About the course

Among the earliest disputes after the demise of Prophet Muhammad (s) was the issue of the leadership of the nascent Muslim community. This disagreement led to the most significant schism in Islamic history and the emergence of the two well-known Sunni and Shiite branches of Islam. Shiites hold that, by God’s command, the Prophet (s) appointed Ali (a) as his successor and the “Imam” (leader) of the Muslim community after him. This leadership encompassed political and social affairs as well as religious matters. Sunni Muslims, on the other hand, deny that the Prophet (s) appointed any such leaders for the Muslim community after his demise.

These lectures will provide a survey of the evidence and proofs presented by Shiites for their belief, which include the so-called rational and traditional arguments. Then the two main qualities of an Imam, i.e., infallibility and superiority, as discussed in Shiite theology will be presented, followed by a discussion of other characteristics of an Imam as described in the Quran and hadiths, especially the Imam’s being the “proof” of God and the underlying grounds for this teaching. The lectures will conclude with a brief survey of the biography and teachings of the Twelve Imams.