In theology, the soul is defined as that part of the individual that is divine and is considered to survive the death of the body.
The Holy Qur'an contains an intriguing and mysterious statement about this topic:
“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
The Qaim/Riser from the Family of Mohammed Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq (From Him is Peace) has come forth with brand new knowledge about the soul, fulfilling an age-old prophecy.
Long ago, Imam Al-Sadiq (From Him Is Peace) said:
“Verily, 2,000 years before Allah created the bodies, He made the souls into siblings in the Shadows. So when the Qaim from us, Ahlul-Bayt, rises, he shall make the brother inherit from the brother whom he paired him with in the Shadows, and he does not make him inherit from his physical brother.”
– Mustadrak Al-Wasa’il, Al-Mirza Al-Nuri, Vol. 17, p. 186; Bihar Al-Anwar, Mohammed Baqir Al-Majlisi, Vol. 58, p. 79
Meaning, that there is another world – one, which has existed much longer than the physical world and it is more real than anything you can reach out and touch.
The physical bodies in this world were designed as vessels for something much greater: the soul. The body is in this world and of this world but the soul within was created in the soul world and that is its true home.
Not only has Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him Is Peace) revealed that the soul is eternal and never dies, but he has also revealed secret wisdom about the soul, which changes everything about who we think we are. Just as we have a mother and a father in the physical world, souls also have a lineage.
Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him Is Peace) was once asked about the following narration, which states that Imam Al-Hussein (From Him Is Peace) comes out with the Imam who has no lineage:
Ali ibn Abi Hamzah entered upon Imam Al-Ridha (peace be upon him) and said to him, "Are you an Imam?" He replied, "Yes." Ali then said, "I heard your grandfather Ja’far ibn Mohammed (peace be upon them) say, 'An Imam must have offspring.'"
Imam Al-Ridha (PBUH) responded, "Have you forgotten, O shaikh (old man), or are you pretending to forget? That is not what Ja’far (PBUH) said. What Ja’far (PBUH) said was, 'An Imam must have offspring except for the Imam upon whom Al-Hussein ibn Ali (PBUH) emerges, for he will have no offspring.'"
Ali then said, "You have spoken the truth; may I be your ransom. That is indeed what I heard your grandfather say."
– Najm Al-Thaqib, Al-Mirza Al-Nuri, Vol. 2, p. 73; Ghaybat Al-Tusi, Al-Shaikh Al-Tusi, Vol. 1, p. 248
And Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him Is Peace) stated, about this narration:
“This narration is authentic and it is about Imam Al-Mahdi Mohammed Ibn Al-Hassan (PBUH) and he has no offspring from his seed.”
– Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him Is Peace)
Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him Is Peace) is the son of Imam Al-Mahdi (From Him Is Peace) in the soul world.
Every soul has one true father and we came to this world multiple times, and in each incarnation, the father and the mother and the siblings can be different.
The revelation of the knowledge is an important sign, by which we will know the Qaim (From Him Is Peace). And this is the ultimate proof.
Centuries ago, Imam Ja’far 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-Mufaddal ibn Omar Al-Jofi, as Translated by Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq (From Him is Peace), Door 66, p. 367
The knowledge about the soul, which Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq (From Him Is Peace) has revealed to us by Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace), is the fulfilment of prophecy and a proof upon us.
For more information on the soul family, watch this episode from the School of Divine Mysteries:
Imam Mahdi Reveals Knowledge of Soulmates and Soul Family | الإمام المهدي يؤسس العائلة الروحية
The Goal of the Wise by Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq (From Him is Peace) explains the soul and the soul family throughout the book.