ImamologyIn the letter attributed to Imam Sadiq (AS) to companions

Imamate is one of the necessities of the Shiite religion and following the Imam can only be achieved with the knowledge of the Imam. Undoubtedly, the best introducing is the one which is done in the language of Imam Masoom (AS). In the Shiite hadith heritage, a letter attributed to Imam Sadiq (AS) addressed to the companions in all ages has been reported. In the present study, this letter has been dealt with by content analysis method. The results of quantitative analysis show that in a part of the letter, the keyword "Imam" has a significant repetition, which in most cases has been used to refer to the Imams (AS). Therefore, in the present study, by analyzing the content of the letter attributed to Imam Sadiq (AS) to the companions, an attempt was made to explain the view of Imam (AS) on the subject of Imamology. The results of qualitative analysis also indicate in the category of "Imamology", the issues related to the introduction of the Imam and the position of the Imamate, the attributes and duties of the Imam and the right of the Imam over the people have been expressed in a functionalist way, that means, according to the circumstances of the audience, the Imam had not been seek to prove the position of the Imamate or a complete description of the characteristics of the Imam, but put emphasis on, need of the companions, to the Imam, for benefit from the guidance of these nobles.