Study of the Indications of Divine Appointment of Imam through Emphasizing Hadiths Quoted in alـkafi

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Abstract

The present article tries to study the narrative indications of Divine
appointment of the Imam in materials accepted by all Imamis in
particular through a reference made to the hadiths quoted in alـ
Kafias the main ideological and intellectual sources of Shi’is in
centuries after Kulayni.
Thus, at first, the notions of “Imam” and imamate and appointment
have been discussed and then characteristics of the Imam which
may be taken as indications of his appointment will be discussed.
From among the most important characteristics, infallibility,
knowledge, superiority, and assumption of obedience may be
mentioned. In the present article, such indications have been
noted in such an order that according to which the Divine place of
the Imam may be clearly explained and it may be shown that the
Shi’i view to Imam as the Divine proof and vicegerent of God is so
that Imam cannot be thought of as being chosen by others or by
people of the convention. Also, such a place cannot be a result of
the natural process of man spiritual progress as introduced in the
theory of the righteous scholars (‘ulamaـyi abrar).

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