Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

LESSON THIRY-SEVEN: THE NEED FOR AN IMAM

Introduction

Many of those who fail to contemplate or profoundly reflect upon the issues pertaining to belief, understand that the only difference in view between a Shi’ite and Sunnite on the issue of Imāmah, is that the Shi’ite believe in the appointment of Ali ibn Abu Talib (a) as successor to the Prophet (s) in issues dealing with the Islamic state and society.

However the Sunnites deny this appointment and believe the decision of appointment was to be left up to the people. They thus selected the first successor who in turn nominated the second, and the latter then appointed a six-man counsel to establish the third successor. The people then again elected the fourth Caliph themselves.

Hence it can be seen that no specific procedure was followed for the nomination of successor. After the demise of the fourth Caliph, this coveted position was gained by whoever was in possession of the strongest military force.

The Shi’ites and Sunnites hold the same idea with regards to the selection of an Imam, the Sunnites also believe in the idea of nomination, as the first Caliph nominated the second. But the difference is that they disregarded the Prophet’s order concerning the appointment of Ali (a), yet accepted the first Caliph’s nomination of his successor.

They fail to contemplate the questions, which arise as to who gave the first Caliph the right to appoint his successor? And why would the Prophet overlook the appointment of a successor and guardian to his community, whilst we know that whenever he left Medina for Holy war, he would always leave someone in charge, as he was aware of the trouble and conspiracies that could arise.

We need to examine as to whether the issue of Imāmah needs to be by Divine appointment, whether it carries any religious status or whether it is just a form of monarchy, which has developed due to sociological factors.

The Shi’ites believe that in the case of Imāmah, the Prophet of Islam does not have an independent say, and the nomination of an Imam is directly from God through His Prophet. In reality there is wisdom behind the termination of the chain of prophethood with the nomination of an Infallible Imam, and there is a relationship between these two issues. It is because of the presence of an Imam -after the demise of the Prophet - that an Islamic nation is secured and safeguarded.

Therefore from here it becomes clear as to why Imāmah is considered as a ‘principle of belief,’ and not just as a branch of practical law (hukm fiqhi). Moreover for the Shi’ites the three conditions of Knowledge, Infallibility and Divine nomination are regarded as the essential elements for an Imam.

The necessity of the existence of an Imam

As previously discussed in lesson twenty-two, the accomplishment of the purpose of creation is based upon the guidance provided by God through revelation. The requirement of Divine wisdom was the nomination of

different prophets in order to enlighten man with the way of felicity for this world and the Hereafter. In addition to this the prophets trained man to reach the ultimate level of perfection, as well as administering the society if the sociological conditions permitted.

Similarly, in lesson thirty-four and thirty-five we have explained that the religion of Islam is universal, eternal and cannot be abrogated. Besides, the Prophet of Islam is considered as the last Prophet and this is harmonious with Divine wisdom, as the system of Islamic Law (sharī’ah) fulfils all the needs of man and society for all time.

God, the Supreme, establishes this guaranty in regards to the noble, Quran. The Quran has been referred as being protected from any type of alteration and distortions.

However, all of ahkam (the rules) and regulations cannot be understood by the appearance of the ayahs (verses) such as the number of rak’ahs and the manner of performance of a salah or the obligations and recommendation that it includes cannot be rationalized from the outward of the Quran. The Quran is in a position of epitomizing the hukm and it is the responsibility of the prophet to explain the hukm on the bases of the knowledge provided by God, which is other than the Quranic revelations. Hence by this approach the authenticity of the Sunna as a fundamental source for the cognition of Islam is established.

Nevertheless the difficult conditions during the life of the prophet - such as the confined years in the valley of Abi Talib or ten years of wars with the enemies of Islam - did not allow him for the explanation of all of rules for all men. That which remains with the companions even have lots of differences for instance the manner of performing the wudhu (minor ablution), which was an act carried out by the prophet every day and several times is also subjected with differences. When this act of performing wudhu which does not seem to have any reason for its alteration have been altered by the conspirators then for sure major alteration must have taken place in the ahkam (rules) that belongs to law and order in order to benefit desires of different groups.

By focusing upon these points it becomes clear that the religion of Islam will be known as a perfect religion - which attends to the all needs of man - if it provides the society with the essential benefits which are not consign and endangered after the demise of the prophet. However this is only possible with the nomination of an individual who deserve the position of being a successor to the prophet. This successor must possess the divine knowledge and have the ability to manifest the reality of deen in different dimensions and he must be unsinning (ma’sum) in order not to be under the influence of his nafs and shaitan so that there be no alteration in the deen. Furthermore he must play the role of the prophet in training individuals to arrive upon perfection and at the same time he should establish a government if the sociological conditions provides the grounds for it. Then by applying the sociological ahkam of Islam in the society he should expand the realm of ’adl (justice) in the world.

Hence the termination of the chain of nabuwah is only harmonious with the Divine hikmah when it is concurrent with the nomination of an Imam al

ma’sum who have all the particularities that the prophet of Islam had except the nabuwah and risalah.

In this manner (three things are established), the necessity for an existence of an Imam and the requirement of the divine knowledge and sinlessness (’ismah). In addition to this the nomination of an Imam through God, the Supreme is also established as it He who knows to whom He should give this status to. In actuality it is God who has the right of wilayah (authority) over His creation and hence He can decide whom to give this position on a lower level.

It is necessary that we mention that the ahl Sunna jammah does not have these conditions and particularities for any of the khilafah and they do not even claim that God and the prophet nominate the caliphs or they (caliphs) possess any divine knowledge. On the other hand the ahl Sunna jammah have recorded numerous precarious incidents in which their caliphs have made mistakes in answering to the religious questions such as they themselves quote their first khalifah saying:

“Certainly I have not defeated my shaitan.” Then from their second caliph they have reported that he called the allegiance to the first caliph as an absurd and uncalculated act and several times he has declared that:

“If it was not for Ali, Omar would have been destroyed.” It is clearer in the case of the khulafah al bany ummayah and abbasy and it does not require that we indicate more, whosoever has a little information about the Islamic history they can understand in this regard.

Shi’ites are the exclusive ones who belief that the twelve Imams enjoy those three conditions of Imamat and by focusing upon the mentioned reasons the need and necessity of Imamat has been established. Hence there seem to be no need for any other elucidative arguments for this issue, however in the future lessons we have brought useful proofs from the kitab and the Sunna.

Questions

1. Mention the Shi’ite opinion regarding Imāmah, and explain the differences between the Sunnite and Shi’ite views?

2. Why does the Shi’ites consider Imāmah as one of the basic principles of Islamic belief?

3. Why is the existence of an Imam necessary?

4. What can man conclude from these arguments?

LESSON THIRTY-EIGHT: THE APPOINTMENT OF AN IMAM

The appointment of an Imam

In the previous lesson we have explained that the termination of the chain of prophecy without the nomination of an Imam is against Divine wisdom. In order for the religion of Islam to be perfect, universal and eternal it requires a successor - who possesses all the qualities and realities of the Prophet, (except the station of prophethood and messengership) - after his demise (the Prophet).

This can be extracted from the noble verses of the Qur’an and from the many traditions, which are applied and utilised by both Sunnites and Shi’ites:

“Today I have perfected your religion for you, and I have completed My blessings upon you, and I have approved Islam as your religion”. (al-Māi’dah:

3) The understanding with regards to the above verse is common between the Sunnites and Shi’ites. This verse was revealed at the period when the Prophet was returning from his last pilgrimage (hajj - known as hajj al-wadā’). This happened to be just a few months before the demise of the Prophet. After indicating the hopelessness of the infidels (kuffār) in damaging Islam, it emphasizes on the fact that ‘today your religion has been perfected and all the bounties upon you have been completed’. In addition, by focusing upon many traditions with regards to the reason of this verse, it becomes very clear that the perfection and completion of bounties together with the hopelessness of the infidels in hurting Islam is due to the very nomination of the successor of the Prophet through God the Supreme and the Prophet. The infidels were waiting for the death of the Prophet, with the understanding that he was not leaving behind any son and thus assuming that Islam would be left without a custodian, causing it to weaken and deteriorate. However through the appointment of the successor the religion became perfect and God completed His favour upon the Muslims and hence, the assumption of the infidels was shattered.

When the Prophet of Islam returned from the last pilgrimage, he assembled all of the pilgrims at a place called Ghadīr Khumm, where he proceeded to deliver a detailed sermon. In his sermon he asks the people:

“Do I have an authority (wilāyah) over you from God?” The response from the people was positive, he raised the hand of Ali (a) and said:

“Whosoever I am the master of, then Ali is his master.” In this fashion the Prophet declared that the Divine authority belonged to Ali (a). Consequently each and every individual paid their allegiance to Imam Ali and the second caliph ‘Umar paid allegiance in a congratulating manner:

“Congratulations, congratulations oh Ali you are the master of mine and of all the believers.” It was on this very day, that this noble verse, “This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed my Favour upon you”, was revealed. Then the people present at Ghadīr shouted, ‘God is great’ (Allahu Akhbar) and said:

“The prophethood has been completed and the religion of Allah is perfected and Ali is the authority after you.” In some traditions of the famous Sunnite authorities - such as Humweyni - it has been mentioned that Abu Bakr and ‘Umar told Jaber to ask the Prophet (s) as to whether this authority applied only to Ali (a). The Prophet (s) replied that the authority was indeed only for Ali (a) and his successors until the Day of Judgement. When questioned as to whom the successors of the Prophet were, he (the Prophet) answered:

“Ali is my brother, minister, inheritor, successor, and the caliph of this nation and he is the master for all the believers after me, and then al Hassan and my son al Husayn, and then nine from the descendents of my son al Husayn, one after the other. The Qur’an is with them and they are with the Qur’an, there is no separation between them and they will be no separation till they meet me at the Pond.” On the bases of the traditions relating to this issue of nomination, we understand that the Prophet had been ordered to announce the Imāmah of Ali. However, the Prophet feared that the people might suspect that such a nomination was made on a personal whim, and that it would not be accepted. On the other hand he was waiting for an opportunity to present this idea, until the verse it-self arrived:

“O Apostle! Communicate that which has been sent down to you from your Lord, and if you do not, you will not have communicated His message, and Allah shall protect you from the people.” (al-Māi’dah:67) This revelation, which seems to be the most important of all and its concealment would nullify the entire message, revealed that the Prophet would be protected after its deliverance. After the arrival of this verse the Noble Prophet understood that he should hasten with this responsibility and deliver this message as soon as the opportunity arose, and hence the afore mentioned event took place at Ghadīr Khum.

The aim of this event was to officially announce the successor of the Prophet and gain public allegiance. However through the course of time the succession of Ali had been mentioned on various occasions:

At the beginning of the advent of Islam, when the Prophet was ordered to proclaim his message publicly, he was first told to warn those nearest to him. He invited his family members to a meeting and said that the first to accept his message would be his successor. All Muslims agree that Ali was the first to accept Islam.

Likewise, when the following verse was revealed, the obedience to those with authority (ūlī-l-amr) had been made absolutely obligatory and the obedience of those with the authority is regarded to be at the same level as obedience to the Prophet (s):

“O you who have faith! Obey Allah and obey the Apostle and those vested with authority among you.” (al-Nisā’:59) Jaber ibn Abdullah al-Ansari asked the Prophet about those with authority, who replied:

“The First of them is Ali ibn Abi Talib, then al Hssan, then al Husayn ibn Ali, then Ali ibn al Husayn, then Mohammed ibn Ali, known as Baqir in the Torah -You will see him O Jaber, so give my Salams to him - then Jafer al Sadiq ibn Mohammed, then Musa ibn Jafer, then Ali ibn Musa, then Mohammed ibn Ali, then Ali ibn Mohammed, then Hassan ibn Ali, and then

the one whose title is Hujjat Allah (Evidence of God) upon this earth….” The prophesy of the Prophet came true, Jaber was alive till the period of Imam al Baqir (a) and he delivered the Prophet’s salutations to the fifth successor.

In another tradition Abu Basir narrates with reference to the verse of authority, from Imam al Sadiq (a), that this verse was revealed in the honour of Ali ibn Abi Talib, Hasan and Husayn (a). Abu Basir asked the Imam how to answer people who argued as to why Ali (a) and the Prophet’s household were not mentioned in the Qur’an by name. Imam Sadiq (a) told him to:

“Tell them that, the verses revealed with reference to the prayers, did not mention any names for the three and four rak’ah prayers, this was indeed relayed to the people by the Prophet”. Likewise the Prophet explained the verses of alms (zakāh) and pilgrimage (hajj), and therefore he must also interpret the verse of authority. The Prophet declared, “Of whomever I am the master, Ali is his master after me”. He also advised the people to follow the Book of God and his Household and asked God not to separate them until they meet at the Pond. This is again mentioned in the famous Hadith Al-Thaqalayn, where the Prophet told the Muslims how he was leaving behind him two weighty things; the Book and his Household, who would never separate until they met him at the Pond. He is also reported to have said:

“Do not teach them as they are wiser than you all and they will never lead you astray”. In another famous tradition he mentioned that:

My Household is like Noah’s ark, whoever boards it has saved themselves, and whoever does not has gone astray.” There are numerous traditions, which support the aforementioned claims, but we do not have the space to mention them here.

Questions

1. Which verse refers to the appointment of Imāmah?

2. Explain the event, which took place for the nomination of Ali (a).

3. Why did the Prophet delay in announcing the appointment of Ali (a) and how did he finally deliver the message?

4. Which traditions provide proof for Imāmah?

5. Provide some traditions that prove the Imāmah of the Prophet’s Household.

LESSON THIRTY-NINE: THE KNOWLEDGE AND THE INFFALIBILITY OF THE IMAM

Introduction

In lesson thirty-six we have discussed the differences between the Shi’ite and Sunnite schools of thought with regards to the subject of Imāmah. This difference seems to have three specific issues, the Imam for the Shi’ites, must be nominated by God the Supreme, be infallible and possess Divine knowledge. In lesson thirty-seven these three issues were intellectually proven and in lesson thirty-eight we have provided traditional proofs for the divine nomination of the Imams. However, now we will explain the infallibility of, and the Divine knowledge held by the Imams.

The infallibility of the Imam

Having established Imāmah as being a Divine institution, and the appointment for this position of Ali (a) and his progeny by God the Supreme, their infallible nature can be established by the following verse:

“He said, ‘My pledge does not extend to the unjust.” (al-Baqarah:124) The Divine nomination applies to those who are free from corruption and sin.

Furthermore the verse known as the verse of ‘those in authority’, charts-out the absolute obedience due to them and regards the level of obedience to them as being on the same level as obedience to the Prophet (s) and God the Supreme. Therefore the command of obedience towards those in authority must indicate their infallibility.

In the same manner, the infallibility of the Prophet’s Household can be proven through the verse known as the verse of ‘purification’ (āyat al-tathīr):

“Indeed Allah desires to repel all impurity from you, O people of the Household, and purify you with a thorough purification.” (al-Ahzāb:33) It is necessary to mention that we have more than seventy traditions from the Sunnite school, confirming that this particular verse was revealed in honor of the ‘five immaculate ones’ (al-khamsa ashāb al-kisā’). Sheikh Saduq narrates from Imam Ali that the Prophet of God said:

“O Ali! This verse has been revealed for you, Hassan, Hussain, and the Imams who will come from your progeny.” I asked him:

“How many Imams will be there after you?” He said:

“You! O Ali and after you Hassan, and after him Hussain, and after him his son Ali, then his son Mohammed, then Ja’far, then Musa, then Ali, then Mohammed, then Ali, then Hassan, then his son the proof of God”.

After this he added:

“This is how their names have been written upon the Divine Throne and I asked God the Supreme whose are these names? He said “O Mohammed they are the Imams after you and they have been purified from sin and their enemies have been cursed by Me.” Likewise in the tradition of the two weighty things (thaqalayn), the Prophet had regarded his Household as carrying the same weight as that of the Holy Qur’an, and has emphasized on

the fact that they will never separate. This in itself is a proof for the infallibility of the Prophet’s Household.

The Knowledge of the Imam

It is without doubt that the Household of the Prophet were more acquainted with the knowledge of the Prophet than other men were. The Prophet himself has said:

“Do not teach them as they are more knowledgeable than you.” Imam Ali was with the Prophet’s from the very young age and was brought up in his house and he remained with the Prophet until the last minute of his (the Prophet’s) life, thus culminating and absorbing knowledge directly from him. Hence the Prophet said:

“ I am the city of knowledge and Ali is the gate,” and Imam Ali is quoted as saying “ The Prophet of God taught me a thousand doors of knowledge, each one opening a thousand other doors (for every door he taught) and I learnt everything…” However the knowledge of the Imams was not limited to that taught by the Prophet.

They were also bestowed with Divine knowledge and taught the secret sciences in an intuitive manner. These particular methods of instruction have been mentioned in the Qur’an as with the cases of Khizr (a), Dhul Qarnayn, Mary (a) and the mother of the Prophet Moses (a). It has been defined as revelation but different to the kind of revelation received by the prophets. The infallible ones, even from a very young age were bestowed with knowledge of these sciences and were needless of any form of education from others, and were qualified to be Imams, even in their childhood.

This issue can be understood from many traditions of the Imams, and whilst focusing upon their infallibility the authenticity of those traditions can be established. However before mentioning any examples, we would first like to refer to a verse in the Noble Qur’an, which regards the importance of an individual or individuals who have ‘knowledge of the book’:“Say, ‘Allah suffices as a witness between me and you, and he who possesses the knowledge of the Book”. (al-Ra’d:43) There is no doubt in the understanding of the greatness of the station of those who have the knowledge of the book, as it is a clear and certain fact that their testimony is parallel to that of God the Supreme. It has been referred to in another Qur’anic verse, and it is stated that Imam Ali is to be counted after the Prophet:“Is he who stands on a manifest proof from his Lord, and whom a witness of his own [family] follows?”(Hūd:17). The word “from him” indicates that this witness is actually one of the Prophet’s relatives and a member of his household. There are dozens of narrations from both the Sunnite and Shi’ite sources stating that this witness is Ali bin Abi Tālib. Some of these narrations are as follows:Ibn Al-Maghazeli Al-Shafi’i narrated from Abdullah ibn ‘Ata, that: I was sitting with Abi Ja’afar (Imam Baqir) when Abdullah ibn Salam passed by us (Abdullah was one of the people of the book who converted to Islam during the time of the Prophet), I said:m Is this man the son of he who was described as possessing the knowledge of the book?

He said: No, it is your friend Ali bin Abi Taleb, about whom many Qur’anic verses were revealed, such as: “and he who possesses the knowledge of the book”(al-Ra’d:43.)“Is he who stands on a manifest proof from his Lord, and whom a witness of his own [family] follows?”(Hūd: 17). “Your guardian is only Allah, His Apostle, and the faithful” (al-Māi’dah :55) There are also many narrations from both schools of thought (Shi’ite and Sunnite), which state that the use of the word “Shāhid” in the Qur’anic chapter Hūd, verse 17, actually refers to Imam Ali (as). When we reflect upon the word used “from him”, we realise that it can only refer to him.

We can understand the importance of possessing the knowledge of the Book when we read the story of Solomon and the summoning of the throne of Bilquis. The Qur’an has mentioned: “The one who had knowledge of the Book said, ‘I will bring it to you in the twinkling of an eye” (al-Naml:40) From this Qur’anic verse one is able to recognise that if this miraculous effect can be achieved through possessing partial knowledge of the Book, then how great is the power of those whom possess complete knowledge. Imam Sadiq (a) has referred to this fact in another narration:

“I, Abu Basir, Yahya Al- Bazzaz and Dawud ibn Kathir were in the reception room -‘majlis’, of Abu Abdullah (a), when he came out to us in a state of anger. He took his place and said: “How strange it is that some groups claim that we know the unseen.

No-one knows the unseen but Allah; to whom belong Might and Majesty. I had intended to bear my female slave, but she fled from me and I did not know in which room of the house she was.” Sadir said: “But when he stood up from the ‘majlis’ and went into his private quarters, I, Abu Basir and Maysar went in and said to him: ‘May we be made your ransom, we heard you say this and that about the matter of your female slave, and we know that you have a very broad and extensive knowledge, but we do not attribute knowledge of the unseen to you.’” He said: ‘Have you found in what you have read of the Book of Allah, to Whom belong Might and Majesty: Said he who possessed knowledge from the Book: “I will bring it to thee, before ever thy glance returns to thee (al-Naml:40)?’” He said: “I said: ‘May I be made your ransom, I have read it.’ He said: ‘Did you understand who the man was? Did you know how much of the knowledge of the Book he possessed?’” He said: “I said: ‘Tell me about it.’ He said: ‘It was the amount of a drop from the deep blue sea of knowledge, but what portion of the knowledge of the Book was that?’” He said: “I said: ‘May I be your ransom, how little that IS!’ then he said: ‘O Sadir, how much is it! (unless it be that) Allah, to Whom belong Might and Majesty, compares it to the knowledge which I shall tell you about, O Sadir, have you also found in what you have read of the Book of Allah, to Whom belong Might and Majesty:

Say: “Allah suffices as a witness between me and you, and whosoever possesses knowledge of the Book” (Ra’d:43)? He said: “I said: ‘Yes, I have read it, may I be your ransom.’ He said: ‘Is he who possesses knowledge of the Book, (but only) some of it?’ I said: ‘No, rather he who possesses knowledge of the Book, all of it.’” He said: “Then he pointed with his hand to his chest and said: ‘The knowledge of the Book, by Allah, all of it, is in our possession; the knowledge of the Book, by Allah, all of it, is in our

possession.’” (p.252- 254 vol. 1 al-Kāfi al-Usūl - Part 2, the book of divine proof III) Now we will present some narrations with regards to the knowledge of the Prophet’s Household: In a along narration Imam Rida (as) said: “Verily, when Allah, to Whom belong Might and Majesty, selects a slave for the affairs of His slaves, He expands his breast for it; He entrusts to his heart the fountains of wisdom, and profoundly inspires him with knowledge. So after this, he does not stammer in answers, and he does not deviate from the truth in them. Thus he is infallible, supported by Allah; he is accommodated to the right path, his steps being firmly guided; he will be safe from errors, slips and stumbling. Allah distinguishes him by this, because he is His Proof over His slaves, and His witness over His creatures - ‘that is the bounty of Allah, He gives wisdom to whom He will, and Allah is of bounty abounding’ (al-Hadīd:21, Jum’ah:4) “’ So, do they have the power to do the like of this, so that they can choose him? Or can the one that they choose have this attribution so that they may prefer him?” (p.103-104, vol. 1 al-Usūl - Part 2, book of divine proof II).

Also from Al-Hassan ibn Yahya Al-Mad’ini from Abi Abdullah (s), who said: I asked the Imam: Tell me how would an Imam be able to answer any question? He replied: Inspiration, revelation or perhaps both.” (Bihār al-Anwār vol.26 p.58) And in another narration, Imam Sadiq (a) said:” An Imam who does not know what will happen to him and how his life will pass, is not a person who can be the proof of Allah over His creation.” (al-Kāfi, p.261 vol. 1 al- Usūl - Part 2, book of divine proof III) ” It has also been mentioned in many narrations, that Imam Sadiq has said: “Verily when the Imam wishes to know (something), he knows it.” And in other narrations Imam Sadiq was asked about the Qur’anic revelation: ‘Even so, We have revealed to thee a spirit of Our bidding’. He said it is one of the created things of Allah, to whom belong Might and Majesty, it is greater than Jibrai’īel and Mīkā’īl. It was with the Messenger of Allah (s); it informed him and directed his steps, and it is with the Imams after him.” (al-Kāfi, p.307, vol. 1 al-Usūl - Part 2, book of divine proof IV).

Questions

1. Mention the Qur’anic verses by which one can prove the infallibility of the Imam.

2. Mention the narrations, which prove the infallibility of the Imam.

3. What are the special channels from which the Imam can receive knowledge?

4. Who are the people who possessed a similar type of knowledge in the past?

5. Which Qur’anic verse proves the Imam’s knowledge? How would you argue using it?

6. Clarify the importance of the knowledge of the book?

7. Mention an example of the narrations referring to the Imams’ knowledge.

LESSON FORTY: IMAM MAHDI

Introduction

In previous lessons, certain traditions have been cited which mention the number of the nominated Imams, some indicate each one by name, and a few also indicate that they were all from the tribe of the Quraysh. In addition to this there are traditions, which compare the number of Imams with the number of the chiefs of the Bani Isra’el, and others, which state they are all from the progeny of Imam Hussein (a).

There is not adequate space here to refer to all such traditions; instead this lesson will concentrate on Imam Mahdi (a) (May Allah hasten his reappearance). For the sake of brevity we will mention only the most important issues that deal with this subject.

A Divine World Government

It has already been established that the fundamental purpose for the nomination of prophets was to complete the path for the sake of the perfection of man, which is attainable through the accessibility of Divine revelation. Likewise, another purpose of the nomination was for the development of Man’s intellect, and spirituality. The ultimate purpose was to establish a government based upon Divine values, worship and to install Divine justice throughout the world. Although a few individuals were somewhat successful in achieving the above, they were only so, for a limited time and in specific geographical locations. The conditions for a Divine world government however are yet to be created.

The fact that such conditions have not yet been attained is not a reflection on the inadequacy of the prophets (as) and in no way infers deficiencies in their leadership or administration skills. It is intended by Almighty God to achieve such conditions through the free-will of man and not through determinism. This can be understood from the following verse: “apostles, as bearers of good news and warners, so that mankind may not have any argument against Allah, after the [sending of the] apostles.” (al-Nisā’:165) On the other hand, God the Supreme has made a covenant for the establishment of the Divine world government in the revealed books. We can therefore predict that conditions for accepting the true religion for mankind will begin to ripen on a large scale. Equity and justice will then encompass the masses that have become tired of the injustice and oppression of the tyrannical rulers and their governments. This can be considered as the ultimate goal for the nomination of the Prophet of Islam and hence his religion will be considered as eternal and universal, as the Noble Qur’an has mentioned several times:“that He may make it prevail over all religions.”(al-Saff:9) If we focus upon the issue of Imāmah, which is the continuation and completion of prophethood, the wisdom behind the sealing of the prophethood can be understood.

Furthermore its result can be realised through the accomplishment of the goal, which will be achieved through the hands of the last Imam. This is the very issue with regards to Imam Mahdi that has been mentioned and emphasised in several of the authentic Shi’ite and Sunnite traditions.

A few of the verses from the Noble Qur’an will now be highlighted which refer to such a world government, followed by some traditions which also touch upon this subject.

The Divine Covenant

God the Supreme mentions in the Noble Qur’an that He has written in the Torah and the Psalms, that the earth will be inherited by the best of men.

“Certainly We wrote in the Psalms, after the Torah: ‘Indeed My righteous servants shall inherit the earth” (al-Anbiyā’:105) Also refer to al-A’rāf: 128, where a similar indication is mentioned by the Prophet Musa (as), and again after the story of Pharaoh and his oppression upon the people, we find indications of this subject in the following verse:

“And We desire to show favour to those who were abased in the land, and to make them imams, and to make them the heirs” (al-Qasas:5) However this verse refers to the Bani Israel but, “We desire” indicates a perpetual Divine will of God, which in many traditions is referred to as the appearance of the Mahdi.

Likewise in the following verse the Muslims have been addressed: “Allah has promised to those of you who have faith and do righteous deeds that He will surely make them successors in the earth, just as He made those who were before them successors, and He will surely establish for them their religion which He has approved for them, and that He will surely change their state to security after their fear, while they worship Me, not ascribing any partners to Me. And whoever is ungrateful after that -it is they who are the transgressors.” (al-Nūr:55) The traditions interpret that the referent of this verse is at the time Imam Mahdi.

Similarly many traditions have interpreted many of the other verses as relating to the Mahdi.

a. Examples from the traditions

The prophetic traditions mentioning Imam Mahdi, from both the Shi’ite and Sunnite schools reach the highest level of authenticity. Indeed many from the Sunnite school believe that the traditions concerning the Mahdi are infact the most authentic ones they have. Some of their scholars also find belief in the Mahdi to be a common belief between all the differing Islamic sects. Several of the Sunnite scholars have written on the subject of Imam Mahdi and the signs of his coming, but here we will mention a only a few of their traditions:

The Prophet of Islam (saws) mentioned: “Even If be a day left for the collapse of the world then that day will be lengthened until a man from my ahl al-bayt (progeny) who will have my name will establish a government. He will fill the land with equity and justice as the world will be full of injustice and oppression.” Another tradition narrated from Umm Salma states that the Prophet of Islam has said:

“Mahdi is from my family and is the son of Fatima.” It has been mentioned by Ibn ’Abbas that the noble Prophet (saws) said:

“Certainly ’Ali is the Imam after me and from his lineage there will be the awaited one (al-Qāi’m al-Muntazar). When he appears, he will fill the land with equity and justice, as it will be full of injustice and persecution”.

b. Occultation and its secret

The peculiarity regarding the twelfth Imam, in the traditions from the Prophet’s Household, is his occultation. In a tradition ’Abdul al-’Adhim Hasani quotes from Imam Muhammad Taqi (a), who heard it from his fathers that Imam Ali said:

“Our Qāi’m will have a long occultation and I am seeing my Shi’ah during the time of occultation will be like cattle behind pasturage, (in search of al-Qāi’m) but they will not find him. Be aware that whoever protects himself from hard-heartedness and stands firm in his religion during the time of his (al-Qāi’m‘s) occultation will be with me and at my level.” Then he continued:

“When our Qāi’m arises (Qāi’ms) he will not pledge to anyone and no tyrants can overpower him, he will be secretly born and have his occultation from the people.” Imam Sajjad (a) narrates from his fathers before him that Imam Ali (as) mentioned:

“Our Qāi’m will have two occultation and the first one is longer than the second one and whose belief (īmān) is strong and have correct knowledge (ma’rifah) will be confident in our Imāmah.” In order to understand the secret of the occultation one must study the lives of the Imams. We are aware that after the demise of the Holy Prophet, the people pledged their allegiance to Abu Bakr, then ‘Umar and then ‘Uthman. During the caliphate of Uthman the corruption had reached its peak, this subsequently ledlead to the murder of ‘Uthman, after which Ali (as) was made to accept the Caliphate.

Imam Ali who had already been nominated by the Prophet of Islam as his successor, kept quiet during the three previous Caliphates, in order to protect the newly founded Islamic society. Thus he did not publicly declare anything except those things, which proved his right to lead the Muslim community. However he never hesitated from doing anything to serve Islam and the Muslims, despite the fact that the majority of his caliphate was engaged in fighting the people of the ‘Camel’ (Aisha’s followers), Mua’wiyah and the Khawārij, until he was himself was assassinated by one of them.

Imam Hassan (a) was also poisoned as the result of an order from Mua’wiyyah.

When the latter died, his son Yazīd became leader; he failed to pay any respect to Islamic norms even in his public life. It was likely that Islam would have been completely distorted due to these deeds; therefore Imam Hussain (a) found no other alternative than to rise up against this oppression and declare his eternal revolution.

He saved Islam from total destruction, because he initiated the power of resistance through spreading awareness, although he was unable to establish a just Islamic state.

After him the other Holy Imams strived to deepen the Islamic principles of belief, and to teach the people Islamic rulings, and purify their followers. Whenever they had the opportunity they secretly encouraged the people to stand against the oppressors, tyrants and unjust leaders. The Imams strived

to create optimism amongst people in awaiting the establishment of a Divine global state. Their contemporary oppressors subsequently killed them.

However the Holy Imams managed to succeed in two and a half decades of struggle, to teach the people the Islamic doctrines, despite the severe circumstances under which they lived. They taught the people about the general requisites of Islam and clarified some of the obscure Islamic points to their very close followers. Islam was thus spread throughout the community and saved from distortion. Many Muslim groups formulated throughout the Islamic lands and fought and to a limited extent stopped the oppressors from further oppression.

The largest threat to the oppressors was the Divine promise of the appearance of Imam Al-Mahdi. They were so fearful that they went to the extent of putting Imam Mahdi’s father, Imam Hassan Al-Askari (a) under constant and severe control, so as to monitor the potential birth of any sons and if so have they killed. Imam Hassan was killed while he was still young, but the Divine Will was that his son must be born and saved in order to fulfil the Divine covenant. This is the reason that only a few from amongst the very close companions of the Imam managed to actually see Imam Mahdi, when he was less than five years old, during the time of his father’s life.

However, the Imam kept contact with his followers through his four subsequent deputies, the last passing away when the major occultation started. This will continue until the time comes when humanity is prepared for the challenge of expecting the appearance of the Imam, which will be decreed by an order from God the Almighty, in order to establish the Divine global state.

Thus the philosophy behind Imam Mahdi’s occultation is to protect him from death at the hands of the oppressors and tyrants. Various other reasons have been mentioned such as the strengthening of the believers’ faith and testing of their loyalty. It has also been observed that the people have not been deprived of the Imam’s Divine existence during his major occultation. It has been narrated in a metaphorical way that he is like the sun behind the clouds, by which the people can benefit from its light without having the pleasure of seeing it. Many people have had the opportunity of meeting him, and he has helped them to fulfil their need or spiritual wish without them actually recognising him. His life is one of the crucial factors in giving hope and optimism to men in order that they may purify and prepare themselves for his promised appearance.

Questions

1- What is the ultimate aim behind the mission of the Prophet of Islam?

2- How can this aim be achieved?

3- Which signs will indicate the establishment of a Divine global state?

4- Provide an example of a Sunnite narration related to Imam Mahdi.

5- Provide an example of a Shi’ite narration related to Imam Mahdi.

6- Define the minor and the major occultation. How can you distinguish between them?

7- What benefits can one achieve during the major occultation?