Examining Two Theories on the Concept of Imamah on the Bases of Qur'nic Verses and Hadiths

There are various views about the concept of Imamah among the Shi'a scholars. Some of the Shi'a scholars and commentators regarded the meaning of Imamah as the stance of mandating obedience and having the right to order and forbid and, in contrary, some others considered it as a kind of existential action in the heart of the God's servants andexistentially guiding them into the goal. By exploring these two views, the author examined their common and different points and comparing them to the Holy Qur'an and hadiths, concluded that the first viewpoint is more consistent to the apparent but also to the explicit meanings of the Holy Qur'an and hadiths.