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One of the deviated beliefs of the Shia is the belief of Raj`ah, which means:
The resurrection of some people when al-Qa’im al-Hujjah, the grandson of Hussain, will arise — those who had passed on in time gone by — from his friends and Shia, they will be resurrected yearning for the reward in assisting him. They will be delighted with the exposure of his dominion. He will take revenge from his enemies and they will receive what they deserve of punishment and killing, at the hands of the Shia. His enemies will be tested with humiliation and ignominy through what they will witness of his high rank.[1]
According to the Shia, they believe in taking revenge from whosoever ‘usurped’ their rights and ‘oppressed’ them, whether the usurper or the oppressor happens to be from the present or from the past. The Shia believe that all the governments that existed before and the present, are incorrect with the exception of the ruling of the Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam as well as the ruling of the of the infallible Imams starting from Imam `Ali radiya Llahu `anhu right until the fictitious Mahdi.[2]
This belief of Raj`ah that the Shia have embraced it is a clear rejection of the verse of Allah wherein he says:
حَتّٰی اِذَا جَآءَ اَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ رَبِّ ارْجِعُوْنِ ﴿99ۙ﴾ لَعَلِّیْٓ اَعْمَلُ صَالِحًا فِیْمَا تَرَكْتُ کَلَّاؕ اِنَّهَا کَلِمَةٌ هُوَقَآئِلُهَاؕ وَ مِن وَّ رَآئِهِمْ بَرْزَخٌ اِلٰی یَوْمِ یُبْعَثُوْنَ
He says, “my Rabb, send me back, that I might do righteousness in that which I left behind.” No! It is only a word he is saying; and behind them is a barrier until the Day they are resurrected.[3]
This is not the first denial to the words of Allah nor their last accusation and lie against Allah.
The Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam, `Ali, Fatimah and their progeny radiya Llahu `anhum — according to the Shia — will return to this world together with the so-called Mahdi. Fatimah radiya Llahu `anha will complain to the Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam of Abu Bakr and `Umar radiya Llahu `anhum that they usurped Fadak from her and her husband’s leadership, and that they intended to burn her house when her husband refused to take their pledge. She will also complain that `Umar whipped her until she miscarried her child, Muhsin. Then `Ali radiya Llahu `anhu will also complain to the Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam of the languor of the Muhajirin and Ansar in helping him reclaim his shar`i right. Instead they were involved in the plot to kill him, and they incited Ibn Muljam to kill him. After all of this Hassan and Hussain radiya Llahu `anhuma will also complain to the Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam of their enemies and those who oppressed them until this comedy which al-Jaza’iri mentions in his book al-Anwar al-No’maniyyah (vol. 2 p. 89) comes to an end.
It has been reported from al-Mufaddal ibn `Umar from Jafar al-Sadiq:
I said, “O my master will Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam and Amir al-Mu’minin (`Ali) be with al-Mahdi?” Jafar al-Sadiq answered, “Definitely both of them have to walk on earth, meaning; by Allah they will even tread behind the mountain of Qaf, in the darkness and on the sea, they will establish the din of Allah all over, it is as if, O Mufaddal, I am seeing all of the Imams including myself standing by our grandfather Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam complaining to him of what this ummah have done after him, by denying us, cursing and insulting us, threatening us with death, expelling us out of the Haram (sacred place) of Makkah and Madinah, killing and arresting us. Then the Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam will cry and say, ‘indeed whatever they did to you is exactly what they also did to your grandfather.’ The first person to complain will be Fatimah, she will complain to Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam of Abu Bakr and `Umar, she will say to him, that both of them usurped Fadak from her after you have shown evidences upon them, but this did not persuade them. The letter that you wrote to me with regard to Fadak, `Umar usurped it from me in the presence of Muhajirin and Ansar; he spat into it and tore it that is when I came to your grave complaining. Abu Bakr and `Umar went to Saqifah of Banu Sa`idah, to the Munafiqin, and all of them agreed upon usurping the leadership of my husband, they all came to my husband to take a pledge from him but he refused, then they collected wood and placed it on the door of our house with the intention of burning the family members, that is when I screamed and said; ‘how audacious are you people upon Allah and His Rasul, O `Umar do you want to cut the offspring of the Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam,’ `Umar said, ‘Fatimah keep quite! Muhammad is not around for the angels to come down with any command or prohibition, tell `Ali to pledge Abu Bakr otherwise we will burn your house.’ I said, ‘I only complain to Allah of what they did to us after the Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam and they usurped our rights.’ `Umar then screamed and said, ‘leave alone from this foolish talk, do you not know that Allah did not join the nubuwwah and imamah (leadership) for you people alone.’ Then he took his whip and lashed me with it, he broke my hand and squeezed the passage in my stomach and aborted my unborn child, Muhsin, I screamed out, O my beloved father and O the Nabi of Allah salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam, indeed these people have rejected your daughter, they struck her with a whip and aborted her child, Muhsin, O the Nabi of Allah salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam at that time I wanted to reveal the veil of my head and to open my hair and to complain to Allah but `Ali prevented me from doing so and `Ali ibn Abi Talib said, ‘indeed your father was sent as a mercy to the entire ummah, so do not be the cause of their punishment and do not open your hair, I swear by Allah if you have to raise your head supplicating Allah then definitely Allah will destroy the entire earth and the wind as well.’ I returned home and remained ill due to the lash until I was martyred because of the same reason.”
After her, Amir al-Mu’minin (`Ali) will stand up and will prolong his complaint, he will say, “O the Nabi of Allah salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam, once I carried Hassan and Hussain going to the houses of the Muhajirun and Ansar who many a times took a pledge, I asked them for the assistance which they promised me, but the next morning I saw nobody from any of them. My condition with them was exactly like the condition of Harun `alayh al-Salam amongst Banu Isra’il after Musa `alayh al-Salam left, then after Musa `alayh al-Salam came back, Harun `alayh al-Salam told him; ‘O my brother indeed people belittled me and they were about to kill me,’ so I was patient in the sight of Allah upon the catastrophe which nobody from the heirs of the ambiya’ could bear except myself, until the time came whereby they killed me using Ibn Muljam.”
Thereafter Hassan will stand up and say, “O my grandfather, when the news of my father’s martyrdom reached Muawiyah, he sent Ziyad, who was an illegitimate child, with one hundred and fifty men to take pledge from my brother, Hussain, and I with Muawiyah, (they said,) ‘whoever denies us will be killed, his body and his head will be sent to Muawiyah.’ At this point I entered the masjid and ascended the mimbar, advised the people and called them to your religion and I made them fearful of your punishment; no one responded except twenty people only, then I raised my gaze to the sky and supplicated; ‘O Allah! You be my witness that I have invited them to your religion and I have made them fearful with regard to your punishment but they disobeyed. O Allah, send punishment and calamity upon them.’ After this I descended the mimbar and intended to go to Madinah, people followed me and said, ‘here is the army of Muawiyah, they came to a place known as al-Ambar, protected its people and took their belongings and wealth, imprisoned their children, so we request you to come with us to fight them with swords.’ By then I proclaimed, ‘you do not fulfil your promise,’ but still I did send a group of people with them and I told them that if you happen to reach Muawiyah you will force me to reconcile with Muawiyah, what I told them happened to be exactly the same.”
The oppressed Hussain will also stand while his body full of blood amongst the martyrs, then the Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam will look at them and cry, everything in the heaven and earth will also cry due to his cry, Fatimah will scream which will cause earthquake to occur, `Ali (Amir al-Mu’minin), Hassan will be on one side of the Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam and Fatimah will be on his left, then Hamzah, Jafar, Khadijah, Fatimah bint Asad together with Muhsin ibn Fatimah will come crying.”
Suddenly Jafar al-Sadiq cried and said, “I do not know by Allah anybody who hears this and do not cry.” I asked, “O my master what will be the reward of a person who cries for your calamities?” He said, “if he is from the Shia then his reward is innumerable.” I said to him, “what will happen after this, O my master?” He said, “Fatimah will stand up and say, ‘O Allah! Fulfil what you have promised me in terms of the one who has lashed me and killed my sons,’ the inhabitants of the heaven and earth will cry due to her cry. From the people who oppressed us and those who helped them as well as being pleased with the oppression no one will remain alive and everybody will be killed on that day a thousand times.”
I said to him, “O my master! Some of the Shia do not believe that you will come back together with those who love and hate you.” He said, “O Mufaddal did they not hear the hadith of the Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam and from us about Raj`ah, did they not hear Allah’s words:
وَلَنُذِیْقَنَّهُمْ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ الْاَدْنٰی دُوْنَ الْعَذَابِ الْاَكْبَرِ لَعَلَّهُمْ یَرْجِعُوْنَ
And we will surely let them test the nearer punishment short of the greater punishment.[4]
The nearer punishment is the time when we are going to come out while the greater punishment is that of Qiyamah. Some of the Shia do say that the meaning of Raj`ah is ‘the kingdom will come back to the family of Muhammad, Mahdi will be the king,’ this follows the kingdom that Allah has taken from us until he brings it back to us, rather we have the kingdom of nubuwwah, imamah, kingdom of this world and hereafter always. Did they not hear Allah saying:
وَنُرِیْدُ اَنْ نَّمُنَّ عَلَی الَّذِیْنَ اسْتُضْعِفُوْا فِی الْاَرْضِ وَ نَجْعَلَهُمْ اَئِمَّةً وَّ نَجْعَلَهُمُ الْوٰرِثِیْنَ
And we wanted to confer favour upon those who were oppressed in the land and make them leaders and make them inheritors.”[5]
He said, “After this my grandfather, `Ali ibn Hussain, and my father, Muhammad al-Baqir, will stand up and complain to their grandfather of the oppression of the oppressors. Then I will stand and complain to him about Mansur al-Dawaniqi. My son, Musa, will stand and complain of Harun al-Rashid. Thereafter `Ali ibn Musa al-Rida will stand and complain of the cursed Ma’mun. Muhammad al-Taqi will also stand and will complain of Ma’mun and others, then `Ali al-Naqi will also stand and complain of al-Mutawwil, finally al-`Askari will stand and complain about al-Mu`tazz.”
It is part of the beliefs of the Shia that, the their Mahdi will go to Madinah Munawwarah and visit the grave of the Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam and he will ask, “who is with him in the grave?” he will be told, “it is Abu Bakr and `Umar with him,” upon that the grave will be dug, their bodies exhumed (given life to) and then crucified on a dry tree. Then the tree will produce leaves and will grow. Thereafter, the fictitious Mahdi will announce for those who love them to stand aside, and those who hate them to stand on the other. Thereafter those who love them will be instructed to disassociate themselves from them but they will refuse; and on account of their refusal a wind will bow which will destroy all of them.
My beloved reader! I do not wish to prolong this discussion any further, but let us allow al-Jaza’iri to speak — since his intellect and faculties of comprehension allows him to believe in fantasies such as this — he says in his book al-Anwar al-No’maniyyah from Mufaddal ibn `Umar who narrates from Jafar al-Sadiq:
I said to him, “O my master, where will Mahdi go?” He said, “to the city of my grandfather salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam when he goes there he will have a strange position, the happiness of the believers will be ostensible as well as the humiliation of the disbelievers.” I said to him, “O my master, how will this happen?” He said, “Mahdi will come to the grave of his grandfather and he will say, ‘O people is this the grave of my grandfather?’ the people will say, ‘yes, O Mahdi, the family of Muhammad.’ Mahdi will ask, ‘who is this with the Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam in the grave?’ People will say, ‘his two friends and advisors; Abu Bakr and `Umar.’ Mahdi will say, ‘there are more learned people than Abu Bakr and `Umar so how were they buried together with my grandfather, Rasul of Allah salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam, why not other people?’
The rest of the people will say, ‘O Mahdi, of the family of Muhammad there is none buried here besides them, they were buried with him because they were his two khulafa’ and fathers-in-law.’ Mahdi will say, ‘will any of you be able to recognise them?’ They will reply, ‘yes we know their qualities.’ He will then say, ‘does anybody have any doubts about them being buried here?’ They will respond, ‘nobody has any doubt.’ After three days the command will be given for their graves to be opened and their bodies exhumed. They will emerge fresh, just as how they were in this world. Their shroud will be removed and he will instruct that they be placed on a dry lofty palm tree, where he will crucify them. The tree will begin to shake, the leaves of the tree will sprout, it will get taller and its branches too (will thicken). Those who doubt us and love them will say, ‘by Allah this is indeed a true honour, indeed we are successful by showing our love to them.’ The story will spread all over, every single person who has an iota of love for them will come to Madinah and they will be tested through them.
The announcer of Mahdi `alayh al-Salam will call out, ‘these are the companions of Rasulullah salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam those who love them should be one side and those who dislike them should be on the other side,’ people will be divided into two groups: those who love them and those who hate them. The people who love them will be requested to forsake them and they will say, ‘O Mahdi, we cannot free and dissociate ourselves from them, we did not even know that they have this type of virtue by Allah so how can we forsake them after seeing what we have seen at this point and time in terms of their radiance, the tree been given life due to them. Rather by Allah we forsake you and whoever believes in you and those who do not believe in them.’
Mahdi will command the wind, which will destroy them and make them like hollow trunks of palm trees. Mahdi will command that they should be brought down, they will be brought down, life will be given to them by the will of Allah, he will command the whole mankind to be gathered, then, he will inform them every incident of theirs in every point and era. He will inform them of the story of the killing of Habil, son of Adam, the collection of fire for Ibrahim, throwing of Yusuf into the well, detaining Yunus in the stomach of the fish, the killing of Yahya, the crucifixion of `Isa, the punishment of Jurjus and Danyal, the hitting of Salman al-Farisi, the ignition of the fire on the door Amir al-Mu’minin (`Ali), Fatimah and Hussain, intending to incinerate them, the lashing of the great, truthful, pure Fatimah with a whip and kicking her stomach as well aborting her child, Muhsin, poisoning Hassan, the killing of Hussain, the slaughtering of his children, his cousins, his helpers, arresting of the offspring of the Rasulullah salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam, shedding blood of the family members of Muhammad, the blood of every believer, every private part that fornicated, everyone who consumed interest, every evil and oppression from the time of Adam till our time. All of this Mahdi will enumerate and impose it upon them whereby they both will admit to (being guilty of), then Mahdi will command, and retaliation will take place at that time. The oppression of everybody who will be present (revenge will be exacted), thereafter he will crucify them on a tree. He will command fire to come from the earth which will burn them and the tree, and finally he will command the wind to throw them in a sea.”
I (Mufaddal) said, “O my master! Will this be their last punishment?” He said, “Never! O Mufaddal by Allah! They will be returned and meet the great master, Rasulullah salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam, great Siddiq the leader of the believers (`Ali), Fatimah, Hassan, Hussain and all the Imams, everyone who showed iman or kufr, the retaliation will be taken from them with all oppressions and evil, then Mahdi will command that they should be killed every day 1000 times and they will face a tough punishment.”
NEXT⇒ The Shia and Taqiyyah (Dissimulation)
[1] `Aqa’id al-Shia of al-Zanjani pg. 229.
[2] Check al-Hukumat al-Islamiyyah of Khomeini pg. 46.
[3] Surah al-Mu’minun: 99-100.
[4] Surah al-Sajdah: 21.
[5] Surah al-Qasas: 5.
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One of the deviated beliefs of the Shia is the belief of Raj`ah, which means:
The resurrection of some people when al-Qa’im al-Hujjah, the grandson of Hussain, will arise — those who had passed on in time gone by — from his friends and Shia, they will be resurrected yearning for the reward in assisting him. They will be delighted with the exposure of his dominion. He will take revenge from his enemies and they will receive what they deserve of punishment and killing, at the hands of the Shia. His enemies will be tested with humiliation and ignominy through what they will witness of his high rank.[1]
According to the Shia, they believe in taking revenge from whosoever ‘usurped’ their rights and ‘oppressed’ them, whether the usurper or the oppressor happens to be from the present or from the past. The Shia believe that all the governments that existed before and the present, are incorrect with the exception of the ruling of the Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam as well as the ruling of the of the infallible Imams starting from Imam `Ali radiya Llahu `anhu right until the fictitious Mahdi.[2]
This belief of Raj`ah that the Shia have embraced it is a clear rejection of the verse of Allah wherein he says:
حَتّٰی اِذَا جَآءَ اَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ رَبِّ ارْجِعُوْنِ ﴿99ۙ﴾ لَعَلِّیْٓ اَعْمَلُ صَالِحًا فِیْمَا تَرَكْتُ کَلَّاؕ اِنَّهَا کَلِمَةٌ هُوَقَآئِلُهَاؕ وَ مِن وَّ رَآئِهِمْ بَرْزَخٌ اِلٰی یَوْمِ یُبْعَثُوْنَ
He says, “my Rabb, send me back, that I might do righteousness in that which I left behind.” No! It is only a word he is saying; and behind them is a barrier until the Day they are resurrected.[3]
This is not the first denial to the words of Allah nor their last accusation and lie against Allah.
The Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam, `Ali, Fatimah and their progeny radiya Llahu `anhum — according to the Shia — will return to this world together with the so-called Mahdi. Fatimah radiya Llahu `anha will complain to the Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam of Abu Bakr and `Umar radiya Llahu `anhum that they usurped Fadak from her and her husband’s leadership, and that they intended to burn her house when her husband refused to take their pledge. She will also complain that `Umar whipped her until she miscarried her child, Muhsin. Then `Ali radiya Llahu `anhu will also complain to the Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam of the languor of the Muhajirin and Ansar in helping him reclaim his shar`i right. Instead they were involved in the plot to kill him, and they incited Ibn Muljam to kill him. After all of this Hassan and Hussain radiya Llahu `anhuma will also complain to the Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam of their enemies and those who oppressed them until this comedy which al-Jaza’iri mentions in his book al-Anwar al-No’maniyyah (vol. 2 p. 89) comes to an end.
It has been reported from al-Mufaddal ibn `Umar from Jafar al-Sadiq:
I said, “O my master will Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam and Amir al-Mu’minin (`Ali) be with al-Mahdi?” Jafar al-Sadiq answered, “Definitely both of them have to walk on earth, meaning; by Allah they will even tread behind the mountain of Qaf, in the darkness and on the sea, they will establish the din of Allah all over, it is as if, O Mufaddal, I am seeing all of the Imams including myself standing by our grandfather Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam complaining to him of what this ummah have done after him, by denying us, cursing and insulting us, threatening us with death, expelling us out of the Haram (sacred place) of Makkah and Madinah, killing and arresting us. Then the Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam will cry and say, ‘indeed whatever they did to you is exactly what they also did to your grandfather.’ The first person to complain will be Fatimah, she will complain to Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam of Abu Bakr and `Umar, she will say to him, that both of them usurped Fadak from her after you have shown evidences upon them, but this did not persuade them. The letter that you wrote to me with regard to Fadak, `Umar usurped it from me in the presence of Muhajirin and Ansar; he spat into it and tore it that is when I came to your grave complaining. Abu Bakr and `Umar went to Saqifah of Banu Sa`idah, to the Munafiqin, and all of them agreed upon usurping the leadership of my husband, they all came to my husband to take a pledge from him but he refused, then they collected wood and placed it on the door of our house with the intention of burning the family members, that is when I screamed and said; ‘how audacious are you people upon Allah and His Rasul, O `Umar do you want to cut the offspring of the Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam,’ `Umar said, ‘Fatimah keep quite! Muhammad is not around for the angels to come down with any command or prohibition, tell `Ali to pledge Abu Bakr otherwise we will burn your house.’ I said, ‘I only complain to Allah of what they did to us after the Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam and they usurped our rights.’ `Umar then screamed and said, ‘leave alone from this foolish talk, do you not know that Allah did not join the nubuwwah and imamah (leadership) for you people alone.’ Then he took his whip and lashed me with it, he broke my hand and squeezed the passage in my stomach and aborted my unborn child, Muhsin, I screamed out, O my beloved father and O the Nabi of Allah salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam, indeed these people have rejected your daughter, they struck her with a whip and aborted her child, Muhsin, O the Nabi of Allah salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam at that time I wanted to reveal the veil of my head and to open my hair and to complain to Allah but `Ali prevented me from doing so and `Ali ibn Abi Talib said, ‘indeed your father was sent as a mercy to the entire ummah, so do not be the cause of their punishment and do not open your hair, I swear by Allah if you have to raise your head supplicating Allah then definitely Allah will destroy the entire earth and the wind as well.’ I returned home and remained ill due to the lash until I was martyred because of the same reason.”
After her, Amir al-Mu’minin (`Ali) will stand up and will prolong his complaint, he will say, “O the Nabi of Allah salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam, once I carried Hassan and Hussain going to the houses of the Muhajirun and Ansar who many a times took a pledge, I asked them for the assistance which they promised me, but the next morning I saw nobody from any of them. My condition with them was exactly like the condition of Harun `alayh al-Salam amongst Banu Isra’il after Musa `alayh al-Salam left, then after Musa `alayh al-Salam came back, Harun `alayh al-Salam told him; ‘O my brother indeed people belittled me and they were about to kill me,’ so I was patient in the sight of Allah upon the catastrophe which nobody from the heirs of the ambiya’ could bear except myself, until the time came whereby they killed me using Ibn Muljam.”
Thereafter Hassan will stand up and say, “O my grandfather, when the news of my father’s martyrdom reached Muawiyah, he sent Ziyad, who was an illegitimate child, with one hundred and fifty men to take pledge from my brother, Hussain, and I with Muawiyah, (they said,) ‘whoever denies us will be killed, his body and his head will be sent to Muawiyah.’ At this point I entered the masjid and ascended the mimbar, advised the people and called them to your religion and I made them fearful of your punishment; no one responded except twenty people only, then I raised my gaze to the sky and supplicated; ‘O Allah! You be my witness that I have invited them to your religion and I have made them fearful with regard to your punishment but they disobeyed. O Allah, send punishment and calamity upon them.’ After this I descended the mimbar and intended to go to Madinah, people followed me and said, ‘here is the army of Muawiyah, they came to a place known as al-Ambar, protected its people and took their belongings and wealth, imprisoned their children, so we request you to come with us to fight them with swords.’ By then I proclaimed, ‘you do not fulfil your promise,’ but still I did send a group of people with them and I told them that if you happen to reach Muawiyah you will force me to reconcile with Muawiyah, what I told them happened to be exactly the same.”
The oppressed Hussain will also stand while his body full of blood amongst the martyrs, then the Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam will look at them and cry, everything in the heaven and earth will also cry due to his cry, Fatimah will scream which will cause earthquake to occur, `Ali (Amir al-Mu’minin), Hassan will be on one side of the Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam and Fatimah will be on his left, then Hamzah, Jafar, Khadijah, Fatimah bint Asad together with Muhsin ibn Fatimah will come crying.”
Suddenly Jafar al-Sadiq cried and said, “I do not know by Allah anybody who hears this and do not cry.” I asked, “O my master what will be the reward of a person who cries for your calamities?” He said, “if he is from the Shia then his reward is innumerable.” I said to him, “what will happen after this, O my master?” He said, “Fatimah will stand up and say, ‘O Allah! Fulfil what you have promised me in terms of the one who has lashed me and killed my sons,’ the inhabitants of the heaven and earth will cry due to her cry. From the people who oppressed us and those who helped them as well as being pleased with the oppression no one will remain alive and everybody will be killed on that day a thousand times.”
I said to him, “O my master! Some of the Shia do not believe that you will come back together with those who love and hate you.” He said, “O Mufaddal did they not hear the hadith of the Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam and from us about Raj`ah, did they not hear Allah’s words:
وَلَنُذِیْقَنَّهُمْ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ الْاَدْنٰی دُوْنَ الْعَذَابِ الْاَكْبَرِ لَعَلَّهُمْ یَرْجِعُوْنَ
And we will surely let them test the nearer punishment short of the greater punishment.[4]
The nearer punishment is the time when we are going to come out while the greater punishment is that of Qiyamah. Some of the Shia do say that the meaning of Raj`ah is ‘the kingdom will come back to the family of Muhammad, Mahdi will be the king,’ this follows the kingdom that Allah has taken from us until he brings it back to us, rather we have the kingdom of nubuwwah, imamah, kingdom of this world and hereafter always. Did they not hear Allah saying:
وَنُرِیْدُ اَنْ نَّمُنَّ عَلَی الَّذِیْنَ اسْتُضْعِفُوْا فِی الْاَرْضِ وَ نَجْعَلَهُمْ اَئِمَّةً وَّ نَجْعَلَهُمُ الْوٰرِثِیْنَ
And we wanted to confer favour upon those who were oppressed in the land and make them leaders and make them inheritors.”[5]
He said, “After this my grandfather, `Ali ibn Hussain, and my father, Muhammad al-Baqir, will stand up and complain to their grandfather of the oppression of the oppressors. Then I will stand and complain to him about Mansur al-Dawaniqi. My son, Musa, will stand and complain of Harun al-Rashid. Thereafter `Ali ibn Musa al-Rida will stand and complain of the cursed Ma’mun. Muhammad al-Taqi will also stand and will complain of Ma’mun and others, then `Ali al-Naqi will also stand and complain of al-Mutawwil, finally al-`Askari will stand and complain about al-Mu`tazz.”
It is part of the beliefs of the Shia that, the their Mahdi will go to Madinah Munawwarah and visit the grave of the Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam and he will ask, “who is with him in the grave?” he will be told, “it is Abu Bakr and `Umar with him,” upon that the grave will be dug, their bodies exhumed (given life to) and then crucified on a dry tree. Then the tree will produce leaves and will grow. Thereafter, the fictitious Mahdi will announce for those who love them to stand aside, and those who hate them to stand on the other. Thereafter those who love them will be instructed to disassociate themselves from them but they will refuse; and on account of their refusal a wind will bow which will destroy all of them.
My beloved reader! I do not wish to prolong this discussion any further, but let us allow al-Jaza’iri to speak — since his intellect and faculties of comprehension allows him to believe in fantasies such as this — he says in his book al-Anwar al-No’maniyyah from Mufaddal ibn `Umar who narrates from Jafar al-Sadiq:
I said to him, “O my master, where will Mahdi go?” He said, “to the city of my grandfather salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam when he goes there he will have a strange position, the happiness of the believers will be ostensible as well as the humiliation of the disbelievers.” I said to him, “O my master, how will this happen?” He said, “Mahdi will come to the grave of his grandfather and he will say, ‘O people is this the grave of my grandfather?’ the people will say, ‘yes, O Mahdi, the family of Muhammad.’ Mahdi will ask, ‘who is this with the Nabi salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam in the grave?’ People will say, ‘his two friends and advisors; Abu Bakr and `Umar.’ Mahdi will say, ‘there are more learned people than Abu Bakr and `Umar so how were they buried together with my grandfather, Rasul of Allah salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam, why not other people?’
The rest of the people will say, ‘O Mahdi, of the family of Muhammad there is none buried here besides them, they were buried with him because they were his two khulafa’ and fathers-in-law.’ Mahdi will say, ‘will any of you be able to recognise them?’ They will reply, ‘yes we know their qualities.’ He will then say, ‘does anybody have any doubts about them being buried here?’ They will respond, ‘nobody has any doubt.’ After three days the command will be given for their graves to be opened and their bodies exhumed. They will emerge fresh, just as how they were in this world. Their shroud will be removed and he will instruct that they be placed on a dry lofty palm tree, where he will crucify them. The tree will begin to shake, the leaves of the tree will sprout, it will get taller and its branches too (will thicken). Those who doubt us and love them will say, ‘by Allah this is indeed a true honour, indeed we are successful by showing our love to them.’ The story will spread all over, every single person who has an iota of love for them will come to Madinah and they will be tested through them.
The announcer of Mahdi `alayh al-Salam will call out, ‘these are the companions of Rasulullah salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam those who love them should be one side and those who dislike them should be on the other side,’ people will be divided into two groups: those who love them and those who hate them. The people who love them will be requested to forsake them and they will say, ‘O Mahdi, we cannot free and dissociate ourselves from them, we did not even know that they have this type of virtue by Allah so how can we forsake them after seeing what we have seen at this point and time in terms of their radiance, the tree been given life due to them. Rather by Allah we forsake you and whoever believes in you and those who do not believe in them.’
Mahdi will command the wind, which will destroy them and make them like hollow trunks of palm trees. Mahdi will command that they should be brought down, they will be brought down, life will be given to them by the will of Allah, he will command the whole mankind to be gathered, then, he will inform them every incident of theirs in every point and era. He will inform them of the story of the killing of Habil, son of Adam, the collection of fire for Ibrahim, throwing of Yusuf into the well, detaining Yunus in the stomach of the fish, the killing of Yahya, the crucifixion of `Isa, the punishment of Jurjus and Danyal, the hitting of Salman al-Farisi, the ignition of the fire on the door Amir al-Mu’minin (`Ali), Fatimah and Hussain, intending to incinerate them, the lashing of the great, truthful, pure Fatimah with a whip and kicking her stomach as well aborting her child, Muhsin, poisoning Hassan, the killing of Hussain, the slaughtering of his children, his cousins, his helpers, arresting of the offspring of the Rasulullah salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam, shedding blood of the family members of Muhammad, the blood of every believer, every private part that fornicated, everyone who consumed interest, every evil and oppression from the time of Adam till our time. All of this Mahdi will enumerate and impose it upon them whereby they both will admit to (being guilty of), then Mahdi will command, and retaliation will take place at that time. The oppression of everybody who will be present (revenge will be exacted), thereafter he will crucify them on a tree. He will command fire to come from the earth which will burn them and the tree, and finally he will command the wind to throw them in a sea.”
I (Mufaddal) said, “O my master! Will this be their last punishment?” He said, “Never! O Mufaddal by Allah! They will be returned and meet the great master, Rasulullah salla Llahu `alayhi wa sallam, great Siddiq the leader of the believers (`Ali), Fatimah, Hassan, Hussain and all the Imams, everyone who showed iman or kufr, the retaliation will be taken from them with all oppressions and evil, then Mahdi will command that they should be killed every day 1000 times and they will face a tough punishment.”
NEXT⇒ The Shia and Taqiyyah (Dissimulation)
[1] `Aqa’id al-Shia of al-Zanjani pg. 229.
[2] Check al-Hukumat al-Islamiyyah of Khomeini pg. 46.
[3] Surah al-Mu’minun: 99-100.
[4] Surah al-Sajdah: 21.
[5] Surah al-Qasas: 5.