IMAM AL-HUJJAH (AJ) – PART TWO
19 August 2009 19:04
BY SHEIKH MUJAHIDALI A SHERIFF
OUR DUTIES DURING THE OCCULTATION
Muhammad Baqir as-Sadr in his book "An Inquiry Concerning Al-Mahdi" relates:
One of the Sunni brothers (to see the Imam) was Hassan 'Iraqi who lived a life of immorality when he was young. One day he suddenly awoke from his slumber of heedlessness and asked himself, "Was I created to commit these evil deeds?" Then he left the immoral place he was in and went directly to the mosque. By chance, a preacher there was speaking about Imam al-Mahdi (AJ). 'Iraqi's fully disturbed soul turned into a heart flaming with enthusiastic love of the Imam. Henceforth, he invoked Allah after every prayer to give him the opportunity to see the living Imam (Baqiyyatullah). Finally, his prayers were answered and for seven days and nights he learned the path of salvation in His Eminence's presence. Thereafter, this man became known as one of the great scholars. 'Abdul-Wahhab Sha'rani, one of the great Sunni scholars, and original relater of this anecdote, used to call him by the title, "My great master Shaykh 'Iraqi".
This proves that the honour of seeing Imam al-Mahdi (AJ) was not exclusive to Shia' scholars. Many devout and illiterate people have also had this honour. People who were once sinful but later repented and filled their hearts with love of the 12th Imam (AJ) also had the opportunity to meet him, and among them are also Sunni brothers.
OUR RESPONSIBILITIES DURING THE OCCULTATION:
Our first and foremost duty towards our living Imam is to recognize him and become acquainted with him. We should constantly remind ourselves of his presence.
The Holy Prophet (saww) has said, "One who dies without recognizing the Imam of his time is like one who died during the pagan era (before the advent of Islam)". (Ilzaam an-Nasib fi ithbaat al-Hujjah al-Ghaib)
Imam Muhammad al-baqir (as) has said, "One who dies without having (accepted) the Imam, it is as if he died in the pagan era, and people are not exempted from recognizing their Imam". (Muntakhab al-Aathaar)
How to constantly remind ourselves about the presence of our Imam?
Interestingly, we have been guided in this matter as well. Basically, we have been told to form certain habits which will make us question its philosophy and hence keep us aware of our Imam's presence. For instance:
To give Sadaqah (alms) for the safety of our Imam's life and constantly pray for his protection. Not that the Imam (AJ) needs this. He is the proof of Allah (SWT) on this earth and will be protected by Him. But, it will be a way of showing our sincere concern for him and at the same time expressing our loyalty towards him.
The following dua' is highly recommended during our Imam's Ghaibah:
ALLAHUMMA KUN LIWALIYYIKAL HUJJATIBNIL HASAN SALAWAATUKA ‘ALAYHI WA ‘ALAA AABAA-IHI, FEE HAADHIHIS-SA’AH WA FEE KULLI SA’AH WALIYYAN WA HAAFIDHAN WA QAAIDAN WA NAASIRAN WA DALEELAN WA ‘AYNAN HATTA TUSKINAHU ARDHAKA TAW’AH WA TUMATTI’AHU FEEHA TAWEELA
(O Allah, be for Your representative, the Hujjah, son of al-Hassan, Your blessings be upon him and his forefathers, a Guardian, a Protector, a Leader, a Helper, a Proof and an Eye until You make him live on the earth in obedience (to You) and cause for him to live in it for a long time.)
Whenever the name of Imam (AJ) is mentioned, to stand up and place hand on the head saying three times: May Allah hasten in his re-appearance. This was the sunnah of Imam Ali ar-Ridha (as). De'bal Khuza'i was a great poet of Ahlul-Bayt (as). He was once reciting a poem in presence of Imam ar-Ridha (as) when he read: "The re-appearance of the Imam is an undeniable fact. He will rise by the name of Allah with (all His) blessings.." Imam (as) began to cry and said, "O'De'bal! Do you know this Imam?" He said, "No, O son of the Prophet! I have only heard that he will be from your progeny who will spread justice and equity on earth". Imam (as) said, "Listen! After me, my son Muhammad will be the Imam. He will be succeeded by his son Ali who will be succeeded by his son Hassan. And after him will be his son who will be the Mahdi awaited by the people". Having said this, the Imam (as) then stood up. Facing towards Quibla, he placed his hand on his head and said thrice: "'Ajjalallahu Farajah" meaning "may Allah hasten in his re-appearance". (Nuqooshe Ismat)
Give importance to Fridays in hope of our Imam's re-appearance.
Friday is the day which Allah (SWT) has chosen for the re-appearance of Imam al-Mahdi (AJ). In the Ziyarah of Fridays, we recite: "...and today is a Friday and it is a day when your re-appearance is expected.." On this day, we should dress up well, wear perfume and make a point to attend the Friday prayer.
Recite the dua's related to or taught to us by our 12th Imam (AJ).
Such as Dua' Iftitaah in the holy month of Ramadhan, Dua' Nudbah which is to call the Imam (AJ), Dua' Allahummar Zuqna Tawfeeq at-Ta-'ah in which there are moral values to be learnt and inculcated etc...
Sahl Khurasani once approached Imam Ja'ffar al-Sadiq (as) and complained: "Why is it that inspite of the truth being on your side, you do not stage an uprising? At present, there are 100,000 Shia'hs, who upon your orders, would immediately unsheathe their swords for battle". In order to give him a practical answer, the Imam (as) ordered the furnace to be lighted and then instructed Sahl to jump into the flames. Sahl was shocked and said: "O my Master! May God shower you with His grace and favours! Do not place me in the fire. I take back my words and request you to withdraw your instruction". After a while, Haroon Makki, a sincere companion of the Imam (as) entered and greeted. As soon as the Imam (as) saw him, he told him to take off his slippers and walk into the hot furnace. Without any question, Haroon complied. Imam (as) then turned towards Sahl and began inquiring about Khurasan as if nothing had happened. All this time, Sahl appeared uncomfortable and disturbed worrying about the plight of Haroon in the furnace. Finally the Imam (as) asked him to get up and to look inside the furnace. Sahl witnessed that Haroon was sitted comfortably and unharmed in the fiery flames. Imam (as) asked, "How many such Shia'hs exist in Khurasan?" Sahl said, "By Allah! Not a single Shia'h like Haroon exists in Khurasan". Thereupon, the Imam (as) said, "I shall not stage an uprising when I do not have even five sincere companions. (And do remember) we are very well aware as to when we should stage an uprising". (Safeenatul-Bihar)
Perhaps this incident conveys why our 12th Imam (AJ) has still not come out of his concealment. It is easy for us to call on him but we must also ask ourselves how many of us are sincere in what we say? How many of us are prepared for his arrival? And how many of us lead a lifestyle which is in conformity to his teachings?
OUR SECOND RESPONSIBILITY DURING THE GHAYBAH
Our second responsibility is Intidhar al-Faraj which means "Awaiting Deliverance".
Imam Ali bin Abi Talib (as) has said, "Anyone who awaits our government is like him who, in the cause of Allah, has rolled down in his own blood". (Kamal al-Deen)
Imam Ja'ffar al-Sadiq (as) has said, "Anyone who dies with the love of Ahlul-Bayt (as) while awaiting deliverance (through al-Qaim) is like him who will be in al-Qaim's tent". (kamal al-Deen)
Reporting from his forefathers, Imam Ali al-Ridha (as) said, "The best deed of my community is to await for the deliverance". (Kamal al-Deen)
Meaning of Intidhar
There is a deeper meaning and significance to the act of awaiting the appearance of al-Hujjah (AJ). If we do not understand this, our plight will be similar to that of Jews.
We all await the re-appearance of our 12th Imam (AJ) and even pray for him to come out of his concealment to deliver us. But, have we ever asked ourselves whether we shall be in his camp or in the camp of those who will oppose him. History shows that Prophet Musa (as) had informed his followers that after him, Prophet 'Issa (as) will appear and that they should await him. The Jews awaited the arrival of 'Issa (as) patiently as instructed. However, when 'Issa (as) finally appeared, the same Jews did not only reject him but also persecuted him and his followers. Why?
Any representative of God on earth is a Guide. The primary objective of his mission is to revive the teachings of God and His commandments, and restore justice in the society. The followers of Musa (as) were under the misconception that 'Isa (as) will come to conquer the world, kill the enemies of Jews and make them rulers over others thereby bringing glory to them in this material world. Moreover, as time passed by, many Jews had adapted lifestyles which were in contradiction to the laws of God. Therefore, when 'Isa (as) finally arrived with his mission to revive the Divine laws and call people to righteousness, the Jews found not only his mission contradicting their expectation but also a threat to their own lifestyles which was to oppress the weak and enjoy forbidden pleasures hence the rejection and persecution.
With this, we have to re-assess our perception of Intidhar and our own lifestyles. If they are both like the Jews then we do not await deliverance, rather we await a rude shock for ourselves!
What Should Intidhar be like?
Since the 12th Imam (AJ) will be coming to revive and execute the teachings of Quran, Holy Prophet (saww) and his holy progeny, we must strive to base our life upon the teachings of these sources of guidance. The only people who can help us in this are the sincere and pious religious 'Ulama (Scholars) who have been praised in both: Quran and Hadeeth:-
"Those only of His servants, endued with knowledge, fear Allah". (35:28)
"Say (O Muhammad), can those who know and those who do not know be equal? Verily only the men of understanding take the heed". (39:9)
In the Tafseer of this verse, Imam Ja'ffar al-Sadiq (as) has said, " 'Those who know' refers to the Imams of the Ahlul-Bayt (as), and 'Those who do not know' refers to the opponents of Ahlul-Bayt (as), and 'The men of understanding' refers to the sincere devotees of the Ahlul-Bayt (as)". (S V Mir Ahmad Ali)
It is obvious that the sincere devotees understand Quran, the Holy Prophet (saww) and the Imams (as) and these are the scholars of the nation of Muhammad (saww).
The Holy Prophet (saww) has said, "The scholars are inheritors of the prophets". (al-Kafi) He (saww) also said, "The scholars of my nation are like the prophets of Bani Israel". (al-Kafi)
We have been directed by our Imams to follow the guidance of 'Ulama during the major occultation of Imam al-Hujjah (AJ) and there are several different traditions in this regard.
Knowledge & Education during "Intidhaar":
The other thing which we should do during the period of Intidhaar is to give utmost importance to Knowledge of all sciences & Education. Islam desires to see the Muslim Nation excel in all spheres of life. They should be THE BEST in every science and profession. Islam wants the Muslim Nation to be economically and socially independent and free from external want. Any Muslim should neither have to stoop nor stretch out his hand seeking help from anybody else. Islam wants the Muslim Nation to be high and above all the other nations and communities-both-materially as well as spiritually. And this will only happen if the Muslims give importance to Knowledge & Education.
Marhum Sharaf al-Deen Aamili was a great Shia'h Scholar in Lebanon. For years, his work was to author and publish books for the benefit of Muslim Scholars. After years of hard work, his eyes opened to the reality of problems that existed in his society and was profoundly shocked to see the deteriorated situation of Shia'hs in Lebanon. He realized that the most ignorant people and the most pathetic condition was that of Shia'hs. There were no doctors, no engineers, no teachers, no professors among them. And if they were, then only handful of them. Most of them either worked in public bath, or were barbers, or coolies. They did such cheap and labourious types of work. Marhum was so affected by this situation that he left his work of writting and publishing books and instead, established schools and organizations for Shia'hs in Lebanon. As a result, the Lebanese Shia'hs began to progress in educational fields.
Another example on the importance of education is found in the life of the Holy Prophet (saww). In the history of Islam, we find that Badr was the first battle which the Muslims fought against the pagans of Quraysh and by the grace and help of Allah (SWT), they won this battle. Allah (SWT) has mentioned this battle in the Holy Quran:
"And Allah did certainly help you at badr when you were weak..." (3:123)
When the battle of badr was over and the captives of Quraysh were presented before the Holy Prophet (saww), he said to them: "If you want freedom from captivity then each of you will be required to impart his knowledge and teach his skill (profession) to atleast ten Muslims". By this, the Holy Prophet (saww) meant that ignorance is also a kind of captivity. One who acquires knowledge frees himself from its captivity.
There is no doubt that the Shia'h society at large requires its own people to learn and develop themselves in different sciences. But it is not sufficient that they do so for their own sake, that is to acquire wealth and fame and to make their own life rather they should use their skills and professions to also render service to their society so that it also develops and progresses for better. Simply put, their intention of seeking knowledge should be to contribute towards the betterment of the Shia'h society and to pave way for Imam al-Hujjah (AJ) to come and establish his government of justice and equity! For this to happen, besides learning different sciences and mastering different professions and arts, every Shia'h is equally responsible to learn about Islam and practice its teachings. By this, it means that it is the duty of every one to learn about Islam as much as it is required to strengthen one's faith in Allah (SWT) and fulfill one's religious obligations. Absolutely no Shia'h is absolved from this responsibility.
Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (as) has said, "If you bring a youth to me, from the youths of Shia'h, who does not acquire understanding in religion, I will discipline him". (Meezan al-Hikmah)
It is also mentioned in traditions that when the 12th Imam (AJ) will make his appearance, among his followers whom he will severely punish are those who did not acquire proper understanding of religious laws.
