is marked by numerous disagreements on the precise identity and number of the imams, as well as on how to define the imam’s authority and functions; and many of these disagreements have continued to the present, as have distinct Shi'ite communities. The [[Ithna ‘Ashariyah|Imamis]], who came to be the most numerous group among the Shi‘ites, believe in twelve imams, hence their common designation as “Ithna ‘asharis” or “Twelvers.” | To the Shi‘ites, the term imam has a different signification altogether. It refers to a member of the family of the Prophet ([[Ahl Al-Bayt]]), and usually to a member of “the family” as descended from Muhammad’s daughter [[Fatima]] (d. 633) and her husband [[ʿAli ibn Abi Talib|‘Ali ibn Abi Talib]] (d. 661). The history of Shi‘ism is marked by numerous disagreements on the precise identity and number of the imams, as well as on how to define the imam’s authority and functions; and many of these disagreements have continued to the present, as have distinct Shi'ite communities. The [[Ithna ‘Ashariyah|Imamis]], who came to be the most numerous group among the Shi‘ites, believe in twelve imams, hence their common designation as “Ithna ‘asharis” or “Twelvers.” | ||
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According to twelver Shi'ism, the list of imams is as follows: <br /> | According to twelver Shi'ism, the list of imams is as follows: <br /> | ||
{| style="margin: 0 auto; " | {| style="margin: 0 auto; " | ||
| class="b" |[[Ali ibn Abi Talib|Ali ibn Abi Talib]] | | class="b" |[[Ali ibn Abi Talib|Ali ibn Abi Talib]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| class="b" |[[Hasan B. Ali B. Abi Taleb|Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi Taleb]] | | class="b" |[[Hasan B. Ali B. Abi Taleb|Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi Taleb]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| class="b" |[[Hussain ibn Ali|Hussain ibn Ali]] | | class="b" |[[Hussain ibn Ali|Hussain ibn Ali]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| class="b" |[[Ali b. al-Hussain|Ali ibn Hussain]] | | class="b" |[[Ali b. al-Hussain|Ali ibn Hussain]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| class="b" |[[Mohammad al-Baqir]] | | class="b" |[[Mohammad al-Baqir]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| class="b" |[[Jaʿfar al-Sadiq|Jaʿfar al-Sadiq]] | | class="b" |[[Jaʿfar al-Sadiq|Jaʿfar al-Sadiq]] | ||
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| class="b" |[[Ali al-Rida|Ali al-Rida]] | | class="b" |[[Ali al-Rida|Ali al-Rida]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| class="b" |Muhammad al-Taqi | | class="b" |Muhammad al-Taqi | ||
|- | |- | ||
| class="b" |Ali al-Naqi | | class="b" |Ali al-Naqi | ||
|- | |- | ||
| class="b" |Hasan al-Asqari | | class="b" |Hasan al-Asqari | ||
|- | |- | ||
| class="b" |al-Mahdi | | class="b" |al-Mahdi | ||
|} | |} | ||