Summary Article: Occultation of Imam Al-Mahdi: A Manifestation of Divine Justice
Haija Abdul Hasan
Translated by: Mujtaba Al-Helu
The thesis of Occultation has occupied a great space in Shias’ theological books. The Occultation of Imam Al-Mahdi has its reasons, which are still unknown to many of his followers and opponents. This group of people question even the very existence of the Imam.
It was narrated from the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) that he stated: “I swear to God that Al-Qa’em from my offspring shall go into Occultation to the extent that people would say: there is no need for Ahlulbait; while others doubt about his birth. So whosoever lives to that time, he must abide to his belief and do not let Satan destabilize his faith and push him out of Islam”.
The question would be that how the just God would let the earth without an Imam? Why didn’t the Imam rise yet? If he exists, what is the difference between his presence and absence? Why isn’t Imam Al-Mahdi among the people guiding them like his forefathers? Do the non-Shias hold the same belief in the concept of occultation as the Shias do? Does the Imam is expecting prepared followers awaiting his uprising?
There are numerous questions waiting to be answered, while we are living in the time of skepticism and ideological deviations.
Accordingly, this paper studies some of the narrations that concern the Occultation of Imam Al-Mahdi in the light of certain linguistic theories, semantically and pragmatically. The study tends also to make a contextual understanding of these texts in the light of Western linguistic theories, as well as other Arabic theories that concern the importance of the context in understanding the texts.
