According to Shia ideology, only Allah has the right to decide who is the Imām for a given people. For example, Allamah Musavi Lari writes in “Imāmate and Leadership”:
By contrast, the Imamate in the view of the Shi'ah is a form of divine governance, an office depending on appointment just like prophethood, something God bestows on exalted persons.6
he also states:
The Shi'ah are committed to the principle that the right to designate the Imām belongs exclusively to God, and that the people have no role to play in this respect.7
Similarly, Allamah Alkashiful ghita says:
According to the Shi'a point of view, the Imamate, like Prophethood, is divine vicegerency. Just as it is God Almighty Who chose one from amongst His servants for the rank of Prophethood or Messengership … in the same way it is God Who chooses the Imāms. 8
☞ ACKNOWLEDGMENT
▶ Why look into Imamah as a doctrine?
☞ LOOKING INTO IMAMAH IN SHIAISM▶
Usul-e-Deen and Imamah
▶ Method
of Imam’s
appointment
▶ Existence
of an Imam
more Important for Humankind than Existence of a Prophet
▶ The Imams superiority
in
comparison to all Creation, the Shia view
▶ Testimony from
Ayatollah
Lankarani’s office
▶ Ayatollah Khomeini’s
comments
▶ The statement from Allamah
Majlisi
▶ Shia Encyclopedia’s
statement
▶ The statement from
Peshawar Nights
▶ Denying Imamah
and its
consequences
▶ What
we can conclude about
Imamah in Shiaism
☞ THE QURAN AS OUR
REFERENCE
☞ "IMĀMS"
IN THE QURAN
☞ "NABIS"
AND "RASOOLS" IN
THE QURAN
☞ GENERAL AND
SPECIFIC VERSES
OF THE QURAN AND PROBLEMS WITH IMĀMAH
☞ MUHAMMAD
(Salla Allahu
Alayhi wa Sallam) AS "IMĀM"?
☞ CONCLUSION
☞ BIBLIOGRAPHY