This also takes place within our own minds. If we contemplate on the relationship between an individual and his name, we find that it is also an example of total dissolution. For example, let us assume that I was to name my next son Noah.
Initially, when someone asks me about Noah, I might not instantly link his question to my son as I am not yet used to the name. In that period, I feel that there are two distinct existents – my son and the name that is made up of the four letters N-O-A-H. However, after some time, if someone mentions the name Noah to me, I would instantly think of my son without much mental processing of the name and its letters. This is a relationship of total dissolution, as the name has completely dissolved as a distinct existent and the only remainder is my son, Noah. The relationship was at first one of association, but it transformed over time into a relationship of complete dissolution.
The same must be true of our meeting with God. It must be a meeting of complete dissolution where we no longer feel the two distinct existents.
We must come to the point where in our meeting with God we only feel His existence. Such is a relationship of total dissolution. For us to have such a meeting with God, we must always feel His presence. The Holy Quran describes this relationship when it says, “Indeed those who swear allegiance to you, swear allegiance only to God. The hand of God is above their hands.”[14] A person must feel the hand of God touching his own hand. God Almighty also says, “Do they not know that it is God who accepts the repentance of His servants and receives the charities?”[15] We must reach a state where we feel that God is the one that is taking our charity and accepting our deeds. In another verse, God says in reference to the animal sacrifice slaughtered during the Hajj and the meat of which is given as charity, “It is not their flesh or blood that reaches God; rather, it is your piety that reaches Him.”[16]
Our meeting with God must be one of total dissolution, where we no longer feel our own existence but only the existence of God. This is what Imam Hussain (a) spoke of in the Supplication of Arafa,
When have You ever been absent so that You may need something to point to You? When have You ever been far-off so that traces may lead to You? Blind be the eye that cannot see You watching it. Losing is a servant’s deal that does not dedicate a share to Your love.[17]
Does the Imam wish to meet us?
The scholars of mysticism say that there is a difference between an honorary and an intimate meeting with the Imam (a). One may wish to have an honorary meeting with the Imam (a) so that he could see his honorable face and his praiseworthy virtue. As we read in the supplication, “O God! Show me the rightly guided face and the praiseworthy virtue [of Imam Mahdi (a)], enlighten my vision by looking at him, and hasten his appearance….”[18]
However, the Imam (a) does not want this. The Imam (a) wants intimate meetings. But, how can the Imam (a) have these intimate meetings with us, if we are not at the level of having a close of a relationship with him?
The Imam (a) wants something and we want something else. We want the Imam (a) to honor us with a meeting, when we remain immersed in our sins and vices. The Imam, however, wants an intimate meeting where he can be proud of us and happy for us. This requires that we foster a relationship of total dissolution with the Imam (a). Only then will our meeting with the Imam (a) be a profound one. Otherwise, the Imam (a) may be generous enough to grant us an honorary audience, but he would rather for us to be at the level that he requires of us so that we can receive the grace of a special meeting with him.
Love for the Imam
We must acknowledge that our relationship with the Imam (a) is superficial and dry. We may have a relationship with our teachers that is stronger than our relationship with the Imam (a). We may have a relationship with our friends and loved ones that is stronger than our relationship with the Imam (a). We may have a relationship with our religious authorities and community leaders that is stronger than our relationship with the Imam (a). Therefore, we must go back to ourselves and make sure that we establish a loving and intimate relationship with the Imam (a). We pray for the Imam (a) but he does not want this simple movement of the tongue. He wants us to cultivate an intimate and loving relationship so that we may become ready for the greatest honor of meeting him.
There are a number of factors that can cultivate within us this loving connection with the Imam (a).
A pure heart
A heart that carries hatred for others is a far cry from being qualified to meet the Imam (a). God teaches the prayer, “Our Lord, forgive us and our brethren who were our forerunners in the faith, and do not put any rancor in our hearts toward the faithful.”[19] A heart must be free of rancor in order to meet the Imam (a).
A person who is always smiling, who loves others, who always stretches a helping hand – that is a person that may be graced with an audience by the Imam (a) and his support. His heart is pure; a blank slate without any rancor or malice. It is narrated that Prophet Muhammad (s) said, “The most virtuous amongst you are the best in ethics, who [are always kind], who love and are loved, and whose homes are always welcoming [of guests].”[20]
Purity from sin
Sins irritate and hurt the Imam (a). Al-Tabrasi narrates in his book Al-Ihtijaj that the Awaited Imam (a) said,
If our followers – may God guide them to His obedience – had unified their hearts in fulfillment of their oath that is upon them, the grace of meeting us would not have been delayed for them. Happiness would have rushed to them when they see us with true and sincere knowledge of us. What keeps us away from them is nothing but what is reported to us of what we loath and dislike from them. God is our Supporter and He is sufficient for us, and He is an excellent trustee.[21]
Gifting to the Imam
It is narrated that the Prophet (s) said, “Give each other gifts and you will come to love each other.”[22] A gift creates love and that is true even with the Imam (a). You can pray on his behalf, fast on his behalf, perform a pilgrimage on his behalf, offer charity on his behalf, or do any other good deed with the intent of gifting its rewards to the Imam (a). This gift would be cherished by the Imam (a) and would earn us the blessing of being included within his graces and prayers – prayers that are true and answered by God. God says, “Call Me, and I will answer you!” So if the call is there, the answer will follow. Many of us say, ‘I pray but my prayers are not answered.’ If that is the case, then there was no true prayer that required an answer to follow.
You can reach this true prayer through the Awaited Imam (a), and then the answer will surely follow. God says “call me” but does not specify whether the call must be directly or through an intermediary. I can pray to God with my intermediary being the Imam (a). My communication with the Imam (a) would be through this gift – a good act whose rewards I grant to him. This gift would earn his prayers. Thus, I would have prayed to God through the Imam (a).
The Imam (a) prays for those close to him. He wrote in a letter to Sheikh Mufid, “We do not neglect in caring for you and do not overlook remembering you. If it weren’t for that, hardship would have befallen you and enemies would have overcome you.”[23] Thus, if we grow closer to the Imam (a), he would become closer to us and pray for us.
Silent remembrance
Silent remembrance is a term used by mystics and is taken from the prayer of Imam Sajjad (a) where he pleads to God, “Make us intimate with silent remembrance, and employ us in purified works and efforts pleasing to You.”[24] The Imam (a) in this passage refers to complete reliance on God, where no one is asked, complained to, or sought comfort in except God. If a person achieves that, he would have reached silent remembrance and complete reliance on God. One of the factors for strengthening the relationship with the Awaited Imam (a) is to reach this level in relation to God, then to ask God for continued life, health, and prosperity with the pleasure of the Imam (a). This would be an acknowledgement of the Imam’s (a) stature and a show of true love.
Thinking of him
When you love an
individual, you are constantly thinking of him. If you truly loved the Awaited Imam (a), your mind would be preoccupied with thoughts of him and his character.
One look at the Visitation of Aal Yasin reveals to us this process of thinking of the Imam (a). We read in that visitation,
Peace be upon you in the midst of your night and within the bounds of your day… Peace be upon you when you stand. Peace be upon you when you sit. Peace be upon you when you read and explain. Peace be upon you when you pray and supplicate. Peace be upon you when you bow and prostrate. Peace be upon you when you say ‘There is no God except God’ and when you say ‘God is greater [than what He is described].’ Peace be upon you when you enter the morning and the evening. Peace be upon you in the enveloping nights and in the manifesting days.[25]
This is an image of the Imam (a) that we must imagine and contemplate upon.
Feeling his pains
There is no individual on this Earth that contemplates like the Imam (a). He sees the tragedies and adversity that have come over the Muslim nation. When he sees a believer committing a sin, he is hurt. How does he feel seeing the greatest of sins and crimes being committed? That is why our relationship with the Imam (a) must be so close that we feel pain for his pain. Dua Al-Nudba teaches us how to feel his pain.
It pains me that I should see [the rest of] creation yet not see you, and not hear from you so much as a rustle or a whisper… It pains me that I receive every answer except [news of] you [returning], and I am [merely] consoled [for your continued absence]. It pains me that I should cry for you while [most of] humanity deserts you. It pains me that you should be afflicted with such hardships rather than they [who caused you these hardships by deserting you].[26]
These words allow us to better feel the pain that the Imam (a) feels. It is narrated that Imam Sadiq (a) said,
May God have mercy on our Shia. They were created from the leftovers of our clay. They were kneaded with the waters of loyalty to us. They mourn for our mourning and are joyous for our joy.[27]
Feeling their pain is a type of loyalty to them. The greatest of the Imam’s (a) pains is the memory of the tragedy of Karbala – a memory that he will never forget and whose grief he will never get over.
The Value of Love
In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
Is He who answers the call of the distressed when he invokes Him and removes his distress, and makes you the vicegerents of the earth...?[28]
The blessed verse indicates that if the ‘distressed’ were to call on his Lord, he would be answered. Who is the distressed that is referred to in this verse? There are two major opinions on this issue.
The first opinion is the one proffered by the late Sayyid Tabatabaei, who concluded that the distressed is the person who is in a state of total reliance on God. He supported this conclusion with two verses of the Holy Quran, and each of these verses elaborates on the other.
The first of these verses reads, “Your Lord has said, ‘Call Me, and I will answer you!”[29] This verse indicates that a true prayer will always be answered. It does not, however, detail the meaning of what a true prayer is.
The other verse expounded on the meaning of true prayers saying, “Is He who answers the call of the distressed when he invokes Him and removes his distress...?”[30] The true prayer that will always be answered is that of the distressed who has reached a level of certainty in the fact that all material means are incapable of achieving his goals. If a person is stricken with a terminal illness and is certain that no material means will be able to cure him, such an individual will reach a state of total reliance on God. Such an individual understands that the only way forward is through God. This individual would seek refuge in God.
Through this analysis, the late Sayyid Tabatabaei concludes that the distressed in the verse is the individual who reaches this level of complete reliance on God under the circumstances of severe tribulation. This individual is promised an answer to his prayers.
The second opinion suggests that the distressed who is referred to in this verse is the Twelfth Holy Imam (a). Two major sets of evidence point to this fact.
First, the narrations of the Household of the Prophet (s) are clear in this regard. For example, we can rely on the accepted tradition narration by Muhammad ibn Muslim who relayed the explanation of Imam Baqir (a) of the verse. The Imam (a) said,
This verse was revealed in reference to Al-Qa’im (a). When he emerges, he will wear a turban, pray at the station [of Abraham at the Grand Mosque of Mecca], and beseech his Lord so that no banner of his will ever be turned down.[31]
We can also turn to the narration of Salih ibn ‘Uqba, who relayed the following from Imam Sadiq (a),
This verse was revealed in reference to Al-Qa’im (a) from the Household of Muhammad (s). By God, he is the distressed! If he prays two Rak’a at the station [of Abraham] and supplicates to God, he will be answered, all distress will be removed, and he will be made to inherit the Earth.[32]
Second, this could be understood from the context of the verse. At the end of the verse, God states that He will “make you the vicegerents of the earth.” If we were to review the original Arabic language of the verse, we would see that it is very precise in this respect. It says that God will make you “the vicegerents of the earth,” not simply “a vicegerent” or “among the vicegerents of the earth.” If any of the latter two expressions were used, the verse could have been applicable to all of humanity as any person can be a vicegerent of the earth. In fact, every individual that makes proper use of the earth and its resources can be called a vicegerent of the earth.
As for “the vicegerents of the earth,” it is a much greater position. The vicegerents of the earth must be those who the entire earth and all of its resources are under their authority.
The Holy Quran used both types of expressions within its verses. In reference to Prophet Adam (a), the Quran says, “When your Lord said to the angels, ‘Indeed I am going to set a vicegerent on the earth…’”[33] And in reference to Prophet David (a), we read, “O David! Indeed, We have made you a vicegerent on the earth.”[34]
But when it came to the nation of the Prophet Muhammad (s), God did not say a vicegerent or among the vicegerents – He said that He will “make you the vicegerents of the earth.”[35] The nation of the Prophet Muhammad (s) was promised vicegerency over the entire earth, and not simply a portion of it. Adam (a), David (a), and others may have had limited vicegerency on the earth. But the promise of the verse goes much further when it speaks to the nation of our Grand Prophet (s).
The fulfillment of this promise will happen at the time of the emergence of our Twelfth Imam (a). Therefore, the promise that comes within the same verse provides contextual evidence that the distressed that is mentioned in the verse is none other than the Twelfth Imam (a).
The ‘distressed’ is the individual who bears the responsibility of fulfilling this promise, and that is our Awaited Imam (a). As God declares in the Holy Quran: “We desire to show favor to those who were abased in the land, and to make them Imams, and to make them the inheritors [of the earth].”[36]
Therefore, when you read this verse in supplication – “He who answers the call of the distressed when he invokes Him” – you must acknowledge that you are actually speaking about the Immaculate Imam (a). You are beseeching God by the grace of the Awaited Imam (a) to repel any tribulation or distress. As we read in Dua Al-Nudba, “Where is the distressed one who is answered whenever he calls?”[37] With this understanding, we continue to speak with our relationship of love toward the Imam (a).
Our Relationship with the Holy Household
There are two differing opinions amongst Muslims. There are those who say that the love of the Prophet (s) and his Household (a) has no substantive value. The other group asserts that the love of the Prophet (s) and his Household (a) does have a fundamental value.
The Literalist View
This is the view of some Salafi scholars, a
nd it relies on two points.
First, that love must be directed to God and not for any other creation. Any love for the Prophet (s) must thus be only based on the fact that he had called to the way of God. To clarify this, it could be said that the Prophet’s (s) life had a personal aspect and prophetic aspect. His personal life would include his interactions with his wives, daughter, and son-in-law. As for the prophetic aspects of his life, it is described in the verses, “Indeed We have sent you as a witness, as a bearer of good news, as a warner, and as a summoner to God.”[38]
The proponents of this view assert that we love the Prophet (s) for his prophetic life and work, and not for his personal life. In other words, they claim that we must love the Prophet (s) because of his role as a messenger and not as an individual.
Second, that love has no substantive value and that value lies only in an individual’s deeds. In this view, they rely on the following verses of the Holy Quran. From the verse, “If you love God, then follow me; God will love you,”[39] they conclude that emphasis is placed on following the Prophet (s) and not on love. The Holy Quran also says “Therein are men who love to keep pure, and God loves those who keep pure.”[40] From this verse they also conclude that emphasis is on work and purity, and not on love.
The proponents of this view conclude that there is no substantive value to love and that value is only in work and deeds. They assert that celebrations that show love for the Prophet (s) and his Household (a) are valueless and unnecessary.
The Mahdi Page 2