During this period the Shi'a were able to contact the Imam...

During this period the Shi'a were able to contact the Imam through his special deputies and were witness to the signs and miraculous deeds that appeared in the hands of these prominent followers of the Imam. When the notion of occultation and the Imam's ability to provide the necessary guidance through his deputies in that state became firmly accepted, the Complete Occultation occurred. Is There Any Time Limit to the Complete Occultation?

Engineer Madani: Is there any time limit fixed for the Complete Occultation? Mr. Hoshyar: No, there is no time limit fixed. However, there are many hadith-reports that point to the prolongation of the occultation to such an extent that some people will fall into doubt about the existence of the Imam.

For example, Imam 'Ali has related the following about the Qa'im: His occultation will be so long that an ignorant person will say: "God does not need the ahl al-bayt[^2]." Similarly, Imam Sajjad has related that among the characteristics of Noah that would recur in the Qa'im would be his long age[^3].

The Philosophy of Occultation Engineer Madani: If the Imam of the Age was living among the people, they would have been able to reach him and consult with him in times of need to seek solutions to their problems. That would have been better. In spite of such a need among his followers why did he go into occultation? Mr. Hoshyar: To be sure, if there had been no obstacles to his being present among the people, it would have been more expedient and beneficial to have him around.

However, since God has chosen a state of invisible existence for him, and since God's acts are founded upon what is in the best interest of humanity, one should also believe, as one does in other instances, that in this case also the reason for occultation is also based on divine wisdom, about which we have simply an overall knowledge, the details being unknown to us.

The following hadith corroborates the point we are trying to make, namely, that the actual reason for occultation was not explained for the people, and except for the Imams themselves no one knew anything about it. The hadith is reported by 'Abd Allah b. Fadl Hashimi. He relates: Imam Sadiq said: "The one entrusted with the command will necessarily live an invisible life. This will lead those who are already astray into doubt." So I asked the Imam the reason.