It is also an obligation on people to assist the jurist (in...

It is also an obligation on people to assist the jurist (in execution of the law).’ He also said regarding the intention of the jurist in paying the Khums to those who deserve it that the jurist must intend the following: ‘ I intend to pay this amount to this deserving person because of my power of attorney on behalf of so-and-so and my representation of the Owner of the Affair (as)’ or ‘I extract this amount in representation of the Owner of the Affair (as)… ’ ^8 This indicates that the jurists take charge of these affairs in representation of the Present Imam (as), even if apparently they are appointed by certain rulers such as in the case of al-Sayyid al-Murtadha.

Ibn Fahd further said: ‘Chapter 8 : On Jihad: Jihad is obligatory upon a male, mature, free person who is free from blindness or chronic illness, who has not been forbidden by his parents from participating and not so poor that he cannot afford to pay for his own weaponry and expenses- these latter conditions apply in the case where there are already sufficient soldiers- if the Imam or his general representative; who is the trustworthy jurist, or his specific representative call for a war against: a Harbi [^9], or those who have broken the conditions of a treaty, or the rebels, or in self-defense, whether in the presence of the Imam or during his occultation.’ ^10 Al-Muhaqqiq al-Thani (Nurul Deen al-Karaki, d.

940 AH) This scholar had a great role in the adoption of the general authority of the jurist. It seems that the establishment of the Safavid dynasty in Iran- which is considered the first Shiite government to control all of Iran- helped Sheikh al-Muhaqqiq to make his political rulings public.

He said in his treatise on Friday Prayer: ‘Our scholars, may Allah be pleased with them, are in agreement that the just, Imami, jurist who meets all the conditions of issuing rulings, and who is called a Mujtahid in the legislative rulings, is a representative on behalf of the Guiding Imams (as) in anything in which such representation may be involved…therefore it is obligatory to refer to such a jurist in legal disputes and to abide by his rulings…including any authority that may be proven for the appointee from the Imam (as)’.

[^11] This treatise can be found at the following web address: http://www.aqaed.com/shialib/books/all/09-ras-karaki/09-ras-karaki-01.ht...