What is the opinion of Shi’ah scholars regarding the establishment of Khalafah?

Is it appropriate for actors to represent Imam Husayn (A.S) and ladies such as Sayyida Zainab (A.S) on film or stage?

What degree of punishment – ta’azeer or hadd – should be imposed on one, who claims to be a practising Muslim, yet does not believe that Imam Ali (A.S) is superior to any prophet other than Muhammad (PBUH)?

Is belief in Imam Ali (A.S) being error-free – m’asum – an essential part of Shi’ah belief?

I relied on the effectiveness of the prayer of supplication – du’a – which pleads for the help and support of Ali (A.S), champion of Islam, supported by Allah, who gained extraordinary victories over the enemies of Islam – Du’a ‘Nad-e-Ali (A.S). I then read at a Shi’ah website that, according to Ayatollah Khoei, the late respected jurist, this du’a does not have a strong source. This discovery has rather taken the wind out of my sails.

When was the ayah ‘I have today perfected your religion’ – ‘al-Yawm Akmaltu lakum Dinakum’ – revealed?

Although enemies of Ali (A.S) the leader of the faithful – Amir-ul-Muminin – are considered to be illegitimate, Salman al-Farsi was a Shi’ah – despite his parents being fire worshippers. In our present world, Sunnis such as those in Pakistan, are the enemies of the progeny of the Prophet (PBUH) – Ahl-al-Bayt w and their followers. While Sunnis perform marriage in an Islamic way, fire worshippers are considered to be unclean – najis. How can it then be that a person born in a najis, unbelieving – kafir household is regarded Shi’ah, while a child born in a pure – pak – household is regarded as a bastard?

Before the 12th Imam (may Allah hasten his reappearance) went into the major occultation, why didn’t he explain in great detail the scope of the authority that jurists would have in his absence.

On p. 160 in Muhammad al-Tijani’s book, Then I was Guided, he appears to infer that the following Qur’anic quotation refers to Imam Ali (A.S). Maulana Maududi’s commentary however explains that this refers to Saul – Talut. This is obvious, as the incident took place hundreds of years before Imam Ali (A.S) was born.And their Prophet said to them, ‘Most surely Allah has raised Talut to be king’. They responded, ‘How can he hold kingship over us when we have a greater right to thatthan he has, and he has not been blessed with abundant wealth?’ Then their Prophet said, ‘Allah has indeed granted him both stature as well as abundant knowledge. And He has chosen him over you for Allah grants His Kingdom to whomever He pleases, He is The Omniscient, The All Knowing.’ Qur’an 2:247 Please advise me which of these two opinions is valid.

A fellow Sunni brother told me that Abu Bakr was in the same cave as the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Is there not Qur’anic reference to this incident and a certain companion being advised not to be afraid? Would you please provide me with the entire ayah and reference.

Why do Shi’ah believe that the majority of the Prophet’s companions went astray after he passed away. I sometimes wonder how the mission of the Prophet (PBUH) can be considered a success, if he only managed to convince his family and handful of companions to follow the right way and left the majority of his community to become disbelievers. I find that very disturbing.

I would be most grateful if you would help me locate references on the shi’ah view of leadership and dissimulation.

Besides the book Al-Kafi by al-Kulayni, are there other sources of ahadith in which Imam Jaffar as-Sadiq (A.S) discusses Divine designation – Nass – and knowledge – ilm – inherited by one Imam from another.

I am confused. If error-free Imams – M’asumin – know what will occur in the future, why was Imam Reza (A.S) prepared to knowingly drink poison? Would this not be suicide?

In discussion, a Muslim brother conceded that, even though he accepted prophetswere free of sin, he could not agree that they were incapable of making mistakes/errors.Is there any evidence in the Qur’an that prophets are totally and absolutely free of sin and unable to make mistakes? Also, is the condition of being free of sin and error applicable only to specific prophets? We know that Adam (A.S) was advised not to eat from the forbidden tree rather than being commanded not to eat from it. So, even though he did not disobey Allah and thus did not commit a sin, he erred in not accepting the Creator’s advice.

As we believe our Twelve Imams to be error-free – M’asumin – why do they themselves often ask God for forgiveness? Most of our prayers of supplication – du’a – are from the Imams and these clearly indicate that the Imams asked Allah to forgive them for their mistakes. Indeed, their asking Allah for forgiveness – tawbah – provides evidence that they committed bad things. Could it be that they are only free from error – ismah – when answering questions or while undertaking particular things. How do we explain the above? Did the Imams ever claim to be error free or is this something that we assumed?

A friend who admitted that he saw a lot of sense in Imamiyyah beliefs, said he has difficulty believing in error-free Imams, because everyone in this world is a sinner. How should I answer such a person?

What should our attitude be towards the first three Khalifahs?

According to my understanding, Shi’ah is an Arabic word for group. No such group apparently existed prior to the institution of the caliphate – khalafah – and it was only instituted to oppose Abu Bakr Siddique the first Khalif.Did Shi’ah exist prior to the caliphate? If so, why has their practice of Islam changed to the extent that they now appear to follow a different religion?