The 12 Shīʿah Imāms: Infallible or Imaginary?

In Twelver Shīʿah Islam, the line of 12 Imāms occupies the highest religious authority after God and the Prophet. While the Imāms are venerated in Shīʿah communities and amongst Shīʿah scholars, the extent of the Imāms’ abilities and their exact level of purity have been debated extensively by scholars. Contemporary Shīʿah scholars do not agree on the nature of Imāmate and hold different viewpoints on the status of the Imāms in terms of their infallibility. It is critical to harken back to the original Shīʿah community and analyze their beliefs concerning the Imāms’ infallibility. This will create a lasting dialogue between the Shīʿah and Sunnī branches, and this dialogue will serve as a means of understanding theological differences and rapprochement efforts between the two branches. Ultimately, this thesis argues that the infallibility of the 12 Shīʿah Imāms is grounded in early Shīʿah literature, has shaped Shīʿah theology, and has become a significant part of Shīʿah identity today.

Author

• Mohsen, Melanie Ghassan

Language

• en

Keyword

• Imamate
• Infallibility
• Sinless
• Ismah
• Imam
• Shi'ah

Date created

• 2022

Type of Work

• Master's Thesis

License

• All rights reserved

Rights statement

• In Copyright

GW Unit

• Islamic Studies

Degree

• M.A.

Advisor

• Faghfoory, Mohammad H

Persistent URL

•  https://scholarspace.library.gwu.edu/etd/rj430541z