Translator's Introduction
In the Name of God, the
Merciful, the Compassionate
As I write this preface to the translation
of the book on our twelfth Imam, al-Qa'im al-Mahdi (peace be upon
him), it gives me enormous satisfaction for having realized the
task that I undertook as a statement of my personal faith. Initially
the task was personally assigned by the author of the book, Ayatollah
Ibrahim Amini, during my visit to Tehran in the summer of 1993.
Due to my teaching and administrative responsibilities as the
Director of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Virginia,
I had to wait for a more opportune time to devote my energies
to this demanding responsibility. Nevertheless, Ayatollah Ibrahim
Amini's request reflected not only his confidence in my ability
to render this serious work on Twelver Shi'i faith accurately
into English, it also conveyed his confidence in my personal faith
in the twelfth Imam.
The summer of 1993 was also a time to be grateful
to God for a very important reason. In the interview with the
editors of Kayhan-i Farhangi in Qumm, I had the opportunity
to explain the academic study of religion in the light of my own
study about the idea of the future leadership in Islam and how
it essentially differed from the method of conducting research
in the traditional centers of Islamic learning. The entire interview,
now available in English and French translations, is a good example
of the scholarly dialogue between modern and traditional institutions
of higher learning.
*******
The translation of this important book would
have been impossible without the need on my part to respond to
those who have attributed to me false notions and ideas which
are neither part of my personal faith nor of my academic research.
At no point have I entertained, even in error, opinions that cannot
be ascertained in the written primary sources of the Twelver Shi'ism.
Every piece of document used to write my academic research is
meticulously investigated and critically evaluated in the light
of the teachings of the Qur'an and the authentic traditions of
the ahl al-bayt. It is remarkable that Ayatollah Amini's
Dadgustar-i jihan, which I have rendered in English under
the title of: Al-Imam al-Mahdi: The Just Leader of Humanity,
gives the believer a detailed description of the belief in the
twelfth Imam, whose chronological development based on historical
study of the sources I have examined in Islamic Messianism:
The Idea of Mahdi in Twelver Shi'ism. More remarkable
is the fact that even when Ayatollah Amini and I have approached
the subject with strikingly different method of investigation,
we have reached the same conclusion regarding the belief about
the Imam who will come forth from his invisible existence to take
charge of the world as its just leader.
The methodological difference between the two
endeavors actually points to the different readership: the former
is written strictly for the educated 'insiders' (the believers);
whereas, the latter is written for both the educated 'insiders'
and the 'outsiders' (non-believers). This is an important distinction
to keep in mind, as the readers in the community begin to fathom
the contribution made by Ayatollah Amini to reach a believing
audience in contrast to my own academic contribution to reach
a non-believing audience for the intellectual appreciation of
the Twelver Shi'ite school of thought.
My endeavors in Islamic Messianism were
very much guided by the need to present the Shi'ite school of
thought to a Western academic world dominated by an "orientalist"
scholarship that not only marginalizes Shi'ism as a deviant and
corrupt form of Islam, but also regards it as directly influenced
by Jewish and Christian messianic ideas. It was important to challenge
long held conclusions of the Western and Sunni scholars regarding
the origins of Shi'i notion of the divinely guided Imam, and assert
with confidence that the idea of the future coming of the Mahdi
arose from the Qur'anic world view's concern with bringing to
fruition a just and ethical society. On the other hand, Ayatollah
Amini's endeavors in Al-Imam al-Mahdi: The Just Leader of Humanity,
are geared towards responding to the doubts raised by the skeptic
Shi'is and polemical Sunnis.
This purpose of reaching out to the specific
Persian speaking Muslim audience also explains the methodology
employed by him which endeavors to establish the religious truth
strictly on the basis of sources dealing with hadith. Each
argument is sought from the interpretation of the specific Qur'anic
verses and hadith-reports used to support that interpretation.
The hadith, then, becomes the fundamental source of religious
proof. However, following the well established methods employed
by our prominent scholars, the hadith is not accepted uncritically.
It is scrutinized for its validity and its use as evidence in
support of a religious belief. Moreover, Ayatollah Amini introduces
rational argument to discredit some of the stories about meeting
with the twelfth Imam that have been accepted uncritically by
some scholars of hadith. Thus, for instance, the well known
story about the 'Evergreen Island' being the residence of the
twelfth Imam is rejected by him not only as being contradictory
in the details provided by the narrator; it is also regarded as
a mere fabrication. Furthermore, modern research on aging and
longevity is cited extensively from Western sources to establish
the fact that science does not regard it inconceivable for the
twelfth Imam (peace be upon him) to have been blessed with a long
age.
The most enlightening and eye opening section
of the book deals with the question of the achievements of the
twelfth Imam when he appears (Chapter 14 of the translation).
Here the information regarding the 'The Freshness of the Explanations
offered by the Mahdi,' covers a critical assessment of how we,
as the followers of the twelfth Imam, have ignored the true meaning
of Islam in our lives and have attached importance to the rituals
without realizing the true moral and ethical content of these
religious devotions.
Thus, Ayatollah Amini writes:
People, having abandoned the absolute principles
and fundamental teachings of Islam, merely follow the outward
forms of religion, and regard those to be sufficient. These are
the people who, besides the five daily obligatory prayers, the
fasting of Ramadan, and the avoidance of external pollution (najasat),
know nothing of Islam. Besides, some of them have limited religion
to the mosque, and, hence, its reality has very little impact
upon their actions and behavior. In the life outside the mosque,
that is, in the market place or at work, there is no trace of
their Islam. They do not regard ethical behavior and moral precepts
to be part of Islam. They give no importance to eschewing immoral
conduct and make an excuse of not following moral guidelines since
there is dispute about the obligatoriness and the prohibitions
of certain requirements. They go as far as turning the prohibitions
of the law, through trickery, into something permissible. They
also shun their responsibility for paying the dues that are imposed
by the law on them. In other words, they are engaged in observing
the religion according to their desires.
When it comes to the Qur'an, they think it
sufficient to pay attention to its formal recitation and to respect
the conventions in that connection. Hence, when the twelfth Imam
appears it is obvious that he will ask them as to why they have
abandoned the essence of religion and have interpreted the Qur'an
and the hadith to fit their own preferred meanings. Why
have they left the truth of Islam while being satisfied with mere
outward adherence to it? Why have they not sought to conform their
character and their actions with the true spirit of Islam? Why
have they twisted the meanings of the religion to accord with
their own personal avarice? Since they pay so much attention to
the proper recitation of the Qur'an, they should also put its
directives into action. The twelfth Imam has the right to ask:
"My grandfather, Imam Husayn did not get killed for the sake
of mourning. Why have you forsaken my grandfather's goal and destroyed
it?"
The Imam will ask them to learn the Islamic
social and moral teachings and apply them in their everyday lives.
They should avoid the forbidden acts, and take care of their financial
obligations, without making flimsy excuses. They should also keep
in mind that remembering the merits of the ahl al-bayt
and weeping for their suffering can never substitute for the paying
of the zakat and khums and taking care of one's
debts. Nor can they substitute for such sinful behavior as taking
interest and bribes, cheating others and treating them with dishonesty.
They should recognize that weeping and sighing for Imam Husayn
can never substitute for having ill-treated orphans and widows.
More importantly, they should not limit piety to the mosque; rather,
they should seek participation in the society and carry out the
duty of commanding the good and forbidding the evil and fight
the innovations that have crept into Islam.
Certainly, such a religion would seem new and
difficult to these people, and they might not even consider it
to be Islam, because they have imagined Islam to be something
else. These people used to think that the progress and greatness
of Islam lay in decorating the mosques and in constructing tall
minarets. If the twelfth Imam says: "The greatness of Islam
is in righteous action, honesty, trustworthiness, keeping promises,
avoiding forbidden acts," this would appear to them altogether
new! They used to assume that when the Imam appears he will make
amends for all the actions of the Muslims and will retire with
them in the corner of a mosque. But if they witness that blood
is dripping from the Imam's sword and that he is calling people
to jihad and to command the good and forbid the evil, and
that he is killing the unjust worshippers and returning the goods
they have stolen to their rightful owners, such actions of the
Imam they will indeed find new!
This honest and frank assessment of the Umma
and the responsibility that the followers have towards the twelfth
Imam is rare in the literature on the subject. It is time for
us to take stock of our commitment to the goals of Islam and work
sincerely towards self-reform in order to fulfill our obligations
to the Muslims and non-Muslims around us. It is worth recalling
the contents of the supplication that has been reported from the
twelfth Imam and which we read at different times without pondering
fully the admonishment that the Imam has conveyed to his followers.
The supplication is as follows:
O God, provide
us with direction to follow the path of obedience and keep us
away from disobedience; give sincerity in our intentions; provide
us with the knowledge of that which is blessed.
[O God,] honor
us with guidance and the way of truth; direct our tongues to say
that which is right and wise; fill our hearts with learning and
knowledge; and purify our bellies of that which is unlawful and
of doubt.
[O God,] prevent
our hands from committing oppression and theft; lower our eyes
out of modesty from [committing acts of] immorality and disloyalty;
block our ears from hearing foolish talk and slander.
[O God,] oblige
our learned authorities with piety and sincere advice and those
who are learning with ability and desire to educate themselves.
[O God,] confer
on those who are listening a desire to follow and pay attention
to the religious exhortation; bestow recovery and rest on all
the Muslims who are suffering from illness; and kindness and mercy
on those who are dead among them.
On our old people, [O God,] bestow dignity
and peace of mind; upon our youth confer repentance and turning
away from sin; on our women bestow modesty and chastity.
[O God,] bestow
on those who are rich humbleness and abundance; on those who are
poor patience and satisfaction; on those who are fighting in Your
cause help and victory; and on those who are imprisoned freedom
and peace.
[O God,] bestow
upon those who are ruling justice and kindness; and upon those
who are ruled just treatment and good character.
[O God,] bless
those who are on pilgrimage with abundant provision and support,
and help them to complete that which is obligatory on them in
the [performance] of the hajj and `umra, with Your
grace and kindness, O the Most Compassionate.
In the end, I must acknowledge all the moral
support and encouragement that I have received from Ayatollah
Ibrahim Amini and his colleagues at the Majlis-i Khubragan,
Hujjatul Islam Hadavi Tihrani and his colleagues at the Jami'
Mudarrisin Hawza 'Ilmiyya Qumm, and various well-wishers around
the world to whom I have dedicated the translation of this valuable
statement of our personal faith.
Abdulaziz Sachedina
London, England
18 Dhul-Hijja, 1416
May 6,1996
Introduction
In the Name of God, the
Merciful, the Compassionate
The month of Sha'ban in the Muslim calendar
is a time of celebrations. It is marked with the birth of the
third Imam, Husayn b. 'Ali, his half brother, 'Abbas b. 'Ali,
his son 'Ali b. Husayn Zayn al-'Abidin, and finally, his renowned
descendant, the Qa'im of the ahl al-bayt, the twelfth Imam
Mahdi (peace be upon him). I attended a function organized to
celebrate the birthday of the twelfth Imam (peace be upon him)
on the 15th Night of Sha`ban at one of the high schools in Tehran.
It was a well organized affair attended by all classes of people.
However, the majority of the participants were educated people,
including young, upper class high school students. The function
was sponsored by the Islamic Association of that school.
The occasion opened with the recitation of
the Qur'an by a young student, who, through his beautiful recitation
captured the spiritual dimension of the event. Following him another
student recited a poem he had composed about the Hidden Imam (peace
be upon him), and a third presented a well-written and very relevant
paper about the subject. At the end of the program, Mr. Hoshyar,
one of the outstanding teachers of the school, gave a pertinent
talk on the topic of the Imam of the Age (peace be upon him),
and this brought the evening to a close.
That function left a deep impression upon me.
It was not so much its ceremonial side that caught my attention,
but rather the experience of being overwhelmed by the spirit of
sincerity and piety which flowed from the young people. They had
brought together religion and knowledge, and were engaged in spreading
religious truth and understanding among the people, enlightening
their thoughts with faith. The atmosphere at the gathering was
dominated by purity of intention and sincerity in the actions
of these youths, whose interaction with the audience radiated
warmth and consideration.
This enthusiasm among the youth and their religious
fervor, guided by clear thinking, made me hopeful about the future
of the Muslim community. I almost saw the future leadership of
the civilization and the responsibility for the progression of
humanity on their shoulders. My eyes were filled with tears of
hope and I prayed to God, the Almighty, with all sincerity for
the success of the Islamic Association of the students and the
schools that had pioneered this sacred mission among the young
people.
At that very moment, Engineer Madani, who was
seated next to Mr. Hoshyar, raised a question: "Do you really
believe in the existence of the Hidden Imam? Is your opinion based
on research or do you merely defend such a belief on the basis
of your bias?" Mr. Hoshyar replied: "My belief is neither
founded upon blind faith nor upon blind imitation. Rather, I have
accepted it through careful study and research. In any case, I
am still open to do more research and adjust my opinion accordingly."
Mr. Madani continued: "Since the subject
of the Imam of the Age is not sufficiently clear for me, and so
far I have not been able to convince myself of its veracity, I
would very much like to discuss the subject and benefit from your
study and research on the topic."
