The Way of Nobility: Knowledge of the Imam (Minh¿j al-kar¿ma f¿ märifat al-im¿ma) is one of the most celebrated works in favour of the Sh¿¿¿ belief in the Im¿ma. Apparently authored for the Mongol ruler Öljeitü Kh¿n, this work by al-¿All¿ma al-¿ill¿ presents a concise but crucial summary of key arguments in favour of the Imamate of ¿Al¿ b. Ab¿ ¿¿lib and his descendants. The work also contains detailed evidence from Sunn¿ historical and ¿ad¿th sources to establish the lack of qualifications for leadership of the Muslim community by those persons whom the majority of Muslims followed, namely, the first three so-called 'rightly guided caliphs' (al-khulaf¿¿ al-r¿shid¿n).
