One of the questions raised by the skeptics regarding the occultation of Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) is – if he is brave and courageous like his forefathers Imam Ali (a.s.) and Imam Husain (a.s.) who never shied from battle, why does he need to hide in occultation? For the skeptics this is cowardice and a departure from the Sunnah of previous Imams (a.s.) who never went in occultation despite the threats to their lives.
Reply
1.Occultation is not the same as hiding
2.Imam’s (a.s.) occultation to an extent is due to fear
3.Real reason for occultation is from the secrets of Allah
4.Prophets of Allah lived in fear of being killed
Back to Top 1. Occultation is not the same as hiding
Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) is not in hiding as the skeptics believe like a person hides from others inside a shelter or cave or an underground bunker. He (a.t.f.s.) is in plain sight but others do not recognize him until he (a.t.f.s.) introduces himself.
In this regard Imam Jafar Sadiq (a.s.) reveals:
There are many prophetic customs (Sunnah) in the Master of this Affair (a.t.f.s.): a custom from Moosa Ibn Imran, a custom from Isa, a custom from Yusuf and a custom from Muhammad (s.a.w.a.)…
As for his custom from Yusuf, it is imprisonment (in the house for five years) and occultation (after 260 A.H.)…
- Kamaluddeen v 1 p 229
- Ithbat al-Hodat v 5 p 83-84
- Behar al-Anwar v 51 p 218
Muhammad Ibn Uthman (r.a.), the second special deputy of Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) narrates:
The Master of this Affair (a.t.f.s.) attends the Hajj every year and sees the people and recognizes them and they see him but do not recognize him.
- Kamaluddeen v 2 p 440
- Wasail al-Shia v 11 p 135
Clearly, occultation is a matter of non-recognition of the Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) and not cowardice where a person retreats by hiding or disguising himself. Many prophets of Allah like Yusuf, Moosa Ibn Imran, Salih (peace be upon them) were not recognized by their own nation despite living among them, until Allah chose to lift the veil of occultation. Prophet Yusuf was not recognized by his own brothers after living amongst them for many years.
Back to Top 2. Imam’s (a.s.) occultation to an extent is due to fear
There are reports on Imam’s (a.t.f.s.) life being in danger as Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) informs:
There is an occultation for the Qaim (a.t.f.s.) before his reappearance. I asked: Why is it so? He replied: He is fearful. And he pointed towards his belly, implying that the Qaim fears for his life.
- Elal al-Shara’e v 1 p 236
- Al-Kafi v 1 p 338
- Kamaluddeen v 2 p 481
- Behar al-Anwar v 52 p 97
Danger to life is but one of the reasons for Imam Mahdi’s (a.t.f.s.) occultation. Reports list other reasons like:
- examination of the Muslims
- unpreparedness and negligence of the Muslims
- awaiting the birth of every Muslim who is present in the lineage of non-Muslim
- freedom from the tyrant’s allegiance
Therefore, to position fear as the all-important reason for occultation is misleading.
Back to Top 3. Real reason for occultation is from the secrets of Allah
Skeptics err in claiming that Imam Mahdi’s (a.t.f.s.) occultation is owing to fear and cowardice. They are only shooting in the dark by taking one report at face value and ignoring other reports which present the full picture. The real reason for occultation is a secret that has not been revealed by the Imams (a.s.) even to the Shias. Imam Jafar Sadiq (a.s.) informs:
For the Master of the Affair (Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.)) occultation is necessary, all the deviated ones will doubt regarding the occultation.
Narrator: May my life be sacrificed for you, why will there be an occultation?
Imam Sadiq (a.s.): The wisdom which was present for the occultation of the past emissaries of Allah, that is also the wisdom behind the occultation of Saheb al-Amr. The wisdom will be revealed only after his reappearance, just as the wisdom behind the actions of Khizr (a.s.) i.e. puncturing the boat, killing the youth and building the wall was revealed only at the separation of Prophet Moosa (a.s.) and Khizr (a.s.).
Imam (a.s.) continued – O son of Fazl! This affair is from the affairs of Allah; it is a secret from the secrets of Allah; it is an occultation from the occultation of Allah. When we know that Allah is All-Wise then we testify that all His actions are full of wisdom, even though the reasons behind them are not apparent.
- Al-Ehtejaj by Shaikh al-Tabrisi (r.a.), vol. 2, p. 376
This and reports like this show that the real reason of Imam Mahdi’s (a.t.f.s.) occultation has not been revealed to anyone, it is a secret from the divine secrets.
Back to Top 4.Prophets of Allah lived in fear of being killed
As far as fear of death is concerned – other prophets also lived with this fear and took evasive action, and no Muslim concludes this as sign of cowardice.
We do not have to look far – our own Prophet (s.a.w.a.) faced imminent danger to his life to evade which he (s.a.w.a.) undertook migration to Medina on divine command. He (s.a.w.a.) disappeared in full view of the infidels as the Holy Quran informs:
وَجَعَلْنَا مِن بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ سَدًّا وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ سَدًّا فَأَغْشَيْنَاهُمْ فَهُمْ لاَ يُبْصِرُونَ
And We have made before them a barrier and a barrier behind them, then We have covered them over so that they do not see. (Surah Yasin (36: 9)
Imam Mahdi’s (a.t.f.s.) occultation in full view of the oppressors is no sign of cowardice and only resembles his grandfather’s (s.a.w.a.) disappearance on the night of migration.
Prophet Moosa (a.s.) likewise fled from the city to evade Firon’s police who were out to arrest him for killing the Egyptian:
فَخَرَجَ مِنْهَا خَائِفًا يَتَرَقَّبُ قَالَ رَبِّ نَجِّنِي مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ
So he went forth therefrom, fearing, awaiting, (and) he said: My Lord! deliver me from the unjust people. (Surah Qasas (28): 21)
Incidentally, Imam Husain (a.s.) recited the same verse while leaving Medina to evade the Firon of his era.
Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) is like Prophet Moosa (a.s.) in this regard as Imam Sadiq (a.s.) reveals:
There are many prophetic customs (Sunnah) in the Master of this Affair (a.t.f.s.): a custom from Moosa Ibn Imran, a custom from Isa, a custom from Yusuf and a custom from Muhammad (s.a.w.a.)…
As for his custom from Moosa, it is fearing and awaiting…
- Kamaluddeen v 1 p 229
- Ithbat al-Hodat v 5 p 83-84
- Behar al-Anwar v 51 p 218
Prophet Lut (a.s.) was also surrounded by bloodthirsty goons of his nation and faced impending danger of being lynched so he recited:
قَالَ لَوْ أَنَّ لِي بِكُمْ قُوَّةً أَوْ آوِي إِلَى رُكْنٍ شَدِيدٍ
He said: Ah! That I had power to suppress you, rather I shall have recourse to a strong support. (Surah Anfal (11): 80)
Finally, Prophet Lut (a.s.) was ordered to abandon the city on divine command. In much the same way, Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) was surrounded by the enemies when he chose occultation on divine command.
Clearly, Imam Mahdi’s (a.t.f.s.) occultation is nothing to be surprised about. The real reason for occultation has not been revealed to the Muslims. And the apparent reasons of fear of life coincide with the custom (Sunnah) of other prophets like Prophets Muhammad (s.a.w.a.), Moosa, Lut (peace be upon them) and there is no Muslim who believes this is a sign of cowardice in prophets. So why is Imam Mahdi’s (a.t.f.s.) occultation for the same reasons a matter of debate and ridicule for the skeptics?!