What is Imamat

Imamat is the fourth basic beliefs of Islam and a component part of Divine Scheme. The word Imam is derived from an Arabic word, meaning leader. Thus the term Imamat means leadership of certain selected people who were appointed by Allah Subhanahu taala as the successor to the Holy Prophet Muhammed (sws) to continue his mission after his death. There are 12 Imams, all appointed by Allah and announced by the Holy Prophet (saw).

Their names are as follows:

1. First Imam - Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib
2. Secound Imam - Hazrat Hasan ibn Ali
3. Third Imam - Hazrat Hussain ibn Ali.
4. Fourth Imam - Hazat Zainul Abideen.
5. Fifth Imam - Hazrat Muhammad Baqar
6. Sixth Imam - Hazrat Jafar Sadiq
7. Seventh Imam - Hazrat Musa Kazim
8. Eight Imam - Hazrat Ali Raza
9. Ninth Imam - Hazrat Muhammad Taqi
10. Tenth Imam - Hazrat Ali Naqi
11. Eleventh Imam - Hazrat Hasan Askari
12. Twelfth Imam - Hazrat Muhammed Mehdi

All these Imams were appointed by Allah and declared by the Holy Prophet as his successor one after the other. Their duty was to lead the Ummah of the Holy Prophet (Muslim Community) in accordance with the Quran and Sunnah in spiritual, religious, social, and political matters.

All the 12 Imams were infallible, most knowledgeable and exalted persons. They were fully aware of Quran and Hadith and were authorized by the Holy Prophet to interpret it. Thus, the words and actions of all these Imams are also regarded as hadith.

Disagreement between Shia and Sunni over the belief of Imamat.

Before we bring this controversial matter under discussion, it is important to know, how to deal with the disputed issues among Muslims. First of all, we should know that, holding dialogues on disputed issues has been encouraged by Islam.

Islam appreciates such dialogues between the adherents of various sects for the following good reasons:

1. To unite all Muslims by reminding them their basic unity of faith. All Muslims believe in one God, follow the Sunnah of one Prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (sws), and give credence to one single Divine book, The Holy Quran.

2. To strengthen the institution of brotherhood. The unity of faith will inevitably create a suitable atmosphere of brotherhood among Muslim Ummah. This is the basic requirement of intellectual and social development of a progressing nation.

3. To investigate and institute the absolute truth. When there are two or more different views about a particular issue then it clearly shows that the truth is ambiguous and certainly unclear. It logically initiates a platform to coordinate sincere efforts to achieve the absolute truth.