We are not negligent about looking after you and we do not...

We are not negligent about looking after you and we do not forget your remembrance.[^2] From the above letter, it is apparent that although Imam (a.t.f.s.) is hidden from the eyes of the people, the actions of the people are not concealed from his vision. He is aware of the conditions of the people in east and the west and with regards to the believers, he pays special attention.

In fact , it mea ns that while he is identity is not apparent to the people, he witnesses all the people - their bodies and souls, in such a way that nothing from the apparent or unseen is hidden from his eyes and no one is beyond his domain. As we recite in ziyarat on Friday: السَّلامُ عليكَ يا عَيْنَ الله في خَلقِه 'Peace be upon you, O eye of Allah amongst His creation'.[^3] In light of the above, how can one conclude that he is not aware of the condition of Allah's servants?

The important thing here is that man should realize the reality of this fact and should feel the presence of Imam's (a.t.f.s.) holy existence everywhere, at all times. In this situation, for him occultation is tantamount to witnessing Imam (a.t.f.s.) and he always feels Imam's (a.t.f.s.) presence. Then such a person will sincerely and genuinely try to observe the respect and honour towards his Imam's (a.t.f.s.) existence.

And by this, he will embrace the path of certainty in the period of Imam's (a.t.f.s.) occultation. For experiencing such a condition (i.e. feeling presence of Imam al-Ghaib (a.t.f.s.)), there is only one way and this is evident from the tradition of Imam Sajjad (a.s.) to Abu Khalid: 'O Abu Khalid, certainly the people of the time of His (Imam Mahdi ((a.t.f.s.)) occultation who believe in his Imamat and are awaiting his reappearance are better than the people of all times.

This is because Allah has given them such intelligence understanding and recognition that occultation for them has become akin to his presence.'[^4] Yes, achieving this condition is possible through a deeper and a more perfect sense of recognition of all fundamentals of religion. The base and the root of every recognition is recognition of Allah, which man must realize.

If man is able to realise Allah's Unity (Tauheed) as is outlined in traditions, his actions and behaviour will automatically fall in line with Allah's wishes. Similarly, the recognition of Prophethood and Imamat should be correct, i.e. it should be in conformity with the Quran and traditions, without any reliance on one's own intellect and rationale.