The Need for the Imam — Page 12
12 dard of moral excellence. A harsh word is not contrary to moral condition if it is not the result of any bitterness of temper and wild frenzy, and if it is appropriate and necessitated by the occasion. It is worth mentioning that the one whom God makes an Imam with His Own hands, is also invested with the capabilities of Im a mat. As mentioned in the verse: 13 Divine providence has equipped all animals and birds with every faculty which, in the knowledge of God, they would ever need. Similar is the case of those whom God, in His eternal knowledge, wishes to en- trust the task of Im a mat; they are given beforehand many spiritual faculties that are necessary for Im a mat, and the seed of all the capabilities that they might need in the future is sown in their pure nature. As I see it, an Imam must possess the following qualities in order to benefit mankind. First is moral strength. Since Imams come across all sorts of miscreants and mean and foul-mouthed people, it is essential for them to possess moral strength of the highest order, so that they remain immune against egoistic rage and wild frenzy and 13 He gave unto everything its proper form. — Ta H a , 20:51 [Publishers]