Semantics and Status of the Consensus between People of Hall and Aqd in the Process of Specifying Imam

In the field of Caliphate and Imamate, “electing or appointing the
Imam” is one the most important issues. Imamis are of the opinion that
Imam is appointed, through Nass, by the Lord- the Exalted. Others
such as Mu’tazalis, Ash’aris, and people of hadith, have rejected
the impact of Nass concerning Caliphate and left this process to
go through by people of Hall and Aqd (those whose opinions are
what count) as well as the experts from among Ummah. Relying on
the authentic texts of Sunnis, the present writing describes issues
concerning consensus between people of Hall and Aqd, and speaks
of the history, definition, conditions, and duties of people of Hall and
Aqd and the foundations for their authority. Meanwhile, some ideas
have been criticized; and, opinions of Sunni scholars have been
mentioned and assessed accordingly. Finally, the present article
tries to provide an expressive and well-documented picture of the
issues which concern consensus between the people of Hall and
Aqd.