Hawzah News Agency- Muslims believe that God Almighty does nothing except on the basis of wisdom or logic; whether we know these reasons or not.
And all the minor and major events in the world are carried out by God's plan and by His will only, one of the most important of which is the occultation of Imam Mahdi (PBUH); therefore, the occultation of that Imam is also in accordance with wisdom and expediency, even though we do not comprehend its philosophy.
Of course, a person who considers all of God's actions to be wise and submits to them may seek to know the secrets and mysteries of some of the events of the world, so that by knowing the philosophy of a phenomenon, he may find greater peace of mind and assurance of heart. Therefore, we will discuss and examine the wisdom and effects of the occultation of Imam Mahdi and refer to the related narrations:
Disciplining the People
When the nation does not appreciate the Prophet and Imam and does not fulfill their duties towards him, rather disobeys his orders, it is permissible for God to separate their leader from them so that they come to their senses and realize the value and blessing of his existence during the time of his occultation. In this case, the occultation of the Imam is for the benefit of the nation, even though they do not know or understand.
Imam Baqir (PBUH) said:
«إِنَّ اَللَّهَ إِذَا کَرِهَ لَنَا جِوَارَ قَوْمٍ نَزَعَنَا مِنْ بَیْنِ أَظْهُرِهِمْ.»
“When God does not like our companionship with a nation, He will separate us from them. (Al-Shara'i, Vol. 1, p. 244)
Independence and not being under the covenant of others
Those who seek to create a transformation and revolution inevitably make a pact with some opponents at the beginning of the uprising so that they can pursue their goals, but the Promised Mahdi (PBUH) is the great reformer who will not compromise with any oppressive power on the path to establishing a revolution and a world government of justice, since according to numerous narrations, he is ordered to fight decisively and openly against all oppressors. For this reason, he will remain in occultation until the conditions for the revolution are ready so that he will not have to make a pact with the enemies of God.
In a narration from Imam al-Ridha (PBUH), the reason for the occultation is stated as follows:
«لِئَلاَّ یَکُونَ لِأَحَدٍ فِی عُنُقِهِ بَیْعَةٌ إِذَا قَامَ بِالسَّیْفِ.»
“So that when he rises with the sword, no one will have a pledge of allegiance with him. (Kamaluddin, vol. 2, p. 480)
Testing People
Testing people is one of God’s traditions. He tests His servants with various means to determine their steadfastness on the path of truth. Of course, the outcome of the test is known to God, but in the furnace of tests, it is these servants who are made and who realize the essence of their existence.
Imam al-Kadhim (PBUH) said:
«إِذَا فُقِدَ اَلْخَامِسُ مِنْ وُلْدِ اَلسَّابِعِ فَاللَّهَ اَللَّهَ فِی أَدْیَانِکُمْ لاَ یُزِیلُکُمْ عَنْهَا أَحَدٌ یَا بُنَیَّ إِنَّهُ لاَ بُدَّ لِصَاحِبِ هَذَا اَلْأَمْرِ مِنْ غَیْبَةٍ حَتَّی یَرْجِعَ عَنْ هَذَا اَلْأَمْرِ مَنْ کَانَ یَقُولُ بِهِ إِنَّمَا هِیَ مِحْنَةٌ مِنَ اَللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ اِمْتَحَنَ بِهَا خَلْقَهُ.»
When the fifth child of the seventh Imam disappears, take heed of Allah, of your religion, lest anyone separate you from your religion, dear son! The one in charge of the world is forced to go into a state of occultation that even those who believe in the Imamate will turn away from. Indeed, the matter of occultation is a test from Allah, to test His servants through it. (Al-Kafi, Vol. 1, p. 336)
Protecting the life of the Imam
One of the factors that caused the prophets to separate from their people was to protect their lives. In order to be able to fulfill their mission at another time, they would hide in situations where they were threatened, just as the Prophet of Islam, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, left Mecca and hid in a cave. Of course, all of this is by the command and will of Allah.
This has also been stated in numerous narrations about Imam Mahdi (PBUH) and the reason for his occultation.
Imam Sadiq (PBUH) said:
«إِنَّ لِلْقَائِمِ غَیْبَةً قَبْلَ ظُهُورِهِ قُلْتُ [وَ] لِمَ قَالَ یَخَافُ اَلْقَتْلَ.»
“The awaited Imam will disappear from sight for a while before his reappearance. He was asked about the reason for this. The Imam said: He fears for his own life. (Al-Ghaybah - Sheikh Tusi, vol. 1, p. 332)
Although martyrdom is the desire of the men of God, it is desirable to be martyred in the field of performing divine duty and for the good of society and the religion of God. However, when the killing of a person means losing goals, fearing killing is a rational and desirable thing. The killing of the twelfth Imam, who is the last divine reserve, means the collapse of the hopes and desires of all the prophets and saints of God, may God bless them all, and the failure to fulfill God's promise to establish a world government of justice.
It is worth mentioning that in the narrations, other points have been stated about the reason for the occultation of the twelfth Imam, which we will refrain from mentioning for sake of brevity, but what is important is that "occultation" is a divine secret and its fundamental reason will be revealed after the reappearance, and what has been stated are the factors that have been influential in the occultation of the Imam Mahdi (PBUH).
This discussion continues...
Extracted from the book “Negine Afarinesh (The Jewel of Creation)”, with slight changes
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