What the noble Qur’an means by “manifest trial”(3) which the...

What the noble Qur’an means by “manifest trial”(3) which the Prophet Ibrahim faced in his life is his determination to offer his son as a sacrifice; an act which confirms Ibrahim’s boundless generosity and complete submission to Almighty God. It should be noted here that the Prophet Ibrahim was put to test when he was very old, many years after he had been made a prophet and was given a son, Ismail when aged.

Does the Imamate to which this Qur’anic verse refers mean the same as Prophet Ibrahim’s prophethood? Some commentators maintain that the Imamate given to the Prophet Ibrahim is identical to his divine mission and prophethood but as previously stated Imamate is different from prophethood for two reasons: (a) The Qur’anic verse clearly states that this Imamate was granted to the Prophet Ibrahim after many trials, one of which is the offering of his son as a sacrifice, long after he had been made a prophet.

(b) The expression “ja’iluka” (I am assigning you) derived from the verb “ja’l” (make) is a present participle and its objective complement, imaman اماماً that has nunation (tanween) does not refer to the past it refers to the present or future. Therefore, (contrary to the claim of some commentators,) the present participle “assigning” does not apply to the past and so it cannot indicate that the divine mission and prophethood are the same as Imamate. What does Imamate mean?

From the Qur’anic verse, we learn that Imamate or religious leadership is different from nubuwwat (prophethood). An Imam is a leader, definitely appointed by God, to be a guide and an example for people to follow in all aspects. 1. That the position of Imamate was granted to Ibrahim years after his being messenger and after he had successfully passed the great divine trials, clearly shows that Imamate is not on the same plane as prophethood, but enjoys a higher status. 2.

Now that Imamate has been proved to have a higher status than prophethood, and according to immutable reasons a prophet must be divinely protected against any error and sin, it follows that inerrancy is inseparably linked to the position that is loftier than prophethood. To be continued! Source: www.al-islam.org NOTES: ___________________________ 1. The Quran 2:124 2. The Quran 32:24 3.

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