Leadership in Political System of Islam: The Concept of Wilaya | ||
Leadership in Political System of Islam: The Concept of Wilaya By Mir Alireza Daryabegi (PhD) An infallible Imam, as the successor to the Messenger in undertaking all his responsibilities except receiving revelation, enjoys the same wilaya (leadership or guardianship) that the Prophet did. Wilaya and guardianship of the Prophet in its broader sense has been also mentioned in the Holy Quran: “The Prophet is closer to believers than their own selves.” (Al-Ahzab: 6) Such an authority and wilaya, the prerequisites for enforcing the divine rule, is bestowed upon a man who is infallible and free from worldly whims who would not abuse power. Obeying such a person will have no ill consequences and indispensably the transition of wilaya from the Prophet to his successor must be carried out based on this criterion. This means that the Prophet’s successor, too, should be infallible to be qualified for absolute obedience, otherwise any forceful allegiance to a fallible person or the one liable to commit sins is an instance of ignorance. Therefore, since the Holy Quran has announced obedience of the Messenger and ulel Amr (those in authority) as an obligatory duty, “those in authority” should be inevitably infallible: “O you who believe! Obey Allah and Obey those of you who are in authority.” (Al-Nisa: 59) In other verses, we come across this phrase: “and obey the Messenger”. The word Rassoul (Messenger) does not include all those people claimed to be messengers after the Prophet of Islam and it only refers to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to whom the Holy Quran was revealed. Also, ulel Amr (those in authority) does not mean all those enjoying political power in Muslim countries. This is because description of prophetic mission and being in authority are indeed suggestive of the reason for obeying. The verse indeed means that the Messenger and those in authority must be obeyed because of the prophetic mission of the Messenger and religious authorization of those in authority. As such, the prophetic mission of the Messenger must be proved and admitted by evidences other than this verse and the evidences of those in authority must be sought elsewhere. There are ample reasons and evidences for both in the Quran and other Islamic sources. On the other hand, if we use the lexical meaning of ulel Amr to include all the rulers holding political power in the history of Islam and in the contemporary Muslim states, with respect to obvious deviation of some of them from the divine rules, their forceful obedience will lead to the neglect of the divine rules and undermining of absolute values of Islam. This, in turn, will result in a sort of ignorance that will be worse than the ignorance before the advent of Islam. Some interpreters of the verse have translated ulel Amr as the representatives of people who must not behave against the rules of Islam and precepts of the Holy Prophet, if they seek public obedience. Some others have interpreted it as the righteous ulema in general sense. None of the two interpretations, however, is in conformity with the true meaning of the phrase that stipulates obedience to those in authority. Therefore, like the word Rassoul (messenger) - which has certain meaning – the term ulel Amr or those in authority, requires certain qualities such as infallibility. This is in full conformity with the traditions brought up in interpretation of the verse. (See Bihr ul-Mohit, Vol. 3, P. 278 & Ehqaq al-Haq, Vol. 3, P. 425 & Tafsir al-Burhan, Vol. 1, P. 381). Some of these traditions have quoted the Messenger of God mentioning the names of infallible Imams as “those in authority” (Tafsir al-Mizan, Vol. 4, P. 435). The rule of the Infallible Imam is absolute and in line with enforcing the divine rules like the rule of the Messenger. The Ghadir Khumm tradition has stressed on indispensability of the types of wilaya: “So said the Messenger: of whomsoever I have been the master (mawla), Ali here is to be his master.” (Sahih Muslim, Vol. 2, P. 325 & Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Vol. 4, Pp. 281 & 371; See also Al-Ghadir, Vol. 1, P. 11) Ghadir Khumm is one of the most renowned traditions widely accepted by the Shia and Sunni scholars. Imam Sadiq said: “Our wilaya is the wilaya of Allah, and truly Allah will never appoint a prophet without wilaya.” This is the most explicit reference to the absolute rule of Imam after the Messenger that shows the great responsibility of Imams for enforcing the divine rules. The Holy Book and Imam: Two Necessary Pillars of Islamic School of Thought The intertwinement between Imamate and the Holy Book is one of the most fundamental issues in the plan of Imamate that proves the infallibility of Imam and his immunity against sins and mistakes. Imam’s responsibility for teaching and realizing the goals of Islam necessitates the existence of such a connection. The Revealed Book (Quran) indeed provides the Imam with the strategy and theoretical materials and Imam himself is responsible for practical implementation of the teachings of the Book. The most explicit reference to this fact can be found in the Messenger’s words in Thaqalayn tradition: “Verily, I am leaving behind two precious things (thaqalayn) among you: the Book of Allah and my Household (Ahl ul-Bayt), for indeed, the two will never take part until they come back to me by the Pond (of Al-Kawthar on the Judgment Day).” This tradition gives a clear picture of Imamate and its indispensability with the school of Islam. It is also an indicator of Imam’s infallibility and his immunity against any fault and intentional violation of the principles of the school of Islam. This is why in some Islamic sources, Imamate is synonymous with the strategy of the school of Islam and the path of religion. The traditions on interpretation of the “direct path” (Sirat al-Mustaqim) acknowledge this fact. (Tafsir-e Burhan, Vol. 1) Dr. Daryabegi is an Academic Board Member, Islamic Azad University – Central Tehran Branch. | ||
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