OCCULTATION OF IMAM AN IMMENSE
DEPRIVATION:

Allah,
the Blessed, the High says in the Holy Quran:

"The day when We will call every people with their
Imam"

(Bani Israel: 71)

Allah, the High at various
places, has promised guidance to the people. To fulfill His promise. He sent
Prophets and Messengers (peace be on them all) one after another, who called
people towards His religion, recognition and worship. When the Prophethood was
completed with the advent of the last prophet Mohammad (s.a.w.s.). He introduced
Imamat in the progeny of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) so that people may turn to them
and save themselves from straying and attain eternal happiness. The greatest and
the highest bounty of Allah from amongst His bounties is the presence of Imam
(a.s.).

No other bounty can match this bounty. Other bounties have
reached their relative position due to this bounty, without which all other
endowments are imperfect. As it is mentioned in the Holy Quran,

"This day (on the day of Ghadeer) I have perfected for you
your religion and completed My favor on you and chosen for you Islam as a
religion."

(Maaedah: 3)

"And
as for the favor of your Lord, do announce (it)."

Our
guidance and salvation depends upon the fourteen infallibles therefore, it is
obligatory upon us that we discuss and talk about this bounty.

We would
like to make an important point over here. And that is, a believer should never
give preference to any bounty over that of the mastership and love of Ahle Bait
(a.s.). To consider the gift of 'Mastership of Ahle Bait (a.s.)' as light or
equating it with other endowments like wealth, children, business etc. will lead
to our destruction and devastation.

The Islamic nations received the
distinction of living with the thirteen infallibles and reap benefits from their
holy lives. However, the majority breached their covenant with their Lord and
the people who actually remained loyal and faithful, could easily be counted on
fingers.

Instead of deriving benefits from their existence, the people
oppressed and tortured them no end. Their barbarism and brutality had reached to
such pits that had they been told to oppress the family of the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.s.), they would have not been able to repress than what they actually
did. Notwithstanding such-a disgraceful demonstration of ingratitude and
inhumanity, the Merciful Allah did not snatch away the bounty of the physical
presence of the infallibles (a.s.) from amongst the people, till the
commencement of the occultation of Imam Mahdi (a.s.).

It should be borne in
mind that if Allah bestows bounty on any one without he deserving it, then this
bounty of Allah is His 'Grace'. If He snatches the bounty after sometime, it is
not injustice because he had bestowed it without the person deserving
it.

On the contrary, it will be sheer justice. It is not obligatory on
Allah that He should always deal with 'Grace'. But on occasions, He deals with
His grace and on others, with justice. None of His dealings are devoid of
wisdom. It is not necessary that we should . know the prudence behind all His
actions. Whatever He does is sheer wisdom, whether we comprehend or not. We can
comprehend the wisdom behind any of His action only in the light of the Holy
Quran and the traditions. The intellect of men cannot comprehend the rationale
behind His actions.

However, from the divine practices of Allah is the
practice which has been related in Holy Quran and the traditions
is:

"Surely Allah does not change the condition
of people until they change their own condition..."

"This is because Allah
has never changed a favor which He has conferred upon the people until they
change their own condition..."

(Anfaal; 53)

Imam
Mohammad Baqir (a.s.) in the exposition of the above Quranic verses says:

It
is a definite and certain decree of Allah that when He bestows a bounty on His
servant. He does not snatch it till the servant commits a sin which becomes the
cause of its deprivation. This is the meaning of Allah's word "Surely Allah does not change the condition of people until they
change their own condition".

(Tafseer Noor al-Saqalain,
vol.2, p. 488)

In brief, the actions of the people are the cause of
Allah, the High, confiscating the bounty from them. Ameerul Momineen Ali Ibn Abi
Taalib (a.s.) in the opening sentences of his famous supplication,
Dua-e-Kumayl,says:

"0 Allah! Forgive those of my
sins which convert the bounties (into calamities)."

The Divine practice shows
that Allah's Mercy takes precedence over His Wrath. Therefore, Allah seizes the
bounty only when people are ungrateful and
unappreciative.

Thus, we are not aware of the actual
wisdom behind the occultation of Imam-e-Asr (a.t.f.s.) and according to some
traditions. Imam Zaman (a.t.f.s.) will himself give the reason of his
occultation when he reappears. However, one of the reasons that we are familiar
with is that occultation is due to the anger of Allah on account of the
ingratitude of the people. The physical presence of Imam (a.s.) among the people
was the greatest bounty of Allah upon the people that was snatched from them.
While explaining the importance of the physical presence of Imam (a.s.). Imam
Reza (a.s.) says:

"Imamat is complete religion,
the foundation of Islam, the basis of all goodness, the discipline of the
nation, the path to Allah and the light through which people acquire
guidance."

Imam Mohammad Baqi'r (a.s.) says:

"Islam is based on five principles -Namaz, Zakat, Fasting, Ha]
and the Mastership (ofAhle Bait (a.s.)) and the manner in which importance has
been given to Mastership no other thing has been given such
importance."

(al-Kaafi, vol.2, p.l8)

While explaining the
following Quranic verse. Imam Mohammad Baqir (a.s.) says:

"Then believe in Allah and His Messenger and the light which We
have sent down",

"By Allah in the above verse, 'light' refers to the Imams
from the progeny of Mohammad (s.a.w.s.) till the day of Judgment and by Allah
these are the 'lights' which Allah has sent. And by Allah, they are the 'lights'
in the heavens and on the earth... By Allah the 'light' of Imam in the hearts of
the believers, is brighter than the shining sun."

(Tafseer
Noor al-Saqalain, vol. 5, p. 321)

When people disregarded this great
bounty, Allah, the High concealed Imam-e-Zaman (a.s.) from their eyes. No other
calamity can be greater than this concealment of Imam (a.s.) from the sights of
the people. The simile of the above is like a child who is left alone in
darkness to seek out his way, he is not aware of its beginning nor its end.
Resultantly, he will fall a prey for the beast or will become needy of
somebody.

Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) says:

"When Allah, the Blessed and the High is angry with His
creation then He makes us -the Ahle bait (a.s.), distanced and away from

the
people."

(al-Kaafi, Chapter of Occultation, Tradition No.
31)

The presence of Imam (a.s.) among the people to solve their questions
and problems is a divine grace of immeasurable magnitude. The concealment of
Imam (a.s.) from the sights of the people and their helplessness to reach the
Imam (a.s.) is the justice of Allah. Grace takes precedence over justice but the
disobedience and ungratefulness of the Muslims has replaced the grace of Allah
with His justice.

It is an irrefutable reality that the benefits that we
would have enjoyed in the physical presence of Imam (a.s.), are not available
now. It is a great loss and nothing can make the loss 'good. We only are to be
blamed for the loss and nobody else.

One question arises here: The cause of
occultation was due to the disobedience and ingratitude of the earlier Muslims.
Then why are we suffering for their action and misdeeds? Is it not
injustice?

Answer: Firstly, as we have already mentioned that if Allah
has kept His Proof among the people, then it is His grace. And if He conceals
Him, then it is His justice.

Secondly, we are also responsible for the
occultation of Imam-e-Asr (a.s.) by our conflicts, internal fighting, sins,
misdemeanours, etc. These actions are the cause of prolonging the occultation of
Imam (a.s.). Imam-e-Zaman (a.s.), in one of his 'Tawqee' to Sheikh Mufeed (a.r.)
writes: "If the hearts of our Shias (may Allah give
them the taufeeq of His obedience) were united in their fulfillment of the
covenant (of Shiasm), then certainly our meeting with them would have not been
delayed".

The words of Imam (a.s.) show that our disunity not
only makes him sorrowful but is also a cause of prolongation of his occupation
and loneliness. In other words, our actions and sins are the cause of sorrow and
grief for our Imam (a.s.). If we sincerely love our Imam (a.s.) then let all of
us take this oath that we will not commit sins and disobey Allah the Almighty,
as these sins deprive us of our Imam and consequently, we lose the greatest
bounty of Allah, the High. On the flip side, if we keep our covenant and refrain
from sins, we can undo the misdeeds of the earlier Muslims and can obtain the
privilege of an earlier meeting with our Imam (a.s.).