Miky\u0101l al-Mak\u0101rim \u2013 Mirza Muhammad Taqi al-Isfahani
\n\u201cMiky\u0101l al-Mak\u0101rim f\u012b Faw\u0101\u02beid al-Du\u02bf\u0101\u02be li-l-Q\u0101\u02beim (peace be upon him)\u201d
\nAuthored by the devout scholar, ascetic, and striving jurist Hajj Mirza Muhammad Taqi al-Musawi al-Isfahani (Abu Abdullah) \u2014 may his secret be sanctified.
\nEdited by Sayyid Ali Ashour.
\nPublished by Al-A\u02bflami Publications, Beirut, Lebanon. (1)
\nBecause of his intense attachment and unceasing longing for the presence of our master, the Imam of the Age (may Allah hasten his relief), he was honored with seeing him in a dream, where he was instructed to complete this book and to name it:
\n\u201cMiky\u0101l al-Mak\u0101rim f\u012b Faw\u0101\u02beid al-Du\u02bf\u0101\u02be li-l-Q\u0101\u02beim (may Allah hasten his reappearance).\u201d
\nOn the Obligation of Knowing Him (peace be upon him)
\nChapter One: The obligation of knowing him \u2014 may Allah\u2019s blessings and peace be upon him \u2014 and that faith is not realized without knowledge of the Imam of the Time.
\nThis is indicated by both reason and transmitted evidence.
\nAs for the rational proof:
\nThe reasons necessitating the existence of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) are the same reasons necessitating the existence of the successor (peace be upon him) after the Prophet\u2019s death.
\nThe cause that obliges people to refer to the Prophet is itself the cause obliging them to refer to the successor. Therefore, it is incumbent upon Allah to appoint him, and upon people to know him, since following him depends on knowing him. (1)
\nObjection:
\nIf it is said: There is a clear difference between the two situations, because the reason for sending the Prophet is people\u2019s need, in matters of worldly life and the Hereafter, for a law by which they act.
\nOnce the Prophet brings what they need, explains the rules and rulings, and they learn them and act upon them, the need is removed. Scholars and books then suffice to clarify what people need in their worldly and religious affairs.
\nResponse:
\nThere is no doubt about the invalidity of this objection for several reasons:
\nFirst:
\nThe Prophet only clarified universal principles and general rulings. This amount did not completely remove the need, as many issues remain whose rulings are unknown even to the most eminent scholars \u2014 let alone others.
\nThus, in every era there must be an infallible Imam to whom people can refer regarding matters whose rulings from the Prophet did not reach them.
\nThere is also no doubt that the Prophet entrusted all rulings and knowledge to his successor \u2014 the Imam after him \u2014 and each Imam entrusted them to the next until it reached the Imam of our time (may Allah hasten his relief and appearance).
\nThey clarify the divine rulings taken from the Prophet.
\nIf this clarifier were not infallible, people would not trust his words, and the purpose of the prophetic mission would be undermined.
\nSecond:
\nDisagreement and conflict inevitably occur among people due to their nature and desires, as observed clearly.
\nDivine grace therefore requires appointing among them one who knows the actual truth in every era and who serves as a reference in disputes so that justice prevails.
\nThis person is the Imam whom all people are commanded to follow and rely upon.
\nIf it is said: During the Imams\u2019 lifetimes they judged according to apparent legal principles, just as scholars do during the Occultation \u2014 so how can you claim that divine grace requires appointing an Imam to judge by the real truth known only to him?
\nAnswer:
\nThe obstacle preventing them from judging by their full knowledge came from the people themselves \u2014 just as the obstacle to the Imam\u2019s public appearance comes from them.
\nSince they are the cause, they have no argument against divine grace.
\nMany narrations state that if they were given authority, they would judge with the judgment of the family of David \u2014 that is, according to the true rulings entrusted to them by God.
\nAmong them is what is reported in Usul al-Kafi (2\/397) from Abu \u02bfUbaydah, from Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him):
\n\u201cO Abu \u02bfUbaydah, when the Qa\u2019im of the family of Muhammad rises, he will judge with the judgment of David and Solomon and will not require evidence.\u201d
\nAnother narration:
\n\u201cThe world will not end until a man from me appears who judges with the rule of the family of David; he will not ask for proof and will give every soul its due.\u201d
\nAnd from Ammar al-Sabati:
\nWhen asked how they judge, he replied:
\n\u201cBy the judgment of God and the judgment of David; and if a matter comes to us that we do not have, the Holy Spirit brings it to us.\u201d
\nAnd from \u02bfAli ibn al-Husayn (peace be upon him):
\n\u201cWe judge by the judgment of the family of David; if something is unclear to us, the Holy Spirit conveys it.\u201d
\nThird:
\nEven if scholars were assumed to know all rulings, their existence would not suffice in place of the Imam, because they are not infallible from error and forgetfulness.
\nTherefore, in every age there must be an infallible person who serves as a reference for humanity \u2014 and that is none other than the Imam.
\nIf it is asked:
\nWhat is the difference between the absence of the Imam and his existence while hidden from sight?
\nAnswer:
\nSince the cause of his concealment comes from people, this does not contradict divine grace nor indicate lack of need for the Imam. Rather, they must remove the obstacles to his appearance to benefit from his light and knowledge.
\nWe do not accept that he is hidden from all believers at all times; many righteous individuals have been honored with meeting him, and their accounts are recorded in scholarly works and collectively provide certainty.
\nThe benefits of his blessed existence are not limited to imparting knowledge; rather, all divine grace reaching creation flows through the blessings of his existence. Some evidence for this will appear in Chapter Three, God willing. (Author)
\nIf you\u2019d like, I can also:
\nsummarize the passage, or
\ntranslate the next section.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Miky\u0101l al-Mak\u0101rim \u2013 Mirza Muhammad Taqi al-Isfahani \u201cMiky\u0101l al-Mak\u0101rim f\u012b Faw\u0101\u02beid al-Du\u02bf\u0101\u02be li-l-Q\u0101\u02beim (peace be upon him)\u201d Authored by the devout scholar, ascetic, and striving jurist Hajj Mirza Muhammad Taqi al-Musawi al-Isfahani (Abu Abdullah) \u2014 may his secret be sanctified. Edited by Sayyid Ali Ashour. Published by Al-A\u02bflami Publications, Beirut, Lebanon. (1) Because of his …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":29354,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-islamic-research"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29353"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29353\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29355,"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29353\/revisions\/29355"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}