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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Hayat Al-Qulub Vol.3 Part 4: It is mandatory to know the Imam of the time It is mandatory to know the Imam of the time, that people are not helpless in the matter of discarding the obedience of the true Imam, that the one who dies without knowing the Imam of his time will die a death of Kufr and Nifaq (Disbelief and Hypocrisy).

It must be understood that among the Shias, the confession of (belief) in the Imam is one of the principles of faith, and that the one who discards it will be, in the hereafter, with the disbelievers and the polytheists. It should also be known that, in the worldly affairs, they are being dealt with like Muslims. But those who display and express enmity against the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.), like the Kharijis, are considered like disbelievers in the matter of worldly affairs.

It is understood from some narrations that, at a time when the Imam is not in power, such inimical fellows too, for relief to the Shias, are being apparently considered as Muslims so that there may be no difficulty in social dealings with them. But on the reappearance of Hazrat Sahibul Amr (Imam Mahdi a.s.) they will be considered as disbelievers.

Most of the Shia scholars are of the opinion that, excepting those who are very weak in their faith, all of such people will remain permanently in Hell. There is hardly anyone among Shia scholars who believes that such inimical people will also get salvation from Hell after remaining therein for a long time.

The Mustadaf (having weak belief) if the one who cannot distinguish between truth and falsehood because of weak sense or the one whom the argument proving the truthfulness of the true faith has not convinced despite the absence of guilt. For example, those who might have been grown up in the palaces of Sunni kings and might not have heard about the difference in faith and who might not have found anyone who could have shown them the truth about of the Shia belief.

Such people can hope to be forgiven in the hereafter. The truth is that none save the weak ones (Mustadafeen) can hope to get salvation from the divine chastisement. They will suffer Allah’s punishment forever. Both the Ahle Sunnat and the Shias have reported through continuing narrations that the Holy Prophet (S) says: The one who dies but does not know the Imam of his time will have died the death of ignorance.