Chain of the Light of Imamat - On the Recognition of the Imam of the Time and Obedience to Him
On the Recognition of the Imam of the Time and Obedience to Him
Tags: Recognition, Imam, Innate Intellect
(Translated from the Wajh-i Din of Hazrat Hakim Pir Nasir-i Khusraw q.s.)
"We (Pir Nasir) say, when mankind has received a share, from Divine Providence, which the other animals have not received and that this share is the innate intellect, namely the intellect which receives knowledge, logically it follows that the Giver of this noble share to mankind should send a person to them, who will nourish this their intellect with knowledge. Just as when He had given the eating soul to all animals, He appointed natures, stars and spheres to grow vegetables, wherein lies the nourishment of their bodies. And according to the wisdom of the Wise Generous Creator, it is not right that He creates a need but does not create the one who fulfils this need, because this would not be generosity; rather it would be parsimony and parsimony is far removed from the Wise, Generous Creator. Thus we establish it to be necessary that there should be, among mankind, a nourisher for this noble share, which is intellect.
Then we say: Just as this innate intellect of man in its formation is different from the rest of the animals, rather it is a divine gift to him from which other animals are excluded, in the same way it becomes necessary that the knowledge which these innate intellects need, is given to a person by the Nourisher and not acquired. Had it been acquired, then everybody would have been able to reach it through struggle. Since among the animals this gift is given to none except mankind, who is a species of (the genus of) animals, it becomes necessary for this gift of teaching to be only in one individual from among the entire mankind, so that the order in demonstration may be valid through the induction of the examples from the creation. Because the species is under the genus and the individual under the species. Since from the genus of animal one species of man is distinguished by the gift of receiving (knowledge), it becomes necessary for Divine Providence to single out from this species (of man) only one individual for the gift of giving (knowledge). And that one individual is the Prophet.
Since it is not surprising that from the rest of the animals, only this one species of man is endowed with the intellect, why should there be (any) surprise for one person to be distinguished by the rank of Prophethood, as God, the Exalted says: "Do you wonder that there has come to you a message from your Lord through a man amongst you, so that he may warn you?" (7:69). Thus we say that "this one individual" is the Prophet in his cycle, his Legatee (wasi) in his time and the Imam of the time in every age. So long as the world lasts, the species of man will not be devoid of "this one individual", who is distinguished by this rank; just as the (genus of) animal is not and will not remain without the species of man.
Thus we say that the purpose of the Wise Creator in the creation of the world, and what it contains is known to this one individual. Whoever takes his place unjustly and claims that position, destroys himself. Just as amongst many oxen, if one ox is more powerful, it cannot protect others. But if there is a man to look after them, he protects them from wild animals and beasts and takes them to the pasture and brings them back to their resting place at proper times. Thus we establish that the world is never without that person, as mankind cannot dispense with him. It is that one individual who can preserve the well-being of the people as the species of man preserves the well-being of cattle. The validity of this argument is attested by the Tradition of the Prophet (s.a.s.): "I have been commanded with your well-being in this world and your salvation in the hereafter". Thus if this one person disappears from this world, the well-being of people will also disappear. Just as if you in imagination remove man from the rest of the animals, the well-being of all the animals would be diminished and all those animals in which there is benefit (for man) i.e. domesticated animals, would be destroyed by dangerous wild animals".
| Chapter Index | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter |