Study of the Indications of Divine Appointment of Imam through Emphasizing Hadiths Quoted in al kafi

The present article tries to study the narrative indications of Divine appointment of the Imam in materials accepted by all Imamis in particular through a reference made to the hadiths quoted in al Kafi as the main ideological and intellectual sources of Shi’is in centuries after Kulayni. Thus, at first, the notions of “Imam” and imamate and appointment have been discussed and then characteristics of the Imam which may be taken as indications of his appointment will be discussed. From among the most important characteristics, infallibility, knowledge, superiority, and assumption of obedience may be mentioned. In the present article, such indications have been noted in such an order that according to which the Divine place of the Imam may be clearly explained and it may be shown that the Shi’i view to Imam as the Divine proof and vicegerent of God is so that Imam cannot be thought of as being chosen by others or by people of the convention. Also, such a place cannot be a result of the natural process of man spiritual progress as introduced in the theory of the righteous scholars (‘ulama yi abrar).