Designation in Shi’ite Islam

The basis for the identification of the Imam is, in Shi’ite Islam, found in his sinlessness; the Imam must necessarily be immune from any sin.  For this reason, it is necessary to affirm that “the Imam should be designated for the Imamate since immunity to sin is a matter of the heart, which is discerned by no one save God Most High” (Peters 123).  Clearly, there is an epistemological line of reasoning at work here: if sinlessness is necessary, the true Imam cannot be identified by human beings, but must be identified by God or through Muhammad. In this way, the problem of human beings judging the sinlessness of another is avoided.  

And yet, this solves only part of the problem: the one who is designated by God must still be recognized by human beings.  As a result, the commentary puts forth two methods for this to occur: first, by it being revealed by someone else immune to sin, like Muhammad; and second, by the designated person working miracles to prove his claim to the Imamate.  This maneuver, on one interpretation, only seems to postpone the problem by a stage of regression: it is human beings who must perceive and accept the miracles worked by the imam-presumptive, and so the recognition of a new Imam nonetheless falls, albeit in a more limited sense, to human judgment.

The Shi’ite idea of “designation,” then, raises important questions about the relationship between divine and human recognition in the acceptance of authority.  In the first place, what is the rationale for the claim that the Imam must be sinless? More significantly, what is the theological basis for the claim that the Imam will be recognized based on miracles?  Is the Imam presumptive must “prove” himself through the working of miracles, to whom must he prove himself? Does some doctrine of providence play a role in both the working of miracles and the recognition of the Imam?  If so, what is its content?