MUSLIMS & THE STRAIGHT PATH: Part - 3-G - The Manifesting Imam

Muslims & The Straight Path  [Published 2010]

Part - 3-G

THE MANIFESTING IMAM

Verse 39:68 of the Holy Quran confirms that there are some who would continue to survive even when the entire creation will die when ‘the Trumpet is blown’ on the Day of Judgment.

24:68

And (when) shall be blown the Trumpet, then shall swoon (die) whoever is in the heavens and whoever is in the earth save those whom God hath willed (to keep alive); then (The Trumpet) shall be blown again, then lo! They shall stand up awaiting.

This verse clearly shows that there will be some who will survive death even when the Trumpet is blown. There is another interesting point. Quran says that whoever is in heavens too will die. This is in perfect accordance with Krishna’s detailed view on this in Gita as per which the ultimate aim is to attain unity with God. This is called salvation or freedom from rebirth. Those who are in heaven are those who have not attained salvation in their lives i.e. freedom from rebirth but are there because of the good deeds performed while they were living on earth. Gita says that once they have relished the rewards of their good deeds done on earth, they are sent again to the earth. There is some vague description of this process of resending on earth given by Buddha as well, which again seem to be referring to the role of Devatas in this process of sending the spirits back on earth (Remember, vagueness might have been because of the translator’s inability to understand the subject of discussion).

There is no doubt whatsoever that once the reward for deeds is given in heaven the spirit which failed to attain salvation will be sent again in the world for yet another test. This argument, if accepted, may also give an acceptable answer to the archaeologists who find discrepancy in their findings of human fossils dating back to 50,000 years and more and the Biblical description as per which only about 12,000 years have passed since Adam was sent on earth.

Quran confirms this through verse 57:17, which says:

Know ye! That God enliveneth the earth after its death; indeed have we made the signs clear unto you, that ye may understand.

All Muslims are of the opinion that there is a heaven and hell in existence at this moment as well. There are narrations related to the Prophet that confirm that the heaven and hell are not empty at the moment but there are inmates in both of them. Muslims are also of belief that the verdict on the deeds of the humans who live or have lived in this world will be passed on the Day of Judgment, after the sounding of the Trumpet. If people of this world have not gone to heaven or hell yet, who are the present inmates of heaven and hell? Quran itself is giving an answer to this question but it has not been understood till now because of the utter force with which we blindly deny everything associated with other religions like Hinduism, without putting the claim to the test of reason.

Quran says that when the Trumpet will be sounded, those on earth will die and those in heavens presently, who were there because they performed good deeds in the previous creation and have lived there for the entire life of this creation, too will die. The word used in the Quran is ‘man fis samavate wa man fil arz’ ‘Those in the skies and in the earth’.

Heaven and earth will also cease to live with the blowing of the Trumpet and there will come into existence a new earth, a new heaven with the people resurrected. (See 14: 48, 36:51, 78:18)

‘Saayeqa’ literally does not mean death but ‘swoon’ – 7:143, but the lost of consciousness in that state is synonymous with death. However, there is an exception which according to Ahlul-bayt, are those who have attained the state of ‘Shahadat’. Gita and various Upanishads clearly states that those who attain unity with God while recognizing the path of the Devatas (Ahlul-bayt) attain life forever and are no longer sent to this mortal world. It also states that those who do not come to God through the path of the Devatas will not attain salvation, even if they perform righteous deeds and are sent to heaven as a consequence of performing righteous deeds. Their stay in heaven will not be permanent but a long one, equal to the entire length of the next creation referred to as Brahma’s Day and an equal length of time preceding the next creation, when there is nothing at all on earth, referred to as Brahma’s Night.

36:12  of Quran talks of these Devatas (Ahlul-bayt):

Verily, We, (and) We (alone) give life unto the dead, and We write down what they have sent before them and (even) their footprints (which they leave behind them): And everything have We confined into a Manifesting Imam (Guide).

This cannot be reference to Quran because the Holy Prophet too has talked of the Imam saying:

He who died while he recognized not the Imam of his age, certainly died of ignorance.

Verses 2:124, 6:59 and 34:3 have talked of the ‘Imamun-Mobeen’, the true definition of which is yet to be understood by Muslims.

The fifth Holy Imam Mohammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir says that when this verse was revealed, there were Abu-Bakr and Omar who asked the Holy Prophet, “O’ Apostle of God! Is the ‘Imamun-Mubeen’ the Torch, the scripture given to Moses?” The answer was “No”. Again they asked, “Is it the Injeel, i.e. the Evangel given to Jesus?” Again the answer was “No!” Then they asked, “Is it the Holy Quran?” Again “No” was the answer and then turning towards Ali ibn Abu Talib, the Holy Prophet said: “Verily this is that (‘Imam’, i.e. guide) in whom God has contained the knowledge of everything.” Then addressing the people present there, the Holy Prophet said: “O’ group of men! There is no branch of knowledge which God did not bestow on me and I have conveyed that knowledge to Ali – verily God has contained in me knowledge and I have contained it in Ali.” This statement corroborates the renowned tradition of the Holy Prophet: “I am the City of Knowledge and Ali is its Gate.”

Another Quranic verse explicitly states the position of Imam:

Remember the Day (of Judgment) when We will summon every people with their Imam (Leader): Then whosoever is given his book in his right hand, these shall read books (with pleasure), and they shall not be dealt with (even) a shred unjustly.

Quran: 17: 71

When this verse was revealed, people asked the Holy Prophet if he was not the Imam of all the people. The Holy Prophet said: “Yes, I am the Imam until I am alive in this world; and after me the Imam will be Ali ibn Abu Talib, followed by his divinely chosen issues. People attached to them will be safe and shall gain salvation, and those who go astray and disassociate themselves from them, will be lost.”

You know by now that Krishna too has said the same. Gita has linked salvation with reaching the Absolute God through recognizing the Manifest Self. We have already shown Mohammad’s relationship with the Manifest Self.  When Mohammad said that ‘Ali and I are from the same Noor’, it became apparent that Ali too had similar relationship to the Manifest Self, as Mohammad.

It is now left to every individual to follow those Holy Souls who are divinely purified, under the verse 33:33, i.e. the Holy Ahlul-bayt, who were the fountainhead of knowledge and guidance and who never in their lives yielded to falsehood, or to follow those who themselves needed to be guided. To guide mankind towards the correct leadership, the Divine Mercy has given several guiding notes. See 67:21

Is he who leadeth to the truth more deserving that he should be followed, or he who findeth not the way unless he himself be guided?

What aileth you? How ye judge? 

(10:35)

Again the all-Merciful Lord gives the following guiding note through the Holy Quran:

Is he who goeth groping on his face, more rightly guided, or he who walketh upright in a straight road?

67:22

As to who are those divinely chosen to be Imams of the people, the Lord Himself has made it clear. 2:124 states:

When Abraham was granted ‘Imamat’, he prayed for his issues. It was said to Abraham that it (i.e. Imamat) would not reach the iniquitous ones in his seed.

The greatest iniquity according to the Quran being polytheism, (31:13) it gets quite clear that those whom polytheism had polluted, would never have this great gift of God. Now let us see besides the Holy Prophet who has been totally free from the pollution of polytheism or shirk. There is only one among the many around the Holy Prophet who had never in his life yielded to any false deity and that singular personality is Ali ibn Abu Talib; and what the Holy Prophet declared was true that after him, Ali will be the Imam of the people. Besides taking the other qualities of supreme excellence of Knowledge, Bravery, Piety, Wisdom, Justice and Godliness, there is none to be compared to him.

Verily We have shown man the Right Way, let him now follow it thankfully or ungratefully reject it.

(76:2)

Regarding the actual meaning of the word Imam here, the commentators have given different accounts:

(1) Scripture; (2) Prophet, (3) Leaders of the respective ages; (4) the recorded life-action, (5) Mothers

The most appropriate ones are the first three. As to follow a scripture means nothing but to follow the prophet, for the scripture and the prophet, who brought it, are not separable. But Quran says that there are two kinds of leaders or Imam – (q) Those who lead to the fire (28:41), (2) and those who lead to the Right Path – Paradise (11:73, 32:24). It is obvious that the right Imam, is the same as the Prophet, is not separable from the scripture, as it was announced by the Holy Prophet in conformity with the Holy Quran that the Ahlul-bayt are with Quran and Quran is with them, inseparable till the Resurrection Day.

And the Holy Prophet has asserted in the most authentic traditions that whoever dies without recognizing the Imam of his age has died a pagan death; which proves that every age has got its right Imam and he has also asserted their number is confined to Twelve, neither more nor less.

[The term ‘Aditya’ of the Upanishad and Vedas is meant for Imam and you will be pleased to note that they talk of 12 Adityas; Aditya meaning the sun or the guiding light.]

Having all this in view, the meaning of the verse becomes clear that every group of human being will be called through the Imam of their age, i.e., the person who leads them. If he is the right Imam, his identity will be inseparability with the scripture and the Holy Prophet. And any leader who is opposed to the Imam of his age is opposed to the scripture, to the Prophet and to the God.

Other verses referring to Imams are as follows:

32:24

For then (in this life) are guided unto goodly words, and they are guided unto the path of the Praised one.

26:73

And We made them leaders, guiding (the people) by our command, and revealed We unto them the doing of good, and the establishing of prayer, and the giving of alms, and (only) unto Us did they worship.

This verse not only shows that Imams or Leaders are appointed by the Manifest Self but also refers to them in plural.