Therefore from here it becomes clear as to why Imāmah is...

Therefore from here it becomes clear as to why Imāmah is considered as a ‘principle of belief,’ and not just as a branch of practical law (hukm fiqhi). Moreover for the Shi’ites the three conditions of Knowledge, Infallibility and Divine nomination are regarded as the essential elements for an Imam. The necessity of the existence of an Imam As previously discussed in lesson twenty-two, the accomplishment of the purpose of creation is based upon the guidance provided by God through revelation.

The requirement of Divine wisdom was the nomination of different prophets in order to enlighten man with the way of felicity for this world and the Hereafter. In addition to this the prophets trained man to reach the ultimate level of perfection, as well as administering the society if the sociological conditions permitted. Similarly, in lesson thirty-four and thirty-five we have explained that the religion of Islam is universal, eternal and cannot be abrogated.

Besides, the Prophet of Islam is considered as the last Prophet and this is harmonious with Divine wisdom, as the system of Islamic Law (sharī’ah) fulfils all the needs of man and society for all time. God, the Supreme, establishes this guaranty in regards to the noble, Quran. The Quran has been referred as being protected from any type of alteration and distortions.

However, all of ahkam (the rules) and regulations cannot be understood by the appearance of the ayahs (verses) such as the number of rak’ahs and the manner of performance of a salah or the obligations and recommendation that it includes cannot be rationalized from the outward of the Quran. The Quran is in a position of epitomizing the hukm and it is the responsibility of the prophet to explain the hukm on the bases of the knowledge provided by God, which is other than the Quranic revelations.

Hence by this approach the authenticity of the Sunna as a fundamental source for the cognition of Islam is established. Nevertheless the difficult conditions during the life of the prophet - such as the confined years in the valley of Abi Talib or ten years of wars with the enemies of Islam - did not allow him for the explanation of all of rules for all men.

That which remains with the companions even have lots of differences for instance the manner of performing the wudhu (minor ablution), which was an act carried out by the prophet every day and several times is also subjected with differences.