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Imamate thought has developed from
theImamte shiites statement on the necessity of infallibility on the
part of the Imam, any Imam, to the necessity of the existence of a
(divine) text on him, as the only way of identifying him. This
invalidates the system of Shura (consultation) and election. It
further confines the Imams to the infallibles of Ahl al-Bayt,
beginning with Imam Ali bin Abi Talib, Hassan and Hussain, and then
the Imams from the line of Hussain, those Allah appointed as leaders
of creation to the day of resurrection.”
The Imamate school of thought presents
as evidence of the ‘infallibility’ of the members of the Prophet’s
household, the following Quranic verse: “ Allah wishes only to remove
evil deeds and sins from you, O members of the family (of the Prophet)
(peace be upon him).” (Ahzab) i.e. by interpreting wish (iradah) to
mean creational wish not legislative wish, because it is impossible
that the divine wish will fell to remove evil deeds from them. Allah
the Most High has said: “Verily, His command, when He intends a thing
is only that He says to it, “ be “ and it is. The thought also
excluded the wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him) from the rank of
Members of the family of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and confining
(that honor) to Imam Ali and Fatimah and their children. (1)
The Imamate historian Sa’id bin Abdullah
Al-Qummi al-Ashari has reported to us the precise form of this thought
in his work, ‘Al- Maqalat wa al-firaq’ where he says: Imam Ali bin Abi
Talib is Imam whose obedience has been imposed by Allah and His
Messenger (peace be upon him) as a duty on mankind, to accept him and
receive (instructions) from him. Anyone other him is not their valid
leader. Any one who obeys him, obeys Allah, and anyone who disobeys
him, disobeys Allah, due to the sign the messenger of Allah has
established for them and the imposition of his Imamate and leadership
and his deserving right more than that of their own souls. The Prophet
has also endowed him (Ali) with the knowledge that will be needed by
humanity in religion, the permissible and the prohibited and all what
benefits them in the religious and worldly life, as well as whatever
harms them, and all kinds of knowledge, little of great, he left it as
a trust with him, as well as being its custodian.
“ And that he deserves the Imamate and
the position of the Prophet, due to his infallibility and the purity
of his birth, as well as being among the pioneers (in accepting
Islam), his knowledge, his bravery, jihad, generosity, asceticism and
justice among his followers. The Prophet (peace be upon him) has
mentioned through a text by his name and lineage and person. He handed
over to him the Imamate of the Ummah he established him as a sign, and
made him the benefactor of his will and his vicegerent, as well as his
vizier on many occasions. He (the prophet peace be upon him) told them
that his position to him was like the position of Harun to Musa,
except that there is no Prophet after him. Since he makes him his
equal in his life, then he is the most deserving of them after his
death, just as he was more deserving of them than their own selves, as
he made him similar to himself in the Mubahalah (invoking Allah’s
curse on whoever is not truthful), in the statement of Allah… “
Ourselves and yourselves…” and also in the statement of the Messenger
of Allah (peace be upon him) to the children of Wali’ah “Otherwise I
will send to you a man like myself.” The position of the Prophet will
not be due for anyone after him except such as was like him. The
Imamate is the most exalted of affairs after prophet hood, as it is
one of the most esteemed of the obligatory duties from Allah. If the
obligatory duties cannot be established, nor accepted, except with the
existence of a just Imam and since it is necessary that, that Imamate
must continue always in his progeny till the day of resurrection, it
will be in his children from Fatimah, the daughter of the Messenger of
Allah, and then in his grandchildren from her, a man from them will
always take his position forever. He will be infallible of sins,
purified from all defects, pious, pure, and free of all ailments in
religion, lineage and birth. One who cannot err intentionally or
unintentionally, specifically mentioned by text from the Imam
preceding him, one pointed by his name and person… and that the
Imamate will continue in his progeny in this way, as long as mankind
follow the commandments of Allah.”(2)
The Imamate scholars who grew up in the
beginning of the second century of Hijrah have tried to draw back
their theory, and to read the Shiite political history anew, in the
light of their theory based on (the idea of) a text (nass), and the
abandoning of the previous Shiite political thought which was based on
(the idea of) Shura (consultation).
They naturally attributed their thought
to the members of the family (of the Prophet (peace be upon him) – Ahl
al-Bayt and claimed taking it from them. This is why Sheikh Mufid said
the following: “ Alawite Shiites have agreed that the Imamate at the
time of the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was for the
commander of the faithful Ali bin Abi Talib, and that it was for
Hassan bin Ali after his brother. And that after Hussain it will be
for the children of Fatimah (peace be upon her) not leaving them to
other people. None other than them deserves it. They are the right
people for it, to the end of time. And that it is the exclusive right
of the children of Hussain, it will not leave to some other people
till the hour (of judgment)”. (3)
THE TEXT IN PLACE OF THE WILL
Contrary to the Kissanite thought which
depend on the Prophets will for Imam Ali, the Imamate thought has
depended largely on the subject of ‘ Ghadir’ and found in it a strong
evidence with political meaning, and a text for the Caliphate. Sheikh
Mufid says in 'Al-Ifsah fi Imamah ‘Ali bin Abi Talib: “The Prophet
(peace be upon him) has bestowed to Imam Ali at the Ghadir (Small
Stream) of ‘ Khoum’ proper leadership, and showed how he resembles him
in the necessity of obeying him, so also his commanding, prohibiting
and organizing their affairs and his leadership of them … He confirmed
his superiority over the others in the community, as well as his
support and viziership and Caliphate in his life and after his (the
Prophet’s) death. (4)
In addition to that, they depended on
some textual evidences on the virtue of Imam Ali bin Abi Talib, and
others, which clearly confirm his leadership and Imamate. But all
these were from Shiite reporters. It has always been suspected as
being fabricated or given strained or forced meaning contrary to the
apparent one, as well as reading political meaning in those
traditions.
Sayyid Murtada has confessed in his work
‘Al- Shafi fi al- Imamah’, that the most important Prophetic tradition
regarding the Imamate, is the Hadith of Ghadir of Khoum’ and that it
is a covert not an overt text, if we dropped the additions made to it.
(5)
Despite the denial of the Imamate
theologians of the Imamate of those claimed it for themselves like
Muhammad bin Hanafiyyah and Abdullah Al-Aftah, due to lack of clear
texts on that, and despite the statement of Sheikh Mufid on the
impermissibility of establishing the Imamate of any one on whom there
is no text or evidence confirming his Imamate, because infallibility
can only be known through a text—as Sheikh Mufid and Tusi have said
(6)--- Despite all these, the Imamate historians were not able to
establish any textual (evidence) on the Imamate of the others,
especially that of Imam Ali bin Hussain, who served as a link between
Imam Hussain and the remaining Imams to the day of judgment. This has
led the theorizers of divine Imamate to depend on other means apart
from the text in establishing the Imamate of the remaining Imams, like
the will, reason, miracle and so on. (7)
REASON IN PLACE OF THE TEXT
Hence due to the weakness of the texts
reported by the Imamate Shiite regarding the Caliphate of the members
of the Prophet’s family, the earlier theologians have in the first
place depended on reason (aql) in establishing their theory. Sheikh
Mufid says: “ If one of the opponents will say that the texts being
reported by the Imamate Shiites are fabricated, fabricated, and the
traditions were reported by single reporters, otherwise let them
mention their chains of narrators and affirm their authenticity in a
manner that will not leave any doubt…. It will be said to him: “It is
of no effect to the Imamate Shiites in their belief explained above,
the lack of consensus regarding the texts for the Imams. Its being
traditions reported by single reporters does not disqualify it from
being evidences for them, due to what accompany it of rational
evidences, we have mentioned and explained on the necessity of the
Imamate and the attributes of the Imams. This is because if rational
evidences are invalid as the opponents imagine, the rational evidences
establishing the necessity of texts for confirming the Imams will also
be invalid, as we have explained.” (8)
Sayyid Murtada says in Al- Shafi: “We
have two ways of establishing the Imamate of the remaining Imams.
Firstly by referring to clear reports of Shiites, which constitute
evidences, the Prophets text wholly or partly, and what has been
reported from the leader of the faithful and the text of each one of
them on the one succeeding him. Secondly by depending on rational
arguments based on logical principles in establishing the Imamate of
anyone of them, without recourse to tradition.” (9)
The same thing was said by Abu Al-Fath
Muhammad bin Ali Al-Jarajiki in his book, ‘Al- Istinsar fi al-Nass ala
Aimah al- Athar’: “ Know that, may Allah help you, that Allah, the
Exalted has made easy for Shiite scholars different rational and
traditional evidences on the validity of the Imamate of the members of
the Prophets family, such that can establish proofs against their
opponents. The rational arguments establish the principle of the
necessity of the need for the Imam in every age, and his known
attributes like infallibility, which distinguish him from the entire
members of the Ummah, such attributes are not available in other than
the one pointed to (by Allah). As for the traditional evidences, we
have the Quran which points generally to their leadership and
superiority over other beings.” (10)
MIRACLES IN PLACE OF REASON
If the theory of Imamate presents some
texts as regards Imam Ali bin Abi Talib (peace be upon him), it admits
the lack of it as regards a number of the other Imams. And for this
reason they sometime depend on ordinary wills, and take them as
evidences instead of the text. They lack sometime even ordinary wills,
and for some they resort to the miraculous, in place of the texts.
Hisham bin al-Hakam established his
statement on the Imamate of Sadiq, on the claim of the knowledge of
the Imam regarding the unseen (ghayb). He said to the Syrian man who
debated with him on the Imamate at Muna, “ the miracle is the means of
identifying the Imam, and confirming the truth of his claim.” He never
mentions the issue of the text at all. If the text was an essential
requirement, the earlier Imamate theologians could have depended on
it, and Hisham would have brought it up as evidence on the Imamate of
Imam Sadiq, or at least point to it. He did not however, say anything
on it, except the evidence of the miraculous and the Imam’s knowledge
of the unseen.
Of the quotations from the scholars
cited above, there is a pointer to the evidence of the miraculous.
Sheikh Mufid has said in ‘Al-Thaqalan’ after the discussion on the
condition of infallibility of the Imam. “ If these principles have
been established, it becomes necessary for the Imam to declare to the
people, through a text on his Imamate, and through miraculous
knowledge, as there is no way of knowing the one who possesses all
these qualities except through a true text from Allah, the Almighty or
a miracle.” Sayyid Murtada has also said in ‘Al-Shafi’ after
discussion on infallibility; “If that has been established, it becomes
necessary to declare it either through a text or a miracle.” Sheikh
Tusi has said in Talkhis Al- Shafi: “The provision of the text on the
Imam or what may stand for it of the miracle that confirms his
Imamate… It is necessary to have a text for the Imam in person or
presentation a miracle in its place, despite the validity of the
statement above.”
Allamah Hilli also says in ‘Nahj
al-Haq:’ “ The ways of appointing the Imam are two: Either through a
text from Allah, the Exalted or His Prophet (peace be upon him) or an
Imam, whose Imamate has been established through a text, or through
the appearance of miracles from him.”
In truth, the Imamate theory is mainly
in need of the subject of miracles, in the process of establishing the
Imamate of Ali bin Hussain Al- Sajjad, who had no text or will from
his father, as Imam Hussain was killed in Karbala without leaving a
text on his Imamate. Imam Hussain only left a will for his sister
Zaynab, or his daughter Fatimah, as mentioned by Imam Baqir and Sadiq.
Muhammad bin Hanafiyyah did claim the possession of a will from his
father. Imam Ali, and he headed the Shiites on the basis of that after
the withdrawal of Imam Sajjad from the political arena.
The Imamate theory also needed to
establish the Imamate of Sajjad for it to maintain Imamate in the
children of Hussain only. Otherwise the claim will be broken and the
argument of Kissanites and Hassanites, those who directly led the
Shiites, will be stronger than that of the Imamate Shiites.
In this regard the Imamate Shiites used
to report the conflict between Imam Sajjad and his uncle Muhammad bin
Hanafiyyah who denied the existence of any text or will for him, and
demand of him to follow him. Sajjad then sought from him that both
should go to Al-Hajar al-Aswad (the Black Stone) for which talked
miraculously and in very eloquent Arabic, establishing the Imamate of
Sajjad demanding from Ibn Hanafiyyah to submit to him. As the Imamate
Shiites, especially Abu Basir used to mention miraculous stories on
the Imamate of Muhammad Baqir and Jafar Sadiq and Kadhim, as well as
other Imam, So as to cover the lack of texts on their Imamates, or as
support for ordinary wills, that do not point to the issue of Imamate
and Caliphate.
Miracles are almost the principal
evidences presented by the Imamate Shiites to establish the Imamate of
a large number of Infallible Imams appointed by Allah, the Most high.
CONFINING THE IMAMATE TO THE CHILDREN OF HUSSAIN
After establishing the Imamate of both
Hassan and Hussain, Imamate Shiites try to solve the issue of
confining the Imamate to the progeny of Hussain exclusively. This is
more so, because both of them were from the household of the Prophet
(peace be upon him), and both were the children of Fatimah and Ali,
and the children of Hassan have also claimed it for themselves. Some
of them opined that the Awaited Mahdi would be from among them. Some
of them even believed that the children of Hassan are superior to the
children of Hussain, especially that the Hadiths that the Imamate
Shiites put as evidence for confining the Imamate exclusively to the
members of the Prophet’s family, like the Hadith of Thaqalain, --
include both the households. The Jeroudites based their doctrine of
the possibility of the Imam coming from the children of Hassan and
Hussain on that Hadith (tradition).”
A narration from Khazzaz al-Qummi in
‘Kifayah al-Athar’ from Jabir bin Yazid al-Ja’fi expresses the
rejection of a section of the early Shiites of the idea of confining
the Imamate to the children Hussain. Jabir said to Imam Baqir: Some
people say that Allah has placed the Imamate in the progeny of Hassan
and Hussain” He replied: “By Allah, they have lied, have they not
heard Allah the Almighty saying: “ And he made it a word lasting among
his offspring.” Has he then placed it only in the line of Hussain?”
(12)
Hisham bin Salim Al-Jawaliqi has claimed
that he once asked Imam Sadiq: “How did the Imamate become only from
the line of Hussain excluding the children of Hassan? He the replied “
Allah wish to make the tradition of Musa and Harun continue in Hassan
and Hussain have you not seen that the former two were both Prophets,
just as the (latter) two were both co-partners, in the Imamate.” (12)
Haran bin A’yun has reported from Imam
Baqir a tradition, in which he said, “Hassan did return 40,000 swords
back to their covers, when the Leader of the Faithful was attacked,
and offered them to Mu’awiyah… and Hussain went out and gave himself
for the sake of Allah, together with 70 (seventy) men …who has more
right to his blood, than us? (13)
There is another report from Abu ‘Amr
al-Zubairi wherein he says that, he asked Imam Sadiq about the secret
behind the Imamate leaving the children of Hassan and being limited to
the children of Hussain. How was it so? What is the evidence for that?
He replied him: “When Hussain faced Allah’s decree, it was not
permissible to turn it to the son of his brother, nor to make a will
for them on it, Allah says: “ And blood relations among each other
have closer personal ties in the Decree of Allah…” So his children
were closer to him than the children of his brother. Which means they
have more right to the Imamate. This verse has excluded the children
of Hassan from it, so it became for Hussain, going by the import of
the verse. So it will be among them till the day of resurrection.”
(14)
It seems these justifications were
neither convincing, nor strong, due to which the Shiites continued
searching the secret behind confining the Imamate to the offspring of
Hussain, despite the leadership of the children of Hassan of the
Shiites in different places. Saduq says: Muhammad bin Abi Yaqub
al-Balkhi asked Imam Rida: “For what cause the Imamate became in the
children of Hussain, excluding the children of Hassan? He replied him
saying: “Because Allah has made it in the offspring of Hussain, and
not the offspring of Hassan, Allah will not be questioned on what He
does.”
It is evident that this reply came
before the crystallization of the Imamate theory in the succeeding
centuries, and its subsequent dependence on preconceived Hadith of the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), which mention the names of the
Imams one after the other. Despite the fact that Sheikh Saduq has
reported this narration, it only seems that he did not trust this
narration claimed to have come from Imam Rida, and this was why he had
another view of the matter.
He says in Ikmal al-Din: “Know that when
the Prophet (peace be upon him) advised (the Muslims) to hold fast to
the family (of the Prophet), reason, common knowledge and the life
history of the prophet (peace be upon him) all these confirm that he
means the scholars among them, not the ignorant, and the pious among
them and not otherwise. What is incumbent on us, is to look for anyone
among them, who combined religious knowledge, with intellect, virtue,
forbearance, asceticism, and independence in affairs, than we emulate
him. If these qualities are found in two persons, and one of them
accepts the doctrine of Zaydites and the other. The doctrine of the
Imamate Shiites, we differentiate between them on the basis of clear
evidence; Either a text from the preceding Imam, or something evident
in his knowledge, or the doctrine of one of them will be known, which
disqualifies him for being emulated, like the opinion of the Zaydites
on Ijtihad and Qiyas (analogical deduction) in the obligatory duties
and injunctions. It will be known on that, that they are not
Imam.”(16)
VERTICAL INHERITANCE
The Imamate Shiites believe that the
Imamate extends in the offspring of Hussain only from the eldest to
the next, as they believe also in the impossibility of transferring it
to a brother or nephew or uncle or cousin.
They depended in this, on the verse “
And blood relations among each other have closer personal ties in the
Decree of Allah” which is based on the same verse they depend on the
Imamate of the children of his brother, Hassan or any other of his
brothers or cousins or all the other people. It is the right of the
children of Hussain only and none else. It will never leave them to
other than them till the hour (of judgment). (18)
Kulayni has reported, so also Saduq,
Mufid and Tusi, traditions from Imam Sadiq, which point to the law of
vertical inheritance and the continuation of the Imamate till the day
of resurrection. He said: “ The Imamate will not be in two brothers
after Hassan and Hussain. But it will be in the off springs and off
springs of off springs, and likewise to the day of resurrection.” (19)
THE CONTINUATION OF THE IMAMATE TO
THE DAY OF RESURRECTION
With the rejection of the theory of Shura
(consultation)—on the part of the philosophers of the theory of Divine
Imamate as a way of electing the Imam, it became necessary to extend
this theory (of Imamate) from the death of the Prophet (peace be upon
him) to the day of Resurrection. It will not be confined to a specific
period of time. Hence we have Hisham bin Hakam in his debate with
Dirar saying. “ It is necessary that there must be in any period one
possessing this attribute of infallibility till the hour (of
judgment)”. (20)
Abu Basir has reported from Abu Jafar (Baqir), that
he said while interpreting the following verse: “ O you who believe
obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those of you who are in
authority…” they are the Imams from the off springs of Ali and Fatimah
till the time of the Hour.”(21)
Ishaq bin Ghalib has reported from Abu Abdullah (Sadiq)
in his sermon wherein he mentioned the qualities of the Imams and
their attributes: “ Allah has chosen them for His creation from the
children of Hussain, from the off springs of each (earlier) Imam, He
chose them and is pleased with them …. So that whenever an Imam will
pass away, He appoints for His creation from his offspring an Imam.”
(22)
Sheikh Saduq has also said in the Introduction of
his work ‘Ikmal al-Din’: “The purpose of citing the saying of the
prophet (peace be upon him). “ The two (the Book and the Family) will
never separate till they come together to the pond (of the Prophet)”
is to establish the matter of Allah’s evidences to the day of
resurrection, due to his statement of non-separation of the two till
them come to the pond, similarly is his statement “ Their similitude
is like that of the stars, whenever one disappears, another one
appears till the day of resurrection” this is a confirmation of our
statement that the earth will never be devoid of Allah’s evidence (Hujjah)
for His creation.” (23)
It was also reported from Rida that he said: “ The
first of those who learn lessons from the signs of Allah’ (al-
Mutawassimin) was the Messenger of Allah, then the Commander of the
faithful (Ali) after him, followed by Hassan, then Hussain and then
the Imams from the children of Hussain till the day of resurrection.”
(24)
It has also been reported from him, “The Imams are
from the children of Ali and Fatimah to the end of time” (25)
Imamate leadership) belonged to the Messenger of
Allah (peace is upon him), who handed it over to Ali, by the command
of Allah in a pattern ordained by Allah. So it became in his chosen
offsprings, those bestowed with knowledge and faith…. So it will be in
the children of Ali exclusively, till the day of Judgment.” (26)
Based on the above, there was no predetermined list
of the names of the subsequent Imams. That was left to the
vicissitudes of time to determine. There are a number of Hadiths that
show that the Imams do not know those to succeed them before, but they
only know that in the last moments of their life. In this regard
Saffar reported from Imam Sadiq that he once said: “The previous Imam
will not die till Allah makes known to him to whom he will pass the
will (of Imamate)…” And the succeeding Imam will know his Imamate in
the last moment of the life of the previous Imam.” (27)
In view of the lack of a predetermined list of
names of the Imams beforehand, the Imamate Shiites considered the
issue of identifying the new Imam of great importance. Saffar says:
“Harath bin Mughirah once asked Imam Sadiq: “By what do we know the
owner of the affairs (Imam)?" He answered, “By tranquility, humility,
knowledge and will.” (28)
Kulayni says: “Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Abi Nasr once
asked Imam Rida, “If the Imam dies by what do we know the one to
succeed him? He replied “The Imam has signs among which are: To be the
eldest, to possess the will, and to go before the people and ask, to
whom has so and so given the will? It will be said to so and so. And
the weapon to us is like the ark to the children of Israel, Imamate
will be wherever the weapon is. “In another narration, As for the
knowledge of the (legal) matters there is no evidence on that.” (29)
Thus the Imamate Shiites used to ask the previous
Imams on the identity of the succeeding Imams and used to insist on
that. Many a times, the Imams refused them that knowledge. (30)
WHAT SHOULD THE SHIITES
DO WHEN IGNORANT OF THE IMAM (OF THE TIME)?
There are traditions that categorically declare the
possibility of the Shiites not knowing the Imam, and it design for
them what to do in such circumstances. Kulayni reported that a man
once asked Abu Abdullah Saying: “ If it happens that I don’t find the
Imam to follow that should I do? “ He replied, Love whom you love and
hate whom you hate, till Allah cause him to appear.” (31)
Likewise Saduq has reported from Imam Sadiq that he
said “ What will you do when you remain for a long period of your
life, not knowing your Imam?” It was said: “ If that happens what
shall we do? “ He replied, “ Hold onto the first one till he appears.”
(32)
All of Kulayni, Saduq and Mufid have reported a
tradition from Isa bin Abdullah Al- Alawi from Abu Abdullah Ja’far bin
Muhammad (peace be upon him) he said: “ I said to him “ May I be your
ransom If you pass away, may Allah not show me that day—Whom should I
follow (as Imam)? He pointed to Musa. I then said “If Musa passes away
whom should I follow? He said, His son. “I said, “If his son passes
away and left a big brother and a small son, whom should I follow
(emulate)”? He replied “Follow his son, and in this manner, forever.”
I said to him “If I do not know him nor his place what should I do?
“He said: “You should say: O Allah I follow whoever remain of your
evidences (Imams) from the children of the gone Imam, that will
suffice you.” (33)
There is one other narration from Zurrarah bin
A’yun, Ya’qub bin Shu'aib and Abd al-A’la, that once they asked Imam
Sadiq. “ If something happens to the Imam, what should the people do?”
He replied “They should be as Allah has said: “ Of every troop (group)
of them, a party only should go forth that they (who are left behind)
may get instructions in religion, and that they may warn their people,
when they return to them, so that they may be aware (of evil).” I
said, “What will be their condition.” He replied, “They are excused.”
I then said, “May I be your ransom, what will be the condition of
those waiting till the return of the learned? He said, “May Allah have
mercy on you, were you not aware that there were 250 years between
Muhammad and Isa (peace be upon him), some people died while
confessing the religion of ‘ Isa (peace be upon him) and waiting for
the religion of Muhammad, and so Allah gave them double reward.” I
said, “We have set forth and some of our people die on the way.” He
replied, “ And whosever leaves his home as an emigrant unto Allah and
His Messenger and death overtakes him, his reward is then surely
incumbent upon Allah….” I then said, “We then reached the city and we
found the owner of the affairs (Imam) has closed his doors upon
himself and has lowered his curtains…” He then said: “This affair is
only through a clear evidence, i.e. when you enter the city, you shall
say: “To whom did so and so pass his will (on Imamate)? They will
reply: “To so-and -so.”
SECRECY IN THE THEORY OF
IMAMATE
We have
seen in the previous chapter that the theory of Divine Imamate based
on infallibility and text, was not widespread and was unknown in the
midst of the Shiites and the members of the Prophets household
themselves, in the first century of Hijrah. There was no sign of it in
Madinah. It, in fact started underground from Kufah in the beginning
of the second century. The theologians who started it were concealing
it on the Prophet of the doctrine of ‘insinuation’ Taqiyyah and
non-disclosure (Kitman)… Abu Jafar al-Ahwal nick named Mumin al-Taq, a
well-known theologian, and considered as a pioneer pillar of the
theory, did admit that it was kept secret, and that even Zayd bin Ali
was not aware of it. It surprised and also shocked him that Imam
Sajjad did inform ‘Mumin al-Taq’ of it, but did not inform of (that
theory). (35)
Despite
the claim of Mumin al-Taq, of the theory being attributed and linked
to the members of the Prophet’s family, his statements do reveal the
complete secrecy that surrounds the theory at the time of its
inception in Kufah, to the extent that Zayd bin Ali bin Hussain was
unaware of it, while he was in Madinah and in the laps of his father,
and despite what he enjoyed of piety, knowledge, asceticism and the
spirit of Jihad, even to the extent of his amazement when he heard the
statement of Mumin al-Taq.
We have
seen in the previous chapter, the clear denial of Imam Sadiq of the
statement that the Imamate is imposed by Allah, which was reported by
Kulayni in ‘Al- Kafi. Hence, the Imamate Shiites used to conceal and
cover their statements, which they attribute to the Imams in layers of
secrecy, Taqiyyah and concealment. They claim that the Imams were not
disclosing these opinions to the general masses. They only mentioned
them in private, and they advised that it should be maintained in that
form of concealment. They considered these traditions difficult, and
cannot be borne except by true and reliable believers. And that the
punishment of anyone spreading it among the people is death by sword.”
(36) 150
Muhammad
bin Hassan Saffar has reported in his book, ‘Basa’ir al-Darajat’ a
number of narrations being spread between the Imamate and extremist
Shiites, in the necessity of secrecy and concealment, and the dangers
of revealing and declaring (Secrets).
He wrote
many chapters on that affair, and he narrated from Imam Baqir a
statement to his companions: “If your tongues have ribbons (tied to
them), I would have told each person what he has (of good or evil).”
(37)
He
(Saffar) also reported from Jabir bin Yazid Al- Ja’fari from Abu
Abdullah who said: “ Our affair is secret in secret, and a concealed
secret in a concealed secret, a secret that must remain a secret, a
secret upon a secret, and a secret covered by a secret.” (38)
It has
also been reported from Imam Sadiq his saying. “My father was a father
far excellence. He used to say: “If I can get three people, to whom I
will bestow knowledge as a trust, and they are qualified for that and
deserve it. I would have mention what need not to be researched in
the legal and non-illegal matters, and what will become of it till the
day of Resurrection…. Our traditions are very difficult, no one
believe in them, save those whose heart have been tested in faith
(Iman).” (39)
He also
said: “ If not because of the fear that it will reach some people
other than you, as part of it has already reached them, I would have
given you a book, so that you will not need anyone till the custodian
(qaim) appears.” And he also said: “I do not find the one to talk to….
If not because of that I would discuss something with a man among you,
who would not leave. Madinah, except that his two eyes will be brought
(he would be killed), for that I will say: “I will not say it.”(40)
Saffar
also reported a narration from Abu Basir, who says in it, that he went
to Imam Abu Abdullah to ask him on knowledge. He said I started by
saying. “May I be your ransom I am asking about an issue, there is no
one here who hears my statement.”? He said that Abu Abdullah raised
the curtain between himself and another house; he looked inside it and
then said, “ Ask what you wish.” This shows the seriousness of the
secrecy of the tradition. (41)
The theory
of Imamate initially was based on the knowledge of the Imams regarding
the unseen (Al-Ghayb), as a way of establishing the relationship
between the Imam and Allah. We have seen that in the debate between
Hisham bin Hakam and the Syrian that Hisham claimed that Imam Sadiq
told him of all that happened on his way from Syria to Muna. But Imam
Sadiq has always denied having the knowledge of the Unseen. He said in
very clear terms “ What a surprise for some people who claim that we
know the Unseen. No one knows ‘al-Ghayb’ except Allah. I had intended
to beat my housemaid so and so, but she left me, I do not know now in
which house she is. This narration was transmitted by Sadir, Abu Basir
Maisir, Yahya al-Bazzaz and Dawud al-Ruqiy, who say that Imam Sadiq
came to them angrily, and then he denied the knowledge of the Unseen.
Sadir has added to this narration that, he went to the Imam in the
company of Abu Basir and Maisir after he has left his seat and has
gone inside his house. They said to him secretly, “May we be your
ransom, we heard you saying so and so on your housemaid, and we know
that you have vast knowledge.” He said to them that, he has the
knowledge of the Book. That the knowledge of this person in relation
to the knowledge of the Imam is like a drop of rain water as compared
to the great ocean.”(42)
We can
also discern secrecy or insinuation (Taqiyyah) in another narration
transmitted by Saif al-Tammar, where he says: “We were one day with
Abu Abdullah as a group of Shiites from 'al- Hijr’ and he said: “ Is
there any spy with us?” We then turned right and left but did no see
anyone. We then said to him. “ There is no spy with us.” Then he
continued: “ By the Lord of the Ka’bah and the Lord of the House
(three times), if I were among Musa and Khidr, I would have told them
I am more knowledgeable than them, and would have told them what would
not be in their possession. This is because Musa and Khidr were given
the knowledge of what had happened, but were not given the knowledge
of what is going to happen to the day of Judgments. While the
Messenger of Allah was given the knowledge of what happened and what
is going to happen to the day of Resurrection, and we inherited it
from the Messenger of Allah as inheritance. (43)
Despite
the clear inconsistency in this tradition, which attributes the
knowledge of the Unseen to Imam Sadiq, and which says at the same time
that he initially asked of the presence of any spy around them,
despite all this, it carries in it the meaning of secrecy contrary to
what the Imam used to declare.
The
Imamate Shiites termed this kind of act as ‘Taqiyyah' so as to
interpret the phenomenon of contradiction and inconsistency between
the statements of the Imams from the Prophet’s family (Ahl al- Bayt)
and their open day-to-day behavior, which was based on Shura and
natural knowledge, and between the claim of divine Imamate, based on a
text, appointment and divine knowledge of the unseen, which the
Imamate Shiites were secretly attributing to the members of the
Prophet’s family. As the members of the Prophet’s family vehemently
denied such statements attributed to them, the Imamate Shiites and the
esoteric (Batini) sects generally interpret their statements, and hold
onto their claims contrary to these denials under the pretext of
strong Taqiyyah.’
It is well
known that Imam Sadiq did curse one of the extremists, who claimed
divine nature for him. He dissociated himself from him. The name of
that person was, Abu al-Khattab, the leader of Khattabiyyah set. When
the Shiites told him of the position of the Imam regarding his belief,
he interpreted the statement, saying that he was only referring to
another man in Basrah called Qatadah al-Basri nicknamed Abu
al-Khattab. When the Imam expressed whom he meant saying: “By Allah I
meant none other than Muhammad bin Miqlas bin Abi Zaynab, the leper
the servant of Banu Asad”, Abu al- Khattab said: “Surely Abu Abdullah
intended by cursing us openly, cursing our opponents, in secret.” He
interpreted Allah’s statement: “ As for the ship, it belonged to poor
people working in the sea. So I wished to make a defective damage in
it, as there was a king behind them who seized every ship by force.”
Kahf, as meaning that the ship stands for Abu al- Khattab and the poor
people being his companions, and the king behind them connotes Isa bin
Musa the Abbasid.” (44)
Due to the
above it became obligatory to maintain ‘Taqiyyah’ as a condation for
the continuation of the Imamate theory and for linking it to the
members of the Prophet’s family
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ibid. P.6
5.
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Vol.2 P, .72
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29.
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Saffar,
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31.
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32. Saduq:
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34.
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Al- Tafsir, vol. 2, PP117-118 and Ali bin Babawih: Al- Imamah wa al-
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35.
Kulayni,
op. cit, vol.1, p. 174 Al-Tibrisi: Al- Ihtijaj, Vol. 2, p 141
36. Kulayni:
Raudah al-Kafi, P. 10
37.
Saffar: Basair al Darajat, P. 422
38.
ibid.
, P 28
39.
ibid,
p. 478
40.
ibid.,
p, 479
41.
ibid, p. 152
42.
ibid., p 213
43.
ibid,. P.129
44.
Ash’ari: Al- Maqalat wa al-Firaq P.55
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