(9:33) Unfortunately, the (‘a) were driven away from playing...

(9:33) Unfortunately, the (‘a) were driven away from playing this vital role due to the deviation of people from the right path, improper choices, misjudgments, and dependence upon personal interests in all fields, especially politics. As a result, Muslims in particular and all human beings in general have had to experience restricted progress, frustration, and adverse conditions. The one and only part responsible for such consequences is man alone.

Human beings are also the parties responsible for all other disappointments and obstacles throughout the history of humanity, beginning the moment Almighty Allah created Adam and chose for him a wife to live with him in Paradise up to the missions of the prophets (‘a), when they failed to respond to the divine missions.

But those to whom the Scripture was given, after clear arguments had come to them, differed among themselves. Therefore, Allah has guided by His will those who believe the truth about which they differed. Allah guides whom He pleases to the right path. (2/213) The Holy Imams (‘a), however, attempted to return the situation to its proper form.

Hence, after being driven away from their mission immediately after the demise of the Holy Prophet (S), they planned to reassume the mission of guiding to Islam. Building a virtuous community was one of their plans, because it would play a significant role in their contribution to the Islamic leadership. This fact can be obviously noticed through a survey of the period in which the first three Imams—namely Imam ‘Ali, Imam Hasan, and Imam Husayn (‘a)[^1]—lived.

These Imams attempted to assume the leadership of the Muslim community through their political discourses with the Muslim community.