Journal of Imamiyyah Studies

Journal of Imamiyyah Studies

A Jurisprudential Identification of How the Imams’ Companions Interacted with Unjust Rulers

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Assistant Professor, Department of Law and Comparative Jurisprudence, Faculty of Islamic Denominations, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran
Abstract
One significant dimension of Imamiyya and political jurisprudence is how they faced unjust governments and rulers. This research employs a descriptive-analytic method to explore the theory and practice of religious leaders and their approaches to unjust rulers, addressing the fundamental questions: Why did certain companions of the Imams work within the caliphate system and interact with the caliphs? What was the practice of the Infallible Imams towards unjust rulers? What is the perspective of various Islamic denominations regarding unjust rulers? What role do temporal demands play in interactions with unjust rulers? I examined the lifestyle of the Imams and their approaches to governments, considering these questions in both normal and emergency situations, taking into account factors such as time and place. In urgent conditions, while the ruler has no legitimacy, people interact and collaborate with unjust rulers due to major expediencies to prevent potential dangers to the Muslim community. In normal circumstances, there are two views: compliance and non-compliance with unjust rulers. The former perspective is accepted by the majority of Sunni scholars, while it is rejected by some Sunni and all Shiite jurists. However, in certain circumstances, due to specific requirements, the Imams interacted with such rulers while affirming their illegitimacy. Thus, some of their companions cooperated with the unjust rulers of the time with the permission of the Imams to help the oppressed Shias and address their problems.
Keywords
Subjects

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