A Replay To Belief of Mahdism in Shia Imamate

14. the Practical Ideology of Shiaism =====================================

The Shia ideology was always smooth and practicable. Imamate being the base, and the fundamental of this base being that in a Muslim Society, leadership should be in the hands of one who should succeed the Prophet. The Prophet’s successor, should be form every angle and aspect a perfect man - better than and superior to others in knowledge, ability, capacity, reason and cognosence, awareness, nearness with the Prophet.

These qualities in all their dimensions are not to be found in any other than Ali (AS). It is a fact. Ali (AS) was the best qualified one for the job. Besides, the Prophet himself had already installed him as his successor and on many occasions had introduced him as his successor. And beyond this he also introduced his successors’ successors the twelve Imams. This is not to interpret that it was a bodily or physical inheritance of one another. But it was the inheritance of qualities too. What God had distinguished in the Prophet (SAW) was inherited by his AHLUL BAIT the twelve Imams. The Quran says: “Indeed, God chose Adam and Noah and Abraham’s progeny over the worlds.” Therefore, obedience to the Imams is obligatory, and equal to obedience to the Prophet. The Imams would be regarded as guardians, leaders and obeyed.

This program was proclaimed. The path was shown. The guidance was thus framed. All in line with God’s will. It was not a desire, nor an ambition, nor an imagination. But a robbery does not justify that the robbed one had no possession over the belonging. In political dimension it was deviated and put into different turn. But the real guidance is not an impracticable one. The guidance remains there.

What the apostles have pronounced or proclaimed is that they have told the truth, shown the way and indicated the end, which is resurrection. Whether the people accept or reject this does not mean that it is not workable.

The program is made open. If there are people too misfortunate to adopt and accept it, does not justify in alleging that it is unworkable. If one charts a plan and wants to implement it but the conditions do not favor, then it can be justified in saying that it was a fiction and not workable. But, here a religious program, a spiritual plan, a celestial timetable is made by one who says; “We guided him the path; whether he be grateful or ungrateful.” The workability of such a program does not depend upon one’s taste or pleasure. One rejects it under an excuse of fiction. The plan is made public; the program is made known to all. This is in the first place important. The belief in Imamate like the other pillars of religion, oneness of God, the prophet hood of all the apostles sent by God, Judgment Day, is an independent entity which stands firm as other religious fundamentals do. To have faith in it or in them or not is not the condition of its proclamation. If people accept it, it is for their own good. If they reject it, it is in their own misfortune. But the program is there - neither rescinded nor nullified.

Likewise same logic governs the proceeds of the Imams. Their policies were not fiction. Whatever Ali Bin Abi Taleb did was quite in line with the circumstances of his time. He remained aloof for twenty-five years. Yes, the necessity was so. Imam Hassan and so Imam Hussain and so his sons the other Imams, were not leaders of some fictious ideology. They were quite aware of the conditions and knew very well what they had to do and what they were doing. Every deed of theirs stands a fact and every practice of theirs a paragon of their far sightedness.

Therefore, they attained the good and achieved the aim.

Imam Hussain was aware of the consequences if he were to reject Yazid’s authority. Yet, he did not yield. He endured the ordeal and surrendered to the sword but remained stubborn in opposing the tyranny. It was up to him to depend the Prophet’s seat. So he did. The choice of the way was to his prudence. If it was a fictious ideology then why did he give up his life? One does not undergo such an ordeal for himself and sufferings for his family and friends for a thing, which he knew to be untrue. Only the truth attracts the men of truth. Only truth is worth the sacrifice. In ancient days nations too alleged that it was false what the prophets of those days had declared. These allegations are not new. They shall continue as long as man is ignorant.

Imam Hussain did not restrict Yazid and his followers from occupying the Prophet’s seat. But he dismissed, discarded and dethroned him from the hearts of the people. This was the reason that Mawiya at length failed in uprooting Islam. The Prophet Mohammed (SAW) proclaimed Islam but Hussain made it permanent. Every Imam had his own way towards protecting Islam. No one among them toiled for an imaginatory thing. It is far from reason to suffer for a thing which has no existence as it is quite a reason to suffer for a thing, which has an existence and the existence has no guard. The Shia ideology is false! Then the ideology of Islam too is the same. People gathered round the Imamate because of the atrocities and crimes the rulers committed. The more their cruelty the more the people banked their belief in Imamate.

There were those among the people who later understood what they had earlier misunderstood. Those who remained indifferent in the days of the caliphs immediately after the Prophet’s death thought that the change if Imamate would not change the path of Islam. But gradually they realized that by the change of Imamate everything had changed completely. The very Islam was obliterated; a mist was covering it making its vision vague and infuscated, about to vanish. The seat of the Prophet (SAW) had turned into a throne, over it everything undesirable was allowed and everything unlawful was legitimate. To occupy the seat under the title of caliph was the sanction to do what lust dictated and what greed dictated. The traditions and the customs of the bygone days of Kasra, Khaisaz, and the courts of their oppressors were returning into practice.

To re-adjust the things, to setup this upset, to bring back what had gone, to put right the course, and to correct the wrong, was not possible by any means other than to put the course on its original track and to follow the line of Imamate.

Another thing, the sinful actions of life led by the tyrant rulers helped the people to believe more in Imamate and become Shia because they, on the other hand, saw the piety, simplicity, honesty, truth, openness, frankness, of the Imams. The life of an Imam stood for them a page in which to compare the caliph. His gambling, debauchery, tricks, lies, and etc. pushed the people to think and ponder a little and enabled them to revise their understanding, this revisal was their Shiasm. Imam Sadiq spread the Shia teachings and the original Islamic knowledge. It is not an imaginary ideology. These are the facts, how long will the writer ignore them and fancy otherwise?

15. The salubrity and Islamic tendency in the behavior of Shia towards Sunni

As far as religious footings are concerned there cannot be any similarity between a Shia and a Sunni. The religious understanding can not be a platform common to both. “Argue them with that which is good”; is the beacon that the Shia follows in their behavior with Sunnis. TAQIA that is to show a face favorable or to behave in correspondence with theirs or to act in a way not to wound the feelings, these dimensions and its like is in itself a religious and Quranic one, stands a ground for confronting a Sunni. It is a religious duty to behave well. The Shia should take care to behave pleasantly towards a Sunni and have such a matual understanding that could teach him the real fundamentals of Islam and could attract him to the real entity of Islam. He may find guidance as he transacts with a Shia. The minimum that could be expected from a Sunni is that he distances himself from tyrant rulers and their junta.

If one takes a look he can clearly see inside. Speaking without seeing is always contrary to the facts. To revolt is not prudent; to do what is in the interest of Islam; to hold the interest of Islam high, is and has had been the motive of a Shia Imamia. To revolt is not the absolute necessity; such is the Shia conception. We have examples and we follow them. Ali Bin Abi Taleb preferred to remain silent rather than to fight without support. Had he fought the very name of Islam would have vanished. Of course, he argued and debated; but his endeavors availed nothing. No one heeded what was right. They had surrendered to the authority of Abu Bakr and then Omar and then Othman.

Likewise, Imam Hasan made peace with Mawiya. What they did was not to their own benefit but to the advantage of Islam. However hard they paced and however difficult the toleration, they endured with fortitude. The school of AHLUL BAIT was protected with a great many sacrifices.

The episode of Karbala is some thing exceptional. Its type is of its own neither preceded nor can it ever be repeated. It is such a paragon that a Muslim or non-Muslim, anyone, however disappointed, distressed, depressed, disgruntled and deprived would become hopeful and would find a way out. Although that upraising was crushed and seemingly repeated but at length it turned victorious and eradicated the very dynasty of Bani Ommiya and preserved Islam in its originality. After this upraising of Imam Hussain (AS) no other episode took place that should have had been the cause for Shia distress or disappointment. Shia governed the dominion of faith, knowledge, and belief in AHLUL BAIT. To confront tyranny in any age is the only power of Shiasm among Muslims, even alone Shia is the dread of a tyrant no matter whether a ruler or a caliph or a king.

**16. Extraordinary Qualities of Imams and the Knowledge of Secret: ** The writer is again uneasy here. He said, that the Imams felt happy when their followers attributed them with super natural and extraordinary qualities and that they did not protest nor did they try to stop them. The arcanum knowledge or the concealed knowledge is another thing that has discomforted the writer. In order to comfort him we shall here try to be kind to him, only reminding him that he might have either forgotten or might not have studied enough to obtain the knowledge in which to speak and write.

There is a general law in which it is said that where there is no wrong there is no protest. Yes, the Imams have even cursed them who happened to attribute them with divine qualities or any other exaggerated particularities. They, the Imams, were never happy of such ignorance. They corrected the mistake. What contradicts Islam has no link with Shiasm. The treasures of knowledge in every aspect was deposited with them by God, that is, knowledge to them was God’s gift. But, if they claimed any divinity on the strength of the huge funds of knowledge, the writer’s discomfort is justifiable. They have always stressed on the need of worship to God and not one among the Shia has ever fancied in his remotest imagination that they are equal to God; they are created ones not the creator; they need to be fed -hence, needy; they depend on God - hence, not on themselves; they are men like us - hence, no similitude with God; such is the belief of a Shia. God has vested them with the knowledge not common to all.

So, they were superior to all in knowledge. This is a fact. Where is it wrong? Does the writer mean to say that they should have protested to God for having given them (the Imams) the gift of knowledge? Ibn Khaldoon believes that the knowledge of the unseen was with Imam Sadiq. In NAHJUL BALAGHA too we see evidences that knowledge of the invisible world was with the Imams. 17. Division of religious principle. Shia and the religion of ETEZAAL.

The writer says that the founders of Imamate have split the faith of Shia into five fundamentals; unity of God, Justice, prophet hood, Imamate, and resurrection. How long can he persist in his prejudice or demonstrate his ignorance? What we know is that all his studies have gone with winds. In each nook he enters and comes out telling things which were never there. He sees what is not and what is he sees not. He wanders in the wilderness and avoids the rich shadows of huge trees and the cool of fountains. He is a vagabond in the desert hit by the sinister heat of the sun, fatigued, wearied, tired, and stricken by thirst and hunger. To guide such a traveler to rest and ease is not easy.

‘Founders of Imamate’; what does he mean? ‘Founders of Islam’; if we were to say would it not sound strange and senseless? If he is in search of founders we point to God and the Prophet (SAW). The fundamentals, five in number, mentioned by him are the real and basic owes. Every Muslim should have faith in them. They are in line with reason. Among these fundamentals the JUSTICE of God and IMAMAT are ignored by the Sunni sect. They do not believe in that.

Among the Sunni sect there is a sect or a group by the name of Ash’ari who strictly refuse these two pillars. To make it plain and simple we should say that whatever the Shia believes in whether it be the JUSTICE of God or it be the IMAMAT, it is directly taken from the Quran and immediately based on the Quran and at once spoken by the Imams. We can not understand as to why a link is given or a relation is established with the MOTAZELA sect. This sect of MOTAZELA or its faith ETEZAAL goes congruous with Shiasm only to the extent and length of what they have grasped and held in their grip the very Shia faith. As such “AL-JABR WAL TASHBEEH AMAWIAN WAL ADL WAL TOWHEED ALAWIAN”, that is, the similitude of Bani Ommiya and the justice and Oneness of God of the Alawies, forms a ground common to them. Here those writers who have not studied widely thus not gaining enough information about Shiaism and the past of Shiaism have confused themselves with the terms MOTAZELA and ASHAYERA. Although they have made research in this respect and in spite of their research they still do not know the religion of Seyed Mortaza, the most renown scholar of the Shia sect, whom they suspect of being a MOTEZAL because of his disagreement with ASH’AERI belief.

18. DOCTRINE OF IMAMAT AND SUPER EXAGGERATION:

As the writer takes rest he enjoys the relief which is in his conclusion that the fundamental of Imamate and its doctrine is at congruity with the birth of Shiasm of Imamia then its growth into a belief full of exaggeration, and from a belief to a roll of a redeemer taking a form and shape of a leader and that leader is the Imam, qualified in divinity or divinity giving him quality. What a perfect plan it is and how nicely designed and delicately determined! This can not be but the result of efforts abortive and vain, which Shiasm had undergone to find the ALAWI caliphate and which deservedly crushed and brought a political defeat for them. But their defeat in the political arena took their Shiasm to higher and writer plains of expansion in spite of the hindrances that impeded their way from the Sunni side. Such is his rumination.

Firstly, he should know that the fundamental of Imamate is among the original fundamentals of Islam. It is a spring of faith and a fountain wherefrom flows the faith. The Quranic verses and the repeated conversations of the Prophet further establish this faith. The passage of time has no part in it. The victories neither added there on nor did the defeats reduced there from. It is solid; it is pure; it is real; it is original.

Secondly, the belief in Imamate has no relation with exaggeration. It is an evil design to administer a relation with exaggeration. The qualities of an Imam are described by the specifications given by the Prophet (SAW). The constant traditions are there in this respect. What the Prophet (SAW) says is authentic and the authority incontrovertible and irrefragable. The tributes of the Imams are fixed, are told, indicated, shown and proved. The Imam is a creature of God like others; He is dependent upon God like others. “He does not possess for his self any gain or any loss unless it should be from God.

” The Imam is not a prophet. In other words, no religion is revealed to him nor is any Divine Decree communicated to him nor does descend upon him any Revelation. Unlike an apostle or a prophet he is not in contact with the Angel who constantly used to descend with God’s commandments. Since the Imam succeeds the prophet he is the guardian of the religion brought down by the Prophet (SAW). The divine communication through angels or revelations terminates at the prophet upon who descends a mission or a religion to be delivered to people. Therefore, there remains no necessity for this communication with the Imam because of his care taking office for that religion or mission introduced by his predecessor the prophet.

It is quite likely that the pens of animosity misinterpreted the office of the Imam and his status while it is quite a plain and simple thing within the frame of reason.

It is obligatory and incumbent upon one to recognize the Imam of his time and acknowledge his authority. By the Imam we mean him who is installed by a Divine Decree through the Prophet. Such an Imam has absolute worldly and religious authorities. He represents the qualities of those possessed by the Prophet (SAW), except the prophet hood. He is immune of sin. He is the rightful successor of the Prophet and a legitimate occupant of his seat. The writer has obfuscated the things, which are plain and easy. Mahdism and the absence of the present time Imam too is made complicated, as he seems to have been confused. Mahdism is a thing foretold by the Prophet Sunni scholars have acknowledged this thing. There exists an Imam in our time whether present or absent, visible or invisible. The traditions have established it. So why the argument? Why so much confusion? To believe the Prophet but not to believe his words is a deplorable act. We can not believe in some and reject others. Partly we believe in the Prophet’ sayings and partly we deny them. What kind of Muslims are we? Religion is wholesome. Belief too should be wholesome, total, full, consummate and complete.

The writer exaggerates. If he himself is a believer he should not tell such things. Belief is an exaggeration not to a believer but to him who sees only matter and investigates matter alone. A believer no matter in what faith he believes, Christianity, Judism, Islam, he has taken for granted what is invisible to him, remote to him, not tangible to him. A divine and a divinity; is it an exaggeration? For a materialist the very religion itself is an exaggeration. What to a believer is a tangible fact, although out of vision, although invisible, although remote to touch; to a materialist is an exaggeration. Well, the miracles of Moses, Abraham, Jesus and the other apostles or Imams are only exaggeration to one who has no belief in the other world which for the present is unseen to us. If we deny the Prophet as a partner in divinity; yet, it is contrary to faith and tantamount to pagan hood. But when we do not trespass the boundaries and believe within the frame fixed by God and His Prophet (SAW) where is the falsehood? An Imam is not a prophet or a prophet God. Stations are known; positions are prescribed; status stated; ambit is put there to avoid the ambition; so how can deception creep in?

19. Discrepancy in the date of birth of Mahdi:

The difference in the date of birth of the twelfth Imam is of very little vaniance comparing to that of the other Imams. Some narrations say the date of Mehdi’s birth is at parity with the number of letters in the word NOOR that is light according to the ‘ABJAD’ calculations. The more acceptable statement is that of MR. Fazl Bin Shazan, coeval with Imam Hasan Askari, who indicates 255.

The 12th Imam birth was surrounded by conditions not usual or normal. His absence was more than his appearance. His father, Imam Askari allowed only a few chosen associates of his own to see his son and become blest by his appearance. His short absence commenced as soon as he became Imam. In his absence he appointed deputies who were his agents. This was immediately after the death of his father Imam Hasan Askari. 20. The Issue of absence or occultation is a reality and not a theory or a fancy:

The writer has this to say. The atrocities of Bani Abbas towards the progeny of Ali and the sons of Imam Jafer Sadiq had created unrest and confusion as well as the problem of succession to Imam Hasan Askari (260, 874 AD). At Samerra there rendered elements and factors, which as a result brought on the theory of the Imam’s occultation.

However it was not a theory but a reality, a fact, a truth. It was written in books before Imam Hasan Askari had become Imam that the twelfth Imam would take shelter in absenting himself and that he would take refuge in his own disappearance and that for his safety he would resort to his own occultation under God’s command. Some took advantage of the opportunity. Jafer claimed that he was the awaited one. People did not believe him because of his reputation. The hers’ claim further strengthened the belief of the Shia in the Imamat of Mehdi. Their trust nullified the false claims.

What we can understand from the writers tone, is that in a sense from the time of Imam Sadiq and onward the term IMAMAT did not carry any political meaning, that is, IMAMAT was bleak of political platform and barren of political performance. The Imams and their followers remained safe to a certain extent.

The writer should know that the Imams possessed the combined offices, that of political leadership and that of the religious one. Both the Imams and the Shias knew that the Imams held both offices. In addition, the Shia views them as the sole heirs of the Prophet. The rulers of Bani Abbas were no more than the robbers and confiscators of their right and what belonged to them. The rulers too were alive to this fact that they were transgressers and trespassers to that which was not theirs. Time and again Mansoor, Haroon, Mamun, and other rulers had acknowledged the fact that the religious position was not theirs to hold, nor that of the political position. They were only occupants while the right was that of the Imams.

21. BELIEF IN A REDEEMER:

In the view of the writer the belief in a redeemer is merely a Shia belief which was rendered advantageous to Bani Abbas as well. As the Sunni school of thought emerged, they held on to this belief which at times was to their interest. This belief of a redeemer was that of all Muslims. Who actually was and is this Redeemer? This stood the dispute that divided the opinion among Muslims. Bani Abbas tried to show that the Redeemer was one from them. They could only try when there existed a general belief. It is a good proof that the Muslims commonly were holding this belief without any reservations. Mansoor tried to introduce his son Mohammad Bin Abdullah as the Redeemer. For this purpose he gave him the title of MEHDI. The efforts in this field regardless from where it came from did not succeed, because the people did not approve of their reputation for such a post.

22. IMAMAT OF IMAM MOSA BIN JAFER:

The writer writes that there was a dispute about who would succeed as imam. He twists and turns the understanding of the reader and tries to make the subject as much murky as possible. Dispute is a common thing to occur when a matter happens to be of importance. The more important the matter the more deeper the dispute. The outcome is important. The Imamate of Kadum took its seat in the hearts. A general love surrounded him and a certain respect was rooted in the hearts, which received him. His succession became authentic and legitimate by his own life, which was in the eyes of the people. His straightforwardness, simplicity, truth, humbleness, worship, piety, generosity, and charity, all these qualities gave the proof of his right to succession and his deseruation to be the Imam-His death in the prison which was obtained by means of poison, left far reaching effects on the regime of Haroon.

Shafeyee, the founder of the Shafeyee sect among Sunnis left Baghdad in protest for Egypt. All have praised the personality of Imam Kadum. Similarly the death of Imam Reza which too was by poison and likewise the death of Imam Jawad which too was by poison. The martyrdom of these Imams left a very bad reflection on the regime of the day. Another blunder of the writer is that he consider Imam Hadi and Imam Hasan Askari to have had witnessed the total downfall of the Bani Abbas dynasty. The fact is that the collapse of the Bani Abbas dynasty took place in theera of Mostasam, as he was killed by Halako in the year 656 Hijra. So, in the time of these two Imams the Bani Abbas dynasty was fast going down, and the military officers were handling the installation of a caliph and again dismissing or discarding him.

23. The appearance of the Imam and his administration of Justice worldwide.

That the Imams through their own agents or elements acquired information and knowledge current with the affairs of their time is not to be debated. However, the writer claims that they became aware of the fact the Alawi Imam by the name of Mahdi would come, and that he would not be able to stop the flow of events due to the severe corruptness in general. Therefore says the writer, they decided to postpone the reappearance of the “Awaited One” indefinitely. Yes, the events had become such, however the writer fails to understand that the reappearance of the twelfth Imam was not postponed by Imam Hadi nor Imam Askari, for they had no such power. It was a Divine secret in which only Allah himself knew and planned. According to various narrations, those of Shia and those of Sunni, nobody knew nor does know the person who is to appear and when he will appear.

Even the Imams, except Mahdi himself, knew not the specified man. It is a Divine responsibility. And, it is in Divine hand. Its knowledge is with God. Its delay or its urgency is the concern of God. The writer fails to dig any deeper. For it is the insight that probes and opens the horizons of a vast sight to see. What we know is that which the Prophet (SAW) and the Holy Quran has taught us. That is a redeemer will come to rescue the world from tyranny and to spread therein justice is a promise committed by God to mankind; and it has been foretold by the Prophet. But no one is competent to set its timing. It is not a human programme. Hence, it is not for human to decide. When one can not decide he can deny. Here denial is not important, because to deny facts does not uproot them.

24. The House of ALI and MOTAWAKKIL:

Alhamdolelah, the writer, sees and accepts the cruelty, and tyranny of Motawakkil. He says without reservation; and this is, indeed, appreciable. In the court, Motawakkil became upset, very much so that he wept under the crushing strokes of his soul. The writer attributes his inner disturbance to the recitation of Quranic Verses. He is wrong. Imam Hadi spoke to him in poetry. Because part of the verse has been translated from Arabic to English, some of the beauty has been lost;

“Over the peaks of mountains, guarded they lived; Never saved them the peaks they were deceived.” 25. ‘TAQIA’ A strong command from the Divine in the Holy Quran: Again the writer goes astray. “Why do not you fear them a dread?” “Lo, he who hates him and his heart is satisfied with belief.” These are the Verses of the Quran.

It pertains to Ammar to conceal his faith. To conceal one’s faith or to hide one’s religion if the conditions demand so; is God’s order. To avoid danger in any respect, either to life, property, reputation, or to personal prestige one should conceal his true belief. Reason and logic says so. To do otherwise is wrong as it is to expose one to danger. The writer says that the Shia invented TAQIA in order to protect themselves against the Sunni who were a majority and also from the rulers who were too Sunni. So under the pretext of TAQIA. The writer is short o of knowledge in this subject. As we pointed out earlier it is a clear commandment from God. To obey God is not wrong.