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.”[1]
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.
THE PERIOD OF AWAITING: ACTIVE OR PASSIVE RESISTANCE?
Religious leaders in the Muslim community are divided on the appropriate response to the period of moral depravity and decadence that has accompanied the modern period of human advancements in various fields. There are some in the community who have accepted God’s decree in the meaning of abandonment of any endeavor on the part of humanity to interfere with God’s overall preordained plan for the End of Time. “Engagement” with time and intellect is, then, out of place. People should simply submit to the catastrophic future in the hope that God will deliver them at the right time before the final judgment takes place at the End of Time. This is the belief in historical determinism – a view that history has been foreordained and nothing that humans will do can change the situation. In other words, when human beings find a situation unbearable, instead of actively responding to change it they should simply ascribe it to the will of God and bear the unpleasant conditions patiently. In fact, the passivity advocated by this kind of thinking is not very different from the prescription of “separatism” and “isolationism” in the context of open society discussed above.
The second group’s active response to the future of humanity is captured by the above-cited tradition reported on the authority of the Imam ‘Ali> b. al-H{usayn. This tradition rules out such a passive response to the situation in which we all find ourselves. The most important message conveyed by the Imam is that human intellectual development and human capacity to embark upon progression until it reaches the highest level of comprehension and insight is through God’s own endowment. Why would God confer a thing on humanity if it were to remain in abeyance until the appearance of the deliverer? The divine mystery that explains the probable reason for even choosing the state of invisible existence for the future deliverer of humanity is that during the period of severe trial of one’s faith in the realm of the unseen (al-ghayb) all followers of the Imam should remain alert to their responsibility to do all that is within their power to usher the bright future. To put it differently, Muslim community cannot afford to remain indifferent to the challenging world in which they live – the world in which materialism is in severe competition with spirituality and moral awareness. The forces of materialism are not to be defeated; they are simply to be tamed and brought under the supervision of moral and spiritual values taught by the revelation of God through His emissaries.
In this sense, the period of invisible existence of the messianic Imam is the period of political messianism in the sense of preparation for justice to prevail over the forces of injustices; for truth to defeat the forces of falsehood so that the earth can be filled with justice and equity as it is filled with injustice and tyranny. Political messianism should precede the religious messianism when Islam will return to its pristine purity the way it was when the Prophet taught it. This is the active response to which Imam ‘Ali> b. al-H{usayn is calling his own followers and the followers of the school of Ahl al-Bayt until the End of Time.
[1] I have quoted the tradition from T{abarsi>, I’la>m al-wara>’. Other compilations also record this conversation between the fourth Imam and Abu> Kha>lid al-Ka>buli>.
