Quick Answer:
In a section of the first sermon of the Nahj al-Balāghah, Imam ‘Ali (‘a) mentions four points in regards to this issue. The first point is about the divine mission of the Prophet (s) and he speaks about his characteristics, virtues, and the signs of his prophethood. The second point is about the world during the time of his mission in regards to all the deviations which were present and how the Prophet (s) saved them from the darkness that prevailed. The third point is about the passing of the Prophet (s) and the fourth point is about the Quran which the Prophet (s) left behind for humanity.
Detailed Answer:
In a section of the first sermon of the Nahj al-Balāghah, Imam ‘Ali (‘a) mentions four points in regards to this issue. The first point is about the divine mission of the Prophet (s) and he speaks about his characteristics, virtues, and the signs of his prophethood. The second point is about the world during the time of his mission in regards to all the deviations which were present and how the Prophet (s) saved them from the darkness that prevailed. The third point is about the passing of the Prophet (s) and the fourth point is about the Quran which the Prophet (s) left behind for humanity.
In the first section, Imam ‘Ali (‘a) has said: ‘Centuries passed and the days went by until God, the Almighty, sent Muhammad (s) in fulfillment of his pledge[1] and for the completion of the prophetic message’.[2] The Imam (‘a) then mentions the virtues of the Prophet (s): ‘This was while all of the prophets had given word of him… his signs were well known[3] and his birth praiseworthy.’ This explanation may be in reference to the greatness and honor of his mother, father, and other ancestors or it may be in reference to the blessings that he brought for the world through his birth. This second point is mentioned because when he was born, the historical reports have stated that the idols in the Kaaba all fell down, the fire temple of the Persians was extinguished, the Sāveh lake (which was worshipped by a group of the people) dried up, and a section of the palaces of the tyrannical kings fell apart and crumbled; all of these things were the signs of the beginning of a new era in the path to Tawḥīd (the worship of the one God) and the fight against polytheism.
Then the Imam (‘a) continues and says: ‘During that time, the people were of scattered sects and contradictory ideas and desires; they followed various different ideologies and paths. A group con-sidered God to be similar to his creation and another group put his name upon various idols; an-other group invited the people to something else entirely.’ During that time, three famous idols were those of Al-Lāt, Al-’Uzzā, and Manāt and the names of these idols were taken from the names of God (or the characteristics of God) such as Allah, Al-’Azīz, and Mannān; so the Arabs were taking the names of God and putting them in place of material things that had been created by God in the first place.
The Imam (‘a) then says: ‘Then God guided them from deviation and error through the Prophet (s) and saved them from ignorance.’ The Imam (‘a) continues and says: ‘Then God, the Most High appointed a meeting time for Muhammad (s) and he found what was with him desirable for him and he honored him with his passing from this world to the hereafter and saved him from its difficulties and problems.’ ‘Indeed, he took his soul with the highest honor, may God’s greetings and praise be upon him and his family. He also left amongst you what the previous prophets had left for their people. Verily, they never left their people until they had left for them a leader[4] and made available for them a clear path.
It is clear that the meaning of the Imam (‘a) is the same issue raised in the ‘Tradition of the Two Weighty Things (Thaqalayn)’. According to this Mutawātir tradition, the Prophet (s) said: I am go-ing from amongst you and I will leave you two valuable things: the Book of God and my family. If you hold on to these two things, you will never be misguided and these two will never separate from one another until they meet me at the ‘Pool of Kawthar’.[5] In any case, the prophets (‘a) deeply cared for their people and this care was not limited only to their lifetimes; it extended long past this period of time. Without a doubt, the prophets (‘a) worried about their people much like a father worries about his young children at the time of his passing. In our day to day lives, we see that even small companies are left with leaders when the time comes for the passing of their founders. With this in mind, can we accept that a great and divine religion such as Islam would have been left without a leader and without a clear program of action? Such a line of thought is unacceptable and utterly illogical.[6]
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