A Critique of the View of the Commentator of al-Mawāqif Regarding the Position of Imamate in the Fundamentals or the Branches of Religion Based on Scriptural and Rational Evidence

Abstract

The present article examines whether Imamate belongs to the fundamentals (uṣūl al-dīn) or the branches (furūʿ al-dīn) of religion from the perspective of the commentator of al-Mawāqif. In the first chapter, along with a brief introduction to Jurjānī, we defined terms such as Imam, Caliph, fundamentals, and branches of religion, and we explained the criterion by which a matter in religious affairs is considered a fundamental or a branch. It is certain that Islam is the final religion, comprehensive and encompassing all aspects of human life. However, the twenty-three years of the Prophet’s mission were not sufficient for him to convey all Islamic rulings to all people. At the same time, it is impossible that such a religion was left incomplete. Therefore, there must have been individuals among the Prophet’s Companions who received Islam in its entirety from him and conveyed it fully to the people. This matter is referred to as Imamate. The discussion begins with the following question: Is Imamate a jurisprudential (fiqhī) issue or a theological (kalāmī) one? If it is a jurisprudential matter, then it is considered among the branches of religion, in which case its establishment is through the Muslim community and by the choice of the people. In the second chapter, we reported and critiqued the arguments of those who consider Imamate to be part of the branches of religion, including the commentator of al-Mawāqif. But if Imamate is a theological matter, then its establishment is by God, and faith and belief in it are deemed necessary and essential. In the third chapter, we presented the arguments of those who consider Imamate to be among the fundamentals of religion. In any case, the principle of Imamate is considered certain among the majority of Islamic schools, but there has been serious disagreement as to whether Imamate is an obligation upon God (wujūb ʿalā Allāh) or upon the people (wujūb ʿalā al-nās). The present study seeks to answer the question of whether Imamate, like Prophethood, is one of the essential pillars of religion and a reference for religious matters, as the Imamiyya maintain, or whether it ranks lower than Prophethood and the Imam has no duty other than to establish security, safeguard interests, and preserve order, while the main reference for religion remains the Qur’an and the Sunnah, and the Imam, like a president in the present age, should be elected by the people—as the Sunnis in general and the commentator of al-Mawāqif hold. According to Shiʿi belief, the office of Imamate is divine and must be granted by God to those who possess the qualifications and conditions for it. With reference to Qur’anic verses such as the Verse of Proclamation (Āyat al-Tablīgh), the verse of ūlū al-amr, and narrations such as the ḥadīth man māta and ḥadīth al-thaqalayn, to which the Imamiyya appeal, Imamate is regarded as a fundamental principle of religion rather than a secondary one, and it is counted among the other principles such as monotheism, Prophethood, eschatology, and justice. In contrast, some Sunni scholars, including the commentator of al-Mawāqif and Qāḍī ʿAḍud al-Dīn al-Ījī, maintain that the Imam must be chosen by the people and that infallibility is not a requirement, thereby narrowing the scope of the Imam’s functions. From this perspective, Imamate is considered a branch of religion and a jurisprudential issue.