Verse No. 3

“Indeed, the Earth does not remain empty of an Imam of the truth as long as there is a group of believers on it.”

قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى:

﴿يَوْمَ نَدْعُو كُلَّ أُنَاسٍ بِإِمَامِهِمْ﴾[1]

Translation:

Allah Almighty has said:

“The Day when We call every people with their Imam.”

Considerations

1 . أَخْبَرَنَا جُبَيْرُ بْنُ عَطَاءٍ الْخُجَنْدِيُّ، قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿يَوْمَ نَدْعُو كُلَّ أُنَاسٍ بِإِمَامِهِمْ﴾، فَقَالَ: لِكُلِّ أُنَاسٍ إِمَامٌ يُدْعَوْنَ بِهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، فَيَدْخُلُونَ مَعَهُ الْجَنَّةَ أَوِ النَّارَ، فَانْظُرُوا مَنْ إِمَامُكُمْ.

Translation:

Jubair ibn Ata’ al-Khujandi informed us, he said: I asked Mansoor about the statement of Allah Almighty, where He has said: “The Day when We call every people with their Imam.” So, he said: “For every people, there is an Imam with whom they are called on the Day of Judgment. Then they enter Heaven or the fire with him. So, see who your Imam is.”

2 . أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْبَلْخِيُّ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ يَقُولُ: إِنَّ الْأَرْضَ لَا تَخْلُو مِنْ إِمَامِ حَقٍّ مَا دَامَ فِيهَا أُنَاسٌ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، فَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ: ﴿يَوْمَ نَدْعُو كُلَّ أُنَاسٍ بِإِمَامِهِمْ﴾، وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِمَامُ حَقٍّ، وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ مِنْهُمْ إِمَامًا يَهْدِي بِأَمْرِهِ، فَقَدْ قَالَ: ﴿وَجَعَلْنَا مِنْهُمْ أَئِمَّةً يَهْدُونَ بِأَمْرِنَا لَمَّا صَبَرُوا ۖ وَكَانُوا بِآيَاتِنَا يُوقِنُونَ﴾[2].

Translation:

Abdullah ibn Muhammad al-Balkhi informed us, he said: I heard Mansoor say: “Indeed, the Earth does not remain empty of an Imam of the truth as long as there is a group of believers on it; because Allah has said: ‘The Day when We call every people with their Imam.’ And there is an Imam of the truth for believers, and he is the one whom Allah has appointed from among them as an Imam to guide by His command; as He has said: ‘And We appointed from among them Imams who guide by Our command when they endured patiently and were certain of Our signs.’”

3 . أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الطَّالَقَانِيُّ، قَالَ: قُرِئَ عِنْدَ الْمَنْصُورِ قَوْلُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿يَوْمَ نَدْعُو كُلَّ أُنَاسٍ بِإِمَامِهِمْ﴾، فَقَالَ: إِنِّي أَتَعَجَّبُ مِنْ أُنَاسٍ يَسْمَعُونَ هَذَا وَلَيْسَ لَهُمْ إِمَامٌ، أَوِ اتَّخَذُوا إِمَامًا لَا يَهْدِي بِأَمْرِ اللَّهِ! أَلَا مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِمَامًا يَهْدِي بِأَمْرِ اللَّهِ فَهُوَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ، وَمَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِمَامًا مِنْ دُونِهِ فَهُوَ مِنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ، وَمَنْ مَاتَ وَلَيْسَ لَهُ إِمَامٌ تُرِكَ فِي الْمَحْشَرِ خَائِفًا مُتَرَقِّبًا حَتَّى يَفْرَغَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الْحِسَابِ، وَلَا يَفْرَغُ إِلَّا بَعْدَ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ، ثُمَّ نَظَرَ إِلَيْهِ كَمَا يَنْظُرُ أَحَدُكُمْ إِلَى حُثَالَةِ الْكَأْسِ، فَإِنْ وَجَدَهُ مُسْتَضْعَفًا قَدْ أَدَّى سَائِرَ مَا فَرَضَ عَلَيْهِ فَعَسَى أَنْ يَعْفُوَ عَنْهُ، وَإِنْ وَجَدَهُ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ أَمَرَ بِهِ إِلَى النَّارِ وَلَا يُبَالِي، قُلْتُ: أَرَأَيْتَ مَنْ يَقُولُ: إِنَّمَا إِمَامِيَ الْكِتَابُ وَالسُّنَّةُ؟ قَالَ: هُوَ مِمَّنْ لَيْسَ لَهُ إِمَامٌ، لِأَنَّ الْإِمَامَ مَنْ يُعَلِّمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالسُّنَّةَ وَيُقِيمُهُمَا.

Translation:

Ahmad ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Talaqani informed us, he said: In Mansoor’s presence, the statement of Allah Almighty was recited, where He has said: “The Day when We call every people with their Imam.” So, he said: “I am surprised by people who hear this while they have no Imam or have taken an Imam who does not guide by the command of Allah! Be aware that whoever takes an Imam who guides by the command of Allah, then he is one of the people of Heaven, and whoever takes an Imam other than him, then he is one of the people of the fire, and whoever dies without having an Imam is left fearful and anxious in the Gathering Place until Allah finishes the Reckoning (of the created beings), and He will not finish with the Reckoning (of created beings) except after fifty thousand years. Then He looks at him, just as one of you looks at the scraps left in a dish. So, if He finds him to be a powerless person who has fulfilled his other obligations, He may forgive him; and if He finds him otherwise, He commands him to be taken to the fire and does not care.” I said: “What if someone says: ‘My Imam is only the Book and the Sunnah’?” He said: “He is among those who have no Imam; because an Imam is one who teaches the Book and the Sunnah and establishes those two.”

4 . أَخْبَرَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ الْقَاسِمِ الطِّهْرَانِيُّ، قَالَ: جَزَى اللَّهُ الْمَنْصُورَ خَيْرًا! مَا تَكَلَّمَ بِشَيْءٍ إِلَّا وَفَتَحَ بَابًا مِنَ الْعِلْمِ أَوْ أَغْلَقَ بَابًا مِنَ الْجَهْلِ وَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ: لَيْسَ الْإِمَامُ مَنْ يُسَمَّى إِمَامًا وَلَكِنَّ الْإِمَامَ مَنْ يُقَلَّدُ وَهُوَ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ إِمَامَانِ: إِمَامٌ جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ إِمَامًا فَيَهْدِي بِأَمْرِ اللَّهِ وَهُوَ خَلِيفَةُ اللَّهِ الْمَهْدِيُّ وَإِمَامٌ مِنْ دُونِهِ وَهُوَ خَلِيفَةُ الشَّيْطَانِ الدَّجَّالُ! فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ يَا بَنِي آدَمَ وَلَا تَتَّخِذُوا الدَّجَّالَ إِمَامًا!

Translation:

Hasan ibn Qasim al-Tehrani informed us, he said: May Allah reward Mansoor well! Never did he speak about anything unless he opened a door of knowledge or closed a door of ignorance. Indeed, I heard him say: “An Imam is not one who is called an Imam; rather, an Imam is one who is imitated, and he is two Imams in the Book of Allah: the Imam whom Allah has appointed as an Imam for people, so he guides by the command of Allah, and he is the caliph of Allah, the Mahdi; and an Imam other than him, and he is the caliph of Satan, dajjal! So, fear Allah, O children of Adam, and do not take dajjal as an Imam!”