The Shi’a, in addition to their doctrinal connection with their Imams, also have a strong emotional bond with them. Therefore, we Shi’a, especially in times of hardship and difficulties, turn to the compassionate embrace of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) and pour our hearts out to them. However, the essence of this loving relationship requires a common language and mutual understanding between the Imam and the follower. Does the difference in language and dialects, from English and French to Spanish, Persian, Hindi, and Eastern dialects, and even local languages, pose an obstacle to the communication between the Shi’a and the Imams (peace be upon them)?
Ismail Sindhi says: “In India, I heard that the Proof of God is among the Arabs. I set out in search of Him and was guided to Imam Ali ibn Musa al-Reza (peace be upon him). I went to him without knowing a single word of Arabic. I greeted him in our local language, and he responded in the same language, and we conversed in that language.”
I said to Imam al-Reza (peace be upon him): “I heard in India that the Proof of God is among the Arabs, and therefore I have come out from my city in search of the divine Proof.” Imam (peace be upon him) replied in our local language: “Yes, I am the Proof of God, so ask whatever you wish.”[1]
I asked him what I wanted to know, and…
Furthermore, Sheikh Saduq narrates from Abu al-Salt Harawi who said: “Imam al-Reza (peace be upon him) would converse with people in their own languages. By God, he was the most eloquent and knowledgeable person in every language and dialect. One day I said to him: ‘O son of the Messenger of God, I am amazed at how you have such mastery and knowledge of all the languages, despite their differences.’ He replied: ‘O son of Salt! I am the Proof of God over His servants, and God never raises a Proof for a people whose language He does not understand and whose words He does not know.'”[2]
In this regard, the great scholar Allama Majlisi (may God have mercy on him)[3], in his valuable book Bihar al-Anwar, devotes a chapter to this subject. At the end, he writes: “The fact that the Imams (peace be upon them) are knowledgeable in various languages is a clear matter, and the hadiths on this topic are close to being universally accepted. When combined with the hadiths from Ahl al-Sunnah, there remains no doubt about it.”[4][5]
Indeed! By God’s grace and miraculous power, the Imams are aware of the speech and language of their Shi’a. When a Shi’a shares his heart with his Master, whether he is Persian or European, Indian or Turkish, living in Africa or America, or anywhere in the world, the Imam’s compassionate gaze and attentive ear are always ready to listen.
(Adapted from the book Lessons from the Life of Imam Ali ibn Musa al-Reza (peace be upon him) by Dr. Hussein Fereidouni, with additional commentary)
Footnotes:
[1] Al-Khara’ij wa al-Jara’ih, Volume 1, Page 340
[2] Uyoon Akhbar al-Reza, Chapter 54, Hadith 3
[3] Bihar al-Anwar, Volume 26, Page 190
[4] Bihar al-Anwar, Volume 26, Pages 192-193
[5] Ikhtisas, Page 290