The Fourth Imam
Imam Sajjad ('Ali ibn Husayn entitled Zayn al-'Abidin and Sajjad) was the son of the third Imam and his wife, the queen among women, the daughter of Yazdigird the king of Iran. He was the only son of Imam Husayn to survive, for his other three brothers 'All Akbar, aged twenty-five, five-year-old Ja far and 'Ali Asghar (or Abdull?h) who was a suckling baby were martyred during the event of Karbala'.
1 The Imam had also accompanied his father on the journey that terminated fatally in Karbala', but because of severe illness and the inability to carry arms or participate in fighting he was prevented from taking part in the holy war and being martyred. So he was sent with the womenfolk to Damascus. After spending a period in imprisonment, he was sent with honor to Medina because Yazid wanted to conciliate public opinion. But for a second time, by the order of the Umayyad caliph, 'Abd al-Malik, he was chained and sent from Medina to Damascus and then again returned to Medina.
2
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1 Maqatil al-Talibiyyin, p. 52 and 59.
2 Tadhkirat ab-Khawass, pp. 324; Ithbat ab-Hudat, vol. V, pp. 242.
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The fourth Imam, upon returning to Medina, retired from public life completely, closed the door of his house to strangers and spent his time in worshipp. He was in contact only with the elite among the Shi'ites such as Abu-Hamzah Thumali, Abu-Khalid Kabuli and the like. The elite disseminated among the Shi'ah the religious sciences they learned from the Imam. In this way, Shi'ism spread considerably and showed its effects during the Imamate of the fifth Imam. Among the works of the fourth Imam is a book called al-Sahifah al-Sajjadiyyah. It consists of fifty-seven prayers concerning the most sublime Divine sciences and is known as "The Psalm of the Household of the Prophet."
The fourth Imam died (according to some Shi ite traditions poisoned by Walid ibn 'Abd al-Malik through the instigation of the Umayyad caliph Husham
1) in 95/712 after thirty-five years of Imamate.
The Fifth Imam
Imam Muhammad ibn 'Ali al-Baqir (the word baqir meaning he who cuts and dissects, a title given to him by the Prophet)
2 was the son of the fourth Imam and was born in 57/675. He was present at the event of Karbala' when he was four years old. After his father, through Divine Command and the decree of those who went before him, he became the Imam. In the year 114/732 he died, according to some Shi'ite traditions poisoned by Ibrahim ibn Walid ibn 'Abdullah the nephew of Husham, the Umayyad caliph.
During the Imamate of the fifth Imam, as a result of the injustice of the Umayyads, revolts and wars broke out in some corner of the Islamic world every day. Moreover, there were
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1 Manaqib of 1bn Shahrashub, vol. IV, pp. 176; Dala'il al-lmamah pp. 80; al-Fusul al-Muhimmah, pp. 190.
2 Kitab ab-lrshad, pp. 246; a 1-Fusul al-Muhimmah, pp. 193; and Manaqib of Ibn Shahrashub, vol. IV, pp. 197.
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disputes within the Umayyad family itself which kept the caliphate busy and to a certain extent left the members of the Household of the Prophet alone. From the other side, the tragedy of Karbala' and the oppression suffered by the Household of the Prophet, of which the fourth Imam was the most noteworthy embodiment, had attracted many Muslims to the Imams.
1 These factors combined to make it possible for people and especially the Shi'ites to go in great numbers to Medina and to come into the presence of the fifth Imam. Possibilities for disseminating truths about Islam and the sciences of the Household of the Prophet, which had never existed for the Imams before him, were presented to the fifth Imam. The proof of this fact is the innumerable traditions recounted from the fifth Imam and the large number of illustrious men of science and Shi'ite scholars who were trained by him in different Islamic sciences. These names are listed in books of biographies of famous men in Islam.
2
The Sixth Imam
Imam Ja far ibn Muhammad, the son of the fifth Imam, was born in 83/702. He died in 148/765 according to Shiite tradition, poisoned and martyred through the intrigue of the 'Abbasid caliph Mansur. After the death of his father, he became Imam by Divine Command and decree of those who came before him.
During the Imamate of the sixth Imam, greater possibilities and a more favorable climate existed for him to propagate religious
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1 Usul al-Kafi, vol. I, pp. 469, Kitab ab-lrsh?d, pp. 245; al-Fusul al-
Muhimmah, pp. 202; Tarikh Ya'qubi, vol. III, pp. 63; Tadhkirat alKhawass, pp. 340; Dala'il al-Imamah, pp.94; Manaqib of Ibn Shahrashub, vol. IV, pp. 210.
2 Kitab al-lrshad, pp. 245-253. See also Kitab Rij?l al-Kashshi by Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz Kashshi, Bombay, 1317, Kitab Rijal al-Tusi by Muhammad ibn Hasan Tusi, Najaf, 1381; Kitab al-Fihrist of Tusi, Calcutta, 1281; and other books of biography.
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teachings. This came about as a result of revolts in Islamic lands, especially the uprising of the Muswaddah to overthrow the Umayyad caliphate, and the bloody wars which finally led to the fall and extinction of the Umayyads. The greater opportunities for Shi'ite teachings were also a result of the favorable ground the fifth Imam had prepared during the twenty years of his Imamate through the propagation of the true teachings of Islam and the sciences of the Household of the Prophet.
The Imam took advantage of the occasion to propagate the religious sciences until the very end of his Imamate, which was contemporary with the end of the Umayyad and beginning of the 'Abbasid caliphates. He instructed many scholars in different fields of the intellectual and transmitted sciences, such as Zurarah, Muhammad ibn Muslim, Mu'min al-Taq Husham ibn Hakam, Aban ibn Taghlib, Husham ibn Hurayz, Husham Kalbi (al-Nassabah) and Jabir ibn Hayyan, the alchemist. Even some important Sunni scholars such as Sufyan Thawri, Abu-Hanifah, the founder of the Hanafi school of law, Qadi Sukuni, Qadi Abu-Bakhtari and others, had the honor of being his students. It is said that his classes and sessions of instruction produced four thousand scholars of hadith and other sciences.
1 The number of traditions preserved from the fifth and sixth Imams is more than all the hadiths that have been recorded from the Prophet and the other ten Imams combined.
But toward the end of his life, the Imam was subjected to severe restrictions placed upon him by the 'Abbasid caliph Mansur, who ordered such torture and merciless killing of many of the descendants of the Prophet who were Shi' ite that his actions even surpassed the cruelty and heedlessness of the Umayyads.
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1 Usul al-Kafi, vol. I, pp. 472, Kitab al-lrshad, pp. 254; al-Fusul al-Muhimmah, pp. 212; Tarikh Ya'qubi, vol. III, pp. 119; Tadhkirat al-Khawass' pp. 346; Dala'il al-lmamah, pp. 111; Manaqib of Ibn Shahrashub, vol. IV, pp. 280.
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At his order, they were arrested in groups, some thrown into deep and dark prisons and tortured until they died, while others were beheaded or buried alive or placed at the base of or between walls of buildings, and walls were constructed over them.
Hush?m, the Umayyad caliph, had ordered the sixth Imam to be arrested and brought to Damascus. Later, the Imam was arrested by Abu'l- Abbas al-Saffah, the 'Abbasid caliph, and brought to Iraq. Finally, Mansur had him arrested again and brought to Samarra' where he had the Imam kept under supervision, was in every way harsh and discourteous to him, and several times thought of killing him.
1 Eventually, the Imam was allowed to return to Medina where he spent the rest of his life in hiding until he was poisoned and martyred through the intrigue of Mansur.
2
Upon hearing the news of the Imam's martyrdom, Mansur wrote to the governor of Medina instructing him to go to the house of the Imam on the pretext of expressing his condolences to the family, to ask for the Imam's will and testament and read it. Whoever was chosen by the Imam as his inheritor and successor should be beheaded on the spot. Of course, the aim of Mansur was to put an end to the whole question of the Imamate and to Shi'ite aspirations. When the governor of Medina, following orders, read the last will and testament, he saw that the Imam had chosen four people rather than one to administer his last will and testament: the caliph himself, the governor of Medina, 'Abdullah al-Aftah, the Imam's older son, and Musa, his younger son. In this way, the plot of Mansur failed.
3
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1 Kitah al-lrshad, pp. 254; al-Fusul al-Muhimmah, pp. 204; and Manaqib of Ibn Shahrashub, vol. IV, pp. 247.
2 Al-Fusul ll-Muhimmah, pp. 212; Dala'il al-lmamah, pp. 111; and lthbat al-Wasiyyah, pp. 142.
3 Usul al-Kafi, I, pp. 310.
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The Seventh Imam
Imam Musa ibn Ja far al-Kazim, the son of the sixth Imam, was born in 128/744 and was poisoned and martyred in prison in 183/799.
1 He became Imam after the death of his father, through Divine Command and the decree of his forefathers. The seventh Imam was contemporary with the 'Abbasid caliphs, Mansur, Hadi, Mahdi and Harun. He lived in very difficult times, in hiding, until finally Harun went on the hajj and in Medina had the Imam arrested while praying in the Mosque of the Prophet. He was chained and imprisoned, then taken from Medina to Basra and from Basra to Baghdad where for years he was transferred from one prison to another. Finally, he died in Baghdad in the Sindi ibn Shahik prison through poisoning
2 and was buried in the cemetery of the Quraysh which is now located in the city of Kazimayn.
The Eighth Imam
Imam al-Rida ('Ali ibn Musa) was the son of the seventh Imam and according to well-known accounts was born in 148/765 and died in 203/817.
3 The eighth Imam reached the Imamate, after the death of his father, through Divine Command and the decree of his forefathers. The period of his Imamate coincided with the caliphate of H?run, and then his sons Amin and Ma'mun. After the death of his father, Ma'mun fell into conflict with his brother Amin which led to bloody wars and finally the
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1 Usul al-Kafi, vol, I, pp. 310; Kit ab al-lrsh?d, pp. 270; a I-Fusul al-Muhimmah, pp. 214-223; Dala'il al-Imamah, pp. 146-148; Tadhkirat al-Khawass, pp. 348-350; Manaqib of Ibn Shahrashub, vol. IV, pp. 324; and Tarikh Ya'qubi, vol. III, pp. 150.
2 Kitab al-Irsha-d, pp. 279-283; al-Fusul al-Muhimmah, pp. 222; Dala'il al-lmamah, pp. 148 and 154; Tadhkirat al-Khawass, pp. 348-350; Manaqib of Ibn Shahrashub, vol. IV, pp. 323; and Tarikh Ya'qubi, vol. III, pp. 188.
3 Usul al-Kafi, vol, I, pp. 468; Kitab al-lrsh?d, pp. 284-295; al-Fusul al-Muhimmah, pp. 225-246; Dala'il al-Imamah, pp. 175-177; and Tarikh Ya'qubi, vol. III, pp. 188.
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assassination of Amin, after which Ma'mun became caliph.
1 Until that day the policy of the 'Abbasid caliphate toward the Shi ites had been increasingly harsh and cruel. Every once in a while one of the supporters of 'Ali ( 'alawis) would revolt, causing bloody wars and rebellions which were of great difficulty and consequence for the caliphate.
The Shi'ite Imams would not cooperate with those who carried out these rebellions and would not interfere with their affairs. The Shi ites of that day, who comprised a considerable population, continued to consider the Imams as their religious leaders to whom obedience was obligatory and believed in them as the real caliphs of the Holy Prophet. They considered the caliphate to be far from the sacred authority of their Imams, for the caliphate had come to seem more like the courts of the Persian kings and Roman emperors and was being run by a group of people more interested in worldly rule than in the strict application of religious principles. The continuation of such a situation was dangerous for the structure of the caliphate and was a serious threat to it.
Ma'mun thought of finding a new solution for these difficulties which the seventy-year old policy of his 'Abbasid predecessors had not been able to solve. To accomplish this end, he chose the eighth Imam as his successor, hoping in this way to overcome two difficulties: first of all to prevent the descendants of the Prophet from rebelling against the government since they would be involved in the government themselves, and secondly, to cause the people to lose their spiritual belief and inner attachment to the Imams. This would be accomplished by having the Imams become engrossed in worldly matters and the politics of the caliphate itself, which had always been considered by the Shi'ites to be evil and impure. In this way, their religious organization would crumble and they would no longer present any dangers to the caliphate. Obviously, after
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1 Usul al-Kafi, vol, I, pp. 488; and a 1-Fusul al-Muhimmah, pp. 237.
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accomplishing these ends, the removal of the Imam would present no difficulties to the Abbasids.
1
In order to have this decision put into effect, Ma'mun asked the Imam to come to Marw from Medina. Once he had arrived there, Ma'mun offered him first the caliphate and then the succession to the caliphate. The Imam made his apologies and turned down the proposal, but he was finally induced to accept the successorship, with the condition that he would not interfere in governmental affairs or in the appointment or dismissal of government agents.
2
This event occurred in 200/814. But soon Ma'mun realized that he had committed an error, for there was a rapid spread of Shi ism, a growth in the attachment of the populace to the Imam and an astounding reception given to the Imam by the people and even by the army and government agents. Ma'mun sought to find a remedy for this difficulty and had the Imam poisoned and martyred. After his death, the Imam was buried in the city of Tus in Iran, which is now called Mashhad.
Ma'mun displayed great interest in having works on the intellectual sciences translated into Arabic. He organized gatherings in which scholars of different religions and sects assembled and carried out scientific and scholarly debates. The eighth Imam also participated in these assemblies and joined in the discussions with scholars of other religions. Many of these debates are recorded in the collections of Shi ite hadith.
3
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1 Dala'il al-lmamah, pp. 197; and Manaqib of Ibn Shahrashub, vol. IV, pp. 363.
2 Usul al-Kafi vol, I, pp. 489; Kitab al-lrshad, pp. 290; al-Fusul alMuhimmah, pp. 237; Tadhkirat al-Khawass, pp. 352; and Manaqib of Ibn Shahrashub, vol. IV, pp. 363.
3 Manaqib of Ibn Shahr?shub, vol. IV, pp. 351; Kitab al-lhtij?j of Ahmad ibn 'Ali ibn Abi-Talib al-Tabrasi, Najaf, 1385, vol. II, pp. 170-237.
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The Ninth Imam
Imam Muhammad (ibn 'Ali) al-Taqi (sometimes called alJawad and Ibn al-Rida) was the son of the eighth Imam. He was born in 195/809 in Medina and according to Shiite traditions was martyred in 220/835, poisoned by his wife, the daughter of Ma'mun at the instigation of the 'Abbasid caliph Mu'tasim. He was buried next to his grandfather, the seventh Imam, in Kazimayn. He became Imam after the death of his father through Divine Command and by the decree of his forefathers. At the time of the death of his father, he was in Medina. Ma'mun called him to Baghdad which was then the capital of the caliphate and outwardly showed him much kindness. He even gave the Imam his daughter in marriage and, kept him in Baghdad. In reality, he wanted in this way to keep a close watch upon the Imam from both outside and within his own household. The Imam spent some time in Baghdad and then with the consent of Ma'mun set out for Medina where he remained until Ma'mun's death. When Mu'tasim became the caliph, he called the Imam back to Baghdad and, as we have seen, through the Imam's wife had him poisoned and killed.
1
The Tenth Imam
Imam 'Ali ibn Muhammad al-Naqi (sometimes referred to by the title of al-Hadi), was the son of the ninth Imam. He was born in 212/827 in Medina and according to Shi'ite accounts was martyred through poisoning by Mu'tazz the 'Abbasid caliph, in 254/868.
2
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1 Kitab al-lrshad, pp. 297; Usul al-Kafi, vol. I, pp. 492-497; Dala'il al-lmamnah, pp. 201-9, Manaqib of lbn Shahrashub, vol. IV, pp. 377 -399; al-Fusul al-Muhimmah, pp. 247-258; Tadhkirat al-Khawass, pp. 358.
2 Kitab al-lrshad, pp. 307; Usul al-Kafi, vol. I, pp. 497-502; Dala'il al-Imamah, pp. 216-222, Manaqib of Ibn Shahrashub, vol. IV, pp. 401-420; al-Fusul al-Huhinunah, pp. 259-265; Tadhkirat al-Khawass, pp. 362.
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During his lifetime, the tenth Imam was contemporary with seven of the 'Abbasid caliphs: Ma'mun, Mu'tasim, Wathiq, Mutawakkil, Muntasir, Musta'in and Mu'tazz. It was during the rule of Mu'tasim in 220/835 that his noble father died through poisoning in Baghdad. At that time, 'Ali ibn Muhammad al-Naqi was in Medina. There he became the Imam through Divine Command and the decree of the Imams before him. He stayed in Medina teaching religious sciences until the time of Mutawakkil. In 243/857, as a result of certain false charges that were made, Mutawakkil ordered one of his government officials to invite the Imam from Medina to Samarra' which was then the capital. He himself wrote the Imam a letter full of kindness and courtesy asking him to come to the capital where they could meet.
1 Upon arrival in Samarra", the Imam was also shown certain outward courtesy and respect. Yet at the same time Mutawakkil tried by all possible means to trouble and dishonor him. Many times he called the Imam to his presence with the aim of killing and disgracing him and had his house searched.
in His enmity toward the Household of the Prophet, Mutawakkil had no equal among the 'Abbasid caliphs. He was especially opposed to 'Ali, whom he cursed openly. He even ordered a clown to ridicule 'Ali at voluptuous banquets. In the year 237/850, he ordered the mausoleum of Imam Husayn in Karbala' and many of the houses around it to be torn down to the ground. Then water was turned upon the tomb of the Imam. He ordered the ground of the tomb to be plowed and cultivated so that any trace of the tomb would be forgotten.
2 During the life of Mutawakkil, the condition of life of the descendants of 'Ali in the Hijaz had reached such a pitiful state that their womenfolk had no veils with which to cover themselves. Many
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1 Kitab al-lrsh?d, pp. 307-313; Usul al-Kafi, vol. I, pp. 501; Manaqib of Ibn Shahrashub, vol. IV, pp. 417; al-Fusul al-Muhimmah, pp. 261; Tadhkirat al-Khawass, pp. 359; lthb?t al-Wasiyyah, pp. 176; and Tarikh Ya'qubi, vol. III, pp. 217.
2 Maqatil al-Talibiyyin, pp. 395.
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of them had only one old veil which they wore at the time of the daily prayers. Pressures of a similar kind were put on the descendants of 'Ali who lived in Egypt.
1 The tenth Imam accepted in patience the tortures and afflictions of the 'Abbasid caliph Mutawakkil until the caliph died and was followed by Muntasir, Musta 'In and finally Mu ' tazz, whose intrigue led to the Imam's being poisoned and martyred.
The Eleventh Imam
Imam Hasan ibn 'Ali al- 'Askari, the son of the tenth Imam, was born in 232/845 and according to some Shi'ite sources was poisoned and killed in 26o/872 through the instigation of the 'Abbasid caliph Mu'tamid.
2 The eleventh Imam gained the Imamate, after the death of his noble father, through Divine Command and through the decree of the previous Imams. During the seven years of his Imamate, due to untold restrictions placed upon him by the caliphate, he lived in hiding and dissimulation (taqiyyah). He did not have any social contact with even the common people among the Shi'ite population. Only the elite of the Shi'ah were able to see him. Even so, he spent most of his time in prison.
3
There was extreme repression at that time because the Shi'ite population had reached a considerable level in both numbers and power. Everyone knew that the Shi ah believed in the Imamate, and the identity of the Shi'ite Imams was also known. Therefore, the caliphate kept the Imams under its close supervision more than ever before. It tried through every possible means and through secret plans to remove and destroy
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1 Maqatil al-Talibiyyin, pp. 395-396.
2 Kitab al-lrsh?d, pp. 315; Dala'il al-lmamah, pp. 223; al-Fusul al-Muhimmah, pp. 226; Manaqib of Ibn Shahrashub, vol. IV, pp. 422; Usul al-Kafi, vol. I, pp. 503.
3 Kit?b al-Irshad, pp. 324; Usul al-Kafi, vol. I, 512; Manaqib of Ibn Shahrashub, vol. IV, pp. 429-430.
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them. Also, the caliphate had come to know that the elite among the Shi ah believed that the eleventh Imam, according to tradition, cited by him as well as his forefathers, would have a son who was the promised Mandi. The coming of the Mandi had been foretold in authenticated hadiths of the Prophet in both Sunni and Shi ite sources.
1 For this reason, the eleventh Imam, more than other Imams, was kept under close watch by the caliphate. The caliph of the time had decided definitely to put an end to the Imamate in Shi'ism through every possible means and to close the door to the Imamate once and for all.
Therefore, as soon as the news of the illness of the eleventh Imam reached Mu'tamid, he sent a physician and a few of his trusted agents and judges to the house of the Imam to be with him and observe his condition and the situation within his house at all times. After the death of the Imam, they had the house investigated and all his female slaves examined by the midwife. For two years, the secret agents of the caliph searched to the successor of the Imam until they lost all hope.
2 The eleventh Imam was buried in his house in Samarra' next to his noble father.
Here it should be remembered that during their lifetimes, the Imams trained many hundreds of scholars of religion and hadith, and it is these scholars who have transmitted to us information about the Imams. In order not to prolong the
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1 Sahih of Tirmidhi, Cairo, 1350-52, vol. IX, chapter "Ma ja'a fil-huda"; Sahih of Abu-Dawud, vol. II, Kitab al-Mahdi; Sahih of Ibn Majah, vol. II, chapter "Khuruj al-Mahdi"; Yanabi' al-Mawaddah, Kitab al-Bayan fi Akhbar Sahib al-Zaman of Kanji Shafi'i, Najaf, 1380; Nur al-Absar; Mishkat al-Masabih, of Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah al-Khatib, Damascus, 1380; al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah; ls'af al-Raghibin, of Muhammad al-Sabban, Cairo, 1281; al-Fusul al-Muhimmah; Sahih of Muslim; Kitab al-Ghaybah by Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Nu'mani, Tehran, 1318; Kamal al-Din by Shaykh Saduq, Tehran, 1301; lthbat al-Hudat; and Bihar al-Anwar, vol. LI and LII.
2 Kitab al-lrshad, pp. 319; and Usul al-Kafi, vol. I, pp. 505.
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matter, the list of their names and works and their biographies have not been included here.
1
The Twelfth Imam
The promised Mandi, who is usually mentioned by his title of Imam al--'Asr (the Imam of the "Period") and Sahib al-Zaman (the Lord of the Age), is the son of the eleventh Imam. His name is the same as that of the Holy Prophet. He was born in Samarra' in 256/868 and until 260/872 when his father was martyred, lived under his father's care and tutelage. He was hidden from public view and only a few of the elite among the Shi'ah were able to meet him.
After the martyrdom of his father, he became Imam and by Divine Command went into occultation (ghaybah). Thereafter, he appeared only to his deputies (na'ib) and even then only in exceptional circumstances.
2
The Imam chose as a special deputy for a time 'Uthm?n ibn Sa'id 'Umari one of the companions of his father and grandfather who was his confidant and trusted friend. Through his deputy, the Imam would answer the demands and questions of the Shi'ah. After 'Uthman ibn Said, his son Muhammad ibn 'Uthman 'Umari was appointed the deputy of the Imam. After the death of Muhammad ibn 'Uthman, Qasim Husayn ibn Ruh Nawbakhti was the special deputy, and after his death, 'Ali ibn Muhammad Simari was chosen for this task.
3
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1 See also Kitab Rijal al-Kashshi by Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-.Aziz Kashshi, Bombay, 1317, Kitab Rijal al-Tusi by Muhammad ibn Hasan Tusi, Najaf, 1381; Kitab al-Fihrist of Tusi, Calcutta, 1281; and other books of biography.
2 Bihar al-Anwar, vol. LI, pp. 2-34 and pp. 343-66; Kitab al-Ghaybah of Muhammad ibn Hasan Tusi, Tehran, 1324, pp. 214-243; lthbat al-Hudat, vol. VI and VII.
3 Bihar al-Anwar, vol. LI, pp. 360-1; Kitab al-Ghaybah of Tusi, pp. 242.
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A few days before the death of 'All ibn Muhammad Simari in 329/939, an order was issued by the Imam stating that in six days, 'Ali ibn Muhammad Simari would die. Henceforth, the special deputation of the Imam would come to an end and the major occultation (ghaybah kubr?) would begin and would continue until the day God grants permission to the Imam to manifest himself.
The occultation of the twelfth Imam is, therefore, divided into two parts: the first, the minor occultation (ghaybah sughra) which began in 260/872 and ended in 329/939, lasting about seventy years; the second, the major occultation which commenced in 329/939 and will continue as long as God wills it. In a hadith upon whose authenticity everyone agrees, the Holy Prophet has said, "If there were to remain in the life of the world but one day, God would prolong that day until He sends in it a man from my community and my household. His name will be the same as my name. He will fill the earth with equity and justice as it was filled with oppression and tyranny.
1
On the Appearance of the Mahdi
In the discussion on prophecy and the Imamate, it was indicated that as a result of the law of general guidance which governs all of creation, man is of necessity endowed with the power of receiving revelation through prophecy, which directs him toward the perfection of the human norm and the well-being of the human species. Obviously, if this perfection and happiness were not possible for man, whose life possesses a social aspect, the very fact that he is endowed with this power would be meaningless and futile. But there is no futility in creation.
In other words, over since he has inhabited the earth, man has had the wish to lead a social life filled with happiness in its true
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1 This particular version is related from 'Abdullah ibn Masud, al-Fusul al-Muhimmah, pp. 271.
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sense and has striven toward this end. If such a wish were not to have an objective existence, it would never have been imprinted upon man's inner nature, in the same way that if there were no food, there would have been no hunger. Or if there were to be no water, there would be no thirst and if there were to be no reproduction, there would have been no sexual attraction between the sexes.
Therefore, by reason of inner necessity and determination, the future will see a day when human society will be replete with justice and when all will live in peace and tranquillity, when human beings will be fully possessed of virtue and perfection. The establishment of such a condition will occur through human hands but with Divine succor. And the leader of such a society, who will be the savior of man, is called in the language of the hadith, the Mandi.
In the different religions that govern the world such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Islam, there are references to a person who will come as the savior of mankind. These religions have usually given happy tidings of his coming, although there are naturally certain differences in detail that can be discerned when these teachings are compared carefully. The hadith of the Holy Prophet upon which all Muslims agree, "The Mandi is of my progeny," refers to this same truth.
There are numerous hadiths cited in Sunni and Shi'ite sources from the Holy Prophet and the Imams concerning the appearance of the Mandi, such as that he is of the progeny of the Prophet and that his appearance will enable human society to reach true perfection and the full realization of spiritual life.
1
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1 Abu-Ja'far (the fifth Imam) has said, " When our 'support' (qa'im) rises, Allah will place his hand upon the heads of His servants. Then though him their minds will come together and through him their intellects will become perfected." (Bihar al-Anwar, vol. LII, pp. 328 and 336.) And Abu-'Abdullah (the sixth Imam) has said, "Knowledge is comprised of twenty-seven letters, and all that has been brought by the prophets is comprised of
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In addition, there are numerous other traditions concerning the fact that the Mandi is the son of the eleventh Imam, Hasan al-'Askari. They agree that after being born and undergoing a long occultation, the Mandi will appear again, filling with justice the world that has been corrupted by injustice and iniquity.
As an example, 'Ali ibn Musa al-Rida (the eighth Imam) has said, in the course of a hadith, "The Imam after me is my son, Muhammad, and after him his son, 'Ali, and after 'Ali his son, Hasan, and after Hasan his son, al-Hujjah al-Qa'im, who is awaited during his occultation and obeyed during his manifestation. If there remains from the life of the world but a single day, Allah will extend that day until he becomes manifest and fill the world with justice in the same way that it had been filled with iniquity. But when? As for news of the 'hour,' verily my father told me, having heard it from his father who heard it from his father who heard it from his ancestors who heard it from 'Ali, that it was asked of the Holy Prophet, "Oh Prophet of God, when will the "support" (qa'im) who is from thy family appear?" He said, "His case is like that of the Hour (of the Resurrection). "He alone will manifest it at its proper time. It is heavy in the heavens and the earth. It cometh not to you save unawares." (Qur'an, VII, 187).
1
Saqr ibn Abi-Dulaf said, "I heard from Abu-Ja'far Muhammad ibn 'Ali al-Rida [the ninth Imam] who said, 'The Imam after me is my son 'Ali; his command is my command; his word is my word; to obey him is to obey me. The Imam after him is his son, Hasan. His command is the command of his father; his word is the word of his father; to obey him is to obey his father.' After these words, the Imam remained silent. I said to him, 'Oh son of the Prophet, who will be the Imam after Hasan?' The Imam
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two letters; and men have not gained knowledge of anything but these two letters. When our 'support' (qa'im) comes forth, he will make manifest the other twenty-five letters to them so that they become propagated in the form of twenty-seven letters." (Bihar al-Anwar, vol. I.,11, pp. 336.)
1 Bihar al-Anwar, vol. LI, pp. 154.
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cried hard, then said, 'Verify, after Hasan his son is the awaited Imam who is `al-Q?'im bil-Haqq (He who is supported by the Truth)."
1
Musa ibn Ja'far Baghdadi said, "I heard from the Imam Abu-Muhammad al-Hasan ibn 'Ali [the eleventh Imam] who said, 'I see that after me, differences will appear among you concerning the Imam after me. Whoso accepts the Imams after the Prophet of God but denies my son is like the person who accepts all the prophets but denies the prophethood of Muhammad, the Prophet of God—upon whom be peace and blessing. And whoso denies [Muhammad] the Prophet of God is like one who has denied all the prophets of God, for to obey the last of us is like obeying the first and to deny the last of us is like denying the first. But beware! Verily for my son there is an occultation during which all people will fall into doubt except those whom Allah protects."
2
The opponents of Shi'ism protest that according to the beliefs of this school the Hidden Imam should by now be nearly twelve centuries old, whereas this is impossible for any human being. In answer, it must be said that the protest is based only on the unlikelihood of such an occurrence, not its impossibility. Of course, such a long lifetime or a life of a longer period is unlikely. But those who study the hadiths of the Holy Prophet and the Imams will see that they refer to this life as one possessing miraculous qualities. Miracles are certainly not impossible nor can they be negated through scientific arguments. It can never be proved that the causes and agents that are functioning in the world are solely those that we see and know and that other causes which we do not know or whose effects and actions we have not seen nor understood do not exist. It is in this way possible that in one or several members of mankind there can be operating certain causes and agents which bestow upon them a very long life of a thousand or
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1 Bihar al-Anwar, vol. LI, pp. 154.
2 Bihar al-Anwar, vol. LI, pp. 160.
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several thousand years. Medicine has not even lost hope of discovering a way to achieve very long life pans. In any case, such protests from "peoples of the Book" such as Jews, Christians and Muslims are most strange for they accept the miracles of the prophets of God according to their own sacred scriptures.
The opponents of Shi'ism also protest that, although Shi'ism considers the Imam necessary in order to expound the injunctions and verities of religion and to guide the people, the occultation of the Imam is the negation of this very purpose, for an Imam in occultation who cannot be reached by mankind cannot be in any way beneficial or effective. The opponents say that if God wills to bring forth an Imam to reform mankind, He is able to create him at the necessary moment and does not need to create him thousands of years earlier. In answer, it must be said that such people have not really understood the meaning of the Imam, for in the discussion on the Imamate it became clear that the duty of the Imam is not only the formal explanation of the religious sciences and exoteric guidance of the people. In the same way that he has the duty of guiding men outwardly, the Imam also bears the function of wilayah and the esoteric guidance of men. It is he who directs man's spiritual life and orients the inner aspect of human action toward God. Clearly, his physical presence or absence has no effect in this matter. The Imam watches over men inwardly and is in communion with the soul and spirit of men even if he be hidden from their physical eyes. His existence is always necessary even if the time has not as yet arrived for his outward appearance and the universal reconstruction that he is to bring about.
