The
Shi'a belief on 'Imamat'
The
Shiites believe that after the death of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and
this till the end of the world, Allah has nominated twelve Imams.
According to them, those twelve Imams had been nominated by Allah
through Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The first Imam according to them is
Ali (ra), the second one, his son, Imam Hassan, the third one Imam
Hussein and the rest of the nine Imams being found in their
bloodline.
From
the first Imam (i.e. Ali) till the eleventh Imam (Hassan Askari), all
died a natural death like the rest of mankind. As for the twelfth
Imam, the son of Hassan Askari, he mysteriously disappeared in this
youth and went into hiding in a cave. Now till the end of the world,
according to the Shiites, he alone has the exclusive right to reign
upon the world. The belief in Imamat
is obligatory (Farz)
for a Shiite and the one who does not believe in it shall see himself
being rewarded hell as resting place. In one of their books,
Al-Kafila
there is the mention that if the earth (i.e. the world) remain
without an Imam, it shall sink. Still according to this book, the
(Shiites) Imams are selected by Allah just like Allah chose the
prophets.
Shia
in itself is not a religion; it is a sect in Islam. After the
martyrdom of Hazrat Umar (ra) and during the caliphate of Hazrat
Uthman (ra), Islam propagated in several countries outside Arabia,
such as Persia, etc. Many people accepted Islam at that time. Many
entered the fold of Islam sincerely while many others entered therein
hypocritically.