Avoiding the Death of Ignorance

By: Seyyed Ali Shahbaz
"He who dies without knowing the Imam of his time, dies the death of (the days of) ignorance (Jahiliyya)." – Prophet Muhammad (SAWA)
The above hadith is found in the authoritative books of both the Shi'ites and Sunnis, including Sahih Bukhari and Musnad Ibn Hanbal. It means that we Muslims ought to be cognizant of the Imam of our times – a living Imam rather than the one that has passed away.
So who is the Imam of our age, whose cognition is compulsory upon us? Otherwise, despite our fervent claims to be Muslims (and that too practising Muslims), we risk dieing the un-Islamic death of a person living in the times and state of ignorance and polytheism.
There have been many self-styled Imams in every age and generation.
Today as Islam continues its rapid spread around the world, more and more mosques are coming up, all of which require Imams or prayer leaders to lead the congregations. It means the tens of millions of mosques worldwide, have an equal, if not greater number of Imams to serve – in shifts as well, as congregations grow.

Did the Prophet mean such Imams in this vital hadith?
Certainly not, otherwise there would be chaos and confusion all around, in view of the nature of these respectable Imams, their degrees of faith and piety, their sectarian bigotry, their professional rivalry, and in some cases their fickleness of faith.

So whom did the Prophet mean while warning Muslims against the death of ignorance?
He ought to have left clear indications as to who should be in charge of Muslim affairs, not just after his departure from the mortal world, but for all times and places, since Islam is the universal religion of all mankind till the Day of Resurrection?
As the Final Emissary of God, and not the elected or selected leader of the Arabs of the days of ignorance (Jahiliyya), the mission of the Seal of Prophethood (SAWA) would be incomplete, were he to leave people in the dark, or vaguely hint at someone who had spent the greater part of his life in idolatry and the sordid practices of the pre-Islamic era of Jahiliyya.
Such thoughts are blasphemy, as all conscientious Muslims concerned about the journey of their soul in afterlife by not wishing to die the death of Jahiliyya, would agree
I have no intention here to refer to the event of Ghadir-Khum following revelation of ayah 67 of Surah Ma'edah that prompted the Prophet to proclaim his dear cousin, the spotlessly pure, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), as Mowla (Master) after him – an event chronicled by all authoritative books of hadith and history, including those of our Sunni brethren.
Neither do I want to repeat the Hadith Thaqalayn that emphasizes the pivotal position of the Prophet's Ahl al-Bayt along with that of the holy Qur'an – even though some dispute the Prophet used the word Sunnah (behaviour and practice) and not Itrah (progeny), and these disputers fail to realize that love and affection for the Ahl al-Bayt is not just the Prophet's Sunnah but also an article of faith as per God's commandment in the holy Qur'an (42:23; 3:61; 33:33 etc).
I also leave out here any detailed discussion of the words of the Prophet on the public proclamation of the message of Islam on the Day of Dhul-Ashira, when no one responded to his call except the below-the-teen years, Ali (AS), he said: You are my Wasi (testamentary Legatee) and Khalifa (Successor) – refer to Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal and others.
What I would like to say here is that Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) while expressing the hadith that ought to save Muslims from dieing the death of ignorance, meant a truly divinely-decreed Imam, in the manner of his illustrious ancestor, Prophet Abraham (AS), regarding whom God says: "I make you the Imam of mankind; said he (Abraham) from among my descendants? He (God) said: My pledge does not reach the unjust." (2:124)
Here I mention a famous hadith of the Prophet, recorded among others in Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan ibn Dawoud, Sunan Termidhi, etc., with slight variations, which reads: "The (Islamic) religion will continue until the Hour (Day of Resurrection), having Twelve Caliphs for you; all of them will be from Quraysh."
Glory be to God for making it clear to Prophet Abraham (AS) that the unjust and the unprincipled from his progeny, the Quraysh, will never be trustees of the Leadership of mankind even if they were to seize political power and style themselves as Imam, Caliph, or Amir al-Momineen.
And praise be to Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) for removing doubts over the exact number of his true and righteous successors, which fact automatically nullifies the political rule of all those who violated his instructions and the commandments of God, to usurp the caliphate.
On this auspicious day of the 9th Rabi al-Awwal, when the lists of all claimants to the caliphate have been crossed out – the Godless Omayyads numbered 13, while the equally ungodly Abbasids totalled 37 – the figure that emerges for saving Muslims from the death of ignorance is Prophet Muhammad's (SAWA) 12th and last Infallible Successor whose divine mission as the Imam of the Age started this day in 260 AH.
He is in the state of occultation by God's command, but like the sun, even if hidden by the clouds, continues to provide cognizance and guidance to the faithful, until his reappearance by God's command, as Qa'em al-Mahdi (AS), to cleanse the world of all vestiges of corruption and oppression by establishing the global government of peace, prosperity, and justice. (Cited by all authentic Sunni sources)