The meaning of the Clear Imam

We were with al-Rida, peace be upon him, in Merv, so we gathered in the mosque on Friday at the beginning of our arrival. Then they passed around the matter of Imamate and they mentioned the amount of dispute among the people about it. Then I entered into the place of my Master, peace be upon him, and I informed him of the people’s discourse in that, so he, peace be upon him, smiled, then he said: O Abdul-Aziz, the people are ignorant and have been deceived about their religious beliefs. Indeed, Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, did not take His Prophet, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, until He completed for them the Religion, and He sent down unto him the Qur’an, in which is the detailing of everything and in which is the clarification of the permissible, the forbidden, the fixated punishments, the rulings and all which the people are in need of, completely, and He, Exalted and glorious is He, said: «We have not neglected in the Book anything» (6:38) and so He revealed during the farewell pilgrimage, which was during the last of the age of him, peace be upon him: «Today I have completed for you your Religion, fulfilled upon you My Grace and been pleased for you Islam as a Religion.» (5:3) Hence, the matter of the Imamate is among the completion of Religion, and he, peace be upon him, did not leave until he clarified to his nation the teachings of their religion and explained to them their path, and he left them after having made them aware of intending the path of truth, and he appointed for them Ali, peace be upon them, as a Banner and an Imam, and he did not leave anything which his nation is in need to, except that he clarified it. Thus, the one who claims that Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, did not complete His Religion, then he has rejected the Book of Allah, and the one who rejects the Book of Allah is a disbeliever. Do you know the value of the Imamate and its position from the nation by which it is permissible for them to make a choice? Indeed, the Imamate is more glorious rank, greater significance, higher place, more exclusive in involvement and more preventive of being hollow than for people to be able to reach it with their intellects or obtain with their opinions, or for them to assign an Imam by their choice. Indeed, the Imamate was specified by Allah for Ibrahim the Good Friend, peace be upon him, after Prophethood, and the being of a Good Friend is a third rank and position by which He had honored him and raised his remembrance, to which He, Exalted and Glorious is He, said: «Indeed, I am making you, for the people, an Imam» (2:124) to which the Good Friend, peace be upon him, said, joyfully with it: «And from my offspring?» (2:124). Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said: «My Covenant does not include the wrongdoers.» (2:124) Thus, this verse invalidated Imamate in every wrongdoer until the Day of Resurrection, and so, it became in the Chosen Ones. Furthermore, Allah honored him by making it in his offspring, the People of Choosing and Purity, and said: «And We granted to him Ishaq and Ya’qoub as an addition, everyone (of them) We made righteous, and We made them Imams who guide by Our commandment, and We revealed to them the doing of good deeds, the establishment of prayer and the giving of alms, and they were to Us, worsippers.» (21:72-73) It did not cease to be in his offspring, of which some inherited of others, generation by generation, until the Prophet, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, inherited it, to which He, Glorified be His Glory, said: «Indeed, the people most worthy of Ibrahim are, verily, those who followed him, and this Prophet and those who have believed. And Allah is the Ally of the believers.» (3:68) Hence, it was for him in particular, and then the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, appointed it to Ali, peace be upon him, by the commandment of Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, in according to what Allah had obliged, and then it became in his Pure offspring whom Allah has given knowledge and faith, due to the saying of Him, Exalted and Glorious is He: «And those who were the knowledge and faith said: You have, certainly, remained in the Book of Allah until the Day of Release» (30:56). Thus, it is in the sons of Ali, peace be upon him, exclusively, until the Day of Resurrection, as there is no Prophet after Muhammed, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family. So, from where do these ignorants choose the Imam? Indeed, the Imamate is the rank of Prophets and the inheritance of Successors. Indeed, the Imamate is, verily, the Successorship of Allah, the Successorship of the Messenger, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, the position of the Commander of the Believers and the inheritance of Hasan and Hussain, peace be upon them both, due to the saying of Him, Exalted and Glorious is He: « And those who were the knowledge and faith said» (30:56). Indeed, the Imamate is the Rope of the Religion, the System of the Muslims, the Uprightness of Material Affairs and the Honour of the Believers. Indeed, the Imamate is the growing basis of Islam and its sublime branch. With the Imam is the fulfilment of prayers, alms, fasting, pilgrimage, striving, the procurement of booty, charity, the carrying of fixated punishments, rulings and the prevention of frontiers and borders. The Imam permits that which Allah makes permissible, forbids what Allah makes forbidden, carries out the fixated punishments of Allah, defends the Religion of Allah and calls to the Path of his Lord with wisdom and good advice with the ultimate argument. The Imam is like the visible sun that shines with its light to the world while it is in the horizon in a manner it is not obtained by hands and vision. The Imam is the brightening full moon, the visible lamp, the plain light and the guiding star in the unseen dark, the plain land the and the deep of oceans. The Imam is the fresh water for the thirsty, the guide towards guidance, the driver away from destruction. The Imam is the fire above the hill that warms the one who warms himself, the guide in what makes one perish, he who separates from him, he is perished. The Imam is the raining cloud, the large-dropped rain, the brightening sun, the covering sky, the flattened earth, the abundant source, the stream and the garden. The Imam is the mild trustee, the compassionate father, the equivalent brother, the refuge of the servants during the calamity. The Imam is the Trustee of Allah among His creation, His Proof upon His servants, His Successor in His lands, the Caller to Allah and the Defender of the Sanctities of Allah. The Imam is the purified from sins, the innocent from blemishes, specified with knowledge, marked with forbearance, the System of Religion, the honor of the Muslims, the cause of rage to the hypocrites and the devastation of the hypocrites. The Imam is unique of his age, none is near to him, nor is a scholar even to him, nor is there to him any alternative, nor similar nor equal. He is specified with virtue, all of it, without any seek of it from him nor attempt of obtaining, but it is rather specified from One who bestows favor, a Granter. So, who is the one who reaches conscious knowledge of the Imam or who is able to choose him? May such be far! May such be far! Intellects have gone astray, dreams have gone lost, minds have become confused, eyes have longed, the great ones have become belittled, the wise have become confused, the forbearing have come short, the speakers have become tightened, the intellectuals have become dazed, the poets have become dimmed, the writers have become unable, and the eloquent have become incapable of describing one rank from his ranks or one virtue from his virtues, and so they acknowledged inability and short-doing. How can he be described, characterized by his nature, for it to be understood one thing from his matter or for anyone to stand in his place and to enrich with his richness? There is no «how» and «whereby» while he is like the star away from the hands of those who approach and the description of those who describe. So, where is choice with regards to this? And where are intellects from (ability to comprehend) this? And where is the like of this? Did they assume that this is among other then the Messenger’s Family? Their selves lied to them, by Allah, and they were made lost by falsehood, and so they elevated to a position of difficulty and slippery from which their feet slip to lowland. They sought to appoint the Imam with confused, dull and lacking intellects and aberrant opinions, and so they were not increased from him but with distance. May Allah destroy them! How are they deluded? They have, certainly, sought a difficult matter, uttered falsehood, aberred a distant aberration and fallen into confusion as they abandoned the Imam knowingly and Satan had beautified for them their acts, and so he repelled them from the path. They were conscious, having desired, other than the choice of Allah and the choice of His Messenger, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, to their choice, while the Qur’an calls for them: «And your Lord creates what He wishes and chooses. The choice was not for them. Glorified be Allah and Exalted is He above what they associate.» (28:68) And He said: «And it is not for a believing man nor a believing woman, if Allah and His Messenger decide a matter, that they have the choice in their matter.» (33:36) And He said: «What is it with you? How do you judge? Or do you have a book in which you learn, that indeed, for you is what you choose? Or do you have oaths upon Us, extending until the Day of Resurrection, that indeed, for you is to judge? Ask them which of them are, for that, claimers. Or do they have associates? Then let them bring their associates, if they were truthful.» (68:37-41) And He said: «Do they not contemplate on the Qur’an, or are their locks upon certain hearts?» (47:24) Or did Allah seal their hearts, and so they do not know? Or «They said: We wear, but they do not hear. Indeed, the worst living creatures for Allah are the deaf, the dumb, who do not use reason. And if Allah had knew in them any good, He would, verily, have made them hear, and if He had made them hear, they would, verily, turn away while they are refusing.» (8:21-23) Or: «They said: We have heard, and we disobey» (2:93). Rather, it is the favor of Allah which He gives to whom He wishes, and Allah is the One of Virtue, the Almighty. Hence, how is it for them to choose the Imam, when the Imam is knowledgeable who is not ignorant, a caller who does not deter, the core of holiness, purity, devoutness, ascetism, knowledge and worship? He is specified with the call of the Messenger, the progeny of the Pure, the Batul, there is no flaw in him with regards to lineage, nor is anyone with nobility near to him. The house is from Quraish, the prime is from Hashim, the Progeny is from the Family of the Messenger, the satisfaction is from Allah, the honor of all honors, the branch is from Abd Manaf, the one with growing knowledge, with complete rule, an expert in trust, knowledgeable in politics, to whom obedience is obligatory, rising with the order of Allah, an aid to the servants of Allah, a protector of the Religion of Allah. Indeed, the Prophets and Imams are given success by Allah, and He grants them from the Hidden of His Knowledge and Wisdom what He does not grant others, and so their knowledge is above the knowledge of the people of their age, in accordance to the saying of Him, Exalted is He: «So is He who guides to the truth more rightful to be followed, or he who does not guide, except that he is guided? So what is it with you? How do you judge?» (10:35) And His saying: «And he who is given wisdom, has, certainly, been given much good.» (2:269) And His saying about Talut: «Indeed, Allah chose him over you and increased him abundantly in knowledge and stature. And Allah grants His sovereignty to whom He wishes. And Allah is Encompassing, All-Knowing.» (2:247) And He said to His Prophet, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family: «He sent down unto you the Book and the wisdom, and He taught you what you did not know. And the favor of Allah upon you is ever great.» (4:113). And He said about the Imams from his Household, Progeny and Offspring, Allah’s blessings be upon him: «Or do they envy people for what Allah has granted them from His favor? For indeed, We have granted the Family of Ibrahim the Book and the wisdom, and We granted them a great kingdom. Then, among them were those who believed in him, and among them were those who drove away from it. And Hell is sufficient as a blaze.» (4:54-55) Indeed, if a servant is selected by Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, for the matters of His servants, He will expand his chest for that and entrust in his heart the wells of wisdom, and He will inspire to him knowledge, an inspiration, after which he will not be tired for an answer, nor will he be confused in it away from the correctness, while he is protected, assisted, given success and set firm, having been safeguarded from error, slipping and unintentional mistakes. He will be specified with that by Allah that he might be His Proof over His servants and His witness over His creation, and that is the favor of Allah, which He grants to whomever He wishes, and Allah is the One of great bestowal of favor. So, are they able to such as this? Or will their chosen be with this characteristic, by which they will put him forward? They have distanced, by the House of Allah, from the truth and discarded the Book of Allah behind their backs as if they do not know, whereas in the Book of Allah lies guidance and cure, but they discarded it and followed their desires, and so Allah condemned, detested them and made the miserable, so He, Exalted and Glorious is He, said: «And who is more aberrant than the one who follows his desire without guidance from Allah? Indeed, Allah does not guide the wrong-doing people.» (28:50) And He said: «Hence, misery is for them, and their acts are aberrant.» (47:8) And He said: «Great is the detest in the sight of Allah and the sight of those who have believed. That is how Allah seals upon every arrogant, tyrannical, heart.» (40:35)