The Muslims’ Obligations in the Time of the Short-Term
Source : The Scientific Committee of the International Conference of Mahdism Doctrine
It is true that the Prophet and the infallible Imam were appointed by God to undertake the governance of the community affairs as their rulers and that the Prophet and the Imam should exert themselves to execute the divine will in this regard. Nevertheless the essential obligation lies on the shoulders of the people who should provide the critical support needed by the Prophet and the Imam to attain the power and use it for advancing the purposes of God. As long as the people do not show their loyalty and obedience to these divinely designated leaders it is simply unthinkable to see the ideal governance being effected. By the same token during the absence of the Imam as in our own times Muslims have the responsibility to seriously work for the establishment of the Islamic form of government. Islam even under present conditions has not suspended the duty of Muslims to implement and to follow its directives. In fact many Islamic rulings are directed towards the generality of the Muslim community:
Go forth light and heavy! Struggle in God\'s way with your possessions and your selves; that is better for you did you know. (Tawba [9] 41)
Struggle in the way of God with your possessions and your selves. (Saff [61] 11)
And fight in the way of God with those who fight with you but aggress not. (Baqara [2] 190)
As to the thief male and female cut off the hands of both as a recompense for what they have earned and a punishment exemplary from God; God is All-mighty All-wise. (Ma\'ida [5] 38)
The fornicatress and the fornicator -- scourge each one of them a hundred stripes and in the matter of God\'s religion let no tenderness for them seize you . . . (Nur [24] 2)
O believers be you securers of justice witnesses for God even though it be against yourselves or your parents and kinsmen whether the man be rich or poor. (Nisa\' [4] 135)
All these verses are addressed to the generality of the Muslims and demand from them that they respond to their social obligations that are related to the betterment of Islamic public order. It is evident that carrying out these social injunctions cannot be possible without an authority who can ensure its fair execution. The nature of injunctions dealing with public order inevitably requires a governing body invested with executive powers to effectuate Islamic ordinances. In other words the comprehensive realization of an Islamic public order with all its spiritual moral and legal dimensions is impossible without a government invested with executive powers. To practice Islam in all its dimensions necessarily requires the existence of a government that is committed to do its bidding. Thus the Qur\'an says:
He has laid down for you as religion that He charged Noah with and that We have revealed to thee and that We charged Abraham with Moses and Jesus: \'Perform religion and scatter not regarding it.\' (Shura [42] 13.)
It is possible to conclude from these general addresses of the Qur\'an to all believing Muslims and the provisions made by the Prophet for giving permanence to the governance of Islamic public order through Islam\'s social-political-legal-moral teachings that during the occultation of the twelfth Imam Muslims have the obligation to work seriously towards the implementation of Islamic ideals in their everyday personal and social lives. As long as we believe that Islam came to provide happiness in this and the next world and therefore it legislated laws to cover every aspect of God-human and human interpersonal relationships then we must maintain the necessity of managing our affairs in accordance with these laws. This conclusion becomes even more pertinent if we remind ourselves that we also believe that these laws were not given for the short period of the Prophet\'s life only; they will be with us until God resurrects us for the Final Judgement. Hence our endeavors to effect these norms today assume some urgency. Muslims must resolve to prepare themselves to be worthy of supporting the final revolution of the Mahdi by constantly evaluating their shortcomings and reforming themselves to undertake the great responsibility of making the Islamic public order the only viable order that can guarantee peace with justice and harmony on the earth.
Two Evidences
(1) The need to establish a government and to endeavor to make it stable is a rational need upon which all reasonable persons agree. Islam has not only not rejected this rational deduction it has actually sanctioned it. During the Battle of Uhud in the early days of Islam when the false news about the Prophet having been killed was spread among the Muslims the consequence of such a story was the demoralization of Muslim soldiers who immediately abandoned their positions and were scattered. That moment has been captured in the following verse of the Qur\'an:
Muhammad is naught but a Messenger; Messengers have passed away before him. Why if he should die or is slain will you turn about on your heels? (Al \'Imran 144)
Does it mean that after the Prophet dies Muslims should revert to their old habits? In other words Islam is a reality that will remain even after the Prophet dies. Consequently Muslims should assess their loyalty to the teachings of Islam and should work for its implementation without interruption. No explicit duty imposed by the Qur\'an becomes invalidated by the death of the Prophet or the occultation of the Imam.
(2) The second evidence is provided by the Muslims during the early history in the aftermath of the Prophet\'s death. The companions had gathered in the Thaqifa of Banu Sa\'ida all in agreement that the governance of the Muslim polity had to continue through a new leader the caliph. The disagreement touched upon the question of who that leader would be not upon the need for the leadership itself. The Ansar maintained that the leader had to be one of their group; the Muhajirun disputed them and contended that the leadership actually belonged to the Meccans. The compromise that was proposed suggested a caliph from one and a commander from the other group. However no one ever said that there was no need for a leader and that they could continue an umma (community) without anyone directing their social and political life.
More importantly even \'Ali b. Abi Talib who disagreed with the outcome of the Thaqifa deliberations and opposed their decision knowing very well that he was being denied his right to lead the community at its most critical stage did not even for a moment dispute the fundamental need for someone to continue to provide governance to the nascent Islamic polity. The caliphate as it emerged after the Thaqifa was in \'Ali b. Abi Talib\'s opinion a deviation from its original goal but it was still a necessary instrument for the continuation of the social-political life of the umma. It was for this reason that he never attempted to undermine the caliphate. On the contrary realizing the danger that was posed
by the political turmoil to Islam he never refrained from offering the best advice for Islam\'s preservation. Moreover he never prevented his most loyal supporters and family members from accepting official assignments under the caliphs. He was fully committed to the principle of governance for the continuation of Islamic public order in the future. In his dispute with the Khawarij who seceded from his army in rebellion and who had misused the Qur\'anic verse: \'The judgement is God\'s alone\' to rebel against \'Ali\'s authority he refuted their interpretation by pointing out:
The statement is in itself a truth but they infer an erroneous conclusion out of it. Indeed there can be no judgement except that it belongs to God. However they are implying that there should be no governance except that exercised by God. People necessarily need a ruler whether he be godly or unjust so that under his government a believer may be able to continue doing what he does and an unbeliever may continue enjoying [his life] in it until God\'s decree reaches its final decision in their regard. [Moreover the need to have the governance is underscored by the fact that] under his governance taxes can be collected and the enemy can be fought and the highways kept secure and safe. [In addition ] the rights of the weak can be exacted from the strong so that a godly person can live in peace and remain immune from the harm of a wicked person.
Accordingly one should not doubt the principle that establishment and continuation of the government is among the necessary things. Moreover this responsibility has been laid on the shoulders of the people. When the Prophet or the Imam is accessible the people should support and help him to manage the affairs of the nation; when the Imam is in occultation the people should search for and elect a well qualified jurist (faqih) knowledgeable in the detail of the laws of Islam fully experienced in the social and political realm and endowed with political insight to administer the Muslim public order. The justification for electing
a qualified jurist to govern the Muslim polity is found in the hadith of the Imams who not only accepted the jurist\'s governance in the absence of the twelfth Imam but even recommended that their followers seek such leaders among themselves. Such a person is capable of leading the Muslim umma and of executing the Islamic social and political program.
It is relevant to point out that the debate about Islamic government and its relation to the \'governance of the jurist\' (wilayat-i faqih) is intricate and needs a detailed exposition which we cannot undertake at this point in our discussion about the twelfth Imam (peace be upon him). Nevertheless we will briefly treat the subject and conclude our discussion. Our purpose in going through all these details about the necessity of Islamic governance during the occultation is to make you aware that when we consider traditions that object to any active involvement in social and political movements prior to the advent of the Mahdi we should be aware that all those obligations are classified as part of the collective duties -- such as warfare defence institution of penalties administration of justice and so on and therefore are among the required matters of Islamic juridical tradition. Accordingly one can not doubt about their execution in a Muslim public order. In order to do so effectively there ought to be a Muslim authority invested with the power to execute the social and political agenda of Islam. Hence we should examine the traditions that encourage political quietism within the context of the need to manage Muslim affairs. I hope to take up this issue next time we meet and to elaborate on it in some detail so that we can arrive at our conclusion more objectively. It is running late and we should adjourn now.
Go forth light and heavy! Struggle in God\'s way with your possessions and your selves; that is better for you did you know. (Tawba [9] 41)
Struggle in the way of God with your possessions and your selves. (Saff [61] 11)
And fight in the way of God with those who fight with you but aggress not. (Baqara [2] 190)
As to the thief male and female cut off the hands of both as a recompense for what they have earned and a punishment exemplary from God; God is All-mighty All-wise. (Ma\'ida [5] 38)
The fornicatress and the fornicator -- scourge each one of them a hundred stripes and in the matter of God\'s religion let no tenderness for them seize you . . . (Nur [24] 2)
O believers be you securers of justice witnesses for God even though it be against yourselves or your parents and kinsmen whether the man be rich or poor. (Nisa\' [4] 135)
All these verses are addressed to the generality of the Muslims and demand from them that they respond to their social obligations that are related to the betterment of Islamic public order. It is evident that carrying out these social injunctions cannot be possible without an authority who can ensure its fair execution. The nature of injunctions dealing with public order inevitably requires a governing body invested with executive powers to effectuate Islamic ordinances. In other words the comprehensive realization of an Islamic public order with all its spiritual moral and legal dimensions is impossible without a government invested with executive powers. To practice Islam in all its dimensions necessarily requires the existence of a government that is committed to do its bidding. Thus the Qur\'an says:
He has laid down for you as religion that He charged Noah with and that We have revealed to thee and that We charged Abraham with Moses and Jesus: \'Perform religion and scatter not regarding it.\' (Shura [42] 13.)
It is possible to conclude from these general addresses of the Qur\'an to all believing Muslims and the provisions made by the Prophet for giving permanence to the governance of Islamic public order through Islam\'s social-political-legal-moral teachings that during the occultation of the twelfth Imam Muslims have the obligation to work seriously towards the implementation of Islamic ideals in their everyday personal and social lives. As long as we believe that Islam came to provide happiness in this and the next world and therefore it legislated laws to cover every aspect of God-human and human interpersonal relationships then we must maintain the necessity of managing our affairs in accordance with these laws. This conclusion becomes even more pertinent if we remind ourselves that we also believe that these laws were not given for the short period of the Prophet\'s life only; they will be with us until God resurrects us for the Final Judgement. Hence our endeavors to effect these norms today assume some urgency. Muslims must resolve to prepare themselves to be worthy of supporting the final revolution of the Mahdi by constantly evaluating their shortcomings and reforming themselves to undertake the great responsibility of making the Islamic public order the only viable order that can guarantee peace with justice and harmony on the earth.
Two Evidences
(1) The need to establish a government and to endeavor to make it stable is a rational need upon which all reasonable persons agree. Islam has not only not rejected this rational deduction it has actually sanctioned it. During the Battle of Uhud in the early days of Islam when the false news about the Prophet having been killed was spread among the Muslims the consequence of such a story was the demoralization of Muslim soldiers who immediately abandoned their positions and were scattered. That moment has been captured in the following verse of the Qur\'an:
Muhammad is naught but a Messenger; Messengers have passed away before him. Why if he should die or is slain will you turn about on your heels? (Al \'Imran 144)
Does it mean that after the Prophet dies Muslims should revert to their old habits? In other words Islam is a reality that will remain even after the Prophet dies. Consequently Muslims should assess their loyalty to the teachings of Islam and should work for its implementation without interruption. No explicit duty imposed by the Qur\'an becomes invalidated by the death of the Prophet or the occultation of the Imam.
(2) The second evidence is provided by the Muslims during the early history in the aftermath of the Prophet\'s death. The companions had gathered in the Thaqifa of Banu Sa\'ida all in agreement that the governance of the Muslim polity had to continue through a new leader the caliph. The disagreement touched upon the question of who that leader would be not upon the need for the leadership itself. The Ansar maintained that the leader had to be one of their group; the Muhajirun disputed them and contended that the leadership actually belonged to the Meccans. The compromise that was proposed suggested a caliph from one and a commander from the other group. However no one ever said that there was no need for a leader and that they could continue an umma (community) without anyone directing their social and political life.
More importantly even \'Ali b. Abi Talib who disagreed with the outcome of the Thaqifa deliberations and opposed their decision knowing very well that he was being denied his right to lead the community at its most critical stage did not even for a moment dispute the fundamental need for someone to continue to provide governance to the nascent Islamic polity. The caliphate as it emerged after the Thaqifa was in \'Ali b. Abi Talib\'s opinion a deviation from its original goal but it was still a necessary instrument for the continuation of the social-political life of the umma. It was for this reason that he never attempted to undermine the caliphate. On the contrary realizing the danger that was posed
by the political turmoil to Islam he never refrained from offering the best advice for Islam\'s preservation. Moreover he never prevented his most loyal supporters and family members from accepting official assignments under the caliphs. He was fully committed to the principle of governance for the continuation of Islamic public order in the future. In his dispute with the Khawarij who seceded from his army in rebellion and who had misused the Qur\'anic verse: \'The judgement is God\'s alone\' to rebel against \'Ali\'s authority he refuted their interpretation by pointing out:
The statement is in itself a truth but they infer an erroneous conclusion out of it. Indeed there can be no judgement except that it belongs to God. However they are implying that there should be no governance except that exercised by God. People necessarily need a ruler whether he be godly or unjust so that under his government a believer may be able to continue doing what he does and an unbeliever may continue enjoying [his life] in it until God\'s decree reaches its final decision in their regard. [Moreover the need to have the governance is underscored by the fact that] under his governance taxes can be collected and the enemy can be fought and the highways kept secure and safe. [In addition ] the rights of the weak can be exacted from the strong so that a godly person can live in peace and remain immune from the harm of a wicked person.
Accordingly one should not doubt the principle that establishment and continuation of the government is among the necessary things. Moreover this responsibility has been laid on the shoulders of the people. When the Prophet or the Imam is accessible the people should support and help him to manage the affairs of the nation; when the Imam is in occultation the people should search for and elect a well qualified jurist (faqih) knowledgeable in the detail of the laws of Islam fully experienced in the social and political realm and endowed with political insight to administer the Muslim public order. The justification for electing
a qualified jurist to govern the Muslim polity is found in the hadith of the Imams who not only accepted the jurist\'s governance in the absence of the twelfth Imam but even recommended that their followers seek such leaders among themselves. Such a person is capable of leading the Muslim umma and of executing the Islamic social and political program.
It is relevant to point out that the debate about Islamic government and its relation to the \'governance of the jurist\' (wilayat-i faqih) is intricate and needs a detailed exposition which we cannot undertake at this point in our discussion about the twelfth Imam (peace be upon him). Nevertheless we will briefly treat the subject and conclude our discussion. Our purpose in going through all these details about the necessity of Islamic governance during the occultation is to make you aware that when we consider traditions that object to any active involvement in social and political movements prior to the advent of the Mahdi we should be aware that all those obligations are classified as part of the collective duties -- such as warfare defence institution of penalties administration of justice and so on and therefore are among the required matters of Islamic juridical tradition. Accordingly one can not doubt about their execution in a Muslim public order. In order to do so effectively there ought to be a Muslim authority invested with the power to execute the social and political agenda of Islam. Hence we should examine the traditions that encourage political quietism within the context of the need to manage Muslim affairs. I hope to take up this issue next time we meet and to elaborate on it in some detail so that we can arrive at our conclusion more objectively. It is running late and we should adjourn now.
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