It is through ‘Lutf’ that the Imam should be appointed by...

It is through ‘Lutf’ that the Imam should be appointed by God and designated through the Prophet (S). Imam is in Ghaybat, that is, he is absent; but the mercy is current - the snows of the Himalayas are far from sight, but the Ganges flows down to the Bay of Bengal. In Bengal, the Himalaya peaks are not visible nor are they in other regions; but the Ganges flows, irrigating vast patches of land throughout the Northern Belt to the East.

Since we do not see the snows of the Himalayas should we deny the existence of the Ganges river as well? If it is not a mercy, then Mahdi is not an Imam. It is his Imamate that makes him graceful to man. It is the scent of a flower that gives it worth. Flowers made of paper could be more elegant; but they have no grace of odor and no Lutf of fragrance.

Tosi says: “The Imam’s existence is Lutf, his action Lutf.” Ali Bin Abi Talib says: “Else, the proofs of God will be void and vain will be His signs.” An Imam whether present or absent is a ‘grace’, a ‘mercy’, a ‘Lutf’ of God because he is His sign, guardian of His religion, holds His office and was chosen by Him. The Imam who can carry out or execute the office of Imam-hood also imparts the Grace of God. To deny him the Grace is to deny the Imamate.

It is not possible that, a Prophet cannot guide or influence the people. The mercy of his prophet hood cannot be denied, because of its essentiality with prophet hood, and its being in consistence with the office of prophet hood. To appoint an Imam is God’s mercy, and mercy from God is His obligation towards His servants and creatures. God has appointed the son of Imam Hasan Askari as the Imam.

If we deny it, it tantamount to say that God has abstained from bestowing mercy upon us in the period of Ghaybat. To say so is to deny God. It is by His Mercy that we have an Imam. His Ghaybat (absence) does not reject the reality whatever hails from God - is Lutf; the 12th Imam is Lutf and his Ghaybat is Lutf because it is God’s order. Previous…