Season Two Research Files
Episode Twelve
7:00pm-8:00pm
IMAM
There are different descriptions of an imam among sects of the Islamic faith. For the Sunni Muslims, the imam is a recognized leader or a religious teacher who leads the congregation in prayers. An imam needs no ordination or special spiritual powers beyond sufficient education to carry out this function. He only needs to be a pious Muslim.
Among the Shia sect, the Imam (capitalized in this designation) is a particular descendant of Ali and Fatima who is believed to have been God's designated repository of the spiritual authority inherent in that line. The Imams, according to Shi'ites, were a light created before the creation that was the instrument of creation. The Imam has secret knowledge of God and creation; the most important of these secrets is "The Greatest Name of God." The Imams are appointed by God, are free from all sin or fault, and are the most perfect of humans. Above all, the Imam is the one who teaches human beings the mystical truths of the universe; it is throughout the Imam that the esoteric, mystical aspects of God are transmitted to human beings.
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