Every People Will Be Summoned with Their Own Imam
Surah Isra’ – Verse 71

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ – يَوْمَ نَدْعُواْ كُلَّ اُنَاسٍ بإِمَامِهِمْ
71. “On the Day We shall call every people with their Imam (leader)

This holy verse makes allusions to one of the other Divine blessings given to man, and then it refers to the heavy responsibilities which run parallel to these blessings and are upon him. At first, the Holy Qur’an points to the ‘issue of leadership’ and its role in the course of human destiny, implying that on the Hereafter Day He shall call each people along with their ‘Imams’ ‘Leaders’.

The verse says: “On the Day We shall call every people with their Imam (leader)…”

That is, those people who, in any age, accepted the call of their contemporary prophets and their emissaries, will be with their leaders, while those who bowed to the leadership of the Satan or the Imams of aberration or tyrannical rulers and pioneers, will be accompanied by them. This exposition, while reflecting one of the means of the development of man, serves as a dire warning to all the human beings that they should show maximum vigilance in the course of the selection of leaders, not allowing just anyone to take their lead.

The Role of Leadership in Islam

It is narrated in a famous quotation from Imam Baqir (as), that whenever he (as) discussed upon the ‘principal pillars’ of Islam, he (as) used to place the ‘leadership issue’ (Wilayah) as the fifth, and the most important of the pillars, while, placing the ‘daily prayers’, which is meant to establish one’s personal relationship with the Creator, and ‘fasting’, which is the secret of campaign against passions, and paying of the poor-dues (Zakat), which is a relationship of people with people, and, finally, ‘Hajj’, which relates to the social aspects of Islam, consist of the other four pillars.

The ‘Imam’ (as), then, goes on to say: “Nothing is as important as the issue of leadership (Wilayah)”,
for the execution of other four principles depend, entirely, on the issue of leadership and can be realized solely in the light of this principle. It is also for this reason that we have in another famous quotation from the Prophet (S) in a famous tradition he said: “He who passes away without having an ‘Imam’, a ‘leader’, his death belongs to the category of ‘paganism’.”

There are numerous examples throughout history when a nation has gained the first row in the world in rank and position under the guidance of a great and an eligible leader, while, the same nation has suffered a devastating blow, and its eventual down fall has been brought about as a result of a weak and incapable leadership that may be beyond recognition.

In interpretation of this verse in Islamic sources, there are numerous quotations introduced, all of which enlighten thoroughly the meaning of the verse, indicating that the purpose of this verse is ‘Imamate’, ‘leadership’, as follows:

Imam Sadiq (as) Said, “Do you not express your praise and gratitude to Allah? When the resurrection day comes, the Lord will call every nation along with the one whose leadership it has accepted. We will be called along with the Prophet (S) and you will be along with us. Where do you think you will be taken to then? By the Lord of Ka‘bah to Paradise.”

And, again, the same Imam remarked: “He who rejects or refuses to accept one of the living ‘Imams’, he has certainly rejected the ‘Imams’ (and ‘leaders’) of the past.”