Chapter 3
Mahdiism,
the Jews, and the Iranians
People were slowly assembling at Dr. Fahimi's
residence. After the usual welcome and hospitality, the session
began at eight o'clock. This time it was Engineer Madani who opened
the discussion.
Engineer Madani:
I remember reading a book some time ago in which the author's
thesis was that Mahdiism and the divinely ordained messiah were
ideas held by the Jews and pre-Islamic Iranians which spread among
the Muslims. Iranians believed that a man named Saoshyant from
the descendants of Zoroaster would one day appear and destroy
Ahriman, the force of darkness, thereby clearing the earth from
corruption. As for the Jews, because they had lost their homeland
and had been enslaved by the Chaldeans and Assyrians, one of their
prophets had predicted that a messiah would rise, deliver the
Jews, and return them to their promised land in the future. Since
the origins of the idea of the future savior and deliverer were
found amongst the Iranians and the Jews, we may say that this
notion came to Muslims through their channels and, hence, cannot
be anything more than a legend.
Mr. Hoshyar:
I agree that this notion was and is prevalent among other peoples
and religious communities. However, its mere prevalence among
other communities does not render it a legend! For Islamic notions
and rulings to be authentic is it necessary that they ought to
be in disagreement with the past religions? Any person wishing
to investigate any topic without prejudicial understanding has
to begin his research in the primary sources of the particular
tradition that deals with the subject in order to assess its validity
or lack thereof. It is not proper to begin this investigation
in the sources of the traditions that existed before it and then
claim that one has discovered the origins of that superstitious
belief! Is it possible to say that since the ancient Iranians
were believers in Yazdan, the God, and regarded honesty as part
of good conduct, that therefore divine worship must be a legend
and honesty cannot be part of good morals? Hence, just because
other peoples are also awaiting the arrival of a deliverer and
a messiah does not disprove the belief among Muslims; nor can
it be used as a proof for the belief's veracity.
The Reasons
for the Emergence of Belief in the Mahdiism
Dr. Fahimi:
One of the authors has adequately narrated the origins of the
idea of the future messianic figure. If I may, I would like to
relate it in brief for you.
The audience:
Please do!
Dr.Fahimi:
I am going to restate it in brief. The original legend about the
messianic Imam was adopted by the Shi'is from other religious
communities, to which they added their own details until it reached
its present form. This was done for two reasons:
First, the belief about the birth and emergence
of a divine savior was and remains well established among the
Jews. They believed that Elijah had ascended to the heavens and
would descend at the End of Time to deliver the Children of Israel.
In the early days of Islam, a group of Jews
had converted to Islam both for material reasons and in order
to destroy Islam from its very foundation. Some among them attained
high positions among the Muslims through treachery and dissimulation.
Indeed, their sole purpose was to divide the Muslim community
and spread dissension among them. The most outstanding example
of this subversive character was 'Abd Allah b. Saba.
Second, following the death of the Prophet,
his family members, especially 'Ali b. Abi Talib, used to regard
themselves as more worthy of the caliphate than other leading
Muslims. A small number of the Prophet's companions were also
sympathetic to their claims. However, against their expectations,
the caliphate was assumed by others rather than by family. This
caused bitterness and distress among them until the time when,
following the murder of 'Uthman, the caliphate reverted to 'Ali.
His supporters were pleased and hoped that the caliphate would
not slip out from the hands of the Prophet's family. Engulfed
by the civil wars, however, 'Ali could not achieve much and finally
was killed by Ibn Muljam. His son Hasan, who followed him in his
position, did not succeed in bringing order and finally abdicated
the caliphate to the Umayyads.
Hasan and Husayn, the two grandsons of the
Prophet, remained in their homes while the government passed into
the hands of others. The Prophet's family and its supporters were
living a miserable life as the Umayyads and the 'Abbasids squandered
the Muslim treasury. These events led to an increase in the number
of those who supported the family and raised their opposition
to the corrupt rulers throughout in the empire. However, the rulers,
instead of redressing the wrongs committed against the innocent
populace, increased the intensity of their atrocities by killing
or exiling them. In short, after the Prophet's death his ahl
al-bayt and their supporters suffered oppression. Fatima was
denied her right to inherit from the Prophet. 'Ali's right to
the caliphate was denied until later. Hasan was poisoned. Husayn
b. 'Ali, his family and companions, were killed at Karbala and
the survivors of the tragedy were taken prisoner. Muslim b. 'Aqil
and Hani b. 'Urwa were killed mercilessly after being granted
amnesty. Abu Dharr Ghiffari was deported to Rabdha. Hujr b. 'Adi,
'Amr b. Humq, Maytham Tammar, Sa'id b. Jubayr, Kumayl b. Ziyad,
and hundreds of other supporters of the Prophet's family were
executed. Under orders received from Yazid, the Umayyad, Madina
was sacked and hundreds of its residents killed. There are numerous
such accounts filling the pages of history. Under these oppressive
conditions the lives of the supporters of the ahl al-bayt
had become well nigh impossible and they began to look for deliverance.
From time to time an 'Alid would take up arms to fight against
the oppressors; yet the insurrection would finally be curbed by
government forces who would also kill him. These unfavorable circumstances
became the major cause for the minority supporters of the ahl
al-bayt to despair and look for any ray of hope for deliverance.
Evidently, these conditions prepared them thoroughly to accept
the belief in the divinely ordained savior, in Mahdiism.
It was at this time that the newly converted
and opportunist Jews took advantage of the situation to spread
their belief in the divinely ordained messiah. The Shi`is, having
been deeply disappointed and having suffered great loss of life
and tyranny under the ruling powers, found the belief to be extremely
comforting and accepted it wholeheartedly. Nonetheless, they modified
it, saying: "This universal deliverer would definitely be
from among the wronged ahl al-bayt." Gradually, they
embellished it and added to its detail until the idea reached
its present complexity.[1]
Does it
Really Need Explication?
Mr. Hoshyar:
The suffering and persecution of the Prophet's family, the ahl
al-bayt and their supporters, as detailed by the book you
read, is quite true. However, this detailed analysis of the events
that led to such a belief among the Shi'is would have been necessary
only if we did not possess knowledge about the origin of the idea
in Islam. If you recall, we demonstrated that the Prophet himself
spread this belief among Muslims and gave them the information
regarding the future restorer. To support this we cited numerous
traditions, and not only from the Shi'i sources; we also quoted
several traditions from the Sunni collections, the Sihah.
After having provided all the necessary evidence I do not believe
there is any need for further documentation.
In the earlier part of your exposition you
mentioned the prevalence of such a belief among the Jews. This
is also true. But your citation of the view that this belief was
spread by Jews like 'Abd Allah b. Saba among Muslims is simply
untrue. As stated earlier, no less a person than the Prophet himself
was the publicizer of the information about this future restorer
of Islam. Nevertheless, it is quite possible that Muslims who
were formerly Jews affirmed this belief.
The Legend
of 'Abd Allah b. Saba
Let me also point out that the existence of
a Jew by the name of 'Abd Allah b. Saba is not a proven fact of
history. Some scholars believe that the legend was fabricated
by those who were hostile to the Shi'is. Moreover, even if it
is hypothetically acknowledged that he did exist, attribution
of the aforementioned beliefs to him is without evidence or proof.
No reasonable person can regard it credible that a newly converted
Jew would possess such extraordinary political cunning as to publicly
speak about the emergence of the savior of Islam among the ahl
al-bayt in the otherwise oppressive conditions which existed
under the Umayyads. Moreover, it is improbable that such a person
would undertake to organize an insurrection in secret and call
people to pay allegiance to an individual among the Prophet's
family to overthrow the caliph, and replace him with the divinely
guided Imam, without government officials knowing about it. According
to those who hold such an opinion, it would seem that a Jewish
convert to Islam could undertake to destroy the Muslim religion
without any Muslim raising a finger against him! Such an opinion
can exist only in the realm of fantasy! [2]
The Messianic
Leader, Mahdi [3],
in Other Religions
Engineer Madani:
Is belief in the promised Mahdi confined to the followers of Islam,
or does it exist in other religions too?
Mr. Hoshyar:
In fact, this belief is not limited to the Muslims alone. In almost
all religions and heavenly creeds one can find a similar belief
in the future savior. The followers of these religions believe
that there will come a time when the world will become corrupt
and engulfed in a crisis. Evil and injustice will become the rule
of the day. Disbelief will cover the entire world. At that time,
the universal savior of the world will appear. With remarkable
divine help he will restore the purity of faith and defeat materialism
with the help of divine worship. Not only are the tidings to be
found in revealed books like the Zand and Pazand, and Jamaspname
of the Zoroastrians, the Torah and other Biblical books of the
Jews, and the Gospel of the Christians, such information can also
be seen, more or less, among the Brahmins and the Buddhists.
The followers of all religions and traditions
maintain such a belief and are awaiting the appearance of such
a commanding figure under the divine protection. Each tradition
recognizes this figure with a different name and specific title.
The Zoroastrians call him Saoshyant (meaning the 'savior of the
world'); the Jews know him as the messiah, whereas the Christians
regard him as the Savior Messiah. However, each group believes
that this divinely ordained savior will be among them. The Zoroastrians
believe he is Persian and among the followers of Zoroaster. The
Jews maintain that he will be among the Children of Israel, and
the follower of Moses. The Christians think he will be one among
them. Muslims believe that he will be among the Hashimites and
among the direct descendants of the Prophet. In Islam he has been
fully introduced, whereas in other religions this is not so.
It is remarkable that all the characteristics
and signs mentioned for this universal savior in other religions
are applicable to the promised Mahdi, the son of Imam Hasan 'Askari.
It is possible to regard him as Iranian in race because among
his ancestors is the mother of the fourth Imam Zayn al-'Abidin
who, as the daughter of Yazdgard, the Sassanian king, was a Persian
princess. He can also be considered among the Children of Israel,
since both the Hashimites and the Israelites are among the descendants
of Abraham. The Hashimites are the descendants of Isma'il (Ishmael)
and the Israelites are the descendants of Ishaq (Isaac). Hence,
the Hashimites and the Israelites are one family. He is also connected
to Christians because, according to some traditions, the mother
of the present Imam was a Byzantine princess by the name of Narjis
(Nargis), who is part of the miraculous story reported in some
sources.
It is not appropriate to confine the deliverer
of the world, the Mahdi, to one particular nation. He will actually
come to fight against all discriminatory claims of racial, creedal
and national distinction. Consequently, he should be regarded
as the Mahdi of the whole of humanity. He is the savior and deliverer
of the people who worship God. His victory is the victory of all
the prophets and all the righteous ones on earth. He will be restoring
the religion of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and all of the heavenly
revelations, namely, Islam; he will revive the pure religion of
Moses and Jesus which had foretold the prophethood of Muhammad.
Let us be clear that we have no intention of
proving the existence of the promised Mahdi by referring to the
ancient books, nor are we in need of doing so. Our intention is
to demonstrate that the belief in the appearance of the unique
savior of the world is a common religious belief, stemming from
divine revelation, of which all prophets gave glad tidings. All
nations are awaiting his emergence, but they have made errors
in identifying him.
The Qur'an
and Mahdiism
Dr. Fahimi:
If the tradition of the Mahdi was authentic, then there would
have been some mention of it in the Qur'an. On the contrary, even
the word mahdi does not appear in that heavenly book!
Mr. Hoshyar:
First, it is not necessary that each and every true subject should
be mentioned in all its specific details in the Qur'an. In fact,
there are so many particular details that are true and authentic
and yet have not been mentioned in the heavenly book. Second,
there are a number of verses in that holy book which, however
brief, give tidings about the day when the devout worshippers
of God and those who support the true religion and those who are
worthy of that blessing will rule the earth in its entirety; and
the religion of God, Islam, will become the dominant faith over
all other religions. Thus, for instance, in the Sura Anbiya' God
says:
For We have written in the Psalms, after the
Remembrance, 'The earth shall be the inheritance of My righteous
servants.' (21:105)
In the Sura Nur God promises:
God has promised those of you who believe and
do righteous deeds that He will surely make you successors in
the land, even as He made those who were before them successors,
and that He will surely establish their religion for them that
He has approved for them, and will give them in exchange, after
their fear, security: 'They shall serve Me, not associating with
Me anything.' (24:55)
In the Sura Qasas God says:
Yet We desired to be gracious to those that
were abased in the land, and to make them leaders, and to make
them the inheritors. (28:4)
In the Sura Saff God says:
It is He who has sent His Messenger with the
guidance and the religion of truth, that He may uplift it above
every religion, though the unbelievers be averse. (61:9)
From all these verses it can be briefly surmised
that the world can look forward to the day when its power and
administration will be given into the hands of the believers and
those worthy of the divine trust to become leaders and lead humanity
and its civilization to its perfection. At that time, Islam will
become the dominant religion, and monotheism will replace polytheism.
That brilliant period will be marked by the revolution of the
divinely designated reformer and savior of humanity, the promised
Mahdi. More importantly, that universal revolution will be launched
by the deserving Muslims.
The General
Prophethood and the Imamate
Dr. Fahimi:
I don't know why you Shi'a insist that you should prove the existence
of the Imam. You are so unrelenting in your belief that if the
Imam does not exist physically, you say he is in concealment.
Since the Prophets have already delivered the injunctions from
God, why would there be a need for the existence of an Imam?
Mr. Hoshyar:
All those proofs that are advanced to prove the necessity of the
general prophethood and require God to communicate His injunctions
to humankind, also necessitate that an Imam should exist as a
proof for the existence of those injunctions and their protection.
In order to elaborate on what we have said, it is necessary, however
briefly, to present first the proofs that require the existence
of the general prophethood and then proceed to prove the existence
of the Imam.
If you keep in mind the preliminaries that
have been already established and which we will briefly touch
upon here, the matter concerning the necessity of the general
prophethood will become clear to you.
(1) A human being has been created in such
a way that he cannot run his affairs on his own. He needs the
assistance and cooperation of others. In other words, he is created
civil and social by nature. Hence, he must act within a society.
It is obvious that self-interest and survival are the cause of
conflict in a social life. Each person in the society is engaged
in exerting all his endeavor to benefit from limited material
resources. In reaching this goal he has to overcome numerous obstacles
and compete with other individuals who are equally engaged in
attaining the same goal. Under those circumstances individuals
become obstacles to each other's goals and, hence, end up stepping
upon each other's rights. It is at this point that law is needed
to regulate social relations so that people's rights should be
protected from being infringed upon, and conflicts should be resolved
without creating chaos and lawlessness. It is possible to surmise
that laws are a precious treasure that have been discovered by
human beings. Furthermore, it is probable that from the early
days of organizing their society human beings have had access
to laws and have always respected them for their own good.
(2) A human being has been innately endowed
with the capacity to perfect himself and attain prosperity. In
his ongoing struggle, a human being has no other purpose than
to become truly perfect. All his endeavors are geared towards
attaining that lofty goal of perfection.
(3) Since a human being is on his way to perfection,
attention to the true meaning of perfection has been made part
of his natural disposition. Hence, it should be possible for him
to attain it, because God does not create anything in futility.
(4) The point that a human being is made of
body and spirit is well established. He is material through his
body; whereas his spirit, although intimately connected with his
body is regarded as belonging to the world of incorporeal beings.
(5) Since human being is made of two elements,
namely, body and spirit, he is bound to have two kinds of life:
this worldly life, related to his body; and the spiritual and
contemplative life, related to his soul. Consequently, in relation
to each one of them he will have a life of prosperity and damnation.
(6) Just as between body and spirit there is
connection and relationship, with ensuing unity, so is there a
perfect connection and relationship between the material and spiritual
life. In other words, the quality of life in this world has a
direct impact upon the spiritual life. Likewise, the psychic conditions
and other spiritual characteristics have an impact upon the way
human acts surface.
(7) A human being is on the way to perfection
and is attentive to the requirements of innate and natural perfection.
Moreover, God has not created life without a purpose. It is incumbent
upon God to provide the means to attain the goal and to acquire
the perfection intended for humanity so that it is able to distinguish
and pursue the path that leads to the attainment of prosperity
and avoid that which leads to sinful deviation.
(8) By nature a human being is self-centered
and pursues his own interests. He is not interested in any other
thing than serving his own good and interests. In fact, he endeavors
to exploit fellow human beings and take advantage of their endeavors
to serve his ends.
(9) Although a human being is engrossed in
pursuing his own real perfection and is engaged in an intense
search of that truth which he believes would lead him to its acquisition,
more than often he fails to reach that goal. The reason is that
his own egocentric desires and internal emotions overcome his
ability to distinguish the straight path. These traits actually
obscure the ability of practical reason to lead humans to that
desired perfection, and instead mislead one toward the path of
damnation and self-destruction.
What System
Can Make Human Beings Prosperous?
Since human beings must live in a society,
and since obstacles to preserving one's interest and the exploitation
of fellow humans are a necessary part of social life, there is
a need for law to control such self-serving interest that could
lead to chaos among the people. Such a law can create order in
the society only when the following conditions are fulfilled:
(1) Such law has to be comprehensive and effective
to cover and administer all spheres of individual as well as collective
human activity. It should provide for all the human exigencies
without neglecting any aspect of social life. Such a legal system
should promulgate laws that would be in conformity with the natural
and actual needs of individuals, reflecting both the internal
reality as well as external conditions of human beings.
(2) Such law should lead to the real prosperity
of human beings and not merely their imaginary and speculative
perfection.
(3) Such law should be attentive to the well
being of the entirety of humanity, not just a particular group
of people or specific individual.
(4) Such law should lay the foundation of a
society based on human virtues and the perfection of humanity.
It should lead it to the attainment of that lofty goal by putting
a high value on earthly life as a means of procuring those virtues
and that human perfection, and not as independent of it.
(5) Such law should possess the efficiency
to protect the people from manipulation and chaos, and guarantee
the rights of all individuals without discrimination.
(6) In its promulgation, this law should be
alert to the spiritual needs of the people in such a way that
none of its laws should be a cause of harm to the meaningful existence
of the people. Nor should it lead to the deviation from the path
of perfection.
(7) Such law should protect the society from
turning away from the right path of humanitarian existence and
from choosing the path of destruction.
(8) The lawgiver of such a system should be
well informed about all the crooked and scrupulous aspects of
human encounters and should be knowledgeable about all the judgements
given at different times and places.
Undoubtedly, a human being is in need of this
kind of law and it is regarded as the necessity of his life. Without
such a system in place human life will be in danger. In light
of this indispensable need, it is relevant to raise the question
of whether human-made law is capable of administering human society
justly.
We believe that human-legislated law, influenced
by short-sighted human intelligence, is imperfect and does not
possess the ability to administer human society with justice.
Some examples would clarify this statement:
(1) Human knowledge and information is both
limited and deficient. The average human being is unaware of all
human needs and the laws of nature. He also does not possess sufficient
knowledge about good and evil and all aspects of competing interests
among various laws and their impact upon the formulation of final
judgements in different places and times.
(2) If it is hypothetically admitted that it
is possible for human legislators to promulgate such laws, it
is undoubtedly impossible to concede that these legislators are
aware of the ways in which the worldly and the spiritual life
interact with each other to produce actions that suggest their
deep roots in human nature. And, even if they are in possession
of such an awareness, it is very negligible. Evidently, taking
care of that spiritual life is beyond their legislative program.
Hence, human prosperity is viewed only from a material perspective.
On the contrary, these two aspects of human existence are intimately
related, and their division is inconceivable.
(3) Since human beings are self-centered, manipulation
and exploitation of a fellow human is part of his nature. Every
person gives preference to his own interests above the good of
others. Hence, conflict resolution and the prevention of exploitation
are beyond his competence. The reason is that the self-serving
goals of the human legislators will never allow them to disregard
their own and their supporters' interests and work towards the
common good of humanity.
(4) Human legislators always promulgate laws
shortsightedly. Moreover, they are influenced by their prejudices,
habits and defective thought. Consequently, the laws are enacted
to protect the interests of the few, without due attention to
the benefit and harm that could accrue to others. In these laws
the general welfare of humanity has not been the source of legislation.
Indeed, it is only the divinely ordained legal
system that is in conformity with the laws of nature and has been
promulgated with the purpose of advancing human prosperity in
this and the next world. Hence, it is free from every selfish
human motive. It is, certainly, enacted to further universal human
prosperity. Thus, it is clear that humanity needs the divinely
ordained law and God's benevolence makes it necessary that He
provide a complete and perfect system through His messengers.
The Other-worldly
Prosperity
Even as a human being is constantly occupied
with the mundane aspects of life, there is some mysterious life
rooted in the depth of his own self to which he hardly pays attention,
and he appears to have almost forgotten about it. He is bound
to reap prosperity or adversity in relation to this neglected
self too. In other words, good thoughts and true beliefs, virtuous
conduct and praiseworthy actions that stem from the prosperous
self would lead to spiritual perfection and ascendancy as well
as to success and excellence, just as erroneous beliefs, immoral
behavior and blameworthy conduct, which stem from the perverted
self, lead to the impairment, destitution and deviation of the
self. Hence, if a person places himself on the path of perfection,
he will permit his essential and real self to be nurtured and
refined so as to ascend and revert to its original abode, which
is all light and bliss. On the contrary, if he sacrifices all
the means to attain the perfection of the self by surrendering
to the animal appetites, then he will transform himself into a
violent, lustful animal, having completely deviated from the straight
path.
Consequently, a human being is in need of a
carefully structured program for the progression of his inner
self without which he cannot expect to travel this hazardous and
highly intricate path. By allowing his animal appetites to overcome
spiritual and moral perfection, he actually surrenders the ability
of his intuitive reasoning to reach sound judgements. As a result
he falls into the darkness of misguidance, destroying his power
to carry out the requirements of a virtuous life, judging good
to be evil and evil to be good. Indeed, it is only God, the Creator
of human beings, who knows the source of human prosperity, the
good and the evil, who can provide the right guidance and complete
program to attain true perfection and happiness, and to avoid
those things that cause destitution and adversity. In sum, a human
being needs the Lord Creator also in attaining his prosperity
in the Hereafter.
Thus, it is possible to conclude that the Wise
God has not exposed humankind, which is potentially capable of
realizing prosperity as well as disaster only to the deviating
powers of the self. Nor has He abandoned humankind to the forces
of ignorance and confusion. Rather, He has endowed humanity with
abounding benevolence and kindness by guiding it through the prophets
who are selected from among humans. These prophets have been sent
with ordinances and laws to direct the lives of the people toward
this and other-worldly prosperity and to warn against the tribulations
caused by ignoring this guidance. By doing so God has removed
all the possible excuses human beings could make for having failed
to reach the appointed goal of prosperity.
The Path
of Perfection
The path of human perfection leading it to
God is embedded in sound belief, righteous action and virtuous
conduct. The information about this path was revealed to the Prophets
so that they could undertake to call people towards it. It is
important to emphasize that this path is not merely a formal path
that has no connection in form or essence to the divine goals.
Quite to the contrary, it is the path that is real and true, which
has its source in the divine lordship. Any one situated in its
course can ascend to the highest levels of the limitless universe
and paradisaical heavens by going through the inner perfection
of the self.
In other words, true religion is such a straight
path that whoever situates himself in its course, perfects hisHher
essential self and his humanity through the straight, benevolent
path and returns to the prosperous abode and the source of all
perfection. And anyone who deviates from this straight path has
to go through the inhuman path of demonic existence, without any
virtues and good conduct to support themselves. Such individuals
actually become incapable of treading the precise path of benevolent
existence. Indeed, such an individual cannot expect anything better
than being damned to perdition and hell fire.
The Infallibility
of the Prophets
The Divine Benevolence makes it necessary that
the prophets be sent as the guides to teach the people religious
ordinances and laws so as to lead them to their prosperity in
this and the next world. This goal can be accomplished only if
the prophets are protected from committing any errors in delivering
the divine message to humanity. Otherwise, human beings could
make an excuse for not having received authentic directives from
God. In other words, a prophet should be immune from any kind
of error and forgetfulness in conveying the divine revelation
to the people. This is known as `isma ('protection' or
'immunity' = 'infallibility'). Moreover, a prophet himself should
be an exemplary person, having followed all the divine injunctions
in his personal life. It is only then that he can call upon people
to follow the divine guidance, demonstrating its validity through
his own character and conduct. In this way the people can follow
him confidently toward their own true perfection. In addition,
it is a rationally derived proposition that no person can expect
others to carry out moral and religious directives when he himself
does not follow the same. A call to the divine path must be exemplified
by the prophet.
It is obvious that our own knowledge and perceptions
are not free of error, because they are conditioned by the way
our sensory perceptions receive them. No one can deny the numerous
times when our senses have made errors in perception. However,
when that knowledge and those ordinances come in the form of divine
guidance from God, delivered through the revelation to the prophets,
these are immune from such dangers. In fact, revelation is not
the kind of knowledge that is derived from sensory perceptions.
Otherwise, it too would have been prone to same dangers as human
perceptions are, depriving people of the confidence that is necessary
in religious ordinances. Religious truth and knowledge about hidden
matters is given to the prophets through revelation which descends
upon their heart and their inner self. This very truth is experienced
by these prophets in their earthly existence, which they convey
to the people in accord with their capacity to understand and
to follow it. Hence, the religious truth given to the prophets
and delivered to the people by them remains immune from any falsehood
or error.
It is for this reason that the prophets are
protected from disobedience and error of judgement, and are empowered
to act upon their knowledge. How can it be otherwise? A person
who has attained that level of truth through experience and direct
observation cannot be expected to act contrary to that truth.
Moreover, after attaining such a level of perfection he cannot
be expected to forfeit that blessing by falling into sinful deviation.
Rational
Proof in Support of the Imamate
After having demonstrated the necessity for
general prophethood to guide humanity to its this- and next-worldly
goals, it is accurate to hold that the same proof can be utilized
to establish the fact that, whenever the prophet dies, there must
exist in his place someone who can lead the community to those
ends. This person should be someone who can continue the work
of the prophet in providing the divine ordinances and reach out
to the people in their search for the religious and spiritual
path. God's purposes cannot be fulfilled without such a person
existing among the people to promulgate those laws without errors
of omission or commission. Thus, in the absence of the prophet,
God's benevolence makes it necessary that there should be someone
among the people to make sure that divine revelation is protected
from human interference and interpolations, and that divine laws
are made accessible to the people at all times.
This outstanding person must also, like the
prophet, be immune and protected from committing any error and
mistakes in receiving, recording and delivering the divine ordinances
to establish the proof that God's guidance for the people is intact.
Moreover, he should be fully knowledgeable about the truth of
the religious ordinances and should himself act upon those ordinances
so that others can bring their own acts and opinions into conformity
with his and follow his example in their search for truth, without
falling into doubt and confusion and without resorting to excuses
for not having found the proof of religious truth. Since the Imam
must also be protected from committing any error in carrying out
this great responsibility, it must be pointed out that the Imam's
knowledge is other than that acquired through sense perception.
Hence, his knowledge is different from the knowledge of an ordinary
person. Through the Prophet's own guidance the Imam possesses
clear insights into religious knowledge. Moreover, he is endowed
with direct experience of the truth through his inner eyes. It
is because of this that he is protected from any error or forgetfulness,
and so acts in accord with this experience and direct observation
of religious truth. More importantly, it is this attribute that
qualifies him to assume the Imamate of the Muslim community.
In other words, there must exist among the
people a perfect individual, one possessing absolute faith in
God's revelation and exemplifying the best character and personal
qualities in order to lead people in the minutest details of God's
ordinances. At all these levels he must be protected from error,
forgetfulness, and acts of disobedience. He must be ma'süm.
It is the coming together of faith and action, knowledge and practice,
that makes him the personification of all the possible human potentials
of perfection. The realization of these potentials indisputably
annoints him the leader of humanity. If humanity, at any point,
is deprived of this leadership, the situation could lead to the
disappearance of the divine ordinances which were proclaimed for
the betterment of humankind. Moreover, it could lead to the discontinuation
of divine help and could sever the connection between the divine
and human realms.
In other words, there should always be a person
among the people who is endowed with special guidance from God
and is protected through God's benevolence in order for him to
provide the necessary guidance and lead the people to their perfection
in accord with their divinely endowed potentials. Moreover, through
his knowledge and in any way possible, he should aid them in their
journey towards their Creator. It is the existence of the sacred
presence of the Imam as the Proof of God and as a perfect example
of religious life that can make the divine presence known and
divine worship possible in a society. Without the Imam's existence
God cannot be known or worshipped perfectly. The inner self of
the Imam is the receptacle for God's knowledge and divine secrets.
It is like a mirror that reflects the realities of the material
world, and people derive benefit from these reflections.
Dr. Jalali:
Surely, the protection of religious ordinances and laws is not
confined to one person who should know it and practice it all.
Rather, if all religious ordinances and laws are distributed among
the people and if each group learns and puts into practice part
of these ordinances, all of them can be protected both from the
perspectives of knowledge about and practice of them.
Mr. Hoshyar:
Your hypothesis is refutable from two angles:
First, in our previous discussion we have pointed
out that there should always be one outstanding person among the
people who should be an embodiment of all the possible benevolent
qualities and a personification of the religious existence in
all its meanings. Moreover, he should be free from any need of
acquiring the necessary sciences and education from any other
being than God. If such a person is absent among the people, then
humanity will be deprived of God's proof and knowledge about God's
purposes. To be sure, when any species is left without a purpose
its destruction is certain. According to your hypothesis, such
a perfect person does not exist because each one of these persons,
even when he knows and acts upon a number of those ordinances,
is not on that straight path of religion and actually has deviated
from it. The reason is that religious ordinances are inevitably
too interrelated and profoundly interconnected as a whole for
them to be taken in part.
Second, as pointed out earlier, since God's
ordinances and laws are sent for the guidance of humanity, they
should remain not only constant but should also be safeguarded.
All ways to their change, distortion or destruction should remain
firmly closed, and they should remain safe from all dangers. This
goal can be fulfilled only when the person in charge of it is
protected from error and immune from forgetfulness and disobedience.
There is nothing in your hypothesis that guarantees this because
the problem of error of judgement and forgetfulness is a possibility
for each one of the people. Consequently, the divine ordinances
and laws are not immune from any change or alteration and neither
so the proof of God's immutable guidance nor the elimination of
people's excuse is procurable.
Textual
Proof for the Necessity of the Imamate
Mr. Hoshyar:
All that we have said is further attested in the traditions reported
on the authority of the ahl al-bayt. If you are interested
in an investigation of them you might refer to the books on hadith.
Here we will cite some of these for your benefit:
One of the companions of Imam Sadiq by the
name of Abu Hamza says: I asked the Imam, "Can the earth
survive without the presence of the Imam?" He said, "If
the earth is devoid of the Imam it will be destroyed."[4]
Al-Washsha', a close associate of Imam Rida
says: I asked the Imam, "Can the earth be without an Imam?"
He said, "No." I told him that it has been related to
us that the earth cannot be without an Imam, except when God is
angry with the people. On that he said, "Nevertheless, the
earth cannot be void of the Imam, otherwise it will be destroyed."[5]
Ibn al-Tayyar reports that he heard from Imam
Sadiq that if there remained two persons on earth one of them
would be the Proof of God. In another tradition Imam Baqir is
reported to have declared: "By God, from the time God caused
Adam to die until this day, God has not left this earth without
an Imam through whom His guidance becomes available to the people.
It is this Imam who is the Proof of God for the people. As long
as there is a need for God's proof the earth will not be without
an Imam."[6]
In another tradition Imam Sadiq is reported
to have said: "God has created us in the best form and has
appointed us as the caretaker of all the divine knowledge. The
tree spoke to us, and through our worship God is being worshipped."
The Imam also said: "The vicegerents [of the Prophet] are
the gates of divine knowledge. Hence, one should enter religion
through them. Without them God cannot be known. It is through
the existence of these vicegerents that God will present His argument
against His servants."[7]
Abu Khalid, a close associate of Imam Baqir
asked the interpretation of the verse that says: "Believe
in God, His messenger, and the light which We have revealed."
The Imam said:
O Abu Khalid, by 'the light' is meant the Imams.
O Abu Khalid, the light of the Imam in the heart of the believer
is more brilliant than the sunlight. They are the ones who enlighten
the hearts of the believers. God denies and conceals this light
from whomever He wishes, as a result of which the heart of that
person turns dark and becomes veiled.[8]
According to another tradition, Imam Rida said:
When God wills to appoint someone to look after
the affairs of humanity, He expands his chest and makes his heart
the source of realities and wisdom. He continuously endows him
with His knowledge so that after receiving it he would not be
incapable of answering any question. Moreover, in explaining the
realities and providing the right guidance he would not fall into
any error or falsehood. He is free from any corruption and error,
he is ma'süm. He remains all the time the recipient
of God's support and assistance, and is protected from sinful
deviation. God appoints him to this prominent position so that
he becomes the Proof of God's existence on earth. This is God's
special favor, which He gives to whomever He pleases. Indeed,
God's bounty is extensive.[9]
In yet another tradition the Prophet declared:
"Stars are the security for the dwellers of the heavens.
If they get destroyed so will the dwellers of the heavens. My
family members are the security for the dwellers of the earth.
Hence, if they do not exist, the dwellers of the earth will also
be destroyed."[10]
In one of his orations Imam 'Ali said:
The earth will not be void of the Qa'im who
will stand by the command of God and will provide the proof of
God's existence for humanity. Sometimes that proof is manifest
and well attested, and at other times it is in fear and hidden.
This is to ensure that God's proofs are not terminated. These
proofs are few and their whereabouts is not known. I solemnly
declare that although they are few their status is extremely elevated.
Through them God protects His proof and evidence until that time
when they can implant those proofs in those who are like them
and cultivate them in their hearts.
The knowledge [given by God] has led them to
the true insight and they have attained the spirit of certainty
through it. That which baffles the lovers of wealth and makes
it inconceivable for them appears easy and readily accessible
to these proofs of God. That which frightens the ignorant, the
proofs of God are intimate with it. Their connection to this material
world is because of their physical body whose spirits are connected
with the highly exalted places. They are God's caliphs and His
callers to faith on earth.[11]
In another sermon Imam 'Ali b. Abi Talib has
described the excellences of the ahl al-bayt, saying:
The elegances of the Qur'an are about them
and they are the treasures of God. When they speak they speak
the truth, but when they keep quiet no one can speak unless they
speak.
They are the pillars of Islam and the sanctuary
of [its] protection. With them truth has returned to its proper
position and falsehood has retreated and its tongue is severed
from its root. They have understood the religion attentively and
carefully, not by mere heresy or from narrators, because narrators
of knowledge are many but those who understand it are few.[13]
In short, on the basis of rational and textual
evidence one can surmise that as long as human beings live on
the earth, there must exist a perfect and divinely protected person
among them who could personify all the perfect qualities that
the human being can possibly attain. Moreover, such an individual
must be responsible, both theoretically and practically, to guide
humanity. This person is the Imam, the leader of humankind. Having
himself ascended on this sacred path of human perfection he takes
it upon himself to call others onto those stages and stations.
Hence, he becomes the mediator between the hidden world of the
spirit and the human world. The bounties of the hidden world descend
upon him first, and through him reach other human beings. It is
obvious that the non-existence of such a person among people would
inevitably lead to the absence of any goal for humankind. Such
an absence would necessarily lead to the perdition of human society.
In the final analysis, regardless of any other proof, this rational
and textual evidence confirms that there is no period in history,
including our own age, without an Imam. Since there is no manifest
Imam at this time, we can say that the Imam is in occultation
and lives a concealed life.
*******
It was quite late in the night. Everyone was
tired and it was decided that the discussion would continue at
some other time in the near future.
Notes:
- See the thesis presented in the book al-Mahdiyya
fi al-islam, pp. 48-68.
- For further details on the
conditions that existed under these caliphal authorities, see:
'Ali al-Wardi, Naqsh-i vu'aaz
dar islam, which is the translation of the work from Arabic
by Khaliliyan, pp. 111-137. The legend about 'Abd Allah b. Saba
has been critically analyzed by Sayyid Murtada 'Askari in his
monumental study entitled 'Abd Allah b. Saba; and by Taha
Husayn, 'Ali va farzandanash, which is the translation
of his book in Arabic by Khalili, pp. 139-143.
- The author simply says: Mahdi
in Other Religions. He thus uses the term mahdi
as a generic term for any messianic leader whose emergence or
return, as the case might be, is awaited by the followers of other
religions. Tr.
- Kulayni, Usul
al-kafi, Vol. 1/334.
- Ibid.
- Ibid., p. 333, 335.
- Ibid., p. 368-69.
- Ibid., p. 372.
- Ibid., 1/390.
- Suyuti, Tadhkirat
al-khawass, p. 182
- Nahj al-balagha,
Sermon No. 147, Vol. 3.
- Ibid., Sermon No. 154.
- Ibid., Sermon No. 235.
