Was Imam Ali (AS) Chosen by Allah?

as salaamu alaikum ikhwan,

My question is: Was Imam Ali (AS) chosen by Allah or was he chosen by the Nabi (SAWA)? If he was chosen by Allah, then would that not entail that other Imams would be chosen by Allah (as is the 12er view)? I am asking for clarification on the Zaydi view.

Thank You

وعليكم السلام ورحمة الله

Imam Ali عليه السلام was chosen by Allah عز وجل through the tongue of the Holy Prophet (ص) as per:

يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ ۖ وَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهُ ۚ وَاللَّهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ

O Messenger! Convey what has been revealed to you from your Lord. If you do not, then you have not delivered His message. Allah will ˹certainly˺ protect you from the people. Indeed, Allah does not guide the people who disbelieve. [5:67]

The Holy Prophet then stopped at an intersection in which all travelers would disperse in separate ways, hence choosing the ideal spot to convey this message and he uttered the great and mutawattir saying:

من كنت مولاه فهاذا عليا مولاه

Whomsoever I was his master Ali is his master.

We also prior indications to Imam Ali’s vicegerency in 5:55


إِنَّمَا وَلِيُّكُمُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَهُمْ رَاكِعُونَ

Only Allah is your guardian and His Messenger and those who believe, those who keep up prayers and pay the poor-rate while they bow.

This is unanimously referred to as a verse which refers to Imam Ali عليه السلام through the canonical books of both Shias and Sunnis, as well as historically authoritative commentaries.

We also have verses such as 33:33 and 3:61 which denote a favorability towards the five members of the cloak and Ali عليه السلام

Therefore all such indicates as well as those which have not been listed not only highlight the favorability of Ali عليه السلام in Qur’an, but also in the Hadith corpus, we see a clear designation by Allah through the tongue of his messenger.

Now we don’t do takfir on those companions who took the seat of caliphate for themselves as we can see that Imam Ali عليه السلام did not treat them as nonbelievers, however, on his part he did make it clear that it was his right. We can confidently say that the first three Caliphs are wrong in what they did, but according to certain sources the did rule with the Qur’an and Sunnah. This of course is with the immense aid and contribution that أمير المؤمنين gave to the Caliphs.

Regarding Muawiyah his treatment is different as was shown through the many letters exchanged between Imam Ali عليه السلام and him, followed by open and blatant transgressions such as the murder of the companion Hujr Ibn ‘Adi Al-Kindi. Therefore, we disassociate completely from the son of Abu Sufayn and of course from the cursed progeny that came after him such as Yazid and Hisham Ibn Abdul-Hakm.

In conclusion: Imamate is a part of Usool ul-deen and Imam Ali عليه السلام was divinely appointed. Insha’Allah this helps and Allah knows best.

Regarding your question that this would entail 12 Imams that is not concordant, as the 33:33 mentions only 3 appointed personalities by Allah and the Prophet, the onus is on the twelvers to provide this appointment by the following Imams such as Zayn Al-Abideen عليه السلام appointing Al-Baqir عليه السلم and so forth.

In short they will not be able to do this and may resort to the Hadith of twelve Caliphs/Amirs from Sunni works. Now this has been addressed from both the Sunnis and Zaidis and if one looks at the متن through an unbiased lens it is clear that the Hadith says the Ummah will be blessed as long as these twelve are around, however, we can see that the 12th Imam is supposedly around, but there is great mischief in the earth today. There are more critical and extensive remarks which have been provided if you would like I can share a PDF in English and if you know Arabic I can give a much more comprehensive source.

As for the 12th Imam the criterion provided within Al-Kafi contradicts the position he holds, as there is no guidance, nor a point of reference in which the Muslims can refer back to when it comes to their affairs. Again much more can be said, but I hope that this clarifies your initial concerns and Allah knows best.

في أمان الله وحفظه

Thanks Akhi. This clarifies some things. Yes please share the PDF in english. My email is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

You make a good point about the 12th imams absence and thus the absence of guidance, however would this not be the same issue Zaydi's face currently without a proper Imam leading and the gaps between Zaydi leadership?

Jazakallah khayr

This would not be the same issue, as the Zaydis are consistent with the criterion provided by Imam Ali for guidance within Nahjul Balagha and it is:

(a) - An apparent Imam who is known by the masses and is actively giving guidance on the social and political sphere.

(b) - A hidden (unknown) Imam who is present in all times and is also giving guidance but on a more smaller scale, such as through advice and writing.

Point (b) is used by the twelvers to indicate that this is proof for a 12th Imam in occultation, however, it is nothing more then a clear misunderstanding to what Imam Ali said and what he exemplified.

What I mean by that is point (a) was actualized by the Imam during his ascension as the fourth caliph, prior to that he was an active component and exemplar of point (b).

If the necessary components or conditions are present in respect to the Zaidiyyah the following Imam would rise the next day, it is not an idea of simply waiting for an Imam to rise, rather it is that out of social and global conditions and if these conditions are met, this hidden Imam as mentioned in point (b) would become an apparent Imam. Therefore, the conditions of being a hidden Imam are concordant for this hidden Imam would still be giving guidance and the people are able to refer to, however, in the case of the Twelvers it simply does not sync logically, nor textually.

Regarding English sources, I recommend checking out ZaidiPortal.com as it has some preliminary works to get you started and acquainted with the basics Insha'Allah. There are also Facebook communities with good brothers who also provide and answer questions in English.

I will try my best to stay consistent with this forum, I am also present in ShiaChat. May Allah (SWT) bless you.