The Four Imams - Who are the most important people in your life?
Many of us have family, friends and role models that we look up to, people who inspire us to achieve great things and become better versions of ourselves.
Teachers help us master different subjects and skills, coaches help us train in sports we love, and all of them deserve our appreciation.
Of all the people we look up to, there is one particular group that we owe a huge amount to, but we may not even realise why.
These people dedicated their lives to learning and teaching, and we benefit from their efforts every day. Who are they?
These are the scholars of Islam. Scholars spent their lives studying, researching and leaving behind their work for us to understand our life’s purpose. But who exactly were these dedicated individuals who worked endlessly to preserve the knowledge of Islam, so we can receive it today?
There have been countless scholars – male and female – throughout history, upholding the religion in every age and era of human civilisation.
Fuelled by sincerity and passion, scholars have emerged in every corner of the world to study and bring our tradition to life. Of them all however, there are four particular Imams whose legacies have endured the test of time, and who forever remain some of the most important people for us to learn about.
These Four Imams were humans like you and me, they had their own personalities, backgrounds, family histories, personal interests, customs and cultures.
They all went through completely unique and drastically different life events too. What unites all the scholars however is that their life mission was to uphold and protect the authentic teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah, and benefit all of humanity through these precious gifts.
These scholars studied deeply and extensively to give us access to the complete, balanced and authentic Sunnah. They learnt to comprehend the big questions around life, death and the universe, as well as routine matters of day-to-day life such as the etiquettes of eating, drinking and sleeping. Because all knowledge was treated as important and precious; these Four Imams enable us to understand Islam in a deep, enriching and holistic way.
These men are not just important historical figures, their important contributions directly impact how we live our lives today. Through learning about the Four Imams, we can imagine what’s possible for us to achieve in our own lives.
We can learn lessons from the different situations they found themselves in, especially how they responded every time they were confronted with circum-stances they didn’t expect. We can also learn about what brings true meaning, joy and contentment in life, even if that life takes many twists and turns in our journey through it.
We will learn that these extraordinary people are part of our legacy. Their vision for life is our shared vision. Their goal in life is our shared goal. To know where we are going, we must understand where we came from, and have pride in our Ummah.
These Four Imams are part of you, your intellectual heritage, and your identity as a Muslim.
So let us dive deep and get to know these giants of our history.
Adapted by Zimarina Sarwar
