Hawzah News Agency- One of the key characteristics of the Imam and the basic conditions of the Imamate is "Infallibility".

Infallibility is a quality that arises from knowledge of the truths and a strong will, and since the Imam possesses these two, he refrains from committing any sin or error.

The Imam is infallible from any error or slip, both in recognizing and explaining religious teachings, in practicing them, and in identifying the interests and challenges of the Islamic society.

There are rational and narrative reasons (based on the Quran and narrations) for the infallibility of the Imam. The most important rational reasons include:

A. The preservation of religion and the path and customs of religion are tied to the infallibility of the Imam, because the Imam is responsible for preserving religion from distortion and guiding the people's religion, and not only his words but also his behavior and his approval or disapproval of the actions of others affect the behavior of the community. Therefore, he must be protected from any slippage in understanding religion and practicing it in order to guide his followers correctly.

B. One of the reasons why the community needs an Imam is that people are not immune to error in understanding religion and practicing it. Now, if the leader of the people is such individual, how can he be fully trusted by them?! In other words, if the Imam is not infallible, the people will hesitate to follow him and carry out all his orders.

In addition, if the Imam is not free from error, another Imam must be sought to meet the needs of the people, and if he is also not free from error, another Imam is needed, and this series will continue indefinitely, and such a thing is invalid from the point of view of reason.

Verses from the Holy Quran also indicate the necessity of the infallibility of the Imam, one of which is verse 124 of Surah Al-Baqarah. In this noble verse, it is stated that after the position of prophethood, Allah Almighty also granted the high position of Imamate to Prophet Abraham (PBUH). Then Prophet Abraham asked Allah Almighty to place the position of Imamate in his descendants as well.

Allah Almighty said: “My covenant (Imamate) will not reach the wrongdoers.” That is, the position of Imamate is reserved for those descendants of Abraham (PBUH) who are not wrongdoers.

Now, regarding that the Holy Quran considers associating partners with Allah a great injustice and also considers any transgression of the divine commands as injustice to the soul, anyone who has committed a sin at some point in his life is an example of a wrongdoer and will not be worthy of the position of Imamate.

In other words, there is no doubt that Prophet Abraham (PBUH) did not ask for the "Imamate" for those among his descendants who were sinners throughout their lives or who were initially righteous and then became evil. Therefore, two groups remain:

1. Those who were sinners in the beginning and then repented and became righteous.

2. Those who have never committed any sin.

God has excluded the first group in His Word. As a result, the position of "Imam" is reserved only for the second group.

Taken from the book "The Jewel of Creation", with slight changes