Are the imams divinely appointed?

Asalamu3lykum,

Are there any imams who are divinely appointed in zaydi fiqh? I came across a sermon from Jafar Al Sadiq (as) in Al Kafi by al-Kulayni, and al-Majlisi grades it as sahih with the following chain of narration:

Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā → Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. ʿĪsā → al-Ḥasan b. Maḥbūb → Isḥāq b. Ghālib → Abū ʿAbdillāh Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq
“Because Allah, exalted and glorified, appointed the Imam as a standard/flag (علام) for His creation and made him a proof (حجة) over those under his care and all the worlds.He clothed him in dignity and covered him with the light of the Almighty.He made him a means to the heavens, through whom what is with Allah is not attained except through his channels
”

“Allah chose them from the children of al-Husayn after every Imam, selects them for His creation, elects them, and approves them.Whenever one Imam from them departs, Allah appoints from his progeny another Imam for His creation: a clear standard, a guiding light, a radiant guide, a standing Imam, a learned proof, an Imam from Allah who guides by truth and with that truth brings justice.They are Allah’s proofs and callers to Him and guardians over His creation.
”

”
They are kept safe from satanic snares, protected from errors (معصومون من الزلات), guarded against all indecencies, and given knowledge, wisdom and virtue.
”
Sources: al-Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, vol. 1, Kitāb al-Ḥujjah, ch. “That the Imams are Allah’s proofs over His creation.”

OR

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl, vol. 2, p. 400, Hadith #2

What I deduced from this sermon:
1- The imams are divinely appointed
2- The imams are descendants of husayn AS, and it seems like they descend one after the other (son to son) however am unclear on how the twelvers explain Hassan and hussain being brothers
3- The imams are infallible معصومون من الزلات

Now obviously, this is simply what I understood from the sermon, and what I deduced may be extremely flawed compared to either twelver or any other scholarly interpretation. Hence, I have a few questions for the more educated amongst you
1- What is your opinion on the isnad in this case? Do you take this transmission as sahih?
2- If not, is there any Hadith in zaydi sources that transmits the same sermon?
3- If it is either a correct isnad in this case or this sermon is transmitted through a different chain, what is the imams commentary on it? Where did I go wrong in my understanding of the sermon?

Wa Alaikum Salam,

Firstly, We reject such Hadeeth as they contradict our belief and concept of Imamate entirely. We DO NOT believe that all the imams are divinely appointed and are infallible.

According to the Zaydis, the appointment of Imams Ali, al-Hasan, and al-Hussein (upon all of them be peace) was explicitly designated by revelation. For examples, the hadith of Ghadir in regards to Ali and the hadith ((The two of them are imams-whether sitting or standing)) in regards to al-Hasan and al-Hussein. However, there are no hadiths as such that explicit designate the imams after al-Hussein (as).

Those imams after al-Hussein (as)--due to the absence of explicit texts that designate them as imams--only establishes their imamate based upon the stipulations mentioned in our books of aqeedah.

The Hadeeth you cited has multiple issues :

1. the Narrators arent accepted by the Zaydiyyah
2. The Hadeeth says the Imams are only from the line of Hussain peace be upon him which according to our doctrine is incorrect.
3. In our history there have been long periods where there has been no Imam.
4. Allah has only appointed 3 imams and they are Ali, Hasan and Hussain peace be upon them

As for the infallible nature of the Imams.

In this regard, al-Hāfiẓ Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Kūfī, may God have mercy on him, narrated in his book Manāqib Amīr al-Mu’minīn (The Virtues of the Commander of the Faithful), through his chain of transmission from Imam Zayd ibn ‘Ali (peace be upon him), who said:

“The infallible ones among us are five: the Prophet (peace be upon him), ‘Ali, Fāṭimah, al-Hasan, and al-Husayn.”

Asalamualykum brother Misbahuddin,
Do you mind clarifying why these narrators are rejected? Are they simply treated as unknown (majhool) or is there more depth to it?

The reason I’m bringing this up is because I was investigating the claim of 12 divinely appointed imams, aside from the issues with the 12th I wanted to see if the claim had any merit to begin with. This is the only narration I could find that explicitly signifies the divinity of the imams, that is considered *sahih* by almajlisi. Almajlisi seems to have to most scientific and logical approach to the science of Hadith from the twelvers hence I preferred him over all other scholars.

Ahmed bin Muhammad bin Issa bin Abdullah Al-Ashari Al Qummi, Considered thiqah (reliable) by major Shiʿi scholars like al-Ṭūsī, al-Nājahshī, and al-Hilli. He also compiled books on hadith and Imamiyyah topics, and his narrations appear across key Shiʿi works.

He didn’t just transmit hadith but represented Qom’s scholarly authority.

We the Zaydis do not accept narrations from the opponents i.e Imami Elders/Leaders and the likes unless what they bring forth has been already established in our circle and key texts.

A fundamental Imāmī principle in preferring and selecting among conflicting reports is “taking what contradicts the Sunnī majority,” believing that this indicates proper guidance. But this is an unscientific and nonobjective principle.

It is well known that the Ahadeeth of the Imamis is filled with liars and those who were deviant and Our Aimmah have Takfeered these deviants.

Furthermore the Imamis have a very weak Hadeeth culture and assessment where many of the scholars of the Imamis were left confused with all the conflicting reports!

As for the Hadeeth of the Twelve Imams : 

The report of the twelve (by number) is not authentic for the Shīʿa, not even from a single chain! And it has one chain from the works of “Ahl al-Sunnah” which is the Ḥadīth of Jābir b. Samura.

As for Jābir b. Samura there are implications regarding his personage: He was Pro-Umayyad All those who narrate from him are Shāmīs (from the Levant i.e Nawāṣib) He was six, or seven years old when he supposedly heard this Ḥadīth It is entirely solitary in transmission, meaning no one has ever narrated such a narration from the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ besides him.

Any report that supposedly designates the later Imāms by name, or by name and number is fabricated. al-Shaykh Muḥammad Bāqir al-Behbūdī said: "The ḥadīths which are narrated to designate the Imāms generally, such as the report of the tablet, and other than it are - all - fabricated during the era of the occultation, and confusion. Or, before it by a little. For, if these reports were present with the Imāmī Shīʿa. Then, they would not have differed in seeking to know the pure Imāms with such a conspicuous differing. The greats from among the sect, and the pillars of ḥadīth would not have fell into uncertainty for many years. They would have been in complete sufficiency, then to have to rush to publish works in proving the occultation, and removing the uncertainty from the hearts of the Ummah, with such extensiveness."

- Kitāb Maʿrifat al-Ḥadīth: 172.

Abū Sahl Ismāʿīl b. ʿAlī al-Nawbakhtī (273-311 AH), the prominent theologian of the Imāmī school, did not believe in restricting the number of Imāms to twelve. Therefore, he was unaware of any report limiting the Imāms to twelve, which is claimed to be widely known in Imāmī texts. This leads to the conclusion that the report was invented and fabricated after the era of occultation. Ibn al-Nadīm said, speaking about Abū Sahl Ismāʿīl b. ʿAlī ibn Nawbakht: "He used to say: I believe that the Imām is Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan, but he died during the occultation [i.e., while he was in occultation], and after him in the occultation was his son. And so it will continue among his descendants until Allāh enacts His decree to reveal him."

 — al-Fihrist: 219.

al-Shaykh ʿAsif Muḥsinī - from the [grand] Imāmī scholars - said: As for inferring from specific narrations for the Imāmah of each Imām after the noble Prophet, or from the prior Imām, such is not viable. This is because they do not reach the extent of assuredness, let alone them being definitive in nature, and transmission.

 - Mashraʿat Biḥār al-Anwār: 2/91.

al-Shaykh Ḥusayn al-Modaressī - from the Imāmī scholars - said: The first to have introduced this concept of ‘‘Twelve’’ from the Shīʿa publicators, are the two grand narrators of Ḥadīth ʿAlī b. Bābawīya al-Qomī, and Muḥammad b. Yaʿqūb al-Kulaynī, and they are those who lived during the final period of the minor occultation, and died at its ending in the years 328-329AH.

 - Taṭawur al-Mabānī al-Fikrī lī al-Tashayyuʿ: 161