When any researcher meditates on the sayings of the two sects...

When any researcher meditates on the sayings of the two sects, contemplating their arguments without any fanaticism, he will undoubtedly approach the truth. Herewith I will review with you the truth I have attained as follows: The Almighty Allah said: “When his Lord tested Abraham with certain words and he fulfilled them, He said, ‘I am appointing you the Imam of mankind.’ Said he, ‘And from among my descendants?’ He said, ‘My pledge does not extend to the unjust” (2:124).

In this noble verse, Allah tells us that Imamate being a Divine post encharged by Allah to whomever He chooses from among His bondmen when saying: “I am appointing you the Imam of mankind” . The verse further elucidates that Imamate is a covenant from Allah never including but the pious bondmen, whom Allah has elected for this task, due to denying it to the wrong-doers, who never deserve the covenant of Allah — the Glorified and the Exalted.

The Almighty has said too: “We made them imams, guiding by Our command, and We revealed to them [concerning] the performance of good deeds, the maintenance of prayers, and the giving of zakat, and they used to worship Us” (21:73). In another place, Allah, the Glorified, said: “When they had been patient and had conviction in Our signs, We appointed amongst them imams to guide [the people] by Our command” (32:24). He also said: “So he watered [their flock] for them.

Then he withdrew toward the shade and said, ‘My Lord! I am indeed in need of any good You may send down to me” (28:5). Some may fancy that the denotation conceived from these verses being that the meant Imamate here is prophethood and message, which is a wrong concept for Imamate in general, as every messenger is a prophet and leader (Imam) but not every Imam is a messenger or prophet!

For this reason, Allah — the Glorified and Most High — has expressed in His noble Book that His godly bondmen are entitled to ask Him to grant them this reputable appointment, to have the honour of guiding people, and gaining out of this high reward.

The Most High said: “And Those who do not give false testimony, and when they come upon frivolity, pass by with dignity — Those who, when reminded of the signs of their Lord, do not turn a deaf ear and a blind eye to them — And those who say, ‘Our Lord!