Verse No. 3

“Indeed, the earth is not devoid of a rightful Imam as long as there is a group of believers on it.”

قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى:

﴿يَوْمَ نَدْعُو كُلَّ أُنَاسٍ بِإِمَامِهِمْ﴾[1]

Translation:

God Almighty has said:

“On 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:

Jubayr ibn Ata’ al-Khojandi informed us, he said: I asked Mansoor about the words of God Almighty that has said: “On the Day when We will call every people with their Imam.” So he said: “For every people, there is an Imam with whom they will be called on the Day of Judgment, then they will enter Heaven or the fire with him, so see who is your Imam.”

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 God has said: ‘On the Day when We will call every people with their Imam,’ and there is an Imam of the truth for believers, and he is one whom God has appointed from among them as an Imam to guide with His command; as He has said: ‘And We appointed from among them leaders who guide (people) with 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-Taloqani informed us, he said: In the presence of Mansoor, the words of God Almighty were recited that has said: “On the Day when We will call every people with their Imam.” So he said: “I am surprised by the people who hear this while they have no Imam or have taken an imam who does not guide with the command of God! Be aware that whoever takes an Imam who guides with the command of God, 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 while not having an Imam, he will be left fearful and worried on the Day of Judgment until God is done with the reckoning (of created beings), and He will not be done with the reckoning (of created beings) until after fifty thousand years, then He will look at him, as one of you looks at the leftover of the dish, so If He finds him an oppressed 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 one of 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 God reward Mansoor well! Never did he speak about anything unless he opened a door to knowledge or closed a door to ignorance, and indeed, I heard him say: An Imam is not someone who is called Imam, rather an Imam is someone who is imitated, and there are two Imams in the Book of God: An Imam whom God has appointed as an Imam for people, so he leads with the command of God, and he is the Caliph of God, Mahdi, and an Imam other than him, and he is the caliph of Satan, Dajjal! So fear God, O children of Adam, and do not take Dajjal as an Imam!