The Protectors of WilayatRef:AlMuntazar.com
Criticizing
the scholars has always been a pastime among the masses. Whenever there
is a discussion related to them, everybody has something to say against
them. Each one has a few ‘interesting’ anecdotes to narrate. In fact,
some people are of the opinion that it is their inherent right to
criticize them and consider this as a scholarly act. Perhaps they
ignore the fact that in this world (with the exception of the
infallible Prophets (a..s.) and the Imams (a.s.)) there are several
groups of people – good as well as bad. There are traders, workers,
laborers, doctors, lawyers, teachers, students, etc, and each of these
has categories of good and bad individuals. In a market we find the
original as well as the imitation. The solution to this problem is not
criticism but to define a yardstick so as to differentiate the original
from the imposter. At this point in time, we may not be able to purge
all the evils from society. Therefore, in order to safeguard ourselves
from deception, it is necessary that we act with foresight and devise a
benchmark to distinguish good from evil. With a reliable yardstick, we
can easily sidestep the perils.
When we glance at Islamic history, we
find scholars emanating radiance, who held nothing back in their
endeavors to serve the infallible Imams (a.s.). If it weren’t for the
illustrious defenders of the mastership, most people would have
deviated from the true religion.
Imam Ali Naqi (a.s.) says regarding such scholars:
‘If in the occultation of our Qaim
(a.t.f.s.), such scholars would not have been there who would invite
the people towards their Imam and guided them towards him; if they
would have not protected Allah’s Religion with the help of irrefutable
divine proofs and rescued the weak followers of Allah’s religion from
Satanic plots, released them from the traps of the mischief mongers and
those antagonistic to the Ahle Bait (a.s.), then surely all the people
would have become apostates i.e. they would have deviated from the
religion. But these are the people who protect the weak Shias just as a
captain protects his ship. These people enjoy the greatest position in
front of Allah.
(Beharul Anwaar, vol. 2, p. 6, tradition 12)
After the martyrdom of the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.), nay, right from the time when the people were sure that
Allah had chosen the Ahle Bait (a.s.) to succeed the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.) for guidance and that there is no say for anyone else in it,
people started devising different ways to deviate the Muslims from the
right path. During the lifetime of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), their
clandestine plans remained restricted to their hearts and were not
reflected in their tongues and actions. But immediately after his
(s.a..w.a.) martyrdom, their schemes unfolded and were manifested. This
fact is evident if we ponder over the incident of Saqifah. The entire
episode was not a twist of fate but was staged to hide the plots behind
them.
During the life of the Infallibles
(a.s.), doubts were raised and in every era scholars were present who
countered such doubts and guided the seekers of truth to the right
path. Among the notable defenders of the Mastership of Ahle Bait (a.s.)
were Salman (r.a.), Abu Zar (r.a.), Ammar-e-Yaasir (r.a.),
Meesam-e-Tammar (r.a.), Rushaid-e-Hujri (r.a.), Hujr b. Adi (r.a..),
Zuraarah (r.a.), Momin-e-Taaq (r.a.), Hisham b. Hakam (r.a.), Fazl b.
Shaazan (r.a.), to name a few.
In the year 260 AH., Imam Hasan Askari
(a.s.) was martyred and the minor occultation of Imam-e-Asr (a.s.)
commenced. Due to the conduct of the people towards Imams (a.s.), the
sun of Imamat disappeared behind the clouds of occultation. At that
time, different types of people grabbed the opportunity and reared
their ugly heads to fill the void left by Imam’s (a.t.f.s.)
concealment. They thought that as Imam (a.t.f.s.) was in occultation,
their paths were clear and the Shias were defenseless, as the source of
divine knowledge had been severed.
However, they erred in their contention
that the occultation of Imam (a.t.f.s.) marked the end of Imam’s
(a.t.f.s.) contact with the Shias. Rather the relation continued, only
the mode of leadership and guidance changed. The difference in
leadership and guidance is for those who believe in limits and
restrictions. However, there is no difference for the one who has
control over the era and for whom the whole universe is like a coin on
the palm. In reality, the source of divine knowledge and recognition is
continuing, it depends on the acquirer and how he benefits from it.
In the epoch of occultation, the world
was never bereft of pure, ethical, and sincere scholars, nor will it be
deprived of such personalities in the future. Ameerul Momeneen – Ali b.
Abi Talib (a..s.) in one of his sermons said:
‘Lord, I know that knowledge will
not be erased, its sources will not discontinue altogether and You will
not leave Your earth without Your Proof. The Proof who lives among the
people being well known, but disobeyed or he is afraid and hidden. You
will never keep the earth void of Your Proof otherwise Your Signs will
be invalidated and Your Friends would be mislead after You have granted
them guidance.’
(from here the discussion of scholars commences)
‘Where are they and how many are they?
They are very few in number but are of great position before Allah, the
Majestic. They follow the Holy Imams (a.s.). (They follow) the guiding
leaders (Imams (a.s.)), establish in their selves the discipline of the
Imams (a.s.) and practice their way of life. In such conditions,
knowledge will lead them to the true faith and their souls then accept
the call of the leaders of knowledge. The traditions of the Imams
(a.s.) that are difficult for others, are easy for them to understand.
(Traditions concerning the virtues,
mastership and obedience of Ahel Bait (a.s.) and especially the
traditions about Wilayat-e-Takveeni as well as Tashreei of Ahlul Bait
(a.s.), which their opponents deny, are easily accepted by the
scholars.)
These scholars acknowledge that
following and obeying the Holy Imams (a.s.) is obligatory like
following and obeying Allah. They are friends of Allah. They are in
dissimulation because of the fear of enemies. Their pure souls have
reached a lofty position i.e. physically they are among the people but
spiritually they are away from them. The scholars are hidden and silent
in the oppressive government and are awaiting the divine kingdom. Allah
will soon establish truth with His Words and banish falsehood.
Glad tidings to them for their patience
and forbearance in the period of occultation. I desire to see them in
the era of reappearance. May Allah soon bring us together with them in
Paradise along with their pious parents, spouses and children.
(Al-Kaafi, Kitabul Hujjah)
Please do not see the above tradition
in the background of the ease and comforts of this time, but consider
the era when there was attack on religious beliefs from all sides,
restrictions were imposed on revealing one’s creed. Government
restrictions were the order of the day. Facilities were few. To search
just one tradition, enormous traveling had to be undertaken.
Electricity was an unthinkable concept then. To hunt books and
manuscripts entailed immense struggle and perseverance. Also, the books
of the bygone era were unlike the present books, which are far neater,
more comprehensive and in very good print condition. The layout of old
books was such that it was difficult to distinguish between paragraphs.
Moreover, the pages of the books were also not numbered so searching
for references and studying them was a frightful task. Keeping in mind
the difficulties of the past, we are spellbound when we see the
researches of the scholars, their replies to opponents and the
references collected. When we see the number of books written, our
intellects fail to comprehend as to when these scholars were studying,
when they found the time to rest and when they got down to writing.
Also, these scholars were not confined to simply studying and writing
in one isolated corner of the house. Rather, they were socially active
and were in the forefront in solving the difficulties of the people.
The only conclusion that comes to our
mind is that all success (taufiqaat) is from Allah and the special
attention of the Imams (a.s.). Due to this even Ameerul Momeneen (a.s.)
desired to see these scholars. It is narrated about Shaikh Mufeed (r.a.)
‘He slept in the night for a short period. Then he got up and prayed or he
studied or took his class or taught the Quran.’
(Tahzeebul Ahkaam, Preface, pp. 32 & 33)
Imam Jafar Sadiq (a.s.) said:
‘Our Shia scholars are facing the
attacks of Satan. They are replying to objections of Satan and his
followers. They are protecting the weak Shias from the attacks of
Satan. They have immobilized the enemies from overpowering the Shias.’
‘Indeed, whosoever from our Shias
reaches this position; he is superior to the soldiers who are fighting
the Romans and Turks by a million grades. This is because the scholars
are protecting the religion of our friends whereas the soldiers are
protecting the physical boundaries.’
(Al-Ehtejaaj of Shaikh Tabarsi (r.a.), pg. 8 )
The above tradition illustrates the
position and worth of the scholars who are protecting the religion of
the Shias and imparting religious teachings. They are protecting the
weak friends of Ahle Bait (a.s.) from the objections and doubts of
enemies.
The appearance of the Satan’s attacks
and his followers has changed over a period of time, but their aim is
same i.e. to keep Shias away from religion. Keeping away from religion
not only implies that a person becomes irreligious but it also means
that even after possessing a religious background, he does not fulfill
his religious duties and responsibilities nor does he have a sense of
accountability towards it. The aim is to make the Shias soulless
whereby even after watching the degradation and destruction in the
society, he does not feel his religious responsibility to take up the
cause.
Whatever religious fervor that we
observe in the society is the result of the endeavors of the scholars.
A lot more still needs to be done. We have to still traverse a long
distance.
The Imam of the time is the medium and
mercy between Allah and His creation. The bounties that we are
receiving from Allah are through the medium of Imam. This reality is
well-highlighted in Ziaarat-e-Jaameah in the following verses:
“Allah has initiated creation
through you and through you, He will end it. Through you, He sends down
rain and because of you, the sky does not fall on the earth. And
because of you sorrow is relieved.”
Besides this Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s) has
pointed towards his special attention in his Tauqee (a signed letter)
to Shaikh-e-Mufeed (r.a.):
“Surely we are not negligent of
your protection nor are we forgetful of your remembrance. If it was so,
calamities would have surrounded you and enemies would have crushed
you.”
(Al-Ehtejaaj, vol. 2, pg. 323 )
It is due to the grace of Imam-e-Zamana
(a.t.f.s.) that today Shias are protected from most of the calamities.
However, whatever little calamities and difficulties we encounter have
some divine wisdom behind it. One of the main reasons for these
calamities is that due to them we are awake, alert and active. But for
the calamities, we would have become negligent.
The scholars have been blessed with the
special attention of Imam-e-Zamana (a.t.f.s.). On some occasions these
blessings are apparent. Such apparent blessings have been recorded in
books. However, many of these bounties are ignored and neglected. This
is because Imam (a.t.f.s.) is not a worldly leader who chases publicity
and wants to be in the limelight.
In this regard, numerous books have
been written wherein the meetings of Imam (a.t.f.s.) with the scholars
have been recorded. It is very clear that propagation of Shiaism,
protection and safeguarding of mastership of Imam-e-Asr (a.t.f.s.) is
only possible because of his special attention.
However, a complete book has not yet
been written on this topic.. If someone takes up this topic and compiles
the authentic incidents of Imam’s (a.t.f.s.) favors, it will be a great
effort in the way of Islam. Its reward will be manifold. It will become
a path through which the attention of people will be drawn towards Imam
(a.t.f.s.) and pave the way for them to take Imam (a.t.f.s.) as a
medium.
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We complete this article with an
incident, which exemplifies the blessings of Imam (a.t.f.s.) on the
Shias. When the son of Ayatullah Sayyed Abul Hasan Isfahaani (r.a.) was
martyred, he decided to stay away from the leadership of the society.
At that time Imam (a.t.f..s.) sent a message to him through Hujjatul
Islam wal Muslimeen al Haaj Shaikh Muhammad Kufi Shustari (who had
performed 40 Hajj):
“Say to him, ‘Make yourself
available (to the common people). And conduct your gatherings in the
drawing room (of your house). And fulfill the needs of the people. We
will help you.”
(Inaayat-e-Hazrat Mahdi be Ulama wa Maraaje’ Taqleed, p. 110)
The last sentence of this Tauqee ‘We will help you’ needs to be highlighted. If
some one fulfills or takes one step in
fulfilling the needs of the Shias – either material or spiritual, Imam
(a.t.f.s.) will definitely help him.
May Allah give us Taufeeq to do such work which becomes the cause of
Imam-e-Asr’s (a.t.f.s.) help and support for us!
Ref:AlMuntazar..com
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