ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Promised Mahdi (part One) 17 Chapter Seventeen: Arguments of Shaykh Tusi Our discourse with respect to the occultation of the Master of the Age pursues two paths: One is that we say, since (a) it is proved that there must be an Imam in every age, (b) and that it is not possible that the people, being fallible, be at any give time without a chief, (c) and that the chief must be ascertained to be infallible, (d) and it is the case that such a chief is either manifest and known or hidden and unbeknownst, (e) and likewise it is clear that all those for whom a manifest imamate is claimed, their infallibility is not ascertained, but rather the outward appearance of their actions contradict infallibility, it is inferred that the infallible imam who must exist in every age is hidden and invisible.

Likewise, taken into consideration that all those for whom infallibility is claimed, and are said to be invisible and hidden, such as the proclaimed hidden leaders of the Kaisaniyya, Nawusiyya, Fatihiyya, the Waqifiyya, and others, their words are invalid, the Imamate of Ibne Hasan and his occultation and his guardianship (Wilayah) is proved.

This argument, relying on these premises, which are very transparent, and the fact that the truth is not outside the bounds of this Ummah, does not need take on the burden of proving his birth and explaining the reason of his occultation and proving his guardianship. The second pathway of our argument is thus: The inquiry of the occultation of Ibne Hasan is secondary to proving his Imamate.

Our adversary either submits to us in the question of his Imamate and inquires about the reason of his occultation, obliging us with answering him; or he does not submit to us in the question of his Imamate, in which case, to inquire about the reason of the occultation of someone whose Imamate has not been proven will be meaningless.

If disputed about proving his Imamate, we prove it through our assertion as follows: The necessity of Imamate in every condition and age as long as Divine obligations and duties fall on the shoulders of the fallible human beings is proved through forceful proofs. It is likewise proved that one of the conditions of the Imam is to be certain of his infallibility. On the same token, it is clear that the truth is exclusive to this Ummah.

With these premises proven and clear, we find the Ummah divided into a number of beliefs. One congregation says that there is no Imam.