Hadith 17
۞
We said this is disguising lunacy in lucidity, because he presupposes that we say that proof for existence of the Imam stands during occultation while there is no Imam, which is a contradiction. However, we do not say that. Rather, our proof during the presence of the Imam is the very same proof during his occultation, for the Imam is grace in both conditions. We don’t say that the leader does not exist during occultation; rather, we maintain that the leader exists, however, due to the behavior of the duty-bound, he does not administer the affairs of society, not that his administration of society is not a grace anymore. Rather, it is grace as ever. And it has not materialized due to reasons not endorsed by Allah. This is similar to the following argument: “How can the knowledge of the existence of God be grace, while the infidel does not know about God’s existence? Since the infidel is obliged with duties and he is not blessed with faith, it proves that the knowledge of God’s existence and faith is not always grace, because if it were, it would be self-contradictory.”
وإنما قلنا: إنه تمويه لانه ظن أنا نقول: إن في حال الغيبة دليل وجوب الامامة قائم ولا إمام فكان نقضا، ولا نقول ذلك، بل دليلنا في حال وجود الامام بعينه هو دليل حال غيبته، في أن في الحالين الامام لطف فلا نقول:إن زمان الغيبة خلا من وجوب رئيس، بل عندنا أن الرئيس حاصل، وإنما ارتفع انبساط يده لما يرجع إلى المكلفين على ما بيناه، لا لان انبساط يده خرج من كونه لطفا بل وجه اللطف به قائم، وإنما لم يحصل لما يرجع إلى غير الله. فجرى مجرى أن يقول قائل:كيف يكون معرفة الله تعالى لطفا مع أن الكافر لا يعرف الله، فلما كان التكليف على الكافر قائما والمعرفة مرتفعة دل على أن المعرفة ليست لطفا على كل حال لانها لو كانت كذلك لكان ذلك نقضا.
Tags
Occultation
Similar narrations
- Kitāb al-Ghayba #18 Our response to the query of Imamate is same as their response in the query of faith; belief in God is grace as ever with regard to the...
- Kitāb al-Ghayba #20 We reply that the opponent has only complicated his argument, as logicians say, by turning around premises and referring them to one...
- Kitāb al-Ghayba #214 Sayyid Murtadha says: The question of the opponent from us that why the Imam does not appear to his devotees is irrelevant, because if he...
- Kitāb al-Ghayba #10 Second objection: Occultation violates the reasoning of necessity of Imamate in every age, because, if the fact that the presence of a...
- Kitāb al-Ghayba #16 As for the second part of his argument: It is based on his own words. We do not say that he did not understand what he said, for he is...
- Kitāb al-Ghayba #11 Third objection: It is to say that according to you, the benefit of Imamate is that it leads people away from wrong. However, this cannot be...
- Kitāb al-Ghayba #13 Evil of belief in occultation of the Imam can be proved by stating that it removes hardships and hurdles from the duty-bound (Mukallaf),...
- Kitāb al-Ghayba #14 The answer to this would be that, which we have explained in the context of necessity of Imamate; that his administration of affairs and...