As for my benefit during my occultation...

As for my benefit during my occultation, it is like the benefit of the sun when the clouds make it absent from the eyes. Certainly, I am amnesty for the inhabitants of the earth just as the stars are amnesty for the inhabitants of the heaven. Thus, close the doors of question over what is not related to you and do not charge yourself with what you have been discharged to know.

(Instead) increase your supplications (Du'aa) to hasten the relief (al-Faraj), for this is indeed your relief..."[^1] Referring to verse 5:101 in the above Hadith as a response to people's query for the reason behind occultation implies that the disobedience of his followers has been one of the major reasons for occultation. Other reasons mentioned in the traditions as the philosophy of occultation include: protecting the Imam from being slain[^2], and avoiding oath of allegiance to a tyrant[^3].

However, it is clear that both of these reasons were the result of lack of enough faithful followers. By occultation, Allah intended to save the life of the Imam (PBUH) until he would have enough sincere followers to start his mission. The bitter fact is that out of many people who have claimed to be his partisans in each era, the Imam (PBUH) did not have 313 true followers to start his mission. Abdullah Ibn Hammad al-Ansari narrated: [^1] Kamal al-Din, part 2, p.

483, Hadith 4; al-Ghaiba, al-Tusi, p. 290; al-Ihtijaj, vol. 2, p. 469; Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 53, p. 180, Hadith 10. [^2]See Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 52, pp. 90-97, Hadith 1, 5, 16, 18, 20. [^3]See Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 52, pp. 95-96, Hadith 11-15.

A companion of Imam al-Sadiq (PBUH) came to him saying, "How numerous your followers are!" The Imam (PBUH) said, "Did you count them?" He replied, "They are more than that." Thereupon, the Imam (PBUH) said, "Certainly, if the specified number that is three hundred ten and few more had been completed, what you wish for would have taken place"… The man said, "Then what about these different groups who claim that they are Shia?" He (PBUH) replied, "They will be distinguished, filtered, purified, and transformed.

Ages come to them that will perish them, a sword that will kill them, and disagreement that will scatter them."[^1] The following tradition also proves that once 313 sincere followers exist the Imam (PBUH) will reappear.