The last of the successors of these pure people is the Imam...

The last of the successors of these pure people is the Imam who is Muntadar (the awaited) Mahd: (rightly guided Imam) who is alive in this world but hidden from sight and who will appear at the end of time when Alla>h grants him permission so that he can fill the earth with justice and equity after it having been filled with wrongdoing and oppression. Then the servants of Alla>h will unite under his banner in a single Islamic government which will flourish by the will of Alla>h.

There are widespread traditions about him reported from the Prophet Mu9ammad (N).19 The Sh:!a have brought forward proofs and evidences for these two fundamentals of religion (os}ool al-deen) – divine justice and Imamate – from both rational and traditional sources. As for the ‘branches’ of Islam (furu>‘ al-deen) meaning the acts of worship and social contracts and all other laws and rulings of Islam, Sh:!a Muslims have stated that the sources for them are four: The Holy Qur’"n.

This is the book which is in the hands of the Muslims today. It has neither been added to or subtracted from. The Purified Traditions (the sunnah) reported from the Prophet (N) and his pure family (a.s.). The consensus (ijm"!) of the Muslims. Reason. They have also said that the door to independent legal judgement (ijtih"d) is open, so whoever derives - according to the proper conditions - a ruling from these four sources may act upon it.

Introducing the Shi!a The word ‘sh:!a’ is derived from an Arabic word meaning ‘following’. The word sh:!a is applied in the Holy Qur’"n to the followers of Noah (a.s.) as Almighty Alla>h says: eAnd indeed amongst his followers (sh:!a) was Abrahamf20 The Prophet (N) applied the name sh:!a to the followers of Imam !Al: (a.s.) and named them with this name, and it is related by historians and traditionalists of the Sh:!a and the Sunni schools alike in their books that the Prophet (N) said: ‘O !Al:, you and your sh:!a (followers) are the ones who will triumph.’21 Thus the followers of Imam !Al: (a.s.) were known by this name from the days of the Messenger of Alla>h (N) who was the first to apply this name to them.

And since the speech of the Messenger (N) is revelation from Almighty Alla>h who has said in the Holy Qur’"n [referring to the Prophet]: eAnd he does not speak of his own desire, it is nought but revelation revealed to himf22 it follows that naming the Sh:!a this name is nothing but revelation from Almighty Allah.