The development of shiite political thought from shura to wilayat al-faqih

As for the traditional evidence, which asserts the necessity of the existence of Imam in every era, and the nonpermissibility of the world being devoid of evidence (Imam), it is the evidence that invalidates itself by itself, otherwise what is the meaning of Imam and evidence? (Hujjah)? What is the benefit of both? Is it not for the guidance of mankind and for administering the society and the implementation of Shariah injunctions? How is it possible for the occult Imam--on the assumption that he exists-- to perform all that? … If the occult Imam performs the duty of Imamate and Hujjah why did the jurists feel the need for the Imam and Hujjah in the period of occultation?

If the objective of his existence were the running of the affairs of the Universe as some of the extremists would say, Allah has a lot of angels to do that.

Imam Ali bin Musa Rida (peace be upon him) has refuted the Waqifites, who believed in the occultation of his father (Imam Kadhim) that: ‘ There must be a living and manifest Imam well known and refered to by the people!’He said: “No evidence from Allah will be established on the creation, except by a living and known Imam.” So also: “Anyone who dies without an Imam, has died a Jahili (ignorance) death. ….A living known Imam”. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) has said:  “Anyone who died without (allegiance to an) Imam, whom he listens to and obey, has died a Jahili death.”

Imam Rida said to one of the Waqifites: “Anyone who dies without a manifest living Imam, has died a Jahili death.”He asked him seeking elucidation, and emphasizing on the word ‘a living Imam’. He confirmed to him again, ‘a living Imam’.

The origin of this idea is the first intellectual premise for the Imamate theory, the import of which is: ‘The necessity of the existence of a general Imam (Leader) in the world, and the impossibility of the society remaining without a government, any kind of government and any Imam……If it has developed to the necessity of an infallible Imam appointed by Allah, insisting on the issue and the concluding from it: ‘The existence of ‘Muhammad bin Hassan Askari’ and the continuation of his life to this day’,this is also another kind of assumption, conjecture and guess. Where is the Imam the teacher and the guide, who implements the injunctions of Allah, who preserves the Shari’ah against any addition or deletion or distortion?

Even if such traditions are sound, the Imam can be another person….. If what is meant is not a general sense of Imam (leader) or a general sense of Hujjah (evidence), the one learned in the injunctions of religion.

 

REFERENCES

1.      Tusi: Talkhis al-Shafi of Murtada , vol. 4,p.213

2.      ibid. p. 214

3.      p. 473

4.      vol. 1. p. 227

5.      Al-Basair p. 478, al-Imamah wa al-Tabsirah min al-Hayrah ,chapter 19, p. 84, Al-Kafi, vol. 1p. 275

6.      Al-Kafi, vol.1,p. 309

7.      Al-Imamah wa al-Tabsirah, p. 77, Al-Kafi, vol. 1,p.378, Tafsir al-Iyashi, vol. 2

8.      Saduq: Ikmal al-Din,p,74

9.      ibid. p. 76

10.  Al-Kafi,vol. 1, p. 326, 328

11.  Al-Irshad,. Pp. 336-37

12.  Al-Ghaybah. P. 120,122

13.  Ikmal al-Din, p. 77

14.  Al-Qumi: Mafatih al-Jinan.p. 542

15.  Ikmal al-Din. P. 78

16.  ibid. p. 97

17.  Al-Kafi, vol. 1.p.534

18.  ibid. p. 198,Al-Amin: Al-Ghadir, vol. 1, p. 195

19.  Al-Hilli: Al-Khulasah, p. 83

20.  ibid. p. 247

21.  ibid. p. 242

22.  Saduq : Ikmal al-Din. Pp. 75-76

23.  ibid. p. 76

24.  p. 293

25.  Al-Ghaybah, p. 88

26.  Al-Ghaybah. P. 89, Ikmal al-Din, p. 274

27.  Kulayni: Al-Kafi, vo. 1p. 177, Himyari: Qurb al-Isnad. P. 203

28.  ibid.

            I believe that the ordinary reader does not need to suffer the hardship of studying the knowledge of transmitting Hadith and its texts in order to assess those ‘historical' reports transmitted on the birth of ‘Imam Muhammad bin Hassan Askari’, or need to be a specialist in history. For the authors who reported those traditions in their works, have attempted to save themselves from the allegation of depending on such weak reports. They said in the beginning: We will prove the existence of the twelfth Imam based on accepttable theoretical, philosophical and rational means. We do not need historical reports we only mention them, so as to support and strengthen them. They also took off their shoulders the burden of intellectual discussions on those reports, ascertaining their chains of narration and investigating their text.

            I also believe that they cite (such traditions) similar to the case of a drowning person, who tries to hold to anything (to save himself), otherwise, they knew more than anyone, of the frailty and weakness of such reports. If any other sect were to cite such kind of reports on the existence of their Imams or other persons, they would have knocked and scorned and looked down on their intellect and would have accused then of being illogical and of being clearly irrational. Just as the theologians of the Twelver- Imam sect have done in refuting a group of Fathite Imamate Shiites who claimed the existence of a son in secret for Imam Abdullah Aftah bin Ja’far Sadiq. They said his name was Muhammad, and that he was the Awaited Mahdi. They also claimed that he was born secretly and is hidden in Yemen. That is based on the principle of the necessity of perpetuating the Imamate in the children and grand children, and the non-permissibility of its being transferred to two brothers after Hassan and Hussain. The Twelver-Imam Shiites said of that sect (Fathite Shiites): ‘They have fabricated the existence of an illusory son, who is non-existent, that is the Mahdi, Imam Muhammad bin Abdullah Aftah as a result of their reaching an impasse’.

            Anyone who studies the vast Shiites intellectual heritage in the fields of the science of Hadith (both on chains of narration and text), will notice the concern of scholars-since the first centuries-as regards reporters and the study of Hadith and its efforts at sifting scrutinization and its distinguishing the sound from the weak (Hadiths). He will also recognize the extent of importance which the Shiites scholars have given to constructing legal opinions on sound intellectual foundations, and their non-acceptance of constructing matters of religion on illusions, conjectures, hearsays and myths.

            The neutral observer however, is mesmerized by the scholars neglect, throughout the history of the study of historical narrations regarding the establishment of the birth and existence of the twelfth Imam Muhammad bin Hassan Askari, their dependence in that, on a rule with no authority from Allah, which says: “The weak traditions are strengthened by other (weak) traditions” and their considering the issue of birth and existence, as has been finally accepted by all, and is in no need of review and discussion. This is what led them to repeat those reports without reflection and intellection, exactly as the extremist reporters were doing.

            It is well-known that the early reporters of Hadith used to concoct reports without investigations or criticisms. They developed later and started distinguishing between reports. The Usuli movement came into inception then, and it classified Hadiths into Sahih (sound), Hassan (good), Qawiy (strong) and Da’if (weak). Except that this development did not cover the historical narrations on the subject of the birth of the twelfth Imam, as we see Sheikh Tusi who wrote ‘Al-Fihrist’ and ‘Al-Rijal’ in the science of reporters, narrating such reports from people he considered weak in his books. That was due to the need for such narrations in constructing a particular theological theory.

            A great scholar like Sayyid Murtada Askari spent long years of his life, in order to establish, in two or three volumes, that Abdullah bin Saba was an illusory myth fabricated by some historians, so as to accuse the Shiites of taking the theory of Wasiyyah (will) in the Imamate from the Israelites. Sayyid Askari worked very hard exerting a lot of efforts and he studied tens of historical books, in order to refute the story of the existence of Abdullah bin Saba and his role in Shiite thought. He did not however, put even one percent or even one in thousand of that effort in order to investigate the truth of the existence of the twelfth Imam, or to study such reports that discuss his birth. He did pause on that in any of his books. He was the one who discovered the existence of one hundred and fifty companions who fabricate traditions.

            After all this, it is possible for me to say that there is no issue which was so much neglected and abandoned in Shiite heritage like the issue of the ‘existence of Imam Mahdi’ and his birth. There is no issue beyond research and ijtihad, except that issue. When I started studying it coincidentally, or rather by the will of Allah (Tawfiq), and I presented the result of my research to the scholars, jurists and thinkers for more than five years, I found that many of them were using escape tactics, not to read my study, and are vexed by mere investigation of it, as if it attempts to prevent him from engrossing in a beautiful dream. I have confirmed the existence of a doctrinal and psychological situation that prevents extending academic researches and criticism to such historical reports.

            Some of the elites from among the common populace take interest in the attacks of the doctrines of other sects, as well as looking down on its weak and fabricating men and their irrational reports. But when the affair is related to an aspect of his sect, he will close his eyes and will claim ignorance and lack of expertise, and he would refuse employing little of his reason, and would prefer to continue on what he has inherited, of superstitions and myths.

            Before we discuss such historical reports in both the chains of narration and the text, it is desirable to point that these reports were not known in the period called ‘the minor occultation’, as those writers who believe in the existence of the twelfth Imam did not transmit them. They wrote on that in the second half of the third century of Hijrah. Like Nubakhti in ‘Firaq al-Shiah’, Sa’ad bin Abdullah Ash’ari al-Qummi in ‘Al-Maqalat wa al-Firaq’, Ali bin Babawaih Saduq in ‘Al-Imamah wa al-Tabsirah min al-Hayrah’, Muhammad bin Abi Zaynab Nu'mani in ‘Al-ghaybah’ and even Sheikh Kulayni, who tried to collect any story or report on the subject. He mentioned the story of the Indian man ‘Sa’id bin Abi Ghanim’ who traveled from Kashmir in search of Imam Mahdi. But he did not mention most of the stories that were recorded after him by Sheikh Muhammad bin Ali Saduq in, ‘Ikmal al-Din’, or Sheikh Mufid in ‘Al-Irshad’ and ‘Al-Fusul’ or Sheikh Tusi in ‘Al-Ghaybah’.

            It is well known that Sheikh Saduq Junior came about one hundred (100) years after the death of Imam Askari. Sheikh Tusi died two centuries after that date. Despite that, both of them went on recording whatever ‘mursal’ stories and hearsays they heard related to the birth of ‘Muhammad bin Hassan Askari’, or transmitting from a number of extremists, weak reporters, unknown persons and fabricators.

            As we have seen, those ‘historical evidences are seriously inconsistent within themselves, beginning with the identity of the assumed mother of ‘Muhammad bin Hassan’, coming to the date of his birth and finally the minute details. As there were differences related to the name of his mother, whether she was the slave girl, Narjis or Susan or Saqil or Khamt or Raihanah or Mahksh or she was a free woman called Maryam daughter of Zayd Al-Alawiyyah. Or that she was a slave girl who delivered in the house of one of the sisters of Imam Hadi. Or that she was bought from the slave market in Baghdad.

            Those reports also differed as regards specifying the date of birth on the day, month and year. They differed in turn, on his age at the time of the death of his father, between two and eight years.

            They also differed on the manner of pregnancy, whether in the womb or by the side, and as regards the delivery whether it was through the vagina or the thigh!

            The reports also differed on his complexion between being white or brownish. The reports were inconsistent on the manner of his growth, between the normal and well-known way, and the claim that at the time of his father’s death he was a small child, and between the abinormal ways. In this, some said the growth was fast, growing in a day like the yearly growth; or that his growth in one day is like the weekly growth and his growth in one weak is like the growth of one month, and his growth in one month is like the growth during one year. Based on this then he seems to be an adult of about seventy (70) years, in such a way that his aunt Hakimah could not recognize him and was surprised of the instruction of Imam Hassan to her to sit in front of him.

            The reports were also inconsistent regarding the concealment of his affairs. A report said that Hakimah bade farewell to Imam Hassan, after the birth of his son and went back to her house. But when she desired to see him after three (3) days, she came back and searched for him in his room, but did not find any trace of him, nor heard any mention of him. She did not want to ask and went to Abu Muhammad. He started by saying to her. “He is O aunty, in the canopy of Allah, He preserves and conceals him, till the time He wishes. When Allah takes me away and takes my soul, and you saw my supporters scattered, you should tell the reliable among them (this). Let him be a secret for you, but concealed to them, as Allah causes his loved one to disappear away from His creations and veils him from His servants, so that no one sees him till Jibril (peace be upon him) presents to (the Mahdi) his horse.” The other report said that Hakimah was seeing the son of Hassan every forty (40) days. She never ceased seeing him till when he became an adult.

            Some reports said that: ‘Imam Hassan Askari announced the birth of his son and sent to some of his companions for a ram to be slaughtered (for the occasion); and that he presented (his son) to a number of his companions; that he wrote to Ahmad bin Ishaq al-Qummi on that …that he brought out his son and presented him to him, when he visited him in ‘Surr Man Ra’a’; that a number of servants and handmaids also saw him coincidentally or intentionally, sitting in his room or walking in the house’.

            The reports were inconsistent as they say that he fears being arrested by the authorities; the reports also say that he was at complete peace to the extent of praying on the dead body of his father, and of receiving delegations, in his father’s house.

            The reports also differed on the knowledge of the companions and servants of the existence of the son of Imam Hassan Askari. Some of them said that: The servants and the close companions knew of his existence and had seen him. Some of them said that ‘they were astounded when he came out to pray on his father’s body, and his nonrecognition except by means of a number of signs.

            The reports also differed on his intellectual maturity. Some of them said: ‘He prostrated at the moment of his delivery and he uttered the two testimonies and he also sought Allah’s blessing and peace on his fore fathers, one by one, and he also recited some verses from the great Quran. Some of them said that he was a small child playing with golden permanganate and preventing his father from writing what he wants to write.

            The narration of Saduq from Hakimah says that: Narjis had no signs of pregnancy on her and she did not even know of it. She was surprised when Hakimah told her that: She will deliver that same night. She said, “ O my mistress, I do not see anything of that sort! Hakimah herself was surprised when Imam Hassan told her of the birth of the child for him in the fifteenth night of Sha'aban and she went on asking herself: ‘Who will be his mother? And when he said to her ‘Narjis’ she said: ‘May I be your ransom, there is no any sign on her, ‘when it was close to dawn and no any sign appeared on her, doubt started creeping into the heart of Hakimah.

            The report says that Hakimah started reciting the Quran on Narjis, and the embryo inside her responded, reciting what she was reciting. He said Salam to her also, which frightened her. Despite this the report says that it took Hakimah a long time before witnessing the delivery. In another narration Narjis was taken away from Hakimah and she did not see her, as if a veil was placed between them. This astonished her and caused her to shout and resort to Abu Muhammad.

            The report of Saduq does not mention what Tusi said in one of his narrations that Hakimah found written on the arm of the child the verse: “Truth has come and falsehood has vanished. Surely, falsehood is ever bound to vanish.” despite the fact that Saduq came much before Tusi. Yet only Saduq mentioned the birds that were circulating round the head of the baby, as well as the statement of Hassan to one of the birds: ‘Take him and protect him, and return him to us after every forty days.’

            Saduq and Tusi did agree on the speech of the child and his saying the two testimonies, and seeking blessing on the Prophet and the previous Imams, as well as Salam on his mother and father. They did agree also that the child disappeared and hid himself after that, and that his aunt could not find any trace of him, nor hear any mention of him.

            All these things are strange and were not known from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) or from any of earlier Imams (peace be upon them). They are part of the statements of extremists and their myths. It has no relation with Ja’farite or Imamate Shiites, who believed in the text as a means of recognizing a new Imam. They did not mention any of such extraordinary and strange matters.

            Allah the Exalted has mentioned the story of the speech of Prophet Isa (peace be upon him) in the cradle, in front of the people in a miraculous manner, to dispel the allegation of fornication against his mother, and to establish his miraculous birth. There is no any need for a miracle and strange things accompanying the birth of the ‘twelfth Imam’.

            If the miracle was inevitable, it must take place before the people, so as to know it and believe in its message. It is not possible that it takes place in secret where no one can know of it. What then is the benefit?

            Essentially, doubt was expressed as regards the birth of a son for Hassan Askari. If there was any need for a miracle or a strange thing to happen, it would have happened in order to confirmed the birth itself…or in protecting the child from any harm, for example. This did not happen.

            It should be noticed that all the reports that mentioned his birth secretly and his disappearance on the wings of the birds that were the angels, did not point to the fear from the authorities, or that he was the Awaited Mahdi. If he were really born, it would have been better that Imam Askari announce his birth, in a way that he will be seen by the entire people and they will confirm his existence and succession of his father. If the Abbasid authorities were to attempt arresting him or killing him, he will hide by the power of Allah and in a miraculous manner.

            The report attributed to Hakimah says that ‘Imam Hassan Askari was informed miraculously of the sex of the child, and that he will be a male. As it says: He was aware miraculously of what his sister Hakimah was thinking when she doubted his statement. He said to her: “Don’t be in a haste, O my aunt.’ It also points to the knowledge of Imam Hassan of the closeness of his death, and he said to his sister: “Very soon you will not find me.” Likewise the knowledge of Imam Mahdi of the unseen and his replying the questions of Hakimah before she asks were also indicated in it. All these things contradict the doctrine of Ja’farite and Imamate Shiites and conform to the belief of the extremists and those who deviated from the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), as there was a popular tradition with the Shiites from their Imams—which instructs the discarding away of any report that contradicts the Quran.

            Therefore all these questions, ambiguities and shortcomings weaken the narration attributed to Hakimah, and it invalidates it from the status of evidence and of reliability, and it brings it closer to being a myth reported by extremists and fanatics.

            It is the report narrated exclusively by Saduq in ‘Ikma al –Din’ from a known fabricator, an illusory man whose name he did not mention, nor that of his father or his clan: ‘Abu al-Adyan al-Basri’. He said he was one of the servants of the Imam and the deliverer of his messages and his envoy to the cities and collector of funds for him. Despite all that, no one knows him, and no any other historian pointed to his existence.

            Despite the high status given to him by Saduq, the reporter ‘Abu al-Adyan’ admits that Imam Askari did not inform him of the identity of the Imam after him. As he also admitted his ignorance of the existence of a son for the Imam. He also says that most of the Shiites including Aqid and Al-Samman (Uthman bin Sa’id) and Al-Basri himself gave their condolence to Ja’far bin Ali and congratulated him, while not knowing who was the Imam after Askari. They wanted to pray behind Ja’far.

            The report rests squarely on one element: Imam’s knowledge of the Unseen, as the reporter says in the beginning that: ‘Imam Hassan has said to him: Go to the cities, for you will be away for fifteen (15) days, and you will enter ‘Surr Man Ra’a’ on the fifteenth. Your will hear the wailer in my house and you will find me at the birth place.” All this was from the knowledge of the Unseen, which no one possesses except Allah, Who says in the Glorious Quran: “No person knows what he will earn tomorrow, and no person knows in what land he will die. “

            The report says that: ‘The coming unknown Imam will seek from Al-Basri, without any knowledge of him before, responses to the letters of Imam Askari, as the report says that: He will mention what is in Hamyan (a kind of bag). That a child came out after the shrouding of Askari and pushed Ja’far (aside) and he then prayed on his father: Then he said to al-Basri: “Bring the replies of the letters with you”. He then submitted them to him. At that moment, a delegation of Shiites of Qum and the mountains came and asked for Imam Askari, and they were told of his death. They then said: “To whom do we give our condolence?” The people pointed to Ja’far bin Ali. They passed their Salam to him, gave their condolences and congratulated him.’

            Al-Basri did not explain why he did not guide them to the new Imam? Why didn’t the leaders of the Shiites who prayed—through illusion--behind a child, point to him, if that has really happened?

            Anyway, the reporter ‘Abu al-Adyan al-Basri’ says that: “The delegation from Qum did not oppose the appointment of Ja’far, as the Imam after his brother. They did not argue on the necessity of vertical inheritance. They only said that they have letters and money, and they demanded from Ja’far to inform them, wherefrom the letters and the money came. Ja’far stood up and dusted his clothes and was saying: “Do you want us to know the knowledge of the Unseen?” The servant went out? And he said: “You have the letter of so and so, so and so, and there is in the Hamyan one thousand and ten dinars. They gave him the letters and the momey and said: “The one who directed you to take these, is the Imam. Saduq did not say in this narration that the delegation from Qum knew the identity of the Imam, or that they saw and met him. What he said however in another narration, was that: ‘the members of the delegation went inside with the servant to the Imam, the Qaim who was sitting on a bed, as if he was a piece of moon. He was wearing green clothes. The delegation said ‘Salam’ to him, and he responded, then he said: “The sum total of money is so-and –so, so-and-so carried by so-and-so, and so on. He continued to the extent of descrIbng all of it. He then described the members of the delegation, their clothes and the amimals with them.’

            Even though the matter is not very difficult, as it is possible for any person to sit before the delegation and knew of their situation, or that he agrees with the leader of the delegation, and he tells the remaining members the details…The report of Abu al-Adyan al-Basri considers that to be of the knowledge of the Unseen, and that it constitutes an evidence on the Imamate of the man (or the child), sitting on the bed, without telling us how the delegation came to know the identity of the man. Has he told them that he is the son of Imam Askari or not?

            As is clear, this report mentions nothing as regards fear or surrounding insecurity for the Shiites and the new Imam. It only said that the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mu’tamid stood by the side of the delegation in their dispute with Jafar. He did send guards to protect them. It (the report) also forgets another report that says that the Abbasid authorities took over the house of Imam Askari, and searched it, in order to find whether he has a son.

            If the Imam was really frightened and was trying to hide himself, why should he go out and pray on his father? Why did he sit in his house, receiving delegations within the range of Abbasids spies?

            What is known and established historically was that Abu ‘Isa al-Mutawakkil was the one who prayed on the body of Imam Askari and the people of the capital of the Caliphate, ‘Surr Man Ra’a’ performed his funeral, as the gates of the city were entirely closed. There was a lot of wailings and cries.

            It seems that this report started in Qum in a later stage, so as to establish the existence of a successor for Imam Askari.That was before it developed and became the foundation of the Mahdism theory of that successor. This is because the issue of establishing a successor is different from and prior to the issue of establishing the attributes of Mahdism on him. The people were initially concerned with the establishment of the first issue. The second issue (of Mahdism) did not evolve except in a late date after many years. Based on the situation of the occultation and the non-existence of the Imam, some of them considered that as one of the signs of the Mahdi. Therefore they said he is the Awaited Mahdi.

            From here, the fabricators of the story did not take into account the fear of the authorities and the police search for him, that was why they mentioned the coming out of the child to pray on his father, and his receiving delegations in his house.

            We have mentioned besides that report, two other narrations, namely, that of Isma’il bin Ali Nubakhti who says that: ‘He visited Imam Askari moments before his death. The Imam demanded from his servant (Aqid) to bring his son. When he brought him to him, he said to him: “Have glad tidings my son you are the ‘Sahib al-Zaman’ (the Mahdi).” The other narration of a group of companions who said that Imam Askari showed them his son and said to them: “This is your Imam after me and my successor on you…except that you will not see him after this day.”

            The first report contradicts the report of Abu al-Adyan al-Basri, in which he says that: ‘Aqid was ignorant of the existence of a son for Imam Askari and due to this he requested his brother Ja’far to pray on him, while the first report says that Aqid brought the child to his father in front of Isma’il bin Ali Nubakhti.

            It is worth noting that Nubakhti himself did not point to this story. He says that: He knew of the existence of a son for Hassan through rational argument, as Saduq narrated from him in his book (‘Ikmal al-Din p. 92) from the book of Nubakhti-‘Al-Tanbih’.

            The second report also contradicts the report of Abu al-Adyan al-Basri, which denies the great companion’s knowledge of the existence of a son for Hassan Askari, including Al-Samman (Uthman bin Sa’id al-Umari) and ‘Hajiz al-Wisha’, who asked Jafar: “Who was the child, so that we can establish the evidence on him?’ He said: “By Allah I have never seen him and I do not know him!”

            It is well known that Al-Samman al-Umari and Hajiz al-Wisha’ did claim to be special deputies of the Hujjah, son of Hassan after that. So when did they see him? When did he appoint them as his deputies?

            There is yet another point: That is the second narration says that: ‘Imam Askari said to his companions after he has showed them his son: “You will not see him again after this day.” Then how did he appear again after that to pray on the body of his father and to receive delegations?

            All these reports contradict the first narration, which was reported from Hakimah in which Imam Askari said that: ‘She will not see him after the day of his birth,’ in such a way that every report contradicts the previous one.

            This shows that the group which invented the idea of the existence of a son for Imam Askari contrary to the reality, and based on weak philosophical statements, like the non possibility of shifting the Imamate to two brothers after Hassan and Hussain, and the necessity of continuation of the Imamate in the children and grand children of (the Imam), this group went on fabricating stories, reports and myths on the birth of a son for Imam Hassan and the meeting with him (withnessing him) during the lifetime of his father and his being seen, at the time of his father’s death.

            As the reports were inconsistent and do not express the truth and were fabricated by different people, they appeared contradictory and different in the details, in such a way that each one backs the personal ideas of its fabricators. Likewise these reports included miracles and strange things, under the pretext that the Imams know the Unseen. This claim clearly contradicts the Glorious Quran, which declares: “(He Alone is) the All Knower of the ‘Unseen’, and He reveals to none His Unseen. Except to a Messenger whom He has chosen.” These reports also attempted to interprete the perplexing occultation, which contradicts the theory of divine Imamate and divine benevolence.

            The apparent historical narration says that: Imam Hassan Askari has never pointed to the existence of a son for him. And when he felt the approach of death, he called Qadi Ibn Abi al-Shawarib, and he passed his will on his wealth and other belongings to his mother (Hadith), infront of the Qadi. His housemaid called Narjis did claimed that she was pregnant from him, in the hope of her being set free, as she would be ‘Umm Walad’ and she will be freed from the share of her son… It may be that her monthly period delayed somewhat, and she thought that she was pregnant. The witness (Qadi) did delay the distribution of the inheritance, and took great care of the maid, shifting her to the wives of the Caliph Mu’tamid and instructed them to observe her i.e confirming her claim of being pregnant. But then nothing appeared from her.

            Some of the Imamate Shiites who did not believe in the Imamate of Ja’far bin Ali were faced with a crisis of ideas and confusion. Some of them therefore held onto the ‘Chaff’ of Narjis and said that: ‘She delivered after that’. Some of them said that: ‘She did not give birth, and no one saw that. …But she will deliver when Allah wills and permits, and that the embryo remained miraculously for a long time in her womb’…Some of them said that: ‘She claimed being pregnant to conceal her son, which she delivered before that’…others claimed other similar things.

            Those who claimed the existence of the son before went on spreading hearsays and myths secretly, to mislead the simpleminded and to benefit financially from that. The earlier scholars did not believe such hearsays.

            Sheikh Saduq then came after one hundred years, and Sheikh Tusi after two hundred years, to record such stories and myths without ascertaining their sources and chains of narration, and without relying on them very much. They were aware of their weakness and said in the beginning that: We depend on the rational philosophical evidence in order to establish the existence of the son of Hassan.We bring those stories in order to strengthen (the rational evidence) only.... Some historians of narrations came after them, and they transmitted such mythical stories, as indebatable historical facts.

            Even though Allah, the Exalted demands from us to accept the clear narration denying the existence of a son for Imam Hassan Askari, and that He will not take us to account, nor ask us to accept the secret esoteric report which is contradictory and covered by superstitions and myths …we are not, after this and after the discovery of what it entails of serious weakness, we are not in need of studying the chains of narration, or the reporters who transmitted such reports. Therefore we, despite the above, would focus on their chains of narration in order to see from where those historians got them, so as to increase our knowledge and certitude on the weakness of these reports, which have played a great role in the construction of Shiite political thought throughout history.