The Imam can be recognized through many aspects:

First Aspect

What is most apparent and easiest and is in accordance with divine wisdom and mercy. As you know there is express text from the Messenger of Allah (S) for the imamate of specific people, and there is declaration of the previous Imam for the succeeding Imam as well. As we shall learn, the twelve Imams (‘a) are appointed by Allah, the Prophet, and the respective preceding Imams.

Second Aspect

The Imam is superior to the entire Ummah, including those who falsely claimed this office, and Imamate is not outside them.

Third Aspect

Miracle related to Imamate.

Ahl al-Sunnah say that Imamate is obtained through allegiance of few people, even one person, as happened in case of Abu Bakr and he became Caliph only by the allegiance of ‘Umar. Some even say that five people should give allegiance as happened in case of Shura. They are content with allegiance of five people and do not ask for more.

No sane individual can suggest all these. How could the allegiance given by five individuals or one person to an ignorant man, despite having invalid aims and corrupt views, establish the legitimacy of the office of caliphate?

Also, that all creatures should obey him in religious and secular matters and that if they don’t accept him, it will be lawful, or rather obligatory to kill them. And that it is such even though the opponent be ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a) or Imam al-Hasan (‘a) or Imam al-Husayn (‘a). And that it is obligatory on the people even when the obedience required be to the profligate Yazid. And it was suggested that, because of his opposition to that tyrant ruler - who was an illegitimate born, a drunkard and an individual smeared with all the sins – it was lawful or rather obligatory to kill Imam al-Husayn (‘a), the beloved grandson of the Prophet, chief of the youths of Paradise!

The pledge of allegiance that took place secretly in Saqifah Bani Saidah was with the collusion of some hypocrites and enemies of Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a), Imam al-Hasan (‘a) and Imam al-Husayn (‘a), and was without the presence of any Bani Hashim man, or prominent companions Salman, Abu Dharr, Miqdad, Ammar, Zubair and Usamah. Yet, without all companions being informed about it, it was called a consensus (Ijma) and with that, Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a) and all companions should be forcibly brought to pay allegiance. It was called as consensus of those who have a say and was mentioned in their books as such.

Can any sane individual suggest that the Almighty Allah established the leadership of world and religion, which is in fact successorship of prophethood, on such farce? If a leader is appointed as the headman of a village, it is only after the majority of people of that village reach consensus on his appointment. This would be discussed in detail in the coming pages.

So, we came to know that the appointment of the Imam is related to one of the three and each of them have been proved from widely related reports of the Holy Imams (‘a) narrated to us through reliable and honest scholars, whose integrity is established for us, and we are aware of their reality with knowledge by perception (‘Ain al-Yaqin).

But if we wish to exhaust the argument on the adversaries, we should prove it through the traditions of their reliable books. That is why our scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) have exhausted proof on them using the reliable books of the adversaries, because if we were to reason using our books, they would simply deny it.

In the same way, if they reason against us based on their fabricated traditions, which hypocritical companions had fabricated in greed of wealth and pelf, it is not necessary to accept them.

Therefore, we should prove the veracity of our faith through traditions widely related and popular in both sects or those mentioned in their reliable books. They should also reason using widely related traditions or those mentioned in our reliable books and not reason through fabricated traditions found only in their books, regarding which some of their scholars have also admitted that they are concocted.

Also, due to severe bigotry, they abandoned books containing the excellence of Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) and defects of the tyrant Caliphs.

Therefore, in this treatise I would explain using their reliable and famous books, which they cannot deny. For example, Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, which they consider to be almost at par with Qur’an and Jami’ al-Usul by Ibn Athir, one of their greatest scholars; and traditions compiled in their six authentic books (Sihah Sitta), including Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Muwattah Malik, Sunan Nasai, Jame Tirmidhi, Sunan Abu Dawood Sajistani; and Mishkat, whose author is one of their most influential scholars

Scholars like Tabibi have written glosses on these books and today they are popular in all parts of the world. He says in his foreword: I have quoted these traditions from some books; when I attribute a tradition to them it is as if I have attributed it to the Messenger of Allah (S).

The book of Isti’ab by Ibn Abd Barr, who is also their famous scholar and his book, is also popular among them. The book of Sharh Ibn Abil Hadid, whose author is among their great scholars and the books of Dhurr al-Manthur by Suyuti, whose author was their accomplished scholar; Tafsir Thalabi, on which all their Qur’anic commentaries depend; Tafsir Kabir by Fakhr ar-Raazi, who is their Imam; Tafsir Kashaf, Tafsir Nishapuri, Tafsir Baidhawi and Tafsir Waahidi and other such books, which are trusted and reliable among them.

As for the traditions of Ahl al-Bayt (‘a), I have mentioned them in Hayat al-Qulub.

We should know that the religion of the delivered sect (Firqe Najiya) is that according to the textual declaration of the Prophet, after the Messenger of Allah (S), the immediate Caliph is ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a); while Ahl al-Sunnah say that people appointed Abu Bakr after the passing away of the Messenger of Allah (S) and he is the first caliph.

Abu Bakr appointed ‘Umar as the Caliph after him and he is the second Caliph. At the time of his death, ‘Umar appointed a six-member Shura committee to appoint a Caliph and Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a) was included in that committee. ‘Umar devised it in such a way that either Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a) should be killed or be forced to pay allegiance to Uthman, because he included Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a) with Uthman, Talha, Zubair, Abdur Rahman Ibn Auf and Sa’ad Ibn Abi Waqqas and said that if all have consensus on one person, he would be the Caliph and if they oppose and one side has more members, they should eliminate the side with less members. If both sides have equal members, the choice of Abdur Rahman Ibn Auf’s side should be given preference and members of the opposite side should be eliminated if they do not concur with the side of Abdur Rahman Ibn Auf.

When they came out of ‘Umar’s place, Imam ‘Ali (‘a) observed: He has devised a perfect plot to eliminate me; because Abdur Rahman Ibn Auf is the cousin of Sa’ad and Uthman is the son-in-law of Uthman; these three can never go against each other. Even if Talha and Zubair support me, since Abdur Rahman Ibn Auf would be on the opposite side, I would be killed, or I will have to pay allegiance to one of them. It happened exactly.

After that even though Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a) mentioned his excellences and all agreed, Abdur Rahman Ibn Auf said to Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a): I pledge allegiance to you on the condition that you will act according to the Book of Allah, Sunnah of the Messenger and lifestyle of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar. Imam ‘Ali (‘a) said: I will act according to the Book of Allah and Sunnah of the Messenger; but not according to the lifestyle of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar.

Abdur Rahman Ibn Auf made this offer, because he knew well that Imam ‘Ali (‘a) would never agree to act on the practices of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar. Then he made the same offer to Uthman, who accepted it readily. So, Abdur Rahman and Sa’ad gave allegiance to Uthman and people also paid allegiance under compulsion.

In this way, they regard Uthman as the third Caliph. When his injustices and innovations exceeded all limits, the companions reached consensus and killed him and paid allegiance to Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a), the rightful Caliph.

Therefore, they regard Imam ‘Ali (‘a) as the fourth, though some sycophants of Bani Abbas rulers invented the lie that after the Messenger of Allah (S), his uncle, Abbas claimed Caliphate and that he was the Caliph. The invalidity of this claim is obvious, and all who believed it have become extinct. Proof of the Caliphate of Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a) also disproves this claim.