Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Section Twenty-Six: The traditions that indicate he will fill the earth with fairness and justice just as it will be filled with injustice and unfairness

Comprised of 148 traditions

583. Al-Fitan1 : Al-Walīd narrated to us from Sa`īd, from Qatāda, from Abī Naḍra, from Abū Sa`īd al-Khudrī, may Allah be satisfied with him, from the Holy Prophet, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, who said:“[The Mahdī] will give away wealth munificently and will not count [what he is giving away]. He will fill the earth with justice just as it will be filled with injustice and unfairness.”

584. Al-Fitan2 : Al-Walīd narrated to us from Abū Rāfi` Ismā’īl b. Rāfi`, from someone who narrated to him, from Abū Sa`īd al-Khudrī, from the Holy Prophet, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, who said:“His nation will take refuge in him like the bees that take refuge in their leader. He will fill the earth with justice just as it will be filled with injustice; until the people return to their original state [and will become so peaceful] that no one will wake up someone who is asleep and no blood will be shed.”

585. Al-Fitan3 : Narrated to us ibn Wahb, from al-Ḥarth, from Minhāl b. `Amr b. Ziyād, from Abū Naḍra, from Abū Sa`īd al-Khudrī, from the Holy Prophet, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his family, who said:“He will fill the earth with justice as it will be filled with unfairness and injustice before him. He will rule for seven years.”

586. Al-Musnad4 : Narrated to us `Abd-Allah, from his father, from Muḥammad b. Ja`far, from `Auf, from Abū l-Ṣiddīq al-Nājī, from Abū Sa`īd al-Khudrī that the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, said:“The Hour will not be established until the earth is filled with unfairness and oppression. Then, a person from my progeny-or from my Ahl al-Bait-will emerge who will fill it with fairness and justice just as it will be filled with unfairness and oppression.”

587. Kanz al-`ummāl5 : From `Alī, peace be on him, who said:

The earth will be filled with unfairness and injustice to such an extent that fear and grief will enter every house. They will ask for two dirhams... but it will not be given to them. Wars will follow wars and wealth will follow wealth until Allah surrounds them in His land; then, he will fill the earth with justice and fairness.

588. Kamāl al-dīn6 : Narrated to us `Alī b. Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-Qazwīnī, from Muḥammad b. `Abd-Allah al-Ḥaḍramī, from Aḥmad b. Yaḥyā al-Aḥwal, from Khallād al-Muqri’, from Qays b. Abī Ḥaṣīn, from Yaḥyā b. Waththāb, from `Abd-Allah b. `Umar, from al-Ḥusayn b. `Alī, peace be on him, who said:

If there remains but one day from the [end of the] world, Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, will prolong it until a man from my progeny emerges. He will fill it with justice and fairness just as it will be filled with injustice and unfairness. This is what I heard from the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family.

589. Kamāl al-dīn7 : Narrated to us my father and Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan, may Allah be satisfied with him, from Sa`d b. `Abd-Allah, `Abd-Allah b. Ja`far al-Ḥimyarī, Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā al-`Aṭṭār, and Aḥmad b.

Idrīs, all of them, from Muḥammad b. al-Ḥusayn b. Abī al-Khaṭṭāb, Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. `Īsā, Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Khālid al-Barqī, and Ibrāhīm b. Hāshim, all of them, from al-Ḥasan b. `Alī b. Faḍḍāl, from Tha`labat b. Maimūn, from Mālik al-Juhanī; [and through another chain] narrated to us Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan b. Aḥmad b. al-Walīd, may Allah be satisfied with him, from Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-Ṣaffār, and Sa`d b. `Abd-Allah, from `Abd-Allah b. Muḥammad al-Ṭayālisī, from Mundhir b. Muḥammad b. Qābūs, from al-Naṣr b. Abī al-Sarī, from Abū Dāwūd Sulaimān b. Sufyān al-Mustariq, from Tha`labat b. Maimūn, from Mālik al-Juhanī, from Ḥārith b. al-Mughaira al-Naṣrī, from al-Aṣbagh b. Nubāta who said:

I went to Amīr al-Mu’minīn `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib, peace be on him, and found him pondering over something and scratching the ground. I asked,“O Amīr al-Mu’minīn! Why am I seeing you pondering and scratching the ground; do you have any desire for it?” He answered, ‘No, by Allah! I never had any desire for it or for the world, even for a single day. But I was thinking about a child who will be from my loin(ẓahrī) and my eleventh descendant. He is the Mahdī who will fill [the earth] with justice just as it will be filled with injustice and unfairness. He will have a bewilderment and an occultation in which, some will be deviated and others will be guided.”

I asked,“O Amīr al Mu’minīn! Will this really happen?” He replied,“Yes, just as he will be created. O Aṣbagh! Your knowledge about this affair will be very limited. They are the best of this nation along with the righteous ones of this progeny.” I said,“What will happen after that?” He replied,“Then, Allah will do what He pleases, for surely, He has intentions, aims, and endings.”

590. Kifāyat al-athar8 : Abū l-Mufaḍḍal informed us from Abū `Abd-Allah Ja`far b. Muḥammad al-`Alawī, from `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn [al-Ḥasan] b. `Alī b. `Umar, from his father (Imam) `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn, peace be on him, that he used to say:“Call for me my son al-Bāqir [i.e. Muḥammad]!” I asked him,“O father! Why have you named him al-Bāqir?” On hearing this, he smiled-and I hadn’t seen him smiling before this.

Then, he performed a long prostration for Allah, the Exalted. I heard him say in his prostration,“O Allah! All Praise is for you O my Master, for all the blessings that You have endowed upon us Ahl al-Bait.” He repeated this sentence a number of times then said,“O my son! The Imamate is in his descendants until our Qā’im, peace be on him, rises. Then, he will fill it with fairness and justice.

He is an Imam and the father of the Imams [following him]. [He is] a mine of forbearance and the place of knowledge-which he will split as it should be split. By Allah, he is certainly the most similar of the people to the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family.” I asked,“How many Imams will follow him?” He replied,“Seven; and from them is the Mahdī who will emerge with the religion in the end of times.”

591. Dalā’il al-imāma9 : Through his chain of narrators (meaning Abū l-Ḥusayn Muḥammad b. Hārūn b. Mūsā from his father) from Abū `Alī al-Nahāwandī from Abū l-Qāsim b. Abī Ḥayya from Isḥāq b. Abī Isrā’īl from Abū `Ubaida al-Ḥaddād from `Abd al-Wāḥid b. Wāṣil al-Sadūsī from `Auf from Abū l-Ṣiddīq al-Nājī from Abū Sa`īd al-Khudrī that the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, said:“The Hour will not be established until the earth is filled with unfairness and oppression. Then, a person from my progeny-or he said from my Ahl al-Bait-will emerge. He will fill it with fairness and justice just as it will be filled with unfairness and oppression.’”

592. Ghaybat of al-Shaykh10 : Through his chain of narrators [meaning Ibrāhīm b. Salma, from Aḥmad b. Mālik al-Fazārī, from Ḥaidar b. Muḥammad al-Fazārī, from `Abbād b. Ya`qūb, from Naṣr b. Muzāḥim, from Muḥammad b. Marwān, from al-Kalbī, from Abū Ṣāliḥ,] concerning the saying of Allah, the Exalted:“Know that Allah will give life to earth after its death,” from ibn `Abbās who said:“It means, he will reform the earth through the Qā’im from the family of Muḥammad. ‘After its death’ means after the injustice [committed by] its people. ‘Indeed, We have made clear the signs for you’ with the Qā’im from the family of Muḥammad ‘so that you may understand.’” 11

593. Dalā’il al-imāma12 : Abū l-Ḥusayn Muḥammad b. Hārūn informed me from his father, from Abū `Alī al-Ḥasan b. Muḥammad al-Nahāwandī, from al-`Abbās b. Maṭar al-Hamdānī, from Ismā’īl b. `Alī al-Muqrī, from Muḥammad b. Sulaimān, from Abū Ja`far al-`Arajī, from Muḥammad b. Yazīd, from Sa`īd b. `Abāya, from Salmān al-Farsī who said:“Amīr al-Mu’minīn delivered a sermon in Medina. He had mentioned the fitna and its nearness, then, he spoke about the rising of the Qā’im from his descendant’s and that he would surely fill the earth with justice just as it would be filled with injustice... (to the end of the tradition in its entirety).”

594. Al-Kāfī13 : Aḥmad b. Idrīs, from Muḥammad b. Aḥmad, from Ja`far b. al-Qāsim, from Muḥammad b. al-Walīd al-Khazzāz, from al-Walīd b. `Uqba, from al-Ḥārith b. Ziyād, from Shu`ayb, from Abū Ḥamza who recounts:

I went to see (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah (al-Ṣādiq), peace be on him, and asked him,“Are you the master of this affair?” He replied,“No.” I asked again,“Is it your son?” He replied,“No.” I questioned again,“The son of your son?” He said,“No.” I asked,“The son of the son of your son?” He answered,“No.” I asked,“Then who is he?” He said, “He who will fill [the earth] with justice just as it will be filled with unfairness and injustice; during the concealment(fatra) of Imams, just as the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, was sent when there was an absence(fatra) of Messengers.

595. Farā’id al-simṭain14 : Narrated to us `Abd al-Wāḥid b. Muḥammad b. `Abdūs al-`Aṭṭār al-Nīsābūrī, [from `Alī b. Muḥammad b. Qutayba al-Nīsābūrī, from Ḥamdān b. Sulaimān al-Nīsābūrī], from Muḥammad b. Ismā’īl b. Bazī`, from Ṣāliḥ b. `Uqba, from his father, from (Imam) Abū Ja`far, Muḥammad b. `Alī al-Bāqir, from his father-the Master of the Worshippers-`Alī b. al-Ḥusayn, from his father-the Master of the Martyrs-al-Ḥusayn b. `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib, from his father-the Master of the Heirs-`Alī b. Abī Ṭālib, Allah be satisfied with them all, from the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, who said:

The Mahdī is from my descendants. He will have an occultation and bewilderment in which the nations will be deviated. [Then,] he will emerge with the treasures of the prophets, peace be on them, and will fill the earth with justice and fairness just as it will be filled with injustice and unfairness.

596. Tafsīr Furāt al-Kūfī15 : Narrated to me `Alī b. Muḥammad b. `Umar al-Zuhrī, through his sources from (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him, that Al-Ḥārith al-A`war said to (Imam) al-Ḥusayn, peace be on him, “O Son of Allah’s Messenger! May I be sacrificed for you! Inform me about the saying of Allah in His Book,‘By the Sun and its daylight’ (Quran 91:1) ?” He replied,“Woe to you, O Ḥārith! This [verse] refers to Muḥammad, the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family.” I asked, “And His saying,‘And the moon when it follows the sun’ (Quran 91:2) ?” He said,“This refers to Amīr al-Mu’minīn `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib, peace be on him, who follows Muḥammad, Allah's blessings be on him and his family.” I enquired, “‘And the day when it reveals it’ (Quran 91:3) ?” He said,“That refers to the Qā’im from the family of Muḥammad, Allah's blessings be on him and his family. He will fill the earth with fairness and justice.”

597. Al-Nukat al-I`tiqādiyya16 : From the Prophet, Allah's blessings be on him and his family:

If nothing remains from the world but one hour, Allah will prolong that hour until a person from my progeny emerges. His name will be my name and his epithet will be my epithet. He will fill the earth with fairness and justice just as it will be filled with injustice and unfairness. It is obligatory for every creature to follow him.

598. Al-Muḥkam wa l-mutashābih17 : Concerning the saying of Allah, the Exalted,“Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth...” 18 citing Tafsīr al-Nu`mānī through his chain of narrators from (Imam) al-Ṣādiq, from Amīr al-Mu’minīn, peace be on them:“Niche refers to the Messenger of Allah, Allah's blessings be on him and his family; the lamp is the [first] heir (al-waṣī) and the [following] heirs; the glass is al-Fāṭima, peace be on her; and the blessed tree is the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, and the shining star is the awaited Qā’im who will fill the earth with justice.”

The traditions with following numbers also show the above concept: 72, 80, 91, 95, 149, 153, 160, 161, 165, 181, 194, 205, 216, 217, 219, 221, 225, 226, 227 (which says,“Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, will fill the earth through him with light after its darkness and with justice after its injustice and knowledge after its ignorance ), 235, 241, 246, 247, 249, 253, 254, 257, 259, 263, 272, 275, 280, 281, 291, 295, 321, 339, 346, 353, 360, 365, 366, 367, 370, 371 (which says,“unfairness, injustice, and oppression” ), 374, 375, 378, 382, 390, 396, 400, 404, 406, 428, 429, 431, 451, 453, 454, 458, 460, 461, 463, 484, 485, 492 (which says,“he will fill the earth with justice just as it will be filled with injustice” ), 494, 497, 498, 500, 502, 505, 507, 508,511, 513, 524, 527, 528, 532, 535, 541, 543, 544, 547, 548, 551, 555, 556, 557, 563, 564, 567, 570, 581, 612, 653, 670, 701, 726, 748, 764, 775, 791, 796, 806, 807, 810, 828, 859, 910, 950, 983 (which says,“He will fill the earth with truth and justice” ), 1028, 1094, 1095, 1097, 1101, 1113, 1129, 1130, 1136, 1155-1160, 1195 (which says,“fairness and justice, light, and reasoning” ), 1198, and 1204.

References

1. Al-Fitan, vol. 5, chap. “Sīrat al-Mahdī...,” p. 192.

2. Al-Fitan, vol. 5, chap. “Sīrat al-Mahdī...,” pp. 192-93.

3. Al-Fitan, vol. 5, chap. “Sīrat al-Mahdī...,” p. 193 ; Kashf al-ghumma, vol. 2, p. 468 (short version).

4. Al-Musnad, vol. 3, p. 36; Kanz al-`ummāl, vol. 14, p. 271, no. 38691; `Iqd al-durar, chap. 1, p. 16, and chap. 3, pp. 36-37; Dalā’il al-imāma, chap. “Ma`rifat wujūb al-Qā’im,” p. 249, no. 40; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 1, p. 82, no. 22, citing what has been gathered by al-Ḥāfiẓ Abū Nu`aim.

5. Kanz al-`ummāl, vol. 14, p. 586, no. 39659.

6. Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, chap. 30, pp. 317-318, no. 4; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 3, p. 133, no. 5; I`lām al-warā, sect. 2, chap. 1, pp. 401-402.

7. Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, chap. 26, pp. 288-289, no. 1.

I say: It is clear that when he says “my eleventh descendant,” he is obviously referring to the eleventh Imam from his descendant’s-who is al-Mahdī, may my soul be sacrificed at his feet-and its first chain of narrators is definitely correct.

A similar tradition can be found in Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 4, pp. 60-61, no. 4: “‘I am thinking about the child who will be from my loin (ẓahrī). He is the Mahdī who will fill it with fairness and justice just as it will be filled with unfairness and injustice. He will have a bewilderment and an occultation in which some people will deviate and others will be guided.’ I asked, ‘O Amīr al-Mu’minīn! How long will this bewilderment and occultation last?’ He replied, ‘A period of time...’” In this version, “my eleventh descendant” has not been recorded. In some versions “from the loin of my eleventh descendant” has been recorded but it is unclear if this is a scribal error or a variation in the contents of the books. [We don’t know] how this happened while the copy that the learned scholar, al-Qummī, regarded as original for its first edition, which he corrected and compared with numerous ancient manuscripts, did not contain any of these two additions!

What is understood from Biḥār al-anwār regarding the compatibility of the contents of Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī with that of al-Kāfī in the reply to the question about the duration of bewilderment and occultation, is inconsistent with the copy of Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī which we possess. For, he said: “a period of time (sibtun min al-dahr)” which is different to what has been recorded in al-Kāfī, the contents of which we will soon mention with their wordings. ‘Sibtun min al-dahr’ means a period of time which can be long or short.

Similarly, the contents of the printed version of the old handwritten manuscript of al-Ikhtiṣāṣ are also incompatible with that of al-Kāfī. Also, it does not have the question about the duration of bewilderment and occultation.

Al-Ikhtiṣāṣ, chap. “Ithbāt al-a’imma,” p. 209, with the difference that he said: “But I was thinking of the child who will be from the loin of my eleventh descendant; he is the Mahdī who will...” Apparently this is incorrect, because Imam Ḥasan al-`Askarī- the father of Imam al-Mahdī, peace be on him-is without doubt the ninth descendant of Amīr al-Mu’minīn, peace be upon him. Therefore, al-Majlisī has written in Mir`āt al-`uqūl that “it means from the loin of the eleventh Imam and ‘my descendant’ is used to describe the new-born... (to the end).

Dalā’il al-imāma, p. 289, which is like what was in al-Ikhtiṣāṣ except that it ends like this: “I asked, ‘O Amīr al-Mu’minīn! For how long will this bewilderment and this occultation last?’ He replied, ‘Why [do you want to know]? How [do you expect] to have the knowledge of this affair, O Aṣbagh? They are the chosen ones of this nation and the righteous ones of this progeny.’”

Kifāyat al-athar, chap. 29, pp. 219-220, no.2, which says, “but I was thinking about the child who will be from my loin; my eleventh descendant who is the Mahdī. He will fill it with justice just as it will be filled with injustice and unfairness. He will have a bewilderment and occultation in which some people will deviate and others will be guided... (to the end of the tradition).” It must be noted that he has not recorded the entire tradition.

Al-Kāfī, vol. 1, p. 338, no. 7, with the difference: “I asked, ‘O Amīr al-Mu’minīn! How long will this bewilderment and occultation last?’ He said, ‘Six days or six months or six years.’” And also in the end: “for surely, He has alterations [in destinies], intentions, aims,

and endings (badā’āt wa ‘irādāt wa ghāyāt wa nahāyāt).’” The copies vary in his saying, “from my loin, my eleventh descendant.”

Ghaybat al-Shaykh, pp. 103-104, same as al-Kāfī; Ithbāt al-waṣiyya, which is also the same as al-Kāfī which says, “from my loin.” Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 6, chap. “Al-Nuṣūṣ `ala...,” pp. 357-358, no. 20, citing al-Kāfī, which also records ‘from my loin’ but he has dropped the question and answer concerning the duration of bewilderment and occultation just as he has dropped the last part of the tradition. Perhaps, he has done so because he was uncertain about what he had dropped as it was in contrast to the contents of the remaining part of the tradition and even that of other traditions.

It is apparent that what has been recorded in al-Kāfī-regarding the answer (to the question) about the duration of bewilderment and occultation-is incompatible with his saying: “He will have an occultation and bewilderment in which some people will deviate and others will be guided,” because of the importance of the occultation, the examination of the people by it, the firmness of the deviated on their deviation, and the guided on their guidance. An occultation and bewilderment of merely six days, cannot be the cause of the bewilderment and deviation of the people and the same holds true for six months or six years. Once this time passes [the bewilderment] will be over but when its period is prolonged and extended, then some people will be deviated in it and will remain steadfast in their deviation.

To sum it up, the contents of the tradition in al-Kāfī are indeed confusing and muddled but there is no need to constrain ourselves to justify it because its chain is weak and because a narration with a correct chain and wording devoid of any disturbance and disorder and in accordance with other traditions exists [which opposes it]. This narration is what al-Ṣadūq has recorded in Kamāl al-dīn in one of his two chains of narrators for this tradition: “From his father and Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan, may Allah be satisfied with them, from Sa`d b. `Abd-Allah... (to the end of what we already cited from him).” This (tradition) is reliable and others cannot be relied upon because of their disturbance and disorder, the variations in the different versions of the texts, and the weakness of the chain of narrators due to some of its narrators being unknown (majhūl).

One can rely on what has been narrated in Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī and Kifāyat al-athar because their text does not contain the disturbance and disorder (of al-Kāfī’s tradition) and the weakness in their chain of narrators is compensated by their harmony with the other traditions.

If someone says: al-Shaykh (al-Ṭūsī) has recorded this tradition in his al-Ghayba with an authentic chain of narrators which also has the question about the duration of bewilderment and occultation and the same answer found in al-Kāfī has been mentioned; Then, we would answer: It has been narrated in Al-Kāfī-with a chain of narrators which consists of some unknown narrators (majāhīl)-and al-Shaykh has recorded it using the wording of al-Kāfī through two chains of narrators, the first is the weak chain used in al-Kāfī but the second is other than that and is correct and authentic. Apparently, the latter is the shortened chain mentioned by al-Ṣadūq in Kamāl al-dīn and it is the one which we have relied on. It is clear for anyone who is skilled in the knowledge of traditions that the wordings of the tradition in Ghaybat al-Shaykh are exactly like those of al-Kāfī.

This is all we will say about the chain of narrators and the text of the tradition recorded in al-Kāfī. Furthermore, the consistency of the text recorded in Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī-who was also the scribe of al-Kulainī-should also be taken into account.

The contents of this tradition in al-Kāfī are similar to the contents of the tradition recorded by al-Ṣadūq in Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, chap. 31, pp. 323-324, no. 8, through his chain of narrators from our master Imam Zain al-`Ābidīn. We did not find some of the narrators in the rijāl books. This narration comprises of the duration of the short occultation: “Surely, our Qā’im will have two occultations; one of them will be longer than the other. The first will last for six days, six months, or six years, but the second, will become so long that most of those who believed in this affair (i.e. Imamate) will reject it and no one will remain steadfast in it except those who have strong certitude and correct recognition. (Those) who will not become discomforted because of what we have decreed or decided and will submit completely to us Ahl al-Bait.” The same things that we said about the tradition in al-Kāfī can also be mentioned here. To that we will add: six days or six months cannot be used to describe the meaning of occultation in such situations.

Apparently, this tradition is in contradiction with that found in al-Kāfī and it is not correct to reconcile between them. This tradition cannot be used to verify what al-Aṣbagh has narrated-like what our Shaykh, al-Majlisī, has done-just as al-Aṣbagh’s tradition cannot be verified using this tradition. All we can say in such situations is that the owners of these traditions-i.e. the Ahl al-Bait, peace be on them-know their meanings best.

It is wrong to justify this narration-with its weak chain and troubling contents that have restricted the duration of the occultation to six days, six months, or six years- using the concept of badā’, which is one of the most important things on which the foundations of Prophethood and the benefits of dispatching the Messengers and sending down the Holy Books and even the system of religion, the world, legislation, and creation are laid. Because we believe badā’ will change only those things which can be proved by intellect (`aql) or sharia; things like death, illness, sustenance, calamities, afflictions, and etc., which can be changed by prayers, giving charity, bonding with relatives, and even through treatment with medicine. Also, any action which is effective in advancing or postponing the time of death or repelling calamities, changing blessings or reducing or increasing them-which we have proved elsewhere-are from the same category. Allah, the Exalted, says: “Allah erases what He wills and keeps (what He wills) and with Him is the Mother Book” (Quran 13:39), “Surely Allah does not change what is with a nation until they change what is with themselves” (Quran 13:11), “Had the people of the towns believed and were God-fearing, we would have certainly opened [or expanded] for them blessings from the sky and the earth, but they denied so we punished them because of what they used to do” (Quran 7:96), “If you be grateful, I will certainly give you more and if you be ungrateful, [then] My punishment is indeed severe” (Quran 14:7). It has also been narrated that “Protect your faith by giving charity and protect your wealth by paying zakāt and repel the waves of calamities through supplications” (Nahj al-balāgha, wisdom no. 146), and also “Bonding with relatives (ṣilat al-raḥim) increases age, prevents severe death, and keeps away poverty,” (Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 74, p.174).

8. Kifāyat al-athar, chap. 32, pp. 237-238, no. 2; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 36, chap. 44, pp. 388-389, no. 3, citing Kifāyat al-athar with this chain: “`Alī b. al-Ḥusayn b. `Umar b. al-Ḥusayn, from Ḥusayn b. Zaid, from his (paternal) uncle `Umar b. `Alī, from his father.”

9. Dalā’il al-imāma, p. 249, no. 40.

10. Ghaybat al-Shaykh, p. 175, no. 131; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 5, p. 53, no. 32; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, sect. 12, p. 501, no. 287, and sect. 59, p. 581, no. 762; Muntakhab al-anwār al-muḍī’a, p. 18; al-Maḥajja, pp. 221-222.

11. Quran 57:17.

12. Dalā’il al-imāma, p. 253.

13. Al-Kāfī, vol. 1, chap. 138, pp. 340-341, no. 21; Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 10, pp. 186-187, no. 38; Mir`āt al-`uqūl, vol. 4, p. 54, no. 21. Al-Majlisī writes: “Absence (al-fatra) between two Messengers is the period in which sending Messengers is paused and their heirs (waṣīs) are hidden. The fatra of Imams means they are concealed and do not appear for a long duration or there is an absence of a powerful and dominant Imam. This includes the era of all the Imams except Amīr al-Mu’minīn; and the first explanation seems more probable.”

14. Farā’id al-simṭain, vol. 2, p. 335, no. 587; Yanābī` al-mawadda, chap. 94, p. 448; Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, chap. 25, p. 287, no. 5; I`lām al-warā, chap. 2, sect. 2; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 1, p. 72, no. 17; Ghāyat al-marām, chap. 141, p. 695, no. 30, and chap. 142, p. 695, no. 23; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, sect. 5, p. 461, no. 105.

15. Tafsīr Furāt al-Kūfī, p. 212; see Ta’wīl al-āyāt al-ẓāhira and you will find other traditions from al-Ḥalabī, al-Faḍl Abū l-Abbās, and Sulaimān al-Daylamī; all of whom have interpreted the verse, “And the day when it reveals it” to the Qā’im and his rising, peace be on him.

16. Al-Nukat al-i`tiqādiyya, p. 35.

17. Al-Muḥkam wa l-mutashābih, p. 27; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 2, chap. 9, sect. 26, p. 506, no. 468. It is appropriate that we mention here what has been mentioned in the book al-Kunā wa l-alqāb, chap. 3, pp. 68-69, under the name ‘Quftān’ citing A`yān al-Shī`a: “Shaykh Muḥammad Ṭāhā Najaf has narrated from al-Shaykh Aḥmad b. al-Shaykh Ḥasan b. al-Shaykh `Alī al-Najafī-the learned litterateur and poet (d. 1293 AH)-that he saw the

Awaited Imam, peace be on him, in a dream and complained to him. The Imam answered him with these two lines of poetry:

For us is the return after a prolonged occultation

And we will fill it with justice just as it was filled with unfairness

Soon my promise will be fulfilled, say to those who disbelieve in me

Indeed this is a truth that my Lord will certainly (fulfill)

18. Quran 24:35.

Section Twenty-Seven: The traditions that indicate he will have two occultations and one will be shorter than the other

Comprised of ten traditions

599. Al-Kāfī1 : Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā, from Muḥammad b. al-Ḥusayn, from ibn Maḥbūb, from Isḥāq b. `Ammār, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said:“The Qā’im will have two occultations: one of them will be short and the other long. In the first occultation, no one will know his whereabouts except his special followers (khāṣṣatu shī`atih). As for the other, no one will know his whereabouts except his special servants (khāṣṣatu mawālīh).”

600. Yanābī` al-mawadda2 : Citing al-Maḥajja fī mā nazala fī l-Qā’im al-Ḥujja, concerning the saying of Allah, the Exalted,“And he made it a firm word in his future generations so that they may return” (Quran 43:28) . From Thābit al-Thumālī, from Imam `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn, from his father, from his grandfather Amīr al-Mu’minīn `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib, may Allah be satisfied with him, who said:

This verse was revealed about us. Allah has put Imamate in the generation of al-Ḥusayn until the Day of Judgment. Our Qā’im will definitely have two occultations: one of them will be longer than the other and no one will remain steadfast in his Imamate except those who have strong certitude and correct recognition.

601. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī3 : Narrated to us Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Sa`īd, from `Alī b. al-Ḥasan, from `Abd al-Raḥmān b. Abū Najrān, from `Alī b. Mahziyār, from Ḥammād b. `Īsā, from Ibrāhīm b. `Umar al-Yamānī who said:“I heard (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him, say, ‘The master of this affair will surely have two occultations.’ I also heard him say, ‘The Qā’im will not rise while having anybody’s allegiance on his neck [i.e. The Qā’im will rise while he will not have pledged allegiance to anyone].’”

602. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī4 : Informed us Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Sa`īd, from al-Qāsim b. Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan b. Ḥāzim, from his book, from `Ubais b. Hishām, from `Abd-Allah b. Jabala, from Ibrāhīm b. al-Mustanīr, from al-Mufaḍḍal b. `Umar al-Ju`fī, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah al-Ṣādiq, peace be on him, who said:

The master of this affair will surely have two occultations: one of them will be prolonged to such an extent that some of them will say,“He has died,” some will say,“He has been killed,” and some of them will say,“He has gone.” No one from his companions [i.e. followers] will remain [steadfast] in his affair except for very few. No one will know his whereabouts from his friends or anybody else except a servant who looks after his affairs.

603. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī5 : Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Sa`īd b. `Uqda, from Muḥammad b. al-Mufaḍḍal b. Ibrāhīm b. Qays and Sa`dān [Sa`d] b. Isḥāq b. Sa`īd and Aḥmad b. al-Ḥusayn [al-Ḥasan] b. `Abd al-Malik and Muḥammad b. Aḥmad b. al-Ḥasan al-Qaṭawānī, all of them from al-Ḥasan b. Maḥbūb, from Ibrāhīm [b. Ziyād] al-Khāriqī, from Abū Baṣīr who said:

I said to (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, that (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him, used to say,“The Qā’im from the family of Muḥammad will have two occultations and one of them will be longer than the other.” He said,“Yes, and this will not occur until the family of so and so clash with each other, war rages (taḍīq al-ḥalqa), the Sufyānī appears, calamities intensify, death and killings engulf the people, and they seek refuge in the Sanctum of Allah (ḥaram Allāh) and the Sanctum of His Messenger (ḥaram rasūlih), Allah’s blessings be on him and his family.”

604. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī6 : `Abd al-Wāḥid b. `Abd-Allah, from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Rabāḥ, from Aḥmad b. `Alī al-Ḥimyarī, from al-Ḥasan b. Ayyūb, from `Abd al-Karīm b. `Amr, from al-`Alā b. Razīn, from Muḥammad b. Muslim al-Thaqafī, from (Imam) al-Bāqir Abū Ja`far, peace be upon him, who said:“The Qā’im will have two occultations. In one of them, [some will say] ‘he has perished’ and [others will say,] ‘No one knows where he is.’”

605. Al-Kāfī7 : Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā and Aḥmad b. Idrīs, from al-Ḥasan b. `Alī al-Kūfī, from `Alī b. Ḥassān, from `Abd al-Raḥmān b. Kathīr, from al-Mufaḍḍal b. `Umar who said:

I heard (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, say,“The master of this affair will have two occultations: in one of them, he will return to his family. As for the other, [some will say] ‘he has perished’ and [others will say,] ‘No one knows where he is.’” I asked,“What should we do when this happens?” He replied,“When somebody claims [to be him], ask him about matters that only someone like him can answer.”

606. Al-Kāfī8 : Al-Ḥusayn b. Muḥammad, from Ja`far b. Muḥammad from al-Qāsim b. Ismā’īl al-Anbārī, from Yaḥyā b. al-Muthannā, from `Abd-Allah b. Bukair, from `Ubaid b. Zurāra, from Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said:“The Qā’im will have two occultations. In one of them, he will be present during the Hajj season; he will see the people but they will not be able see him.”

607. `Iqd al-durar9 : From (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah al-Ḥusayn b. `Alī, peace be on him, who said:“The master of this affair-meaning the Mahdī, peace be on him-will have two occultations. One of them will become so elongated that some will say, ‘he has died,’ others will say, ‘he has been killed,’ and others will say, ‘he has gone.’ No one will be aware of his whereabouts, not his friends nor anybody else, except the servants who look after his affairs.”

The following tradition also proves the above concept: 254.

References

1. Al-Kāfī, vol. 1, chap. “Fī l-ghayba,” p. 340, no. 19; Mir`āt al-`uqūl, vol. 4, p. 52, no. 19; Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 10, p. 170, no. 2, with a slight difference. Al-Nu`mānī has also recorded this tradition on p.170, no. 1: “From ibn `Uqda, from `Alī b. al-Ḥasan al-Taimulī, from `Umar b. Uthmān, from al-Ḥasan b. Maḥbūb, from Isḥāq b. `Ammār al-Ṣairafī, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said, ‘The Qā’im will have two occultations: one will be long and the other short. In the first occultation, his special followers (khāṣṣatu shī`atih) will know his whereabouts. As for the other, no one will know his whereabouts except his special servants.’” In this tradition, the long occultation has been mentioned before the shorter one which should have been first. This does not affect our goal and intention for mentioning this tradition.

2. Yanābī` al-mawadda, chap. 71, p. 427; al-Maḥajja fī mā nazala fī l-Qā’im al-Ḥujja, p. 200, under verse 43:28.

3. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, p. 171, no. 3.

4. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, pp. 171-172, no. 5.

5. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, pp. 172-173, no. 7; Dalā’il al-imāma, sect. “Ma`rifat mā warada min al-akhbār fī wujūb al-ghayba,” p. 293, to his saying: “He said, ‘Yes.’”

6. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, p. 173, no. 8.

7. Al-Kāfī, vol. 1, chap. 138, p. 340, no. 12; Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 10, pp. 175-176, no. 9, which says: “He will return in one of them” and “Then ask him about those great matters that only someone like him can answer”; Mir`āt al-`uqūl, vol. 4, p. 54, no. 20.

I say: When he speaks about him returning in one of the occultations to his family, he might mean that the his whereabouts will still be known to his special (followers) and that they will be in touch with him-may my father and mother be sacrificed for him-either through correspondence or the privilege of directly meeting him or through representatives and ambassadors between him and his followers. Al-Majlisī, may Allah have mercy on him, says: “‘He will return to his family,’ means the dependents of his father or to his representatives and ambassadors. ‘Only someone like him can answer,’ means that only someone like the Qā’im, peace be on him, can answer such questions that are known to no one except an Imam; things like informing all the people about the unseen and questions about difficult issues and the sciences that only they have knowledge about. If he answers these correctly-and his answers are in accordance with what has reached you from their forefathers, peace be on them-then know that he is the Imam; and this [questioning] must be specifically performed by the knowledgeable scholars.”

8. Al-Kāfī, vol. 1, chap. 138, p. 339, no. 12; Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 10, pp. 175-176, no. 16; Mir`āt al-`uqūl, vol. 4, p. 47, no. 12.

9. `Iqd al-durar, chap. 5, p. 134; al-Burhān fī `alāmāt Mahdī ākhir al-zamān, chap. 12, pp. 171-172, no. 4; Bishārat al-Islām, chap. 4, p. 81, no. 4.

The esteemed Shaykh, ibn Abī Zainab al-Kātib al-Nu`mānī, writes: “The traditions which mention that the Qā’im, peace be on him, will have two occultations are regarded by us as true and authentic, Praise be to Allah. Allah has made clear what the Imams, peace be on them, had said and has shown the proof of their truthfulness in these traditions. The first occultation, is the occultation in which there were ambassadors in it-whom connected the Imam and the people. The ambassadors were appointed from amongst apparent and prominent personalities. Difficult sciences, abstruse talks of wisdom, and the answer to all the hard and problematic questions which were asked were delivered by them. This was the short occultation; whose time has expired and its period has come to an end. The second occultation is the one in which the ambassadors and emissaries were removed because of an affair desired by Allah, the Exalted, and the strategy which He had implemented amongst His creation, so that those who claim (to follow) this affair will be sifted, examined, tested, separated, and purified-just as Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, says, ‘Allah will not leave the believers in the state which you are in until He distinguishes the evil from the good; nor will Allah inform you of the unseen...’ (Quran 3:179). Indeed, this time has certainly come and may Allah make us steadfast in the truth and make us one of those who will not pass through the sieve of fitnas. This is the meaning of the saying that ‘he will have two occultations.’ At the end, we ask Allah to hasten the relief (faraj) of His friends and appoint us amongst the best of those who obey him, and the purest of those who follow him, and from the best of those who He deems fit for and has selected to help His friend

and Caliph. Surely, He is the Master of kindness, the Munificent, the Benefactor” (Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, pp. 173-174).

In I`lām al-warā, sect. 1 of the 3rd chap., 2nd part of the 4th pillar, it has been mentioned that “the traditions of occultation precede the era of al-Ḥujja, peace be on him, and even the era of his father and grandfather, and that Shia traditionalists have immortalized them in their Principles (Uṣūl books) compiled during the time of the two masters, al-Bāqir and al-Ṣādiq, peace be on them, and traced (their chains) from the Holy Prophet and the Imams, peace be on them, one after the other, and this is why the belief in the Imamate of the Master of the Time is correct; because he possesses these attributes and an occultation that has been mentioned amongst his attributes and no one can refute this.” He then says: “Amongst the reliable Shia traditionists and authors is al-Ḥasan b. Maḥbūb al-Zarrād who wrote the book al-Mashīkha more than a hundred years before the period of occultation-which amongst the Shia Uṣūl books is more famous than the book of al-Muzanī and its kind. He has recorded in it some of what we have mentioned about the occultation. All these occurred just as they had been foretold and everything that they had guaranteed occurred without any variation. From these, is what he narrated from Ibrāhīm al-Khāriqī, from Abū Baṣīr, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah... (he then mentions the fifth tradition in this chapter and says,) see how the two occultations have occurred for the Master of the Affair, peace be on him, exactly like how the aforementioned narrations from his forefathers and ancestors had guaranteed” (Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, pp. 173-174).

Al-Mufīd writes in al-Fuṣūl al-`ashara: “The traditions narrated from the late Imams of the family of Muḥammad, peace be upon them, complement each other in concluding that the awaited Qā’im must definitely have two occultations and one of them will be longer than the other. In the shorter occultation, some special people will have news about him and in the longer occultation, no one from the public will know of his abode except for a few of his reliable companions who will have the privilege of being at his service and who will only serve him and no one else. Such traditions have existed in the writings of the Shia Imāmī authors before the birth of Abū Muḥammad (al-`Askarī), his father, and his grandfather, peace be on them. There truth became apparent with the advent of the representatives and ambassadors-whom we already named, may Allah have mercy on them-and the truthfulness of the narrators also became clear with the start of the major occultation. This was indeed a magnificent sign about the truthfulness of the Shia Imāmī belief.”

I say: The fact that these traditions were recorded in al-Kāfī during the minor occultation, and the minor occultation ending and the beginning of the second occultation after it, is also evidence of their authenticity. For `Alī b. Muḥammad al-Samurī, may Allah be satisfied with him-who was the last ambassador-passed away in the month of Sha`bān, 329 AH, while al-Kulainī died in 328 AH. According to another report, al-Kulainī died in 329 AH, the same year in which the fourth ambassador died; who had died in the middle of Sha`bān, 329AH. Others believe that even if al-Kulainī died in the year 329 AH, it was before the death of al-Samurī. The fact that he has recorded these traditions in al-Kāfī during the minor occultation is by itself proof of their authenticity and correctness.

You should know that the occultation of our master Imam al-Mahdī-may my father and mother be sacrificed for him-has also been mentioned in the poems of Shia poets like al-Ḥimyarī (d. 173 AH), who said in his poem (see al-Ghadīr, vol. 2, p. 247) addressed to our master al-Ṣādiq, peace be on him,

We have been informed about the successor of Muḥammad

And what has been said is not a lie

That the master of this affair will be not be found and will become unseen

Hidden, like he who is fearful and waiting

Then the wealth of the lost one will be distributed as if

. .

He will live for some time then will rise

Like the rising of a Star in the horizon

I hold my Lord as a Witness that your saying is a proof

Upon all the creatures, obedient and sinners

That the Master of the Affair and the Qā’im

Is the one whom my soul flies to with delight

For him is an occultation which is inevitable

And Allah sends salutations upon this concealed person

He will stay thus for a while and then appear

And fill with justice the East and the West