Ahlul Bayt (AS) News Agency (ABNA) - Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said:
"The traditions of the prophets regarding the occultations that befell them will occur in our Qa’im (the Riser) from the Household of the Prophet exactly step for step, feather for feather."
Kamal al-Din wa Tamam al-Ni'mah, Vol. 2, p. 345
Introduction
Among the descendants of the Seal of the Prophets, Prophet Muhammad al-Mustafa (peace and blessings of GOD be upon him and his progeny), Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) demonstrated the utmost dedication to introducing the Savior of humanity. To unveil the mystery of the Promised One's Occultation and elucidate its wise dimensions, he illuminated the divine tradition through the mirror of the occultations of preceding prophets, explicitly stating: "The traditions of the prophets regarding the occultations that befell them will occur in our Qa’im from the Household of the Prophet exactly step for step, feather for feather."
The monumental book, Kamal al-Din wa Tamam al-Ni'mah, is an invaluable treasure of these narrations, documenting the occultations of the divine prophets and their successors.
What follows is a concise overview of these luminous teachings concerning the occultation of certain Divine Proofs (Hujaj) and their similarity to the Occultation of the Imam of our Time, Hazrat Baqiyyatullah al-Azam (may our souls be sacrificed for him).
Source: Kamal al-Din wa Tamam al-Ni'mah, Vol. 1, pp. 127-159 and Vol. 2, pp. 351-355
Prophet Idris (Peace be upon him)
In the time of Prophet Idris, a tyrannical king took the life of a believing servant of God and seized his land. In the wake of that tyrant's injustice, Prophet Idris was tasked with conveying the Divine Message. As the oppressor of the age could not tolerate the truth and intended to kill the Prophet, Prophet Idris, by divine command, entered his period of Occultation. Simultaneously with the Prophet's prayer, a twenty-year drought afflicted the city. Ultimately, the severity of the tribulation and hunger compelled the people to repent and humble themselves, and the call of divine mercy summoned the absent Prophet to return. However, the end of the drought and the descent of rain were conditional upon the utmost humility and supplication of the ruler and the people before the station of prophethood. It was only upon accepting this condition that Prophet Idris raised his hands in prayer, and the sky immediately rained upon them so heavily that they thought they would drown.
Prophet Noah (Peace be upon him)
After years of inviting his people and enduring hardship among them, Prophet Noah sought relief and divine assistance from God Almighty. God Almighty made the final deliverance conditional upon planting date seeds and awaiting their fruition. This lengthy waiting period was repeated multiple times, and each time the time for harvest and deliverance arrived, the divine command was delayed, and the instruction was given to plant again. In this manner, factions of the believers repeatedly apostatized until only a small number remained. Then Prophet Noah prayed, saying: "My Lord, only this group of my companions remains, and I fear that if the deliverance is delayed, they too will perish." And God answered his prayer and brought deliverance to Prophet Noah's people. Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said that the lengthy Occultation of the Imam Mahdi (may our souls be sacrificed for him) has a similar wisdom. The days of his Occultation will be prolonged until only the true and sincere companions remain, those who are worthy of accompanying the Imam at the time of his Appearance and the realization of the great divine promise for the establishment of universal justice.
Prophet Hud (Peace be upon him)
Before his passing, Prophet Noah gave glad tidings to his followers that a Qa’im (Riser) from his descendants, named "Hud," would appear after a long period of Occultation. This waiting period became so lengthy that the hearts of many people hardened. But at the peak of despair, God brought forth His Prophet Hud, who brought an end to the hardships and caused the destruction of the enemies. Just as the Appearance of Hud occurred after a long period of Occultation and the dominance of tyrants, at the time of his followers' utmost despair, the Appearance of Imam Mahdi (may our souls be sacrificed for him), after a long period of Occultation and the world being filled with injustice, will bring an end to oppression and inaugurate the era of universal justice.
Prophet Salih (Peace be upon him)
Prophet Salih was absent from his people for a time, and when he returned to them, his appearance had changed so much that they did not recognize him by his looks. Upon his return, the people were divided into three groups: the staunch deniers, the wavering doubters, and the believing people of certainty. The first two groups, relying on the Prophet's external appearance, denied him and turned away. However, the third group, instead of relying solely on external signs, while acknowledging God's power to effect any change, asked the Messenger of God for a sign. Prophet Salih introduced himself to them through the miracle of the "camel" and its other signs. Upon hearing these clear signs, the believers immediately recognized the truth and believed in him. The Occultation and return of Prophet Salih are an example for the Occultation and Appearance of the Qa’im of the Household of Prophet Muhammad, because the recognition and acceptance of the Imam of the Time after a long Occultation requires insight and recognition of the signs of truth, not just reliance on external appearances.
Prophet Abraham (Peace be upon him)
The Occultation of Prophet Abraham begins with the story of his birth and subsequent growth in a cave, away from the eyes of the tyrant of the age, out of fear of the evil followers of Namrud. After his prophethood became manifest and he was denied by the tyrant of the age and the people, he was forced to migrate from that land and travel to other regions, thus entering another phase of Occultation. The Imam of the Time (may our souls be sacrificed for him), too, for his protection and to prepare the conditions for the final Appearance to establish divine justice, is compelled to spend a period of concealment or being out of reach in a society filled with injustice and oppression, and this itself is a test for the people's guidance or misguidance in that era.
Prophet Joseph (Peace be upon him)
Prophet Joseph was absent for twenty years. Throughout this period, Prophet Jacob, despite being unaware of his location, was certain of his beloved son's life. His brothers also met him but did not recognize him. The tradition of the Qa’im of the Household of Prophet Muhammad (may our souls be sacrificed for him) concerning the matter of Occultation, taken from Joseph, is the concealment of his identity. Despite the fact that he is present among the people, he is not recognized until the time for his Appearance by divine permission arrives.
Prophet Moses (Peace be upon him)
The Occultation of Prophet Moses included not only the miraculous concealment of his birth from the enemy's eyes and his growth in the heart of Pharaoh's palace, but also the period of his migration and distance from his people. The Children of Israel spent continuous centuries in hardship and unawareness of their Prophet. When the severity and hardship of that era reached their peak, with the guidance of a scholar from among them, they went to a desert and prayed pleadingly to God Almighty until they were honoured with meeting their Prophet, and they prayed together for God Almighty to hasten their deliverance. But after this meeting, a second Occultation, which was harder for them than the first, began until their tribulation intensified. Then, they again went to a desert with their scholar and raised their hands in prayer. At this point, God Almighty promised the scholar that He would grant them deliverance after forty years. They all said: "Praise be to God," and God Almighty revealed: "Tell them, because you uttered 'Praise be to God', I have reduced it by thirty years." And as they expressed gratitude to God each time, God issued the permission for their deliverance at that very moment, and at that same time, Moses appeared among them, riding his mount. Just as the Occultation of Moses continued despite his people's long suffering and waiting, and his deliverance was hastened by their supplication and sincerity, the affair of the Appearance of the Imam Mahdi (may our souls be sacrificed for him), despite the preparedness and sincere supplication of the awaiters, will be perfected in one night by divine will.
Successors of Moses (Peace be upon them)
Prophet Moses had twelve successors who were concealed for a period of four hundred years. The followers of each of them would visit their guardian (Wali) and learn the precepts of their religion until it was the turn of the last of them, and he went into Occultation. After his Appearance, he gave glad tidings of Prophet David.
Prophet David (Peace be upon him)
Prophet David, he whose deliverance of the people of Israel depended on his Appearance, and who was destined to purify the earth from the evil of Goliath and his armies, was unknown among his people and even his own family. One day, in the midst of the battle between Saul and Goliath, by divine will, a speaking stone called out to him, saying it was created to kill Goliath, and Saul's armor miraculously fit his body. After that, with the throw of that same stone, Goliath fell, and David was immediately chosen as ruler. The people of Israel also gathered around him, and God Almighty sent down the Psalms upon him and taught him the craft of iron, softening it for him, and commanded the mountains and birds to glorify God with him, and bestowed upon him a voice like none ever heard, and strengthened him in worship, and made him the Prophet of the people of Israel. The method of the Qa’im of the Household of Prophet Muhammad (may our souls be sacrificed for him) is also thus; near the time of Appearance, the divine knowledge with him will spread from his side, and by the permission of the Lord, it will speak and call out: "O Guardian of Allah! Emerge and kill the enemies of God!"
Prophet Solomon (Peace be upon him)
Prophet Solomon, after succeeding David, kept his affair concealed and was obscure from his followers for a time until, upon finding a ring, he attained kingship, and the followers gathered around him and rejoiced in his presence, and God removed the confusion of Prophet Solomon's Occultation from them.
Prophet Jesus (Peace be upon him)
The birth of Prophet Jesus was a hidden matter. After that, Prophet Jesus also had several occultations and travelled the earth unknown. The prevalent belief among Jews and Christians was that he had been killed, but God Almighty refuted their claim with His word: "And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but it was made to resemble for them." The Occultation of the Qa’im of the Household of Prophet Muhammad (may our souls be sacrificed for him) also follows this tradition; due to the length of this Occultation, similar denials occur among the nation, and this paves the way for disbelief, false beliefs, and dispersion concerning him.
Successors of Jesus (Peace be upon them)
The successors and apparent proofs (Hujaj) after him were also absent, and seeking them was very difficult, to the extent that the religion became worn out, divine rights were neglected, and divine obligations and recommendations disappeared, and people went astray, not recognizing anything. This Occultation lasted for two hundred and fifty years until the Seal of the Prophets, Hazrat Muhammad al-Mustafa (peace and blessings of God be upon him and his progeny), appeared.
Conclusion
Sheikh al-A'immah, Imam Sadiq of the Household of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), that sacred being who, in describing his last descendant, "the Inheritor of the Prophets and Successors, Hazrat Baqiyyatullah al-Azam (may our souls be sacrificed for him)," said: "Had I attained his era, I would have surely spent all the days of my life serving him" – by explaining the wisdoms of the Mahdawi Occultation through likening it to the occultations of the divine prophets, bestowed upon the Shia of the age of Occultation an unparalleled and illuminating treasure. Undoubtedly, the elucidation of these mysteries, including the wisdom of his miraculous and hidden birth in an era of oppression and injustice, the lengthy days of the Occultation, the continuation of the Imam's pure life throughout the entire period of Occultation, the continuation of the test of Occultation until the definitive purification of the true believers from the pretenders and hypocrites, the fundamental necessity of luminous and insightful knowledge regarding the sacred being of the Imam of the Time, the importance of true awaiters' hope in the realization of the Appearance, and the unparalleled role of the humble and sincere supplication of the awaiting community to pray for the hastening of their deliverance, and the direct effect of this pleading prayer in reducing the days of the Occultation, and subsequently the awaiters' gratitude for the nearness of the time of Appearance in the hastening and instantaneous realization of the affair of Appearance – all this, while indicating a deep connection between the awaiting community's capacity of faith, level of knowledge, and sincere gratitude with the affair of the Appearance, also serves as a source of protection for the believers from the evil of the numerous tribulations, doubts, and abundant afflictions of the age of Occultation until they attain the great triumph of his most joyous Appearance.
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