Lesson video

Hello there, my young scholars of religion.

My name is Ms. Marx, and I'm going to be your religious education teacher today, and today we're going to be doing all about the belief of the Imamate, which is found in Shia Islam.

And it's a very important belief that forms part of the five roots of faith, or Usul Ad-Din, within Shia Islam.

And as we learn about this, we're going to be a little bit historical, and quite theological in our approach.

So when you're ready, let's go.

So, by the end of this lesson, you'll be able to explain the importance of the Imamates within Shia Islam.

So let's start with some key terms. Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad, the first Imam in Shia Islam.

Imam, a title for a leadership position within Islam.

Infallible, free from error or mistake.

Shia, branch of Islam believing Ali was the correct direct successor to the Prophet Muhammad.

And Imamate, a belief in Shia Islam in the authority of the appointed Imams. So look out for those in today's lesson.

Today's lesson will have three sections, the successor to the Prophet Muhammad, the imamate in Shia Islam, and the importance of the imamate in Shia Islam.

So let's start with our first section then, the successor to the Prophet Muhammad.

What qualities could make a person a great leader? Have a think about what you think could make a really good leader.

Pause the video, and you can talk to the person next to you, or talk to me.

I wonder if you have any of these? You might have said honesty, authority, knowledge, wisdom, kindness, empathy.

Are these all things that you think would make a great leader? These are all qualities that Muslims believe Ali had as a leader of the Muslim community, and Ali was the first imam for Shia Muslims. He is also an important leader of the early Muslims in Sunni Islam, but today, we're thinking about his role as the first imam in Shia Islam.

So how does a belief in the imamate relate to other key beliefs in Islam then? Well, all Muslims believe that Muhammad was the final prophet of Allah, sometimes called the seed of the prophets.

So there'll be no more prophets after the Prophet Muhammad.

But after the Prophet Muhammad died, there needed to be a new leader for the Muslim community, so after he dies, and he's established a Muslim community in Medina, and there are many people who become Muslims, there needs to be a leader to help guide the Muslim community.

And Shia Muslims believe that Allah chose Ali to be the leader, and the Prophet Muhammad announced this as his successor and the first imam.

So God has chosen Ali to be the leader after the Prophet Muhammad has passed away, and before that moment, the Prophet Muhammad announced this, that he would be his successor, and therefore the first imam.

After Ali was the leader of the Muslim community, others were divinely appointed to be the leaders, or imams. All are from the bloodline of the Prophet Muhammad, and all of them appointed by God to be the leaders.

So let's think a little bit more about Ali then.

How was he connected to the Prophet Muhammad? Well, we can look at the family tree of the Prophet Muhammad to understand this a bit more.

So one of the wives of the Prophet Muhammad was called Khadija.

And Prophet Muhammad and Khadija had a daughter called Fatima.

The Prophet Muhammad had a cousin who was called Ali, who was an early convert to Islam.

And Ali and Fatima got married and had children, Hassan and Hussain.

And so we can see that Ali is therefore a cousin, but also the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, so he's very connected to the family of the Prophet Muhammad, and is from the same ancestry.

And Hassan and Hussain are the Prophet Muhammad's grandsons.

So this is according to Shia accounts of what happened after the passing of the Prophet Muhammad.

At the time of the Prophet Muhammad's death, his daughter, Fatima, and son-in-law, Ali, were by his side, because he is passing away, so his daughter and son-in-law, who are very close to him, are there by his side, according to Shia accounts of what happened.

As they were preparing the funeral arrangements, other Muslims gathered, discussing who should be the successor of the Prophet Muhammad.

Because you've got a group of Muslims now living in a community in Medina and beyond, who need to have a leader to help guide the faith and guide the religion after the passing of the Prophet Muhammad.

So that group discuss and decide together who they think should be the new leader for the Muslim community.

But the term Shia Muslim comes from those Muslims who believed it should have been Ali who was appointed as successor to the Prophet Muhammad.

So Shia Muslims believe that Ali was actually chosen by Allah to be the leader, and the Prophet Muhammad had announced this, and so it should have been Ali who was appointed, rather than the person that the group of Muslims agreed on whilst Fatima and Ali were arranging the funeral.

So, why might Shia Muslims believe that Ali should have been appointed as the successor then? What reasons might they give? Pause the video and have a think from what we've already said so far in the lesson.

You could talk to the person next to you, or talk to me.

Let's do a quick check before we move on.

Who do Shia Muslims believe Allah chose to be the successor to the Prophet Muhammad? Who was it? What was their name? Pause the video and have a think, and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done, it was Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad.

Well, I asked you to think about why might Shia Muslims believe that Ali was chosen to be the successor by God, and there are many different reasons why.

So Shia teachings are that Ali was the right successor to the Prophet Muhammad because he was considered to be the bravest of all the Muslims. He was the Prophet's cousin and son-in-law, and so lived in the household with the Prophet Muhammad and knew him well.

He'd been an early revert to Islam, and supported the community a great deal.

He'd been there from very early days of Islam, and supported the community in lots of different ways.

He'd been chosen by Allah, and it was announced by the Prophet Muhammad.

So Shia Muslims believe that he was chosen to be the successor, and the Prophet Muhammad did announce this, which we'll come to in a moment.

And he risked his life to support the Prophet Muhammad.

So as well as being very compassionate and understanding, and helping Muslims around him, he also risked his life and showed great bravery for the sake of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad.

So we said a couple of times already in this lesson that Shia Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad announced Ali was going to be his successor before he died.

And Shia Muslims believe Ali was chosen by God, and the Prophet Muhammad announces this to the community before he passes on.

One of these instances relates to a place called Ghadir Khumm, which we could see on the map here.

So this is a modern day map of Saudi Arabia, and you can see that between Mecca and Medina, which are both very important cities within the sort of history of Islam, you've got Ghadir Khumm.

And the Prophet Muhammad was travelling with Ali and other Muslims between Mecca and Medina.

So they're travelling between those two places.

So they stopped at an oasis called Ghadir Khumm, which you can see is between Mecca and Medina.

And it was quite a commonplace for people to stop and have a rest when they were doing this journey.

Muhammad chose this moment to bring Ali to the front of the group, to raise his arm, and make a statement.

So this is with Ali and other Muslim companions as they're travelling, and he raises his arm, and he says the following, "For whoever I am his Mawla, then Ali is his Mawla." And this is in the Hadith.

Shia Muslims believe that term, Mawla, means someone with authority, and who can be a guardian and a leader.

So how could this Hadith support a belief that Ali was the successor to the Prophet Muhammad? For Shia Muslims, this Hadith is often used to say the Prophet Muhammad was announcing God's choice of Ali to be the successor.

How could this support it? Pause the video and have a think.

Read it through again, and see if you can figure out how that could be used to support that belief.

Here we have this word, Mawla, which Shia Muslims believe means someone with authority and who can be a guardian or a leader.

And the Prophet Muhammad is saying, whoever Prophet Muhammad is a leader authority figure for, then Ali is going to be that authority figure and guardian for too.

So this is him announcing that Ali is going to be his successor.

And then also, close to when the Prophet Muhammad was going to die, he said this to the Muslim community.

"O people, I'm leaving among you two weighty things.

The first of which is the Book of Allah," the Quran, "And the members of my household." How could this Hadith support the belief that people from the Prophet's bloodline would have special authority after he died? So we've got here two weighty things, so two kind of heavy, substantial, important things, the first of which, the Book of Allah, the Quran, and the members of my household.

So how could this support the people from the Prophet's bloodline would have some kind of special authority? Pause the video and have a think, and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well, here we've got that the Prophet Muhammad is leaving for everybody, not only the Quran, but also the members of his household.

So if you remember the Prophet's household involves Fatima, his daughter, her husband, Ali, who's also the prophet Muhammad's cousin, and then Hassan and Hussain, who are his grandsons.

And so this is the household of the Prophet Muhammad, which includes Ali, and then further on, Hussain and Hassan.

And those two things are being left behind, so the Quran and the family of the Prophet are there being left behind as a kind of guidance and instruction, according to Shia Muslims. Let's do another check.

In which Muslim source of authority was it said, "Whoever I am your Mawla, Ali is your Mawla?" Pause the video and have a think, and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done.

It was in the Hadith.

Let's do a task to see what we've learned.

Andeep and Izzy are discussing why Shia Muslims believe Ali was chosen as the successor to the Prophet Muhammad.

Develop each point they make with an explanation or a piece of evidence.

Andeep says, "Shia Muslims believe Ali was appointed to be the successor to the Prophet Muhammad because of what was said at Ghadir Khumm." And Izzy says, "Shia Muslims believe Ali was appointed to be the successor to the Prophet Muhammad because he knew his Islam very well, and was close to the Prophet Muhammad." So what piece of evidence or explanation could you give to each of those points? Pause the video and have a go, and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done.

Some really good thinking there.

I asked you to develop each point that Andeep and Izzy have made, with either a piece of evidence, or an explanation, and your response might look like this.

Shia Muslims believe Ali was appointed to be the successor to the Prophet Muhammad because of what was said at Ghadir Khumm when he said, "Whomever I am his mawla, Ali is your mawla.

And Izzy says Shia Muslims believe Ali was appointed to be the successor to the Prophet Muhammad because he knew Islam very well, and was close to the Prophet Muhammad.

Ali was his son-in-law, and he'd been a very early revert to Islam." Well done.

So, onto our second section then, the imamates in Shia Islam.

So the term "imamate" is from Arabic, and it has this root, imam.

It comes from the word imam, meaning leader, guide, and authority in Islam.

And the term imam is also used in the Sunni branch of Islam to refer to the leader of congregational prayers and local Muslim communities.

So you might know of the word imam in a different context, might be used for someone who leads prayers in a local mosque, for example.

So it comes from this word meaning someone with authority as a guide and a leader.

And the imams in Shia Islam are believed to be infallible, which means they're protected from error and sin.

And one source of authority that supports this belief is in the Quran, and it says this, "God desires to remove all impurity from you, O People of the Household, and to purify you thoroughly." How could this passage support the belief that the imams are infallible? Pause a video and have a think, and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

So we've got here are People of the Household, which is going to be referring to Fatima, and Ali, and Hassan, and Hussain, as they were living in the Prophet's household, and that they will be purified thoroughly.

And to purify means to have no sin or error, to be infallible.

So the imams are all from that Prophet's bloodline, from the Prophet's household, but then also pure from sin, so they are not going to be sinning or making mistakes, which is going to be important for why people might follow their guidance and their teachings.

So let's do another check.

In which source of authority does it say that the people of the Prophet's household would be purified from sin? Pause the video and have a think, and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done.

That was in the Quran.

So different branches of Shia Islam believe there've been different numbers of imams, for example, sevener and twelver Shia Muslims, but all of those imams were born from the Prophet's bloodline.

And two important imams that all Shia Muslims agree on that relate to Shia Muslim beliefs and practises are Ali, the son-in-law and cousin of the Prophet Muhammad who we've been speaking about so far, and then Hussain, who's the youngest son of Ali and Fatima, and who is the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.

And some of the practises that relate to beliefs about these two imams can be seen here.

So Ali's appointment is celebrated with the annual festival of Eid-al-Ghadeer.

If you remember the Hadith of Ghadir Khumm, where the Prophet Muhammad stopped between Mecca and Medina to make the announcement of God's choice for Ali to be his successor.

So this moment is seen as very important in understandings about the imamate, and who Ali was, and the role that he has.

And this is celebrated with Eid-al-Ghadeer each year by Shia Muslims. And then we have got, each year the martyrdom of Hussain is remembered with the annual commemoration of Ashura.

So Ashura is a reminder each year for Shia Muslims about the tragic death of Hussain, who's the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, when he stood up against an unjust ruler and he was killed for this, so he's seen as a martyr.

And that's remembered with the annual commemoration of this every year with Ashura.

So Zainab, Rasool, and Fatima are all Shia Muslims, and they're going to explain to us what a belief in the imamate means to them.

And Zainab says, "They're a sign of Allah's justice that the community were not left without guidance and support." So once the Prophet Muhammad has died, the Muslim community aren't just left there not knowing how to live out this religion.

Rasool says, "They were given authority from Allah to help us understand Islam more and follow it." So yes, the Quran is the direct words of Allah, and Muslims look to the example of the Prophet Muhammad to know how to live this out, but also that imams were given authority to help Muslims to understand those two sources even more.

And Fatima says, "They're worthy of my respect, along with the prophets of Allah, as they lead me to Allah in my life." So yes, the prophets of Islam are very important and worthy of respect, but so are the imams as those chosen guides of Islam after the Prophet Muhammad.

Is this true or false, all Shia Muslims believe there have been 12 imams. Is that true or false? Pause the video and have a go, and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

That is false, because Twelver Shia Muslims believe there've been 12 imams, but other branches of Shia Islam believe there have been other numbers of them, for example, Sevener.

Let's do a practise task to see what we've learned.

You're going to explain two Shia Muslim beliefs about the imamate.

Refer to sacred writings or another source of Muslim religious belief or teaching in your answer.

For both parts, you're going to say what the belief is, and then develop it.

But then for one of them, you're also going to name a source of authority, say what it teaches, and apply it to the imamate.

So pause the video and have a go, and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done.

Some really good thinking there.

So I asked you to explain two Shia Muslim beliefs about the imamate.

And you might have said, "One Shia Muslim belief about the imamate is that they're infallible, and without sin or error." The source of authority could be that the Quran says "God desires to remove all impurity from you, O People of the Household, and to purify you thoroughly." And then apply this to the imamate.

This means that imams who were all born from the Prophet's bloodline were free from impurity or sin, and therefore infallible.

And the second point you could have given is that Shia Muslim belief about the imamate is the first imam was Ali, he was the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, and Shia Muslims believe he was appointed to be his successor.

Well done.

So onto our third section then, the importance of the imamate in Shia Islam.

So there are many ways that a belief in the imamate is important for Shia Muslims. So the guidance that the different imams have given as part of the imamate can guide Shia Muslims in how to understand the Quran and the example of the Prophet Muhammad.

Also it can guide Shia Muslims in how to apply these teachings into new situations.

And it can influence beliefs, thoughts, and actions of Shia Muslims. So what beliefs, thoughts, and actions could a belief in the imamate influence for a Shia Muslim? Pause the video and have a think.

Well, Zainab, Hassan, and Rasool are gonna tell us three actions that they do that are influenced by their belief in the imamate.

So these could all show the influence and importance of a belief in the imamate for a Shia Muslim.

So firstly, we've got a celebration, Eid al-Ghadeer.

And we spoke about this being where Ghadir Khumm, which is where that phrase was said by the Prophet Muhammad, "Whoever I am your malwa, Ali is your malwa." And Zainab explains, "Along with other Eids in Islam, my family celebrates Eid al-Ghadeer each year.

In this festival we celebrate when the Prophet Muhammad announced Ali to be his successor, the first imam." How is Zainab influenced by a belief in the imamate then? Pause the video and have a think.

Well, we can see that Zainab is influenced to celebrate Eid al-Ghadeer with her family.

Then we can have an example of a pilgrimage to Karbala.

And here's Hassan explaining.

"Along with the once in a lifetime pilgrimage to Hajj, I have also taken part in pilgrimage to the site where Imam Hussain was martyred and is buried.

This is a special journey for me, because he inspires me, as a Muslim, to stand against injustice no matter how hard it feels." So if you remember that Imam Hussain is the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, who is martyred when he stands up against an unjust ruler, and this inspires Hassan to not only stand up against injustice no matter how hard it feels, but also to go and take a pilgrimage to the site where he's buried.

So how does a belief in the imamate influence Hassan then? Pause the video and have a think.

That's right.

Hassan is influenced by his belief in the imamate to not only stand up against injustice, because that's what Imam Hussain did, but also to physically take a pilgrimage to the site where he's buried in Karbala.

And finally, Rasool takes part in a commemoration because of his belief in the imamate, and that commemoration is called Ashura.

And Rasool says, "Each year, I remember the martyrdom of Imam Hussain through attending special services where we retell the story of what happened to him.

He was the Prophet's grandson, and the correct leader, and yet he was martyred when he stood against an unjust leader.

I hope I would've fought by his side as the correct imam, and the leader of Islam, and I mourn his death." So how is Rasool influenced by a belief in the imamate then? Pause the video and have a think.

So here we can see that Russell is influenced by his belief in imamate to take part in services that remember what happened to Imam Hussain, and this is known as Ashura.

So let's do a quick check, which Imam's martyrdom is commemorated each year with Ashura in Shia Islam? Rasool was just telling us about it.

Which Imam is that? Pause the video and have a think, and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done.

It was Imam Hussain, the Prophet Muhammad's grandson.

So is the belief in the imamate the most important belief for a Shia Muslim? Well, there can be different answers to this in Shia Islam, and Rasool and Fatima are gonna explain why.

Rasool says, "A belief in the imamate is the most important belief, because it's distinct from other branches of Islam.

This shows how significant it is for me as a Shia Muslim." And Fatima says, "Other beliefs in Islam are more important to me, but a belief in the imamate helps me understand them.

I know the oneness of Allah through the prophets and the imams." So which of these do you think has the most convincing argument? Is it Rasool, saying that a belief in the imamate is the most important, or is it Fatima, saying that other beliefs are more important than that? Pause the video and have a think, and you can talk to the person next to you, or talk to me.

So time for a quick check then.

Is this true or false? Shia Muslims all believe that a belief in the imamate is the most important belief in Shia Islam? Is that true or false? Pause the video and have a think, and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well, that's false, isn't it? But why? Because there's a diversity of views in Shia Islam on this.

Some may believe it is, because they guide Muslims in their religion, and others may believe Tahwid, the oneness of Allah, is more important.

Well done.

So let's do another practise task to see what we've learned.

For each point that Andeep and Izzy make about the importance of a belief in imamate, give an explanation.

Andeep says, "A belief in imamate is the most important belief for a Shia Muslim because.

." And Izzy says, "A belief in the imamate is not the most important belief for a Shia Muslim because.

." So you're going to give an explanation for each of these points.

Pause the video and have a go, and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done, some good thinking there.

So I asked you for each point that's given by Andeep and Izzy to give an explanation, and your response might look like this.

Andeep says, "A belief in the imamate is the most important belief for Shia Muslim because it's distinct to Shia Islam, and has shaped different Shia beliefs and practises because it's so important." And Izzy says, "A belief in the imamate is not the most important belief for a Shia Muslim, because a belief in the oneness of Allah is more important.

Allah sent revelations to prophets, and appointed the Imams, showing a belief in Allah is more important." Well done.

So let's summarise what we've learned today then.

The imamate relates to imams in Shia Islam who are infallible guide to the Muslim community.

The imams have all been from the bloodline of the Prophet Muhammad, and are a sign of the justice of Allah to ensure that Muslims continue to have guidance after the Prophet Muhammad's death.

Shia Muslims believe that Ali have been chosen by Allah to be the successor to the Prophet Muhammad before his death.

Imam Hussain was the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, and martyred when he opposed an unjust ruler.

And a belief in the imamate is important within Shia Islam, and can influence a Shia Muslim in many ways.

So, well done for your hard work today, and I'll see you again soon.

Bye-bye.