An Imam...
An Imam, just like a Messenger, is chosen by Almighty Allah to complete a mission. In fact, human behavior depends upon understanding such doctrines. On proving this fact, we will clearly note that there is correlation between the belief in wilayah (divinely commissioned leadership of the Holy Imams) and the integration of faith and deeds.
In this respect, Shaykh al-Kulayni has reported Imam al-Baqir and Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) as saying: الإيـمَانُ إقْرَارٌ وَعَمَلٌ، وَالإسْلاَمُ إقْرَارٌ بِلاَ عَمَلٍ. Faith is to profess and act, and Islam is to profess without acts. [^2] Imam al-Ridha (‘a) is also reported as saying: مَنْ أَحَبَّ لَنَا عَاصِياً فَهُوَ عَاصٍ؛ وَمَنْ أَحَبَّ لَنَا مُطِيعاً فَهُوَ مُطِيعٌ: وَمَنْ أَعَانَ ظَالِماً فَهُوَ ظَالِمٌ: وَمَنْ خَذَلَ ظَالِماً فَهُوَ عَادِلٌ.
إنَّهُ لَيْسَ بَيْنَ اللهِ وَبَيْنَ أَحَدٍ قَرَابَةٌ، وَلاَ تُنَالُ وِلاَيَتُنَا إلاَّ بِالطَّاعَةِ. Whoever loves a person who is disobedient to us is himself disobedient to us, whoever loves one that is obedient to us is actually obedient to us, whoever assists a wrongdoer is actually a wrongdoer, and whoever hinders a wrongdoer is actually just. Verily, there is no proximity between Almighty Allah and any person. Loyalty to us cannot be attained except by means of obedience.
[^3] In the book of ‘Uyun Akhbar al-Ridha , it is recorded that Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Hamdani reported Imam al-Ridha (‘a) as saying: مَنْ خَذَلَ عَادِلاً فَهُوَ ظَالِمٌ. وَلا يَنَالُ أَحَدٌ وَلايَةَ اللَّهِ إِلاَّ بِالطَّاعَةِ. وَلَقَدْ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ لِبَنِي عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ: ائْتُونِي بِأَعْمَالِكُمْ لاَ بِأَنْسَابِكُمْ وَأَحْسَابِكُمْ.
قَالَ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى: ﴿فَإِذَا نُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ فَلاَ أَنسَابَ بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَلاَ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ. فَمَنْ ثَقُلَتْ مَوَازِينُهُ فَأُوْلَئِكَ هُمْ الْمُفْلِحُونَ. وَمَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ فَأُوْلَئِكَ الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ فِي جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدُونَ. ﴾ Whoever hinders a decent person is actually a wrongdoer. No one can attain loyalty to Allah except by means of obedience to Him.
The Holy Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and his Household—once said to the sons of ‘Abd al-Muttalib, “Bring me your deeds, not your ancestries or lineages.” Almighty Allah says, “When the trumpet is blown, there shall be no ties of relationship between them on that day, nor shall they ask of each other.
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