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 Bābawayh [Died in 329 AH] has narrated in the book of “al-Imāmah wa al-Tabsirah”, from al-Himyari, from Sindi ibn Muhammad, from ‘Alā ibn Razin, from Muhammad ibn Muslim, from Abu Ja’far (al-Bāqir) peace be upon him that said:
The earth would not be without a hidden or visible 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 may God protect him, said: Indeed, God would not be worshiped on earth except through a visible and living Imam; because His worship on it is establishment of the limits and enforcement of the laws and management of the properties and performing Jihad against His enemies, and these works need a visible and living Imam. So if He does not appoint a visible and living Imam, He has not perfected His Favor for His servants and has not set a way for them to worship Him. Therefore, if they abandon worshiping Him, there is no proof for God against them, unless He appoint a visible and living Imam, but they make him hide; because whenever they do so and then abandon worshiping God, they have set a proof for God against themselves; as God has said: “It is because of that which your hands have sent forth, and God is not oppressive toward servants” and has said: “And God has not oppressed them, but they have oppressed themselves” and it is not that if He appoints a visible and living Imam for them, but they kill him out of oppression; because whenever they make him hide, they can make him appear whenever they repent and reform, but if they kill him, they cannot make him alive, and Imam whenever he is hidden, can help them repent and reform with his prayer and blessings and his communication with some of the righteous, and maybe he enjoins them to good and forbids them from evil without them knowing him, but if he dies, he can do nothing and therefore, it is permissible for God in His Justice and Grace to make Imam hide whenever He sees evil in His servants, but it is not permissible for Him to take him from this world without setting a substitute for him.
