What they are basing everything on is their belief that...

What they are basing everything on is their belief that during the period of occultation neither can the Imam (a.s.) provide guidance to us nor can he remove any of our doubts. At this juncture I would like to present to you a debate of a companion of Imam Ja’far Al Sadiq (a.s.), Hisham Ibn Hikam’s debate with Uma Ibn ubayd, so that I can draw some conclusions from this.

I will only present to you that part of the debate which he related back to the Holy Imam Ja’far Al Sadiq (a.s.) for the sake of brevity. Hisham: ‘Have you got eyes?’ Umar: ‘Yes I do’. Hisham: ‘What do you use them for?’ Umar: ‘I look at colours and bodies’. Hisham: ‘Have you got a nose?’ Umar: ‘Yes I do’. Hisham: ‘What do you do with it?’ Umar: ‘I smell aroma and foul smell with it’. Hisham: ‘Have you also got ears?’ Umar: ‘Yes I do’.

Hisham: ‘What use do you make of these?’ Umar: ‘I hear sounds with them’. Hisham: ‘You have got a tongue?’ Umar: ‘Yes’. Hisham: ‘What is it utilised for?’ Umar: ‘Taste of food gets recognised with this’. Hisham: ‘You also have a heart? ‘ Umar: ‘Yes I have’. Hisham: ‘What work does it perform?’ Umar: ‘When I doubt any of the sensory perceptions, then I refer it to the heart and achieve conviction from it and remove all doubts’.

Hisham: ‘So has Allah (s.w.t.) created the heart for the removal of doubts?’ Umar: ‘Without a doubt’. Hisham: ‘So without the heart, the doubts from these limbs cannot be dispelled? ‘ Umar: ‘Without a doubt’.

Hisham: ‘If Allah (s.w.t.) does not leave these five limbs without a guide for the removal of doubts, then how can it be conceived that He (s.w.t.) will leave the people without an Imam (a.s.) for the removal of their doubts and differences among them?’ Listening to this, Umar Ibn Ubayd remained silent. The Holy Imam (a.s.) laughed and said: ‘O Hisham!

Who has taught you this?’ He replied: ‘I have learnt this from you and gave it a sequence.’ The Holy Imam (a.s.) said: ‘This is to be found in the Books of Prophet Ibrahim (a.s.) and Prophet Musa (a.s.)’. You have heard the above tradition and the verification of the arguments from the Holy Imam (a.s.) that this is to be found in the Books of the Prophets Musa (a.s.) and Ibrahim (a.s.).

Now I would like to question these people who say that our twelfth Imam (a.s.) is in occultation and therefore does not provide us with guidance or remove our differences or dispel our doubts, the same questions which Hisham had asked Umar.