How Have the Shia Scholars Understood the Return?

How Have the Shia Scholars Understood the Return?

The Shia scholars see the Return as a resurrection in this physical world after death.

Sheikh Al-Mufeed said the following:

Regarding the Return, I have said that God Almighty brings people back from the dead to this world in their previous form. He honors some people and humiliates others. The people of truth will triumph over the people of falsehood, and those who were oppressed among them will triumph over the oppressors. This occurs during the rise of the Mahdi from the progeny of Muhammad pbuhap (Al-Mufeed 1993a, 78).

Also, Al-Hurr Al-Amili said:

Know that the Return will occur here in this life, after death, and before the Day of Judgement. This is clearly what it means, and it has also been clarified by the scholars (Al-Amili 1910, 72).

It is clear that they consider the Return a time period that belongs to the physical world that we are in. This is confirmed by looking at the nature of the reasoning they use to prove the Return, which includes the following:

First: Their saying that the Return is a type of physical life after death, so they draw conclusions about it using the same evidence that is used for life after death in the hereafter. Sayed Al-Murtadha says in his explanation of the Return:

Nobody rejects the validity of the return of the dead except the ones that deviate from the sayings of monotheism, because God Almighty is capable of bringing the souls back into being after they have been destroyed. If He is capable of doing this, then it is possible for Him to bring them back into being whenever He wills (Al-Murtadha 1985, vol. 3, 123).

Second: Their reasoning that the Return is a resurrection of certain tribes or individuals from the past into this world after their death. Examples that they mention include the resurrection of Uzair after his death, Jesus resurrecting the dead, the resurrection of the companions of the cave or a tribe from the children of Israel, and so on.

Sheikh Al-Mudhaffar says:

Believing in the Return does not contradict the doctrine of monotheism or the doctrine of prophethood. Rather, it confirms the validity of both. The Return is proof of the tremendous capability of God Almighty, just as in the case of the Resurrection, and it is one of the extraordinary things that is fit to be called a miracle of Prophet Muhammad and his progeny pbut. It is just like the miracle of resurrecting the dead that was bestowed upon the Messiah pbuh, but here it is even greater, because it takes place after the bodies decay (Al-Mudhaffar 2012, 111).

Sheikh Al-Tabrasi says:

The reports from the guiding Imams of the progeny of Muhammad pbut have revealed that at the time of the Qaim pbuh, God Almighty will bring the Qaim’s preferred ones and his followers (Shia) back from the dead to attain the reward of giving victory to him and aiding him, and to rejoice in the emergence of the Divine State. God Almighty also brings back some of the Qaim’s enemies so that he can take revenge on them. They will get what they deserve of the punishment of this world by being killed at the hands of the Qaim’s followers, and by facing humiliation and shame as they watch the rise of his rule. A reasonable person does not doubt that this is within God Almighty’s capability, nor does he think it impossible. God has done this with people in the past. The Quran has mentioned it in several places, such as in the story of Uzair, as well as other stories. The Prophet pbuhap said: “Whatever happened in the nation of the children of Israel will also happen in my nation in a completely identical manner, such that if one of them had entered a lizard’s hole, you would also enter it” (Al-Tabrasi 2005, vol. 7, 294).

Third: Their linking of the Return to the age of the appearance of Imam Al-Mahdi pbuh, as we have understood from Sheikh Al-Tabrasi previously.

Sheikh Al-Mufeed says:

The information we have received mentions signs of the time of the appearance of the Qaim Al-Mahdi pbuh as well as events, signs, and proofs that will take place before his emergence. One of them is the emergence of the Sufyani. . . . the dead will rise from the graves to return to the physical world, and will become acquainted with one another and visit one another . . . they will then know about his appearance in Mecca and will approach him in order to give him victory (Al-Mufeed 1993b (2nd edition), vol. 2, 368-370 ).

Fourth: Their use of certain verses about successorship and empowerment on this earth after enduring oppression as evidence for the return of the Prophet and the Imams to this physical world after their death. For example, the Almighty said: {We want to confer favor upon those who were oppressed in the land and make them leaders and make them inheritors} Quran Chapter “The Stories” 28:5.

Regarding this verse, after mentioning the Shia consensus regarding the Return of the Prophet and Imams pbut, Al-Hurr Al-Amili says:

This is clarified by paying close attention to the plural pronouns in the verse and the sayings of Al-Tabrasi mentioned above regarding the concepts of successorship, empowerment, abatement of fear, worship, and what is known about assuming the obligation of taqiyya. If we interpret them as meaning that only the Mahdi pbuh emerges, then all of these concepts must be looked at with figurative and far-fetched interpretations that are unnecessary or taken out of context (Al-Amili 1910, 78).^[2]

And the Almighty said:

{God has promised those who have believed among you and done righteous deeds that He will surely grant them succession upon the earth just as He granted it to those before them, and that He will surely establish for them [therein] their religion which He has preferred for them and that He will surely substitute for them, after their fear, security, [for] they worship Me, not associating anything with Me. But whoever disbelieves after that-then those are the defiantly disobedient} Quran Chapter “The Light” 24:55.

Al-Hurr Al-Amili also says:

This verse is clearer than the previous one. It indicates that the conferring of favor upon this group, making them inheritors and leaders (Imams) and empowering them on the earth, and warning their enemies about them, will all occur after the they have faced oppression on the earth. Can anything be imagined from this description other than the Return? (Al-Amili 1910, 77).

What we have quoted from these Shia scholars is enough to confirm what we have conveyed regarding their position on the matter.

While these scholars interpret the Return and its religious accounts as being part of this physical world, others have interpreted religious accounts about the Return in another way, saying that it is not in the meaning of people returning, but instead means the return of the Divine State.

Sayed Al-Murtadha has conveyed the following point of view:

Some of our companions interpret the Return to mean the return of the Divine State and the commands and prohibitions, and not the return of people and the resurrection of the dead. This is because some of the Shia failed to support the Return and demonstrate that it is possible, and that it does not contradict the concept of religious accountability, so they relied on interpreting the Return as being a return of a Divine State but not a return of the people (Al-Murtadha 1985, vol. 1, 126).

Some have even gone as far as to say that the Return is not a place of religious accountability for those who return to it.

Allama Al-Majlisi says:

What is clear is that the time of the Return is not only a time of religious accountability. Rather, it is intermediate, between the physical world and the hereafter, in terms of being a place of religious accountability and a place of recompense (Al-Majlisi 1983, vol. 25, 108-109).

Sheikh Al-Mufeed summarizes the differences in understanding of the Return and the religious accounts that pertain to it. He says:

As for the Return, the Shia have agreed, even though their understanding of its meaning differs, that many of the dead will return to this temporal life before the Day of Judgement (Al-Mufeed 1952a (2006), 46).

Accordingly, their statements differ when it comes to clarifying belief in the Return, even after Sheikh Al-Sadooq settled the matter by saying: "Our belief in the Return is that it is the truth" (Al-Sadooq 1993, 60).

Sheikh Al-Mudhaffar, one of the later scholars, believes that the Return is not one of the principles of belief that requires analysis. He said:

The Return is not one of the principles that needs to be believed in and analyzed. We believe in it because of the authentic sayings of Ahl al-Bayt, who we believe to be infallible and unable to lie.^[3] The Return is from the matters of the unseen that they have informed us about, and its occurrence is inevitable (Al-Mudhaffar 2002, 113).

Some scholars admit that knowledge of the details of the Return, the nature of it, and the way in which it is organized, are all entrusted to the vicegerents of God:

Sayed Abdullah Shibr says:

Overall, it is a must to believe in the principle of the Return, and that that some of the believers and nonbelievers will return to the physical world. However, at the same time, it is a must to entrust the details to Ahl al-Bayt. The hadiths about the return of the Prince of Believers and Al-Hussain pbut are at the level of frequently narrated hadiths. Regarding the religious account about the return of the remaining Imams, it is close to the level of frequently narrated. As for the circumstances of their return-meaning whether or not it is in a certain order-this knowledge is with God Almighty and His guardians^[4] (Shibr 1997, vol. 2, 35).

Most recently, the description of the Return as a principle of the Shia doctrine rather than a principle of religion is what has been circulated!