Islamic Political Thought: The Shiite Political Theory

The Shiite political theory:

The Shiite (Arabic: Shi‘a "party or group taking one side") a group of Muslims who took the side of ‘Ali, the fourth khalifa after the Prophet claiming his right to the post of the first Khalifa following the death of Muhammad in 632, constituted the Shi‘a political theory.

This theory elaborated by Shi‘i scholars represents the second major trend in Islamic thought (about ten percent of the Muslim world population).

The Institution of the Imamah

The Shiite political theory is concerned basically with the institution of Imama. The three main ideas of the Imamate namely, the Ja‘farite, the Isma‘ilite and the Zaydite, constitute the concept of the Imamate of the Shiites.

The term Imam (Arabic: leader) is used by the Shiite to denote mainly ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib, fourth of the so called ‘the four rightly guided': first Caliphs following the Prophet. The term is ascribed also to whoever succeeded him, i.e. his sons and the male progeny among his following generations strictly belonging to his own family.

The institution of the imamate, according to Shiite scholars, has the same status as prophethood.

The imamate is the successor of God and the Apostle of God. It is the leading element of religion, the organizing force for Muslims. It is righteousness of earthly world and the glory of Mu'mins (Arb. believers).

The holder of the post of Imamate is called the Imam. The Shiite concept of the Imam can be traced to the following of ‘Ali namely his companions who believed in his right to succeed the prophet instead of the first Caliph Abu Bakr. These represent the ‘party' or group-followers (Shiite, Arb: Shi‘a) of ‘Ali.

They hold that prosperity and glory reside in following a leader of the descendants of the Prophet's family, namely the Hashemite family, denoting the descendants of ‘Ali and Fatima (‘Ali being the cousin of Muhammad).

This is the basis of belief held by the devotees to ‘Ali that the Imam, namely ‘Ali, does not and cannot make mistakes. He is infallible.

The concept ofinfallibilityof the Imam applied to all later imams. The concept of infallibility is ascribed by the Shiite to Prophethood. According to this notion all Prophets and messengers of God are infallible.

However; the Qur'anic text mentions some faults committed by Moses and Muhammad who were the Messengers of God according to The Torah and the Qur'an respectively.

The Shiite political theorists see the Imam as:

‘Guiltless, free of any faults and he alone is endowed with knowledge.The Imam isunique, no one can be compared to him, no one can be his equal in knowledge nor is there a substitute for him. He is bestowed especially, by God, withwisdomand is inspired withtrue knowledge. He isinfallibleandimmuneto anymistakes, to anywrong-doingand toshame.' 1

The authority of the Imams, in the Shiite political theory, emanates from the claim that there is no need for Muslims

to choose or elect an Imam. The concept of election pertains only to the Sunnite political theory. According to Shiite belief all Imams have the same divine right to rule over Muslims. Their succession to the Imamate is kept strictly to the family of ‘Ali, for they are closest in terms of kinship to Prophet Muhammad.

The Absolutism of the Shiite Imam

The Imam, in Shiism, is an autocratic absolute ruler. This highly centralised authority in the person of one man was exercised under the Fatimids in Tunisia and Egypt in the tenth and eleventh centuries, and under Shah Isma‘il who reigned in Persia from 1501 to 1524, when Shiism became the official religion of the newly established Persian state and dynasty.

The concept of the Shiite Imam is like the concept of the Sunnite Khalifah, they are both absolute rulers that decide for the Muslims all their affairs.

There no more contradiction to the sources of Islam the Qur'an and the Sunnah than these concepts.

The whole structure of Islamic politics is founded on the institution of Shura which means Mutual Consultation. This institution depicted in the sources prescribes a consensus among the Muslims to their public affairs, in the absence of a Nass (a Legitimate text  whether in the Qur'an or in the Hadith). All Muslims consult in the management of the affairs of the Islamic Ummah.

This was applied by the Prophet in Mekkah and Medinah but was never applied afterwards. Khalifs, Kings, Emirs, Imams, Sultans and nowadays presidents, they all held power in their unique hands, dictating their rule to the Muslims throughout Islamic history.

This unjust dictatorship as a deviation from Islam has considerably weakened the Ummah and divided up the Muslims into small factions where absolute authority was, and still is, practiced in the Muslim world today. But in the name of God everything is permissible.

1. Al-Imam ‘Ali al-Rida,Risala fi Usul al-Din wa Furu‘ihi ila al-Khalifa al-Ma'mun,script. No. 1258r (Dar al Kutub WA al-Watha'iq al-Qawmiyya), quoted by Ahmad Mahmud Subhi in, Nazariyyat al-Imama (Theory of Imamate) (Cairo: Dar al Ma‘arif, 1969), p. 25.