Hawzah News Agency- For hundreds of years, human society has been deprived of the grace of the manifestation of the Proof of God and has remained deprived of the realization of the presence of heavenly and infallible leadership.
What are the effects of the existence of the Proof of God in the occultation and his life in secret and out of reach of everyone for the world and the worlds? Couldn't he have been born near the time of the appearance and not witnessed the difficult times of his occultation from the people of the world?
This question and others like it stem from the lack of knowledge about the position of the Imam and the Divine Proof.
What is the position of the Imam in the totality of existence? Are all of his existential effects dependent on his being visible? Is he only for the guidance and leadership of people or does his existence have an effect and blessing for all beings?
Imam, the axis of existence
From the Shiite point of view and based on religious teachings, Imam is the intermediary of God's grace to all phenomena of the world of creation. He is the axis and orbit in the system of existence and without his existence, the world, man, jinn, angel, animal, and inanimate object would not remain.
Imam Sadiq (PBUH) was asked whether the earth would remain without an Imam? The Imam said:
«لَوْ بَقِیَتِ اَلْأَرْضُ بِغَیْرِ إِمَامٍ لَسَاخَتْ.»
If the earth were without an Imam, it would collapse (and its order would fall apart). (Al-Kafi, vol. 1, p. 179)
It is clear that the Imam is an intermediary in conveying God's messages to people and guiding them towards human perfection, and that every blessing and favor in this regard reaches everyone due to his existence. This is because since the beginning, God Almighty has guided the human race through the prophets and then their successors. However, the words of the infallible (PBUT) are used to say that the existence of the Imams in the vastness of the universe is an intermediary for every blessing and favor from God to reach every small and large being.
To put it more clearly, all beings receive divine blessings through the channel of the Imam. Both their origin of existence is through the Imam, as well as the other blessings and benefits they have throughout their lives.
In a section of the Ziarat al-Jami’ah al-Kabirah, which is a period of Imamate study, it is stated as follows:
«بِکُمْ فَتَحَ اللّهُ وَبِکُمْ یخْتِمْ وَبِکُمْ ینَزِّلُ الغَیثَ وَبِکُمْ یمسِکُ السَّماءَ اَنْ تَقَعَ عَلَی الاَرضِ اِلاّ بِاِذنِهِ.»
[O great Imams] Allah began [the world] for your sake, and He will end it for your sake, and He sends down the rain for your sake, and with you He holds back the sky from falling on the earth except by His permission.
Therefore, the effects of the Imam's existence are not limited to his appearance and manifestation, but rather his existence in the world - even in his occultation and biological concealment - is the source of life for all divine beings and creatures. God Himself has willed that he, who is a superior and more perfect being, be the medium through which divine blessings and data are received and conveyed to other phenomena, and in this realm, there is no difference between his occultation and his appearance. Yes, everyone benefits from the effects of the Imam's existence, and the occultation of Imam Mahdi (PBUH) does not create any disruption in this regard.
Interestingly, when Imam Mahdi (PBUH) is asked about how to benefit from him during his occultation, he says:
«وَ أَمَّا وَجْهُ اَلاِنْتِفَاعِ بِی فِی غَیْبَتِی فَکَالاِنْتِفَاعِ بِالشَّمْسِ إِذَا غَیَّبَتْهَا عَنِ اَلْأَبْصَارِ اَلسَّحَابُ وَ إِنِّی لَأَمَانٌ لِأَهْلِ اَلْأَرْضِ کَمَا أَنَّ اَلنُّجُومَ أَمَانٌ لِأَهْلِ اَلسَّمَاءِ.»
The way of benefiting from me during my occultation is like benefiting from the sun that a cloud has hidden from view, and truly I am the protection of the people of the Earth, just as the stars are the protection of the people of the sky. (Kamal al-Din, v. 2, p. 483)
This discussion continues...
Extracted from the book “Negine Afarinesh (The Jewel of Creation)”, with slight changes
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