Thus, Imam Khomeini describes Ahl al-Beyt (a) in such terms:
The small house of Fatima (as), containing only four or five members, but they were brought up in such a way that they manifested the power of Allah, the Exalted, and offered such services that cause us, you and all humanity to admire them. Fatima's speech in the face of the government, the rise of Amirul Mu'minin, and his forbearance for 20 and odd years, during which he did not refrain from offering his help to the government of the day, and afterwards he continued sacrificing for the sake of Islam, as well as the sacrifices of his two sons, who offered a great service to Islam by exposing the nature of the despotic government of the omeyyads, and his brother, the Master of the Martyrs, al-Hussein, who also offered a great service...Despite the fact that they had few followers and scanty means of warring, the divine spirit and the spirit of their faith educated them in such a way that they overcame the wrongdoers of their era and enlivened Islam, and were examples for us and for you, dear brothers, so that despite our few number and little means and arms, we can stand against all the powers which are waging their war against us. Our godly men (a) have shown that encountering the mustakbirin (arrogant rulers) can sometimes be by means of propaganda and sometimes by means of weapon, so as to keep them within their limits. We, too, have to follow their example. [1]
Besides calling to follow the path of Ahl al-Beyt (a), Imam Khomeini describes their approach as a political one. Here politics and spirituality join together and form inseparable unity, as we've already explained it in the chapter devoted to Din, Shari'ah and Tawhid. What are the characteristic features of this path according to Imam Khomeini?
- It's a revolutionary, non-conformist path, based on opposing tyrants and oppressors and revealing their true essence to people. Imam Hussein said: The best jihad is a word of truth said to a tyrant ruler (the same hadith was transmitted from the holy Prophet (s) and is included into many collections including the Sunni ones).
- It's a path of resistance against wrong-doers, as it dictates the principles of enjoying good and forbidding evil, which are from furu' al-din. Imam Ali (a) said: Jihad has four branches: enjoying the good, forbidding the wrong, fortitude in the battlefield, and detesting the wicked. [2]
- It's a heroic path of self-sacrifice on the field of battle and political struggle, as different examples proposed by Imam Ali (a), Imam Hussein (a), Fatima al-Zahra (a), Sayyeda Zaynab show.
Of course, following the spiritual and political model of the Infallibles (a) is not just a political issue but also is a question of 'irfan and Imam Khomeini underlines that imitating role models proposed by 14 Infallibles (a) is the part of mystical self-perfection on the path towards Allah as well as a necessary step taken by those who are to undertake the mission of political rulers.
So, what important aspects of the Infallibles' (a) personalities were considered by Imam Khomeini necessary to be present in the personality of a just ruling faqih
First of all, Imam Khomeini points to their asceticism. We can include here both outward asceticism the example of which we can see in a modest life led by Imam Ali (a) and Fatima Zahra (a), who had sacrificed their comfort and material prosperity for the sake of Allah, and the innate spiritual asceticism the essence of which is being distant from this world and from attachment to it. There are numerous traditions from other Imams (a) where they explained that true asceticism is not necessary an exposed poverty; rather, a person can possess something valuable that is necessary for him, at the same time being not attached to it in his heart.
While clarifying this point, in his Lecture on Supreme Jihad Imam Khomeini notes:
Despite all the adornments with which He equipped it, God has never looked upon this world with mercy, according to a certain tradition. We must see, then, that the other world is upon which God, Almighty and Exalted, did look in mercy, and what the 'fountainhead of magnificence' is to which He is summoning man. [3]
Here we should take into account that in Imam Khomeini's outlook being distant from this world doesn't mean being distant from politics and state affairs, as we have mentioned in the previous chapter, and this is because Islam by its very essence pays attention to these areas in order to establish justice. And, in turn, defending justice and opposing oppression opens the door for Imam Mahdi's (a) return, which is a definite step of this world's (dunya) disappearance and the coming of a new world (akhirat).
Secondly, Imam Khomeini stresses that the path of Imam Ali (a) and Imam Hussein (a) was a path of a warrior who sacrifices all his existence for the sake of Islam. Imam Khomeini definitely underlines the highest status of Imam Ali (a) and his role in this struggle: Ali's strike on the Day of Trench [war] is more preferred than the worshiping of both of the ins [people] and jinn. [5] Being a mystic, Imam Khomeini notes that it was passionate love towards Allah which made them sacrifice themselves on this path: Suppose that this strike was stricken by someone else in defense of Islam, and it resulted in promoting Islam, but it was not caused by love, in this case that strike would not be 'preferred to the worshiping both the ins and jinn. [6]
In order to give a further explanation of this point held by Imam Khomeini, we should refer to one of his mystical writings where he proves the priority of heart over logical reasoning. Thus, in his lecture on Supreme Jihad he notes that rationally a person can know that one shouldn't be afraid of a dead body, but in fact he can still be scared by it in his heart. Likewise, a person can know rationally that God exists and can acknowledge the fundamentals of religion through his logical reasoning, but it still doesn't mean that he sees God in his heart. As for Imams (a), they perceived Divine Presence constantly and in their traditions they were speaking about seeing God by the eye of heart.
For example, in his Shi'ite Anthology Allameh Tabatabai quotes a narration told by Imam Hussein (a) about his father Imam Ali's (a) saying:
Abu Abdallah related as follows: the Commander of the Faithful was speaking from the pulpit at Kufa when a man called Dhi'lib stood up before him. He was sharp-tongued, eloquent and courageous. He said, "O Commander of the Faithful! Hast thou seen thy Lord ?" He said, "Woe unto thee, O Dhi'lib! I would not be worshipping a lord whom I have not seen." He said, "O Commander of the Faithful! How didst thou see Him ?" He answered, "O Dhilib! Eyes see Him not through sight's observation, but hearts see Him through the verities of faith (haqaiq al-iman)... [7]
Allameh Tabatabai also points to another hadith from Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (a):
Abu Basir has related that he said to Abu Abdallah-upon whom be peace "Tell me about God, the Mighty and Majestic Will believers see Him on the Day of Resurrection ?" He answered, "Yes, and they have already seen Him before the Day of Resurrection." Abu Basir asked, "When ?" The Imam answered, "When He said to them, 'Am I not your Lord?' They said: 'Yea, verily'. Then he was quiet for a time. Then he said, "Truly the believers see him in this world before the Day of Resurrection. Doest thou not see Him now ?" Abu Basir then said to him, "That I might be made thy sacrifice I Shall I relate this (to others) from thee ?" He answered, "No, for if thou relatest it, a denier ignorant of the meaning of what thou sayest will deny it. Then he will suppose that it is comparison and unbelief (kufr). But seeing with the heart (al-ru'yah b-il-qalb) is not like seeing with the eyes (al- ru'yah bi-l-ayn). High be God exalted above what the comparers (mushabbihun) and heretics (mulhidun) describe! [8]
Possessing a deep profound knowledge of this mystical ('irfani) teaching about vision of God by heart, Imam Khomeini has given its explanation in his famous Lectures on Surat al-Fatiha and Lecture on Supreme Jihad. Thus, in the latter work he marks that the Infallibles (a) were constantly perceiving the Divine Reality by the means of heart:
As for ma'sumin (upon whom be peace), not only were they created out of a pure substance, but they also constantly perceived themselves in the presence of God Almighty, Who knows and encompasses all things, as a result of their ascetic exercises and the acquisition of luminosity and noble virtues. They had complete faith in the meaning of 'La ilaha illa'Llah', believing that all persons and all things except God are destined to perish and cannot play any role in the destiny of a man: 'All thing shall perish but His face' (28:88). [9]
This spiritual vision by heart has some natural consequences, both of which have certain relation to the area of policy. First of all, it's a lack of fear of worldly sinner unjust rulers, as there is no power and true authority in their hands. Secondly, it's a possibility of obtaining such a spiritual status of everlasting perception of Divine Presence that it becomes impossible for such a person to commit a sin or any act of oppression (in turn, this makes it possible for him to rule Islamic society as it's necessary according Shi'ism that a ruler must be just and opposing tyranny). On this account Imam Khomeini writes:
A person will not commit sin in the presence of a perceptive child, now how is it possible that he will do so in the presence and the awareness of God Almighty and have no fear or hesitation in commiting crime of all kinds? It is because he believes in the presence of the child but but does not believe in the Divine presence, although he may have knowledge of it. [10]
Here Imam Khomeini ones again stresses the superiority of knowledge by heart over rational logical knowledge. Further he describes a special state of a mystic who has obtained this heart knowledge (ma'arifah qalbiyyah) of God:
Someone who knows God Almighty to be present everywhere and watching over all things, who perceives himself to be in the Divine presence, who believes that there will be requital for his words and deeds, that an accounting and recompense will take place, that every word he utters in this world, every step he takes, and every deed he performs is being recorded and registered, that God's angels are watching him vigilantly, recording all his words and deeds is it possible that such a person will undauntedly continue to sin? [11]
The teaching about seeing Allah by heart has a deep tight connection with the mystical ('irfani) teaching about Tawhid (Divine Unity) analyzed by Imam Khomeini in his Lectures on Surat al-Fatiha. In this work of his Imam Khomeini describes the concept of Tawhid through giving a theologian and philosophic commentary to al-basmalah al-sharifah (In the name of God...) by which the Holy Qur'an is opened:
A name is a sign. Names are given to people and assigned to things in order to provide them with a sign by which they may be recognized and to distinguish them one from another. The names of God are also signs, signs of His Sacred Essence; and it is only His names that are knowable to man. The Essence Itself is something that lies totally beyond the reach of man, and even the Seal of the Prophets, the most knowledgable and noble of men, was unable to attain knowledge of the Essence. The Sacred Essence is unknown to all but Itself. It is the names of God that are accessible to man. There are, however, different levels for understanding those names. We can understand them at certain levels, but comprehension at other levels is reserved for the awliya [11], for the Most Noble Messenger and those whom he has instructed. [12]
The whole world is a name of God, for a name is a sign, and all the creatures that exist in the world are signs of the Sacred Essence of God Almighty. Here some people may reach a profound understanding of what is meant by signs, while others may grasp only the general meaning that no creature comes into existence by itself. [13]
Here we can see an exact explanation what it means to see Allah by heart. A believer with an open heart recognizes the signs of God everywhere as everything is full of His presence and His signs (while His Essence is nevertheless hidden from us and cannot be perceived). And this mystical knowledge of God by heart is necessary for an Islamic ruler in order to obtain true justice and piety which leads to an impossibility of committing oppression. Likewise, a ruler also needs a profound professional knowledge of the Divine Islamic Law (Shari'ah), which is, on the other hand, a rational logical knowledge. So wali al-faqih should be at the same time a mystic and a jurist, a person with awaken heart and reason, both loving God passionately and rational scholar. This is a balance of contradictions which as Imam Khomeini has marked can be called a special feature of Imam Ali (a) himself.
There is another aspect of seeing Allah by heart and passionate love towards Him which was the essence of Imam Ali's (a) holy personality; and this aspect is tightly connected with the item of revolution and revolutionary human type. Many ayat of the Holy Quran and ahadeeth speak about love towards Allah, His Messenger (s), the Imams (a), Muslims.
Imam al-Sadiq (a) said, Love [of Allah] is better than fear [of Him]. [14]
The Prophet (s) said, Love Allah for the blessings that He bestows on you every morning; love me because of the love of Allah; and love my Household because of love for me. [15]
Love to those who are closed to Allah or those things that cause His pleasure also brings about proximity to Allah.
For instance, its love for Islam: Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, Every single person who does not love for religion or hate for religion has no religion. [16]
Or for Muslims: Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said: No sooner two believers meet than the better of them is he who loves his brother more. [17]
Even love towards somebodys wife can be a path to a more sublime to Allah, as we see it on the example of Imam Alis (s) tragic poetry devoted to Fatima al-Zahra (a) after her demise and Imam Khomeinis passionate and gentle feelings towards his own spouse:
And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquillity in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought (30:21). [18]
But only Allah should be in the highest position in a believers heart.
Imam al-Sadiq (a) said, Mans faith in Allah will not be pure until Allah becomes more beloved to him than his own self, his father, his mother, his children, his wife, his wealth, and all people. [19]
And surely mentioning (zikr) Allah which is a topic of irfan is an attribute of those who love him, as Imam Ali (a) said: He who loves something constantly mentions it.
But there is also another sign of love towards Allah, and its readiness to self-sacrifice and martyrdom. The Prophet said, Above every act of piety is yet a greater act of piety until a man is killed on the way of Allah, there is no act of piety greater. [20]
As soon as passionate love and self-sacrifice come together, the phenomenon of passionarity described by a Russian historian Lev Gumilev appears. And this is, in turn, the background for a revolutionary human type, i.e. the type of such a person who is ready to sacrifice himself or herself in the path of revolution in the name of Allah whom he or she loves passionately.
Endnotes
[1] M.J. Khalili. Manafi Anari. Fundamentals of the Islamic revolution, p. 149.
[2] Al-Khisal, p. 232, hadith ? 74; M. Muhammadi Rayshahri. The Scale of Wisdom. A Compedium of Shia hadith, p. 218.
[3] Hamid Algar. Islam and Revolution (Writings and Declarations of Imam Khomeini), p. 398.
[4] M.J. Khalili. Manafi Anari. Fundamentals of the Islamic revolution, p. 145.
[5] Ibid, p.146-147.
[6] Allameh Tabatabai. A Shi'ite Anthology, p. 38-39.
[7] Ibid, p. 42.
[8] Hamid Algar. Islam and Revolution (Writings and Declarations of Imam Khomeini), p. 353.
[9] Ibid, p. 354.
[10] Ibid.
[11] i.e. Faima al-Zahra (a) and the twelve Imams (a).
[12] I.e Ahl al-Beyt (a).
[13] Hamid Algar. Islam and Revolution (Writings and Declarations of Imam Khomeini), p. 367.
[14] Al-Kafi, v. 8, p. 129, hadith ? 98;
[15] Ilal al-Sharai, p. 139, hadith ? 1;
[16] Al-Kafi, v. 2, p. 127, hadith ? 16.
[17] Al-Mahasin, v. 1, p. 411, hadith ? 937.
[18] Bihar al-Anwar, v. 70, p. 25, hadith ? 25;
[19] Ghurar al-Hikam, hadith ? 6314.
[20] Al-Kafi, v. 2, p. 348, hadith ? 4.
