In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

In this article, we are going to invite our Sunni brothers, through their own authentic sources, to
the Truth about wilayah of the Twelve Imams as.gif. Often, people do not read some of the most
important hadiths related to the "twelve successors" issue. Therefore, they have a badly wounded
understanding of the hadith, and the entire concept in general.

First and foremost, we would like to open the eyes of our brothers to a clear reality. Whosoever
dies without having giving ba'yah to an Imam dies the death of Jahiliyyah, i.e. as a kafir! Allah
(swt) may forgive those who failed to recognize the Imam of their time out of innocent ignorance,
but not anyone who has read this article. In that case, you would be deliberately opposing Allah
(swt) and His Messenger pbuh.gif.

Ibn Abu Asim in his book al-Sunnah, page 489 records this hadith:

ΔϴϠϫΎΟΔΘϴϣΕΎϣϡΎϣ·ϪϴϠϋβϴϟϭΕΎϣϦϣ

Whoever dies without having an Imam dies the death of Jahiliyyah.

Shaykh al-Albani in his commentary on the hadith, writes:

ΕΎϘΛϪϟΎΟέϭϦδΣϩΩΎϨγ·

Its chain is Hasan and all of its narrators are Thiqah.

Imam Muslim has recorded this one in his Sahih, Kitab al-Imarah:

ΔϴϠϫΎΟϪΘϴϣΕΎϣΔόϴΑϪϘϨϋϲϓβϴϟϭΕΎϣϦϣ

Whoever dies without having on his neck bayah (to an Imam) dies the death of Jahiliyyah.

Lastly, Imam Ibn Hibban has recorded in his Sahih, Volume 7 page 49:

ΔϴϠϫΎΟΔΘϴϣΕΎϣϡΎϣ·ήϴϐΑΕΎϣϦϣ

Whoever dies without an Imam dies the death of Jahiliyyah.

The question is: do you have an Imam?

Anyway, there are other hadiths here. Shaykh al-Albani in his al-Targheeb wa al-Tarheeb, Volume
2, records this hadith:

ϚϟΫϞΜϣΎϘΣϢϜϴϠϋϢϬϟϭΎϘΣϢϜϴϠϋϲϟϥ·ζϳήϗϦϣΔϤ΋Ϸ΍

The Imams are from Quraysh. They have equal right over you as I do.

Al-Albani says:

΢ϴΤλ

It is sahih.

So, just as the Holy Prophet pbuh.gif has a right of unconditional obedience over us, these Imams
as.gif too have the same right! Now, this new fact makes things really more complicated for or
Sunni brothers. This is because, this hadith means that whosoever deliberately disobeys any of
these Imams, of fails to recognize any of them, has committed kufr! It is like deliberately

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 disobeying Allah (swt) and His Messenger pbuh.gif, or failing to recognize them.

Some people might claim that there is no Imam at this time! The problem with such assertion is
that it presupposes that the Holy Prophet pbuh.gif was uttering nonsense, placing an impossible
task over his Ummah. We all know that this is impossible. Rather, the Imams from Quraysh will
rule the Ummah for all times, good or bad, till the Day of Resurrection. Shaykh al-Albani once
again in his Kitab al-Sunnah 1110 records this hadith:

ΔϣΎϴϘϟ΍ϡϮϳϰϟ·ήθϟ΍ϭήϴΨϟ΍ϲϓαΎϨϟ΍Γϻϭζϳήϗ

The Quraysh will rule mankind, whether they are in good times or bad times, till the Day of
Resurrection.

Al-Albani says:

ϢϠδϣρήηϰϠϋ΢ϴΤλϩΩΎϨγ·

Its chain is sahih on the conditions of (Imam) Muslim.

Al-Albani in his Zilal al-Jannah, Volume 2, records:

ΔϋΎδϟ΍ϡΎϴϗϰϟ·ζϳήϗϲϓΔϓϼΨϟ΍

The khilafah (succession) will remain with Quraysh till Hour.

Al-Albani states:

ΪϴΟϩΩΎϨγ·

Its chain is good.

In his Silsilah al-Ahadith al-Sahihah 1/719, al-Albani records this hadith:

[ Ϣϫ΃ϭΎϧϦϣϰϠϋϥϭήμϨϳΎόϴϨϣ΍ΰϳΰϋήϣϷ΍΍άϫϝ΍ΰϳϻφϔϟϲϓϭ>ζϳήϗϦϣϢϬϠϛΔϔϴϠΧήθϋϲϨΛ΍ϰϟ·΍ΰϳΰϋήϣϷ΍΍άϫϝ΍ΰϳϻ
ΎϨΛ΍ϡϮϘϳϰΘΣΎϴοΎϣήϣϷ΍΍άϫϝ΍ΰϳϻφϔϠΑϯήΧ΃ϱήσϪϟϭϪϨΑ΍ϭΪϤΣ΃ϭϢϠδϣϪΟήΧ΃ζϳήϗϦϣϢϬϠϛΔϔϴϠΧήθϋϲϨΛ΍ϰϟ·ϪϴϠϋ
΢ϴΤλϩΩΎϨγ΍ϭΪϤΣ΃ϪΟήΧ΃ζϳήϗϦϣϢϬϠϛ΍ήϴϣ΃ήθϋ .

‘This affair shall not cease to be glorious up to twelve successors, every one of them being
from the Quraysh”. And in a narration “This affair will not cease to be glorious and
invincible, conquering anyone who opposes it, so long as twelve successors will rule over
them, every one of them coming from Quraysh". Muslim, Ahmad and the son of Ahmad
have narrated it. And in a narration: "The religion will continue to be established as long as
there are twelve commanders, everyone of them coming from the Quraysh” Ahmad has
narrated this, and its chain is sahih.

So, the number of Imams from Quraysh, that will rule mankind till the end of the world, is twelve.
They are also the true "caliphs" (successors). As long as people allow them to have political
power and do not play hypocrisy against them, Islam will become invincible.

There is also another aspect to it. In Sahih Muslim we read the following:

“The affairs of the people will continue to be conducted as long as they are governed by twelve
men, he then added from Quraish”
Sahih Muslim, Hadith number 4478 English translation by Abdul Hamid Siddiqui

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 This shows that as long as humans exist on this earth, one of the twelve Imams is certainly
governing their affairs. This is a matter of Wilayat Takwiniyyah. There are two types of
governance in Islam: political and takwini. The true Imams are always exercising Takwini Authority
no matter what. However, they may be deprived of political power. But, if they were given political
power by Muslims, and none oppose their rule, Islam wopuld become glorious and invincible. The
fact that Muslims are backward is proof that they have abandoned these Imams.

Al-Albani too has recorded in his Miskhkat al-Masabih 4/576, No. 5:

ζϳήϗϦϣϢϬϠϛϼΟέήθϋΎϨΛ΍ϢϬϴϟϭΎϣΎϴοΎϣαΎϨϟ΍ήϣ΃ϝ΍ΰϳϻ

The affairs of the people will continue to be conducted as long as they are governed by
twelve men, he then added from Quraysh

Al-Albani comments:

ϪϴϠϋϖϔΘϣ

Agreed upon.

Al-Albani however cites a further hadith in his Silsilah al-Ahadith al-Sahihah 6/562 on how to deal
with these twelve successors:

άΟ΍ϮϨϟΎΑΎϬϴϠϋ΍ϮπϋϱΪόΑϦϴϳΪϬϤϟ΍ϦϳΪη΍ήϟ΍˯ΎϔϠΨϟ΍ΔϨγϭϲΘϨδΑϢϜϴϠόϓ΍ήϴΜϛΎϓϼΘΧ΍ϯήϳϱΪόΑϢϜϨϣζόϳϦϣ

Whoever lives after me will see a lot of differences (among Muslims in their religion).
Therefore, hold onto my Sunnah and the sunnah of the divinely guided successors after
me. Hold onto them with fanaticism.

The hadith however dos not end there:

ϝϼοΔϋΪΑϞϛϭΔϋΪΑΔΛΪΤϣϞϛϥΈϓέϮϣϷ΍ΕΎΛΪΤϣϭϢϛΎϳ·ϭ

Beware of innovations (in the religion). This is because every innovation is a bid'ah, and
every bid'ah is misguidance.

Al-Albani comments:

΢ϴΤλ

It is sahih.

This hadith shows that the Twelve Imams are divinely guided, and that their sunnah is also the
Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). They NEVER violate the true Sunnah of the Messenger
of Allah (pbuh).

Obviously, the picture is becoming clearer now. Explaining further on the status of these twelve
Imams, the Holy Prophet pbuh.gif said:

ΎϫϮϤϠόΗϻϭζϳήϗϦϣ΍ϮϤϠόΗϭΎϫϮϣΪϘΗϻϭΎθϳήϗ΍ϮϣΪϗ

The Quraysh leads and is never led. Also, learn from Quraysh and never (attempt to) teach
them.
Sahih al-Jami' al-Sagheer, No. 4382

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 Al-Albani says:

΢ϴΤλ

It is sahih.

In his Zilal al-Jannah 2/464, al-Albani records this hadith:

΍ϮϠπΘϓΎϬϨϋ΍ϮϔϠΨΗϻϭ΍ϮϜϠϬΘϓΎθϳήϗ΍ϮϣΪϘΗϻ

Never go ahead of Quraysh, otherwise you will perish. And never disagree with them,
otherwise you will be misled.

Al-Albani keeps mute on its authenticity.

Now, Sunnis claim that these Twelve Imams are Abubakr, Umar, Uthman and others. The
problem with this assertion is that:

1. Abubakr, Umar and Uthman contradicted the Qur'an and Sunnah on so many occasions
2. They never claimed to have been divinely guided

THe only plausible explanation is that these people are the Twelve Imams (as) of the Ahl al-
Bayt. This argument is further supported by a Sahih hadith.

νϮΤϟ΍˷ϲϠϋ΍ΩήϳϰΘΣΎϗήΘϔϳϦϟΎϤϬϧ΃ϭˬϲΘϴΑϞϫ΃ϲΗήΘϋϭνέϷ΍ϭ˯ΎϤδϟ΍ϦϴΑΎϣΩϭΪϤϣϞΒΣͿ΍ΏΎΘϛˬϦϴΘϔϴϠΧϢϜϴϓϙέΎΗϲϧ·

I am leaving among you two successors: the Book of Allah, a rope reaching from the
heaven to the earth and my Itrah, my Ahl al-Bayt. The two will never separate until they
meet me at the Pond.
Sahih Jami' al-Saghir 1/842 No. 2457

Al-Albani once again says:

΢ϴΤλ

It is sahih.

So, the Ahl al-Bayt as.gif are the true Imams of this Ummah.

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