The matter of guardianship in Islam

Understanding the public dimension of the guardianship and believing in it in the heart and mind:
Among the distortions and deviations that the enemies of the Muslims imposed to them, is the induction of conflict between concepts and facts such as science and faith, reason and piety, justice, and development of, God and man, and the more serious one the confrontation of divine guardianship with democracy. While Islam by no means considers God and man against one another and does not recognize the guardianship of the divine great men of God and the judicial regime as rejecting the role and the status of the people; rather it considers the public inclination of the government and providing their real needs and interests possible in light of judicial regime and management of the people who have been appointed by God, the people who consider doing favors to people as the best way of gaining proximity to God, the greatest worship and also the consider the guidance and securance of material and spiritual needs as the existential philosophy of government and guardianship.
Islam proposes religious democracy far more than democracy originating from secularism and introduces the acceptance of judicial regime and submitting to divine commands in the way of interest, redemption and responding to human needs.
Therefore, one of the related to knowledge regarding the centrality of guardianship (individual and social) is understanding that although guardianship is the manifestation of God’s will and governing, it is very connected to people and the real democracy and worldly and the hereafter felicity is not achieved except through the centrality of guardianship.
C) Recognizing the enemies of the guardianship
One of the important basics and necessities of the centrality of guardianship is knowing the un-divine guardianship and the enemies of the divine guardianship. Awareness of the enemy's conspiracy and the enmity of false guardianships as well as the fact that secular rulers, not only don't serve the people, but seek to exploit and colonialize them, however seems like a public-spirited slogan creates a kind of motivation and force in man that by ignoring them, he will not consider the other people except those appointed by God worthy of leadership and management. In this case the believers organize their behavior eagerly and by having faith in their heart based on God’s ruling and will be trapped in evil guardianships.
Those who seek the world and the exploitative cruel people do not tolerate the judicial regime and the sovereignty of divine commands. The people who use any kind of conspiracy and scientific or practical plan for fighting against this guardianship and since the authority and executive assurance of this guardianship is formed by the will and participation of people, the most fundamental condition of giving authority, maintaining the guardianship and the centrality of this divine sovereignty is recognizing the enemies, being aware of the conspiracies and their various plans. In contrast, ignorance of the enemy and his plans, is one of the biggest damages and paves the way for the gradual transformation of the provincial system. Imam Ali in a letter to the people of Egypt, after his criticism of those who have neglected the enemy and conspiracy, said: “The warrior should be wakeful because if he sleeps the enemy does not sleep; and that is an end to the matter''.
Recognizing the enemies of the guardianship has some requirements that the most important of them are as follows: recognizing the true meaning of the person in authority from the claimants of guardianship; understanding idolatrous and examples of it at any time, insight into the opposing trends, opposition and dissident against the leader and leadership; recognition of the hypocrite and deconstructive trends; not neglecting the trends which seek to dual sovereignty.
2. Believing in the guardianship
The first result of the sure knowledge and rational recognition is believing in the heart and the true recognition of the facts will lead to the devotion and believing in it. As the real recognition of God will lead to the true belief in Him and His servitude, a true understanding of the guardianship and its role in the guidance of people will cause believing in the guardianship and its stages in mind and heart and the religious centrality of the guardianship and will be the basis of all the dependencies and servitude before divine guardianship.
References
A) Believing in all stages of leadership
According to the deist unity, the guardianship is only for God. The true servant believes that the right of legislation, lawmaking and also guardianship and sovereignty originally is just for God and no creature directly has this right or the right of law making and giving plans for man’s life. Of course, the exclusive guardianship of God, by the Holy Prophet and the Imams and in their absence, it is realized by the fair jurists and the monotheist believers also believe that obeying them is the obedience of God.
So the first condition of believing in guardianship is believing in God's intrinsic guardianship and the God's honored and originative guardianship for its direct and indirect successors. The man who is the supporter of the centrality of guardianship believes that only God and the Prophet and Imams and jurists are worthy of ruling and guardianship over the people.
B) Belief in the guardianship affairs
By the obvious statement of the Quran one of the pillars of faith is believing in the prophethood of the Holy Prophet and what has been revealed to him; it means that the believers in addition to having faith in the Holy Prophet must believe in the commands and teachings expressed by him. One of the most important teachings signified by God, is the guardianship and leadership of the Holy Prophet and those in authority and the necessity of obeying them in affairs that God has determined for them. As the verses of the Quran shows, the Holy Prophet has the responsibility for the guidance of man in two stages in addition to Takwini guardianship at the stage of lawmaking: first prophecy which addresses the whole people and in addition to inviting them to God has informed them on the divine plan for their guidance and this dignity and mission will be given to another person; in other words the Holy Prophet is the Seal of the Prophets; Second, the Prophet is responsible for the guidance and leadership of the believers that this mission, is firstly for those who have already accepted the invitation and have faith in his prophethood; in the Holy Quran there’s no verse as “The Prophet is more worthy of the people”, rather there is a verse as: “The Prophet is more worthy of the believers” Surat Al-Ahzab [verse 6]. Secondly, his legislative authority, has some dimensions and aspects that the most important of them is explaining the minutiae and interpretation of divine revelation, leadership and management of the Muslim community and arbitration of all disputes; Thirdly the Prophet's affairs has not finished yet and it will continue through the Infallible Imams and each of the Infallibles has such dignity in their time. In the absence the three law making missions of the Infallible Imams is the responsibility of the supreme fair and capable legislative leaders. He has the complete authority over such affairs and in any condition has the duty to state the divine commands and based on it, lead and judge the believers; that is the guardianship of the Islamic jurist is not just limited to God’s commands and is arbitrary from other aspects; therefore, faith in God and his messenger, requires believing in the affairs and authority of the Prophet and his successors, as well as all the powers and duties of the deputies of the Imams.
C) Belief in following the guardianship as a pattern
One of the unique features of religious guidance is that it does not only suffice to indicate the way and introducing the standards and announcing the laws and regulations but by introducing the appropriate patterns and perfect humans it requests its believers that they follow their thought, attitude and behavior and make their life compatible to them and in this way become close to their ideal goal. The Quran considers the Holy Prophet as an absolute pattern that have faith and hope in God and the Day of Resurrection: “There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often” Surat Al-Ahzab [verse 21]. The dignity of being a role model, after the Prophet continues by the Imams and the trained students of their schools that their thought and behavior is completely consistent with religious teachings, and the teachings and commandments of God. One of the dimensions of the Shia and following the Ahl Al Bayt, is their belief in them as a pattern and the necessity of conforming their Sirah.
3. The acceptance of Wilayah (guardianship)
Recognizing the guardianship and believing in it is the pillar of the practical centrality of guardianship or accepting it and will be efficient, influential and leads to the realization of the judicial system to be manifested in behavior, actions and reactions; so the most important manifestation of the centrality of guardianship is the centrality of it in practice, being loyal and completely obeying the person in authority; As historical experience shows clearly that understanding and belief without practical obligation cannot be capable enough and does not realize the goals of the judicial system. The enemies of Islam have focused most of their asset and plans in this section and try to separate Muslims in the stage of operation from Guardianship in any manner; therefore, it is necessary to provide sufficient and practical requirements and conditions of the centrality of guardianship and make it happen with insight and awareness.
References:
A) Interest in and love for the guardianship
The relationship between the community and the Imam, is not originated from a social contract or bilateral treatment and it is not a legal issue, but is the manifestation of faith and love for God and his religion. Affection and love for the province, apart from that it is originated from love for the Creator and the proprietor of man originated, has a faith and rational basis. A number of verses imply that one of the divine commands and the requirements of being religious is the centrality of guardianship and affection and religious interest in the God’s successors; secondly this affection is a part of religious guidance and the result will return for the believers and leads to their prosperity.
Love for Ahlul Bayt will cause that their successors and representatives will be loved whether in the presence or absence period and since the jurist has a special vicegerency in the absence period religious affection and love for guardianship will be manifested through his friendship and will be the factor of dynamism and guidance of the Islamic community. In the judicial system the people will be successful in supporting their leader that have recognized him and have love for him.
B) Hatred of the enemies of the guardianship
The love for God and devotion to the Prophet and the Infallibles and consequently the Guardian leaves no room for friendship with opponents, but also it requires the hatred of those whose thought and behavior are against them. It is not possible to love God and do not hate Taghut and His enemies. Tawala and Tabarra always accompany each other like two sides of a coin and enjoying God’s guardianship and friendship with him is realized through believing in the deviation of other guardianships and avoiding and ignoring the Taghut. Quran considers the friendship with those who are against God and His Messenger, even though they are close relatives of humans, incompatible with faith in God and the Day of Resurrection and introduces one of the indicators of faith as avoiding the enemies of God and His Messenger:
You will not find a people who believe in Allah and the Last Day having affection for those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even if they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred” Surat Al-Mujadila [verse 22].
It is obvious that this feature, is not specific to the Prophet and his time and it is true in all times and about all guardians of God. Those who are affected by their personal relationships and kindness to their relatives cannot avoid the false and undivine front, they do not enjoy religion and have no faith.