Semantics and Status of the Consensus between People of Hall and Aqd in the Process of Specifying Imam

In the field of Caliphate and Imamate, “electing or appointing the Imam” is one the most important issues. Imamis are of the opinion that Imam is appointed, through Nass, by the Lord- the Exalted. Others such as Mu’tazalis, Ash’aris, and people of hadith, have rejected the impact of Nass concerning Caliphate and left this process to go through by people of Hall and Aqd (those whose opinions are what count) as well as the experts from among Ummah. Relying on the authentic texts of Sunnis, the present writing describes issues concerning consensus between people of Hall and Aqd, and speaks of the history, definition, conditions, and duties of people of Hall and Aqd and the foundations for their authority. Meanwhile, some ideas have been criticized; and, opinions of Sunni scholars have been mentioned and assessed accordingly. Finally, the present article tries to provide an expressive and well-documented picture of the issues which concern consensus between the people of Hall and Aqd.