A reminder of the Imamate in the sermons of Imam Hussein and his family (peace be upon them) from their departure from Medina until their entry into Syria

Abstract

Imamate is a very important intellectual issue for all Muslims, regardless of their sects and schools of thought. Scholars have differed greatly on this issue. Sometimes they disagree about whether the imamate is obligatory or not. Some, such as the Imami Shiites, consider it a condition. Others, such as the Mu'tazila, consider it a matter that is not necessary except at certain times or when necessary. Others, such as the Mu'tazila, deny it and do not support its concept, believing that the matter should be given to any person with whom Muslims are satisfied. Sometimes they disagree about the person of the imam, the most intense of which is regarding the imamate of Ali (peace be upon him) and Abu Bakr, and who among them is more deserving of the imamate. This disagreement developed to the point that swords were drawn among Muslims. For this reason, al-Shahrastani said in his book, "Milaal": "No sword has been drawn in Islam like that drawn over the imamate." Here, a questioner might ask: Did the imams of the Household of the Prophet (peace be upon him) defend the issue of the imamate, or did they simply watch this disagreement?  We say that the best example of the Imams’ defense of the Imamate is embodied in the movement of Imam Hussein. The Imam used his speech to the people as a means to spread the idea of the Imamate and confirm their legitimacy and that they were appointed by God and His Messenger. Imam Hussein’s reliance on rhetorical statements to prove the Imamate came as a result of his knowledge of the existence of people from the Levant and elsewhere who were not aware of the right of the People of the House to the Imamate. His sermons were a warning to those people from their negligence. He relied on this method because he wanted to alert them before the war broke out so that no one would protest later and give an excuse to those who fought him or denied his right and virtue. Even his companions have been given evidence that confirms that they were defending the Imamate in word and deed. As for the effect of the family of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) after his killing in alerting and confirming the Imamate, their sermons were filled with the most eloquent statements to defend the Imamate and alert those who were negligent in knowing their Imam. Their sermons in Kufa and the Levant were among the most conclusive evidence of…  Their interest in this issue. In this research, we will focus on the most important of these sermons to illustrate how the Ahl al-Bayt dealt with the issue of Imamate even during the darkest and most difficult circumstances.