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The Prophet appointed His Successor 1 - Al-Shia The Scientific and Cultural Website of Shia belief The Prophet appointed His Successor 1 2022-12-15 510 Views Muslim Ummah , Leadership , hip On the issue of leadership of the Islamic Ummah after the death of the noble Prophet of Allah, there have been disparities among Muslims on whether he appointed a successor or not.

Meanwhile, two vital questions stand at the centre of the Sunni-Shi’i disagreement: (i) Did the Messenger of Allah, (PBUHH) , ever appoint any Khalifah (Caliph) to stand in his command position and substitute for him in his command roles after his death? (ii) If he did, who exactly did he designate? Our Sunni brothers resolutely submit that the Prophet never appointed a Khalifah .

Rather, he – according to them – died without any designated heir to his command, and gave no indication whatsoever as to the method of appointing future commanders of the Ummah . Therefore, any Sunni Muslim can become the Sunni caliph by inheritance, or through a popular vote, an electoral college, a coup, or an armed rebellion.

By contrast, the Shia Imamiyyah argue that the Messenger of Allah actually appointed twelve Khalifahs from his bloodline – by Divine Order – to assume his command roles after him. In line with the Shi’i doctrine, the first of these khalifahs was Amir al-Muminin ‘Ali b. Abi Talib, (PBUH) , followed by Imam al-Hasan, ‘(PBUH) , then Imam al-Husayn, ‘(PBUH) , and then nine others from the progeny of al-Husayn, peace be upon them . The twelfth of them, according to Shi’is, is Imam al-Mahdi, ‘(PBUH) .

Another crucial difference between the Sunni and Shi’i positions is outlined below: 1. According to Sunni Islam, it is primarily political and military power which determines legitimacy. Therefore, whoever is to seize full political and military control of most of the Sunni communities is their legitimate Khalifah . Whoever is not able to achieve that is not the Khalifah . 2. On the other hand, Shi’is maintain that it is only divine appointment that determines legitimacy.

Even if the divine appointee is denied political or military power, he still remains the legitimate Khalifah . Whoever exercises political or military control over him is nothing but a rebel, and so is whosoever fails to recognize his authority. All the Messengers of Allah, peace be upon them , were commanders of their respective Ummahs till their deaths (1). Yet, most of them were denied both political and military authority.