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Al-Nu`mani reports that al-Baqir advised his partisan Abu al-Jarud to
keep quiet at home, and not to implicate himself in the
militant activities of some `Alids against the Umayyads,
since the Umayyad state had a natural lifespan and the
moment of its downfall had not yet come(1).
He added that any `Alid who rebelled against tyranny
before the rise of al-Qa’im would inevitably fail(2).
Al-Sadiq and the later Imams followed the same policy. They ordered their
followers not to allow despair to find a place in their
hearts and to wait for the rise of al-Qa’im in the near
future(3).
This policy enabled the Imamites to spread their
doctrine and at the same time to organize themselves -
during the period between 132-260/749-874 - into a
well-established political and financial organization
(al-Wikala). It seems probable that this underground
organization was preparing for the rise of al-Qa’im. For
they expected his rising(4)
and placed important political and relgious duties upon
his shoulders.
Several narrations suggest that the quiescent policy of the Imams was
established after their followers caused two abortive
rebellions. According to al-Kulayni, al-Sadiq once said:
This matter (al-Amr), that is, the endeavour to reach power, was hidden
until it reached the hands of the Kaysaniyya. They
revealed it on the roads and circulated it among the
villagers of al-Sawad(5).
According to al-Numani the Imamites endeavoured to rise in arms twice,
first in the year 70/689 and second in the year 140/758,
but their followers spoiled their plans by revealing the
name of their leader to their foes(6),
an act which resulted in the arrest or the assassination
of the Imams. In this connection a conversation between
al-Baqir and his partisan `Abd Allah by `Ata al-Wasiti
is revealing. Al-Wasiti said to the Imam:
You have many followers in Iraq and there is no one among your family who
has the merit for leadership but you. So why do you not
rise in arms? Al-Baqir replied: O `Abd Allah, do not
listen to the masses, because none of us has his name
mentioned by the people nor a hand pointing at him as
the Imam, without soon facing inevitable death. So
search for him whose birth is concealed from the people,
because he will be the one who will manage such an
affair.(7)
Moreover al-Sadiq was reported to have said:
This matter (the rising in arms) was vested in me, but Allah delayed it;
He shall do with my progeny whatever He wants(8).
These sayings indicate that the Imams had suffered the consequences of
revealing the fixed dates of their militant endeavours
to reach power. Hence the later Imams did not reveal
explicitly to their followers which Imam would be
al-Qa’im with the sword. At the same time they
encouraged their followers to follow their instructions(9),
for this would pave the way for one of the Imams to
reach power under the title of al-Qa’im.
Several traditions reveal that the establishment of al-Qa’im's political
state will occur through the "natural" course of events.
A Prophetic tradition states that a group of people from
the east will start underground activities and pave the
way for the installation of al-Mahdi by military means(10).
The latter will struggle for power without any miraculous aid and will
face difficulties and opposition against the propogation
of his teachings, similar to the opposition which the
Prophet faced with Quraysh(11).
Furthermore he will not take any militant action unless
he has at least 10,000 partisans(12).
According to al-Baqir the main goal of al-Qa’im will be to establish an
Islamic state and to apply Islamic law as it was
revealed to the Prophet. Al-Sadiq asserts that he will
follow the Prophet's policy by eliminating and
demolishing all the innovations which derive from a
situation of ignorance (al-Jahiliyya) and apply Islam in
a new form(13).
Other narrations indicate that he will apply the law of David and Solomon
along with the Islamic law(14)
and apply the rules of the Torah to the Jews and the
rules of the Gospel to the Christians. According to
al-Nu'mani, his state will include, in addition to the
Islamic lands, the territories of Rum, Sind, India and
China(15).
Some functions attributed to al-Qa’im indicate the unrest and
disappointment felt by the Imamites in the face of the
political and economic situation of the time. Al-Fadl b.
Shadhan (d. 260/873) and al-Kulayni report that al-Qa’im
will rise with the sword as God's avenger against those
who caused troubles to `Ali and his wife Fatima. He
would also take vengeance against those who were
responsible for the suffering of the Imams and their
followers(16),
particularly against those who assassinated al-Husayn.
Al-Sadiq considered al-Husayn's assassination the main
reason for the rise of al-Qa’im as an avenger(17).
Other functions of al-Qa’im depict the political annoyance of the Imams
towards the allegiance of the Arabs, and especially
towards the clan of Quraysh who had monopolized
political authority since the death of the Prophet. Al
Nu`mani mentions a tradition attributed to Imam
al-Sadiq: "When al-Qa’im rises he will deal with the
Arabs and Quraysh only by the sword(18).
The Imamites also vested al-Qa’im with another task which reveals their
dissatisfaction with the economic system of the `Abbasid
state. According to al-Himyari, al-Baqir stated that
when al-Qa’im rose allthe feudal systems would be
abolished(19).
Al-Kulayni agrees with al Himyari and adds that al-Qa’im, after carrying
out this operation, may allow his partisans to
administer and cultivate the lands with the condition
that they pay the legal land-tax(20).
In the light of these hopes and the repeated failure of the Zaydite
uprisings, as had been expected by the Imams, the
Imamites concentrated all their hopes on the uprising of
al-Qa’im, whose state had been awaited since the time of
al-Baqir(21).
Al-Nu`mani reports that when tie `Abbasid revolution
broke out in Khurasan and black baners were raised, Abu
Bakr al-Hadrami and Abban went to the Imam al-Sadiq, and
asked his opinion about participating in the revolution.
He warned them against it saying: "When you see us
follow a man, then you must join us with weapons."(22)
Although the Imam did not reveal the identity of the man to be followed,
he confirmed that he would struggle for power by
militant means and eliminate the rule of his opponents(23).
It appears that because of the militant role of al-Qa’im the Imams
refrained from giving any explicit statement of his
identity. However, they did indicate that since the
rulers, first the Umayyads and then the `Abbasids, had
reached power by "natural" means, their fall would also
occur by "natural" means.
There is a good deal of evidence to indicate that some of the Imams would
have taken militant action if they had had strong and
faithful partisans. But they delayed this task
indefinitely until the intellectual activites of their
followers could bear fruit and be converted into a
political awareness which might enable one of the Imams
to gain power by militant means.
The Imams also wanted their partisans to be more optimistic in gaining
immediate success, and not to leave the task of
propagation of their teachings to al-Qa’im, whose
military uprising relied on the outcome of the
activities of the Imamites themselves. Finally, it seems
most likely that the uprising of the Imam who would be
al-Qa’im, was later attributed to the Twelfth Imam,
because the Imamite propaganda reached a developed,
political stage during the life-time of the Tenth and
the eleventh Imams, and this might have enabled the
Twelfth Imam to reach power.
3.4.3 The signs of the rise of al-Qa’im
The early Imamite traditionists delineated five signs which would precede
the rise of al-Qa’im al-Mahdi: first, the rise of
al-Yamani, then the rise of al-Sufyani, thirdly the
assassination of the Pure Soul (al-Nafs al-Zakiyya) in
Mecca only fifteen days before the rise of alQa'im,
fourthly an outcry in the morning from the sky in the
name of al-Qa’im, and finally the sinking of an army
into the earth (al-Bayda') during its march on Mecca(24).
Despite the fact that al-Nu`mani, al-Saduq and al-Tusi
differ as to the chronological occurrence of these
signs, they all agree that they will occur in the same
year(25).
It seems that the delineation of these signs along with the expectations
of the Imamites and al-Jarudiyya that al-Qa’im al Mahdi
would rise in the near future(26)
caused the `Abbasid authorities to be suspicious, since
some of these signs were connected with their regime and
indicated that al-Qa’im's uprising was directed mainly
against them. The fact that the Imams had the `Abbasids
in mind can be seen in the discussion between al-Riďa,
the eighth Imam, and his adherent al-Hasan b. al-Jahm(27),
who said to him:
"May Allah make you prosper! The people are saying that al Sufyani will
rise after the fall of the `Abbasids." Al-Riďa said:
"They lie. He will rise while they are still in power.(28)”
This statement has been confirmed in other traditions attributed to
al-Sadiq. For example his companion Ya`qub b. al-Sarraj
asked him:
"When will your Shi'a gain their release from suffering?" He replied,
"When conflict occurs amongst the `Abbasids, and their
power begins to decline. Then their partisans and their
subjects will be encouraged to threaten the authorities.
Thereafter al-Sufyani will rise from the West, while
the Yamani will advance from the East, until they both
reach Kufa, where they will destroy the `Abbasids. At
the same time the Hasani will start his rebellion. Then
the Master of this matter, al-Qa’im, shall advance from
Medina towards Mecca to rebel.(29)
"
According to al-Nu`mani, al-Sadiq added that because of these events, the
fall of the `Abbasid regime was inevitable. Its fall
would be similar to a piece of crockery dropped from the
hand of its possessor, which then splits into pieces."(30)
In the light of these statements attributed to the Imams it is clear that
from the time of al-Sadiq onwards, the Imamites awaited
the political uprising of one of their Imams, called
al-Qa’im while the `Abbasids were still in power(31).
Indeed the spread of these traditions caused the `Abbasids to fear the
Imams, who might have been behind some `Alid revolts.
Perhaps this is why the `Abbasid caliphs became
suspicious of the Imams. Even the caliph al-Mansur
himself related a tradition on the authority of al-Baqir
stating that al-Qa’im would be from the progeny of 'Ali(32).
He restricted the movements of al-Sadiq and his followers and made it a
policy to discriminate against them. Moreover he
invested his sucessor Muhammad with the epithet
"alMahdi" (158-169/775-785) in order to turn the
attention of his subjects from the `Alid family toward
the family of `Abbas(33).
Despite the fact that the movements of the seventh Imam, Musa al-Kazim,
were also restricted by the authorities, so that he died
in prison(34),
the Shi’ite propaganda for the rise of an Imam in the
name of al-Qa’im and al-Mahdi spread on a wide scale,
particularly after the rebellion of Ibn Tabataba in
199/814.
Probably because of this situation the
caliph al-Ma’mun devised a new policy towards the eighth
Imam al-Riďa. He made overtures to him asking him to be
his heir apparent. By this means he hoped to split the
`Alids some of whom were in rebellion and to keep
al-Riďa within the `Abbasid palace under close watch(35).
(2)N. al-Ghayba, 104, 107, 159;
al-Hadrami, op. cit., f. 48a; al-Kafi, VIII, 264
(3)N. al-Ghayba, 106-7; al-Kafi,
VIII, 264, 310.
(7)al-Kafi, I, 342; Kama’l, 325.
(9)al-Kafi, I, 368-9; Bihar, LII,
212.
(10) Ibn Maja, Sunan, II, 1366;
al-Kanji, op. cit., 314.
(11)
al-Kafi VIII, 225; N. al- Ghayba, 106,
160; al-Tabsi quotes a statement from Ibn A'tham
attributed to `Ali which states that the
partisans of al-Mahdi will start their
activities from al-Talqan in Khurasan; al-Shi`a
wa-l-Raj a, 141.
(13) N. al-Ghayba, 104,122,123.
Al-Saffar reports that al-Qa’im will apply
Islamic law according to the books of `Ali which
he related directly from the Prophet; Basa'ir
al-Darajat, f. 124.
(14) al-Saffar, op. cit., f. 50;
al-Kafi, I, 298.
(15) N. al-Ghayba, 124, 125-6;
al-Tabsi, op. cit., 218; `Ali b. Tawus,
al-Malahim wa-l Fitan (Najaf, 1367), 53; Najm
al-Din al-`Askari, al-Mahdi al-Maw`ud al
Muntazar (Beirut, 1977), II, 10.
(16) Ibn Shadhan, Ithbat al-Raja,
quoted by al-Tabsi, op. cit., 221; al-Kafi,
VIII, 233; al-Saduq. `Ilal, II, 267; al-Majlisi
includes in his work al-Bihar a book attributed
to al-Mufaddil b. `Umar which deals with the
occurrence which will take place after the rise
of al-Qa’im; Bihar, LIII, 1-38; Dala'il, 239,
260; N. al Ghayba, 148.
(17)
al-Kafi I, 465; al-Tusi, al-Amali, II,
33; al-Saduq, `Ilal, 229; Ibn Tawus, al Iqbal,
186.
(18) N. al-Ghayba, (the second editon),
308, 319.
(19) al-Himyari, op. cit., quoted by
al-Galbagani, op. cit., 305.
(23) al-Kafi, I, 240, 281, 370-2.
Di`bil the poet recited a line of poetry
concerning the militant role of al-Qa’im in the
presence of al-Riďa; the latter confirmed this
by saying that al-Qa’im would be from the
progeny of al-Husayn. Di`bil, Diwan. 73,76;
Kama’l, 327-4.
(24) N. al-Ghayba, 134, 139-40;
Kama’l, 649; T. al-Ghayba, 286; al-Kafi, VIII,
225, 310.
(25) N. al-Ghayba, 136; T. al-Ghayba,
286; Bihar, LII, 232.
(27) For his biography, see Ibn Dawud,
Kitab al-Rijal, 104.
(28) N. al-Ghayba, 163-4.
(29) N. al-Ghayba, 135, 138, 144-5;
al-Kafi, VIII, 224-5.
(30) N. al-Ghayba, 137; Bihar, LII,
232.
(31) al-Hadrami,Kitab Ja’far b.
Shurayh, f. 39.
(32) al-Kafi, VIII, 209-210; al-Irshad,
404.
(33) It is reported that the Prophet
said, "The Mahdi is from my progeny. His name is
similar to mine" (al-Tirmidhi'. IV, 505).
According to Abu Dawud, the Prophet also added,
"And his father's name is similar to my father's
name" (Abu Dawud, al-Sunan, IV, 106-7).
According to the last phrase the name of al-Mahdi
is Muhammad b. `Abd Allah. Perhaps al-Mansur
took this point into account when he called his
son, "Muhammad al-Mahdi" (al-Bidaya, X, 89). For
a full account see Osman, op. cit., 266-9.
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