Moreover...

Moreover, it would mean that he should be obeyed and disobeyed at one and the same time; that is, obedience to him would be obligatory yet forbidden, which is manifestly absurd. Thirdly, if it would be possible for an Imam to commit sin it would be the duty of other people to prevent him from doing so (because it is obligatory on every Muslim to forbid other people from unlawful acts).

In such a case, the Imam will be held in contempt; his prestige will come to-an end and instead of being the leader of the ummah he will become their follower, and his Imamate will be of no use. Fourthly, the Imam is the defender of the Divine Law and this work cannot be entrusted to fallible hands nor can any such person maintain it properly.

For this very reason, infallibility has been admitted to be an indispensable condition to prophethood; and the considerations which make it essential in the case of a prophet make it so in the case of an Imam and caliph as well. More will be said on this subject in Chapter 13 ( Ulu '1Amr Must Be Ma'sum ). D. Appointment by Allah As in the case of the prophets, the above-mentioned qualifications alone are not enough to automatically make one an Imam.

Imamate is not an acquired job; it is a 'designation' bestowed by Allah. [^4] It is for this reason that the Shi'ah Ithna 'Asharis (The Twelvers) believe that only Allah can appoint a successor to the Prophet; that the ummah has no choice in this matter-its only duty is to follow such a divinely-appointed Imam or caliph. The Sunnis, on the other hand, believe that it is the duty of the ummah to appoint a caliph.

Verses of the Qur'an The following verses of the Qur'an confirm the views held by the Shi'ahs: And thy Lord creates what He wills and chooses; they have no right to choose; glory be to Allah, and exalted be He above what they associate! (28:68). This clearly shows that man has no right to make any selection; it lies entirely in the hands of Allah. Before creating Adam (as), Allah informed the angels: **... "** Verily I am going to make a caliph in the earth ". . . ( 2: 30).

And when the angels demurred politely at the scheme, their protest was brushed aside by a curt reply: " Surely I know what you know not **" ( ibid .).** If the ma'sum (infallible) angels were given no say in the appointment of a caliph, how can fallible humans expect to take the whole authority of such an appointment in their own hands? Allah Himself appointed Prophet Dawud (as) as caliph on the earth- " O Dawud !