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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Hidden Truth about Karbala Chapter 12: Imamate Imam Hasan (a.s.) followed the footsteps of his grandfather, the Prophet (S). Like the Prophet (S), who had entered into Peace treaties including the one with the infidels of Mecca, Imam Hasan (a.s.) preferred to enter into a peace treaty with Mu’awiya in order to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.

The main terms stipulated in the treaty were [i] that Mu’awiya should not nominate his successor; [ii] he should not interfere in religious matters; [iii] he would stop forthwith the calumny and falsehood propagated against Imam Ali (a.s.) and the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) from on the pulpits. Mu’awiya, the hypocrite that he was, signed the treaty to gain instant reprieve, but he flouted every word of the treaty even before the ink on his signature could dry.

Thus, for a second and last time, the ostensible temporal leadership was separated from the religious leadership, not to be united again in one person, until the reappearance of the Awaited Twelfth Imam (S). Before we proceed to discuss Imamate, it will be proper to know the connotation of the word ‘ Imam ’. In every language, words have different meanings with reference to different contexts. Every language also attributes a special meaning to a word.

Though in Arabic the term ‘ Imam ’ means ‘leader’, in the Islamic sense and perspective, the term has acquired a special and significant connotation exclusively referable only to the religious head. For instance, the word ‘Messenger’ may apply to anyone, but when a Muslim uses the word, it refers only to the Prophet (S) and none else. Even in this perspective, there has arisen a marked difference between the Shiite and the Sunni interpretation.

In the early centuries, both the Shia and the Sunni, universally, acknowledged that the term ‘Imam’ refers exclusively to the twelve Imams designated by the Prophet (S). The six Sihah [^1] which are the authentic books of traditions relied on by the Sunnis, as also all other books of traditions, whether Shia or Sunni, contain numerous references to the Prophet (S) designating and identifying by name the twelve Imams (a.s.).

Other offices of the state were designated separately; for instance an ambassador was called a ‘Safeer’; the Governor was called the ‘Wali’. However, centuries later, Abu Hanifa, ash-Shafi’iy, Malik, and Ahmed ibn Hanbal were given the prefix of ‘ Imam ’ by their followers as a tribute to their knowledge and work.