The Imamate Doctrine: A Historical Exploration of Its Evolution and Significance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12566566Keywords:
Shi'a Thought, Critical Research, Quran and Prophetic Tradition, Historical Events, Shi'a Beliefs, Imamate, Prophet's Successors, Infallibility, Divine Designation, Historical Research Methodology, Descriptive-Explanatory Method, Religious Understanding, Influential Historical Elements, Summary-Detailed Explanation, Quranic FoundationsAbstract
Some modernist Muslim and non-muslim intellectual currents in Shi'a thought have been doing critical research for about a hundred years, especially in the last two or three decades. They are trying to show that some basic Shi'a beliefs about how we know things are unstable and based on historical events instead of the Quran and prophetic tradition.
The consequence of this perspective is that what Shiites have believed throughout different periods since their inception, at least in those aspects where they do not align with other Muslims, is sometimes viewed as fabricated or based on their efforts to maintain their position in various arenas (history as a constructor of beliefs). An example of this is the discussion surrounding the concept of imamate and the endowment of the prophet's successors with knowledge, infallibility, and divine designation.
In contrast, there exists an alternative viewpoint that, by grounding itself in the Quran and the same narrational sources and employing the methods of the ancients in validating narrations, endeavors to present an alternative hypothesis. This hypothesis utilizes the most effective method in terms of historical research methodology (the descriptive-explanatory method, which leads to the realization of religious understanding and its path recognition) [3] And, by considering the role of influential historical elements—political, social, cultural, and economic—demonstrates the application of the summary-detailed explanation of the imamate doctrine within the societal context from a narrative perspective.
This viewpoint encompasses three fundamental discussions: first, the theoretical and quranic foundations and the question of why a summary and detailed explanation is necessary; second, outlining how historical elements play a role; and third, the comparative presentation of the explanation of the principle of imamate within the summary-detailed framework, which is the objective of this study.
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Based on this category of reports in the mentioned sources, it is highly probable that, in addition to the Prophet (PBUH), Abu Talib (PBUH) was also aware of the divine decree, because in response to the mockers, he emphasised that his son Ali did not neglect to help the Prophet and, on the other hand, did not accept this responsibility and considers the choice of the Prophet's successor to be from God. So it seems that this meeting was more for declaring the argument: "The people fell silent, then they said, 'O Abu Talib, don't you see your son?' He said, 'Leave him; he will not fail to do good to his cousin.'" (Ibid.)
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