- In everything we need a criteria to find how much our work is correct. We mark something as goal and evaluate our work against it.
- In every new road we require a leader to help us understanding the road.
- In every science we need some professionals to teach us new things and expand our knowledge.
Now, what do you think about our religious beliefs? Do not we require a criteria? A leader? A professional? A goal?
If we require, who can be the best leader? Who can guide us in the right way to Allah? Who can set the criteria?
A president or a governor? A pope or a Khalifa? Which one? Did you think about it?
All these people may be good, but they may make mistakes! and if we rely on them as our leader we also may make mistakes because we don’t know when they are going wrong and when they do the correct?
We should select someone which is innocent, never do a mistake and kind to the human. A complete person.
We need an Imam taking our hands and help us towards Allah in the best way, simplest path. And this is the meaning of Serat Al Mostaghim (right path) which we, as Muslim, repeat in each praying.
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“WHOEVER dies without knowing the imam of his time, dies the death of Jahiliyya.”
This is a hadeeth narrated from the prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Jafar ibn Abi Talib has described Jahiliyya like this:
Jafar ibn Abi Talib has described Jahiliyya like this:
“We were a people in a state of ignorance and immorality, worshipping idols and eating the flesh of dead animals, committing all sorts of abomination and shameful deeds. Breaking the ties of kinship, treating guests badly and the strong among us exploited the weak.”
In this hadeeth the prophet (saw) is warning us. Whoever admits there is no God but Allah, prays 5 times a day, fasts Ramadan, gives zakat and goes on hajj… but dies without knowing the imam of his time… has died as if he was in jahilliya. Someone can be equated with a person of the worst ignorance if he does not know his imam.
KNOWING OUR IMAM is a very important part of Islam, without which our entire identity as a Muslim is lacking.
Good Links: Imamah, Twelver Shia, Necessity of Imam Mahdi
This is a copy from blog Imam Mahdi (aj) : Read Main Article