“When the fifth of the children of the seventh of the Imams disappears, at that time, seek refuge in God! Ask God for refuge concerning your religion, so that no one may turn you away from it…” [1] (Imam Kadhim (a.s))
We all believe that the savior of humanity, Imam al-Zamana (a.s), is currently alive on Earth, breathing the same air as us, but by God’s will, He is in occultation and will remain hidden from our eyes until God Himself wills otherwise. This long occultation of Imam al-Zamana (a.s) is a great test that God has placed before humanity. Therefore, the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) and the Ahl al-Bayt (a.s) expressed their concern for the people of the time of occultation, and at times, they would weep and lament about it.
For example, Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “Be aware! By God, your Imam will be in occultation for many years, and you will be tested severely, to the point that it will be said: ‘He has died, or been killed…’ while the eyes of the believers will shed tears for that Imam, and you will be turned upside down, like ships tossed in the waves of the sea.” [2]
Fourteen centuries ago, Imam Sadiq (a.s) worried about our current situation and described it for us in advance. So, how should we be, now that we feel the fierce waves of this storm across the sea of our lives?
Let’s hear another prophecy from the Messenger of God (p.b.u.h) and become aware of the heavy conditions of our time. He said:
“Certainly, a time will come for the people when, in that time, a believer will not be able to preserve his religion, unless he goes into seclusion, fleeing from one mountain to another, from one shelter to another, just as a fox does to protect its young.”
At that point, his companions asked: “When will that time be?”
The Prophet (p.b.u.h) replied: “It will be when the means of livelihood can only be attained through sin and disobedience, and it is at that time that remaining unmarried will be seen as permissible.”
The companions said: “O Messenger of God, you have commanded us to marry, how is it that you now say that staying unmarried is desirable?”
He replied: “Yes, I have commanded marriage, but at that time, a Muslim will lose his religion through his parents, and if his parents are not around, through his wife and children. And if he has no wife or children, his relatives and neighbors will cause him to go astray from his religion.”
The companions asked: “How can it be that parents, wife, children, relatives, and neighbors cause someone to lose his religion?”
The Prophet (p.b.u.h) said: “They will blame him for his poverty in earning a livelihood, and will force him to do things beyond his capability, ultimately leading him to destruction and ruin.” [3]
But in this trial, those who emerge victorious will have a very high position, to the point that one day, the Prophet (p.b.u.h) made a prayer among his companions, saying twice: “O God, bring my brothers to meet me.”
The companions asked: “O Messenger of God, are we not your brothers?”
He replied: “No, you are my companions and followers. My brothers are those who will come in the last days, who will believe in me, although they have never seen me… Each one of them will be so firm in his faith that keeping his religion will be harder for him than pulling his hand through a thorny bush in the dark of night, or holding a burning piece of wood from the Ghaza tree…” [4]
Indeed, how difficult it is for someone to place his hand on a branch full of sharp thorns in a dark night and pull it down. More difficult than this is holding onto faith in the last days.
But in such a time, what should be done? As the Ahl al-Bayt (a.s) have taught us, despite the widespread falsehood, the truth remains like a shining sun. Therefore, the most important thing asked of us is to have piety, abstain from sin, and stay away from wrongdoing, because otherwise, the dust of impurity will cloud our understanding and prevent us from seeing the sun of truth clearly. Thus, Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “You must avoid sin, speak the truth, keep your trust, and maintain chastity.” [5]
Based on this, we must believe that the reason our acts of worship have no effect on our souls is due to our neglect of abstaining from sin. As Imam al-Sixth taught us: “… Know that worship that is not accompanied by piety and abstinence from sin will yield no benefit.” [6]
As a result, we are in a very difficult trial in the time of occultation. Therefore, we must be very vigilant to preserve the precious jewel of our faith and await the promised one with a pure heart. We must believe that unless we are pure, we will not be guided to the station of the pure.
(Excerpted from the pamphlet “The Effects of Negligence in the Age of Occultation,” by Ayatollah Sayyid Mohammad Ziaabadi, with slight edits)
Footnotes:
[1] ( Usul al-Kafi, Volume 1, Page 336)
[2] (Usul al-Kafi, Volume 1, Page 336)
[3] (Muntakhab al-Athar, Page 437, Hadith 20)
[4] (Besa’ir al-Darajat, Page 84)
[5] (Sefinat al-Bihar, Volume 2, Page 643, The entry on ‘piety’)
[6] (Usul al-Kafi, Volume 2, Page 76)