WHY
OCCULTATION
?

The Almighty
Allah has bestowed the human beings with a superiority and has kept the rest
of the creation under him. He says,'I have created man with the best parts.
Whether it is the earth or atmosphere, sea or the mountain, forest or the
desert, man not only has superiority upon all these but they are subservient
to his commands and power. But Allah has also said that when I turned around
this man, I found him to be the worst of the creation.

To show the
superiority and specialty of man he has been given the freedom of will and
with it, complete guidance. In this way the path for him was laid out that he
may not misuse his freedom and be led astray by the instigation of the Satan.
By giving him intellect and reasoning he was made capable of discerning the
good and the bad. And the chain of 1,24,000 Prophets was initiated so that
they may show man a way of life to remain away from the evils so that he may
remain safe from his enemies and be forewarned of their designs. And that the
worldly fallacies do not hinder the progress of his spiritual self. Among
those prophets some possessed medium age and some were given a long life. Some
were recalled (died) at a young age.

There are even
some who were first made apparent to the people then the curtain of
occultation was put upon them. There were some prophets who were apparent for
some few selected righteous people but were hidden from the common masses like
Hazrat Khizr (AS.), Hazrat Idris (AS.) etc. Allah is the Ultimate Power. He is
the Knower of the Unseen worlds. He Himself is aware of the calls of His
justice. He is the one who made man His lowly creation aware of His Lordship
and made him submit to His mastership and described him with His Own
qualities. When the chain of the Prophets came to an end by the coming of the
seal of the Prophets, the greatest among the messengers, Mohammad al Mustafa
(S.A.W.) then His morals, His commandments and His book were protected by his
successors.

The chain of
successors shall remain till the end of the world. This is guaranteed by Allah
Himself. Since the vicegerent is appointed by Allah therefore the divine in
the persons who were to hold the post of Imamat. History is a witness that
while some Prophets were given a long life, others lived for a shorter
duration. There were some who were apparent and some hidden from the eyes of
the people, and still are concealed today. If the number of hidden Prophets
from the 1,24,000 Prophets is few then the number of hidden Imams is also very
less. Out of the twelve Imams, Eleven were openly carrying out their duties of
protecting the commandments of Allah. Only one of the Imams has been
concealed. The Holy Prophet (SAW.) has prophesied that eleven of the twelve
Imams will protect religion in their own time amidst turbulent environs and
murderous surroundings. And by the quality of their personality they
constructed the minarets of light which will illuminate the truth in the dark
periods of history till the end of the world. Even among the Imams the
different spans of life and duration of Imamat is to be found. Just like it
was in the case of Prophets. The age of Imam Hasan al Askari (AS.) was only 28
years. His period of Imamat was for six years from 254 A.H. to 260 A.H. After
him the Imamat of his exalted son began who was born in 255 A.H. And he is the
last Imam.

His age was only
five years then. And his long life is known only to Allah. When he will
reappear he will fill the earth with justice and equity like it had been
filled with injustice and oppression. Although even today he is the supreme
ruler and we all live in the limits of his domain. The gates of these apparent
and concealed rule are ghaibat (occultation) and Zuhoor (reappearance).

One thing is
astonishing here, that the intellectuals are washed away in the torrents of
thoughts. The human voice in them speaks out. Each and every person of this
group knows that faultless people are being oppressed. They are dealt with
cruelty. They are helpless and their pain and restlessness is apparent. Their
plundered homes, the burning embers of hunger in their bellies, the whiteness
spread on their eyes. The wretched children clinging to their mothers. Empty
bowls in their hands, searching for their destination, where there is justice,
there is equity. Where their talents are nurtured, where their voices are
heard by someone, where there is a cool shade of peace.

From the cracks
of the walls of all religions emerge these calls. And the progress of the
caravan of the human beings continues towards its destination. The pathways of
which are manifest, but the end of the journey not in sight. If this had not
been the case then these efforts and these preparations all would have
subsided. And no hope would have remained (the spirit of hope is one reason of
occultation). It is a strange logic indeed. The three factors which are hidden
are believed in viz.

The human
species especially the support of the oppressed

The hope of
the ultimate destination.

The image of
the liberator.

But on reaching
this point the belief is shaken down, where the question of the liberator
arises. The so-called intellectuals insist that such a personality does not
exist at all. It is only in Islam that this religion gives all the details of
such a personality and also indicates the time and spatial dimensions of his
existence. And he is recognised in a way like the sun is seen behind the
clouds. The Muslim scholars in general and the Shia scholars in, particular
have researched into the authenticity of this fact, from the historical as
well as the traditional point of view and then believed in it.

And this belief
is based on such a firm foundation that no one can forgo it. The fact is that
the light of his holy self (Hazrat Mahdi) filters through the curtain of the
divinely ordained occultation, illuminates the creation and imparts life to
it. Here one question acquires paramount importance and is also raised with
great prejudice and that is, who is the representative of Allah and the
saviour of the downtrodden and oppressed people ? If he exists then why is he
not seen by everyone, why is he in occultation, why is the occultation so
prolonged that it seems impossible, what are the reasons of all these?

First of all, we
have already stated in the introduction that whatever was made necessary for
the Prophets (AS.) the same things are also for the successors of the
Prophets. History is replete with examples where the moment a Prophet raised
his voice for propagation, all the unbelievers took up cudgels with him and
conspiring with the tyrant rulers tried all means to put hurdles in his way.
But the Prophets never gave up their mission. They kept on striving. They
never wavered in their steps nor were they haunted by any doubts. Their
firmness of purpose never decreased. There is no instance in history where
these Prophets have been subdued by the power of the rulers or the opposition
of the people. However if the adversities intensified, the Prophet either
prayed for divine punishment, or bore the difficulties patiently till death,
or were hidden from their people by Allah.

The event of
Hazrat Musa (A.S.) leaving Egypt has been recorded in the Quran. Hazrat Isa
(A.S.) was raised to the fourth sky. Hazrat Khizr and Hazrat Ilyas (A.S.) are
present in this world itself but are not been by everyone since ages.

If we study the
history of Imam Mahdi (A.T.F.S.) and the background of his occultation, we
shall find that its historical causes were the same as that of the various
Prophets.

Samarra became
the seat of power for Bani Abbas in 220 A.H. In 234 A.H. the Abbaside Caliph
Mutawakkil sent Yahya bin Harsma to summon Imam Ali Naqi (AS.) to Samarrah
Imam Hasan Askari (AS.) was also with him [(Imam Ali Naqi A.S.)]. He was only
two years old. In 247 A.H. Mutawakkil was murdered while intoxicated. During
these fourteen years, Imam Hasan Askari (AS.) faced great difficulties
alongwith his father, There were restrictions on visiting the tomb of Imam
Husain (A.S.). The signs of the grave were obliterated. Imam Hasan Askari and
Imam Ali Naqi (A.S.) were in house arrest and were heavily guarded. Sometimes,
Mutawakkil imprisoned them and at other times summoned them to his court.
Sometimes he called them while he sat enjoying wine in their presence. And on
their refusal to accept his offer of the intoxicants he cried in ecstasy.

Spies surrounded
them. After the murder of Mutawakkil, Muntasir and later Mustaeen became the
Caliphs. Mustaeen shifted the seat of his government to Baghdad. Later, he
entered into allegiance with Motazbillah and Samarra again became the centre
of Caliphate. A reign of terror was unleashed in the town of Basra. There were
revolts in Khurasan and Ahwaz which were immediately suppressed. No hilace was
safe for the common people Imam Hadi (AS.) was martyred in the year 254 A.H.
The duration of the Imamate of Imam Hasan Askari (AS.) was from 254 A.H. to
260 A.H. Walie-Asr and the Promised Mahdi was born in the year 255 All His age
was only 5 years when Imam Hasan Al Askari (AS.) left this world.

Imam Hasan
AI-Askari (A S) was poisoned at the order of Motamid in 260 A.H. and his
duration of Imamate came to an end after six years. During this time the
activities of the spies had intensified to such an extent that midwives used
to enter the Imams house forcibly and examine if any of his wives were
pregnant. But like Allah had concealed Hazrat Musa (AS.) in the womb of his
mother, Janabe Narjis showed no outward signs of pregnancy.

The spies were
spread from the residence of the Imam upto the prison. Once Imam Hasan Askari
(AS.) was in the prison of Saleh bin Vaseef (a Turk). Imprisoned in this place
from before were some of his trusted companions Abu Hashim Jafri, Dawood bin
Qasim, Hasan bin Mohammad Aqiqi and Mohammad bin Ibrahim Amri. A person by the
name of Jami was also there. Imam warned his companions to beware of this man
because he was a spy. On inquiry it was found that he kept a record of the
daily happenings there. Thus spies were there in every disguise. Hazrat Askari
(AS.) fell ill on the 1st of Rabiul Awwal. During these eight days the Caliph
had posted a battalion of guards who kept strict surveillance on the visitors.
Why did the Abbaside Caliph behave in such a manner towards the son of the
Holy Prophet (S.A.W.)? A tradition from the Holy Prophet (SAW.) says that
whatever has happened in the Ummat of Musa (AS.) will occur in My Ummat. Like
Firon knew that Hazrat Musa (AS.) will rise to put an end to his claim of
divinity, in the same way the Caliph was time and again reminded by the
narrators of hadith that the 12th successor of the Holy Prophet (SAW.) is to
come and purify this earth from all injustice and oppression.

The prophecy of
Holy Prophet (SAW.) has to materialise one day. The caliphs felt the imminent
danger to themselves and took all the possible precautions.

When such a
terror was spread everywhere the birth of Imam Mahdi (AS.) occurred in 255
A.H. [Like the concealed birth of Hazrat Musa (ASH. One of the divine duties
of Imam Hasan Askari (AS.) was the protection of Hazrat Hujjat (A.T.F.S.) from
the enemies. At the same time he had to inform his trusted followers that the
Promised Mahdi has been born so that they could follow him in future even
though he would remain concealed from them.

The conditions
which had prevailed at the occultation of the Prophets were also present here.
The reign of terror among the people, the strict surveillance of the ruler,
the net of spies, discord in every area, the rising of the Imam at the centre
of Caliphate, the movement of the armies, the oppressions upon the lovers of
the household of the Holy Prophet (SAW.), The guards upon the residence of
Imam (AS.). Like in the case of Prophet Musa (AS.) the divine command arrived
for Hazrat Hujjat to go into occultation in order to protect his life.

Occultation a divine plan

If we study the
aspects of the occultation and reflect upon it, we can easily understand it as
a divine plan. After this the reappearance of the Imam shall be the last part
of this divine plan. It is mentioned in a tradition

There is no
miracle of the Prophet which Allah will not manifest through Our Oaem so that
the proof will be complete for the enemies and they have no avenue for
excuses. (Muntakhabul Athar, page 313)

As time
progressed and the numerous human schools of thoughts came into existence, the
nefarious plans of the unjust authorities also evolved. After the Holy Prophet
(SAW.), a time came when during the occultation, different types of
conspiracies were hatched. Different types of wrong beliefs led astray the
gullible public away from the right path. Instead of the true guides there was
now an excess of the false ones-the Kaisaniyas, the Kazemiya, Ismailiya,
Wahabism, Bahaism and Oadianism the list of the false movements seems endless.
After suppressing the constructive missions the unjust and tyrannical
instances began to fill the pages of history. Even after 12 centuries, all
these are still rampant.

In the end the
saviour will arrive to put an end to all this. The rule of Allah will stretch
from the east to the west. No one would be qualified to oppose him and neither
would anyone have any complaints.

Divine promise

The divine
promise throws light upon the reasons of the occultation which is an
inseparable part of the plan. There is always an interval of time between a
promise and its fulfillment. These are a few examples of the divine promises
in the miraculous book (the Quran):

In Surah
Nur Verse: 55

Allah has
promised to those of you who believe and do good that He will most certainly
make them rulers in the earth...

In Surah
Ambiya Verse:105

And certainly We wrote in
the book after the reminder that (as for) the land, My righteous servants
shall inherit it.

In Surah
Aale Imran Verse: 200

0 those who believe
remain steadfast, have patience, maintain cooperation and fear Allah. Perhaps
you be successful.

When the earth dies Allah again rejeunates it by His power.

From the
aforementioned verses, we conclude that Allah will make His representative and
successor inherit the earth and bestow upon him a just and equitable Kingdom.
He will revive the earth after its death and in the rule of this government
there would be no difference between the strong and the weak. And those who
have power will not be able to exploit the downtrodden people.

The promise of
Allah is true. It would be surely fulfilled. But the various factors of the
reappearance are being accomplished, which are going to be instrumental in the
establishment of the divine government. Allah has bestowed a prolonged
occultation to His Last Proof (Hujjat) so that the belief of the believers
could be put to a test and all the opponents can try all their designs.

It is a naked
truth that the floods of injustice and oppression is increasingly engulfing
the whole world. But the seas of injustice and oppression has not yet
developed the power enough to break the boundaries and surround the earth. Or
we can say that the caravans of utter darkness, along with their blackness,
have yet to descend upon the earth. And only when the wrongdoers would have
completed their oppressions to the utmost, that the secret aim of occultation
would be revealed.

What would have
happened if there had been no occultation ? The reply is simple. Hazrat Wali
Asr (A.S.) would have become manifest and just like the previous Imams he also
would have been martyred. The light of Allah was in the form of human creation
and the evil ones were on its look-out. The result would have been that even
the last proof of the Prophets and the Imams would not have remained on the
earth. The result would have been either of the two. One, the earth would have
perished. Or, the future generations would have complained that the argument
of Allah has not been completed. Hence, the Almighty Allah has kept His proof
in occultation so that on one hand the continuity of the world is maintained
and on the other hand all the corrupt and evil people have an open field so
that there is no scope for the complaint that the proof of Allah is not
complete. At the time of the reappearance they will not have any arguments.
And the propriety of divine justice shall be maintained.

Another reason
for occultation as stated in the traditions of AhleBayt is if Imam-e-Zamaan
(A.T.F.S.) had been manifested, then he would have had to live under pressure
of some unjust ruler like his predecessors. The agents of the ruler would keep
him constantly under surveillance. The open enforcement of the shariat was
almost impossible. Thus Allah has appointed such a time for his reappearance
where there does not remain any power to obstruct the Imam in his mission. He
would have collected the necessary strength to subdue all opposition and every
corner of the world would be clear of the evil elements. Imam Jafar Sadiq
(A.S.) Says in one of his utterances:

The master of this divine government has a concealed birth so
that when he is to reappear he will not have any pressure from any
oppressor. (Muntakhabul Athar, page 288)

As far as the
necessary preparations of this government are concerned Allah will create the
favourable conditions overnight. For it is actually the government of Allah.
Hazrat Mahdi (A.T.F.S.) Is only the representative of Allah in this
regard.

One of the
reasons that is evident from the traditions of AbleBayt is that the
occultation is to be prolonged till all the practices of the prophets and
their methods are accomplished in Hazrat Mahdi (A.T.F.S.). Sudair asked Imam
Sadiq (A.S.) '0 son of the Prophet why it is like that (the occultation is
prolonged) ?" Imam replied, "Allah will not
order the reappearance till all the practices of the Prophets, which the
prophets had during their occultations are not acted upon fully. 0 Sudair it
is obligatory for him (Qaem) to fulfill all these things.

Allah says:

That you shall most certainly enter one state after
another. (Inshiqaq: 19). (Behaarul Anwaar vol.52 page 90)

That means all
those practices were before you when will all this be accomplished is known to
none except Allah. That is why to predict the time of reappearance is
prohibited.

Some other
reasons of the occultation are deduced from the traditions of AbleBayt. But to
go into the details and the depths of these and to say anything for sure would
be nothing but to deceive ourselves. The actual causes of the occultation and
the wisdom behind it is known only to the Creator and those divine
personalities who have been bestowed with divine knowledge. The infallibles
(A.S.) have been ordered not to explain these divine secrets.

This could be
explained by the example of the incident of Hazrat Musa and Hazrat Khizr (A 5)
When H Khizr made the hole in the boat, killed the boy and repaired the wall
he did not inform of his main intention behind his actions, till it was time
for Musa to separate from him. At the time of departing he told H. Musa the
actual reasons. This concept could be explained in the light of the tradition
related from Imam Sadiq (A.S.) by Al-Fazl Hashmi which is as follows:

'The occultation of the master of this affair is a must, during
which the sinful people will be involved in doubts."

I asked Imam,
"May my life be sacrificed for you, why is it?

He said:"Even we have not been
permitted the exposition of this affair."
I inquired, "What is the wisdom behind the
occultation ?" He said, "The wisdom behind this occultation
is the same that was for the occultation of the previous prophets. The actual
reason will be revealed only after the reappearance. Like Hazrat Khizr did not
explain the reason for making a hole in the boat and killing the boy and
repairing the wall till it was time for Musa (AS.) and him to separate

0 Son of Fazl, this affair is one of the affairs of Allah. And
its secret reason is one of the secrets the knowledge of which is exclusive to
Allah only. When we have expressed the belief in the wisdom of Allah we have
to agree that whatever he says or does is also having wisdom. Even though the
actual reasons and the cause may not be evident upon us." (Behaarui
Anwaar vol.52 page 91)

As far as the
obvious reasons of occultation as given in the traditions are concerned one is
that during the occultation the belief in Imam (AS.) and his obedience is put
to test. In a lengthy tradition Imam Jafar as Sadiq (AS.) tells about the
signs of reappearance and concludes thus:

And these signs
will appear after a long occultation so that Allah could test as to who
believes in him and obeys him during it (the Ghaibat). (Muntakhabul Athar Chap.35hadith:1)

Another reason of
occultation is also our bad deeds and the atmosphere of irreligiousness. Our
society is satisfied upon the prevailing un-Islamic conditions and considers
them to be truly Islamic. Then where is the scope for any prophet or Imam in
such a society. It would not be inappropriate to compare this with the
situation of Kufa. Ali (AS.) was calling the people to Jihad against Moawiya
and the people were exhibiting their cowardice by making excuses of the summer
and winter seasons and looking for a favourable season. The result of this was
that the Master of the most pious had to accept the cup of Martyrdom. The same
is the condition of our society which, Imam Baqir (A.S.) states in his
tradition. Marwan Anbari says that a letter from Imam Baqir (AS.) arrived
where Imam had written:

"When Allah disliked the company of the people for us he removed
us away from them." (Behaarul An waar vol.52
page 90).

Finally, it is to
be mentioned that Imam-e-Zaman himself does not like, that the people should
insist upon knowing the reasons for occultation because it is one of the
divine secrets. According to Imam-e-Zaman (A.T.F.S.).

Allah the High
and Mighty does not wish that we question about the (causes of) Ghaibat
because it would be detrimental for us. If we know of the reason we would be
aggrieved. One tradition in this connection is presented thus: Imam Mahdi
(A.T.F.S.)

In a 'tawqee
(epistle) through his second special deputy, Mohammad bin Usman says: "As far
as the cause of occultation is concerned Allah, the Almighty says,

0 you who believe! do not put questions about things which if
declared to you may trouble you... (Behaarul
Anwaar vol.52 page 92)

It is clear from
the above tradition that we should not indulge conjectures about the causes of
occultation. However, we should accept as truth all that is informed to us by
the infallible Imams and we should be satisfied with it. Only Allah is aware
of the divine affairs. Hence we should consider this occultation as a bounty
and a respite which is given to us, so that we can perform good deeds and
correct our mistakes. Then, when the reappearance of Imam is ordered by Allah
our love for the Imam would benefit us. If the reappearance occurs during our
lifetime we would then be given the honour to be among the helpers of Imam
(A.T.F.S.) in his mission against the enemies of Islam. We could accompany the
Imam (A.S.) when he avenges the death of the martyrs of Karbala, for whom we
mourn and shed tears, year after year.

Let us then resolve that we shall pray night and day for the
reappearance of Imam Mahdi (A.S.). We shall do everything which takes us
nearer to the Imam (A.S.). And avoid all such acts which would take us away
from our Master Imam Mahdi (AS.). So if we ponder upon this we would realise
that there is no one who cares for us except this benevolent Imam. We should
not dissatisfy him with our deeds. Because if our Imam (AS.) turns away from
us (disregards us) then we shall have no shelter.