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 Quran 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 has not been given of knowledge except a little.”}
– Holy Quran, 17:85
The Riser from the family of Mohammed 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, 2000 years before Allah swt created the bodies, He made brothers between the souls in the Shadows. So when our – Ahlul Bayt- Qa’im rises, the brother inherits his brother in the Shadows, and he does not inherit his brother from the physical birth.”
– Mustadrak AlWasa’il by Al-Mirza AlNouri Volume 17 Page 186 (Arabic Version)
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 spark of the divine. The body is in this world and of this world but the spirit 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 Hussain (From Him Is Peace) comes out with the imam who has no lineage:
I entered to Ali ibn Abi Hamza who was with Abi al-Hasan al-Ridha (From Him Is Peace), he told him (From Him Is Peace): “Are you an Imam?” He (From Him Is Peace) said: “Yes.” So he said: “I heard your grandfather Ja’far bin Muhammad (From Him Is Peace) say: There will not be an Imam unless he has descendants.” So he (From Him Is Peace) said: “Did you forget, O Sheikh (old person), or did you try to forget? This is not what Ja’far (From Him Is Peace) said, rather Ja’far (From Him Is Peace) said: There will not be an Imam unless he has descendants, except the Imam that Al-Hussayn ibn Ali (From Him Is Peace) emerges too, he has no descendants.” So he said to him (From Him Is Peace): “You have told the truth, may I be your ransom, this is what I heard your grandfather saying.”
– Mirza Al-Noori in Najm Al-Thaaqib v.2 p.73 (Arabic Version)
– Ghaiba Al-Tusi, p.224, hadith.188
In the book Ghaybat Al Tusi, they translated the hadith as:
Mohammed bin Abdullah bin Ja'far Himyari has narrated from his father from Ali bin Sulaiman bin Rashid from Hasan bin Ali Khazzaz that once Ali bin Abi Hamza came to Imam Ali Reza (From Him Is Peace) and asked: "Are you an Imam?"
"Yes," said the Imam.
He said: "But. I have heard your grandfather say that Imam is the only one who has an issue and heir."
He said: "O · Shaykh, have you forgotten? This is not what he said; His Eminence, Ja'far has said something besides this. He said: No one becomes imam [true or false], but that he should have a successor, except for the [false] imam against whom Husain bin Ali (a.s) rose up. He did not have a successor."
He said: "You have said the truth, may I be sacrificed on you. I heard in the same way from your grandfather."
۱۸۸. محمد بن عبد الله بن جعفر الحميري عن أبيه عن علي بن سليمان بن رشيد عن الحسن بن علي الخزاز قال: دخل علي بن أبي حمزة على أبي الحسن الرضا عليه السلام فقال له : أنت إمام؟ قال: نعم. فقال له : إني سمعت جدك جعفر بن محمد عليه السلام يقول: لا يكون الإمام إلا وله عقب. فقال: أنسيت يا شيخ أو تناسيت؟ ليس هكذا قال جعفر عليه السلام. إنما قال جعفر عليه السلام لا يكون الإمام إلا وله عقب إلا الإمام الذي يخرج عليه الحسين بن علي عليه السلام فإنه لا عقب له. فقال له: صدقت، جعلت فداك . هكذا سمعت جدك يقول.
However the word ‘فإنه لا عقب له.’ means ‘There is no lineage to him’ or ‘he has no descendant’, it doesn't mean, ‘He did not have a successor’.
And Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him Is Peace) stated, about this narration:
“The narration is true, and it is about Imam Mahdi Mohammed son of Al-Hassan (From Him Is Peace), and he does not have a lineage 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, Allah chose between the souls in the Shadows, then made it enter the bodies. So when our Qaim emerges, he inherits the brother whom Allah chose in the shadows. And he does not inherit the brother from the physical birth. Know him from that, and whoever does, there remains no further proof.“
– Imam Ja’far Al-Sadiq (From Him Is Peace), Al Haft Al-Shareef
The knowledge about the soul, which Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him Is Peace) has revealed, 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 Establishes the Soul Family | الإمام المهدي يؤسس العائلة الروحية
The soul family is mentioned throughout the book, The Goal of the Wise.