In this part of the article titled “The Benefit of Having the Imam in Occultation”, we shall continue our discussion on the benefit of the occultation of Imam Mahdi (May Allah hasten his reappearance).
Again, it is possible that someone might say: The endeavours of one or a few individuals trying to change the conditions in society may come to nothing. Hence, one should not even try to do anything. Moreover, in principle, it might be asked what wrong have I done to be deprived of meeting my Imam? In response to this one can point out the benefit that accrues to an individual and to society in general when we endeavour to raise the standard of thinking and moral awareness among people, informing them about the lofty goals of Islam and bringing them closer to the goals of the Imam (peace be upon him).
By doing so we have actually fulfilled our obligation as a follower of the Imam. In return, we have attained the highest reward of having furthered the realization of an ideal society, even if merely by a step. Any rational person can attest to this benefit of striving to further the divine purposes for human society. It is for this reason that there are numerous traditions that speak about the merits of awaiting deliverance through the appearance of the twelfth Imam, and which regard this awaiting as a form of serving God. (1)
Second, faith in the Hidden Imam and awaiting deliverance through his return is a source of hope and peace for the hearts of the believers. Such hope is one of the major causes of the success and advancement of the Islamic ideal. Any group of people that becomes bogged down by pessimism and despair also suffers from self-imposed negativism that leads to the defeat of the purpose.
There is no doubt that the social and political turmoil in many parts of the world, the decline of moral and ethical vision, the deprivation and poverty suffered by the downtrodden, the spread of tools of various forms of imperialistic intervention in the affairs of the weaker societies, the arms race among the powerful countries –all these — have led sensitive and conscientious thinkers around the globe to become concerned and even, to a certain extent, pessimistic about the ability of human society to deliver itself from its self-cultivated gradual destruction.
The only door that has remained open for humanity is the door of hope in the darkness of despair. That hope lies in the divine intervention in human affairs by the sending of a divinely guided leader, the Mahdi, to establish a godly society founded upon divinely ordained laws. Indeed, it is this hope that gives solace to the disturbed hearts of those who have suffered injustices. It is the hope of seeing that government based on the acknowledgement of the Unity of God which has safeguarded the faith of the people and has made them firm in their commitments to God. It is faith in the ultimate victory of truth that has made these people seek an active role in working towards social reforms and other related matters.
Seeking the help of God under these circumstances helps human beings to avoid becoming hopeless in the face of continued atrocities and wrongs committed against the innocent. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) laid the foundation of this positive attitude by introducing the universal program of reform under the divinely guided leadership that will undertake to unite human resources in creating the ethical order proclaimed in the Qur’an.
Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin has conveyed this positive aspect of the hope of deliverance in the tradition in which he says: “To hope for deliverance and release in itself functions as the most profound form of deliverance. (2)”
To conclude our discussion at this point, faith in the promised Mahdi has made it possible for the Shi’a community to hope and work for the ideal. It has eliminated the negative spirit of pessimism, engendering in it the positive spirit of confidence in the human ability to work for its betterment. The belief has, furthermore, required the followers of the twelfth Imam to fight against the forces of disbelief, materialism, corruption, and injustice, and to work for the government of God, the perfection of the human intellect and the establishment of true peace through justice on earth, and to further human knowledge and technology. It is for this reason that the hope for deliverance during occultation has been regarded as the best form of divine worship and martyrdom in the path of truth in the numerous traditions reported from Ahl al-Bayt. (3)
The Twelfth Imam Endeavors to Defend Islam during the Occultation
One of the orations of the Nahj al-Balagha points to the fact that the Imam of the Age during the occultation also engaged in furthering the cause of Islam and solving the problems faced by the Muslims as much as he can. Imam ‘Ali b. Abi Talib said:
They (i.e., Muslims) took to the right and the left piercing through to the ways of evil and leaving the paths of guidance. Do not make haste for a matter which is to happen and is awaited, and do not wish for the delay in what the morrow is to bring for you. For, how many people make haste for a matter, but when they get it they begin to wish they had not got it? How near is today to the dawning of tomorrow? O people, this is the time for the occurrence of every promised event and the approach of things which you do not know.
Whoever from us (i.e., Ahl al-Bayt) will exist during these days will move through them with a burning lamp and will tread on the footsteps of the virtuous, in order to unfasten knots, to free slates, to divide the united and unite the divided. He will be in concealment (satrah) from people. The stalker will not find his footprints even though he pursues with his eye. Then a group of people will be sharpened like the sharpening of swords by the blacksmith. Their sight will be brightened by the revelation (tanzil, i.e., the Qur’an), the interpretation will be put in their ears and they will be given drinks of wisdom, morning and evening. (4)
The apparent sense of this oration suggests that during the time of ‘Ali b. Abi Talib, people were awaiting events about which the Prophet had informed them. In all probability, it was information related to the occultation. The presumable sense of the oration suggests the Imam during the period of concealment would live an extremely veiled life. But he will endeavour to solve the problems facing the community with deep insight and will vindicate the sanctity of Islam. He will remove the difficulties and will come to the aid of the wronged ones.
He will disperse the group that would have come together to destroy the Islamic foundations. He will eliminate all the organizations that he would identify as being detrimental to the purposes of God. He will provide the necessary preliminaries needed for bringing about a beneficial society. With the blessed presence of the Imam of the Age, a group of people will be trained to defend the religion and will be inspired by the Qur’anic sciences in their resolutions about the ideal Muslim society.
Dr. Fahimi: I wanted you to explain to me the reason why in our traditions, that is the Sunni hadith, the existence of the Mahdi, especially his other names like Qa’im and Sahib al-‘amr (the Master of the Command = the one entrusted with the command), is not mentioned. However, since it is getting very late in the night, I should keep this question for our next session.
NOTES:
___________________________________________
1. Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 52, p. 122-150
2. Ibid., p. 122
3. Ibid., p. 122-150
4. Nahj al-Balagha, Vol. 2, Sermon No. 146
