Wahiduddin Khan on the Descent of Messiah

 

بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

اَلۡحَمۡدُ لِلّٰہِ رَبِّ الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ

والصلاة والسلام على خاتم النبيين

Among the modern-day so-called “Islamic scholars” who have dissented from the mainstream view on the descent of Messiah Jesus is Wahiduddin Khan (1925-2021):

عام طور پر یہ سمجھا جاتا ہے کہ حضرت مسیح آسمان میں زندہ ہیں اور آخری زمانے میں وہ جسمانی طور پر آسمان سے اتر کر زمین پر آئیں گے اور دجّال کو قتل کریں گے۔ یہ تصور اگرچہ لوگوں میں کافی پھیلا ہوا ہے، مگر وہ اپنی موجودہ صورت میں نہ قرآن سے ثابت ہوتا ہے، اور نہ احادیث سے۔ حدیث کی مختلف کتابوں میں تقریبا دو درجن معتبر روایتیں ہیں جن میں مسیح کے ظہور کا بیان پایا جاتا ہے۔ لیکن قابل غور بات یہ ہےکہ ان میں سے کسی روایت میں صراحتا یہ الفاظ موجود نہیں کہ مسیح جسمانی طور پر آسمان سے اتر کر زمین پر آئیں گے۔اس سلسلے میں جو بات ہے، وہ صرف یہ ہے کہ روایتوں میں نزول اور بعث کا لفظ استعمال ہوا ہے۔ مگر صرف اس لفظ سے یہ ثابت نہیں ہوتا کہ حضرت مسیح آسمان سے اتر کر نیچے زمین پر آ‏ئیں گے۔ عربی زبان میں نزول کا لفظ سادہ طور پر آنے کےمعنی میں استعمال ہوتا ہے، نہ کہ آسمان سے اترنے کہ معنی میں۔ اسی اعتبار سے مہمان کو نزیل کہا جاتا ہے، یعنی آنے والا۔ اسی طرح بعث کے لفظ میں بھی آسمان سے اترنے کا مفہوم شامل نہیں ہے۔ بعث کا مطلب اٹھنا، یا ظاہر ہونا ہے، نہ کہ جسمانی طور پر آسمان سے اٹرنا۔

حقیقت یہ ہے کہ مسیح کی آمد سے مراد مسیح کی رول کی آمد ہے، یعنی دور آخر میں جب کہ دجّال ظاہر ہوگا، اس وقت امت محمدی کا کوئی شخص اٹھے گا اور مسیح جیسا رول ادا کرتے ہو‏ۓ دجّال کے فتنوں کا مقابلہ کرے گا اور اس کو شکست دے گا۔ حدیث میں قتل دجال کا ذکر ہے۔ اس سے مراد دجال کا جسمانی قتل نہیں ہے، بلکہ دجال کے فتنے کو بذریعہ دلائل قتل کرنا ہے۔

“It is generally understood that the Messiah is alive in Heaven and in the End Times shall bodily descend from Heaven to Earth and slay the Dajjal. Although this view is widespread among the people, in its present form it is not supported from the Quran and Hadith. In Hadith there are various books with reliable narrations that speak about the coming of the Messiah. But it is noteworthy that in none of these narrations is it clearly worded that the Messiah will bodily descend from Heaven to Earth. In these narrations merely the words Nuzul and Ba’th have been used. These words aren’t enough to prove that the Messiah will come down from Heaven to Earth. In the Arabic tongue the word Nuzul plainly means coming, not the meaning of descending from Heaven. In this respect a guest is called Nazil, that is, one who is coming. Likewise, the word Ba’th does not have the meaning of coming down from Heaven. Ba’th means to arise or to appear, not to bodily descend from Heaven. The reality of the coming of the Messiah is that coming of the role of the Messiah. In the End Time when the Dajjal appears, at that time, in the Ummah of Muhammad some person will arise and, fulfilling the role of the Messiah, shall confront the tribulations of the Dajjal, defeating him. The Hadith mentions the slaying of Dajjal. This does not mean the physical killing of Dajjal but rather killing the tribulation of Dajjal through argumentation/evidence.” (Al-Risala Monthly, May 2010, p.46)

Messiah's Hands on Wings of Two Angels

 بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

اَلۡحَمۡدُ لِلّٰہِ رَبِّ الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ

والصلاة والسلام على خاتم النبيين

Our most holy Prophet Muhammad (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) described the state of the Messiah Jesus during his Second Advent:

وَاضِعًا كَفَّيْهِ عَلَى أَجْنِحَةِ مَلَكَيْنِ

His hands placed upon the wings of two Angels

(Sahih Muslim)

What is the reality of these two Angels who shall accompany the Messiah when he descends, upon whose wings the Messiah shall place his hands? A clue may be found in the vision which the Prophet Muhammad (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) beheld of the Messiah Jesus circling the Ka’bah. In that vision he saw:

وَاضِعًا يَدَيْهِ عَلَى مَنْكِبَىْ رَجُلَيْنِ

His hands placed upon the shoulders of two men

(Sahih al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim)

Now it may be reasonably concluded that the two Angels who shall accompany the Messiah Jesus during his Second Advent will in fact be two men who are his supporters, or at least appear to be two humans. The Messiah placing his hands on the wings of two Angels shall be manifested with him placing his hands on the shoulders of two men who are his close supporters from our perspective.

Allah (Azza wa Jall) in the Quran explains this matter about the Angels:

وَلَوۡ جَعَلۡنٰہُ مَلَکًا لَّجَعَلۡنٰہُ رَجُلًا

And if We made him an Angel, we would have made him [appear] a man

(Surah 6, Ayah 9)

Islam teaches that the Angels do not ordinarily appear to humans in their true Angelic form, but rather if they are sent down to this worldly plane of existence to appear to humans then they appear as men. The holy Angel Gabriel appeared to the Prophet Muhammad (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) in the form of a man, often in the image of his companion Dihyah bin Khalifah al-Kalbi (radi Allahu anhu). It is true that our holy Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) beheld Gabriel in his true Angelic form, but that was a spiritual vision which the people around him did not behold. In fact, if the Angels that shall accompany the Messiah Jesus appear in their true Angelic form, then Allah says:

وَلَوۡ اَنۡزَلۡنَا مَلَکًا لَّقُضِیَ الۡاَمۡرُ ثُمَّ لَا یُنۡظَرُوۡنَ

And if We sent down an Angel the matter would be settled, then there would be not be granted respite

(Surah 6, Ayah 8)

So in the case of the Messiah’s second advent it must certainly follow that if the two Angels that accompany him shall be perceived by mankind they shall appear as men. If they shall not appear to mankind then it is difficult to understand why the two Angels as a Sign of his second advent have been mentioned in the Prophecy.

There is the possibility that the two Angels mentioned in the Prophecy are in fact not literal Angels but two real men who have been described as Angels figuratively, due to their Angelic qualities of goodness, etc. It is mentioned in the holy Quran that the Egyptian women, when they beheld the patriarch Joseph, exclaimed that he was an Angel:

وَقُلۡنَ حَاشَ لِلّٰہِ مَا ہٰذَا بَشَرًا ؕ اِنۡ ہٰذَاۤ اِلَّا مَلَکٌ کَرِیۡمٌ

They said, ‘Allah be glorified! This is not a human, verily, this is but a noble Angel!’

(Surah 12, Ayah 31)

These two “Angels” who shall accompany the Messiah Jesus and be his support during the Second Advent may therefore be two of his ministers, as it occurs in a Hadith:

مَا مِنْ نَبِيٍّ إِلاَّ لَهُ وَزِيرَانِ مِنْ أَهْلِ السَّمَاءِ وَوَزِيرَانِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الأَرْضِ فَأَمَّا وَزِيرَاىَ مِنْ أَهْلِ السَّمَاءِ فَجِبْرِيلُ وَمِيكَائِيلُ وَأَمَّا وَزِيرَاىَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الأَرْضِ فَأَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ

There is no Prophet except there are two Ministers for him from the Heavenly ones and two Ministers from the Earthly ones. As for my Ministers from the Heavenly ones they are Gabriel and Michael, and as for my Ministers from the Earthly ones they are Abu Bakr and Umar

(Jami’ at-Tirmidhi #3680)

Whoso Judges Not By That Which Allah Has Sent Down (5:44)

 بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

اَلۡحَمۡدُ لِلّٰہِ رَبِّ الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ

والصلاة والسلام على خاتم النبيين

One of the well-known doubts put forward by the Khawārij is that anyone who doesn’t rule by what Allāh has sent down is an unbeliever who is expelled from the Millah, based on the part of the Āyah:

وَمَنۡ لَّمۡ یَحۡکُمۡ بِمَاۤ اَنۡزَلَ اللّٰہُ فَاُولٰٓئِکَ ہُمُ الۡکٰفِرُوۡنَ

And whoso judges not by that which Allāh has sent down, these it is who are the disbelievers

(Sūrah 5, Āyah 44)

The modus operandi of the Khawārij is to declare the Muslim rulers apostate for their failure to rule in accordance with the divine Sharī’ah, using this Āyah as proof. They then raise the sword against the ruler they deem an apostate, and in the process spill the blood of many other Muslims who are aligned with that “apostate” ruler and fight on his behalf, and even those Muslims who refuse to make Takfīr of him. Some Kharijite factions are more extreme, violent and bloodthirsty than others, applying their verdict of apostasy not only to the ruler but to ordinary Muslims who merely refuse to join their ranks, and deem their bloodshed Halāl. In our time Kharijite factions like al-Qā’idah and the so-called “Islamic State” (Dā’ish) employ indiscriminate acts of terrorism in which the overwhelming majority of their victims are ordinary Muslims. It is therefore extremely necessary to intellectually and scholastically refute the ideology and arguments of today’s neo-Kharijites.

The portion of the Āyah quoted by the Khawārij as a justification for their Takfīr of Muslim rulers, when placed in context, is initially referring to the Jews in the incident in which they altered the divine commandment of stoning to death for the one found guilty of adultery. However, the statement “whoso judges not by that which Allāh has sent down, these it is who are the disbelievers” is general. Yet, we can understand it’s correct interpretation and proper application from the example of the Jews who changed the divine commandment of lapidation for adultery. Their alteration of the divine commandment of lapidation for adultery was a consequence of their deliberate rejection of the divine commandment, and deliberate preference of their man-made law of merely flogging the adulterer or blacking his face with coal over and above the divine commandment of lapidation.

Hence, the Prophet’s cousin and close companion, sayyidinā Ibn Abbās (radī Allāhu ‘anhumā), for whom the Prophet (sall Allāhu ‘alayhi was-sallam) made a special du’ā:

اللَّهُمَّ عَلِّمْهُ الْحِكْمَةَ وَتَأْوِيلَ الْكِتَابِ

Allahumma! Teach him the wisdom and the interpretation of the Scripture

said in interpretation of the Āyah:

‌مَنْ ‌جَحَدَ ‌مَا ‌أَنْزَلَ ‌اللَّهُ ‌فَقَدْ ‌كَفَرَ وَمَنْ أَقَرَّ بِهِ وَلَمْ يَحْكُمْ فَهُوَ ظَالِمٌ فَاسِقٌ

Whoever rejects what Allah has sent down has committed Kufr, but whoever acknowledges it and does not judge (by it) then he is unjust, sinful

(Tafsīr Ibn Abī Hātim, p.1142, #6426)

In explanation, Ibn Tāwūs said:

وَلَيْسَ كَمَنْ كَفَرَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ

It (judging by other than what Allāh sent down) is not like the Kufr in Allāh, His Angels, His Scriptures and His Apostles

Atā’ bin Sā’ib said:

كُفْرٌ دُونَ كُفُرٍ

Meaning judging by other than what Allāh has sent down is a type of Kufr that is below actual Kufr, in other words, minor Kufr that does not expel one from the Millah.

Now we see that the Sahābah, the Salaf and the Imams of Ahl us-Sunnah, may Allāh be pleased with them, have explained the meaning of this Āyah in opposition to the clumsy and errant interpretation of the astray Khawārij.

The text of the holy Qurān itself points to the fact that failure to judge by what Allāh has sent down has levels, and that in addition to being Kufr, it can also be Zulm and Fisq (wickedness) without actual Kufr. Hence, in the subsequent verses, Allāh says:

وَمَنۡ لَّمۡ یَحۡکُمۡ بِمَاۤ اَنۡزَلَ اللّٰہُ فَاُولٰٓئِکَ ہُمُ الظّٰلِمُوۡنَ

And whoso judges not by what Allāh has sent down, these it is who are wrongdoers

(Sūrah 5, Āyah 45)

وَمَنۡ لَّمۡ یَحۡکُمۡ بِمَاۤ اَنۡزَلَ اللّٰہُ فَاُولٰٓئِکَ ہُمُ الۡفٰسِقُوۡنَ

And whoso judges not by what Allāh has sent down, these it is who are the transgressors

(Sūrah 5, Āyah 47)

But the Khawārij insist that the Āyah “whoso judges not by what Allāh has sent down, these it is who are the disbelievers” must be interpreted upon the apparent and literally. The neo-Kharijites of today, those who make Takfīr of most if not all the Muslim governments, claim to be from Ahl us-Sunnah and disassociate from the original Harūriyyah. Yet, Imām al-Ājurī said:

وَمِمَّا تَتْبَعُ ‌الْحَرُورِيَّةُ مِنَ الْمُتَشَابِهِ قَوْلَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَمَنۡ لَّمۡ یَحۡکُمۡ بِمَاۤ اَنۡزَلَ اللّٰہُ فَاُولٰٓئِکَ ہُمُ الۡکٰفِرُوۡنَ

From that which the Harūriyyah follow, from the Mutashabih (allegorical verses) is the saying of Allāh: And whoso judges not by what Allāh has sent down, these it is who are the disbelievers (Ash-Sharī’ah; v.1, p.341)

As a matter of fact, going by the apparent of the Ayah (5:44), the Kharijites will have to admit that everyone who commits a sin has failed to judge by what Allah has sent down, and therefore, according to their logic, has become a disbeliever!

Ten Ahadith for Methodology

 

بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

اَلۡحَمۡدُ لِلّٰہِ رَبِّ الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ

والصلاة والسلام على خاتم النبيين

Select Ahādīth for Methodology

Hadīth #1

عَلَيْكُمْ بِالْجَمَاعَةِ وَإِيَّاكُمْ وَالْفُرْقَةَ فَإِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ مَعَ الْوَاحِدِ وَهُوَ مِنَ الاِثْنَيْنِ أَبْعَدُ مَنْ أَرَادَ بُحْبُوحَةَ الْجَنَّةِ فَلْيَلْزَمِ الْجَمَاعَةَ

Adhere to the Jamā’ah and beware of separation, for indeed the Satan is with one but is distant from two. Whoever wants the best place in Jannah, then let him stick to the Jamā’ah

Commentary: In this Hadith is enshrined a golden principle, which if adhered to will save a soul of this Ummah from joining a deviant sect or movement, whether religious or political in nature. Of the seventy three divisions that were destined to occur within this Ummah, the denomination which is upon truth and is therefore saved is the one that constitutes the Jamā’ah. By this term is meant the mainstream congregation of the Ummah whose existence is continuous from the time of the Sahābah (radī Allāhu ‘anhum). The fundamental beliefs, practices and methodology of the Jamā’ah represent Islamic orthodoxy and normativity. The deviant sects and factions in this Ummah are those that broke off from the mainstream Jamā’ah, such as the Kharijites, the Shi’ites, the Qadarites, the Murji’ites, the Mu’tazilites, and in modern times, Hadith-rejecters, Qadianis, naturalists, materialists, modernists, etc. The Jamā’ah are those who are known as Ahl us-Sunnah or Sunnis, whose ‘Ulamā’ have a sanad which may be traced back to the Prophet (sall Allāhu ‘alayhi was-sallam).

Hadīth #2

سَلَّطَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمْ ذُلاًّ لاَ يَنْزِعُهُ حَتَّى تَرْجِعُوا إِلَى دِينِكُمْ

Allāh will establish disgrace upon you and will not remove it until you return to your Dīn

Commentary: This Hadīth elaborates upon the meaning of the Āyah:

اِنَّ اللّٰہَ لَا یُغَیِّرُ مَا بِقَوۡمٍ حَتّٰی یُغَیِّرُوۡا مَا بِاَنۡفُسِہِمۡ

Verily, Allāh does not change the condition of a people until they change what is in their souls

Today, if we see that the Ummah by and large has been seized with a humiliation and subjugation at the hands of the foreign powers it is a consequence of our collective spiritual and moral lapse. The situation will not be rectified in our favor until the Ummah collectively repents from its evil ways and returns to the teachings of Islām, along with purification of the soul through worship and remembrance of Allāh. The efforts of many in this Ummah to remove the disgrace through political and other non-religious means are totally futile.

Hadīth #3

يَأْتِي زَمَانٌ مَنْ عَمِلَ مِنْهُمْ بِعُشْرِ مَا أُمِرَ بِهِ نَجَا

A time comes when someone who does a tenth of what he is commanded is saved

Commentary: The Hadīth should not be abused by being understood as a justification to sin or motivate a Muslim to be lax in his observance of the divine commandments. Its purpose is to predict that in the latter days, due to the change in external circumstances and less facilitation for worship and good deeds, if a Muslim strives to comply with the divine commandments but is only able to fulfill a tenth of them despite sincere effort then he shall be saved from damnation.

Hadīth #4

مَنْ أَحَبَّ أَنْ يُزَحْزَحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وَيَدْخُلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَلْتَأْتِهِ مَنِيَّتُهُ وَهُوَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَلْيَأْتِ إِلَى النَّاسِ الَّذِي يُحِبُّ أَنْ يُؤْتَى إِلَيْهِ

Whoever loves that they be delivered from Hellfire and entered into Paradise then let him die while he believes in Allāh and the Last Day, and treat the people how he loves to be treated

Commentary: The “Golden Rule”, namely, to treat others as one wishes to be treated, which is universal in being a moral principle among humanity, has been confirmed by the most holy Prophet Muhammad (sall Allāhu ‘alayhi was-sallam). This Hadīth also emphasizes that true faith in the holy Person of Allāh and in the Last Day, meaning the end of this world and the Resurrection, is the entire basis for salvation. It does not mean that one can be saved by merely professing faith in Allāh and the Last Day while rejecting the other Articles of Faith and fundamentals of the Religion, rather, that the other Articles of Faith and fundamentals of the Religion stem from faith in Allāh and in the Last Day.

Hadīth #5

الْحَلاَلُ بَيِّنٌ وَالْحَرَامُ بَيِّنٌ وَبَيْنَهُمَا مُشَبَّهَاتٌ لاَ يَعْلَمُهَا كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ فَمَنِ اتَّقَى الْمُشَبَّهَاتِ اسْتَبْرَأَ لِدِيِنِهِ وَعِرْضِهِ

The Halāl is clear and the Harām is clear, but between them are the Mushabbahāt (doubtful matters) that most of the people have no knowledge of. So whoever, out of Taqwā, saves himself from the Mushabbahāt has protected his Dīn and his honor

Commentary: From this Hadīth we derive the principle that it is superior to have Taqwā and avoid a doubtful matter rather than act upon a Fatwā that declares it permissible. By having an attitude to avoid a doubtful matter, whose permissibility is not definitive, a person will protect his Faith and his personal honor. There are many such controversial and doubtful matters regarding which the Fuqahā and ‘Ulamā’ differ. It is better to err on the side of caution and avoid those matters, such as smoking, music, protests, seafood, red clothing, isbāl, etc.

Hadīth #6

إِذَا أَتَاكُمْ كَرِيمُ قَوْمٍ فَأَكْرِمُوهُ

When the honored one among a people comes to you then honor him

Commentary: From the way of the Muslims is to honor and respect an individual or class who are considered noble among their people, unless that individual shows hostility toward Islām, or is known to be an oppressor and evil, then he should not be honored. This Hadīth enjoining us to honor the noble person of a people especially applies to their kings, rulers and leaders. Contrary to what some extremists believe, it is not against the Sharī’ah to show deference to the kings, rulers and leaders of the non-Muslims. Rather, to insult or humiliate a person considered noble among his people will create resentment and enmity between the Muslims and those people.

Hadīth #7

فَرُبَّ حَامِلِ فِقْهٍ إِلَى مَنْ هُوَ أَفْقَهُ مِنْهُ وَرُبَّ حَامِلِ فِقْهٍ لَيْسَ بِفَقِيهٍ

The bearer of a fiqh might convey it to someone who has better understanding of it, and the bearer of a fiqh might not be understanding of it

Commentary: The context of this Prophetic statement is the virtue of conveying his Ahādīth. It confirms the possibility that the one to whom a Hadīth is conveyed may understand its meaning better than the one who conveyed it to him, even if the conveyor heard it directly from the blessed mouth of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ‘alayhi was-sallam). This is especially true in the realm of prophecy. As time goes by and the fulfillment of a prophecy nears, the people of that time will naturally have a better understanding of the meaning and interpretation of the Hadīth than those who came prior to them and conveyed it.

Hadīth #8

اسْمَعُوا هَلْ سَمِعْتُمْ أَنَّهُ سَتَكُونُ بَعْدِي أُمَرَاءُ مَنْ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ فَصَدَّقَهُمْ بِكَذِبِهِمْ وَأَعَانَهُمْ عَلَى ظُلْمِهِمْ فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي وَلَسْتُ مِنْهُ وَلَيْسَ يَرِدُ عَلَىَّ الْحَوْضَ

Listen! Have you heard that after me will come rulers, whoever enters upon them and believes their lies and helps them in their oppression then he is not of me and I am not not of him nor will I receive him at the Hawd

Commentary: Many Ahādīth warn about the coming of oppressive rulers, while still enjoining the Believers to remain under their obedience and not rebel against them. This Hadīth has rare additional guidance in that while it also does not allow for the Believers to raise the sword against an oppressive ruler, it nevertheless enjoins us to stay away from them. It is a condemnation of those Muslims, including so-called Imams and scholars, who are close to the corrupt rulers and are frequently found in their palaces, courts and personal company. Historically, the pious Imams and Sufis of this Ummah, belonging to Ahl us-Sunnah, remained aloof from the rulers and the corridors of power. The corrupt and oppressive rulers of this Ummah will certainly be among those who are given the most severe punishment in the Afterlife, therefore, it is imperative that both the scholars and ordinary Muslims avoid association with them as much as possible. Likewise, in the search for a spiritual guide and scholar to take knowledge from, an ordinary Muslim should discount those who are close to the corrupt rulers and therefore likely compromised, and instead seek those who are far away from the corridors of power.

Hadīth #9

السُّلْطَانُ ظِلُّ اللَّهِ فِي الأَرْضِ

The Sultān is the Shadow of Allāh on the Earth

Commentary: By Sultān is meant a powerful or well established ruler. His existence and rule are in fact a manifestation of Allah’s mercy and compassion toward the people, hence why he is named the Shadow of God. As opposed to anarchy, the establishment of a State with a stable and strong rule benefits the ordinary people in that it grants them safety and a means to achieve prosperity while adhering to their Religion. For this and other reasons the Prophet (sall Allāhu ‘alayhi was-sallam) forbade us from insulting the Sultān, and warned that the consequence of doing so would be divine humiliation. Nevertheless, as explained concerning the previous Hadīth, the Believer should endeavor to remain aloof from the Sultān so as to save himself from fitnah.

Hadīth #10

مَنْ مَاتَ بِغَيْرِ إِمَامٍ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً

Whoever died without an Imām died a death of Jāhiliyyah

Commentary: The term Jāhiliyyah signifies the state of society before the arrival of Islām and the state of an individual before his conversion to Islām, a state of ignorance and barbarism. The purpose is to emphasize the necessity of having an Imām to whom a Believer pledges his allegiance and remains in obedience to for as long as he lives, otherwise, despite being a Believer, he will be in a condition like the condition of a person who died without converting to Islām, a condition of ignorance and spiritual deprivation. Here, an Imām is not restricted to meaning the leader of the Muslims in an administrative sense, but also a religious guide and spiritual leader. There are many rulers, but only that one may be described as an Imām who is pious, learned in religious matters and guides the people to what is good.