Guardian of the Heavenly Laws We know that the Divine religions...

Guardian of the Heavenly Laws We know that the Divine religions, at the time of their descent to the prophets, are like a drop of min water, pure, life-giving and nurturing, but the moment one enters an environment which is polluted and brains become weak or impure, one gradually they are polluted and superstitions are added to them so that the purity of the first day is lost; in this state, neither do they have attractions, nor any educational effects, nor do they quench the thirst, nor do they blossom forth in flowers of virtue.

It is here that an infallible leader must always act as a guardian of the authenticity of a school, and the being pure of the religious programs alongside it so that they guard against any deviation, extremism, alien ideas and superstitions because if religious precepts be without such a leader, in a very short period of time, they will lose their authenticity and sincerity. For this reason, ‘Ali, peace be upon him, in his Sermon 147 in the Nahj al-Balaghah says, “Yes.

The earth will never be empty of a person who has arisen with the proof of God, whether through appearing of being known or being hidden so that the Divine proof and signs not be falsified.” In truth, the heart of the Imam, peace be upon him, is just like a safety deposit box in which important documents are always placed, so that they be preserved against thieves and other accidents and this is another of the reasons for the existence of the Imam.

The Political and Social Leadership of the Ummah Doubtlessly, no social group or gathering can continue to be alive if it is not led by a strong leader. Because of this, from the earliest time to the present, all tribes and nations have selected a leader for themselves who was, sometimes, a good person and very often, not so.

It was often the case, that by making use of the needs of the ummah for a leader, a tyrant, who had coercion and who deceived the people, was imposed upon them and he took the power in hand.

0n the other hand, in order for human beings to be able to reach spiritual perfection they must take this way, not alone, but with a group or a society because the power of an individual from the intellectual, physical, material and spiritual points of view, is very limited whereas the power of a group is very strong.