Ignoring the Necessity of the Presence of Imam Initiates Human Adversities
One of the important questions frequently raised about the necessity of the presence of Imam is this: What is the necessity of the presence of Imam in society? Why is so much emphasis placed on the necessity of the presence of Imam and his role in the education of people? After all, has anything of consequence happened now that an infallible Imam is not present in society? People eat, wear clothes, work, and start families as usual and even perform religious rituals. If an infallible Imam were present, life would continue in the same way, so what would his presence change? What is your opinion on this matter? Does humanity need an infallible Imam or not?
To be honest, we agree with those who put forward this theory. We accept that the human being as defined above, i.e., a living being that only eats, wears clothes, works, and starts a family, has no need for an infallible Imam. Animals live the same way and do not need an infallible Imam either. But we are talking about human life, not animal life. The existential structure and the philosophy of the creation of the human being, as it truly is, inevitably requires the necessity of the presence of an infallible Imam. Therefore, without considering the existential dimensions and the origin and destination of human life, and without examining the hidden aspects of the human soul, the philosophy and necessity of the presence of Imam cannot be properly understood. Humanity needs an infallible Imam because the manual of guidance of the human and the world is only in the hands of the Imam!
he Information that Is Only Available to the Infallible Imam
In previous lessons, we discussed the existential structure of the human being in detail and explained the human life cycle. We learned that the human is an eternal being who has come from God and will return to Him. We have come to the earth to become like Allah and act as His Deputy. The extent of our bliss in this world and the hereafter is also linked to how much we become like Him. The more we get closer to God, the happier we are in the world and the hereafter. Considering what we have already learned about the human being, we know that such a being cannot be without a leader, and this leader cannot be just anyone.
We need a leader who, first, has comprehensive knowledge about the dimensions of our existence as well as the origin and destination of our life. Second, he himself must be the perfect manifestation of God’s names and attributes so that we can become like God by aligning our lifestyle and behavior with his lifestyle and character.
In addition to these, someone who decides to lead the society and guide us on our challenging and dangerous path to the hereafter must be both expert and infallible. By expertise, we mean having knowledge in seven categories, without which guiding and leading human beings is not possible. These categories include:
- Knowing the origin of human life
- Knowing the final destination and the structure of the system of the hereafter
- Knowing the structure of the human soul
- Knowing the structure of the human body
- Knowing the relationship between the soul and the body
- Knowing the natural world (the material world)
- Knowing the relationship between the soul and the nature
These seven areas of expertise are exclusive to God. He has created the universe and plans and manages it. Then, God entrusts His knowledge to His authorized deputies, namely the prophets and infallible Imams (PBUT), so that they can guide the society based on this knowledge and lead humanity to the ultimate goal created for it. The necessity of the presence of Imam becomes evident here. The knowledge of Imam is connected to the knowledge of God; therefore, it neither changes nor is it questioned. Human knowledge, on the other hand, is not comprehensive. No scientist or scholar in any era has been able to claim that she has fully grasped any of the fields of knowledge. Even if we lower our expectations, the situation does not change much. The human being does not fully know all the beings in the world. Human knowledge falls short when it comes to understanding even the smallest entities in the world. In other words, the human being needs tools to discover the world, and as tools evolve, human knowledge progresses. Consequently, the level of human awareness of the world is constantly changing and updating and cannot be fully trusted.
The Dire Consequences of Removing an Infallible Expert from the leadership of Society
Given what we have stated so far, we can now clearly identify the severe consequences of removing an infallible expert from the leadership of society. If the infallible expert is not at the forefront of society, naturally, the guidance of the people falls into the hands of non-expert and non-infallible individuals who have no knowledge of the system of existence, the philosophy of creation, the structure of the human soul, and the origin and destination of human life. As a result, they establish regulations that have no relation to the truth of the human and her future.
This is comparable to giving the guidance of the national football team to a water polo coach or asking a literature professor to teach aerodynamic theories to aerospace students! Even these examples do not fully convey the depth of the tragedy that occurs. This is because if the national football team is guided by a water polo coach, the worst possible outcome would be the elimination of the national team from the world championship. However, if non-expert and non-infallible individuals govern human societies, all aspects of our lives are affected. In such a situation, our life in this world and the hereafter will become cold, pointless, fragile, and meaningless- much like the situation that people are presently enduring throughout the world!
With the removal of the infallible expert from the leadership of society, the criteria for evaluating individuals change, and people’s worth is judged according to their educational level, place of residence, and the model of their cars. People spend their lives aimlessly. They waste all their time and energy to achieve inanimate, vegetative, animal, and intellective perfections. Even the Quran cannot be used without the infallible expert because the Quran contains general formulas that require explanation and interpretation.
In this lesson, we discussed the necessity of the presence of Imam as the leader of society, and we stated that his expertise is one of the essential requirements for leadership. Another requirement is the “infallibility of the Imam,” which we will fully address in the upcoming lessons.