There are many men among scholars and politicians whom their followers refer to as “imams”. For example, they say: Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Malik, Imam Shafi‘i, Imam Ahmad, Imam Bukhari, Imam Muslim, Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, and Imam Khomeini, while the Prophet said: “The Imams after me are twelve.” Is it permissible to use the term “Imam” to refer to those other than the Prophet and his twelve Caliphs?
“An imam” in the Book of Allah refers to two men: a man whom Allah has commanded to be obeyed, therefore he is obeyed with Allah’s command and is an Imam of guidance; as He has said: ﴿وَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ أَئِمَّةً يَهْدُونَ بِأَمْرِنَا﴾[1]; “And we made them Imams who guide by Our command,” and a man whom Allah has not commanded to be obeyed, therefore he is obeyed without Allah’s command and is an imam of misguidance; as He has said: ﴿وَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ أَئِمَّةً يَدْعُونَ إِلَى النَّارِ﴾[2]; “And we made them imams who invite toward the fire.” Therefore, no one should be called an imam except for one of these two men. Yes, there were men among scholars who did not claim to be imams and were not called imams in their time, and they are clearly not responsible for what the ignorant said about them after them if they had forbidden them from taking them as imams; such as Isa, peace be upon him, when Allah said to him: ﴿أَأَنْتَ قُلْتَ لِلنَّاسِ اتَّخِذُونِي وَأُمِّيَ إِلَهَيْنِ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ ۖ قَالَ سُبْحَانَكَ مَا يَكُونُ لِي أَنْ أَقُولَ مَا لَيْسَ لِي بِحَقٍّ ۚ إِنْ كُنْتُ قُلْتُهُ فَقَدْ عَلِمْتَهُ ۚ تَعْلَمُ مَا فِي نَفْسِي وَلَا أَعْلَمُ مَا فِي نَفْسِكَ ۚ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوبِ مَا قُلْتُ لَهُمْ إِلَّا مَا أَمَرْتَنِي بِهِ أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ رَبِّي وَرَبَّكُمْ ۚ وَكُنْتُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدًا مَا دُمْتُ فِيهِمْ ۖ فَلَمَّا تَوَفَّيْتَنِي كُنْتَ أَنْتَ الرَّقِيبَ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ وَأَنْتَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌ﴾[3]; “Did you say to people: Take me and my mother as deities besides Allah?! He said: ‘Glory be to You! It is not for me to say what I have no right to say. If I had said it, You would have known it. You know what is within me, and I do not know what is within You. Indeed, You are the Knower of the unseen. I did not say to them except for what You commanded me to say, that: Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord, and I was a witness over them as long as I was among them, but when You took me, You were the Watcher over them, and You are Witness over all things.’” However, those who claimed to be imams or were called imams in their time and did not prohibit or refuse to have anything to do with it are surely responsible and will be called to a severe account. This is also the case with those who allowed people to imitate them, even if they were not called imams; because they claimed to be imams in its meaning; as one of our companions informed us, he said:
«سَمِعْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ يَقُولُ: لَيْسَ الْإِمَامُ مَنْ يُسَمَّى إِمَامًا، وَلَكِنَّ الْإِمَامَ مَنْ يُقَلَّدُ، وَهُوَ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ إِمَامَانِ: إِمَامٌ جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ إِمَامًا، فَيَهْدِي بِأَمْرِ اللَّهِ، وَهُوَ خَلِيفَةُ اللَّهِ الْمَهْدِيُّ، وَإِمَامٌ مِنْ دُونِهِ، وَهُوَ خَلِيفَةُ الشَّيْطَانِ الدَّجَّالُ! فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ يَا بَنِي آدَمَ، وَلَا تَتَّخِذُوا الدَّجَّالَ إِمَامًا»[4]; “I heard Mansoor say: ‘An imam is not someone who is called imam, but rather an imam is someone who is being imitated, and there are two types of imams in the Book of Allah: an Imam whom Allah has appointed as the Imam for people, so he leads with the command of Allah, and he is the Caliph of Allah, Mahdi, and an imam other than him, and he is the caliph of Satan, dajjal! So fear Allah, O children of Adam, and do not take dajjal as imam!’”
Based on this, it is not permissible to use the term “Imam” to refer to those other than the Prophet and his twelve Caliphs. It is also not permissible to imitate anyone other than them. Whoever uses the term “Imam” to refer to anyone other than them is one of two categories: either he believes that obeying him is obligatory or imitating him is permissible, in which case he is one of the worshippers of taghut; because every imam other than the one whom Allah has appointed as an Imam for people is taghut, or he does not believe that obeying him is obligatory or imitating him is permissible, and he only uses the term “Imam” to refer to him out of respect and veneration, in which case he is one of the wrongdoers; because he copies the worshippers of taghut and vulgarizes the term “Imam”; like those whom Allah Almighty has mentioned in His book and said: ﴿ذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُمْ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ ۖ يُضَاهِئُونَ قَوْلَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ قَبْلُ ۚ قَاتَلَهُمُ اللَّهُ ۚ أَنَّى يُؤْفَكُونَ﴾[5]; “That is their saying with their mouths. Their words are similar to the words of those who disbelieved before them. May Allah destroy them! How can they be deluded?!” Allamah Mansoor has also warned against this in one of his sermons; after inviting toward Imam Mahdi, peace be upon him, who is the only true Imam of our time, he has said:
So now be vigilant; because Satan, who took your father out of Heaven, will not leave you with one Imam so that you will gather around him, but rather he will send dajjals from his offspring to you to tell you that they are imams other than Mahdi. So when they call to you … do not answer them; because you have no Imam other than Mahdi, and they are Satan’s toys that he plays you with them to divert your attention with them and stop you from your Imam … So beware, do not call them imams; because Allah has not called them imams, nor has He sent down any proof for them! Do you then inform Allah of something He does not know in the heavens and the earth, or do you say about Him what you do not know?! Undoubtedly, this is polytheism that Satan has made fair-seeming to you to misguide you with it while you think you are guided. Know that I call you to your Imam, Mahdi, and warn you against misguiding imams so that you may become pious.[6]
Also, one of our companions informed us, he said:
«قَامَ الْمَنْصُورُ فِينَا خَطِيبًا، فَوَعَظَنَا وَأَحْسَنَ وَعْظَنَا، حَتَّى اقْشَعَرَّتِ الْجُلُودُ وَرَجَفَتِ الْقُلُوبُ وَبَكَتِ الْعُيُونُ وَرُفِعَتِ الْأَصْوَاتُ! فَلَمَّا جَلَسَ قَامَ إِلَيْهِ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا فَمَدَحَهُ، وَقَالَ لَهُ فِي مَدْحِهِ: إِنَّكَ لَأَنْتَ إِلَهُ الْوَاعِظِينَ! فَغَضِبَ الْمَنْصُورُ غَضَبًا شَدِيدًا، وَقَالَ لَهُ: أُسْكُتْ -أَسْكَتَكَ اللَّهُ- فَإِنَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَأَمَّا أَنَا فَمُعَلِّمُ خَيْرٍ! فَقَالَ لَهُ الْمَادِحُ: جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ، إِنِّي مَا عَنَيْتُ بِالْإِلَهِ مَا يُعْبَدُ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَلَكِنَّهُ كَلِمَةٌ يَقُولُونَهَا بِأَلْسِنَتِهِمْ! فَقَالَ لَهُ: وَهَلْ أَهْلَكَ النَّصَارَى إِلَّا كَلِمَةٌ يَقُولُونَهَا بِأَلْسِنَتِهِمْ؟! ﴿كَبُرَتْ كَلِمَةً تَخْرُجُ مِنْ أَفْوَاهِهِمْ ۚ إِنْ يَقُولُونَ إِلَّا كَذِبًا﴾[7]! ثُمَّ الْتَفَتَ إِلَى أَصْحَابِهِ وَقَالَ: اعْلَمُوا مَا تَقُولُونَ -يَغْفِرُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ- فَإِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَبِيضُ وَيُفَرِّخُ! فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ، هَلْ لَنَا أَنْ نُسَمِّيَكَ الْإِمَامَ كَمَا يُسَمِّي النَّاسُ قَادَتَهُمْ؟ قَالَ: لَا، ذَاكَ اسْمٌ لَا يَتَسَمَّى بِهِ غَيْرُ الْمَهْدِيِّ إِلَّا دَجَّالٌ»[8]; “Mansoor delivered a sermon among us, so he advised us and gave us good advice to the extent that the skins trembled, the hearts moved, the eyes cried, and the voices raised! Then, when he sat down, a man from our companions stood up and turned to him, praised him, and said in his praise: ‘You are indeed the god of preachers!’ So Mansoor got very angry and said to him: ‘Be silent, may Allah silence you! Because there is no god but Allah, and I am only a good teacher!’ Then the praising man said: ‘May I be sacrificed for you, what I meant by god was not someone who would be worshiped other than Allah Almighty, but rather it is a word that they say with their tongues!’ So he said: ‘And did anything destroy Christians but the word that they say with their tongues?! “Grievous is the word that comes out of their mouths. They say nothing but a lie!”’ Then he turned to his companions and said: ‘Know what you say -may Allah have mercy on you-; because Satan lays eggs and incubates!’ At this time, I said: ‘May I be sacrificed for you, can we call you imam as people call their leaders (imams)?’ He said: ‘No, this is a name that none but Mahdi is called except for dajjal!’”