Imami Shi’a 700 years no Imam and no Prophet?

“We sent a messenger to every community, saying, ‘Worship Allah and shun false gods.’ Among them were some Allah guided; misguidance took hold of others. So travel through the earth and see what was the fate of those who denied the truth.” (Qur’an 16:36)

“We have sent other messengers before you- some We have mentioned to you and some We have not- and no messenger could bring about a sign except with Allah’s permission.” (Qur’an 40:78)

“And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary, said: “O Children of Israel! I am the messenger of Allah (sent) to you, confirming the Law (which came) before me, and giving Glad Tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad.” But when he came to them with Clear Signs, they said, “this is evident sorcery!” (Qur’an 61:6)

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Narrated Abu Huraira:

I heard Allah’s Messenger (saw) saying, “I am the nearest of all the people to the son of Mary, and all the prophets are paternal brothers, and there has been no prophet between me and him (i.e. Jesus).”

Source: (https://sunnah.com/bukhari:3442)

Whoever dies without knowing the imam of his time dies the death of unbelief.

Whoever dies without knowing the Imam of his time dies the death of a jāhiliyyah

Many of us have heard something narrated to us along these lines.

Now we are going to link to two sites that interact with that material. One will be a Sunni website and the other will be a 12er Shi’i website.

Now, obviously the idea of humanity being without an Imam/Prophet/Guide for 700 years is a real conundrum for Imami Shi’i.

However, there maybe a way around this. We do our level best to help the Imami Shi’i get out of this conundrum. So, the following justifications occurred to us.

Imami Shi’i (Jafari, Ismaili) could put forward the following argument. Though this would not be supported by historians or Orientalists, as it is in the domain of faith and belief.

That argument could be based upon the following verse with a particular understanding:

“We have sent other messengers before you- some We have mentioned to you and some We have not- and no messenger could bring about a sign except with Allah’s permission.” (Qur’an 40:78)

That is, they would reject the hadith that states there is no prophet between Jesus (as) and the blessed Messenger, Muhammed (saw).

They could say that there is a prophet/imam sent between them, it’s just he is not known to us.

So then this begs the question. Seeing as how some Imami Shi’i interpret the hadith about dying without knowing the Imam of the time is tantamount to dying the death of kufr, what are we to do about this imam/prophet not being known for those 700 years?

The answer to this could be one of scope. Meaning that as long as some people know who he is, then it fulfills the requirement of him being known (at least to that small group).

Again, we do not have any historical evidence for this. At least someone who would fit the mold as per the Islamic model. Then again, it becomes a matter of belief.

Here is one particular Sunni understanding of the various hadiths about dying without knowing the Imam.

Yet, the issue of justice remains. If everyone did not have access to the Imam, and they died a death of kufr, how is this tallied against the Mercy and Justice of Allah (swt)?

Other schools of Muslim theology have a way of dealing with the question of the people of fatara (creation).

So where are the imams in this 700 year gap?

The Problem of the Missing List

This is the most empirically damning point. If the doctrine of continuous divine guidance through specific, identifiable individuals is true, then there should be a record. The Imami Shi’i tradition is meticulous in its documentation of the fourteen infallibles (the Prophet (saw), Fatima (ra), and the twelve Imams). They can provide birth dates, death dates, places of residence, titles, and specific sayings for each.

Yet, for the 600-year gap between Jesus(as)and Muhammed (saw), there is complete silence.

• No names are given. Who were these “Wasī” (executors of will)? What were their names? Where did they live? Who did they teach?
• No teachings are preserved. What did these guardians of the true religion teach? Do any of their sayings exist?
• No chain of succession is documented. How was the “executorship” passed from one person to the next?

The contrast is stark. The Shi’i tradition can name the eleven Imams after the Prophet (saw), and the twelve Imams from Ali to al-Mahdi. But for the six centuries before the Prophet (saw), there is a vacuum. This silence is itself an argument. It suggests that this chain is not a matter of transmitted knowledge but a theological construct invented to solve the “gap” problem.

If this were a real doctrine taught by the Imams, they would have provided names. They did not.

The Verdict of History

Independent history, as we have noted, verifies nothing of this sort. The historical record for that period—from the 1st to the 6th century CE—is not empty. We have:

• Roman and Byzantine histories documenting the rise of Christianity, the development of Church doctrine, and the various councils (Nicaea, Constantinople, Ephesus, Chalcedon).
• Jewish histories (like the Talmud and the writings of Josephus) documenting the development of Rabbinic Judaism.
• Arabian sources (inscriptions, poetry, and later genealogical works) documenting the polytheistic and Hanif traditions of the peninsula.

In none of these records do we find evidence of a continuous line of divinely appointed “Wasī” preserving a pristine monotheistic message. What we find instead is a world of religious diversity, controversy, and what Muslims would call corruption of earlier revelations.

If these guides existed and were known to “some people” (as per our earlier scope argument), then those “some people” left no trace. The claim becomes unfalsifiable and, therefore, theologically weak.

The Redundancy of Prophethood

This is the most profound theological point. If the true message was preserved through an unbroken chain of Wasī and disciples, then why send Muhammed (saw) at all?

The Qur’an itself answers this question repeatedly. It describes the mission of the Prophet in terms that assume a break in guidance:

“O People of the Scripture! There has come to you Our Messenger making clear to you much of what you used to conceal of the Scripture and overlooking much. There has come to you from Allah a light and a clear Book.” (Qur’an 5:15)

This verse implies concealment and loss. The Messenger comes to clarify what was hidden, not to repeat what was already known.

“That you not say on the Day of Resurrection, ‘Indeed, we were of this unaware.'” (Qur’an 7:172)

The very logic of sending prophets, as the Qur’an articulates it, is to remove excuses. If humanity always had access to a guide, the excuse would already be removed. The coming of Muhammed would be redundant.

Consider also:

“Mankind was one community; then Allah sent the prophets as bringers of good tidings and warners and sent down with them the Scripture in truth to judge between the people concerning that in which they differed.” (Qur’an 2:213)

The purpose of prophets is to resolve difference and restore unity. If the Wasī had been present, there would have been no fundamental difference to resolve. The very existence of religious diversity in the pre-Islamic world is evidence, from an Islamic perspective, that divine guidance had been lost or corrupted.

What Does It Mean To “Die Without Knowing the Imam of One’s Time?”

Wording and Authentication

The word ‘without knowing the Imam of his time’ is not mentioned in the hadith books.

As for the following hadith, which is, ‘Whoever dies without an Imam, dies a pre-ignorant-era death’ is mentioned in Muslim, Tabrani, Jam’u’l-Fawa’id, Musnad al-Tayalisi, Ilal al-Dar al-Qutni. Also, the following words are in the hadith book, ‘whoever dies and does not have the noose of allegiance on his neck has died a pre-ignorant-era death.’ [Muslim]

Nafi (may Allah have mercy on him) reports, (When they deposed Yazid and gathered on Abdullah Ibn Muti’) Ibn’ Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) came to Abdullah ibn Muti’. He said, Put up a pillow for Abu’ Abd al-Rahman (Abdullah ibn Umar). He replied, I did not come to sit down; I came to you to speak to you; I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: “Whoever takes off a hand of obedience to Allah, on the Day of Judgment he has no argument, and whoever dies and does not have the noose of allegiance on his neck, has passed a pre-ignorant death.” [Muslim]

Explanation

The meaning of both the hadith is that if there is a Caliph/Supreme Leader (Imam), one should not break allegiance, and it is not permissible to go against him unless one sees clear disbelief. The companions put ahead the matter of appointing a Caliph before the burial of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), as it is necessary to appoint a Caliph who can fulfill and take care of its interests and rights, organize its army and collect its obligatory alms. Supreme leadership (Imamah) may be legally affected through the selection of those with discretionary power to enact or dissolve a pact (Ahl al-hall wa-l’-aqd) like the appointment of Abu Bakr (Allah be pleased with him), or through the caliph appointing a successor, for Abu Bakr appointed ‘Umar as his successor.  [Nahlawi, Al-Durar al-Mubaha]

Now how to 12er Imami Shi’i understand these collection of hadith?

The Ḥadīth of “Whoever dies without an Imam…man māta…”

Then the Sixth Imam says that: “The Messenger of Allāh said,

“مَنْ مَاتَ وَ لَا يَعْرِفُ إِمَامَهُ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً

Whoever dies without knowing his Imam, he dies the death of jāhiliyyah.”

Jāhiliyyah is term used for pre-Islamic era and non-Islamic values. “Death of Jāhiliyyah” means that that person’s death is death of kufr, infidelity.

Then the Imam applies this ḥadīth to the Prophet Muḥammad (s) and the Imams of Ahlul Bayt (a). He said: “There was the Messenger of Allah (s) and after Rasul is ‘Ali (a). Some say Mu’āwiyah. Then Ḥasan (a), then Ḥusayn (a). And yet others says Yazid bin Mu‘āwiyah. Yazid and Husayn bin ‘Ali (a) are not same nor can you compare [Mu‘āwiyah with ‘Ali (a)]!”

The Imam was then silent for a moment until someone from the audience asked him to elaborate more. Then Imam said, “Then you have ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn (a) then Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, Abu Ja’far (a)…” (Then he describes the role of the Fifth Imam in educating the Shi’a about their faith and rituals).

Then the Imam says: “This is how the reality will be, and the earth does not remain without an Imam ever —

مَنْ مَاتَ وَ لَا يَعْرِفُ إِمَامَهُ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً

Prima-Qur’an comments:

So this is quite clear: No one should sugar coat anything. No need to be ecumenical. Imagine saying those that do not recognize the Imam of their time die the death of a kafir.

So this would mean the whole of Ahl Sunnah, the entire rest of humanity, the Ibadi, as well as other Shi’i sects that do not recognize the “real” and “true” Imam.

So, according to this line of thinking, Ismaili Shi’i and Zaydi Shi’i also died upon kufr. According to this line of thinking, 12er Shi’i and Zaydi Shi’i die upon kufr. According to this line of thinking, if Ahmad al-Mustalin is the rightful Imam, this would make the Nizari Ismailis Kafir. In contrast, if Nizar ibn Mustansir was the rightful Imam, this would make the Mustali -Tayyibi Ismailis Kafir.

So that is the information that is available and something for you all to think about.

Some additional thoughts.

We believe that the Sunni understanding of the hadiths (taken as a whole) is more sensible than the Shi’i view. However, we are very empathetic of the Imami Shi’i view with regard to humanity not being without a guide, Imam or Prophet.

Why?

Imagine an Atheist, Agnostic or Skeptic asks us as a Muslim: “Is the guidance of Allah good sometimes or all the time?” Quite naturally we as Muslims will say ‘The Guidance of Allah is good all the time!”

Which Muslim would pray, “Oh Allah guide me on Tuesday but not on Thursday?” Or “Oh Allah guide me in the month of June but not in the month of July?” It sounds ridiculous, right?

So, likewise, why would the creator not have a prophet/imam in those 700 years?

However, here is where the Shi’i /Imami view loses its traction with us at this point. This is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak.

They speak of ‘The Imam’ or ‘The Guide’, whereas it is more sensible for us to speak of Guides and Imams and Prophets (plural). How sensible is it to expect people living in South America to be able to not only understand the purpose of their Creation but to also now seek out this particular Imam or this particular prophet or this particular guide on a continent far, far away?

May Allah (swt) be our guide and may Allah (swt) suffice us.

If you are keen to read more articles about Shi’a perhaps you would be interested to read the following:

How did the Shi’a Imams prevent the corruption of the Torah and the Gospel?

How the Muslim Ummah approach the Shi’a in the wrong way.

May Allah Guide the Ummah.

May Allah Forgive the Ummah.