As mentioned in Surah al-Anbiya...

As mentioned in Surah al-Anbiya: “And We made them Imams who guided (people) by Our command, and We revealed to them the doing of good and the keeping up of prayer and the giving of the alms, and Us (alone) did they serve.” [Holy Quran, al-Anbiyaa; The Prophets, Shakir 21:73] In the same Chapter we can read about the details of various Prophets also, like Nuh, Ibrahim, Lut, Ismail, Ayyub, Zulkifl, Yunus, Musa, Haroon, Dawood, Sulaiman, Zakaria, Yahya and Isa, Peace upon Them all.

We realize that in the above ayats the people associated with the exalted status of Imamat are the prophets, the messengers, the vicegerents and the legatees. Therefore, it becomes clear that the Almighty appoints as Imams only those who are just. Allah has informed that these are the vicegerents of Allah upon the earth. In Surah Saad Allah says to Dawood (A): “O Dawood!

surely We have made you a ruler in the land; so judge between men with justice and do not follow desire, lest it should lead you astray from the path of Allah; (as for) those who go astray from the path of Allah, they shall surely have a severe punishment because they forgot the day of reckoning.” [Holy Quran, Saad, Shakir 38:26] Similarly Quran says in connection with the appointment of Hazrat Adam (A): “And when your Lord said to the angels, I am going to place in the earth a Khalif, they said: What!

Wilt Thou place in it such as shall make mischief in it and shed blood, and we celebrate Thy praise and extol Thy holiness? He said: Surely I know what you do not know.” [Holy Quran, al-Baqarah; The Cow, Shakir 02:30] Let us study the meaning of the terms used in the above ayats: Explanation of Terms (A) Aghwaitani (Deviation): This word with its variations denotes the state of being astrayed from the straight path or to wander away into disbelief etc.

The deviators also denote those who have been cursed by the Almighty. For example the words preceding this ayat are: “and surely on you is curse till the day of judgement.” Satan was cursed for to his disobedience in prostrating before Adam (A). Due to this disobedience the Almighty had deprived him from His mercy. It is mentioned in Surah Baqarah: “He causes many to err by it and many He leads aright by it!

But He does not cause to err by it (any) except the transgressors.” [Holy Quran, al-Baqarah; The Cow, Shakir 02:26] (b) Le-uzaiyyanannalahum (To make fair-seeing): This term describes how the Satan defrauds people by showing evil deeds in a favorable light.