What are the conditions that must be met in the man chosen as Caliph for Muslims, and is the Caliphate restricted only to the people of Quraysh, and what is the interpretation of the noble verse, "O you who have believed, whoever of you should revert from his religion—Allah will bring forth [in place of them] a people whom He loves and who love Him"?

The imams have agreed on the obligation of the Imamate and the necessity of having an Imam for the Muslims who upholds the religion and gives justice to the oppressed. They also agreed on the impermissibility of a woman, a disbeliever, a child, an insane person, or an ignorant person leading as Imam. Furthermore, they concurred that the Imam must be from Quraish, and that obedience to him is obligatory except in matters that contravene the law of Allah and His Messenger. As for Allah's saying, "O you who have believed, whoever of you reverts from his religion—Allah will bring forth [in place of them] a people He will love and who will love Him..." (Quran 5:54), the verse informs about Allah's ability to replace those who turn away from supporting His religion with someone better. The exegetes differed regarding whom the verse was revealed about; some said it was the people of al-Qadisiyyah, and others said it was the people of Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, may Allah be pleased with him. The description "humble toward the believers, powerful against the disbelievers" is a characteristic of perfect believers who are humble toward their brethren and mighty against their enemies.