نشریه امامت پژوهی
پیاپی 27 (بهار و تابستان 1399)

Many scholars believe that the role of Qom traditionist in the maintenance of Hadith is incontrovertible. These endeavors cause that the matters about the Imamate to be maintained in the Imamite Hadith compilations, and known as the “doctrine of Imamate in Qom Traditionists’ view”.  In this study, Qom Traditionists had a key role in explaining the theory of Imamate based on Traditions. On one hand, they were close to the time of the Imams and minor occultation era, and on the other hand, their oldness on Imamite Belief, demonstrates the necessity and importance of this revision. Therefore, the discovery of Qom traditionists depends on the study of Qom Traditions. Hence, within the study of Tradition narrated in this area and the explanation of four characteristics in the definition of Imamate in their view, the Imams’ virtues and the trusteeship and transmission of Imamate among the Qom traditionists will be discussed. In the definition of Imamate, the key concepts like divine caliphate and authenticity, scope and the status of Imamate in the genesis and legislation, and the main virtues of Imams, through the study of traditions, the method of designation of Imam, knowledge, and infallibility of Imam and other characteristics like the light creation and physical creation and nature are discussed. At last, the explicit designation (naṣṣ), miracle, and the superiority of Imam in the Qom traditionists’ views are studied.

Although the Akhbārīs, in contrast to the contemporary schools of thought, had an independent one, it is difficult to find in this school a unique view on the doctrine of Imamate among them.  Most of their beliefs reflect the views of the traditionist and scholars of the first Islamic centuries. Hadith-oriented and avoiding intellectual interpretation and explanation influenced their method in deducing the belief doctrines. The intensified approach of the Akhbārīs against the Shiite theologians that they had to use the minimum approach in these issues because they confront the common audience and exert the ultra-religious arguments, was the main discrepancy between the two schools, due to the Akhbārīs confidence in traditions that they claimed its bequest. Despite disagreement between the Akhbārīte schools and theologians in definition, explanation of specific virtues, and process of Imamate transformation, it is difficult to consider the Akhbārīs an independent intellectual school. The use of rational arguments to prove some matters in Imamate is undeniable and shows the Akhbārī’s interaction with other theological Imamite scholars. Thus, it could be argued the doctrine of Imamate among the Akhbārites is similar to the theologians and mixed with the traditions, but without textual analysis.

The crisis is an unexpected and sometimes increasing event in which imposes difficulties on society and creates an unstable situation for individuals or the society and it is required fundamental acts to be eliminated. In the history of Shiite Imamate, the years between 203 to 260 coincided with the leadership of Abnā al-Riḍa. The caliphs adopted a policy in order to prove the legitimacy of their caliphate and to undo the Imams’ rights. In contrast, the Imams’ counter-strategy plan thwarted these acts. In this article, the set of actions of the late Imams that aimed to prevent the crisis and for the readiness to encounter the crisis, and to introduce the deterrent approaches in three steps of “before the crisis”, “during the crisis”, and “After the crisis” are discussed and categorized. These principles are feasible in our time.

Despite the fundamental difference of some issues on the Imamate and Mahdism between the Imamites and Zaydites, the extant accounts demonstrate a close convergence between them. The convergence that increased in the occultation era by the composition of Hadith compilation, is accused of not being authentic by some orientalists. Indeed, the reconstruction of the lost works of the ancient Zaydite scholars and study of them is useful to find the convergence and response to the orientalists’ claims. Abū Sa’īd Rawājinī, the Zaydite scholar at the time of presence of Imams, played a vital role in the transmission of Zaydite Hadith heritage to the next generation by composing some specialized books in Imamate and Mahdism. The reconstruction of his monograph “Akhbār al-Mahdī” not only approve the existence of some Imamite beliefs on Imamate and Mahdism in the time of presence of Imams, but assert the convergence between the Imamite and Zaydite in this era. The number of the Imams as twelve men, their ancestry, the long occultation of Mahdī, and his hidden birth, are the main advantages of this reconstruction.

There is an account of the wedding of Imam Jawad and Umm al-Faḍl which, meanwhile, there happenned a debate between the Imam and Yaḥya b. Aktham. This paper aims to investigate the extant versions of the hadith in the Hadith, Tafsir, and historical sources and through the comparison find the main source of the Hadith and the authenticity of the Hadith could be evaluated. Three main sources of this account are 1) the Ali b. Ibrāhīm’s Tafsir, 2) Tuḥaf al-’Uqūl’s narration of Ali b. Ibrāhīm’s monograph on the wedding, which is not extant today, and 3) Shaykh Mufīd’s al-Irshād. The account is narrated in other Hadith books in two types of direct narration or quotation that implies the consensus of Shiite scholars on the event. The affirmation of the historical books in the wedding and the brief report of the event in Sunnite sources are the proof of the authenticity of the account.

“Imams’ knowledge” is one of the most supporters of the Imamate doctrine. In Imamite belief, the Imams’ Knowledge encompasses all the physical and metaphysical world. The Iranian Salafism did not accept this Imam’s virtue and accused them of fabrication and away from the orthodox Islam and exerted some sermon of Imam Ali in Nahj al-Balāgha to deny the Imams’ knowledge. Seyyed Abu al-Faḍl Borghe’ī’s arguments in repudiation of Imams’ knowledge include Imam Ali’s denial of ‘Ilm al-Ghayb for himself, the specific allocation of occult science to God, and the negation of ‘Ilm al-Ghayb according to the sources of Imams’ knowledge. In this study, after explaining the extent and sources of the Imams’ knowledge in Imam Ali’s sermons, Borghe’ī’s arguments are criticized.