Symposium 57
The Details of the Two Conceals (Al-Ghaibah)
Anwar:Salam ‘Alaykom!
Hasan:Alaykom As-Salam Wa Rahmatollah Wa Barakatoh!
Anwar:Last time, we talked about ‘the Minor Conceal’ and ‘the Major Conceal’, but will you consider some details in this regard?
Hasan:We agreed to talk in brief and leave the details for later, but I think I can mention some of the crucial details here.
Let’s start with the prayer Imam Al-Hojja (PBUH) said over his deceased father which is crystal clear reference
that the Imam (AHHR) is a living person and that he did his responsibility, namely saying prayer over the previous deceased Imam.
This proves that he is the next Imam and he must be obeyed. As a matter of fact, Imam Al-Mahdi (PBUH) stood up to deviation and allegation of his uncle, Ja’far Bin Ali, and began his guidance and direction to his supporters and followers.
His Minor Conceal started in the year 260 AH when the ruling regime went after the Imam (AHHR). During his Conceal, he was contacting his Ambassadors whom he placed as his agents. The Major Conceal started with the death of the fourth and the last Ambassador. There are more details in this regard, but this serves the purpose.
Anwar:Now that we know the Imam (AHHR) is in his Major Conceal, I would like to ask about the reasons for the Conceal.
Hasan:I clarified that the ruling regime at the time was in pursuit of Imam Al-Mahdi (AHHR) in order to kill him. This is the main reason. I will briefly mention the other reasons:
· The Imam (AHHR) was concealed because he was afraid he was going to be killed; it is reported from Abu Abdullah (PBUH) that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said:“The lad has to be concealed”. When he was asked why, he replied:“He fears to be killed”.
· Imam Al-Mahdi (AHHR) was concealed so he would not be having anyone’s pledge of allegiance (Bai’a) as it is reported from Abu Abdullah (PBUH):“The birth of the person in charge of this matter will be concealed from people so he would not be having anyone’s pledge of allegiance when he is revealed”.
Anwar:You said he was afraid! Does the Infallible Imam become afraid?
Hasan:When I say he was afraid, this does not mean he was a coward or afraid of dying; such a low quality cannot come from such a perfect person. The point here is that his death would cause corruption and evil in earth and among the people which is against the purpose of his existence and being in the first place.
Anwar:Very good explanation. May I ask another question?
Hasan:Of course. Ask whatever you like.
Anwar:I know now the reason behind his Conceal, but what are the benefits of his Conceal?
Hasan:The benefits are numerous like the benefits of the sun covered and concealed by the clouds.
This is what Imam Al-Sadiq (PBUH) stated:“Since the creation of Adam, the earth has never been devoid of a God’s Proof, either apparent or concealed, and the earth will never be devoid of a God’s Proof, otherwise Allah would not be worshipped.”Sulaiman said I asked Imam Al-Sadiq (PBUH) how people would get benefit from God’s concealed Proof. He said:“The same way they get benefit from the sun concealed by the clouds”.
We can put the benefit of the Conceal as the following:
· The Conceal meant to test the people as it was reported by Imam Mosa Bin Ja’far (PBUH):“If the fifth son of the seventh Imam is absented, I swear you by Allah to stick to your religion and let no one separate you from it. O my son! The person in charge of this matter has to be concealed until he is revealed again. It
is indeed an ordeal from Allah to test mankind”.
· Existence of the Imam is a grace in itself, because he is the viceroy or Khalif placed by the Most Gracious Allah on earth:
(…I am going to place in the earth a Khalif…)2;30.
· He is one of the hidden reasons for the whole existence as it is reported:“Through us, Allah holds up the heaven from falling on the earth, save His will; through us, He holds the earth from shaking with its inhabitants; through us, He brings down rain, spreads mercy and brings out the blessings of the earth; without what is on the earth because of us, it would sink with its inhabitants”.
· One of his four Ambassadors, Mohammad Bin Othman, reports from the Imam (AHHR) that“I am providing protection for the people of the earth akin to the stars providing protection for the people of the heaven”.
· He is in charge of people’s internal and external direction.
· He is considered to be one of the means people’s needs is answered through supplication (Do’a) and intercession (Shafa’a) for the believers.
· He preserved and defended the believers as Sheikh Al-Mofid – God bless his soul – reports from the Imam (AHHR):“We are neither inattentive in taking care of you, nor forgetful to mentioning you; otherwise, you would be in adversity devastated by the enemies”.
There are many other benefits, but I have to point out that offering all these benefits does not necessarily require his revelation as he is similar to the Unknown Soldier. What is said in the Noble Quran about the Virtuous Al-Khizr (PBUH) emphasizes this fact; he did three things with three benefits without knowing.
Anwar:Very true. He helped the parents by killing the child, he was of service to the people on the ship without their knowledge and he built the wall for the orphans.
Hasan:Well said.
Anwar:Now, I would like to ask about his presence and attendance when it is required for the best.
Hasan:It is frequently reported that he attends the pilgrimage to Mecca (Al-Haj) and the graves of his ancestors as well as the grave of his grandfather, Imam Husain (PBUH); he answers whoever calls for help and contact the virtuous people and the religious scholars according to what is best.
This is also emphasized through what Zararah reported from Abu Abdulla (PBUH):“People miss their Imam, so he attends the pilgrimage; he sees them but they do not see him”.
Sheikh Al-Tousi([16]) in his book ‘Al-Ghaibah’ (The Conceal) reports from the second Ambassador, Mohammad Bin Othman Al-Omari that“By God, the person in charge of this matter is present the pilgrimage every year; he sees people and knows them and they see him but they do not know him”.
There are several other proofs confirming his presence as well as his communication with the believers.
Anwar:Very good. I would like to ask something.
[16]Nasir al-TusiOutstanding Persian philosopher, scientist, and mathematician. Educated first in Ṭūs, where his father was a jurist in the Twelfth Imam school, the main sect of. He made important contributions to astronomy and wrote many commentaries on Greek texts.
Although I already have some answers in mind, there is no harm to raise this question. Ok. How could the Imam (AHHR) possibly live this long?
Hasan:What is the answer you have?
Anwar:I have few ideas.
· We believe in miracles and so the fact that the Imam (AHHR) can be a miracle for the greater good. This is what Imam Zain Al-Abidin (PBUH) told us about:“It is a tradition of Noah that the Qa’em has; it is longevity”.
· Longevity was not limited to the Imam (AHHR). As a matter of fact, the Prophets Noah and Shu’aib (PBUT), the Virtuous Al-Khizr (PBUH) and others had also long lives.
· Science proved the possibility of human beings enjoying a long life if they can stay healthy. That is how much I know.
Hasan:Very good. This is quite enough to back up your belief. I would not be adding any more.
Anwar:You look very exhausted. Would you like to stop?
Hasan:Yes, thank you. See you tomorrow, Inshallah.