13) The Beast of the Earth in the World of the Return and in This World

13) The Beast of the Earth in the World of the Return and in This World

God Almighty says: {And when the word befalls them, We will bring forth for them a beast from the earth speaking to them, [saying] that the people were, of Our verses, not certain [in faith]} Quran Chapter “The Bee” 27:82.

Sayed Ahmad Al-Hasan pbuh was asked about the meaning of this verse. He said:

A man said to Abu Abdullah: “I heard that the general public read this verse in this manner: “hurting them” (instead of “speaking to them”). He pbuh replied, “May God speak to them in the hellfire. The verse was only revealed to speak to them through words” (Al-Majlisi 1983, vol. 53, 53).

Imam Al-Rida pbuh mentioned God Almighty’s saying: {We will bring forth for them a creature from the earth speaking to them} and he pbuh said: “It is Ali pbuh.”^[12]

Thus the beast in this verse is a human, and some religious accounts show that it is Ali Ibn Abi Talib pbuh, and this is in the Return. Thus Ali pbuh is the beast of the earth that speaks to the people in the Return, and will reveal those who believe and those who disbelieve in the Signs of God Almighty. Before the Return is the rise of the Qaim pbuh, and it also has a “beast from the earth speaking to them” and showing them the weakness of their faith in the true signs of God within His Kingdom, which are the visions during sleep and visions while awake (kashf). He also shows them that throughout the journey of mankind on this earth, most people were not certain of the heavenly Signs of God nor did they believe in the visions during sleep and visions while awake in the Kingdom of Heavens. This is because they have narrowed their sights to this world, and to materialism. Materialism is their sum of knowledge that they cannot go beyond to obtain anything else. {That is their sum of knowledge. Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who strays from His way, and He is most knowing of who is guided.} Quran Chapter “The Star” 53:30 (Al-Hasan 2010a, vol. 4, Q145).^[13]

There are many religious accounts about the beast of the earth that comes out in the age of the blessed appearance, as in the following example:

In a long account, Imam Al-Sadiq pbuh said:

The beast of the earth will appear between the corner and the station. He will write “believer” on the face of the believer, and “disbeliever” on the face of the disbeliever. Then the Sufyani will appear and will march with his army to Iraq. [H]e will destroy Al-Zawra and he will leave it in flames. He will also destroy Kufa and Madina. . . . He will then go out to Bayda [between Madina and Mecca] . . . and the earth will swallow him (Al-Istibradi 1993, 100).

Ali Ibn Ibrahim Ibn Mahziyar narrates this account with Imam Al-Mahdi pbuh:

[I] said: “Oh Master, when will this happen?” He said: ”When you are denied the way to the Kaaba, and the sun and moon come together, and the planets and stars revolve around them.” I said, “When will this be, Oh Son of the Messenger of God?” He said to me, “In the year such-and-such, the beast of the earth will emerge between Safa and Marwa. He has the staff of Moses and the seal of Solomon with him in order to drive the people to their place of gathering. . . . “ (Al-Kadhimi 2007, 236).

It is very clear that this divine beast is a man that emerges before Imam Al-Mahdi pbuh and before the appearance of the Sufyani. It has also been shown that the example and counterpart of Ali pbuh in the age of appearance is the successor, messenger and Yamani [right-hand] of Imam Al-Mahdi, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his purified fathers and sons.

And for this reason, Sayed Ahmad Al-Hasan pbuh says:

Some religious accounts express that the Qaim is Ali ibn Abi Talib, or the “Beast of the Earth”, and it is a title that is shared by the Qaim and Ali ibn Abi Talib (Al-Hasan 2010b, vol. 6, 529).

Why has the first Mahdi become similar to his grandfather, the Prince of Believers pbuh, having been given some of his titles as we have learned, such as the title, “Beast of the Earth”?

Sayed Ahmad Al-Hassan pbuh explains this in his book With The Virtuous Servant as follows:

Abaya Al-Asadi said:

I heard the Prince of Believers pbuh, while he was seated reclining and I was next him, say: “I will build a pulpit in Egypt, destroy Damascus stone by stone, expel the Jews and Christians from every Arab nation, and guide the Arabs with this staff that I have.” I asked, “O Commander of the Faithful, are you saying that you will live again after you die?” He answered: “O Abaya, how far you have gone, to a different sect!! A man from my progeny [the Mahdi] will do it” (Al-Majlisi 1983, vol. 53, 59-60).

The Prince of Believers pbuh ascribes this act to himself, even though the one directly performing the action is a man from his progeny. What does this mean?

I asked him, peace be upon him, regarding this: In many religious accounts, an Imam ascribes an act to himself even though he he has another Imam from his progeny in mind, such as in “the speaker to Moses” and, “a man from my progeny will do it”. Is this description valid only because he is from him, or is there something else? And is it related to the fact that their lights are united in the seventh sky?

He pbuh answered me:

May God grant you success. In this physical world, yes, he is from him, because he is from his progeny. And in the seventh sky he is from him because he is lower than him, and a part of his truth (Al-Hasan, 2010d).