it was shahīd ath-thānī who took the concept of nā'ib al-'amm to its logical conclusion in the religious sphere and applied it to all of the religious functions and prerogatives of the hidden imām. thus the judicial authority of the ulamā' now became a direct reflection of the authority of the imām himself. it was now obligatory to pay the religious taxes directly to the ulamā' as the trustees of the imām for distribution and the donor who distributed these himself was considered to obtain no reward. this is in direct contradiction to limits set by prior transgressions.