The Great Kingdom : Chapter 3

Introduction:

Different groups of Shi’as view the status of the Imams differently. Some see them as mere rulers and scholars, some as kings, some even go as far as saying it is permissible to call them “Lords” (arbaab) as long as the lordship is dependent on Allah. But what is the Imam’s true status?

The Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt are caretakers of the Earth, and the masters of the world. Thus making them deserving of owning everything in it.

[al-Kafi, Volume 1, page 407]

‘Abu Khalid al-Kabuli (bab of Imam al-Sajjad) from Abu Ja’far (al-Baqir) who said:

“We found in the book of the Commander of the Faithful (‘Ali) this:

“The earth belongs to Allah and He gives it in inheritance to whoever of His servants that He wishes. The good end is for those who are pious before Allah’, I and my Ahl al-Bayt are the people to whom Allah has given the earth in inheritance and we are the ones who are pious before Allah. The whole earth belongs to us....”

محمد بن يحيى، عن أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى، عن ابن محبوب، عن هشام بن سالم، عن أبي خالد الكابلي، عن أبي جعفر عليه السلام قال: وجدنا في كتاب علي عليه السلام " أن الأرض لله يورثها من يشاء من عباده والعاقبة للمتقين " أنا وأهل بيتي الذين أورثنا الله الأرض ونحنالمتقون والأرض كلها لنا، فمن أحيا أرضا من المسلمين فليعمرها وليؤد خراجها إلى الامام من أهل بيتي وله ما أكل منها فإن تركها أو أخربهاوأخذها رجل من المسلمين من بعده فعمرها وأحياها فهو أحق بها من الذي تركها، يؤدي خراجها إلى الامام من أهل بيتي وله ما أكل منهاحتى

 

Evaluation:

The Imams are the inheritors of the entire Earth, it’s land as well as it’s people. They are the caretakers and the owners of all of it, as they have been blessed by the Almighty to be in charge of it. Thus they are aware of the inhabitants of Earth, their deeds, their lives, so on and so forth. We aim to discuss these aspects in brief in this article, God willing.

The Great Kingdom:

“Say, "O Allah, Owner of Sovereignty, You give kingdom to whom You will and You take kingdom away from whom You will. You honor whom You will and You humble whom You will. In Your hand is [all] good. Indeed, You are over all things competent.” (3:26)

Allah is the Owner of Kingdom- yet He gives Kingdom (Mulk) to whomever He wishes, and He honors whomever He wishes. There is a consistent pattern found in the Tradition of Allah, to give this kingdom to Prophets’ families. Such that the Jews used to be jealous of the families of these Prophets for having been granted the Kingdom by Allah.

“Or do they envy people for what Allah has given them of His bounty? But we had already given the family of Abraham the Scripture and wisdom and conferred upon them a great kingdom.” (4:54)

Who are the “people” mentioned here to whom Allah granted Scripture, Wisdom and a “Great Kingdom” ?

[Tafsir al-‘Ayyashi, Volume 1, page 246]

From Imam al-Baqir who said:

“Or do they envy people for what Allah has given them of His bounty?”

‘Indeed, we (the Ahlulbayt) are the ones envied - as Allah gave us Imamate, to the exclusion of all of Allah’s creation.

“But We had already given the family of Abraham the Scripture and wisdom and conferred upon them a great kingdom”.

 

And We made them (Banu Israel) - Messengers, Prophets, and Imams. So how do they affirm that in Aal-Ibrahim and deny it in Aal-Muhammad?’

أم يحسدون الناس على ما آتيهم الله من فضله " فنحن المحسودون على ما أتانا الله من الإمامة دون خلق الله جميعا " فقد آتينا آل إبراهيمالكتاب والحكمة وآتيناهم ملكا عظيما " يقول: فجعلنا منهم الرسل والأنبياء والأئمة فكيف يقرون بذلك في آل إبراهيم و تنكرونه في آل محمدصلى الله عليه وآله

It is thus clear that the verse refers to the Ahlulbayt, and that they, like the Family of ‘Ibrahim, have been granted a Great Kingdom, by the will of Allah. This would include the Earth and authority over it and it’s inhabitants.

There are similar indications within non-Shi’i books. For example:

[Sahih al-Bukhari 3370]

“...The Prophet said, 'Say: O Allah! Send Your Mercy on Muhammad and on the family of Muhammad, as You sent Your Mercy on Abraham and on the family of Abraham...”

The “Mercy on the family of Ibrahim” would naturally refer to the Great Kingdom, Wisdom and Scripture given to the Family of Ibrahim, when we compare it to the verse above. Thus, the Family of Muhammad will receive the Great Kingdom as well, making them owners of the Earth and it’s inhabitants.

Now one may ask- what is this Great Kingdom that God has promised to Aal- Muhammad?

The Imam answers:

“O’ Aba Muhammad, all of dunya and akhira is for the Imam. He uses it however he wants and pays from it to whomever he wants.”

فقال: أحلت يا أبا محمد أما علمت أن الدنيا والآخرة للامام يضعها حيث يشاء ويدفعها إلى من يشاء، جائز له ذلك من الله، إن الامام يا أبامحمد لا يبيت ليلة أبدا ولله في عنقه حق يسأله عنه.

Is it permissible to call the Imams Kings?

Allah refers to the following personalities within the Qur’an as kings, and granted them a Great Kingdom.

Ta’lut: 

“And their prophet said to them, "Indeed, Allah has sent to you Saul as a king." They said, "How can he have kingship over us while we are more worthy of kingship than him and he has not been given any measure of wealth?" He said, "Indeed, Allah has chosen him over you and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and stature. And Allah gives His sovereignty to whom He wills. And Allah is all-Encompassing [in favor] and Knowing." (2:247)

Dawud:

“So they defeated them by permission of Allah, and David killed Goliath, and Allah gave him the kingship and prophethood and taught him from that which He willed…”(2:251)

Aal-Ibrahim : 

“But we had already given the family of Abraham the Scripture and wisdom and conferred upon them a great kingdom.” (4:54)

Sulayman: 

“And Solomon inherited David. He said, "O people, we have been taught the language of birds, and we have been given from all things. Indeed, this is evident bounty." (27:16)

Thus it should be evident that the kingdom is Allah’s, yet He may choose to give it to whichever of His Chosen Ones He wishes. It comes as no surprise that the inheritors of the Prophets, the 14 infallibles of the Ahl al-Bayt, have kingdom, and are kings, full of glory.

Worldly Kings or more?

 

But the Imams are not just the kings of the Earth, but rather the Heavens as well. After all, the angels of the heavens send their peace and blessings upon the Prophet and His Family, thus showing their high status even among the inhabitants of heaven.

“Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels (as well)...” (33:56)

Not only do the angels of the heavens recognize the guardianship of the Ahlulbayt, but the Ahlulbayt are superior to them and they also submit to the Ahlulbayt. This is not at all surprising, since Allah ordered the angels to submit to Prophet Adam by prostrating to him, such that all the angels and Jinns prostrated to Adam (save Satan). Thus if Adam is the king of the angels and Jinns, then what about the Prophet and His family who’s superiority over Prophet Adam is recognized by everyone?

Hence , the Prophet and His family are kings not just over the earth but also in the

heavens, and their authority is well recognized by the dwellers of heavens.

[Bihar al-Anwar, Volume 53, page 45]

Narrated Sulayman:

“I asked Abu ‘Abdullah (al-Sadiq) regarding the word of Allah, Most High:

“...when He appointed among you prophets and made you possessors...” (5:20)

The Imam said: “The ‘Prophets’ refers to the Messenger of Allah, Ibrahim and Ismai’l and their progeny, and the ‘possessors’ refers to the Imams.

I (Narrator) said to Him: “and what is this kingdom God has granted them?”

He (the Imam) replied: “It is the kingdom of Heaven as well as the Globe (Earth).”

قال: سألت أبا عبد الله عليه السلام عن قول الله عز وجل " وجعلكم أنبياء وجعلكم ملوكا " (3) فقال: الأنبياء رسول الله وإبراهيم وإسماعيلوذريته، والملوك الأئمة عليهم السلام. قال: فقلت: وأي ملك أعطيتم؟ فقال: ملك الجنة، وملك الكرة

It is now clear that the kingdom of the Imams spans across the heavens and the Earth, a Great Kingdom granted to them by Allah, the Almighty. The creatures of the heavens and the earth recognize the authority and the guardianship of the Infallible Ahlulbayt, send their peace and blessing’s upon them and submit to those fourteen.

 

Thus for example the angels visit and serve Imam al-Hussain and His visitors, as Allah has appointed them in this role to honor their (angels) master al-Hussain.

[Thawab al-‘Amaal, al-Saduq]

‘Abu ‘Abdullah al-Sadiq said,

“Allah has appointed four thousand angels at the grave of al-Hussain. They will mourn over him with their hair covered in dust and in a distressed state till the Day of Judgment..”

قال سمعت أبا عبد الله عليه السلام يقول: وكل الله بقبر الحسين عليه السلام أربعة آلاف ملك شعث غبر يبكونه إلى يوم القيامة فمن زاره عارفابحقه شيعوه حتى يبلغوه مأمنه وان مرض عادوا غدوة وعشيا وان مات شهدوا جنازته واستغفروا له إلى يوم القيامة.

Or for example, how the light of Sayeda al-Zahra’a shines to “the people of the heavens”.

[Ma’any al-Akhbar as quoted in Bihar al-Anwar, Volume 43, page 12]

“I asked Abu ‘Abdullah (al-Sadiq) on Fatima, why was she called al-Zahra’a?

He said: ‘Because whenever She would stand (for worship) in her prayer chamber,

Her light radiates to the people of the heavens. Just like the light of the planet radiates to the people of the Earth.’”

سألت أبا عبد الله عليه السلام عن فاطمة لم سميت زهراء؟ فقال، لأنها كانت إذا قامت في محرابها زهر نورها لأهل السماء كما يزهر نور الكواكب لأهل الأرض

Note: “People of heavens” refers to all the angels, including the topmost angels like Jibra’eel and Mika’eel.

Thus the status of these fourteen infallibles among even the inhabitants of the heavens is established. And we see that these great fourteen lights are the kings of not just the dwellers of the Globe but also of the Heavens, a position granted to them by Allah to honor them.

Granting their follower’s wishes:

(Madinat al-Ma'ajiz, volume 7, 504).

Abu Hashim al-Jafari narrates:

"I went to Samarra on my way to Hajj to bid Imam al-Hadi farewell. He accompanied me until we got to the outskirts of the city. He got off his saddle, and drew a circle on the sand. He ordered me to put my hand there, and to take out whatever I find. I put my hand, and took out a bag filled with golden coins. He said to me: "This will help you with your spending and with your Hajj".

دخلت عليه بسر من رأى وأنا أريد الحج لأودعه، فخرج معي، فلما انتهى إلى آخر الحاجز نزل ونزلت معه، فخط بيده الأرض خطة شبيهةبالدائرة، ثم قال لي: يا أبا هاشم (2) خذ ما في هذه تكون في نفقتك و تستعين به على حجك، فضربت بيدي فإذا سبيكة ذهب فكان فيهامائتا مثقال

As the kings of their subjects, they hold the ability to grant the wishes of their followers, whether it be financial needs as shown above, or needs related to children:

[Madinat al-Ma'ajiz, volume 7, page 25]

“(part of a longer narration) [..] I went back home and found my wife sitting down. I asked her: 'what happened?' She said: 'While I was asleep, someone came to me who was very big, and highly tanned' as she was describing to me the characteristics of Imam al-Ridha, she continues to say: 'He said to me: 'Get up, and return to your husband for you've been granted an extra year and you shall give him a child'. By God, I was granted a child afterwards".

قال: حدثنا إبراهيم بن سهل قال: لقيت علي بن موسى الرضا - عليهما السلام - وهو على حماره، فقلت [له] (3) من أركبك (على) (4) هذا؟وتزعم أكثر شيعتك أن أباك لم يوصك ولم يقعدك هذا المقعد، وادعيت لنفسك ما لم يكن لك.

فقال لي: وما دلالة الامام عندك؟

قلت أن يكلم بما وراء البيت وأن يحيى ويميت.

فقال: أنا أفعل، أما الذي معك فخمسة دنانير، وأما أهلك فإنها ماتت منذ سنة وقد أحييتها الساعة وأتركها معك سنة أخرى [ثم] (5) أقبضها[إلى] (6) لتعلم أنى إمام بلا خلاف، فوقع على الرعدة، فقال:

اخرج روعك فإنك آمن، ثم انطلقت إلى منزلي فإذا باهلي جالسة، فقلت لها: ما الذي جاء بك؟

فقالت: كنت نائمة إذ أتاني آت، ضخم شديد السمرة

or any other need that their followers have, by the Will of Allah the Imam can fulfill it. After all, Allah says:

“And [remember, O Muhammad], when you said to the one on whom Allah bestowed favor and you (Muhammad) bestowed favor..”(33:37)

And He says:

“If only they had been satisfied with what Allah and His Messenger gave them and said, "Sufficient for us is Allah ; Allah will give us of His bounty, and [so will] His Messenger..” (9:59)

Thus, even the Messenger of Allah (and by extension the Imams) have the power of bestowing favors and giving from His bounty. However, this giving is not independent of Allah, rather entirely contingent on Him. Thus, the Messenger of Allah or the Imams granting our needs is the same as Allah granting our needs, since they are the medium and He is the Provider.

In the next part of this series, God Willing we shall discuss calling the Imams “Lords” and other aspects of Imamate and their status.

Wa Allahu ‘Aalam.