First: The one gives us our existence, and that’s Allah (swt). (When we look around us, we realize we are overwhelmed with blessings and bounties from the second we come to this life till the last moment. Every breath we take is a blessing, and every cell in our body is a blessing, let alone the many other blessings we humans enjoy. Once our intellect or mind sees all these blessings, it takes us to the conclusion that there is a being giving us all these blessings. That being is Allah (swt), and thus He being must be thanked.)
Second: Those through which we get our extstence, and they are the Prophet (saw) and the Imams of Ahlul-Bayt (as), including the last of them, Imam Al Mahdi, may Allah hasten his reappearance. In previous lectures, we have mentioned that the Holy Qur’an emphasizes there are two actors: a direct actor and an indirect actor. As for the direct actor, it is Allah (swt), Who Has created everything in the universe, and He is the one who gives existence to everything. The fruits that come to existence are created by Allah (swt), the direct actor, but at the same time Allah (swt) states in the Holy Qur’an 2:22:
“And causes water to pour down from the sky, thereby producing fruits as sustenance for you”
In this verse, Allah (swt) states that through rain fruits are produced. The rain here is an indirect actor. Thus, the existence of fruits comes from Allah (swt), but through the rain, and so the giver in this world is two: the one who gives our existence (Allah) and those through which we get our existence (Ahlul-Bayt).
In Ziyara Al-Jami’a, do we not address the Imams, peace be upon them, by saying “the patrons of blessings?” Indeed Ahlul-Bayt (as) are the custodians of all blessings we have. Allah (swt) is the one who blesses us, but He does so through them, just as He creates fruits through rain.
In the book of Al-Kafi, is there not a holy narration which states “If it weren’t for us (Ahlul-Bayt), Allah would not have been worshipped”. In the book of Al-Ihtijaj, do we not find a letter written by Imam Al Mahdi (af) which says “We are the [direct] creation of Allah, and all other creations [have been created] through us.”
Every moment that we live is a blessing of Imam Al Mahdi, may Allah hasten his reappearance. It is through Ahlul-Bayt (as) that the trees grow. It is by them that the fruits are produced, and by them the rivers flow. Allah (swt) has bestowed upon us His inherent and apparent blessings through Ahlul-Bayt (as). Therefore, treating the belief in Imam Al-Mahdi (af) with utmost importance is a way of “thanking the giver.”
Candle of Hope Ayatollah Sayed Ridha Shirazi pages 16-19
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