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Imamate in Childhood

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Imamate
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Imamate in childhood (Arabic:الإمامة في الصِغَر) refers to the Imamate of an individual who has not yet reached religious maturity. According to Shias, Imam al-Jawad (a), Imam al-Hadi (a), and Imam al-Mahdi (a), among the Imams of Twelver Shiism, assumed the Imamate between the ages of five and eight. The Imamiyya regards the Imamate as a divinely appointed position for which physical maturity is not a requirement.

In response to critics of their belief, Shia Muslims cite Quranic verses that refer to the prophethood of Prophets Solomon (a), Yahya (a), and Jesus (a) during their childhood. They also support their belief with evidence such as the scholarly capabilities of Imams during childhood and the appointment of Imam Ali (a) as the Prophet's successor at Yawm al-Dar.

Some works have been written to explain Shia beliefs regarding the Imamate during childhood and to address their opponents.

Significance in Imamai Belief

The Imamate in childhood is an issue regarding Imamate discussed in Shia works of theology.[1] It primarily arises in response to objections from opponents of Shia Islam concerning the Imamate of certain Imams (Imam al-Jawad (a), Imam al-Hadi (a), and Imam al-Mahdi (a)) who assumed Imamate between the ages of five and eight.[2] This issue caused hesitation among some Shia Muslims in accepting Imam al-Jawad's Imamate, as maturity was then widely believed to be a prerequisite for the position of Imamate.[3]

According to Sunni scholars, maturity is a primary condition for Imamate.[4] However, Shia scholars view the Imamate as a divinely appointed position that God bestows upon an individual who is qualified for it.[5] Shia theologians consider infallibility, superiority, and explicit textual designation as essential conditions for an Imam.[6] The Shia belief that maturity is not a prerequisite for Imamate has led to objections from opponents of the Imamiyya and responses from Shia theologians.[7]

Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728/1327-8), Ibn Hajar al-Haytami (d. 974/1566-7), and Ahmad al-Katib are among those who have raised objections to the notion of Imamate during childhood. The reasons cited for deeming a child's Imamate unreasonable include: being under custodianship as an orphan,[8] the legal incapacity of an orphan child,[9] the inability of a child to hold guardianship,[10] the child not being religiously accountable (mukallaf),[11] and the lack of opportunity for learning.[12]

The Imams Who Assumed Imamate During Childhood

  • Imam al-Jawad (a): Assumed the Imamate at approximately eight years old.[13] According to Hasan b. Musa al-Nawbakhti (d. 310/922-3), the young age of Imam al-Jawad (a) at the time of Imam al-Rida's martyrdom confused the Shia,[14] with some of them rejecting his Imamate.[15]
  • Imam al-Hadi (a): Became Imam when he was eight years old.[16] Iraqi historian Jasim Husayn notes that, as the issue of Imamate in childhood had already been resolved for the Shia with Imam al-Jawad, Imam al-Hadi's Imamate was accepted without difficulty.[17]
  • Imam al-Mahdi (a): Assumed the Imamate at the age of five.[18] It is said that the Imamate of Imam al-Jawad (a) and Imam al-Hadi (a) during childhood may have served to prepare the Shia for accepting Imam al-Mahdi's Imamate at an even younger age.[19]

Shia Arguments for Imamate in Childhood

Imami theologians have explained that intellectual maturity is not dependent on physical maturity. If an individual's Imamate is definitively established, their infallibility and divine knowledge are also confirmed, and the Imam's age has no bearing on this matter. Furthermore, the restrictions imposed by Islamic law on children in various matters pertain to ordinary individuals who attain intellectual and cognitive growth over time, not to an infallible Imam who possesses divinely bestowed (ladunni) knowledge.[20]

Imams' Knowledge During Childhood

According to a hadith cited by al-Shaykh al-Mufid, when Imam al-Jawad (a) responded to Yahya b. Aktham's question in a debate in a manner that astonished those present,[21] Caliph al-Ma'mun argued to his entourage that Imam al-Jawad's young age does not indicate a lack of knowledge or intellect.[22]

According to al-Shaykh al-Mufid (d. 413/1022), the presence of al-Hasan (a) and al-Husayn (a) in the Prophet's mubahala with the Christians of Najran]] demonstrates that a child can bear significant divine responsibilities.[23] Likewise, Imam 'Ali's acceptance of faith in the Prophet (s)[24] during his childhood indicates that a child can possess profound understanding and intellect.[25]

Argument from the Prophethood of Solomon, John, and Jesus in Childhood

To establish the possibility of Imamate in childhood, recourse is made to the prophethood of certain prophets during their childhood.[26] According to Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, the term "judgment" (hukm) in Quran 19:12 refers to prophethood, which God granted to Prophets John (Yahya (a)) and Jesus (a) in their childhood.[27] Similarly, Ja'far Subhani, a Shia theologian, cites Quran 19:30, which describes Prophet Jesus (a) speaking in infancy, as evidence that God can bestow the necessary knowledge, intellect, and discernment for Imamate upon a child if He wills.[28] It is also reported that, when his son Imam al-Jawad (a) was three years old, Imam al-Rida (a) designated him as Imam and, citing the example of Prophet Jesus (a), affirmed the possibility of Imamate in childhood.[29] Likewise, Imam al-Jawad (a) asserted that this was possible by citing Prophet Solomon (a), who succeeded Prophet David (a) during childhood.[30]

According to al-Tarifi, a Sunni exegete of the Quran, Prophet Yusuf (a) also attained prophethood before reaching maturity.[31]

Citation of the Prophet's Practice in Yawm al-Dar

The book of Imamate in Childhood by 'Ali Asghar Ridwani (Persian)

According to al-Shaykh al-Mufid, a Shia theologian, the Prophet's action in the Hadith of Yawm al-Dar shows that if God wills, He can designate a child as His authority.[32] According to the consensus of both Shia and Sunni scholars, the Prophet (s), during Yawm al-Dar, appointed Imam 'Ali (a), who had not yet reached maturity, as his successor and executor.[33]

Monographs

Several works have been written on the topic of Imamate in childhood:

  • The book Imamate in Childhood (Imamat dar kudaki) by 'Ali Asghar Ridwani, in 48 pages, was published in 2006 by Jamkaran Holy Mosque Publications.[34]
  • The book Stars of Guidance: Imamate in Childhood (Sitarigan-i hidayat: imamat dar kudaki) by Muhammad Bamiri, in 176 pages, was published in 2012 by A'imma Publications.[35]
  • The book Imamate in Childhood: An Analytical Introduction to Imamate in Childhood (Imamat dar kudaki: daramadi tahlili bar imamat dar kudaki) by Hadi Torkamani, in 166 pages, was published in 2023 by Da'iya Publications.[36]

Notes

  1. ↑ Mufīd, al-Fuṣūl al-mukhtara, pp. 149-153.
  2. ↑ See: Mufīd, al-Fuṣūl al-mukhtara, p. 149-153; Subḥānī, Imāmat dar kūdakī, p. 46.
  3. ↑ Nawbakhtī, Firaq al-Shīʿa, p. 88.
  4. ↑ ʿĪjī, Sharḥ al-mawāqif, vol. 8, p. 350; Taftāzānī, Sharḥ al-maqāṣid, vol. 5, p. 244.
  5. ↑ Muṭahharī, Imāmat wa rahbarī, p. 131.
  6. ↑ Ḥillī, Kashf al-murād, p. 492-495.
  7. ↑ Mufīd, al-Fuṣūl al-mukhtara, p. 149-153.
  8. ↑ Ibn Taymīyya, Minhāj al-sunna al-nabawīyya, vol. 4, p. 89.
  9. ↑ Ibn Taymīyya, Minhāj al-sunna al-nabawīyya, vol. 4, p. 89; Kātib, Taṭawwur al-fikr al-sīyāsī al-Shīʿī, p. 103.
  10. ↑ Haytamī, al-Ṣawāʿiq al-muḥriqa, vol. 2, p. 483.
  11. ↑ Kātib, Taṭawwur al-fikr al-sīyāsī al-Shīʿī, p. 103.
  12. ↑ Kātib, Taṭawwur al-fikr al-sīyāsī al-Shīʿī, p. 103.
  13. ↑ Nawbakhtī, Firaq al-Shīʿa, p. 88.
  14. ↑ Nawbakhtī, Firaq al-Shīʿa, p. 88.
  15. ↑ Nawbakhtī, Firaq al-Shīʿa, p. 87-88.
  16. ↑ Qummī, Muntahā l-āmāl, vol. 3, p. 1878.
  17. ↑ Ḥusayn, Tārīkh-i sīyāsī-yi ghaybat-i Imām-i dawāzdahum (a), p. 81.
  18. ↑ Mufīd, al-Irshād, vol. 2, p. 339.
  19. ↑ Salīmīyān, Ḥaḍrat Mahdī (a) khurdsāltarīn pīshwā-yi maʿṣūm, p. 44.
  20. ↑ Mufīd, al-Fuṣūl al-mukhtara, p. 149-153; Baḥrānī, al-Najāt fī l-qīyāma fī taḥqīq amr al-Imāma, p. 200.
  21. ↑ Mufīd, al-Irshād, vol. 2, p. 281-286.
  22. ↑ Mufīd, al-Irshād, vol. 2, p. 287.
  23. ↑ Mufīd, al-Fuṣūl al-mukhtara, p. 316.
  24. ↑ Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, vol. 1, p. 384.
  25. ↑ Majlisī, Mirʾāt al-ʿuqūl, vol. 4, p. 252.
  26. ↑ Riḍwānī, Imāmat dar sinīn-i kūdakī, p. 11.
  27. ↑ Fakhr al-Rāzī, al-Tafsīr al-Kabīr, vol. 21, p. 516.
  28. ↑ Subḥānī, Imāmat dar kūdakī, p. 46.
  29. ↑ Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, vol. 1, p. 383.
  30. ↑ Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, vol. 1, p. 383.
  31. ↑ Ṭarīfī, al-Tafsīr wa l-bayān li-aḥkām al-Qurʾān, vol. 3, p. 1617.
  32. ↑ Mufīd, al-Fuṣūl al-mukhtara, p. 316.
  33. ↑ See: Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī, vol. 2, p. 320; Ibn Ṭāwūs, al-Taraʾif, vol. 1, p. 21; Ḥaskānī, Shawāhid al-tanzīl, vol. 1, p. 543.
  34. ↑ Riḍwānī, Imāmat dar sinīn-i kūdakī, p. 1.
  35. ↑ Bāmirī, Sitārigān-i hidāyat: Imāmat dar kūdakī, p. 1.
  36. ↑ Turkamanī, Dārāmadī taḥlīlī bar Imāmat dar kūdakī, p. 1.

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