96 - أهَمِّيَّةُ مَعرِفَةِ الإمامِ‏

96. Importance of Knowing the Imam

299.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : مَن ماتَ وَهُوَ لا يَعرفُ إمامَهُ ماتَ مِيتةً جاهليّةً .¹

299.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Whoever dies without knowing his Imam has died a pagan [pre-Islamic] death.' ²

300.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : مَن ماتَ بغيرِ إمامٍ ماتَ مِيتةً جاهليّةً ³ . ⁴

300.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Whoever dies without having an Imam has died a pagan [pre-Islamic] death.' ⁵

301.الإمامُ الحسينُ عليه السلام - لَمّا سُئل عَن مَعرفةِ اللَّهِ - : مَعرفةُ أهلِ كُلِّ زمانٍ إمامَهُمُ الّذي يَجِبُ عَلَيهِمْ طاعَتُهُ .⁶

301. Imam Husayn (AS), when asked how to attain knowledge of Allah, replied, 'It is for the people of every time to know their Imam, obedience to whom is mandatory.' ⁷

302.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام - في قولِهِ تعالى : (وَ منْ يُؤْتَ الحِكْمَةَ فَقَدْ أُوتِىَ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا)⁸ - : طاعةُ اللَّهِ ومعرفةُ الإمامِ .⁹

302. Imam al-Sadiq (AS), regarding Allah's verse: "and he who is given wisdom, is certainly given an abundant good." ¹⁰ , said, '[It is] obedience to Allah and knowing one's Imam.' ¹¹

303.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : الإمامُ عَلَمٌ بَيْنَ اللَّهِ عزّ وجلّ وبَيْنَ خَلْقِهِ ، فَمَنْ عَرَفَهُ كانَ مُؤمناً ، ومَنْ أنْكَرَهُ كانَ كافراً .¹²

303.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, 'The Imam is a guide between Allah and His creation, therefore whoever acknowledges him is a believer, and whoever rejects him is a disbeliever.' ¹³

304.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : مَن لَم يَعْرِفْنا ولَم يُنْكِرْنا كانَ ضالّاً حتّى‏ يَرْجِعَ إلَى الهُدَى الّذي افْتَرَضَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ طاعَتِنا الواجِبةِ ، فإن يَمُتْ على‏ ضَلالَتِهِ يَفْعَلِ اللَّهُ بهِ ما يَشاءُ .¹⁴

304.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, 'He who neither knows us nor rejects us is astray, until he returns to the guidance that Allah has made incumbent upon him - that is the obligatory obedience to us. And if he dies in this deviation of his, Allah will do with him as He pleases.' ¹⁵