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Since very long centuries, the Shiite political thought has been
linked with the theory of the right of Khilafah (Caliphate) and the
leadership of Muslims, which they accord to the members of Noble
Prophet’s family, (Ahl al-Bayt), as it rejects Shura (consultation) as
a means of electing the Imam (the leader), due to the pre-requisites
of infallibility, (appointment) by text, and divine nomination.
Imamate Shiites are divided into two main sects namely:
(Al-Isma’iliyyah), who ruled over North Africa for a number of
centuries, and (Al-Ithna Ashariyyah). Twelver-Imam Shiites, who
believe in the existence of the twelfth Imam- Muhammad bin Hassan
Askari and his occultation- from the middle of the third century of
Hijrah to date.
As a result of limiting the Imamate in (the infallible and
the occult twelfth Imam), and due to their waiting for his appearance,
the Twelver-Imam Shiites thought, is marked by political isolationism
and absolute negativism, till the birth of the idea of public
representation of Imam Mahdi by the Jurists, and its later development
to Wilayat al-Faqih (the guardianship of the Faqih) (Jurist), whereby
the Shiite thought was able, through the leadership of Imam Khomeini,
to establish an Islamic Republic in Iran, at the end of the 14th
century of Hijrah .
Despite the fact that the Shiite thought does not consider
the Faqih (Jurist) infallible, Imam Khomeini gave the ruling Faqih, in
his capacity as the representative of the infallible, full authority
and powers of the Imam and the great Prophet; he also considered that
authority as part of Allah’s authority, and gave the Faqih the right
to act contrary to the provisions of the constitution and the will of
the people.
All these motivated me to make a review research on the
juristic deductions of the idea of Wilayat al-Faqih (Guardianship of
the Jurist-Consult), which I held before. I wanted to study it anew. I
did possess some parts of the details of the issues at hand.
I differed with the Imam, in specifying the different
roles (in government), the separation of powers and the dependence of
the idea of the Guardianship of the Jurist-Consult on Shura and the
will of the people.
Before writing the final results of the study, I deem it
right to give an historical introduction which will cover the history
of the religious authority, from the beginning of the Major
Occultation, and that is by a perusal of the early fiqhi books and the
life history of scholars, in order to see which of the scholars
believed in the idea of the Wilayat Al-Faqih (Guardianship of the
Jurist-Consult) and it was reflected in his political stand on issues,
and what kind of activities he performed? I unexpectedly discovered
that the earlier scholars did not accept idea of the Wilayat Al-Faqih
(Guardianship of the Jurist-consult); or rather they were completely
ignorant of it… I found also that some of them like Sheikh AbdulRahman
Al-Hilli, in fact wrote refuting the idea, when Zaydite Shiites
proposed it as a solution to the crisis of the Occultation (ghaybah);
I discovered also that the first to write on it was Sheikh Naraqi in
his ‘Awaid al-Ayyam’ before around 150 years. I found that The
preceding scholars were found to believe in the idea of awaiting the
occult Imam Mahdi and they also prohibit political activity,
revolution or the establishment of a government and the performance
its functions, at the time of the Occultation, due to the non-fulfillment
of the two conditions of infallibility and a text (on the appointment
of) the Imam.
I used to hold contrary views with some scholars in the
past, who prohibit political activity or even coming closer to it. I
used to hear some scholars reciting the famous Hadith “Any banner
raised before the appearance of Al-Mahdi is a banner of misguidance
and the owner is a Taught’ (Satan or anyone worshipped instead of
Allah). Even though I considered this Hadith to be a weak
(inauthentic) one and not so important, I couldn’t recognize the depth
of the negative thought that engulfs the hauzah (the religious seat of
learning in Shiite circles), and how it is rooted in history and
supported by an elaborate philosophical scholasticism (al-Kalam).
Here I paused to ask myself: If the idea of the
Guardianship of the Jurist is a recent and Nobel idea, unknown to the
preceding earlier scholars, then what about abandoning, the four
special representatives in the political thought of the age of the
Major Occultation.
Based on this I decided to study the minor occultation age
and the thought and stand of the four representatives of Imam Mahdi. I
was very much amazed when I found also that they believe in ‘waiting’
and abstaining from any kind of political activities. I have the
opportunity of discovering in the course of my research, historical
ambiguities and question marks revolving around the truth of the claim
of the four representatives, being special deputies of the occult Imam
Mahdi, as part of more than twenty claims to the same effect. A lot of
doubt hovers over all of them. I tried my utmost to understand what
kind of political system Imam Mahdi has bequeathed for the Shiites
after his occultation. Has he pointed to it? Has he left them to no
avail? Why has he not explicitly and textually said anything on
authority (almarji'iyyah), public representation, and Guardianship of
the Jurist or Shurah? Why he said nothing on the necessity of
establishing a Shiite state, during his occultation. Why didn’t the
earlier scholars close to him understand that from him? Why did they
stick to the idea of waiting?
The search for the Minor Occultation led to another issue:
The existence of Imam Mahdi-Muhammad bin Hassan Askari, when for the
first time in my life I found serious doubts and perplexity
surrounding the issue of those days, and lack of clear picture on the
part of the Musawite Imamate Shiites, who became divided after the
death of Imam Hassan Askari without an apparent heir, into fourteen
(14) different sects, and were scattered to the right and to the left,
the thing that caused me greater shock and encouraged me to pursue
research on the issue, with the persistent urge to arrive at decisive
and clear conclusions that will end the perplexity.
To my utter amazement, I discovered the extent of my
ignorance of the history of Shiites, that I neither read nor hear
about the details of perplexity and historical doubts on the birth of
the twelfth Imam, despite the fact that I used to be a staunch
missionary of the Twelver-Imam Shiites, sect from my childhood. I grew
up in the hauzah and authored a number of books on the Imams of Ahl
Al-Bayt and have read a lot… At that time I discovered the absence of
history subject in the curricula of the educational hauzah (seminary)
which is limited to Arabic language, Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh (principles of
Jurisprudence, philosophy and Logic, there is not a single lesson on
Islamic or Shiite history.
Anyway, the research on the existence of Imam Mahdi is
very sensitive and hold intellectual, political and social danger, and
may turn a lot of things upside down and may form a strategic turning
point in my life and the life of the society I belong to.
I was not able to abandon the suspended questions that
present themselves to me, for I have to answer them in the affirmative
or in the negative. I found that intellectual honesty and religious
responsibility have made it incumbent on me to continue the research
till the end.
I praise Allah the Almighty for the second time… that I
was in Iran, the citadel of Imamate Shiite thought, and I visited the
libraries of Tehran, Qum and Mashad. I did not leave a single old or
new book on the topic, except that I made a thorough and deep study of
it. And instead of the ambiguity being cleared and the doubts
dispelled, the picture became more blurred and confusing. I found some
earlier scholars declaring that there is no accepted sound and
sufficient historical evidences on the birth of the twelfth Imam, and
that it was said only on the basis of Ijtihad (Juristic deduction),
philosophical speculation and guess.
I also found some scholars of the sect declaring that it
is necessary to accept the existence of the Twelfth Imam, or recant
the idea of Imamate, as it will come to an end with the death of Imam
Hassan Askari without an issue to succeed him in the position of Imam.
This is what made me conduct a new research on the doctrine of Imamate
itself, and I found that it was a creation of theologians (Scholastic
Scholars), and is remote, and in fact contrary to the statements and
authentic traditions of the Imams, which clearly reject the monopoly
of power and authority, and its revolving in a hereditary manner.
These (Statements) call for the choosing of the Imam by the Ummah
though Shura (consultation).
I also discovered in the course of the work, the existence
of a very strong relation between the subject of believing in the
existence of Imam Mahdi, and the idea of waiting, which has dominated
the Shiite political thought in a period of one thousand years, and
prohibits any kind of political activity in the period of the
occultation. This very idea is responsible for the collapse of the
Shiite and their eventual exit from real of life. These is also a
strong relation between religious authority (al-Marji’iyyah al-diniyyah)
the Guardianship of the Jurist-consult (Faqih) which give the
religious authority or ruler absolute powers similar to the powers of
the infallible Imam or the Great Prophet (S.A.W), and suppresses the
possibility of public participation in governance and establishment of
a just political system.
In this work, I pursued research on the development of the
Shiite political thought from the idea of Shura believed by the Shiite
of the first generation, followed by the belief in the Imam which is
based on infallibility, a text and miracles, and evolved in the second
century of Hijrah, and the challenges faced by it, during the second
and third centuries, till when it reached a blind alley with the death
of Imam Hassan Askari without an apparent issue, as Allah’s evidence
on mankind.
I also studied all the evidences advanced or are
being advanced, by theologians and historians on the birth and
existence of the twelfth Imam Muhammad bin Hassan Askari, which can be
divided into three major categories namely: philosophical-rational
evidence, historical evidence, traditional textual evidence. So I had
an in-depth study of these evidences evaluating and ascertaining their
authenticity.
After that I studied the negative effects this idea
brought on the Twelver-Imam Shiites throughout history. I also
recorded the various attempts of Shiites to come out of this serious
crisis, including the many efforts of bringing about Shiite Fiqhi or
political revolutions against this negative thought. I finally paused
at the last stage of the development of Shi'ah political thought, i.e.
the stage of Wilayah al-Faqih (the Guardianship of the Faqih). I
reflected on its positive and negative aspects, and I presented at the
end the idea of Shurah – the idea of the members of the Prophet’s
household and the first generation Shiites with the hope that Shiite
political thought will revert to it in future.
Ahmad Alkatib
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