ভূমিকা

It is said that whosoever an individual follows, in his lifetime, on the Day of Judgment with him only the individual will be called to account for his faith and deeds. Blessed are they who follow the Best Guides - the Holy Ahlul Bayt (a), the purified ones of God. When this verse was revealed, people asked the Holy Prophet (S) if he was not the Imam of all the people.

The Holy Prophet (S) said: “Yes,” “I am the Imam until I am alive in this world; and after me the Imam will be Ali Ibne Abi Talib (a), followed by his divinely chosen issues.

People attached to them will be safe and shall gain salvation, and those who go astray and disassociate themselves from them, will be lost.” To identify the genuine Imam against the false one, the quality of his being endowed with the knowledge of everything is clearly marked out in the Holy Qur’an, Surah Yasin, 36:12 : “ All things have We accommodated in a manifest guide (Imam).” Further as to who are those divinely chosen to be Imams of the people, the Lord Himself has made it clear in Surah al-Baqarah, 2:124 : ‘ And remember when his Lord tried Ibrahim by (His) commandments and the latter fulfilled them, He said “ Verily I make thee Imam for mankind;” (Ibrahim) said “And of my offspring?”: He said: “My covenant reacheth not the unjust.’ In this verse Prophet Ibrahim was granted Imamat and he prayed that his issues too be granted the same.

It was said to him that it (i.e. Imamat) would only reach the non-iniquitous ones in his seed.