Tashayyu': The Path of the Faithful Elite

Bismi-llāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīm,

Tashayyu'

The Imam Ja'far b. Muhammad as-Sadiq [as] has said: "Our Cause is difficult; the only ones able to bear it are a prophet sent by Allah with a book, an angel of Proximity, and a faithful believer whose heart has been tested by Allah for faith."
(al-Saffar al-Qummi, Basa'ir al-Darajat, sec. 1, ch. 11)

The heart and central figure of the Shi'i tradition has always been that of the Inerrant Imam (as), the Guide par excellence. In fact, since the early period of Shi'i thought, the level of one's iman (faith) was inextricably linked to his/her yaqeen (certitude) in the walayah (Divine Guardianship) of the Imams (asws). However, the prevailing socio-political circumstances of their respective times forced many of the Imams' followers to practice their pristine faith in secret. For being Shi'i entailed aligning yourself with a marginalized, often persecuted, few whose love and devotion to the Prophet [sawa] and his purified progeny was seen as the ultimate test of faith.

Among severe hardship and suffering, early Shi'i hadith collections attributed to the Prophet [sawa] and the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt [as] attempted to give solace and comfort to the community of believers, who struggled in staying committed to the teachings of their Infallible leaders. One such tradition in particular, recorded in Ibn Babawayh's Fadhail ush-Shi'ah (The Merits of the Shi'ah) emphasizes the status and position of the Shi'ah in the hereafter. Imam Abu Ja'far al-Baqir [as] relates that the Prophet [sawa] said: "On the Day of Resurrection, some people dressed in clothes of light with luminous faces, who will be identified by the signs of prostration, will come. They will overstep the rows until they stand in front of the Lord of the Worlds. The prophets, angels, martyrs, and righteous people will envy them." 'Umar b. al-Khattab asked: "O Allah's Messenger, who are they whom the prophets, angels, martyrs, and righteous men will envy?" The Prophet [sawa] answered: "They will be our Shi'ah, and `Ali [as] will be their Imam." ( Fadhail ush-Shi'ah num. 26)

In other traditions, the Imams (asws) seek to glorify their Shi'ah by claiming that they enjoy an ontological superiority over the rest of Creation. That the spirits of their faithful followers were created from the leftover Clay used to create the Impeccables themselves, Pure Clay retrieved from underneath the Divine Throne. (Basa'ir al-Darajat, sec. 1, ch. 9) In other words, the Imams [as] stressed that the believers should not succumb to the pressures of their time nor complain about their difficulties, instead they should rejoice in having been privileged and honored, perhaps even destined, to be among the Shi'ah of the Ahl al-Bayt [as].

However, these physical trials and tribulations that their faithful followers would be forced to endure, would only encompass a fraction of that what the Imams [as] intended by the term 'faithful believer whose heart has been tested by Allah for faith'. What is this test? And what kind of challenges does it entail? Could the Imams [as] be referring to something other than the obvious oppression directed towards themselves and their Shi'ah? Other traditions in the hadith corpus stress upon the exemplary morals and pious nature of their true Shi'ah. The fifth Imam, al-Baqir [as], again narrates, this time to one of his close companions:

"O Jabir, does it suffice for a person to profess to being a Shi'ah by attesting love for us, the Ahl al-Bayt [as]? By Allah, our Shi'ah are none other than those who are careful of their duty to Allah and obey Him, and they are only known, O Jabir, through their humility, their trustworthiness, their frequent remembrance of Allah, their fasting and praying, their goodness towards their parents, their attending to their poor neighbors, the destitute, the indebted, and the orphans, their honest speech, their recitation of the Qur'an, their restraint of their tongue when in the company of others, except when it is for a good purpose, and their care and loyalty towards their kinsfolk. The most beloved of Allah's servants are those who are the most careful of their duty to Him and those who strive most to obey Him. O Jabir, by Allah, we cannot attain proximity to Allah except through obedience to Him, and we do not possess the right to grant immunity from the Fire, nor can anyone have a claim against Allah. Whoever is obedient to Allah is our friend, and whoever is disobedient to Him is our enemy, and you cannot benefit from our wilayah except through piety and obedience." (Shaykh al-Hurr al-'Amili, Jihad al-Nafs, ch. 18, num. 3)

Interestingly, the Imams [as] are exhorting their Shi'ah to exhibit the best of morals. To act in complete obedience to the Will of the Almighty and that the greatest follower is nothing more than a reflection of the leader. One cannot consider themselves among their faithful without obeying the commandments of Allah [swt]. However, the Imams [as] do not stop there. The sixth Imam, Ja'far as-Sadiq [as], further drives the point home when he says, "A person is not considered of our Shi'ah if he lives in a town with a population of a hundred thousand, and there is someone among them who is more pious than him." (Jihad al-Nafs, ch. 21, num. 18)

So, what we can conclude thus far is that not only must a faithful believer persevere through the physical distress and suffering of this Cause, but that they must also not allow for others to surpass them in piety and obedience in the way of Allah [swt]. A difficult task indeed. However, we have yet to elaborate on the most painful experience of being Shi'i. And that is the psychological strain associated with this particular path. For what troubles the intelligent believer the most is the difficulty in deciphering the true nature and status of the Imams [as] and their authentic teachings. Were they simply pious theologians / jurists with a perfect understanding of the prophetic message or were they perhaps something more? Did the Imams have the ability to perform miracles and predict the future? Did they have access to a secret and occult knowledge? In which cases, were the Imams [as] perhaps hiding their true knowledge from those unworthy of bearing it? How does one make sense of the Imam [as]'s use of taqiyyah (dissimulation)? Not only that, but how many of them were there? And which of them shall rise at the End of Times to implement the Justice of Allah on Earth? One cannot, but help admit of a sense of confusion and perplexity in even attempting to decipher the authentic message.

Rather, it seems that all a faithful and committed believer can do is endure the physical trials, attain piety through good works and obedience, and continue to search for the Truth while constantly praying for the Help and Guidance of Allah [swt]. For even if believers fail to discover the true nature of the message, they must 'hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah (The Wilayah), and be not divided among yourselves.' (Qur'an, 3:103)

The ghayba (occultation) of the Awaited Qa'im [as] is nothing more than a difficult test for the Shi'ah. A test to measure the extent to which faithful believers will adhere themselves to this arduous tradition. A test to separate the true followers of the Ahl al-Bayt [as] from the false claimants. For verily, the Imam al-Husayn b. `Ali [as] says, "the Matter that you are expecting will not occur until a time comes that you disavow each other, spit at the face of each other, declare unbelief against each other and curse each other." (al-Nu'mani, Kitab al-ghayba, ch.12, num. 9)

{With the help of Allah and the blessings of Imam Zamana (ajfs)...Wassalaam!}