¶ The Law of Knowing the Vicegerent
¶ The Law of Knowing the Vicegerent Teachings & Proofs List
One of the core principles of the foundation of the blessed Call is the Law of Knowing the Vicegerent.
We know that from the beginning of time, God has sent humanity His divine Messenger, to guide and lead the people. We call this man God’s vicegerent on earth, or ‘Hujjah’ in Arabic.
However, it is possible to be misled by a false shepherd or to be doubtful of whether or not a man is truly a vicegerent from God. Is there a way to know for sure?
As with every ruling from God the Almighty, there surely is a law to analyze this correctly. And far be it that God, in His justice and mercy, would not set a certain law and method for mankind to follow, so that mankind may not be misguided. Otherwise, the penalty of falling into misguidance would be wholly unjust.
¶ So What Exactly Is This Law of Recognizing the Vicegerent?
We can glean this from the narrations of the Ahlul-Bayt (From Them is Peace), the ones who have always guided us on how to know the truth. And in his mercy, Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) has outlined the criteria very clearly for all to see and understand.
Let us now go into what the criteria is according to the narrations of the Ahlul-Bayt (From Them is Peace).
From Jabir Al-Jofi from Abi Ja’far Imam Al-Baqir (From Him is Peace) said: "Whatever has caused you confusion, let not the covenant of the Prophet of God (PBUH & His Family), his banner, his weapon, and the Pure Nafs (Al-Nafs Al-Zakiyya) from the family of Al-Hussein confuse you. If you become confused even regarding these, then do not be confused regarding the voice from the sky proclaiming his name and his matter. Beware of the deviants among the family of Mohammed (PBUT), for there is a banner for the family of Mohammed and Ali and there are banners for others. Remain steadfast and do not follow any of them until you see a man from the family of Al-Hussein carrying the Covenant of the Prophet of God, his banner, and his weapon. For indeed, the Covenant of the Prophet of God was passed on to Ali ibn al-Hussein, then to Mohammed ibn Ali, and God does whatever He wills."
– Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 52, p. 223-224
Abi Abdillah (Imam Ja’far Al-Sadiq) (From Him is Peace) said: "The companion of the matter is recognized by three qualities that are not found in anyone else except him: he is the most deserving of the one before him, he is his successor, and he possesses the weapon of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH & His Family) and his Will both of which I have and cannot be contested over."
– Basa’ir Al-Darajat, Mohammed Al-Safar, p. 202
So the three criteria that have been listed by the Ahlul-Bayt (From Them is Peace) are:
¶ The Will
An apparent WILL from the Messenger who precedes him.
¶ Divine Knowledge
The vicegerent will have a weapon. The weapon of the Mahdi in the End Times is known to be KNOWLEDGE.
¶ Call to the Supremacy of God
The BANNER OF ALLAH always calls towards the Supremacy of God, and this is the banner of the Mahdi during the end times, the one that calls towards paying allegiance to God alone.
¶ 1. THE WILL
Every messenger of God is meant to appoint his successor.
Do we have an example of this happening in history?
We have the example of the appointment of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (From Him is Peace) where we see Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) clearly appointing Imam Ali (From Him is Peace) in front of the people and saying to them:
"Whoever I am his master (Mawla), then Ali is his master (Mawla). O Allah, befriend those who befriend him, and oppose those who oppose him. Support those who support him, and abandon those who abandon him."
– Al-Irshad, Al-Shaikh Al-Mufid, Vol. 1, p.176
We have another example of a person claiming an apparent Will, and that is Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family), who claimed to be the promised Paraclete or Comforter or “Ahmed” mentioned by Jesus (PBUH):
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter (Paraclete) will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you”.
– The Holy Bible, Book of John, Chapter 16, Verse 7
And in the Qur'an, it is mentioned again:
“And [mention] when Jesus, the son of Mary, said, “O Children of Israel, indeed I am the messenger of Allaah to you confirming what came before me of the Torah and bringing good tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmed.” But when he (Ahmed) came to them with clear proofs, they said: “This is plain magic.”
– The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 61 (Al-Saf), Verse 6
So we see that in God’s system, a messenger is meant to appoint his successor and make it obvious and public, for the people to know.
Did the Riser Aba Al-Sadiq and Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Them is Peace) claim the Will?
The only ones to claim the Will of the Prophet (PBUH & His Family) are the Riser Aba Al-Sadiq and Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Them is Peace). Before the appearance of Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) and his declaration of being God’s messenger to the people, nobody else ever claimed the Will.
And it was Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq (From Him is Peace) who claimed the Will as the individual named by Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) to be ‘Abdullah’.
Since the time of Adam until now, God has not deprived us of his guidance through his prophets and messengers as a means to identify Him. Aba Al-Sadiq and Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Them is Peace) came with many proofs, and the greatest proof is the divinely protected Will of the Messenger of God, Mohammed (PBUH & His Family).
“Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) said to Ali (PBUH) on the night of his death, ‘O Father of Al-Hassan, bring me a pen and a paper,’ so the Messenger of Allah (PBUH & His Family) dictated his Will until he came to this position where he said: ‘O Ali, there will be twelve Imams after me and after them there will be twelve Mahdis. So you, O Ali, are the first of the twelve Imams, Allah the Exalted has named you in His heavens Ali Al-Murtada (the Content), Amirul Mo’mineen (the Prince of the Believers), Al-Siddiq Al-Akbar (the Greater Truthful), Al-Farouq Al-A’tham (the Greater Judge and Differentiator between truth and falsehood), Al-Ma’moun (the Trusted), and the Mahdi (the Guided). These names may not be attributed to other than you. O Ali, you are my vicegerent/guardian over my own family, their living and their dead, and upon my women: Whomever you kept, she shall find me tomorrow, and whomever you divorced, I am innocent of her, I will not see her and she will not see me on the Day of Resurrection. And you are my successor (Khalifa) over my nation after me. If death comes to you, hand it over to my son Al-Hassan, the righteous and benevolent. Then if death comes to him, let him hand it over to my son Al-Hussein, the martyr, the pure and murdered. If death comes to him, let him hand it over to his son, the master of worshipers, Dhul Thafanat (the one with hard skin on his knees) Ali. If death comes to him, let him hand it over to his son, Mohammed Al-Baqir (the Revealer of Knowledge). If death comes to him, let him hand it over to his son, Ja’far Al-Sadiq (the Truthful). If death comes to him, let him hand it over to his son, Musa Al-Kathim (the Patient). If death comes to him, let him hand it over to his son, Ali Al-Ridha (the Pleasing One). If death comes to him, let him hand it over to his son, Mohammed Al-Thiqa Al-Taqqi (the Trustworthy, the God-Fearing). If death comes to him, let him hand it over to his son, Ali Al-Nasih (the Advisor). If death comes to him, let him hand it over to his son, Al-Hassan Al-Fadhil (the Meritorious). If death comes to him, let him hand it over to his son, Mohammed the Safeguarded of the Family of Mohammed (PBUT). Those are the twelve Imams. Then there will be twelve Mahdis after him, so if death comes to him, let him hand it over to his son, the first of the close ones, he has three names, one like mine and my Father’s and it is Abdullah (Servant of God), Ahmed (the Praised), and the third name is Al-Mahdi (the Guided), and he is the first of the believers.’ ”
– Ghaybat Al-Toosi, Vol. 1, p. 174; Bihar Al-Anwar, Al Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 53, p. 148
Is it possible for someone false to claim the Will?
The truth is, it is impossible for someone to falsely claim the divinely protected Will after it has been claimed by the first claimant. It is a miracle in itself that nobody for the past 1,400 years has ever claimed to be the ‘Ahmed’ or the ‘Abdullah’ mentioned in the Will except for Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) and Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq (From Him is Peace).
Imam Al-Sadiq (From Him is Peace) said, “This matter will not be claimed except by the rightful owner, or else Allah will cut off his age.”
– Al-Kafi, Al-Shaikh Al-Kulayni, Vol. 1, p. 373; Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 25, p. 112
¶
¶ 2. THE WEAPON IS KNOWLEDGE
The second criterion we see is that the vicegerent of Allah has to be an individual who can answer people’s questions, specifically in these great matters that are only revealed by a divine Messenger, the matters that are referred to as the greatest of matters or ‘Aza’im Al-O’moor’.
Al-Mufaddel ibn Omar said: I heard Abu Abdillah Al-Sadiq (PBUH) saying: “The companion of this matter has two absences. After one of them, he comes back to his family and regarding the other one it is said: 'He has perished; in which valley did he wander?' I asked: 'What should we do if that happens?' He said: 'If someone claims it, ask him about matters that only someone like him can answer.'”
– Al-Kafi , Al-Shaikh Al-Kulayni, Vol. 1, p. 340
Do we have an example of this happening in history?
We see from the Qur'an:
And He taught Adam the names - all of them. Then He showed them to the angels and said, "Inform Me of the names of these, if you are truthful."
– The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 2 (Al-Baqarah), Verse 31
He said, "O Adam, inform them of their names." And when he had informed them of their names, He said, "Did I not tell you that I know the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and the earth? And I know what you reveal and what you have concealed."
– The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 2 (Al-Baqarah), Verse 33
So the person claiming to be a divine messenger from God has to be somebody who knows matters of the unseen, who knows and reveals incarnations and who comes forth with answers to questions that nobody was able to answer before. Furthermore, he has to be able to show this knowledge.
Did Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) come with divine knowledge?
Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) has demonstrated that he has this knowledge, and he demonstrated it through his interpretation of the Qur'an, through his answers to the people’s questions, and through revealing great matters that can only be revealed by a divinely appointed Messenger from God.
Here is further proof of a unique piece of knowledge that the Riser Aba Al-Sadiq and Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Them is Peace) came with.
In the Qur'an it says:
And they ask you, [O Mohammed], about the soul. Say, “The soul is of the affair of my Lord. And mankind have not been given of knowledge except a little.”.
– The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 17 (Al-Isra), Verse 85
It is this specific knowledge that is the key proof to identify the Riser (Qaim) of the Family of Mohammed, as Imam Al-Sadiq (From Him is Peace) said:
Imam Al-Sadiq (From Him is Peace) said, ‘Verily, God chose between the souls in the shadows and then made them enter the bodies, and if our Qaim emerges he shall make the brother inherit from the brother whom God paired him with in the shadows, and he does not make him inherit from his physical brother, know him from that, and whoever knows him from that there shall not remain upon him a stronger proof.’
– Al-Haft Al-Shareef, Al-Muffaddel ibn Omar Al-Jofi, Door 66, p. 180
Nobody on this planet came forth and revealed the true soul lineages and soul family kinship except the Qaim Aba Al-Sadiq and Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Them is Peace). The fact that they have brought forth the Law of Recognizing the Vicegerent of Allah is enough to show that they are knowledgeable.
The Gospel ‘The Goal of the Wise’ is a testament to the incredible and divine knowledge of Aba Al-Sadiq and Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Them is Peace).
Therefore, Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) and Aba Al-Sadiq (From Him is Peace) have now fulfilled two criteria of the Law of Recognizing the Vicegerent of Allah.
¶ 3. THE BANNER OF ALLAH
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH & His Family) is meant to always call the people towards the supremacy of Allah. He is God’s vicegerent to the people, so his goal is to bring them to pay allegiance to God alone.
“No prophet or messenger came and implemented socialism or democracy or came up with any other new governing system that is based on people deciding their own affairs. Every single prophet and messenger proclaimed and taught that God is the only one who can rule the affairs of human beings.“
– Sermon of Proofs, Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq (From Him is Peace), p. 11
This is the concept of ‘Supremacy of Allah’.
Do we have an example of this happening in history?
Prophets and Messengers throughout history have been chosen and sent by God the Almighty and have had the same call. They all called the people to pay allegiance to God, without associating partners with him, and they all called to the Supremacy of God.
Before the creation of Adam God had already decided to make him his representative:
And when your Lord said to the angels,, “Indeed, I will make upon the Earth a caliph.”
– The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 2 (Al-Baqarah), Verse 30
Prophet Noah (PBUH) is also mentioned in the Qur'an making the same call:
We had certainly sent Noah to his people, and he said, "O my people, worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him. Indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a tremendous Day."
– The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 7 (Al-Araf), Verse 59
As was Prophet Hud (PBUH), and every other messenger as well:
And mention, the brother of ʿAad, when he warned his people in [the region of] al-Ahqaf - and warners had already passed on before him and after him - [saying], "Do not worship except Allah. Indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a terrible day.
– The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 46 (Al-Ahqaf), Verse 21
Do the Qaim Aba Al-Sadiq and Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Them is Peace) have the same call towards Allah?
The banner of the Qaim Aba Al-Sadiq and Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Them is Peace) has the prophesied message for all to see, the one mentioned in the narrations of the end times. It is written on it ‘Allegiance is to Allah’.
Their banner is the one that the Savior of Mankind is meant to be carrying and it is the banner of the Ahlul-Bayt.
Abu Abdullah (From Him is Peace) said: "Verily, we Ahlul-Bayt have a banner, whoever goes ahead of it have renegaded, and whoever is late to it have perished, and whoever follows it has followed [us], "Allegiance is to Allah" is written in it!"
– 250 Signs until the Appearance of Imam Mahdi, Muhammad Ali Tabatabai, p. 19
These three criteria have been met by the Qaim Aba Al-Sadiq and Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Them is Peace). They were mentioned in the Will of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family), they came with the weapon of knowledge and they hold the banner of the Mahdi that calls the people towards God alone.
If a person is truly sincere to find God or to find His vicegerent on Earth, then it is absolutely impossible that God misguides them. It is not from God’s justice or mercy that He sees a sincere person asking for guidance and still allows them to fall into misguidance.
Aba Al-Sadiq (From Him is Peace) has said,
“God does not misguide His sincere servants.”
There is a great deal of wealth in these few words.
If we believe that God is good, that He is trustworthy, that He is merciful, the Shepherd who would never misguide his people, the father who heeds His children’s supplications, then how is it possible that an individual asks Him for help in finding the vicegerent and He allows that they be misguided? Far be it from Him that we associate such an injustice to Him.
Anyone with a reasoning mind will be able to see that Aba Al-Sadiq and Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Them is Peace) have fulfilled the three criteria of the Law of Recognizing the Vicegerent of Allah, that was taught to us by the Family of Mohammed (From Them is Peace). This is sufficient for any sincere truth seeker to prove his truthfulness.