|
Benefit of Existence of Imam during the Occultation
Author: Ayatullah al-Uzma Nasir Makarim Shirazi
Now that this misunderstanding is removed, we talk about this matter that: Well, but this kind of life maybe justifiable for an ordinary person, but is it acceptable for a leader - and a great divine leader?
What benefit could a student take, who doesn’t know his teacher, or a patient person who doesn’t know his physician and the clinic, or a thirsty person who doesn’t find the water stream - although it is close to him?!
It is interesting that: This question is not being asked only today; it is understood from Islamic narratives that even it was being asked before the birth of Mahdi (as) during the time of previous Imams and when they talked about Mahdi and the time of his occultation, they faced such question and answered it eagerly that we mention some of the example as follows: There is a meaningful and interesting expression in several different ahadith, which have been reached us about the philosophy and benefit of existence of Imam (as) during the occultation, in a short phrase which can be a key for discovering this great secret and that is the answer of Prophet (S) for the question about the benefit of existence of Mahdi (as) during his occultation; he said: (Yes, I swear to the one who chosen me, people take benefit from the light of his leadership during his occultation like they take from the Sun behind the clouds  [ Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 52, page 93].
We should understand the role of the Sun generally and when it is behind the clouds for understanding this key: The Sun has two kinds of refulgence: Apparent refulgence And hidden refulgence On in other words, “direct refulgence” and “indirect refulgence”.
In apparent refulgence sunlight can be seen clearly, although thick layer of air which has surrounded the earth acts as a think glass; a glass which both reduces the degree of refulgence of the Sun and makes it bearable, and filters the sunlight and nullifies its deadly radiations, but it doesn’t prevent direct refulgence of the Sun.
But in indirect refulgence, clouds take the sunlight like a mate glass and distribute it.
Sunlight has the most important role in the living world and the life of living creatures: The sunlight, which shines from the Sun to everywhere, is the only source of energy for moving living motors of life in plants, animals and humans: Growth of living creatures, Their feeding and reproduction, Feeling, movement and action, Watering the dead lands, Roar of sea waves, Life-giving blow of the winds, Life-Making shower of the rain and snow, The murmur of waterfalls, Singing voices of the birds, Dazzling beauty of flowers, Blood circulation inside human veins and heartbeats, Hyper speed movement of thoughts inside the curtains of the brain, And sweet smile on the lips of petals like an infant and …
All and all depends on sunlight directly or indirectly and all of them will faint without that, and it can be recognized with a little notice.
Well, now this question is asked that aren’t these benefits and life-giving effects exclusive to the time of direct refulgence?
The answer of this question is clear: no, many of these effects are also available in mate sunlight when the Sun is behind the clouds.
For example, in countries or cities which are covered by clouds some months of the year sunlight cannot be seen, but heat, growth of plants, production of necessary energy for motors of life, ripeness of cereals and fruits and laughter of flowers and blooms are available.
Therefore, refulgence of the Sun from behind the curtains of clouds has and important part of its benefits; and only a part of its effects which needs direct refulgence is not available; for example, we know that sunlight has vital effects of the skin and other parts of the body of humans and other living creatures and accordingly in countries which people are deprived of this gift, they take sunbath in sunny days; and become naked in front of this life-giving light and take each particle of this light by all of their body which is thirsty for this divine gift.
Also, direct sunlight has disinfecting effect - because of ultraviolet radiation - which purifies the environment adding to more lightness and heat which is not available in indirect refulgence.
We conclude from the above discussion that although curtains of clouds take some of effects of the sunlight but an important part of it still remains.
This was the condition of sunlight and now we return to the conditions of existence of divine leaders during occultation.
Invisible spiritual radiation of existence of Imam (as) when it is hidden behind the clouds of occultation has different considerable effects that disclose the philosophy of his existence, regardless of removing the issue of direct education and training.
These effects are as follows:
Promising Effect
In the battlefield, all the efforts of a group of experienced and self-devoted soldier is to hold the flag fluttering in the sky against the strikes of the enemy; while the enemy soldiers continuously try to upset the flag of oppositions, because when the flag remains fluttering it gives hope to soldiers and they continue their efforts.
Also existence of the commander of the army in headquarter - although he is apparently quite - moves the bloods inside the veins of the soldiers and encourage them to try more that our commander is still alive and our flag is fluttering in the sky!
But, when the news of death of the commander is heard a great army with extraordinary power will be suddenly demolished, maybe cold water is poured no everyone’s head, no, but their soul has left their bodies!
While the head of a group or a country is alive, although he is in travel or is ill, but he is the cause of life, action, order and peace of his people; but news of his departure is the despair of everyone.
Shiites don’t consider themselves to be alone according to the belief they have about the living Imam, although they don’t see him among themselves. (Attention
Shiites always are excepting the return of him who has traveled that has the caravan of hearts with him, a constructive and effective waiting and expect his advent everyday.
The mental effect of this thinking way in keeping hopes alive in the hearts and forcing people to self-improvement and preparing for that great revolution, which had been explained in the discussion of “waiting”, is completely comprehendible.
But if this leader doesn’t exist at all and the adherents of his school are waiting for his birth and growth in the future then the conditions are much different.
And if we add another point to this subject then the issue will be more serious, and that is: According to general belief of Shiites which has been mentioned in many religious narratives, Imam continuously care about his followers during the occultation; and he is informed about the conditions of their acts through divine intuition and according to the narratives, the report of their acts is presented to him each week and become informed about the way of their actions and speeches.( These narratives are available in the interpretation “Burhan”, beneath the verse “” Surah Tawbah 9: 105); and we have an interesting discussion about that in vol. 8 of Tafsir -e- Nemoune).
This thought caused all the believers to be always aware and pay attention to that superior supervision while entering any act; training effect of this thinking way is also undeniable.
Guarding the Religion of God
“Ali”, that great human of the history, says in one of his short expressions in which he points to the necessity of existence of divine leaders in any time and age: “Yes, the surface of the earth will never be without the al-Qa’im who has proof; whether apparent and famous or hidden and unknown, in order for divine proofs and evidences not to be invalidated and forgotten (and not to be distorted and transformed.”( Nahj al-Balagha, aphorisms, number 147).
Now, pay attention to the explanation of this expression: By the pass of time and mixing religious issues with personal tastes and thoughts and different inclinations to deceptive programs of aberrant schools, and when corrupted persons reach divine concepts, genuineness of some of these meanings will be lost and transformed.
This pure water, which has been descended from the sky of afflatus, has gradually become polluted and dark during passing the minds of others and has lost its beginning purity and freshness.
This shining light will shimmer by passing through the dark glasses of darn thoughts.
And finally, narrow-minded adds and reduce so much to and from that, in the way that sometimes, it is hard to recognize the main issues!
And as the poet says - albeit in the exaggerated way of the poets - talking to prophet: They are making up your canon law They are cutting from your religion As much they have added to that You won’t recognize it when you see
In these conditions, isn’t it necessary for a person to be among Muslims in order to keep the eternal teachings of Islam in its main shape for the future ones?
Will afflatus be revealed to another person again? Certainly not! The chapter of afflatus is closed forever after the last of prophets.
Then how genuine religion should be kept safe, and distortion and transformations and superstitions be prevented for this religion to remain safe foe the next generations. Is there any method other than continuing this way by an infallible leader, whether to be apparent and famous or hidden and unknown?
We know that there is an “indestructible chest” in every institution, which holds important documents of that institute in order to remain safe from robbery; moreover, for example they don’t be destroyed in fire that reputation of the institute is closely dependent on keeping those documents.
Chest of Imam an his high soul is the indestructible chest for keeping the documents of divine religion that holds all the beginning essentials and heavenly characteristics of these teachings “in order for divine proofs and clear signs of the God not to be invalidated and forgotten”.
And this is another one of the effects of his existence - adding to other effects.
Training an Aware Revolutionary Group
Against what some people think, Imam is not completely disconnected from people during the occultation; but as it is understood from Islamic narratives, a small group of most prepared persons who have the love of the God, hearts filled with belief and extraordinary sincerity for establishing the ideal of correcting the world, are in connection with him and they improve gradually through this connection; and take more-revolutionary passion; a constructive and fruitful revolution for removing any kind of oppression and injustice from the world!
Maybe they die before this revolution but anyhow, they transfer revolutionary preparedness and teachings to their next generations and the others, and have a share in training the final group.
We previously said that the meaning of the occultation of Imam is not that he becomes an invisible soul or unseen radiation, but he has a normal peaceful life; and lives among people unknown and chooses the most prepared hearts and takes them and make them more prepared than the past.
Capable persons gains the benefits of this opportunity according to their capability and competence; some people have connection with him for some moments; and some persons for some hours and some days; and some persons have connection with him closely for years!
In clearer way, they are those who have sit on the wings of knowledge and virtue and have soared that are above the clouds like the passengers of high-flying airliners; the place where there is no cover and obstacle in the way of life-giving refulgence of the Sun, while others live beneath the clouds in darkness and faint light.
And it is the correct counting; I shouldn’t expect that the sun comes beneath the clouds and I see its face; such expectation is a big mistake and useless imagination; it is me who should fly above the clouds in order to drink the eternal radiations of the Sun portion by portion and become sated.
Anyhow, training this group is another one of the philosophies of his existence during this time.
Spiritual and Unaware Influence
We know that the Sun has some visible rays which seven famous colors appears as the result of their combination; and some invisible rays which are called “Ultraviolet” and “infrared”.
Also, a great divine leader, whether to be prophet or Imam, has a kind of spiritual teachings and through the spiritual influence on hearts and thoughts that can be called genetic education, adding to legislative teachings which is performed through speech, acts and ordinary education; in that method, words and expressions and actions don’t work but only inner gravity and attraction works.
We read in the story of many of great divine leaders that sometimes, some corrupted and aberrant persons changed their ways completely only by a small contact with them, and their destiny was changed suddenly and as it is said, they chose a completely different way by 180 degrees turn; suddenly, they become a pure, believer and self-devoted person who didn’t refuse to even pay their life!
These fast and multidimensional changes, these mutational and sweeping revolutions, and only with one look or small contact (albeit for those who have a kind of preparedness while being polluted) cannot be the results of ordinary teachings and trainings, but is the result of an invisible mental effect and an unaware attraction, which is sometimes also called “influence of personality”.
Some of the people have experienced this matter in their lives that when they meet those who have great and superior souls they are influenced by them unaware and involuntarily that even talking becomes hard before them; and find them inside a mysterious and indescribable halo of greatness.
Albeit, sometimes it is possible to justify these matters by empathy and like that, but certainly, this interpretation is not correct for all cases, and there is no way other than accepting that these effects are the result of the mysterious radiation which is from the inside of the soul of great humans.
We see lots of biographies in the history of great leaders, which are not interpretable in other than this way; the story of a corrupted young person who came to Prophet (S) and his sudden spiritual change.
Or meeting of the idolater, As’ad ibn Zararah, with Prophet (S) near the house of Ka’ba and sudden change of his thinking way.
Or the thing which was called charm by the enemies of Prophet (S) and beware people from getting close to him because of that; all of them confirms the influence of personality of Prophet (S) on different people through this way.
Also, the story which is narrated about the effects of the message of Imam Hussein(as) on “Zuhayr” in the way of Karbala that he couldn’t eat the food which was in his hand and put in on the ground and moved.
Or amazing and wonderful attraction that Hurr ibn Yazid al-Riyahi felt inside him, and was shaking by having that courage; and finally this attraction took him to the row of Mujtahids of Karbala and gained the great honor of martyrdom.
Or the story of a young person who was living in the neighborhood of “Abu Basir” and was living a corrupted life by the wealth which he has collected through serving Umayyad government and finally, changed completely by a message of Imam Sadiq (as), and changed all of his acts and return the properties, which we have collected in unlawful ways, to their owners.
Or the story of coquettish beautiful singer bondwoman who was sent by Harun to prison in order to deviate the mind of Imam Kazim(as), and revolution of her thoughts in a short time, in the way that her appearance, way of talking and logic amazed and frightened Harun …
All and all are the examples and signs of this unaware influence that we can consider that a branch of “Genetic Authority” of Prophet (S) or Imam (as), because the factor of training and evolution here is not expressions, sentences and ordinary and normal ways, but spiritual attraction and influence are considered as main factors.
This program - as we said before - is not exclusive to prophets and Imams; but men of truth and great persons have a halo of this unaware influence according to the amount of their personality, but the circles of the first and the second group are not comparable.
Existence of Imam (as) behind the curtains of the occultation has also this effects that attracts and influence prepared hearts in near and far places though his powerful and expanded radiation of his personality influence and trains and completes them and make them complete humans.
We don’t see the magnetic poles of the earth, but their effect on compasses guides the ships in the sea and guides airplanes and other equipments in deserts and sky. Because of the benefit of these magnetic waves, millions of travelers find their ways to their destinations on the entire earth, or big and small vehicles become free of wandering by the order of this apparently small pointer.
Is it surprising that existence of Imam (as) during the occultation guides thoughts and souls in near and far and make them free of wandering by the waves of his spiritual attraction?
But, it shouldn’t be forgotten and we cannot forget it that as magnetic waves of the earth don’t affect any scrap metal, and only affects sensitive and fine pointers which are magnetized and has become similar to the sender of the waves, the hearts which have a way with Imam and have saved a similarity inside will be affected and influenced by that indescribable spiritual attraction.
By considering what we said above, another one of the effects and philosophies of existence of Imam (as) during this time is recognized.
Showing the Goal of Creation
No wise person makes a step without a goal, and any movement that is made under the light of wisdom and science will be toward a goal.
With this difference that usually, goal of humans in their acts is fulfilling their needs, but in God’s works, the goal is fulfilling the needs of others; because his pure essence is unlimited in any aspect and is free of any deficiency and in this case, performing an act in his benefit doesn’t make any sense.
Now, notice to this example: We make a garden of flowers and fruits in a prepared land; weeds grow among the trees and flowers; when we water the garden the weeds also take its benefits.
Here, we have two goals: Main goal, which is watering the fruit trees and flowers.
And the following goal, which is watering the useless weeds.
Undoubtedly, the following goal cannot be the motive of the action, or justifies the wisdom behind it; the important one is the main goal, which is logical!
Now, if we assume that most of the trees of the garden die and nothing remains but one tree; but a tree that solely gives us fruits and flowers which we expect from a garden then we continue the watering program even for that one tree, although many weeds takes the benefits of this program. And if some day that tree dies then we stop watering and gardening, however, the weeds also die.
Universe of existence is like that fresh garden and humans are its trees and shrubs.
Those who are in the way of perfection are fruitful trees.
And those who have deviated from the right way and have been corrupted are the weeds of this garden.
Certainly, this shining sunlight, these life-giving molecules of the air, these gifts of the earth and the sky are not created for a bunch of corrupted persons to fight each other and eat each other and have no product for the society other than oppression, injustice, ignorance and corruption; No! The goal of creation can never be this!
This world with all of its gifts - in the eye of a monotheist person who is familiar with concepts like science and wisdom of God - is created for pure and righteous ones; as finally, it will be taken from the usurpers and will be given to them (Çäø ÇáÇÑÖ íÑËåÇ ÚÈÇÏí Çá��øÇáÍæä).
Gardener of creation (the universe of existence) continues his mercy and gifts because of this group, although weeds are being watered as a following goal and takes the benefits; but undoubtedly, they are not the main goal.
And if assumably, a day comes in which the last generation of righteous ones leave the earth then there is no reason for continuing this gifts in that day.
That day, the world will lose its peace, and sky will stop its gifts, and the earth will refuse to give benefit to humans!
Prophet of Imam is the symbol of the group of righteous ones and the example of perfect human; which means the same group that forms the main goal of creation and accordingly, his existence solely or as the head of the group of righteous ones justifies the goal of creation and the cause of descending the gifts and fall of the rain of the mercy of God; whether he lives apparent among the people or occulted and unknown.
It is correct that each of other righteous persons are a goal for creation, or in other words, a part of the great goal, but the perfect example of this goal are these exemplary humans and divine men, although the share of others are secured.
And it is cleared here that what is mentioned in some of narratives that: People have their aliments because of his (who is the proof and representative of God) blessings and the earth and the sky are stable because of his existence!” is not an “exaggerated”, “illogical” or “polytheistic” matter; also, the expression which has been quoted in famous books as a divine hadith to holy Prophet (S): If it wasn’t for you I didn’t create heavens!
Is expressing a truth not exaggeration! But, he is the masterpiece goal of creation and each of other righteous ones forms a part of this great goal.
We conclude from what has been said in this chapter under five titles that: Those who are far from the center and consider the existence of Imam during the occultation as a personal and socially useless existence and have attacked the belief of Shi’a in this subject that what would be the benefits of existence of such Imam in the position of a leader and Imam of the nation, is not in the way that they said, and his existence has also many benefits in this condition.
|
