How can we benefit from Imam Mahdi, given he is not among us now?part 2
The need to know the imam of the time
Secondly there are many successively reported Shia and Sunni traditions that state that it is necessary to know the imam of the time and that the imams are twelve people from Prophet’s household. These traditions imply that Mahdi is the twelfth Imam and that he is born and is alive.
Now that Imam Mahdi is not present among us, he must be, on the basis of the traditions mentioned, somewhere hidden from our vision.
Harmony between occultation and imamate
Thirdly we need to know that there is no contradiction between imamate and occultation. Allah appoints someone as an imam in order to guide
people through him and to make him an authority between Himself and them, but it is not Allah who has caused his occultation; it is rather people who have caused his occultation.
Imam Mahdi and divine grace
Fourthly Khaja Nasir al-Din Tusi, a celebrated scholar commenting on Imam Mahdi says:
وجوده لطف و تصرفه لطف آخر و عدمه منا
His existence is a divine grace, his action is another divine grace and his absence is due to us.
Commenting on Khaja’s words, Allama Hilli says: It is said that an imam is a divine grace as long as he can take actions through issuing orders and is actively present in society, but when he is missing (as in the case of Imam Mahdi) he is no longer a divine grace. Shias (in other words) do not consider what is a divine grace as necessary (and what they consider as necessary is not an instance of divine grace).
In response to this objection it has to be said that it is necessary to have an imam because of the following:
He protects religion against any addition and subtraction (innovation).
Obviously, if all those under obligation in every circumstance believe in the existence of an imam and in the necessity of the implementation of his orders, they will shun evil deeds and will instead do good acts.
No doubt, Imam’s participation is a divine grace and this will not happen except through his presence. Thus Imam’s existence is a divine grace and so is his participation.
In other words, imamate is a divine grace in many ways:
It is incumbent upon Allah to create an Imam, make him eligible, by giving him knowledge and power and pronounce clearly his genealogical details. All this is done by Allah the Almighty.
It is incumbent upon the imam to accept imamate and to shoulder its responsibility.
It is incumbent upon people to help the imam and obey his commandments, but people however did not fulfill their responsibility. Thus Allah has not deprived people of this divine grace nor did the imam. It is hence the people themselves who have deprived themselves of this divine grace.1
1-Kashf al-Murad fi Sharh Tajrid al-Itiqad, pp. 491 492.
