Shi'ism: Imamate & Wilayat

Shi'ism or Shi'a Islam is the second largest sect of the Muslim world. The central theme of this theology is the position, rights, and qualities of the Imams of the Ahlul Bayt.

Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi starts with a brief discussion on the origin of the Shia faith, and whether it was political in nature or religious.

Following this, he surveys the self-censorship exercised by Muslim historians of early as well as modern eras, and how events related to Shi'ism were suppressed in order to appease rulers.

He then expounds on how the Orientalists have dealt with the event of Ghadir Khumm: either it is ignored or if it is quoted, then its interpreted to safeguard the interest of the majority Muslims. He also discusses the literal and contextual meaning of 'maula' which has great bearing on the issue of imamate and khilafat of Ali bin Abi Talib.

Part 4 of this book surveys the current dispute on the explicitness versus implicitness of Ali's appointment to the position of Imamate and Khalifat. It also discusses the concept of the Ahlul Bayt in the Qur'an and the Sunnah.

The final section deals with the wilayat, the position, and authority of the Imam, and its scope from the Qur'anic point of view. The treatise ends with a discussion on the esoteric knowledge that the Prophets and the Imams possess and its relevance to their personal life.