vedaxcool: After the death of Prophet Muhammad, Abu Bakr was elected by Shurah (mutual consultation) as Caliph of the Ummah. The Shia reject Abu Bakr’s election, and say that only Allah can decide the leadership of the Ummah.

The Shia further argue–and this they do emphatically–that it is not justice from God to leave us without any divine leadership, and that this divine leader is the Infallible Imam. To further emphacize this argument, the Shia ask the Ahlus Sunnah pointedly: “How is it possible that Allah would leave his Ummah without a leader?” And they categorically state that it would indeed not be possible for Allah to leave his Ummah leaderless after the death of the Prophet.

On the surface, these seem like valid arguments. Let us assume for the time being that the Sunnah accepted the fallacious assumption that we need an Infallible Imam to lead us, and that it would not be justice from God to leave us without divine leadership. If the Ahlus Sunnah accepts this, then would it not be fair to ask the next relevant question, which is: “Where is this divine leader now?” Where is the Infallible Imam today? To this, the Shia will respond: “Oh, he has been hidden for more than 1,000 years and will come out near the end of the world.” Nice!

This means that the theory of Justice of God in terms of guidance worked only for about three hundred years (before the occultation)! Indeed, if the Shia want to argue that there is no way that the Ummah could be left leaderless after the death of Prophet Muhammad, then why would Allah leave his Ummah leaderless after the death of the eleventh Imam and the sudden disappearance of the twelvth Imam?
[b]

Imam means “leader;” how can a person be led when the leader is not contactable and accessible? Nobody has had direct contact with the Imam Mahdi during his Greater Occcultation which has lasted over 1,000 years. So what is the point of all this debate?[/b]

The Shia believe in Imamah and accuse the Ahlus Sunnah of not having a leadership system; well, at the end of the day, we all ended up at the same point, didn’t we? The Shia had no leadership system up until the Iranian Revolution, and the Irani system of “Wilayat ul-Faqih” (the current leadership system in Iran) is nothing but a man-made system in certain scholars do Shurah (mutual consultation) in order to elect a leader for them. Well, this is exactly what happened at Saqifah when people elected Abu Bakr, so what is all the fuss about? If the Shia are willing to accept Ayatollah Khomeini as the leader of the Ummah, then why not Abu Bakr? Why do the Shia find it OK for Khomeini to be the elected representative of the Hidden Imam, but they do not find it OK for Abu Bakr to be the elected representative of the Prophet?

The main pillar of Shi’ism is that we need a divinely appointed Imam and the leadership of the Muslims is divinely appointed. Without this pillar and buttress, the entire faith of Shi’ism collapses on itself. We again ask the Shia why they can follow Khomeini but not Abu Bakr? The truth is that Ayatollah Khomeini was elected by man, and so dies the entire argument of the Shia regarding how it would not be justice for God to leave us without divine leadership. Khomeini is certainly not divinely appointed, and most Shia agree upon this. Some of the Muslims have elected Usamah Bin Laden to be their leader; does Khomeini (the leader of the Shia) have any divine advantages to Usamah?

The point is that if the Shia had a live Imam who was supposedly infallible and had access to extraordinary knowledge, then we did not need this dialogue. Instead of all these debates, we would have asked a Shia to take us to his Infallible Imam and there surely the Imam could prove us his right by his extraordinary knowledge, character, and attitude. This is not the case now. If someone becomes a Shia these days, nothing will be changed for him in terms of guidance. He will combine the prayers and attend ceremonies for Hussain and pay Khums to scholars…but nothing in terms of being directed by a divine Imam.

So what exactly is all the fuss about? The Shia says it is obligatory to know the Imam of one’s time, but from the so-called Imam of their time what do they know? Anything more than his name and the fact that he will not come out till near the end of the world? So is it all about knowing a name rather than actual guidance?

[size=18pt]We are fighting over a non-issue: The Infallible Imam doesn’t even exist.[/size]

The occultation of the Imam is 100% in variance with the very basis of the reason the Shia claim we need an Imam. The Shia belief is in fact not self consistent.

On the one hand, the very reason we need an Imam is to lead, but now the Imam has been in occultation, so what benefit does the Imam give now?

[size=18pt]The whole foundation of Shi’ism is that the Shia needed an Imam after the demise of the Prophet and that it did not make sense for Allah not to divinely appoint a successor to the Prophet. Then what about today? Why have the Shia been living without any Imam for over 1,000 years? Why has Allah left the Ummah without a divinely appointed leader for over a thousand years?[/size]

[size=18pt]To respond to this question, the Shia will say that the Hidden Imam still guides them while he is in occultation, but our question is: if the Hidden Imam (Mahdi) can guide the Shia without being alive with them physically, why couldn’t our Prophet Muhammad guide us without being alive with us physically? Thus, the Shia simply prove by their Aqeedah that their Twelvth Imam is higher and more superior than our Muhammad in everything.[/size]

So again, we ask the Shia point-blank: How does the Imam lead the Shia?

let us quote some traditions from Sunni sources to support the above assertions. Ahmad Ibn Hanbal and many others narrated:

The Messenger of Allah said: "The stars are amnesty for the inhabitants of the heavens, and if the stars go away (i.e., become non-existent), the inhabitants of the heavens will be destroyed. And my Ahlul-Bayt are amnesty for the inhabitants of the earth, and if my Ahlul-Bayt go away (i.e., all die), the inhabitants of the earth will be destroyed."
Sunni references:

Fadha'il al-Sahaba, by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v2, p671, Tradition #1145
Dhakha'ir al-Uqba, by Muhibbuddin al-Tabari, p14
Manaqib Ahmad, and many more such as al-Tabarani, etc.
al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 11, section 1, p234
Musnad, Abu Ya'ala, on the authority of Salama Ibn Awka' in which the wording is: "The stars are amnesty for the inhabitants of the heavens, and my Ahlul-Bayt are the amnesty for my Ummah."
Also:

The Messenger of Allah said: "The stars help prevent the inhabitants of the earth from being drowned, and my Ahlul-Bayt are the protectors of my community against disputes (in religious matters). Therefore, whichever groups among the Arabs opposes my Ahlul-Bayt, shall be split up by dissensions and will become (a party of) Satan."
Sunni reference:

al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v3, p149, who said this tradition is authentic (Sahih).
al-Tabarani, quoting Ibn Abbas
Also in al-Manaqib Ahmad, as quoted by Muhibbuddin al-Tabari.
al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 11, section 1, p234
Ibn Hajar mentioned the above two traditions as well as many other similar ones under the commentary of the following Quranic verse:

"It is not for Allah to punish them while you are among them."
(Quran 8:33)
Then Ibn Hajar comments that: "Ahlul-Bayt are amnesty for the inhabitant of the earth the same as the Messenger of Allah was amnesty for them." In the next page, after mentioning a tradition from Sahih Muslim which states that after the end of government of Justice in the last days, just before the day of resurrection Allah sends a wind which takes the souls of all the believers and only wrong-doers will remain when the earthquakes of hour of resurrection occurs. Then Ibn Hajar comments:

To my opinion, it probably refers to the Ahlul-Bayt, since Allah created this world for the sake of the Prophet, and has made its existence conditional to the existence of his Ahlul-Bayt for they have certain virtues in common with the Prophet as Fakhr al-Razi mentioned, and because the Messenger of Allah said on their virtue that: "O Allah! They are from me and I am from them" since they are a part of him as their mother, Fatimah, was a part of him. Thus they (Ahlul-Bayt) are also amnesty for the earth (similar to what the above verse establishes for the Prophet himself).
Sunni reference: al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch. 11, section 1, p234

In another tradition, it is narrated that:

The holy Prophet was asked: "What would be the condition of the people after the Ahlul-Bayt," and he replied: "Their condition will be like that of an ass whose spine is fractured."
Sunni reference: al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, p143

These traditions, therefore, leave no room for any doubt regarding to existence of Ahlul-Bayt in each era, and that the Imam of the time, Imam al-Mahdi (AS), is alive. Now look at the following tradition:

The Messenger of Allah said: "Regard the Ahlul-Bayt among you as the head to the body, or the eyes to the face, for the face is only guided by the eyes."
Sunni references:

Is'af al-Raghibeen, by al-Saban
al-Sharaf al-Mua'abbad, by Shaikh Yusuf al-Nabahani, p31, by more than one authority
Also the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) said:

"In every generation of my followers there are going to be just and righteous members of my Ahlul-Bayt to counteract the alterations and corruption's which the misguided people will try to make in my religion, to remove the false allegations of the untruthful and contradict the misinterpretations of the ignorant. Be aware! Your Imam shall be your representative before Allah, so be careful whom you adopt as your representative."
Sunni references:

al-Sirah, by al-Mala
al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch. 11, section 1, p231 under the commentary of verse: "And stop them, for they shall be questioned! [37:24]"
And now a saying from Commander of Believers, Imam Ali (AS):

"I and my pure holy descendants and my virtuous household are most sober in childhood and when we grow up we are the wisest: we are the means through which Allah shall exterminate falsehood and break the teeth of blood-thirsty wolves and restore you the freedom by removing the ropes that are tied around your necks. Allah wished to commence (all things) through us, and to complete (all things) through us."
Sunni references:

Kanz al-Ummal, by al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, v6, p36
Aydah al-Ishkal, by Abd al-Ghani
The clear and unequivocal terms in which the Holy Prophet has directed us about these matters in the above-mentioned traditions cannot be surpassed or equaled in any other language. The word Ahlul-Bayt can not cover all the family of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). This label applies only to those who occupy the position of Imams by Divine Decree, as established by reasons and upheld by the traditions. Learned scholars from the major section of the Muslims also admit this. For instance, Ibn Hajar writes in his al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah:

"The Ahlul-Bayt, whom the Holy Prophet has designated as protectors are the learned men among his family, since the guidance can be attained only through them. They are like the stars through whom we are guided in the right direction, and if the starts are taken away (or hidden) we would come face to face with the signs of the Almighty as promised (i.e., the Day of Resurrection). This will happen when the Mahdi will come, as mentioned in the traditions, and the Prophet Jesus will say his prayers behind him, the Dajjal will be slain, and then the signs of the Almighty will appear one after another."
Sunni reference: al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch. 11, section 1, p234

This is why the demise of the twelfth Imam will bring the end of the world, and this is one of the reasons that he should be alive. In another place, Ibn Hajar writes:

"The traditions which describe the necessity of adherence to Ahlul-Bayt until the day of Judgment, also imply that the existence of the righteous members of the family of the Prophet will NOT terminate until the day of Judgment the same way as the Book of Allah will remain."
Sunni reference: al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch. 11, section 1, p232

The occultation of the twelfth Imam is divided into two parts: the first, the minor occultation (Ghaybah al-Sughra) which began in 259/873 and ended in 329/939, lasting about seventy year. On that period, people were in contact with him through four special deputies. These four deputies knew the place of Imam and were able to directly contact him. That period served as preparing his followers to the absence of the Imam. The second, the major occultation which commenced in 329/939 and will continue as long as God wills it. There is no special deputy in direct contact with him in this period, and Muslim scholars are his general deputies at this time without having ability to meet him. It might be that the Imam (AS) showed himself to someone during the major occultation, but it was never a regular occurrence, and no one can claim to meet him anytime he wishes. Moreover, even if Imam (AS) appears to a person and gives him an instruction, it is only personal, and is not meant for all people. The Shi'a doctrine quite clearly states that the Imam (AS) would not deputize a person at this time. In fact, any claim of receiving new public orders (which are not found in our traditions narrated from Ahlul-Bayt) during the major occultation is considered itself to be the proof of the falsity of such claim. There is NO specific place of residence known for Imam al-Mahdi (AS) and no one knows his whereabouts on the earth except Allah, and he has been seen by different people throughout his life in various locations of the world.

Imam al-Mahdi (AS) wrote through one of his special deputies during the minor occultation:

"Rest assured, no one has a special relationship with Allah. Whoever denies me is not from my (community). The appearance of the Relief (al-Faraj) depends solely upon Allah. Therefore those who propose a certain time for it are liars. As to the benefit of my existence in occultation, it is like the benefit of the sun behind the clouds where the eyes do not see it. Indeed, my existence is an amnesty for the inhabitants of the earth. Pray much to Allah to hasten the Relief, for therein also lies the release from your sufferings."

LagosShia:
only fools believe abu bakr was elected by "mutual consultation" or shura for the following reasons:

1.) when the so called "mutual consultation" was done in saqifa banu saeda,the Prophet (s) was unburied.

2.) there was infighting in Saqifa and Umar used the sword to threaten those who do not accept the caliphate of abu bakr.

3.) non of Banu Hashim clan was present.

4.) numerous companions of the Prophet (sa) including Imam Ali (as),members of the Banu Hashim and companions like Salman al-Farisi among others refused to pay allegiance to abu bakr.

again,where is the "mutual consultation"? this is a fabrication of history.

LagosShia:
first you must stop putting words into the mouth of the Shia.

according to Sunnis the Prophet (sa) did not appoint any successor as the Shia believe and provide evidence from Sunni books that the Prophet (sa) appointed through divine order Imam Ali (as) as his successor.

also,upon observing how the Sunni gang of caliphs usurped the caliphate in saqifa banu saeda through force,and how the caliphs after abu bakr were elected,we see that Islam is absent in the making of the Sunni caliphs.there is no system whatsoever used even when they lie about the "shura" mockery.therefore we must ask the Sunnis:is Islam not a complete religion in your eyesight?if Islam is a complete religion,then why did the Prophet (sa) and the Quran not teach you how to select/elect your caliphs? you were totally misguided in doing that and so were your gang of usurpers you call caliphs,who denied the right of the Ahlul-Bayt (as) and ignored and disobeyed Allah (swt) and His Prophet (sa).

we simply need to look into how each of the first 6 caliphs of the Sunnis were imposed upon the Muslim ummah to have a big laugh on the confused,blinded,silly and disobedient Sunnis who try to justify such shameful practice as something that Islam encourages or promote.very silly!

1.)Abu Bakr-imposed in saqifa banu saeda.saqifa banu saeda is now synonymous with a place of coup d'eta.

2.) Umar-was imposed and appointed by Abu Bakr as his successor.amazing how abu bakr saw the need to appoint a successor but the Prophet (sa) never appointed a successor.it is either abu bakr have strayed from the path of the Prophet (sa) or is wiser than the Prophet (sa) in Sunni eyes,or the prophet (sa) must have appointed someone.

3.) Usthman-when Umar was struck with a sword and was about to die,he ordered six men to choose one person among them to be his own successor.if they fail within a period of time to do that,then all six would be killed.sounds like a movie!!!again Umar saw the need for appointing a successor.all of them are going against the "sunnah" of the Prophet (sa) who they claim did not appoint a successor but left the decision for the ummah to make.but abu bakr and umar did not see that they should leave it for the ummah to decide.out of the six men,Usthman was chosen as caliph and again imposed by Umar.Imam Ali (as) was told he would be chosen to become caliph provided he accepts to follow the "sunnah" of the Prophet (sa) and the "shaikhayn",that is abu bakr and umar.Imam Ali (as) refused and said the Prophet's (sa) sunnah is enough.if those two followed the sunnah of the Prophet (sa) then why do they want to add their own teachings as something to be followed in addition to the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (sa)? when that question is answered,you'd get to know the "fathers of bid'ah" and who they were.

4.) Imam Ali (as)-Usthman too was struck at the instigation of one of the rebelious wives of the Prophet (sa),whom the Prophet (sa) had warned the ummah about before his death and whom later disobeyed the Prophet (sa) by leading a war against Imam Ali (as).her name is Aisha,the daughter of the first usurper,abu bakr.Usthman was struck and died after his house in medina was besieged by companions who disliked him.Usthman app death was appointed no successor even though death was shinning in his eyes.he left the ummah without a shepherd.people saw no one was worthy of leadership.they flocked in their huge numbers to beg Imam Ali (as) to accept political office and lead the ummah.Imam Ali (as) accepted to take up the caliphate which is in fact his right as the divinely chosen and infallible first Imam appointed by the Prophet (sa) at Ghadir Khumm and in so many other occassions.

5.) Imam Hassan (as)-Imam Ali (as) was martyred by the instigation of muawiya,son of abu sufyan,the arch-enemy (from banu umayyah) of the Prophet (sa) and Islam.this was after two battles-the battle of jamal led by aisha and the battle of siffin led by muawiya-were fought in revolt against the ruler who was Imam Ali (as).you can see the evident hatred for Imam Ali (as) by the daughter of abu bakr and muawiya.when Imam Ali (as) martyred by being struck with a sword while he was praying in the mosque of Kufa (Iraq) while postrating,three days later Imam Ali (as) passed away.during those three days he left a will for his family and associates.and he appointed Imam Hassan (as) as the second imam and his successor to the caliphate.this is the most glaring and evident action by Imam Ali (as) that makes it clear that imamate belonged to the Ahlul-Bayt (as) and therefore only the progeny of Muhammad (sa) must rule and occupy the position of caliphate.Imam Ali (as) appointed Imam Hassan (as),the second holy imam and grandson of the Prophet (sa).can sunnis tell us why and on what merit did Imam Ali (as) who they consider as their fourth "rightly guided caliph" appointed his son,Imam Hassan (as),if not based on the belief that they possessed imamate and a divine mandate (based on knowledge and guidance and purity;see Quran 33:33) to lead the ummah?

6.) Muawiya-he still threatened to cause bloodshed and continue the wars he started against Imam Ali (as).upon that,Imam Hassan (as) made a truce with muawiya with conditions.he gave muawiya the order to rule and quench his material thirst for political power and become the caliph.Imam Hassan (as) made the condition that upon muawiya's death,the caliphate must return to Imam Hussain (as).another evidence that Imam Hassan (as),many sunni scholars class as the "fifth rightly guided caliph" also shared the belief of his father that imamate belongs to the Ahlul-Bayt (as).Imam Hassan (as) was poisoned by one of his rebellious wives at the instigation of muawiya.he offered her money and the option to marry his son,yazeed if she poisons Imam Hassan (as).Imam Hassan (as) passed away.

7.)Yazeed-muawiya broke his promise to return the caliphate to Imam Hussain (as).he appointed his son,Yazeed to be caliph.the caliphate is being turned into a monacrhy.some would say what about the descendants of the Prophet (sa),the Shia believe should rule one after the other,isnt that monarchy? it is not because as we read in the Quran,Allah have chosen prophets and imams descandants one after the other.he gave them knowledge and guidance to lead.take the children of Ibrahim (as).even our Prophet (sa) uses his decent from Prophet Ibrahim (as) through Ishmael (as) to fulfill the covenant Allah (swt) made to Ibrahim (as) to make him an imam and of the righteous among his descendants.

going back to Yazeed,he was a kaffir who disbelieved in the revelations as recorded in sunni hadiths.therefore many opposed him and refused to pay allegiance.Imam Hussain (as) too refused to pay allegiance;not because he wanted the caliphate but because he is the imam to guide the ummah and cannot pay allegiance to an immoral disbeliever like yazeed who would claim to be the successor of the Prophet (sa).among the vices yazeed perpetuated was drinking and homo$exuality.when Imam Hussain (as) refused to pay allegiance,yazeed saw that as an affront to his authority.he therefore ordered for Imam Hussain (as) to be killed.this eventually led to Imam Hussain's (as) revolution and the tragedy of Karbala where Imam Hussain (as) was beheaded and his family members (the household of Prophet Muhammad s.a.) and his loyal companions killed.

so we can see the confusion the usurpers who took the caliphate from the Ahlul-Bayt (as) imams have caused.and Sunnis still justify their tyranny which led to the tragedy in karbala.again there was no "shura" (mutual consultation) whatsoever.

LagosShia:
first,should we as muslims also ask where is Prophet Isa (as)? is it therefore impossible for Allah (swt) to save the life of the 12th Imam,the Mahdi (as),as he saved the life of Prophet Isa (as) and later send them at an appropriate time to establish justice and divine rule on the entire earth and make Islam the religion of all humanity? the Sunnis too believe the Mahdi would come along with Jesus (as),but since they deviated from imamate,Sunnis do not believe the mahdi is the 12th imam.funny enough they also believe the mahdi must be a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (sa) through his daughter Fatima (as) and her husband Imam Ali (as).we Shia are making it easier for the Sunnis to identify who the mahdi is.in sunni hadiths books like sahih muslim,the Prophet (sa) is reported to have said there would be 12 successors after him.but Sunnis do not know who these 12 successors are because the sunni caliphs number more than 30!!!only the Shia believe in 12 successors of the Prophet (sa).and it is worthy to note that from Imam Ali (as) up to the 11th imam (as),all of them were martyred or killed.Allah (swt) saved the 12th Imam (as) from the tyranny of the sunni caliphs who excelled in oppression and persecution giving Islam the bad image of spreading through the sword.note that the reason Allah (swt) raised Jesus (as),preserved him and promise to send him later on,was to save him from crucifixion and the tyranny of the jews and roman ruler who wanted to kill him.likewise Imam Muhammad Ibn Hassan,al-Mahdi (aj) was saved and his life preserved for later on to continue divine rule and the imamate of the Ahlul-Bayt (as).

LagosShia:
the 12 Imams (as) guided the ummah (not just Shia) for over 300 years after the death of Prophet Muhammad (sa).even Sunnis do not deny the role the 12 Imams (sa) played.Sunni clerics see the 12 Imams from the progeny of Prophet Muhammad (sa) as the greatest scholars of their time guiding the ummah.

LagosShia:
another fallacy.the Shia do not believe Ayatollah Khomeini to be the "imam of the ummah" or an infallible imam.the rule of the 12 divinely appointed imams was needed because the Prophet (sa) lived for 23 years after he commenced his prophetic mission.there was the need for the fuction the Prophet (sa) was carrying to continue.the need for someone to guide the ummah using the Quran and through divine knowledge the Prophet (sa) had.the 12 Imams (as) are inheritors of the Prophet's (sa) knowledge.little wonder we read in sunni hadith,umar confessing that if not for Imam Ali (as) and his guidance and knowledge,he (umar) would have perished because of ignorance.sunni caliphs are admitting to their ignorance in the face of our Imams.if again not for the presence of the 12 Imams (as) the ummah would have died and the religion of Islam would have fall into innovation and misguidance.if not for Imam Hussain (as) standing up to yazeed in Karbala and the blood of Imam Hussain (as) bringing down the rule of yazeed,yazeed was bent on destroying Islam.even Sunnis testify to this.

LagosShia:
the iranian wilayatul faqih is a position for the scholar who is just,faithful,learned and wise to be chosen by fellow scholars of eminence to lead politically.and that is what happened in Iran after the islamic revolution.the 12th Imam is hidden by Allah (swt) for a greater good.the needed knowledge and guidance have been imparted into the ummah by the 12 Imams (as) for over 300 years after the death of Prophet Muhammad (sa).the mission must continue and therefore the hidden imam is part of it just as Prophet Isa (as) would later come to break the cross and kill the pig and offload the burden of lies christians have placed in his name.

as for the sunni system of caliphate,again there was no consultation (shura).there was oppression,tyranny and coup.presently the sunni caliphate as eveny falsehood has vanished.remember the Quranic verse:"truth has come and falsehood has vanished because falsehood is bound to vanish by its own nature".likewise,the sunni caliphate ended when the ottoman empire died.ofcourse there were others (like in sokoto) who claim caliphate.but that is their wishful thinking and nothing more.


i do not know who told whoever wrote the article vedaxcool copied that the Shia follow Ayatollah Khomeini.Ayatollah Khomeini was the political office holder in Iran.he was not the political head of every Shia.however,Ayatollah Khomeini with or without the political office of "wali al-faqih" (rule of scholar) which is a political office,he was a spiritual guide.we are ordered by the 12th Imam (as) to obey our scholars in matters of faith and religion.those scholars are called marji.in Shia Islam,the marjiyyah of the ayatollahs is very strong and influential even if they do not hold political office because they have acquired the knowledge of the holy Imams.in fact there are a handful of ayatollahs the Shia look up to even when there is a system of wilayat al-faqih in Iran.the supreme leader of Iran therefore do not have political authority over the Shia in every land.



the answer to how the hidden Imam (whose stutus i remind you is no different from the disappearance of Jesus) can be found in Sunni books.

in the Quran,Allah (swt) told the Prophet (sa) that He will not destroy quraysh while Prophet Muhammmad (sa) was among them.it was after the Prophet (sa) migrated to medinah that the punishment for quraysh came in badr.with other prophets too like Noah (as),it is after they leave that Allah (swt) destroys their rebellious people.

therefore because of the sinful and imperfect actions of men,Allah (swt) can destroy the entire earth if He is to take humanity to account.the 12th Imam (aj) is the "hujjah" (proof) who is the perfect/infallible man and successor of prophets.so far as there is a "hujjah" (proof over the people) then Allah (swt) will not destroy the earth.i will cite hadiths from sunni books.

let us examine these sunni hadiths about the need for the 12th Imam from the Ahlul-Bayt (as) and their continue presence to benefit mankind:

LagosShia: LOL

i can see my genuine reply i composed are enough to send Vedaxcool mad and going crazy to spread more copied articles from [b]naisbi [/b]sites.

maclatunji:

@bolded, ahahaha! No name calling.

vedaxcool: Lols and lmaos is appropriate, no Imam "HIDING" to aide the shias what a pity atleast he would have told his fans that using multiple ids to win an arguement is being plain ridiculous! Arguments are won with truth and logic! Non of this the shias have been able to bring to the table and neither can than Imam "HiDING" tell them this plain common sense. Notice how hard they are trying to evade the question and derail the thread, this is due to their inability to address the issue, shiasm just like atheism have nothing to offer and in discussions like this the best they can offer is counter question and evade questions! Only thru lies can shia prosper!