Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Theories of the Imamate
When reading the passage about the Theories of the Imamate I was intrigued by many aspects of the different sects of Shiite Islam. I found the Zaydi’s belief that in order to be acknowledged as the Imam, a person must have the ability to resort to the sword if necessary was very interesting. I think strength and military training are aspects a leader must contain to effectively run a nation. I was just wondering why other Shiite groups do not place this attribute as high as the Zaydi’s. One would like to assume that the leader of a group would have the maturity to fully complete the task. What I understood from the reading was, the other groups would allow for a child to dictate the way the religion was run. I was wondering if anyone had thoughts concerning these topics.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
11 comments:
In junction with the reading, today's lecture did confirm that in fact there could be child Imams within Shi'ism. The ninth Imam, Muhammad al-Taqi and the tenth Imam 'Ali al-Hadi were two listed in today's lecture. Also, Dr. Lucas did mention that as long as the child posessed full knowledge of the Qur'an and the certain qualities, that in some sects it could be recognized as an Imam. Does anyone know why there was never a female Imam? If there were children and men, why not women?
On the topic of the leader or the Imam having both leadership skills in the religious realm and the military realm I thought it was interesting that the Isma'ili sect still has a succesion of the Imam but also believe that a total of 7 prophets will come. The first six prophets include Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. The beginning of Islam had a lot of war and settling of different cites but I just thought it was interesting compared to maybe Jesus or Abraham who didn't really have a "military" background. I know they were not Imams but it's just interesting that those 2 ideas, peace and war, are joined together between the prophets and maybe even the Imams.
I think that the Imam needing military training is a sign of great strength, and a sign of the ability to lead a large group of people with no fear. The other groups tend to see the Imam as a religious leader, which would mean that as long as somebody could interpret and speak about the religion truthfully and accurately, they could be an Imam, which would rule out an age limit. Either way I think that the idea of needing some military trainging to be a religious leader is an important characteristic, and it is common even in the United States, where we tend to elect presidents that were war heroes or served the country in some way.
Okay, I can agree with that a nation will benefit with a religious leader who has prior knowledge/experience with military campaigns. You want some in a state of power who knows what to do when a war situation comes up and how to deal with things. They have been around the block so they somewhat know what to expect (every situation is different). What I do not think I can see is a little kid guiding a nation. I think it is great that if they even want a chance to lead they must know the Qur'an like the back of their hand, but still they have no true life experiences. Is a 9 year old going to have military experience? Highly doubtful. They have not gone through life yet, so how can they give advice when they have just started to receive advice for their lives?
I understand that Zaydi's belief in being an Imam results to obtaining the sword but since any descendants of Ali and Fatima can be the Imam regardless, does this rule obide to any descendants as well? Having strength and military knowledge is huge for a leader, but being a descendant I am curious if there is any so called special treatment? On the part regarding a child deictating how the religion is being ran kind of surprised me. I think there is a certain age where that is appropriate and okay. Very young child though should have a say but not any decision making due to their unexperience in life alone. I think a lot of concepts are harder to grasp as a child within the Islam religion.
I also thought it was interesting that a Imam must be able to use a sword. I'm not sure if a leader must be able to fight in order to be a leader. I would want a leader who was knowledgeable about combat and war tactics but not necessarily fighting on the front lines. I think there are more important things a leader must posess before possessing the ability to fight, like intelligence, integrity and compassion.
I totally agree with Caitlin's comment. Their dedication to the sword and their combat abilities are valued far more then I would have expected. I too believe there are several other factors that make a good leader before their war experience. Such as, dedication and leadership. However, I can understand why it is a sign of strength.
In response to Caitlin's comment, I think that the Imam had to have a sword because in class today he told us that he had to be a warrior or a scholar. He has to have a sword because he has to be a respected warrior within the Umma. I agree also that the 9th and 10th Imam were too young to be Imams because it is hard for a 9-year old to posses "full knowledge" of the Qur'an and the certain qualities.
I thought that Zaydis believing that an Imam must be able to fight and fulfill other requirements in order to be a true Imam was interesting. I assume this way, the Zaydis knew the Imam would be a successful leader. I think the part about the Twelver Shi'is believing in a messiah returning at the end of the world was interesting. I did not know any Muslims believed in something like this. I was intrigued by the Isma'ilis idea that "history goes through a cycle of seven eras".
I believe it was very important for the leader the have some military background or training. The leader of the group is usually the smartest, strongest, most experienced person and military training is necessary, at least back then. As far as some groups being more violent than others, thats just human nature. Some cultures are peaceful and welcoming while others can be extremely protective and hostile. Back then this wasn't just their religion, it was their entire way of life.
One thing in regard to children as imams that we must consider is the difference in lifespans back when islam started. At that time the life span was far less than it is today, therefore, a 10 year old was in comparison much older back then as opposed to now. Another thing we should consider is the fact that life was much harder back then. Therefore, kids were forced to grow up much faster back then in order to stay alive. So a "child" leading back then is much more equivalent to a young man leading now.
Post a Comment