The duties of Imām Zamān (mGehr) in the common occasions

Shi’a belief:

By referring to the books of Shi’a Mutakallim 1, it will be possible to find out the philosophy of Imamate [Here we mean, the duties of the Imām].

1-Preserving social system of Muslims (Allamah Ḥillī (1405), 8; 1).

2-Establishin social justice (Ibid. 2).

3-Performing social tasks (Ibid. 7; 3).

4- Implementation of divine limits (Ibid. 8; 4).

5-Protecting the religion (Himmaṣi, Bīta, Vol.2, P. 261; 5).

6-Explaining the details of Sharia (Ibid. 256; 6).

Also, Allamah Tabātabā’i believed that, the Imām’s responsibilities are divided into three parts:

1-The Imām’s responsibilities in leadership and governance of the Islamic society.

2- The Imām’s responsibilities in expressing Islamic teachings and laws.

3- Imam’s responsibility in leading and guiding the people to have spiritual lives.

In this regard, Sayyid Muḥammad Ṣadr wrote:

 

According to Islāmic taught, the Imām’s duty at the Emergence time is divided into some parts; provided that there will not be bans:

1-    Taking the responsibility of leading and ruling the government; in a way that, he will perform the inclusive and perfect plan of Islāmic justice on the earth. Also, he will lead the society in the supreme form of leading.

2-    Inviting [people] to Islam, i.e. not to let the society be mingled with disbelief though fight, peace and so on.

3-    Guarding Islamic society against foreign wars, and defending the privacy Islam though sacrificing lives and properties.

4-    Protecting Islamic society against deviation, corruption spread, and destruction of opinion and behaviors by [his] proper guidance, enjoining good and forbidding evil, and propagation of Islamic studies.

~. ~ Those 4 duties are not only obligatory for the Imām, but for all people.

5-Reaching out to the miserable and oppressed, and aiding to the afflicted.

~. ~ That one is also a common duty, not just belonged to the Imām. All Muslims are to perform it (Sadr, 1383, pp. 45- 46).

 

 

*It is called to the Muslim scholastic theologian who is adherent of Kalām. And the Arabic term Kalām means “speech, word, utterance” among other things. A scholar of Kalām is referred to as a Mutakallim.