Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Muqaddamah of Ibne Khaldun

Ibne Khaldun has authored a six-volumed book of history entitled “Kitabul Abarwa Deevanal Mubtada wal Khabar fi Ayyamal Arabe wal Ajam wal Barbar”. This book of Ibne Khaldun did not become as popular as the Muqaddamah written on it. The popularity of Ibne Khaldun is more associated with this book. This Muqaddamah is also very popular in Europe, as well. The original Arabic bookhas been translated into many languages; the English and Urdu translations are easily obtainable in India. Moreover, in some universities this Muqaddamah is a part of the final examination of the Arabic course (Faazil).

Itcan be said that this Muqaddamah is the seventh part of Ibne Khaldun’s book of history. The bookwas written in a short period of eight to nine months, detailing the principles of history and varied other aspects. It is the collection ofall logical and narrative (from traditions) sciences. With all this is also an independent analysis by Ibne Khaldun.

Some people consider the history book of Ibne Khaldun to be the body and the Muqaddamah, the spirit.As, it is this Muqaddamah which has brought him the actual fame.

We have taken this very Muqaddamah to be our subject and review the analysis of Ibne Khaldun. For thistreatise we have referred to the Urdu translation of the Muqaddamah by Maulana Raaghib Rehmani Dehlavi and published by Aeteqaad Publishing House, Delhi. It is in2 volumes. The 52nd part of the second volume is concerning Imam Mahdi (as) and comprises of 18 topics.

Traditions about Imam Mahdi (a.s.)

Ibne Khaldun has quotedtwenty one traditions from the companions, and brings them on pages 158 to 173 in the second volume. The narrators include Hazrat Ali (a.s.), Jabir (a.r.), Ibne Masud, Umme Salma, Abu Saeed-e-Khudri, Abdullah ibne Masud, Mohammed ibne Haatiyah, Ibne Abbas, Thaubaan, Abdullah ibne Harith ibne Harr, Abu Hurairah, Qurah ibne Ayaas, Ibne Umar, Talha ibne Abdullah, Mujahid, Umme Habibah, amongst others.

The narrations are from disparate chains of narrators. Ibne Khaldun himself acknowledges that Tirmizi, Abu Dawood, Baraaz, Ibne Majah, Hakim,Tabrani and Abu Yaala Masuli have brought these traditions in their books.And then he writes, “The rejectors of Mahdi doubt the chain of narrators of these traditions, as we shall see. It is an acclaimed rule that “doubt precedes justification”.

Onthat account if a narrator is doubted - for instance if he is negligent, or he has a poor memory, or if some weakness is found in him, or his opinion is not good then this will affect the correctness of the tradition. The tradition will now no longer fit the criteria of authenticity. (Muqaddamah, 2/158)

Reminder

From the above it becomes clear that the respected Allamah rejects all traditions wherein the narrator is doubted (Muqaddamah, 2/158) directed by the principle ‘doubt precedes justification’.

The doubted traditions

Ibne Khaldun brings twenty one traditions regarding Imam Mahdi (as) after the above explanation, and casts doubt on the narrators and chains of each one of them with these words, ‘Because the scholars of traditions have doubted these traditions (concerning Imam Mahdi (as)). Suhaili Abu Bakr Khaithamah has collected all the traditions about Mahdi (as). We present them here.’ (Of thetwenty one traditions we consider only two of them). TraditionOne :

Jabir (ar) says: “The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him (and his progeny) said,The denier of Mahdi is an infidel; and the rejector of Dajjal, a liar; and about the denier of the sun rising from the West, I think he said something similar.” The narrators of this tradition are Malik ibne Anas from Mohammed ibne Munkadar from Jabir. This series is mentioned by Abu Bakr Asqaaf in his Tavaaedul Akhbaar’. Doubt: There is a lot of disorder in the chain of narrators reaching Malik ibne Anas.And even Abu Bakr Asqaaf himself is accused by the Ahle Hadith of fabricating traditions.

TraditionTwo :

Ibne Masud narrates from Holy Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him (and his progeny), that even if one day remains for the end of this world, the Almighty will prolong that day such that He will send a person from me or my family, whose name will be my name and his father’s name will be my father’s name (Tirmizi, Abu Dawood - these are the words of the narrator of Abu Dawood). The chain of narrators is Aasim ibne Abi Najoor from the famous reciter Zareen Habeesh from Abdullah ibne Masood.

Note: Tirmizi and Abu Dawood bring this tradition with their own chain of narrators. Abu Dawood has maintained silence over this tradition. In his famous treatise Abu Dawood writes for whichever traditionI maintain silence, is self-explanatory.(Capable of acceptance as a proof).

Doubt : Imam Ahmad says that he (Aasim) is a pious man, reciter of the Holy Quran, a good and honest person. However, A’amash has a better memory. (Here he is suggesting Aasim has a poor memory). In Ajali’s words, opinions about Aasim differ, that is he was considered weak (narrator).

Mohammed ibne Saeed says Aasim was honest, yet he often made mistakes. Abdur Rehman ibne Abi Khatim says, “I told my father, Aasim is called to be reliable.My father commented, ‘He (Asim) is not of that calibre (of being reliable).’“ Ibne Haaliyah has discredited him and has stated, Aasim is of weak memory.

Abu Hatim remarks, “According to me he is on the level of truthfulness (i.e. he is truthful), and is a good traditionalist (i.e. his traditions are acceptable), but is not a memoriser of traditions. Nesai has another opinion about him. Abu Jafar Aquiliavers: Only he had poor memory. Darqutni opines, “His (Asim’s) memory was weak”. Yahya Al Qataan declares, “I have observed the person (the narrators) called Aasim who has poor memory. I have heard Shebasay , that Asim b. Abi Bakhud narrated a tradition for us, although people did not have a good opinion about him.” (Muqaddamah, 2/159-160)

Note: After these doubts, Ibne Khaldunmakes an attempt to answer an objection, “If someone contends that Bukhari and Muslim too have quoted from Asim, and hence Asim is reliable. The reply is, Bukhari and Muslim have not only brought his traditions, but they have brought them along with other narrators. Thus the actual narrator is someone else and this (quoting by Bukhari and Muslim) is only for further substantiation.” (Muqaddamah 2/160)

Fearing, doubts will be casted on other narrators of Bukhari and Muslim, Ibne Khaldun writes (in their defence). The scholars without exception adjudge the traditions of Bukhari and Muslim to be correct. This unanimity of the scholars is ie most potent proof and the best evidence for the defence and support of the traditions.

(Muqaddamah, 2/158)

We make the following conclusionsom the writings of Ibne Khaldun and the doubts he raises.

1) Those traditions from doubted narrators are not authentic.

2) Doubts have been casted on the traditions of Mahdaviyat and consequently they are unacceptable.

3) If the narrator on whom doubt is casted is a narrator of Bukhari and Muslim, the validity of the traditionwill not be affected , since the scholars are uanimous about the correctness of Bukhari and Muslim.

It should be noted that after bringingtwenty one traditions about Imam Mahdi (a.s.) and after discarding them, Ibne haldun writes: “These are all the traditions which the scholars bring about Mahdi and his re-appearance at the end of time. You have noticed that all these are doubted, and it is improbable that any has been spared.” (Muqaddamah 2/173)

By calling these traditions rare Ibne haldun has not only misled the Muslims, it has actually deviated some. Now let us make it clear that neither the traditions about Mahdi are rare nor by doubting thenarrators the authenticity of the traditions can be shrivelled. Because the truth is:

(1) The chains of reliable traditions are not in need of scrutiny. Thus by terming the traditions of Mahdaviyat unauthentic by doubting the narrators is against the principles of ‘science of traditions’.

(2) Ibne Khaldun contradicts himself as on the one hand he brings the traditions fromtwenty one different narrators and on the other hand declares them rare.

(3) Ibne Khaldun has cited the traditions of Mahdaviyat from a section of prominent scholars like Tirmizi, Abu Dawood, al Baraaz, Ibne Majah,Tabarani and so on. Does this not establish that the doctrine of Mahdaviyat is a fundamental belief and Muslims are unanimous aboutit. Is it not for this reason that the recent scholars have quoted them?

(4) The rule, ‘doubt precedes justification’is framed by the scholars of traditions, and is not based on Quran and traditions.Besides many of the traditionalists have rejected it. So why has the respected scholar Ibne Khaldun employed onlythis rule to declare the traditions of Mahdaviyat weak?

(5) It is incorrect to label the tradition as weakon account of a narrator with weak memory or negligence, as the traditions of Mahdaviyat are authentic on the basis of narrative language, concept and all other aspects.

(6) Ibne Khaldun has himself confessed, “It is pronounced and famous amongst the Muslims that during the end of time, a person will appear from the Ahle Bait who will consolidate the religion and spread justice...” This determines the unity of the Muslims on the doctrine of Mahdaviyat, and this itself is the best proof for the support of this belief.

The article can continue with the flow of such arguments. However, we have demonstrated the validity of this doctrine from varied aspects in the previous issues. Therefore, the claim of Ibne Khaldun of calling the traditions of Mahdaviyat weak is baseless.

Furthermore, itshould be noted that Ibne Khaldun was not a traditionalist but was a historian. Thus seeking his opinion to determine the authenticity of traditions is unfitting.And a traditionalist is always preferred instead.

The famous scholar of the Ahle Sunnah, Ahmad ibne Sadeeq Shafeei, rejecting this opinion of Ibne Khaldun, wrote a book, ‘Abraaz al Wahm al Maknoon min Kalaam-e-IbneKhaldoon’ . This educative book comprising of 150 pageswas written in Arabic and printed in Damascus in 1437 A.H. The author very proficiently proves the traditions concerning Mahdi authentic and exposes Ibne Khaldun.

OAlmighty ! Protect all Muslims from deviation.

Imam Mahdi (A.S.) in Sehah-e-Sitah

The belief in Imam Mahdi (A.S.) has been a topic of debate since the very inception of Islam. Most of the Islamic scholarsare so deeply drowned in the pit of prejudice that they deny the existence of Imam Mahdi (A.S.) in its entirety. They assert that it is an idea fabricated by theShias which has no origin either in Quran or in Prophetic traditions and is an unfounded belief.

As far as Quran is concerned,time and again in several articles of Yamahdi.com we have proved the point.God-willing in this article we shall try to prove the holy existence of Imam Mahdi (A.S.) from the Prophetic traditions.

We shall also try to establish that not onlythis belief is not concocted by Shi’te zealots but it is such a foundation of Islam which cannot be rejected. The Holy Prophet (S.A.) and his companions were awaiting such a ‘Reformer’ who will establish justice and equity in the world and thus fulfill the Divine Promise of “so that it (Islam) may prevail upon all the religions” (Quran).

Why Sehah-e-Sittah?

Often it happens that when Shia Scholars bring some proofs, then immediately the Sunni learned men retort by, “If you prove it from Sehah-e-Sittah we will believe. We believe only in the references of Sehah-e-Sittah and nothing else.” How far their reply is correct or incorrect is beyond the limits of this article.

But it will not be out of place to mention that umpteen Sunni beliefs are not to be found in Sehah-e- Sittah. For instance the belief in ‘Ashrae Mubashshirah’, theseare those ten ‘fortunate’ companions of the Holy Prophet (S.A.) who were promised paradise in their lifetime.But , this belief Of Ahle-Sunnat is not to be found in any of the Sehah.Nevertheless in order to exhaust the arguments, we will confine our references and citations from Sehah Sittah alone.

Imam Mahdi (A.S.) is from the Holy Ahlebait (A.S.)

1- Hafiz Abu Abdullah Mohammad bin Yazid Al Qazvini narrates in his ‘Sunane-Ihn Majah’ that Hazrat Ali (A.S.) related from the Holy Prophet (S.A.) that :

“The Mahdi is from usAhlebait, Allah shall organize his affairs within one night.” (Sunane-lbn Majah, Kitabul Fitan, Tradition No. 4085). Bukhari has quoted the same tradition ditto in his ‘Tarikh’ but only Allah knows who advised him against quoting the tradition in his ‘Sahih’.

2- Saeed bin Musayyab relates that once we were sitting in the company ofUmme Salmah (R.A.) when we mentioned about Mahdi, she replied that I have heard the Holy Prophet (S.A.)saying : “The Mahdi is from the offspring of Fatema.”

3- Anas bin Malik related from the Holy Prophet (S.A.) that “We, the progeny of Abdul Muttalib viz. I, Hamza, Ali, Jafar, Hasan,Husain and Mahdi are the chiefs of inhabitants of Paradise.” 4- Abu Isa Mohammad bin Sauda narrates in his Sahihe-Tirmizi, that the Holy Prophet (S.A.)said :

“The world will not perish unless a man from my progeny will not rule on the land of Arabs-.” (Sahihe-Tirmizi, Kitabul Fitan, Chapter ofThe Reports on Mahdi’, Tradition No. 2230.)

Abu Isa opined that the tradition is also quoted from Ali (A.S.), Abu Saeed UmmeSalma and Abu Huraira. This is a correct and authentic tradition. Apart from this, classifying a separate chapter in his Sahih about Hazrat Mahdi (A.S.) itself speaks volumes about the importance of the subject. There are numerous such traditions from the Holy Prophecy (S.A.) which proclaim that the Mahdi will be only from Ahlebait (A.S.) and none else. Two conclusionscan be derived from such traditions.

Firstly, Haznit Mahdi (A.S.) is not an ordinary person. He is such an extraordinary and sublime person of whom the Holy Prophet (S.A.) is proud. He (S.A.) heavesa breathe of pride when he announces that Hazrat Mahdi (A.S.) is from his own progeny. Secondly, these traditions exposed and unmasked all those importers and pseudo-Mahdi is whowere neither related to the Holy Prophet (S.A.) nor were in any way linked to his Ahlebait (A.S.).

The ReappearanceOf Imam Mahdi (A.S.) Is Inevitable

Some persons reject the existence and the reappearance of Imam-e- Zaman (A.S.) because of his concealed birth,occultation and longevity. Today when the majority of the Islamic sects are scoffing at us because we are convinced of the existence of Imam Mahdi (A.S.) then it should not be in the least surprising because the believerswere always made the target of mockery. (Fordetails refer to Holy Quran).

The Holy Prophet (S.A.) had spoken a lot about Hazrat Mahdi (A.S.) and declared emphatically that Qiyamat will never occur unless Hazrat Mahdi (A.S.) does not arrive.Thus it has been quoted from the Holy Prophet (S.A.) that:

“If a single day remains from the age of this world then Allah will prolong that day to such an extent that, He will raise a man from my progeny on that particular day-.” (Sunane-Abi Daud, Kitabul Mahdi, Tradition No. 4282)

There are numerous such traditions in the books of ‘Sehah-e-Sittah’. Often a question arises that why always a similarity is struck between the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (A.S.) and the occurrence ofQiyamat ?

The reason is that Qiyamat is one of the promises of Allah, the Almighty, Who always fulfills His promises. Similarly, Hazrat Mahdi (A.S.) is also one of the promises of Allah.Hence occasionally, he is also referred as ‘Mahdi-e-Mauood’ (The Promised Mahdi) whose advent is mentioned in the Holy Quran in the following words:

“O Prophetsay ) Then await certainly I am awaiting too.” (Araf:81 )

Hence if Qiyamat is an irrefutable reality then the advent of Mahdi too is an incontrovertible fact.

Secondly the belief in Mahdaviyat is one of the fundamentals of Islam and as much a basic principle as Qiyamat is. This purports that the denial of the belief in Mahdaviyat is like the abnegation of abasic fundamental of Islam, and denial of any of the fundamentals of Islam is infidelity. All the same, Khwaja Kalan Qunduzi Hanafi narrates a tradition from the Holy Prophetthat :

“The one who denied the reappearance of Mahdi (A.S.) then it is as if he has disbelieved in all that which was revealed upon the (Prophet) Mohammad (S.A.).”

Is there any further proof required? Theconclusion which is derived after keen perusal of logical and traditional reasoning is that any one who denies the existence or the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (A.S.) will be an infidel and not a Muslim. Hazrat Mahdi (A.S.)And Justice:

Whenever the Holy Quran has mentioned about the aims of Prophets then it has mentioned about the establishment of justice as a chief objective of their mission. As itis said in the Holy Quran that:

“So that man may deal with justice.”

In Sehah Sittah whenever Hazrat Mahdi (A.S.)is mentioned , then along with it, his attributes also have been described. One of these descriptions is that when he will come, he will fill the earth with justice and equity as it would be fraught with injustice and inequity.

Forinstance “He will fill the earth with justice and equity as it would be rife with tyranny and oppression”. (Sunane-Abi Daud, Tradition Nos. 2283, 4282) Itcan be inferred from these traditions that the purpose of the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (A.S.) is the dissemination of justice. Secondly, when he will arrive then injustice and oppression would be rampant in the world.

The oppressorswould be obeyed and the disbelievers would be disgraced. Therewill he only one person who will turn the tide whose name will be on the name of Holy Prophet (S.A.) and his epithet will be same as that of the Prophet (S.A.). It will be the era of the fulfillment of Divine promises suchas :

“... The last era is for the pious men” (Araf:127 ) and “...So that if (Islam) may prevail upon all religions though the polytheists may resent.” (Tauba : 33) and people will realize the truth of the following verse :

“Say (‘0 Prophet) truth has come and falsehood vanished,Surely falsehood was bound to vanish.” (Bani Israil; 80) An Emphatic CommandFor The Believers:

The revolution of Hazrat Mahdi (A.S.) will not be an ordinary one. It will bring a sea change in the cosmic order in its wake. It is evident that for bringing about such an unparallel revolution Hazrat Mahdi (A.S ) will need a legion of companions who are determined and can endure all sorts of untold calamities in their way. Perhaps for this reason the Holy Prophet (S.A.) had laid emphasis on the believers to aid and assist Hazrat Mahdi (A.S.) when he reappears. He (S.A.) put the same in the following words:-

“So if you will see him then pledge allegiance to him even if you have to crawl on an iceberg because he is the Caliph of Allah, the Mahdi.” (Sunane-lbne-Majah, Tradition No. 4084)

It can be inferred from this tradition that it has been stressed to assist Hazrat Mahdi (A.S.) in all conditions,either in comfort or calamity .Alas ! the Muslims slaughtered the one whom the Holy Prophet (S.A.) regarded as his son in Karbala and denied the existence of one in whom he reposed all his hopes and expectations. Only Allah knows how this community will face Him and His Prophet (S.A.) on the day of Qiyamat.

Anyhow, all the topics discussed over here are extracted from Sehah-e-Sittah which are unchallengeable and undeniable. For, a majority of Sunni scholars agree that whoever dared to reject or question Sehah-e-Sittah has intact repudiated the Holy Prophet (S.A.) and has consequently disbelieved in Islam.Also it can be noticed that those compilers of Sahih who have not narrated the traditions regarding Hazrat Mahdi (A.S.) in their books have quoted the same in their other books.

If any of the Sehah does not contain a proper and adequate narration about him then it does not cast any serious impact on the veracity of the beliefs in Imam Mahdi (A.S.), because in other Sehah ithas been related redundantly. Here itwas mentioned only to apprise others that even Sehah-e-Sittah is not devoid of the traditions regarding Hazrat Mahdi (A.S.). This much should suffice to those who are skeptical of the veritahility of this pristine belief.

Imam Mahdi A.S. In The ViewOf Wahabis

After propounding Oura’nic and traditional arguments there remains no doubt amongst any Muslim, irrespective of his being Sunni, Shia, Wahabi or Non-Wahabi, regarding the belief in Imam Mahdi (A.S.) and it is proved beyond doubt that it is a genuine Islamic belief.But since the Wahabi sect is having a very narrow-minded belief about some of the concepts of Islam hence from its very inception, it has been a butt of rebuke from the Muslim scholars. In this briefarticle we will analyze the viewpoint of Wahabis regarding Imam Mahdi (A.S.).

Intact the following proofs will clarify that like other Muslim scholars even Wahabi Scholars believe in Mahdaviyat and they regard this belief as the culmination of the Islamic creed.

1- The Wahabi sect is an offshoot of the Ahle-Sunnah and like other Muslims,believe in Qur’an and traditions. They also have faith in the traditions of Sehah-e-Sittah and other authentic books. Since the traditions pertaining to Imam Mahdi (A.S.)are quoted from the Holy Prophet (S.A.) and are found in abundance in the books of traditions, hence they do believe in Imam Mahdi (A.S.).

2- Ibn Taimiyyah (exp. 728 A.H.) was a Hanbali scholar of7th - 8th century who is also known as the ideological leader of Wahabis. In his book ‘Minhaajus-Sunnah’ (which was a vehement assault on Shias), he considers the traditions regarding Hazrat Mahdi (A.S.) as authentic and says about him in the followingwords :

“Those traditions by which the advent of Imam Mahdi (A.S.) is expostulated are correct which are recorded by Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi, Ahmed Hanbal, and other traditionalists. For instance, the tradition of the Holy Prophet (S.A.) related by Ibn Mas’ud that:

“Even if a single day will remain from the eve of doomsday, Allah the Almighty will prolong that day to such an extent till He raises a man from my Ahle Bait (A.S.).”

3 - Shamsuddin Mohammad bin Abi Bakr, popularly known as Ibn Qayyum-e-Jauzi (exp. 751 A.H.), a noted celebrity of the Hanbali sect and an ardent follower and preacher of Ibn Taimiyah’s ideas, has compiled an entire book on the topic of Imam Mahdi (A.S.). He has adorned his book with the title of ‘Al-Mahdi’.

The same scholar has written another book by the name of ‘Al- Munaar Al Munif Fis-Sahih Waz Zaeef which is infact an explanation of Ibn Jauzi’s book ‘Al-Mauzoo’aat’. In this book in the 15th Chapter from Pg. 326 to 344, he has quoted some traditions regarding Imam Mahdi (A.S.) along with the discussion on the authenticity of the traditions. He has concluded that traditions pertaining to Imam Mahdi (A.S.) are genuine and a part of the Islamic tradition.

In the same book, he has written, while quoting from the book of ‘Abdul Husain Aberi ‘ that: “The traditions regarding Imam Mahdi (A.S.) are plenty (Mutawatir) and abundantly prove that he will be from the progenyofthe Holy Prophet (S.A.) .”

4- Allama Mohammad bin Ali Shaukani (exp. 1250 A.H.) was formerly a Zaidi who later on converted to Wahabism to become its prolific preacher in Yemen. He was such a staunch believer in Mahdaviyat that he wrote one whole book on the subject by the name of ‘Al-Tauzeeh Fi Tawatir Ma Ja’aa Fil-Mahdi wal-Dajjal wal MaseehThis book has been a major source of reference of most scholars. The following sentence from this book deservesattention : ”Those traditions which are narrated regarding Hazrat Mahdi (A.S.) are plenty. It is sufficient for him who possesses little faith and justice.”

5- Shaikh Abdul Mohsin bin Ahmad Abbad, an erudite professor of the Wahabiuniversity of Medina, has written a book by the name of ‘Aqidato Ahle-Sunnat wal-Asar Fil Mahdi Al-Muntazar’ in which he has debated that the belief in Mahdaviyat is not confined only to Shias but is a pure Islamic belief. The traditions regarding Mahdaviyat are continuous and believing in Hazrat Imam Mahdi (A.S.) is essential.

Hazrat Mahdi (A.S.) is from the progeny of Fatema Zahra (S.A.) and will reappear in the last era of the world. Moreover, he has enlisted the names of one twenty six companions who have quoted the traditions regarding Imam Mahdi (A.S.),thirty eight names of celebrated scholars and traditionalists who have related the traditions, of which four are compiler of the Sehahs. Then he has mentioned the namesoften great Sunni scholars who have written books on this subject.

Shaikh Abbad has written another book as a refutation to the book of his contemporary scholar from Kuwait whose name was Shaikh Abdullah bin Zaid who made some very strident objections on the belief. This book iscalled : ” Ar-Raddo Ala Man Kazeba bil Ahadith As Sahiha fil Mahdi.” In this article, first the vitriol objections of the Kuwaiti writer are quoted verbatim then he has them and later and later given fittings replies. Keeping these facts in mind, is there any Muslim who can doubt the veracity of thisbelief ? Is it possible that someone claims to be a Muslim but does not believe in this fundamentalcreed ?

May Allahhelps us in following the right path

Imamate and NahjulBalagha : A perspective

There is a famous tradition from the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) recorded by both - the Shias and the Ahle Sunnah traditionalists- ‘One who dies without recognizing the Imam of his time, dies the death of ignorance.’

This means that even if a person accepts and conforms to all the Islamic beliefs and puts in practice all the edicts, but dies without recognizing the Imam of his time, his death will be on ignorance and apostasy. Such a person is condemned to eternal Hellfire regardless of his deeds in this world.

This is because good deeds will only benefit a person provided his beliefs are correct, as espoused by the Quran and traditions. Hence, any person, who wants to secure himself from the raging fire of hell, should necessarily possess the recognition of the Imam of his time and not simply rely on his worship and virtuous deeds.

Two KindsOf Imams:

The Holy Quran has mentioned two types of leaders (Imams). The first type is the one who leads the people towards Hell. Allah declares in Surah Qasas: 41, ‘AndWe made them Imams who call to the Fire, and on the Day of Resurrection they shall not be assisted.’

It means that the end of the one who accepts such an Imam will be in Hell.

The second group of Imams guides the people by Allah’s command. Surah Sajdah: 24 points out ‘And We made of them Imams to guide byOur command when they were patient, and they were certain of Our communications.’ ‘Say: Is there any of your associates who guides to the truth? Say: Allah guides to the truth. Is He thenWho guides to the truth more worthy to be followed, or he who himself does not go aright unless he is guided?

What then is the matter with you; how do you judge?’ (SurahYunus : 35)

Hazrat Ali (a.s .) has described the characteristics of both kinds of Imams in his orations. ‘The reality of people is not understood by their names but by the pattern of their behavior and mannerisms. Just as clothes hide the defects of the body, external manners cloak the defects of the soul. A connection of the soul is a necessity between the Imam and the follower. If a person (i.e. Imam) is not pious in his own heart, he will not be able to guide his followers towards piety and servitude.

Hence if we desire Heaven and want to safeguard our eternal life from the chastisement of the Hellfire, then we have to search for an Imamwhose inner and outer selves both are complete manifestations of divine command. Such an Imammust necessarily be adorned with piety completely, i.e. must be an infallible.

We will discuss the characteristics of the Imam of Hellfire and the Imam who guides to the truth, in the light of the sermons of Hazrat Ali (a.s.). The Imam of the Hellfire:

‘...certainly, the worst man before Allah is the oppressive Imamwho has gone astray and through whom others go astray . He destroys the accepted Sunnah and revives abandoned innovations. I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) predict -On the Day of Judgement the oppressive Imam will be brought without anyone to support him or anyone to advance excuses on his behalf, and then he will be thrown into Hell, where he will rotate as the hand-mill rotates. Then eventually he will be confined to its hollow.’

(NahjulBalagha, Sermon 164, vol. 1, pg. 608-609, Ansariyan Publications)

An oppressor is not only the one who usurps the rights of others and persecutes others. The Quran declares, ‘...and whoever exceeds the limits of Allahthese it is that are theunjust.’ (SurahBaqarah : 229) These include those disobedient of Allah’s commands,who have violated His edicts and exceeded His limits. The Quran further proclaims, ‘and whoever did not judge by what Allah revealed, those are they that are the unjust.’

‘ ( Surah Maidah : 45)

If somebody makes additions to the religion or forbids an obligation, he has violated the divine command which tantamounts to injustice. Therefore, any person who has not been appointed an Imam by Allah and he claims this position for himself, he has transgressed the limits of Allah and has disregarded Allah’s orders.

He is a tyrannical and an oppressive leader, whose end has been described above in Hazrat All’s (a.s .) sermon. Indeed the Holy Quran condemns even those people as oppressors who befriend such persons - ‘...and whoever makes friends with them, these are the unjust.’

(SurahMumtahenah : 9)

Imam of light and guidance

Hazrat Ali (a.s .) outlines the characteristics of the just and rightly guided Imam, ‘You should know that among the creatures of Allah, the most distinguished person before Allah is the just Imam who has been guided (by Allah) and guides others.So , he stands by the recognised ways of the Prophet’s (s.a.w.a.) behaviour (Sunnah) and destroys the innovations. The (Prophet’s (s.a.w.a.)) ways are clear and they have signs, while innovations are also clear and they too have signs.’

(NahjulBalagha, Sermon 164, vol. 1, pg. 608, Ansariyan Publications) In another sermon, Hazrat Ali (a.s .) declares, ‘Certainly the Imams are the vicegerents of Allah over His creatures and they introduce Allah to His creatures. None will enter Paradise except he who recognisesthem (Imams) and knows Allah, and no one will enter Hell except he who rejects them and denies Him.

(Nahjul Balagha, Sermon 152, vol. 1, pg. 554, Ansariyan Publications)

He elaborates on this further, ‘0my Allah! You know that it was neither our (Ahle Bait) objective to seek power, nor to acquire anything from the treasures of the world. Rather we wanted to restore the signs ofYour religion and to spread prosperity into Your cities so that the oppressed among Your creatures may be safe and Your forsaken commands could be established.0 my Allah!I am the first who was inclined (towards Thee) and who heard and responded (to the call of Islam).

No one precededme in prayer except the Prophet (s. a. w. a.).’

‘You certainly know that he who is in charge of honour, life, booty, (enforcement of) legal commands and the leadership of the Muslims should not be a miser as his greed would aim at their wealth.Similarly he should not be ignorant as he would then mislead them with his ignorance, nor should he be rude as he would estrange them with his rudeness.

He should not be unjust in distributing wealth by preferring one group to another, nor should he accept bribes while taking decisions, as he would forfeit the rights of some and decree without decisiveness, nor should he ignore theSunnah as he would ruin the people.

(Nahjul Balagha, Sermon 131, vol. 1, pg. 496, Ansariyan Publications) By referring to these brilliant sermons, it becomes abundantly clear that the leader and Imam who possesses the following characteristics can alone guide the people towards the truth.

1. Heisguided.

2. He guides others towards the true path.

3. He enlivens the Sunnah.

4. He destroys innovations.

5. His recognition is the cause of deliverance for the people.

6. His rejection is the cause of eternal chastisement.

7. He does not desire worldly power and authority.

8. He does not crave for the treasures of the world.

9. He makes manifest the signs of religion.

10. He establishes peace and tranquility in Allah’s cities.

11. He provides shelter to His oppressed servants.

12. He revives the forgotten commands.

13. He is not a miser.

14. He is not ignorant.

15. His traits and mannerisms are not evil and wicked.

16. He is not a coward.

17. He is not a corrupt.

18. He does not destroy the Sunnah.

Hazrat Ali (a.s .) highlights the above points in another sermon, ‘Certainly, there is no obligation on the Imam except what has been devolved on him from Allah, namely to convey warnings, to exhort and advice, to revive the Sunnah, enforce penalties on those liable and issue shares to the deserving.’

(NahjulBalagha, Sermon 105, vol. 1, pg. 400, Ansariyan Publications) The Ahle Bait (a.s.):

If we search for the characteristics of the rightly guided Imam, we find that these traits are present only in the pure and infallible members of the Ahle Bait (a.s.).

Hazrat Ali (a.s .) exhorts, ‘Look at the people of the Prophet’s (s.a.w.a.) family - Ahle Bait (a.s.). Adhere to their direction. Follow their footsteps because they willnever misguide you, and never throw you into destruction. If they sit down, you too must sit down, and if they rise,you also rise. Do not go ahead of them, as you will go astray and do not lag behind them, as youwill be ruined .

(NahjulBalagha, Sermon 97, vol. 1, pg. 378, Ansariyan Publications)

“Where are those people who have lied and have tormented us and have deceitfully claimed that they are ‘the ones firmly rooted in knowledge’ and not us? (They lie against us and covet over position) because Allah, the All-Merciful has exalted our status and has made them inferior to us. He has conferred upon us an eminence from which He prevented them from surpassing us.

He allowed us entry to the transcendental sphere of divine revelation, which He denied them. Remember that guidancecould be acquired and ignorance could be dispelled through us only.Undoubtedly the Imams shall be from the Quraish, from the Bani Hashim. This divine appointment has been made for this august progeny, and none else deserves this sublime and sacred rank.’

(NahjulBalagha, Sermon 144, vol. 1, pg. 528, Ansariyan Publications)

These assertive and decisive statements make it abundantly clear that the rightful possessors of Imamat and Caliphate are the Ahle Bait (a.s.). No one else is deserving of this honour and station. Only the Ahle Bait (a.s .) can direct the people to the path of guidance and lead them to paradise.If somebody considers a person other than them as his leader, guide and Imam, he has deviated and is far from guidance.

When Hazrat Ali (a.s .) appointed Janab Mohammad ibn Abi Bakr as governor of Egypt, he (a.s.) wrote a letter to him in which he said:

‘The leader towards guidance, and tlie leader towards destruction, the friend and the enemy of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.), can never be alike.’

(NahjulBalagha, Letter No. 27, vol. 2, pg. 314, Ansariyan Publications)

Hazrat Ali (a.s .) has tried to awaken the consciousness of man with this powerful statement. The statement appeals to the people to open their eyes and refer to their intellects and then decide with deep reflection - Are the leaders of guidance and the path bearers to paradise equal to the guides towards the hell fire and darkness?Never! Awaken and decide for yourselves.