Question 379 - The Enlightening Answer Across the Ether, Vol 4

Supporters Response:

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send His prayers upon Muhammad and his family, the Imams and the Mahdis, and grant them abundant peace. Peace be upon you, dear brother, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. Know, brother-may Allah grant you success-that just as the Messenger Muhammad (s) sealed the preceding prophethood and opened sending anew-or, in other words, as Sayyed Ahmed Alhasan explained in the book The Sealing Prophethood-so too Imam al-Mahdi (a), at a certain rank, is the seal of the station of Imamate that belongs to the twelve Imams (a), and the opener of a new Imamate, which is ‘guidance.’ Imam al-Mahdi (a) is also the one who sends the twelve Mahdis from his progeny. For this reason, it was narrated from the Commander of the Believers (a), concerning the matters that will occur after the Qa'im (a), according to its meaning: ‘That is a matter entrusted to him.’ It was likewise narrated from them (a): ‘He calls to a matter other than what had been.’ It was likewise narrated from them (a): ‘He brings a new matter, severe upon the Arabs.’ It was likewise narrated from them (a): ‘When the Qa'im rises, he calls the people to a matter that had been hidden and from which the majority went astray.’ It was likewise narrated from them (a): ‘He calls to a matter through which whoever acknowledges it is guided, while whoever denies it goes astray and errs.’ It is known that misguidance is not realized except by denying the Imamate of one whom Allah Most High has appointed. So what is that matter to which the Qa'im (a) calls, which is other than what had been, which is new and severe upon the Arabs, and so forth? Sayyed Ahmed Alhasan explained in The Sealing Prophethood that there is a difference between khatam-with the second vowel opened-and khatim-with the second vowel broken. The Prophet Muhammad (s) is khatam-with the vowel opened-meaning that he is the intermediary between two matters: the message from Allah and the message from Muhammad (s). He (s) is also khatim-with the vowel broken-meaning that he is the last of them, that is, the last person sent directly by Allah. Likewise, Imam al-Mahdi (a) is khatam, meaning the intermediary between two matters: the matter of Imamate and the matter of guidance. He (a) is also khatim, meaning the last of the twelve Imams and the opener of guidance, meaning the Imamate of the twelve Mahdis. Thus, like his grandfather al-Mustafa (s), he (a) is ‘the seal of what preceded and the opener of what is to come.’ The narration stating that Imam al-Mahdi (a) is the last of the Imams (a) means the last of the twelve whose station differs from the station of the twelve Mahdis from the progeny of Imam al-Mahdi (a). It does not indicate that there are no Imams after him (a), nor does it negate the Imamate of the Mahdis from the progeny of Imam al-Mahdi (a). The discussion is lengthy, and I hope that what has preceded will suffice. May Allah grant you every good and righteousness. The Scientific Committee Supporters of Imam al-Mahdi (may Allah establish him upon the earth) Sheikh Nazim al-Uqayli