271
See also: God reveals his word and his will 262–69 ■ Striving in the way
of God 278 ■ The origins of Ahmaddiya 284–85
ISLAM
The first imam, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib,
and his sons were members of the
Household of the Prophet, so were
seen to have divine knowledge, here
depicted as shining down from heaven.closest companions, Abu Bakr, was
adopted as his successor. Abu Bakr
was to be succeeded in turn by two
more of the Companions, Umar and
Uthman, as caliph, or ruler, of the
Islamic territories. These caliphs
were recognized as wise leaders
and the best of Muslims. Their
followers believed that choosing a
leader by community consensus
best accorded with the ideas in the
Sunna, Muhammad’s teachings
and sayings. These early caliphs
were therefore appointed or elected,
and the supporters of Abu Bakr and
his two successors became known
as Sunni Muslims.
An alternative choice
A minority group of believers
disagreed with Abu Bakr’s original
appointment; they believed that the
rightful leader should have been a
close relative of Muhammad, and,
in particular, a member of a special
group known in the Qur’an as the
Household (family) of the Prophet.
This group claimed that Muhammad
had suggested a successor: his
son-in-law and cousin ‘Ali ibn
Abi Talib, because Muhammad
had publicly honored ‘Ali’s ability
to lead the community. Shi‘a
Muslims take their name from ‘Ali,
whom they see as the Prophet’s
rightful heir—they are known as
the Shi‘a ‘Ali (Party of ‘Ali).
‘Ali was eventually appointed to
lead the whole Muslim community
in 656, after the death of Uthman,
but when ‘Ali died, Muslims were
again divided; Shi‘as supported
‘Ali’s son as successor, while
Sunnis supported the election of
Muawiyah I, a powerful governor of
Syria. To this day, Shi‘as remain a
minority group within the Muslim
community, dedicated to ‘Ali and
his successors. These descendants
of Muhammad, known as imams,
have absolute religious authority—
their knowledge is considered to be
divine and infallible. The largest
branch of Shi‘a Islam, whose imam
is currently absent (see right), is led
by proxy figures, or marjas—for
example, Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini.
Since the dispute concerns
the issue of leadership, Shi‘a Islam
is considered a movement within
Islam, not a separate belief system.
However, it does have its own
emphases. To the Five Pillars of
Islam Shi‘as add another five:
making offerings for the benefit of
the community, commanding good,
forbidding evil (all beliefs shared by
many non-Shi‘as), plus two unique
to Shi‘a Islam—loving the Household
of the Prophet, and turning away
from those who do not. ■Further divisions in
Shi‘a IslamThe succession from ‘Ali, first
imam of Shi‘a Islam, has been
marked by further divisions
caused by disagreement over
succession. Disputes after the
deaths of the fourth and sixth
imams led to the formation of,
respectively, the Five-Imam
Shi‘as, or “Fivers,” and Seven-
Imam Shi‘as, or “Seveners.”
The Seveners, also known
as Ismaelite Shi‘as, divided
yet again over the question of
which Family member was the
rightful successor in the eyes
of God; their largest branch
is known as Nizari Ismailism,
currently led by the Aga Khan.
Twelve-Imam Shi‘as, or
“Twelvers,” are by far the
largest group within Shi‘a
Islam. They believe that their
last imam, the six-year-old
Muhammad al-Qa’im, did not
actually die but went into a
hidden existence in 874, and
will eventually return as
the messianic figure known
as the Imam al-Mahdi. His
reappearance will signal the
beginning of the ultimate
struggle for good that, in Islam,
marks the end of the world.God intends only to remove
from you the impurity [of sin],
Oh People of the [Prophet’s]
Household, and to purify
you with purification.
Sura 33:33