This article examines and analyzes Hassan Hanafi’s perspective on Imamate and critiques it in ‎light of Allameh Tabataba'i’s thought. Adopting a modernist and historical interpretive ‎approach, Hanafi views Imamate as a purely social and human phenomenon that emerged ‎within the framework of political developments and the needs of the Islamic community. He ‎distances himself from traditional and theological approaches, attempting to reinterpret the ‎concept of Imamate within the context of history and society, while detaching it from its sacred ‎and divine dimensions. In contrast, Allameh Tabataba'i, emphasizing Qur’anic, rational, and ‎traditional foundations, regards Imamate as a divine position rooted in essential (ontological) ‎guardianship—a station that encompasses not only external leadership but also the inner ‎guidance of the community. Using a comparative-analytical method, this article seeks to ‎explore the different dimensions of these two perspectives and demonstrates that, although ‎Hanafi strives to offer an interpretation aligned with the demands of the time, his view lacks a ‎comprehensive and profound explanation of the true nature of Imamate.‎