Conclusion | |||||
The Martyrdom or Passing Away of Imam al-Mahdi(‘atfs) Different hadi-ths exist regarding the martyrdom or passing away of Ima-m al-Mahdi- (‘atfs), but because Ima-m Hasan al-Mujtaba- (‘a) has said, “Each one of us Ima-ms will either be poisoned or martyred,” the hadi-ths that indicate the Ima-m’s martyrdom can have preponderance over others that say otherwise. Here, it will suffice to examine only a few pertinent hadi-ths: Concerning the noble Qur’anic verse, “Then We gave you back the turn [to prevail] over them,”[1] Ima-m as.-S.a-diq (‘a) said: “It means the revival of Ima-m al-Husayn (‘a) and seventy of his companions during the period of the Ima-m of the Time wearing golden helmets. The return [raj‘ah] and revival of Hadrat al-Husayn (‘a) will be announced by them to the people so that the believers would not entertain doubt and skepticism. This will occur while Hadrat al-Hujjah (‘atfs) will be among the people. When knowledge and faith in him will be well-embedded in their hearts, the demise of Hadrat Hujjah will come. Then, Hadrat Ima-m al-Husayn (‘a) will take charge of his ghus.l [ritual bath for the dead], his shrouding [kafn], embalmment [h.unu-t.], and burial. A non-was.iyy [executor of will] will never prepare the burial of a was.iyy.”[2] Zuhri- said: “Hadrat al-Mahdi- (‘atfs) will live for fourteen years and then he will meet the Lord by natural death.”[3] Art.a-h said: “It has been narrated to me that Hadrat al-Mahdi- (‘atfs) will live for forty years. Then, he will die a natural death on his bed.”[4] Ka‘b al-Ah.ba-r[5] said: “The victor [mans.u-r] of this ummah is al-Mahdi-, and the inhabitants of the earth and the birds in the sky send salutations to him. “It is he who will be tested in the war with Rome and other great battles. This test will take twenty years. Along with two thousand of his standard-bearing commanders he will attain martyrdom. Afterward, there will be no tragedy more painful than the martyrdom of Hadrat al-Mahdi- (‘atfs) after the tragedy of the demise of the Messenger of Allah (s.).”[6] Of course, in my opinion, the statements of Zuhri-, Art.a-h and Ka‘b are unreliable unless the opposite is proved. The Manner of the Martrdom of Imam al-Mahdi(‘atfs) Regarding the manner of the martyrdom of Ima-m al-Mahdi- (‘atfs), it has been stated in Ilza-m an-Na-s.ib, thus: “When his seventieth year comes to an end and his death is about to take place, a woman named Sa‘i-dah from the tribe of Bani- Tami-m will martyr him. The salient feature of that woman is that she would have a beard like a man. “When the Ima-m is passing by, she will throw a stone from a rooftop upon him and he will attain martyrdom. After he passes away, Ima-m al-Husayn (‘a) will perform the rites of his ghus.l, kafn and burial.”[7] Of course, with the exception of this book, I have not found this subject written anywhere else, i.e. the manner of martyrdom of the Imam. Imam as.Sadiq (‘a) said: “Husayn (‘a), along with his companions who were martyred with him, will come[8] and seventy prophets will accompany them just as Hadrat Mu-sa- was accompanied by seventy dispatched persons. Then, Hadrat al-Qa-’im (‘atfs) will turn over his ring to him. Imam al-Husayn will perform Hadrat al-Qa-’im’s ghus.l, kafn, h.unu-t., and burial.” May peace be upon him on the day he was born, the day he will appear, the day he will die, and the day he will be raised up to life again Addendum The following are questions posed by one of the translators of this book and the answers of the author to them: Question 1: Please explain h.ashr and nashr.[9] Answer: Perhaps the h.adi-th means that during the commencement of the Day of Reckoning, all human beings and other creatures will head toward Bayt al-Muqaddas (in Jerusalem) except those who were buried in Qum. In fact, those who would be admitted to paradise will enter it directly from Qum, for, as mentioned in h.adi-ths, one of the doors of heaven will be opened in Qum. Since “it is the day of the transformation of the world into another form,” on the Day of Resurrection this world and all its contents will change and nothing will remain of them. Perhaps, this is improbable. It is also possible that this h.adi-th refers to the raj‘ah or the purgatory world [‘a-lam al-barzakh] in which the souls of all believers would assemble in Bayt al-Muqaddas except for those who were buried in Qum which would be a purgatorial heaven for them. Question 2: What would be the status of jizyah during the time of Imam al-Mahdi (‘atfs)?[10] Answer: Of course, the h.adi-ths quoted in that part of the book are related to the noble verse, ? ...ÍóÊøóì íõÚúØõæÇú ÇáúÌöÒúíóÉó Úóä íóÏò æóåõãú ÕóÇÛöÑõæäó ? “…until they pay the tribute out of hand, degraded,”[11] and this is an indisputable part of Islamic law affirmed by all Muslims of the world. At any rate, perhaps it can be said as an explanation that one of the reasons for abandoning their own religions and inclining to Islam would be as stated in the h.adi-ths. On one hand, they would see that if they embraced Islam, they would enjoy all the privileges of being Muslim. In addition to being exempted from paying the jizyah, they would also have a share in the public treasury. On the other hand, if they remained in their religions, they would suffer both a guilty conscience (for not accepting the truth after knowing it) and a financial burden (in paying jizyah). So, they would choose the first option and become Muslims. Or, maybe there are other points and aspects of the h.adi-ths which are beyond our understanding. Question 3: Why is making a profit off a believer unlawful and usurious, or discouraged and reprehensible [makru-h]?[12] Answer: The unlawfulness and usuriousness of making a profit off a believer or its being discouraged and reprehensible [makru-h] is related to the time of the establishment of the government of truth and the Islamic state of Ima-m al-Mahdi- (‘atfs). Perhaps, at that time, such laws and regulations would be related to the conditions of the people and the market. It is also possible that it alludes to the psychological makeup of the people at that time which would naturally express itself in their commercial transactions with each other. As a manifestation of this psychological makeup, the people would tend to avoid burdening others and gaining huge profits. Of course, any of these conjectures might be true provided that the h.adi-ths in question are indeed authentic. Question 4: Why will qatayi‘ (private estates) cease to exist during the time of Imam al-Mahdi(‘atfs)?[13] Answer: In view of the fact that qat.a-yi‘ here refers to the vast tracks of land registered under the name of a king or his agents, perhaps the h.adi-th means that during his just government, Ima-m al-Mahdi- (‘atfs) will declare these land titles null and void, confiscate these tracks of land in favor of the public treasury and turn them over to their original owners who are the masses or the popular government. Question 5: The Commander of the Faithful (‘a) said: “Woe unto him who destroyed you (Ku-fah Mosque) Woe unto him who facilitated the way to your destruction Woe unto him who built you with mud and baked clay, and changed the direction of Nu-h.’s (Noah) (‘a) qiblah”[14] Was this expression a warning because of the reprehensibility of the material used in the reconstruction (mud and baked clay), or because of the action itself of destroying and reconstructing the mosque? Answer: Of course, it was because of the action itself of destroying and reconstructing the mosque. As recorded in history, it had been made up of woven reeds but during the rule of Mughayrah ibn Shu‘bah, a notorious and staunch enemy of the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a), in Iraq, it was rebuilt with mud and baked clay. Then, during the time of Ziya-d ibn Abi-h, he destroyed and rebuilt the mosque with baked clay and acquired its foundations from Ahwa-z.[15] During the reign of Hajja-j ibn Yu-suf in Iraq he totally destroyed it which was partly damaged at that time and rebuilt it. After that some of its walls were destroyed and rebuilt during the time of Yu-suf ibn ‘Umar ath-Thaqafi-, a bloodthirsty, cruel and tyrannical governor appointed by the Umayyad caliph Hisha-m ibn ‘Abd al-Malik.[16] Actually, the aforementioned h.adi-th was a prediction by the Commander of the Faithful (‘a) about the emergence of tyrant rulers such as Ziya-d, Hajja-j, Yu-suf ibn ‘Uma-r, and others. Question 6: Ima-m as.-S.a-diq (‘a) said: “Husayn (‘a), along with his companions who were martyred with him, will come and seventy prophets will accompany them just as Hadrat Mu-sa- was accompanied by seventy dispatched persons.”[17] Who would be these seventy prophets? Answer: These seventy prophets will accompany Had.rat Mu-sa- (‘a) in visiting the House of Allah while performing Hajj,[18] or they could be the seventy persons from among the community [qawm] of Had.rat Mu-sa- (‘a) who demanded to see Allah and hear His voice at an appointed tryst [mi-qa-t], but when the manifestation of the divine glory came upon them, they fell down dead and were raised up to life again[19] and while reaching the station of prophethood they would accompany Had.rat Mu-sa- (‘a) during the time of Ima-m al-Mahdi- (‘atfs). It could also mean something else which is beyond our knowledge and understanding. Appendix 1 ÇáúÝóÑóÌú ÏõÚóÇÁõ Du‘a-’ al-Faraj Invocation for the Advent of the Ima-m of the Age (‘atfs) Bismilla-hi ’rrah.ma-ni ’rrahim In the Name of Allah, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful Ila-hi- ‘azuma’l-bala-’u wa barih.a’l-khafa-’ O my Lord The calamity has aggravated; the absence prolonged; Wa’nkashafa’l-ghit.a-’u wa’nqat.a‘a’r-raja-’ The curtain of modesty has been lifted; hope has been curtailed; Wa d.a-qati’l-ard.u wa muni‘ati’s-sama-’ The earth has been narrow; and sky has been denied. Wa anta’l-musta‘a-nu wa ilayka’l-mushtaka- And You are the One from whom help is sought and complaints are made Wa ‘alayka al-mu‘awwalu fi-’sh-shiddati wa’r-rakha-’ And in You we trust in the times of difficulty. Alla-humma s.alli ‘ala- Muhammad wa a-li Muhammad O Allah Send blessings upon Muhammad (s.) and the progeny of Muhammad (s.), U-li-’l-amri’l-ladhi-na farad.ta ‘alayna- t.a-‘atahum The possessors of authority whose obedience you have enjoined upon us Wa ‘arraftana- bidha-lika manzilatahum fafarrij ‘anna- bi-h.aqqihim farajan ‘a-jilan qari-ban kalamh.i’l-bas.ari- aw huwa aqrab And by that made us aware of their position. Then make open for us, by their truth, an immediate opening, immediate as a wink or sooner. Ya- Muhammadu ya- ‘Aliyyu ya- Muhammad O Muhammad O ‘Ali- O ‘Ali- O Muhammad Ikfiya-ni- fainnakuma- ka-fiya-ni wa’n-s.ura-ni fainnakuma- nasiran Suffice me both of you as both of you are sufficient. Help me—two of you—for you are my helpers. Ya mawla-na- ya- s.a-h.iba’z-zama-n O our Master, O Master of the Time Al-ghawtha’l-ghawtha adrikni- adrikni- Help Help Rescue me Rescue me Rescue me As-sa-‘ata’s-sa-‘ata’s-sa-‘ah This moment This moment Al-‘ajala’l-‘ajala’l-‘ajal Hasten, hasten, hasten Ya- arh.ama’r-ra-h.imi-na bi-h.aqqi Muhammad wa a-lihi’t.-tahirin O Most Merciful of the Merciful, For the sake of Muh.ammad (s.) and his holy progeny. |