Abdulaziz ibn Muslim says: “We were with Imam Reza (peace be upon him) in Merv. Upon our arrival, we gathered in the city’s grand mosque. The people in the mosque were discussing the topic of Imamate and were speaking of the many differences and confusions regarding it. I went to the Imam (peace be upon him) and reported the discussions of the people on the matter of Imamate. He smiled and said: ‘O Abdulaziz, the people do not understand, and they have been deceived by their wrong opinions and are oblivious…
Do the people understand the status and position of Imamate among the Ummah, so that it may be right for it to be left to their choice and selection? Indeed, Imamate is a rank that is higher, more exalted, more noble, greater in status, and deeper in its significance than what people can comprehend with their intellect or understand through their opinions, or appoint a leader by their own choice. Imamate is a position that God Almighty, after the station of Prophethood and being the Friend of God, granted to Ibrahim (Abraham), and with that virtue, He honored him, elevated his name, and made it enduring. He said: ‘Indeed, I have made you a leader for the people’ … ‘إني جاعلك للناس إمامًا’ (I have made you an Imam for the people)… and [I made] from his descendants… ‘لا ینال عهدی الظالمین’ (My covenant does not reach the wrongdoers).’ (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:124). This verse declares that Imamate is invalid for the wrongdoers until the Day of Judgment and is reserved for the chosen ones. Then, God Almighty honored Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and granted Imamate to his chosen and pure descendants, saying: ‘And We gave to him Isaac, and, in addition, Jacob; and We made all of them righteous men. And We made them leaders (Imams) who guide by Our command.’ [1]
The Imam is a companion, a friend, a kind father, an equal brother, a compassionate mother to her child, a refuge for God’s servants in times of hardship. The Imam is God’s trustee among His servants, His proof upon them, His caliph in His cities, the one who calls to Him, and the one who defends His rights. The Imam is pure from sins and free from faults.
When God Almighty chooses a servant to reform the affairs of His servants, He opens his heart for that task (grants him wisdom) and places the fountains of knowledge in his heart. He inspires him with knowledge such that from then on, he is never in doubt and never deviates from the truth. Thus, the Imam is infallible, confirmed, and strengthened by divine success. He is safeguarded from error, missteps, and falls. God bestows these qualities upon him so that his argument and proof may be clear to His servants and a testimony upon the creation. This is God’s grace, which He gives to whomever He wills, for God is the Possessor of generosity and greatness.
Do the people have the power to choose such a person, or could their chosen one be like this to become their leader?…”
(Excerpted from “Usul al-Kafi,” Volume 1, Pages 203-98, by Sheikh Kulayni (may Allah have mercy on him), with some summarization)
Footnote:
[1] (Surah Al-Anbiya, verse 72-73)