Hadith No. 28
The need for an Imam, even if he is not visibly present.
رَوَى عَلِيُّ بْنُ بَابَوَيْهِ [ت329ه] فِي «الْإِمَامَةِ وَالتَّبْصِرَةِ»[1]، عَنِ الْحِمْيَرِيِّ، عَنِ السِّنْدِيِّ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنِ الْعَلَاءِ بْنِ رَزِينٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ، عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ -يَعْنِي مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ عَلِيٍّ الْبَاقِرَ- عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، قَالَ:
لَا تَبْقَى الْأَرْضُ بِغَيْرِ إِمَامٍ ظَاهِرٍ أَوْ بَاطِنٍ.
Translation:
Ali ibn Babawayh [d. 329 AH] has narrated in the book al-Imamah Wa al-Tabsirah, from al-Himyari, from Sindi ibn Muhammad, from Ala’ ibn Razin, from Muhammad ibn Muslim, from Abu Ja‘far—meaning Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir—
, who said:
The Earth does not remain without a visibly present or hidden Imam.
Consideration
قَالَ الْمَنْصُورُ حَفِظَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُعْبَدُ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا بِإِمَامٍ حَيٍّ ظَاهِرٍ؛ لِأَنَّ عِبَادَتَهُ فِيهَا إِقَامَةُ حُدُودِهِ وَتَنْفِيذُ أَحْكَامِهِ وَإِدَارَةُ أَمْوَالِهِ وَجِهَادُ أَعْدَائِهِ وَهِيَ مُحْتَاجَةٌ إِلَى إِمَامٍ حَيٍّ ظَاهِرٍ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَجْعَلْ إِمَامًا حَيًّا ظَاهِرًا فَمَا أَتَمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَى عِبَادِهِ وَمَا جَعَلَ لَهُمْ طَرِيقًا إِلَى عِبَادَتِهِ. فَإِنْ تَرَكُوا عِبَادَتَهُ فَلَيْسَ لِلَّهِ عَلَيْهِمْ حُجَّةٌ، إِلَّا أَنْ يَجْعَلَ لَهُمْ إِمَامًا حَيًّا ظَاهِرًا، فَحَمَلُوهُ عَلَى الْإِخْتِفَاءِ بِظُلْمِهِمْ؛ لِأَنَّهُمْ إِذَا فَعَلُوا ذَلِكَ ثُمَّ تَرَكُوا عِبَادَةَ اللَّهِ فَقَدْ جَعَلُوا لِلَّهِ عَلَيْهِمْ حُجَّةً؛ كَمَا قَالَ: ﴿ذَلِكَ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَيْسَ بِظَلَّامٍ لِلْعَبِيدِ﴾[2] وَقَالَ: ﴿وَمَا ظَلَمَهُمُ اللَّهُ وَلَكِنْ كَانُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ﴾[3] وَلَيْسَ كَذَلِكَ إِنْ جَعَلَ لَهُمْ إِمَامًا حَيًّا ظَاهِرًا فَقَتَلُوهُ بِظُلْمِهِمْ؛ لِأَنَّهُمْ إِذَا حَمَلُوهُ عَلَى الْإِخْتِفَاءِ يَسْتَطِيعُونَ أَنْ يُظْهِرُوهُ إِذَا تَابُوا وَأَصْلَحُوا وَلَكِنَّهُمْ إِنْ قَتَلُوهُ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ أَنْ يُحْيُوهُ وَالْإِمَامُ إِذَا كَانَ مُخْتَفِيًا يَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ يُعِينَهُمْ عَلَى التَّوْبَةِ وَالْإِصْلَاحِ بِدُعَائِهِ وَبَرَكَاتِهِ وَاتِّصَالِهِ بِبَعْضِ الصَّالِحِينَ وَرُبَمَا يَأْمُرُهُمْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَاهُمْ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ مِنْ دُونِ أَنْ يَعْرِفُوهُ وَلَكِنَّهُ إِنْ مَاتَ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُ شَيْئًا وَلِذَلِكَ يَجُوزُ فِي عَدْلِ اللَّهِ وَلُطْفِهِ أَنْ يُخْفِيَ الْإِمَامَ إِذَا عَلِمَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الشَّرَّ وَلَا يَجُوزُ أَنْ يُمِيتَهُ مِنْ دُونِ أَنْ يَجْعَلَ لَهُ بَدِيلًا.
Translation:
Mansoor 
said: Indeed, Allah is not worshipped on the Earth except through a living and visibly present Imam; because His worship on it is the establishment of His limits, the enforcement of His rulings, the administration of His property, and jihad against His enemies. And these tasks require a living and visibly present Imam. So if He does not appoint a living and visibly present Imam, He has not completed His blessing upon His servants and has not set a path for them to worship Him. Therefore, if they abandon His worship, there is no proof for Allah against them—unless He appoints for them a living and visibly present Imam, but they unjustly force him into hiding; because whenever they do that and then abandon the worship of Allah, they have established proof for Allah against themselves; as He has said: “That is for what your hands have sent forth, and Allah is not unjust to servants,” and He has said: “And Allah has not wronged them, but it is they who wronged themselves.” And this is not the case if He appoints a living and visibly present Imam for them, but they kill him unjustly; because whenever they force him into hiding, they can bring him back into the open whenever they repent and reform—but if they kill him, they cannot bring him back to life. And the Imam—whenever he is hidden—can help them repent and reform with his du‘a, his blessings, and his connection with some of the righteous, and he may even enjoin them to do what is right and forbid them from doing what is wrong, without them knowing him. But if he dies, he cannot do anything. And therefore, it is permissible that Allah—in His justice and grace—hides the Imam whenever He sees evil in His servants, but it is not permissible that He takes him from the world without appointing a replacement for him.
