Question:
Assalam u alayekum Syyedi Sheikh Hisham!
There is a hadith in Tabrani, narrated from Amir Muawiya RaziAllah Anhu that whoever died without (the ma’rifat of) any Imam, he died on kufr.
What is the meaning of this hadith?
If we take the word “Imam” as the person who implements Islamic Law, as well as he is a wali then we don’t find more than 6, 7 names in history who come up to this criterion, including Four right caliphs, Syedna Imam Hassan, Amir Muawiya, Umar Bin Abdul Aziz .
So, please explain the meaning of this hadith.
Answer:
`Alaykum as-Salam,
The Five Pillars of Islam are extremely clear. They are established in the Qur’an and sahih hadith. “Knowing an imam” is not among them. However, Allah Most High commanded to {Obey Allah and obey the Prophet and those in authority among you} in general terms and that is what is incumbent upon Muslims, whether those in political authority are righteous or not.
Hajj Gibril Haddad
