Essay
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Structure of the First Sunn?-Jam?‘? Imamate (632-661 CE)
In Arabic, the word
sunn?
is an adjective related to the noun
sunnah
, which means custom or example. The word
jam?‘?
, also a descriptive term, is related to the noun
jam?‘ah
, which can be translated as group or community. When we observe contemporary scholars, journalists, or politicians refer to Sunn? Muslims, more accurately they are talking about
ahl as-sunnah wa al-jam?‘ah
, “the people of custom and community.” The
Sunn?-Jam?‘?
Imamate thus refers to the political and religious institution established after the death of Muhammad that contemporary Sunn?Muslims recognize as authoritative and legitimate. Historically, Sunn? Muslims have emphasized the moral and ethical example set by Muhammad and his closest companions and the importance of group unity to protect the
ummah
from the chaos of internal discord.
The
Sunn? Jam?‘?
Imamate necessarily departs from the utopian Medinan community due to the absence of the Prophet. At the center is Muhammad’s deputy and successor (
khal?fah
/caliph), who is also the commander of the faithful (
am?r al-mu’min?n
), and the leader of the
ummah
(
im?m
). Unlike Muhammad, the caliph-im?m is not the recipient of divine revelation, and he is not infallible in his personal moral conduct. However, his authority is unique: along with his responsibilities as administrative head of state and chief commander of the military, he is also the foremost arbiter in the discernment of
shar?‘ah
and responsible for the implementation of Islamic law. In this system, the relationship between God and the
ummah
is defined by
m?th?q
(“covenant,” Q 7:172 mentioned above), which is the foundation of
d?n
, the religious tradition (Islam) inaugurated by the covenant. The members of the community have sworn an oath of allegiance (
bay‘ah
) to the caliph-im?m which ratifies his authority. A check on the power of the caliph-im?m resides in the hands of certain members of the community known as
ahl al-hall wa al-‘aqd
(literally “the people qualified to unbind and bind”). In theory, the
ahl al-hall wa al-‘aqd
are representatives within the
ummah
who act on behalf of all Muslims in appointing and deposing a caliph-im?m. In practice, throughout the history of Islamic civilization, “they have consisted of the persons who wielded political power in the capital, acting in association with urban notables and prominent religious scholars.” Image #2 in the image resource bank illustrates the fundamental organization of the
Sunn? Jam?‘?
Imamate and how its key elements relate to one another.
Framing the Issues