Imam (as) replied: It is Taqayyah.

Imam (as) replied: It is Taqayyah.[^4] In the same book in another tradition from His Eminence (aj) it is mentioned that: One who sighs in sorrow regarding us and is aggrieved for oppression on us, this act of his is like glorification of Allah, and to be sad with regard to us is like worship and maintaining our secrets is like Jihad in the way of God.[^5] Muhammad bin Saeed – a narrator of this tradition – says: Write down this tradition in gold, I have not written anything better than this.

In Kamaluddin it is narrated from Imam Ja’far Sadiq (as) that he was asked what is the best deeds that a believer can perform during the period of occultation and His Eminence (aj) said: Controlling the tongue and sitting at home.[^6] In Tafseer Nishapuri it is mentioned that the following verse was recited before Abdullah bin Masood: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْفُسَكُمْ ۖ لَا يَضُرُّكُمْ مَنْ ضَلَّ إِذَا اهْتَدَيْتُمْ ۚ O you who believe!

take care of your souls; he who errs cannot hurt you when you are on the right way. (Qur’an, Surah Maidah 5:105) He said: This would happen in the last period of time. I say: There are numerous traditional reports on this matter but we have refrained from quoting them here for the sake of brevity. Here it is necessary to remove the doubt that some people have that there is contradiction among the traditions narrated from the Holy Imams (as).

This doubt haunts most of those who have not pondered over these traditional reports carefully and those who from the very beginning think that these traditional reports are contradictory, since in some of them it is commanded to publicize the matter and in some, we have been ordered to conceal the matter and observe Taqayyah.

This contradiction can be explained from what we have learnt from the saying of the Holy Imams (as) that: People are of three types, either they are scholars and enlightened with truth or non-scholars; and the second types consist of eight groups: Group One: Ordinary ignorant people, who if they recognize the truth, will not refuse to accept it. Group Two: Those who have fallen into confusion as they are in the middle of inquiry and recognition of truth, but they are in a state of bewilderment.

Group Three: Deviated and misguided souls; who as a result of being in the company of deviated or sinful people, go astray in acquisition of knowledge and recognition etc.

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