THE PRESENT PAPER

THE PRESENT PAPER
The basic assumption of this paper is that there is a crisis in the spiritual-religious lives of the contemporary society in which religion does not play a decisive role. Modern individual is searching for a way to maintain a hope in the better future without abandoning his faith. Although I have spent my early academic years in researching about human belief in the Day of Deliverance (yawm al-khala>s}), and concentrated on Muslim belief in political and religious messianism (mahdawi>ya), I quickly realized that the only school of thought among Muslims that maintained a strong spiritual link to the future hope and constantly prayed for the deliverance (faraj) were the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt. While all Muslims believe that one day the divinely guided (al-mahdi>) leader will come to deliver humanity from corruption and tyranny to establish justice and equity, it was the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt who made it part of their active faith response to prepare themselves for that Day of Deliverance. But how exactly should that preparation take place and with what result has been a matter of religious speculation since the last Imam, al-Mahdi>, went into invisible existence in 942 CE.
Two objectives have directed this religious speculation about the future coming of the Imam from his invisible existence. The reason I consider this reflection speculative is that knowledge is limited only to God. Human beings are not privy to this knowledge about the future except what has been reported in the sayings of the Prophet. There are numerous traditions that speak about the Signs of the Hour (‘ala>’im al-sa>’a) and the calamity that awaits humanity before the final revolution is launched by the descendant of Imam ‘Ali and Fa>t}ima, the daughter of the Prophet, to purify the religion of God and to establish justice on earth. While there are a number of traditions that speak about the catastrophe that awaits humanity towards the End of Time, there are indeed few traditions that provide instruction about how to conduct life while awaiting the appearance of God’s Proof (h}ujjat alla>h) so that the Day of Deliverance can become a reality.
However, there is one tradition that deserves special attention in the context of this paper. It provides with an important observation about those who believe in the invisible presence of the divinely guided leader and who wish to attain certainty in the matter of the future of humanity. This paper seeks to show that Imam ‘Ali b. al-Husayn in his description of the future generation of Muslims awaiting the divinely promised Imam’s appearance underscores the importance of intellectual engagement with one’s age as God’s special favor. The tradition’s optimistic tone and encouragement to those who believe in the certainty of God’s promise to the downtrodden on earth raise the prospect of hope for the future generations in such a way that as long as their progression toward perfection is directed by their hope in the future coming of the ideal leader, they are already witnesses to the presence of the Imam of the Age in their own struggle. The life on earth, as the tradition points out, cannot be lived in isolation and separation from everyday engagement with other human beings and realities that human beings encounter. It must be lived, in accord with intellectual integrity and moral and spiritual awareness so that it can serve as the preparation ground for the ultimate victory of truth over falsehood, and justice over injustice.

THE TRADITION OF IMAM ‘ALI< B. AL-H{USAYN ABOUT THE PERIOD OF INVISIBLE EIXSTENCE
The history of the twelfth Imam al-Mahdi> shows that the period of his prolonged disappearance had caused many of the followers of this school of Ahl al-Bayt to seek an explanation about the phenomenon of invisible existence (ghayba) of the last Imam. What does it mean to have an Imam in the state of invisible existence, meaning, he can see us while we cannot? How does one ascertain one’s faith in the invisible existence of the future leader of humanity? Is it possible to conceive the presence of this leader in the state of invisibility while one maintains and awaits his future imminent return?
The sources that have preserved the traditions about the state of invisibility of the future messianic leader have discussed these questions time and again and have offered various responses both to justify the invisible state and to defend its prolongation until God decides in the matter of his reappearance. However, the following tradition stands out as one of the most significant traditions that offers both the philosophy of the invisible existence of the messianic Imam and the manner in which each generation of his followers should prepare themselves to participate in the revolution that would be launched by this divinely guided leader.
In a lengthy conversation with his close associate by the name of Abu> Kha>lid al-Ka>buli>, Imam ‘Ali> b. al-H>{usayn, is engaged in describing the disappearance of the last Imam and the circumstances that would lead to such an event. At one point during the conversation the Imam also informs al-Ka>buli> of the impending prolongation of the state of invisible existence for the twelfth successor of the Prophet, and then he goes on to describes the people who will be living the experience of having the Imam in the invisible state while still believing in his leadership:
Abu> Kha>lid said, ‘I asked him (the Imam): “O son of the Prophet, what will happen then? “ He replied: “The invisible existence (ghayba) will prolong for the friend of God, the twelfth among the legatees of the Messenger of God and the Imams (peace be upon them). O Abu> Kha>lid, during this period of invisible existence the people who believe in his leadership and await his appearance will constitute the best of all the people in all epochs. The reason is that God (Exalted be His remembrance) has conferred on them intellects (al-‘uqu>l), insights (al-afha>m), and deep knowledge (al-ma’rifa) [in such a way that] the invisible state [of the Imam] has become similar to actual witness (al-musha>hada). During this period of invisibility, God has made these people comparable to those who fought with the sword in front lines with the Prophet. These are rightfully the sincere ones, truthfully our followers (shi>’atuna>), and those who call people to the Path of God openly and in secret.”
There are several points in the above citation that must become the focus of this paper. First and the most important point that draws our attention about the tradition is the emphasis it lays in the quality of maintaining faith in God’s promise about the total transformation of the world under the Mahdi>. It renders the period of the invisible existence as one of the most trying periods in the life of the community of believers who anxiously await the appearance of the messianic Imam to deliver them. It is this period of severe trial that also affords the believers an exalted status of being the best among peoples of all ages. These believers, despite the physical inaccessibility of the Imam of Age, continue to believe in the divinely ordained ultimate mission of establishing the just public order on earth. The tradition also implicitly acknowledges God’s justice in the matter of compensating for this inaccessibility to the authoritative source of guidance by conferring on these believers enormous intellectual capacities and deep insights into the divine purposes by actually approximating the invisible state of the Imam to the visible one. These believers are not passive observers of the situation in which they find themselves. Quite to the contrary, they are utilizing God’s endowments to their best ability to enable them to attain a kind of perfection through which they can witness the presence of the last Imam in all their good undertakings in the world.
The second part of the tradition begins the comparison of these believers during the state of invisible existence to those devoted soldiers of Islam who fought in the front lines during the Prophet’s mission. It confirms the honorable position of these believers during this period of uncertainty because of the delay in the appearance of the Imam. These dedicated believers are constantly striving (the true meaning of jiha>d) in the path of God to prepare for the ultimate return of the messianic Imam by calling upon people to support the mission of justice openly and in secret.