Among our Imams, there are three great figures who attained the position of Imamate at a young age: the first is Imam Jawad (peace be upon him), who became Imam at the age of 8 or 9, after the martyrdom of his noble father. The second is Imam Hadi (peace be upon him), the tenth Imam, who assumed the responsibility of Imamate at the age of 6 or 8. The third is Imam al-Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance), who assumed the position of Imamate at the age of 5.
For us, followers of the Quranic teachings, this is not at all surprising or out of the ordinary. We read in the Quran about Prophet Isa (Jesus), son of Mary, who was a newborn infant when he was granted prophethood:
“He said, ‘Indeed, I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet.'” (Surah Maryam, 19:30)
If Allah granted the status of prophethood to a newborn child, what is so strange about granting the position of Imamate to a 5, 8, or 9-year-old child?
In addition to this Quranic perspective, when we reflect further on the lives of these great Imams, we find many confirmations proving their position as Imams, which demonstrate their divine appointment and connection to the source of divine knowledge and wisdom. For example, when Mamun was criticized by the Abbasids concerning Imam Muhammad al-Jawad (peace be upon him), it was decided to test the Imam in a gathering. A distinguished jurist from among the Sunni scholars was appointed to evaluate the Imam’s mastery over Islamic jurisprudence. For this purpose, Yahya ibn Aktham, who was the chief judge at the time, was chosen.
When the gathering was set up and the prominent figures were present, Mamun invited Imam al-Jawad to attend. At that moment, Yahya began asking questions, starting with a legal issue regarding Hajj, seeking the Imam’s opinion. In his response, the Imam first outlined the different scenarios in which the issue might occur and then asked Yahya to specify which particular scenario was being referred to. Yahya, who had never expected such a question from the Imam, was astonished by the Imam’s deep understanding of legal subtleties and found himself unable to determine the exact conditions under which the ruling would apply, as he had never before considered such details.
At this point, the dignitaries present in the gathering were amazed by the vast knowledge of Imam al-Jawad (peace be upon him), and not only did they recognize his scholarly position, but they also praised the Imam’s extraordinary expertise. When the matter reached this point, Mamun asked the Imam to provide the ruling for each of the different possible conditions, and Imam al-Jawad (peace be upon him) explained the rulings in detail.
(The full account of this gathering can be found in Al-Ihtijaj by al-Tabarsi and other books).