In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful.
Verily, in the profound tapestry of the Holy Quran, while the Divine Essence proclaimed concerning Adam, "Behold, I am about to place a vicegerent on earth," never did He, in His infinite wisdom, designate any other Prophet as His vicegerent save for David (peace be upon him), to whom He unequivocally declared, "O David! Verily, We have appointed you a vicegerent in the earth."
Within the sacred lexicon of the Quran, the term "vicegerent" (Khalifa) occasionally denotes one individual succeeding another, or one community succeeding another, which are commonplace occurrences. Yet, there arises a profound instance when a Prophet or an Imam stands as the Vicegerent of Allah. This also marks the dawn of the Imamate of the blessed Imam Mahdi (may our souls be sacrificed for him), who is truly a Vicegerent of Allah. Should these revered figures be vicegerents, it is not merely as successors to previous Imams or Prophets; rather, the Blessed Imam Mahdi is the Vicegerent of Allah, just as Adam was the Vicegerent of Allah, and just as David (peace be upon him) stands as the Vicegerent of Allah, as affirmed by "O David! Verily, We have appointed you a vicegerent in the earth," implying not that he succeeded prior Prophets or former nations.
The beginning of the Imamat of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his appearance) is the inaugural day of the vicegerency of a perfect human being, who is none other than the Vicegerent of Allah. And if he is the Vicegerent of Allah, then he is intimately aware of our innermost thoughts and outward actions. Let none harbor the illusion that his being veiled from sight diminishes his presence, for his very absence is presence. If he is the Vicegerent of Allah, then just as Allah, by His very Essence—and by Essence, it means by Essence!—is both the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden, so too is the infallible perfect human, such as the Imam Mahdi, the Vicegerent of Allah, both manifest and hidden, both absent and witnessing. He is utterly cognizant of our state. How he would have guided and nurtured us in his manifest presence, so does he now, and how he would have illuminated our path, so does he now. This absence is our absence, not the absence of the Vicegerent of Allah.
Now, these verses pertaining to vicegerency regarding jurisprudence, and a segment of the divine ordinances concerning governance that the Holy Essence has manifested in the realm of judiciary, we shall, by the grace of God, lay them forth as a prelude, that we may then delve into the jurisprudential discourse.
In the narrative concerning the blessed Prophet David, in the 26th verse of the revered Surah Sad, it is proclaimed: "O David! Verily, We have appointed you a vicegerent in the earth, so judge between the people with truth." [1] You have been made Our vicegerent. Just as "Allah judges between His servants by virtue of His inherent authority," so too does the Vicegerent of Allah "judge between His servants" by divine appointment. The sole Prophet mentioned in the Holy Quran as a vicegerent, besides Prophet Adam, is Prophet David.
Consider now, in conjunction with the discussions concerning David (peace be upon him), how he could be the Vicegerent of Allah; one who leads congregational prayers and to whom mountain ranges respond in echo: "O mountains! Echo with him!" Such a one can indeed be the Vicegerent of Allah. He leads prayers, and the mountains follow suit; such a one can be the Vicegerent of Allah. The blessed Imam Mahdi embodies this very reality today. God explicitly commands the mountains: lament after David, why do you not lament, why do you not weep, why do you not wail? This is a perfect human being, and for such a being, it marks the day of his vicegerency.
To aspire to visit the Imam is indeed a virtue; however, his absence and presence are one and the same.
When blessed being was bestowed to the Imamate, a true Vicegerent of Allah; this is the human being we are confronted with. To visit him is an honor for us, but his overarching scrutiny is paramount!
Such is a perfect human being. These are the foundational principles, and then we shall turn to their deputies, the jurists and scholars, which will be discussed in subsequent sessions.
In this segment, the Holy Essence declared: "O David! Verily, We have appointed you a vicegerent in the earth." The consequential particle 'fa' (so) indicates that the pivot of vicegerency is judgment: "so judge between the people with truth." Truth, at times, stands opposite to falsehood, and at other times, to caprice. This caprice encompasses both intellectual fallacies and practical errors. This noble verse elucidates that should—God forbid—desire hold sway in any matter, humanity will be afflicted either with intellectual ignorance (one), or with practical ignorance, wherein one knowingly and deliberately commits sin (two). Practical ignorance pertains to the practical intellect, while intellectual ignorance relates to the theoretical intellect. Sometimes, one simply does not comprehend; at other times, one, though understanding, deviates; and sometimes, the very essence of the matter slips from memory. It is either intellectual ignorance, which afflicts the theoretical intellect, or practical ignorance, which afflicts the practical intellect. The luminous pronouncement of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) states: "How many an intellect is captive beneath a ruling desire." Where there is ignorance wielding a sword, there is also folly, also wielding a sword.
In this noble verse, it is conveyed to David (peace be upon him) that if truth is absent, there is no third path; if truth is absent, then caprice reigns. This caprice performs the function of ignorance, clashing with knowledge; it performs the function of folly, clashing with the practical intellect; and it performs the function of oversight and forgetfulness, wherein "all that I have learned has vanished from my memory!" All three aspects are succinctly addressed in this section: "O David! Verily, We have appointed you a vicegerent in the earth, so judge between the people with truth, and follow not desire," for if you become guided by desire, "it will lead you astray from the path of Allah." And if one is led astray, "Verily, those who stray from the path of Allah will have a severe torment," why? "Because they forgot the Day of Reckoning." Intentional forgetting—this is, in essence, willful neglect—to intentionally forget carries retribution, otherwise, "Nine things have been lifted from my nation," and one of them is forgetfulness. He stated that since it is willful neglect, they intentionally forgot and cast it aside, they will be afflicted by divine torment. This is the first verse pertaining to vicegerency, signifying that the Vicegerent of Allah must be a ruler.
In the Islamic domain, in the blessed Surah al-Ahzab, it is stated that the blessed Prophet (may thousands of salutations and blessings be upon him and his progeny) "is having more control of the believers than their own selves," and thereafter, the matter of vicegerency was also expounded. This closeness implies that if one is cognizant of their own state, the blessed Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) is even more cognizant of that very state. At the beginning of the blessed Surah al-Ahzab, it is stated: "The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves." This closeness signifies complete oversight; to the extent that we are aware of our own intellectual and practical recollections, the blessed Prophet is even more deserving of overseeing our actions and knowledge.
The sixth verse of the blessed Surah al-Ahzab states: "The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves." We possess a soul, power, free will, and the like, which religion has entrusted to us; however, he who is our guardian is closer to our state. This is an appointed precedence. It was this very verse of Surah al-Ahzab that the Prophet (PBUH) cited during the event of Ghadir Khumm: "Of whomsoever I am Mawla, Ali is his Mawla." I am closer; meaning that humanity has free will, but this does not imply that humanity has free will against the Prophet (PBUH&HF). Humanity requires a guardian, for it is neither aware of the past, nor the future, nor the interval between future and past. He who is aware of one's past, aware of one's future, and aware of the path between origin and destination, he is the best one to guide us. We have an origin that we have forgotten, an end whose whereabouts we do not know, and between the beginning and the end, there is something called the path, which is the straight path. This straight path, which directly commences from the beginning and concludes at the end, is in their hands.
He who knows the beginning (one), he who knows our end and destination (two), and he who knows the straight path between the beginning and the end (three), he is closer to our state. The next Infallible (PBUH) takes the place of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) according to his era of Infallibility. It is stated: "The Prophet is closer," and then, concerning the event of Ghadir Khumm, it was declared: "Of whomsoever I am Mawla, Ali is his Mawla." There is no distinction between the blessed Imam Ali (PBUH) and the other Imams (PBUT). It is stated: "The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves, and his wives are their mothers, and those related by blood are closer to one another in the Book of Allah." Then, this precedence was expounded in other verses, indicating that the Prophet's closeness means he is the ruler over the people, encompassing both governance and judgment. There are certain tasks that a ruler performs, which the blessed Imam Ali undertook as a ruler, and there are certain tasks he performed as a judge in a court of law. Both are present in our narrations: at times, a ruler issues a decree, wherein the matter of judiciary, judicial rulings, testimonies, and the like are absent; it is established for himself, and he issues a decree. And at other times, a judge issues a ruling, which requires arbitration, testimony, oaths, and the like.
The Holy Essence delineated the fulcrum of all these matters in the blessed Surah al-Ma'idah, stating that ultimately, whether it be an Imam (PBUH), or one appointed by an Imam (PBUH), or judging as a ruler, or judging as a judge, there are three verses that underscore the perils of disbelief, injustice, and transgression for abandoning just judgment: "And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed—then it is those who are the disbelievers," "...and whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed—then it is those who are the wrongdoers," "...and whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed—then it is those who are the transgressors."
In the blessed Surah al-Ma'idah, observe: "Indeed, We sent down the Torah, in which was guidance and light. By it the prophets who submitted judged for the Jews," leading to the conclusion of the verse: "And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed—then it is those who are the disbelievers." This "whoever does not judge" is distinct from judging unjustly; this "whoever does not judge" signifies the absence of faculty, meaning one who is able but chooses not to judge! If one lacks governmental authority, this is a negative predicate; it is not the absence of faculty. If one lacks power, this is not a just ruler due to the subject's non-existence; the Quran does not brand such a one as a disbeliever! We have a privative negative, like one who has not studied, whom we call not learned. At times, one has studied but has not adhered to the principles of that study, and we say that despite having the means, he lacks knowledge; this is the absence of faculty, distinct from someone who never had access to knowledge in the first place. This "And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed—then it is those who are the disbelievers" means one who possesses intellectual power (one), possesses executive power (two), and is capable of judging justly (three); if he fails to do so, he is a disbeliever. This is what the absence of faculty means; otherwise, one who has not judged due to the lack of power faces no impediment.
These three titles in the blessed Surah al-Ma'idah—disbelief, injustice, and transgression—pertain to the absence of faculty. The conclusion of verse 44 states: "And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed—then it is those who are the disbelievers." The conclusion of verse 45 states: "...and whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed—then it is those who are the wrongdoers." The conclusion of verse 47 states: "...and whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed—then it is those who are the transgressors." One who is capable of judging justly but fails to do so is afflicted by disbelief, injustice, and transgression. By the contextual proximity of injustice and transgression, this disbelief is practical disbelief, not ideological disbelief; similar to the conclusion of the verse in Surah al-Hajj, which states that pilgrimage is obligatory, "And whoever disbelieves," where this disbelief is practical, not ideological.
For whom are these three rulings? They are for one who is able to judge justly but fails to do so; this is the danger! Thus, the paramount importance of judiciary is gleaned from the appointment of David (peace be upon him); the sole Prophet in the Quran to whom it was declared: "Verily, We have appointed you a vicegerent," is the blessed David (peace be upon him), to whom it was said, "We have made you a vicegerent, so judge between the people with truth." In these three verses of the blessed Surah al-Ma'idah, it is also stated: "Whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed"; this is not exclusive to Islam; it is part of the international decrees of the Prophets.
After mentioning the narratives of Christianity and the Torah, and offering a perspective on Islam, these three principles were articulated. In verse 42, it states: "If they come to you," meaning if these Jews and others come to you, "then judge between them or turn away from them"; either judge according to Islam or, in their personal affairs, refer them back to the Torah itself, which is still the case today, as they can act upon the rulings of the Torah in their personal matters. "So judge between them or turn away from them. And if you turn away from them, they will not harm you at all. But if you judge, judge between them with justice." Then it stated: "And how can they make you a judge while they have the Torah, in which is the judgment of Allah? Then they turn away." Then it stated: "Indeed, We sent down the Torah."
The intent is that this is part of the unchangeable, international laws of God's religion; whether it be the Torah, the Gospel, or the Quran, whether it be Jesus, Moses, or the blessed Prophet (peace and blessings be upon them all), they all "judge with truth." This is an unrepealable decree of religion, that "whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed" is disbelief, injustice, and transgression. Thus, both the importance of the judiciary is illuminated, and the saying that a judge stands on the brink of hell is clarified, and also that the first sin is indifference, then gradually it becomes a conflict between knowledge and ignorance, transforming knowledge into ignorance, then gradually the affliction of folly, where the practical intellect is engaged with folly, not ignorance—ignorance is intellectual work, folly is practical work—and ultimately, forgetfulness; you see someone who has studied for a lifetime, but in the end, perishes like the common folk. When "because they forgot the Day of Reckoning" is mentioned, it also implies "because they forgot the beginning," and "because they forgot the path between beginning and end."
If the beginning is forgotten, the end will also be forgotten, and if both the beginning and the end are forgotten, then the straight path, which lies between the beginning and the end, will also be forgotten.
"And praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds."
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