And some Imamites have written a letter to Abu Ja’far Ibn Qibba in which they ask him a few questions. He replied as follows: But your statement, may Allah support you, which you are narrating from the Mu'tazila that they think that the Imamites are under the impression that Nass about an Imam is necessary from the logical point of view, there are two possibilities in this. If they take it to be logically obligatory before the arrival of the prophets and religious codes of law, it is wrong. But if they take that human intellects guides to the fact that after the arrival of the prophets there is necessity of Imam, they came to know through faith and logical arguments that and they have understood through this tradition narrated from this personality in whose Imamate they believe. And the statement of the Mu'tazila that: We came to know with certainty that Hasan bin Ali عليه السلام passed away without stating the Nass of Imamate in favor of any person.
So their statement is a claim that shall be opposed and they shall be needful that they must prove the veracity of their claim. What is that point which gives them precedence in their claim from their opponents that they have certainty in something which is exactly opposed to their claim? And among the arguments is one which is about the Nass on the proof of the Imamate of Hasan bin Ali عليه السلام and among the traditions of Shias quoted from those truthful personalities is that an Imam does not die without having clearly indicated the Imamate of another person after himself.
As the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم has said that since people in every age are needful of only one personality whose statements and reports are not contradicting and refuting each other. Like the traditions that our opponents possess are contradictory and refuting each other. And an Imam should be such that if he orders something it should be complied with and there should be none superior to them. He should neither forget nor commit mistakes, and he should possess knowledge that he can teach people about which they are ignorant. He should be equitable and judge with truth and justice. And if one is having such traits, the Almighty Allah would issue Nass about him by the tongue of one through whom He completes His argument while in his apparent creation there is nothing that proves his infallibility.
If Mu'tazila objects that these are your claims that you shall have to prove through evidences, we shall say that indeed arguments are necessary to prove the veracity of our statements. You have asked us about a secondary matter and no indication is found on the correctness of the secondary matter except that its root should be proved correct. The arguments in favor of the rightfulness of our principles are present in our books and by way of example we can ask that if a person demands proofs for the correctness of the Shariah, do we need to first prove the correctness of divine revelation, rightfulness of the prophethood of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم and the correctness of his legislations on the basis of this Shariat? Before that we would have to prove that Allah, the Mighty and Sublime is one and He is the Knower of exigencies and after that we would have to prove the incidentally of the universe. He has asked us exactly the same question. And when I contemplated on the aim of that question, I realized that their aim is absolutely foolish, and they say that if Hasan bin Ali عليه السلام has issued Nass about the one in whom you believe, the matter of occultation would be proved invalid. The reply is that occultation certainly does not mean inexistence. Sometimes a man goes to a land where is well-known and people observe him; at the same time he has disappeared from other places. In this way sometimes a person disappears from the view of some people but he is not unseen by others. And sometimes he is concealed from his enemies and not from his friends. So it is said that he has disappeared.
Commentary #7
So their statement is a claim that shall be opposed and they shall be needful that they must prove the veracity of their claim. What is that point which gives them precedence in their claim from their opponents that they have certainty in something which is exactly opposed to their claim? And among the arguments is one which is about the Nass on the proof of the Imamate of Hasan bin Ali عليه السلام and among the traditions of Shias quoted from those truthful personalities is that an Imam does not die without having clearly indicated the Imamate of another person after himself.
As the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم has said that since people in every age are needful of only one personality whose statements and reports are not contradicting and refuting each other. Like the traditions that our opponents possess are contradictory and refuting each other. And an Imam should be such that if he orders something it should be complied with and there should be none superior to them. He should neither forget nor commit mistakes, and he should possess knowledge that he can teach people about which they are ignorant. He should be equitable and judge with truth and justice. And if one is having such traits, the Almighty Allah would issue Nass about him by the tongue of one through whom He completes His argument while in his apparent creation there is nothing that proves his infallibility.
If Mu'tazila objects that these are your claims that you shall have to prove through evidences, we shall say that indeed arguments are necessary to prove the veracity of our statements. You have asked us about a secondary matter and no indication is found on the correctness of the secondary matter except that its root should be proved correct. The arguments in favor of the rightfulness of our principles are present in our books and by way of example we can ask that if a person demands proofs for the correctness of the Shariah, do we need to first prove the correctness of divine revelation, rightfulness of the prophethood of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم and the correctness of his legislations on the basis of this Shariat? Before that we would have to prove that Allah, the Mighty and Sublime is one and He is the Knower of exigencies and after that we would have to prove the incidentally of the universe. He has asked us exactly the same question. And when I contemplated on the aim of that question, I realized that their aim is absolutely foolish, and they say that if Hasan bin Ali عليه السلام has issued Nass about the one in whom you believe, the matter of occultation would be proved invalid. The reply is that occultation certainly does not mean inexistence. Sometimes a man goes to a land where is well-known and people observe him; at the same time he has disappeared from other places. In this way sometimes a person disappears from the view of some people but he is not unseen by others. And sometimes he is concealed from his enemies and not from his friends. So it is said that he has disappeared.