 Chapter
11
|
Victory News Magazine |
The Lesser Occultation (al-Ghaybat al-Sughra)
The Lesser Occultation (of Imam Mahdi) is the
first stage in the Imamah of the Awaited Leader, may Peace and
God's blessings be upon him.
From the time of assumption of title office of the Imamah it was decreed for this Imam to conceal himself from the public view and to keep himself apparently at a distance from events while remaining at close with his heart and mind. It has been observed that if his occultation (ghaybah) had occurred suddenly, it would have delivered a great blow to the community of adherents of the Imamah within the Islamic ummah because they were used to close contact with the Imam during every age and to interaction with him, referring to him various problems for solution. If the Imam were to disappear suddenly from the view of his followers and were they to realize that they had been cut off from their spiritual and intellectual leader, it would have given birth to a feeling of a great and catastrophic void which could shake the entire system and shatter its unity Therefore, it was necessary that there be a preparatory period for this occultation so that the community might gradually get used to it and adapt itself. This preparatory period was that of the Lesser Occultation in which Imam Mahdi remained hidden from the public, although he was in constant contact with them through his deputies, representatives and trustworthy companions, who acted as a link between him and the community of the believers in his Imamah.
The Four Deputies (nuwwab)
During this period, the task of representing the Imam was carried out by four persons whose piety, God-fearing and honesty were endorsed by the community within which they lived. They were:
1) Uthman ibn Said al-Amri,
2) Muhammad ibn Uthman ibn Said al-Amri,
3) Abu al-Qasim al-Husayn ibn Ruh,
4) Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Muhammad al-Samarri.
These four deputies (nuwwab), in succession, in the order mentioned above, performed the task of representing the Imam and when one of theirs died he was succeeded by the next one appointed by Imam Mahdi ('a). The deputy who was in contact with the Shi'i community, would communicate their questions and their problems to the Imam and bring back to them his replies, which were at times verbal and often written. The community which had been deprived of the sight of their Imam found comfort through these letters and indirect communications. It is noteworthy that these letters and messages issued by Imam Mahdi ('a) were in a single handwriting and style throughout the period lasting for nearly seventy years when these four persons acted as his deputies.
The End of Phase of Lesser Occultation
Later, al-Samarri who was the last of the Imam's deputies, announced the end of phase of Lesser Occultation, which is marked by the presence of specifically appointed agents of the Imam, and the beginning of the Greater Occultation (al-Ghaybat al-Kubra) in which no specific persons were appointed as intermediaries between the Imam and his followers.
| http://www.victorynewsmagazine.com |
©All rights reserved 2008. VictoryNewsMagazine.com
