These meetings also intended to provide the Imam (‘a) with a...
These meetings also intended to provide the Imam (‘a) with a review of the activities of the faithful believers, their problems and common and private questions in addition to other affairs necessitated by the direct connection between the leader and the subjects with regard to the Muslim society and the process of building a virtuous community inside this society.
In this regard, Shaykh al-Kulayni and Shaykh al-Saduq have reported through a valid chain of authority that Imam al-Baqir (‘a) said: إِنَّمَا أُمِرَ النَّاسُ أَنْ يَأْتُوا هَذِهِ الأَحْجَارَ فَيَطُوفُوا بِهَا، ثُمَّ يَأْتُونَا فَيُخْبِرُونَا بِوِلاَيَتِهِمْ وَيُعْرِضُوا عَلَيْنَا نَصْرَهُمْ. The people have been ordered to come to these stones and circumambulate them so that they can then come to us to show their loyalty to us and offer their support for us.
[^2] Many other traditions have spoken of the same topic. This proves the significance of meeting the Imam (‘a), which is an organizational trend in the process of building a virtuous community, during this blessed devotional system, considering it one of the devotional acts a faithful believer is required to do.
Moreover, this organizational trend is in reality an Islamic principle that has been put into practice by the (‘a) in setting up the system of building a virtuous community.[^3] In plain words, the attachment of the people to their religious leadership and their commitment to the covenants and pledges that they make with their leadership (which may take various forms including following the guidelines, carrying out the commands, and giving complete support to the leadership) is actually one of the principles of Islam to which the Holy Qur'an (‘a) has called, saying: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَجِيبُوا لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَحُولُ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَقَلْبِهِ وَأَنَّهُ إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ (24) O you who believe, answer the call of Allah and His Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life.
Know that Allah intervenes between man and his heart and that to Him you shall be gathered. (8:24) Hajj: Jihad of the Weak Some traditions have reported the Holy Prophet (S) to have regarded Hajj as a type of jihad (holy struggle) although he said so about women, who are exempted from the religious duty of jihad . In this regard, al-Bukhari has reported that ‘A'ishah said to the Holy Prophet (S), “We, the women, see jihad as the best of all deeds.