Shia believes that Imam al-Mahdi was born in the year of 869 A.D (255 A.H) in Samara and went into the hiding soon after. He is the man that is still alive and will come at an appointed time to save the world from tyranny and injustice. Sunnis mostly believe that he has not been born yet, however there are sufficient proofs in Sunni and Shia sources to show that the Imam is now alive. These narrations are so widely narrated that no one can deny them.
According to the narration of “the Death of Ignorance”, those who die while they did not recognize the Imam of their time, their death is like the death of those who had died at the Age of Ignorance[1]. Based on these narrations, we have to realize who this Imam is that people have to know him and that to know him is so important that if people do not recognize him they would die like an ignorant man who died before the advent of Islam.
The sources of this narration
This narration is remarkably reflected in Islamic sources and both the Shia and Sunni scholars have referred to some versions of it.
1- Moslem, the famous Sunni traditionist, narrates in his Ṣaḥīḥ from the Prophet to have said,
«مَنْ مَاتَ وَ لَيْسَ فِي عُنُقِهِ بَيْعَةٌ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّة.»
“The one who dies while he did not owe allegiance (to a just leader or Imam) his death is like the Death of Ignorance.”[2]
2- Bukhārī narrates in his Ṣaḥīḥ from the Prophet saying,
«مَنْ كَرِهَ مِنْ أَمِيرِهِ شَيْئاً فَلْيَصْبِرْ، فَإِنَّهُ مَنْ خَرَجَ مِنْ السُّلْطَانِ شِبْراً مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً.»
“If someone disliked an action from his emir he has to remain patient since if someone disobeys his sultan even a little (equal to the span of the hand) he will die like a man at the Age of Ignorance.”[3]
3- Ahmad bin Ḥanbal narrates from the Prophet saying,
«مَنْ مَاتَ بِغَيْرِ إِمَامٍ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً.»
“The one who dies while he has no Imam his death is like the Death of Ignorance.”[4]
4- Hākim al-Naysābūrī narrates from bin Umar, the son of the second caliph, who narrates from the Messenger of Allah to have said,
«من مات و ليس عليه إمام جماعة فان موتته موتة جاهليّة.»
“The one who dies while he did not accept the leadership of an Imam who is the leader of a group of people his death is indeed like the Death of Ignorance.”[5]
5- Al-Zamakhsharī narrates from the Prophet to have said,
«من مات و ليس في عنقه لإمام المسلمين بيعة فميتته ميتة جاهلية.»
“The one who dies while he did not owe allegiance to a Moslems’ Imam his death is like the Death of Ignorance.”[6]
6- Ahmad bin Ḥanbal narrates from the Prophet saying,
«من مات وليست عليه طاعة مات ميتة جاهلية فان خلعها من بعد عقدها في عنقه لقى الله تبارك وتعالى وليست له حجة.»
“The one who dies while he has not accepted to obey (an Imam) his death is like the Death of Ignorance and even if someone accepts the leadership of an Imam, but later on rejects him he will meet Allah the Exalted the Glorified while he has nothing to offer as an excuse.”[7]
7- Fakhr al-Din al-Rāzī narrates from the Prophet saying,
«من مات و لم یعرف امام زمانه فلیمت ان شاء یهودیا و ان شاء نصرانیا.»
“The one who dies while he did not recognize the Imam of his age he has a choice to die as a Jew or a Christian.”[8]
8- Al-Muttaqī al-Hindī narrates from the Prophet saying,
«من نزع يدا من طاعة جاء يوم القيامة لا حجّة له.»
“The one who stops following (the just leader) will enter the Day of Judgment while he has nothing to offer as an excuse.”[9]
9- Moslem narrates in his Sahīh from the Prophet to have stated,
«مَنْ خَرَجَ مِنَ الطَّاعَةِ وَ فَارَقَ الْجَمَاعَةَ فَمَاتَ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً.»
“The one who stops following (the just leader) and distance from what the majority of people do and die (in that status), his death is like the Death of Ignorance.”[10]
Now let's have a look at the sources of this narration in Shia books. The Shia also relate this narration with many different wordings:
1- It is narrated from Imam al-Hassan al-‘Askarī (the Shia eleventh Imam) to have said,
«أَنَّ الْأَرْضَ لَا تَخْلُو مِنْ حُجَّةِ اللَّهِ عَلَى خَلْقِهِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ وَ أَنَّ مَنْ مَاتَ وَ لَمْ يَعْرِفْ إِمَامَ زَمَانِهِ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّة.»
“The earth, till the Day of Judgment does never remain without an Imam who is (sent) from Allah to people and indeed if someone dies while he did not recognize the Imam of his age his death is like the Death of Ignorance.”[11]
2- Yahyā bin ‘Abdullah narrates from Imam al-Ṣādiq (the Shia sixth Imam) to have said to him,
«يَا يَحْيَى بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ مَنْ بَاتَ لَيْلَةً لَا يَعْرِفُ فِيهَا إِمَامَهُ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً.»
“O Yahyā! The one who spend (even) a night while he does not recognize his Imam in that night, his death is like the Death of Ignorance.”[12]
3- Umar bin Yazīd narrates from Imam al-Kāẓim (the Shia seventh Imam) to have related,
«مَنْ مَاتَ بِغَيْرِ إِمَامٍ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً إِمَامٍ حَيٍّ يَعْرِفُهُ ... قَدْ وَ اللَّهِ قَالَ ذَلِكَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ قَالَ وَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ مَنْ مَاتَ وَ لَيْسَ لَهُ إِمَامٌ يَسْمَعُ لَهُ وَ يُطِيعُ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً.»
“The one who dies while he did not recognize an Imam who is living, his death is like the Death of Ignorance… Indeed, by Allah, the Messenger of Allah uttered this narration and also stated that the one who dies while did not have an Imam to whom he listen and obey, his death is like the Death of Ignorance.”[13]
4- Imam al-Riḍā narrates from his fathers who narrate from the Prophet to have said,
«مَنْ مَاتَ وَ لَيْسَ لَهُ إِمَامٌ مِنْ وُلْدِي مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّة.»
“The one who dies while he did not have an Imam who is from my progeny his death is like the Death of Ignorance.”[14]
5- In another narration from Imam al-Ṣādiq (the Shia sixth Imam) through a healthy chain of transmitters, the Imam states,
«إِنَّ الْأَرْضَ لَا تَصْلُحُ إِلَّا بِالْإِمَامِ وَ مَنْ مَاتَ لَا يَعْرِفُ إِمَامَهُ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّة.»
“Indeed the earth will never be in a correct way but just with the Imam and if someone dies while he did not recognize the Imam of his age, his death is like the Death of Ignorance.”[15]
6- Abī al-Yasa’ narrates that he asked Imam al-Ṣādiq about the pillars in which Islam is built upon, those that no one is allowed to dismiss and the Imam stated,
«شَهَادَةُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَ الْإِيمَانُ بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص ... مَنْ مَاتَ لَا يَعْرِفُ إِمَامَ زَمَانِهِ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّة.»
“(They are) to bear testimony to the oneness of Allah and to believe to the prophethood of the Messenger of Allah… and if someone dies while he did not know the Imam of his age, his death is like the Death of Ignorance”[16]
These are some samples of this narration in Sunni and Shia sources and we just sufficed ourselves with a little portion of them. The fact is that when a narration is related so extensively in Islamic sources, no one should doubt the authenticity of it. Also, these narrations are uttered by the Prophet and the Imams by a variety of different wordings it shows that the Prophet and the Imam’s uttered them repeatedly in different occasions and it indicates how much it was important for them to repeat them again and again.
In summary, these narrations contain the following points:
- It is duty upon everyone to know the Imam of his time; and to recognize the Imam is part of the religion. On the other hand, not to know him or to reject him is rendered as to be like the people at the Age of Ignorance.
- The one who dies while he did not accept the leadership of the Imam his death is like the Death of Ignorance though he would be a learning man.
- People should obey the Imam and should listen to his orders.
- In each time, there should be an Imam and the line of these consecutive Imams should not be broken even for a short period of time (so that there would be no one to die without an Imam in that time.)
Here a question is raised that who this Imam is that people have to recognize and obey him; or else, they would be like those who died before Islam (which means their Islam will be of no use for them).
This Imam, of course is not one of the unjust or tyrant ruler since Allah in the Quran ordains people not to take them as friends or guardians and says,
«وَ لا تَرْكَنُوا إِلَى الَّذينَ ظَلَمُوا فَتَمَسَّكُمُ النَّارُ وَ ما لَكُمْ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مِنْ أَوْلِياءَ ثُمَّ لا تُنْصَرُونَ»
“Do not depend on those who do wrong, lest the fire may seize you too; for you there is no guardian but Allah; and you will receive no help [If you disobey Allah's command].”[17]
And Allah says in other verses,
«وَ لا تُطيعُوا أَمْرَ الْمُسْرِفينَ * الَّذينَ يُفْسِدُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَ لا يُصْلِحُونَ»
"And do not obey the orders of the extravagant chiefs [who exceed Allah's limits;]. Those who make corruption in the earth and do not amend themselves."[18]
Also in another verse, Allah puts emphasis to this matter and says,
«أَ لَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذينَ يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّهُمْ آمَنُوا بِما أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَ ما أُنْزِلَ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ يُريدُونَ أَنْ يَتَحاكَمُوا إِلَى الطَّاغُوتِ وَ قَدْ أُمِرُوا أَنْ يَكْفُرُوا بِه»
“[O, the Messenger!] Have you not observed those who claim that they believe in the revelations which have been sent down to you and was sent down before you, and they wish [in their deep down] to go for judgment [in their disputes] to the Satanic and unjust rulers though they have been ordered to reject them?”[19] …
As a result, no one is permitted to refer to an unjust or oppressive ruler.
On the other hand, even just kings and righteous rulers are also excluded from the content of these narrations because, although one should not disobey them, to know them is not that much important to make it necessary to be under the spotlight and to receive that much attention in Islamic narrations; and basically, why should everyone before his death has to know this ruler and should swear allegiance to him and why otherwise, would not his Islam be accepted from him? Why such an ordinary king is so important that to know him and to believe in him is rendered as much important as to believe in Allah and His messenger is.
These questions help us realize that the Imam here is not even a just king. He is the one who is from the progeny of the Prophet, and the one who in the hadith of al-Thaqalayn is mentioned next to the Quran that, till the Day of Judgment, will not be separated from it as the Quran also will never be parted from him.
As a result, the only correct explanation for this narration is what the Shia believe which is that these narrations talk about a divine custom of Allah which is that He always designates a just infallible Imam to live among people and they should recognize him and follow his guidelines. After the demise of the Prophet the position of Imamate was bestowed to Imam Ali bin Abī Ṭālib and this line continued till Imam al-Hassan al-‘Askarī and, based on these narrations, he has to have a son who is still alive and his name is Imam “al-Mahdi”.
Source: The Final Hope, March 2016, issue no. 15
Mahdism.net
[1] A period of time before the advent of Islam is called “the Age of Ignorance” since people at that era were deprived from moralities and ethical teachings and used to behave inhumanely.
[2] Ṣaḥīḥ Moslem, vol. 6, p. 22, the book of al-Emārah.
[3] Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī, vol. 8, p. 87, the book of al-Fetan.
[4] Mosnad Ahmad, vol. 1, p. 416.
[5] Al-Mostadrak ‘Ala al-Sahīhayn, vol. 1, p. 77.
[6] Rabī’ al-Abrār, vol. 4, p. 221.
[7] Mosnad Ahmad, vol. 3, p. 446.
[8] Al-Masīel al-Khamsūn, p. 374, issue no. 47.
[9] Kanz al-‘Ummāl, vol. 6, p. 65.
[10] Sahīh Moslem, vol. 6, p. 21, the book of al-Emārah.
[11] Bihār al-Anwār, vol. 51, p. 160.
[12] Al-Ghaybah written by al-No’mānī, p. 127, hadith 1.
[13] Al-Ikhtisās, written by Sheikh al-Mofīd, p. 268.
[14] ‘Uyūn Akhbā al-Rīzā, written by sheikh Sadūq, vol. 2, p. 58, hadith 214.
[15] Al-Mahāsen, written by al-Barqī, vol. 1, p. 154, hadith 79.
[16] Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 23, p. 89, hadith 35.
[17] The Quran, 11:113
[18] The Quran, 26:151 and 152
[19] The Quran, 4:60
