Necessity of the Existence of Imam al-Mahdi (AS)
This article addresses the
necessity of the existence of the Representative of
Allah on the earth at any time. The opponents of Shia
protest that although Shia consider the Imam necessary
in order to expound the injunctions and verities of
religion and to guide the people, the occultation of the
Imam is the negation of this very purpose, for an Imam
in occultation who cannot be reached by mankind cannot
be in any way beneficial or effective. The opponents
argue that if God wills to bring forth an Imam to reform
mankind, He is able to create him at the necessary
moment and does not need to create him thousands of
years earlier.
In answer to this, it must
be said that such people have not really understood the
meaning of the Imam, for the duty of the Imam is not
only the explanation of the religious sciences and
external guidance of the people. In the same way that he
has the duty of guiding men outwardly, the Imam also
bears the function of "Walayah" and the internal
guidance of human. The divinely appointed Imam directs
human's spiritual life and orients the inner aspect of
human action toward God. Clearly, his physical presence
or absence has no effect in this matter. Imam is the
representative of Allah (Khalifatullah) on the earth,
and is His vice-regent. He is the connection between the
heavens and the earth, and is appointed by Allah as the
intermediate for the rest of creatures. His existence is
always necessary even if the time has not as yet arrived
for his outward appearance and the universal
reconstruction that he is to bring about.
Let me provide an example
to clarify this delicate issue. Any human needs blood to
continue his life, and the existence of blood is
necessary in every single moment of life. This need is
NOT, in anyway, independent of God. He is God who has
created this need for human, and He is the one who has
fulfilled it. Similarly the function of Imam over the
rest of creatures is NOT independent of God. He was
Allah who created this need for the universe and He was
Allah who has fulfilled it. Allah (SWT) wished the
inhabitants of the earth not to be able to live without
the existence of His representative on the earth, the
same way that Allah wished our body not to be able to
survive without blood. Notice that in the above
examples, both Imam and blood are no more than the
creation of Allah.
A divinely appointed Imam
is a human, but being human does not mean that he could
not have any authority over other human by the
permission of Allah. The closer the human is to Allah,
the more authority he will have. Closeness to Allah is
obtained through obedience and piety. When one reaches
that level of perfection, he does not desire anything
except Allah's orders. Imam is not divine, but he is
fully supported by divine power. He has been given
authority as the Quranic verses below testifies. This
authority has come from Allah and is also controlled by
Allah.
Another example would be
to consider a company with a president and some managers
and employees. The one who is closer to the president
(in his position or any other aspects) has more
authority than the others. This authority is given and
is controlled by the president at any time. This
authority is not in parallel with the authority of
president, and remains as long as the president wishes
to. The authorized person does not feel independence and
can not do anything against the order of the president,
otherwise the position will be taken away from him. The
president has appointed that person to carry out a task.
Similarly, a divinely
appointed Imam is NOT considered a parallel power beside
Allah, and his authority is NOT independent of Allah
since Allah does NOT relinquish His Majesty and
Sovereignty to ANYONE. If He gives His righteous Servant
a certain power or authority, He will still have control
over that individual. Quran testifies that Allah has
ASSIGNED some Imams with authority to guide mankind:
"And We assigned
them Imams who guide by our authority and We
have inspired in them the doing of good deeds."
(Quran 21:73)
و جعلناهم ائمة يهدون
بأمرنا و اوحينا اليهم فعل الخيرات
Also:
"And We appointed
from among them some Imams who guide by our
authority since they were patient and believed
firmly in Our Signs." (Quran 32:24)
و جعلنا منهم ائمة يهدون
بأمرنا لما صبروا و كانوا باياتنا يوقنون
Moreover, on the
commentary of Quranic verse: "And lo! verily I am
Forgiving toward him who repents and believes and does
good deeds, and afterward he accept guidance [20:82]",
Ibn Hajar mentioned that it is narrated from Imam
Muhammad al-Baqir (AS) as well as Thabit al-Lubnani
that, the end of verse means "he is guided to the
Wilayah of the Ahlul-Bayt." (al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by
Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 11, section 1, p235).
Allah, Exalted, also said:
"O' you who believe!
Obey Allah, and Obey Apostle and those from among
you who are given authority (by Allah)."
(Quran 4:59)
Who are those Imams whom
Allah gave them authority and are to be obeyed beside
the Prophet?
The above verses of Quran
prove beyond doubt that a divinely appointed Imam has
authority and he guides. The authority of Imam is not
restricted over a group of people but also covers every
other creatures (see Quran 36:12 which uses the word
Imam for keeping the account of everything). Again, this
authority is controlled by Allah.
Allah also said in Quran:
"(O' Muhammad!) You
are but a Warner, and for every community there
exists a Guide." (Quran 13:7).
انما انت منذر و لكل قوم
هاد
Prophet Muhammad was a
Warner, and the Imams of his Ahlul-Bayt were each a
Guide for the people of their time. In fact, the
following Sunni commentators of Quran narrated that the
word "Guide" in the above verse was Imam Ali (AS):
-
Tafsir al-Tabari, v13,
p72;
-
Tafsir al-Kabir, by
Fakhr al-Razi, on the commentary of verse 13:7
-
Tafsir al-Durr
al-Manthoor, by al-Suyuti, under verse 13:7 of Quran
-
Kanz al-Ummal, by
al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, v6, p157
-
Noor al-Absar, by
al-Shablanji, p70
-
Kunooz al-Haqa'iq, by
al-Manawi, p42.
If there should be a Guide
for each time, as the verse 13:7 testifies, then my
question is: Who is this guide today? There should be an
alive Imam in every instant of time, in order the above
verses make sense. This is another proof for the fact
that Imam al-Mahdi (AS) is alive. Moreover, Allah said:
That which is spared
by Allah (on the earth) is better for you if you are
believers. (Quran 11:86)
بقية الله خير لكم ان كنتم
مؤمنين
The above verse is another
proof for the fact that there exists one individual at
each era who is spared by Allah (Baqiyyatullah) on the
earth to maintain the cause of faith and he is the Imam
of that age, and this position was never vacated so long
as the earth carries even one human being.
This, in fact, is a
doctrine of Shia Muslims that a "Proof (Hujjah) of
Allah" should always exist on earth for earth to
continue its function as a living place for human being.
It is NOT that Hujjah is god or life-giver, rather it is
because Allah has created the world for the best of His
servants. The best of Allah's creation is the one who is
the most obedient to him at each time. Other creatures
are considered to be secondary objects in the sight of
Allah. Besides, there are traditions stating that if it
happens that there exists only one human on the earth,
he is the "Proof (Hujjah) of Allah". This implies that
Allah never left the human on the earth without His
representative. At the time of the prophets, the Hujjah
were the prophets. Now that there will be no prophet
after Prophet Muhammad, the Hujjah is his living
Ahlul-Bayt at each era till the day of resurrection. The
necessity of the existence of a Hujjah on the earth
follows that this world will end when the last Imam
passes away.
Beside what we quoted from
Quran, let us quote some traditions from Sunni sources
to support the above assertions. Ahmad Ibn Hanbal and
many others narrated:
The Messenger of Allah
said: "The stars are amnesty for the inhabitants
of the heavens, and if the stars go away (i.e.,
become non-existent), the inhabitants of the heavens
will be destroyed. And my Ahlul-Bayt are amnesty for
the inhabitants of the earth, and if my Ahlul-Bayt
go away (i.e., all die), the inhabitants of the
earth will be destroyed."
Sunni references:
-
Fadha'il al-Sahaba, by
Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v2, p671, Tradition #1145
-
Dhakha'ir al-Uqba, by
Muhibbuddin al-Tabari, p14
-
Manaqib Ahmad, and
many more such as al-Tabarani, etc.
-
al-Sawa'iq
al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 11,
section 1, p234
-
Musnad, Abu Ya'ala, on
the authority of Salama Ibn Awka' in which the
wording is: "The stars are amnesty for the
inhabitants of the heavens, and my Ahlul-Bayt are
the amnesty for my Ummah."
Also:
The Messenger of Allah
said: "The stars help prevent the inhabitants of the
earth from being drowned, and my Ahlul-Bayt are
the protectors of my community against disputes (in
religious matters). Therefore, whichever groups
among the Arabs opposes my Ahlul-Bayt, shall be
split up by dissensions and will become (a party
of) Satan."
Sunni reference:
-
al-Mustadrak, by
al-Hakim, v3, p149, who said this tradition is
authentic (Sahih).
-
al-Tabarani, quoting
Ibn Abbas
-
Also in al-Manaqib
Ahmad, as quoted by Muhibbuddin al-Tabari.
-
al-Sawa'iq
al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 11,
section 1, p234
Ibn Hajar mentioned the
above two traditions as well as many other similar ones
under the commentary of the following Quranic verse:
"It is not for
Allah to punish them while you are among them."
(Quran 8:33)
Then Ibn Hajar comments
that: "Ahlul-Bayt are amnesty for the inhabitant of the
earth the same as the Messenger of Allah was amnesty for
them." In the next page, after mentioning a tradition
from Sahih Muslim which states that after the end of
government of Justice in the last days, just before the
day of resurrection Allah sends a wind which takes the
souls of all the believers and only wrong-doers will
remain when the earthquakes of hour of resurrection
occurs. Then Ibn Hajar comments:
To my opinion, it
probably refers to the Ahlul-Bayt, since Allah
created this world for the sake of the Prophet, and
has made its existence conditional to the existence
of his Ahlul-Bayt for they have certain virtues in
common with the Prophet as Fakhr al-Razi mentioned,
and because the Messenger of Allah said on their
virtue that: "O Allah! They are from me and I am
from them" since they are a part of him as their
mother, Fatimah, was a part of him. Thus they
(Ahlul-Bayt) are also amnesty for the earth (similar
to what the above verse establishes for the Prophet
himself).
Sunni reference:
al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch. 11, section 1,
p234
In another tradition, it
is narrated that:
The holy Prophet was
asked: "What would be the condition of the people
after the Ahlul-Bayt," and he replied: "Their
condition will be like that of an ass whose spine is
fractured."
Sunni reference:
al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, p143
These traditions,
therefore, leave no room for any doubt regarding to
existence of Ahlul-Bayt in each era, and that the Imam
of the time, Imam al-Mahdi (AS), is alive. Now look at
the following tradition:
The Messenger of Allah
said: "Regard the Ahlul-Bayt among you as the head
to the body, or the eyes to the face, for the face
is only guided by the eyes."
Sunni references:
-
Is'af al-Raghibeen, by
al-Saban
-
al-Sharaf
al-Mua'abbad, by Shaikh Yusuf al-Nabahani, p31, by
more than one authority
Also the Messenger of
Allah (PBUH&HF) said:
"In every
generation of my followers there are going to be
just and righteous members of my Ahlul-Bayt to
counteract the alterations and corruption's which
the misguided people will try to make in my
religion, to remove the false allegations of the
untruthful and contradict the misinterpretations of
the ignorant. Be aware! Your Imam shall be your
representative before Allah, so be careful whom you
adopt as your representative."
Sunni references:
-
al-Sirah, by al-Mala
-
al-Sawa'iq
al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch. 11, section 1, p231
under the commentary of verse: "And stop them, for
they shall be questioned! [37:24]"
And now a saying from
Commander of Believers, Imam Ali (AS):
"I and my pure holy
descendants and my virtuous household are most sober
in childhood and when we grow up we are the wisest:
we are the means through which Allah shall
exterminate falsehood and break the teeth of
blood-thirsty wolves and restore you the freedom by
removing the ropes that are tied around your necks.
Allah wished to commence (all things) through
us, and to complete (all things) through us."
Sunni references:
-
Kanz al-Ummal, by
al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, v6, p36
-
Aydah al-Ishkal, by
Abd al-Ghani
The clear and unequivocal
terms in which the Holy Prophet has directed us about
these matters in the above-mentioned traditions cannot
be surpassed or equaled in any other language. The word
Ahlul-Bayt can not cover all the family of the Prophet
(PBUH&HF). This label applies only to those who occupy
the position of Imams by Divine Decree, as established
by reasons and upheld by the traditions. Learned
scholars from the major section of the Muslims also
admit this. For instance, Ibn Hajar writes in his
al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah:
"The Ahlul-Bayt, whom
the Holy Prophet has designated as protectors are
the learned men among his family, since the guidance
can be attained only through them. They are like
the stars through whom we are guided in the right
direction, and if the starts are taken away (or
hidden) we would come face to face with the signs of
the Almighty as promised (i.e., the Day of
Resurrection). This will happen when the Mahdi
will come, as mentioned in the traditions, and the
Prophet Jesus will say his prayers behind him, the
Dajjal will be slain, and then the signs of the
Almighty will appear one after another."
Sunni reference:
al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch. 11, section 1,
p234
This is why the demise of
the twelfth Imam will bring the end of the world, and
this is one of the reasons that he should be alive. In
another place, Ibn Hajar writes:
"The traditions which
describe the necessity of adherence to Ahlul-Bayt
until the day of Judgment, also imply that the
existence of the righteous members of the family of
the Prophet will NOT terminate until the day of
Judgment the same way as the Book of Allah will
remain."
Sunni reference:
al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch. 11, section 1,
p232
The occultation of the
twelfth Imam is divided into two parts: the first, the
minor occultation (Ghaybah al-Sughra) which began in
259/873 and ended in 329/939, lasting about seventy
year. On that period, people were in contact with him
through four special deputies. These four deputies knew
the place of Imam and were able to directly contact him.
That period served as preparing his followers to the
absence of the Imam. The second, the major occultation
which commenced in 329/939 and will continue as long as
God wills it. There is no special deputy in direct
contact with him in this period, and Muslim scholars are
his general deputies at this time without having ability
to meet him. It might be that the Imam (AS) showed
himself to someone during the major occultation, but it
was never a regular occurrence, and no one can claim to
meet him anytime he wishes. Moreover, even if Imam (AS)
appears to a person and gives him an instruction, it is
only personal, and is not meant for all people. The
Shi'a doctrine quite clearly states that the Imam (AS)
would not deputize a person at this time. In fact, any
claim of receiving new public orders (which are not
found in our traditions narrated from Ahlul-Bayt) during
the major occultation is considered itself to be the
proof of the falsity of such claim. There is NO specific
place of residence known for Imam al-Mahdi (AS) and no
one knows his whereabouts on the earth except Allah, and
he has been seen by different people throughout his life
in various locations of the world.
Imam al-Mahdi (AS) wrote
through one of his special deputies during the minor
occultation:
"Rest assured, no one
has a special relationship with Allah. Whoever
denies me is not from my (community). The appearance
of the Relief (al-Faraj) depends solely upon Allah.
Therefore those who propose a certain time for it
are liars. As to the benefit of my existence in
occultation, it is like the benefit of the sun
behind the clouds where the eyes do not see it.
Indeed, my existence is an amnesty for the
inhabitants of the earth. Pray much to Allah to
hasten the Relief, for therein also lies the release
from your sufferings."
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Guidance can be of
different ways. Do we need to see God to guide us? How
about the Prophet who has already passed away? The above
tradition of Imam al-Mahdi (AS) gives a very interesting
analogy, and the same analogy was given by the Prophet
(PBUH&HF) on the account of Imam al-Mahdi (please see
the article titled: Leadership and Infallibility). If we
want to see our way and in order to walk safely, we need
light. The Sun provides this light for us even if it is
hidden behind the clouds where the eyes do not see it
directly. Similarly, we benefit from the guidance of
Imam al-Mahdi (AS) even though we can not see him during
his period of occultation.
As I mentioned earlier,
Imam al-Mahdi and all other Imams and prophets are not
anything but the best creatures of Allah. They were NOT
divine in any way. However, I have seen few English
translated Shi'i books in which the phrases like "divine
Imam" or "divine Prophet" have been used. By looking at
those books in the original language, it became evident
that by "a divine leader" the translator meant "a
divinely appointed leader", that is, a leader who has
been assigned by Allah (and not by people). Such phrases
should not any how imply that those leaders are divine
themselves. This is the matter of understanding the
phrase. Although there are many translated Islamic books
which have very poor translation, but fortunately the
occurrence of such ambiguous words which are critical to
the understanding of the reader, is quite rare.
Also Imam al-Mahdi (AS) is
NOT a prophet, and as such he will bring neither a new
religion nor a new religious law. He does not cancel any
regulations set by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF), but he
will enforce the true Islamic based on the genuine
Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). However there are some
authentic traditions which state that although Imam
al-Mahdi does not bring any new law when he comes, some
people say: he is bringing a new religion. Those
traditions further explain that it is as a result of
many innovations set by pseudo-scholars into to the
religion of Islam. Imam al-Mahdi's mission is to reject
ALL the innovations and to revive the Sunnah of Prophet
Muhammad which was polluted by people throughout the
history. As a result of ignorance of people to the true
Sunnah of Prophet, they think he is bringing a new
religion. Some traditions say that Imam al-Mahdi will
also provide the unique interpretation (Tafsir book;
divine commentary) for the Quran |
