The death of the Ayatollah is a huge theological crisis.
Recently the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The two allies don’t see it this way but for Iran this is a religious war. A.S. Ibrahim of World magazine says, “Shiite Islam’s entire framework of leadership makes Khamenei’s death not merely a political event but a profound doctrinal crisis.” An ancient schism has created two groups of Muslims—Sunni and Shi’a. Ibrahim observes, the dominant strand of Shi’a Islam believes “that following Muhammad’s death, twelve infallible Imams served as his rightful successors, wielding both spiritual and political authority over the Muslim community. The twelfth of these, known as al-Mahdi.”
Al-Mahdi is hidden from the world but still alive, still guiding the faithful through qualified intermediaries until his eventual return or reappearance.
Khamenei was not merely a political leader. He was … the living representative of the Hidden Imam, the speaking mouth of divine will, shielded by Allah against his enemies. The [Iranian] regime built its legitimacy on the claim of divine guardianship—and that claim has now been exposed, visibly and violently, as a lie.