02. The necessity of the propaganda (da'wat) in the time when the Imam is hidden

(2. The Necessity of the Propaganda (da'wat) in the time when the Imam is hidden).

One must also know that whenever during the six millennia of the "night of faith" the Imam has a bodily incarnation (as an ordinary man). [Fol.3] his Hujjat has no complete manifestation. So it was in the time of the Prince (of the believers - Ali) when Salman did not reveal his teaching except to one man.[1] But as soon as the Imam becomes hidden, he (Hujjat) must be completely manifested and it is impossible that both, the Imam's bodily incarnation as well as preaching in his favour, would disappear. He would cause by this the creations to perish. The reason why the Imam occasionally withdraws the completemanifestation of the Hujjat and himself becomes incarnated as an ordinary man is that at that time the people are not capable (of accepting his doctrines), God forbid! Just as Hakim Nizari says in his poetry:-

Do not withdraw from those who ardently desire its advent
The full (ma'nawi) manifestation (the date of which) is covered withmystery!
And, after this, the door of mercy in the Heaven

[1] Certain expressions in this text have been naively ciphered, either entirely or partly, with the help of the figures substituted for letters according to the abjad system, with zeros being omitted in tens. Thus I-m-a-m is 1+4 (0)+1+4(0). This system is apparently not used in the Fatimid literature which employs a specialscript. The single man to whom Salman revealed his doctrine was certainly the Prophet. The part of the Salman as Jabra'il is probably a new invention of the Safawid times. [2] Ma-bandi may stand for ma-band. In the province of Qa'in and Birjand, from which Nizari was hailed, this is now the usual form of the Imperative with a negation, So it is proved that it is on account of his slaves' errors, negligence and sinfulness that he shuts occasionally the door of mercy and the gate of the knowledge of himself and leaves them to their fate. If thou leave us to ourselves to act, (Then) explain (clearly) what thou wilt have us to do.

03. The fourfold knowledge about the Imam

(3. The Fourfold Knowledge about the Imam).

And again one must know that (the way to) the knowledge of the Imam is fourfold. [Fol.3v.] First, the knowledge of his body. It can be shared even by an animal. Secondly, the knowledge of his name. It can be obtained even by adversaries. Thirdly, the recognition of his Imamat. In this the "people of the order" can participate. Fourth, the knowledge of his (real) nature. It can be posse4ssed by his Hujjat only.

04. The Hujjat's and da'i's knowledge of the Imam

(4. The Hujjat's and Da'I's knowledge of the Imam).

One must also know that the "people of the order," i.e. the da'is and other inferior ranks (hudud) can always trace the person of the Imam by the guidance of two signs of which one is his legitimate nomination of two signs of which one is his legitimate nomination (nass) and the other his descent. But the chosen, i.e. the Hujjat, knows him since pre-eternal times by his miraculous knowledge and by innate disposition. In several past incarnations some da'is have not erred in recognising the Imam's person through being in possessionof the true knowledge. The reason (of their correct recotgnition) was their following that principle. But the other da'is, who were misguided, committed an error, the reason of which was that they took into consideration only the (Imam's) descent. Therefore they gave up Shah Nizar with his (real rights for) Imamat. This was the reason (why it happened in this way).

In the two incarnations, in which he dropped both indications, he first caused to appear his Hujjat and appointed him, and after this [Fol.4] he withdrew his two signs and disappeared, even in his personal form, from amongst the "people of order." Later on the higher degrees of the believers traced the person of the Imam with the help of the indication and guidance of the Hujjat after an examination of the matter. But some people, not strong (in their belief), did not listen to these arguments of the Hujjat or (simply) were incapable of understanding them [1] by the way of following the opinion of the majority.

05. The relations between the Imam and the Hujjat

(5. The Relation between the Imam and the Hujjat).

[1] A short lacuna in the text,

06. The manifestation of the Imam is essential to the existence of the world

(6. The Manifestation of the Imam is essential for the Existence of the World).

It is also necessary to know that the Imam must necessarily exist in all three kawns, i.e., worlds, - material, spiritual and cosmic, because he is in fact the "indispensably existent," and every thing besides him is but "possibly existent." By this latter name anything is called which cannot exist by itself. And as now all these "possibly existent" objects in fact exist, (it follows that) the Imam is manifested in their generic class in both worlds (kawn).

Where it not so, the worlds (akwan) could not exist. If some one says that the Creator (mujid) [1] is an impossibility because the opposite of the existence (of anything) is non-existence of the equally possible (mumkinat) thing (i.e., belonging to the same category), and not the non-existence of the One on whom the existence itself depends; nor will be their non-existence the counterpart of the "Indispensably-existent" (wajibu'l-wujud); or if he should say that they exist, but are the cause of the other, - all this is senseless.

Therefore [Fol.5] it is obvious that the Imam must be manifested in both the worlds, one created and corporeal (i.e., material), and the other abstract (amri) [2] and spiritual, as all three kinds of existence are based on (the same) Primal Divine Volition (amr). [1] In the text there is mawjud, i.e., available, existent. This is obviously erroneous in the context.

[2] The term amr, i.e. (Divine) command, or the primal creative volition of the Deity, and what belongs to it. Amri, all deal with those basic principles of creation which precede the visible world.

In the created, material world the posterity (awlad) of everything are always similar (in properties) to their progenitors, so that the son takes the place of the father. The same is true of the spiritual world, and the world of primal realities (amri), with the adversaries who maintain this on the basis of their Shari'at, the "people of order" (ahl-I tarattub) from their doctrine (ta'lim), and the "people of (Divine) unity" (ahl-I wahdat), i.e., the Hujjat, from the Divine assistance (ta'yid).

And then this also should be noted that the manifestation (of the Imam) in all these worlds (akwan) is relative (idafi), not absolute (haqiqi). If it were absolute, it would (have the power to ) rule the world of "possibles" (mamkinat).

The term "relative" (idafi) is applied to something that resembles something else (in certain respects), but is essentially different from it, just as a mirage resembling water, or a reflection in a mirror, and which are different (from what they resemble). The real, or absolute (haqiqi) is called something that is the original reality, as water (resembled by a mirage), or the original object (reflected in a mirror). So Ra'is Hasan says in a poem:-

Thou art a being that appears as a man to men,
before the eyes of men, in this world;
In the form of a man thou art and with men thou remainest.
Thou comest amongst men not showing thy real face,

[Fol.5v.] (Because) in thy pure and attributeless essence thou art void of every (form).

If (thou appearest) amongst the men, thou art a man, if amidst spirits-a spirit,
Thou grantest them their existence as well as governest them.

And the same Ra'is says in (another) poem:-

The reason why thou has received the illusory attributes,
And why they became incalculable for the world,
If that every religion, whether it be true or false, bad or good,
Invented its own way (of worship) and calls thee by a different name.
Of all these names and attributes, which appeared,
A garden rose up with young trees of the saying "I was a Hidden Treasure."
Thou art partaking in all these, only from Thee
Comes the existence of all these, inherent in the beings.
But in the eyes of the truth, in Thy real essence Thou art
Really void of all the attributes and all the names.

And Khwaja Nasir says:-

O thou, in whose existence is a possibility of being for the world,
O thou, in whose protection is mankind's safety!

As a person thou art the manifestation of theDivine Light, And in the view of reason thou art the source of the different kinds of creations of the world. Thou comest appearing to the eyes of all creatures, But remainest hidden even from the Universal Reason in thy mysterious power. All three worlds are with thee, and thou hast been with all of them, Both (the material and spiritual) worlds come from thee, but thou art from from all of them.[Fol.6] (Therefore) it is to be understood, that only the manifestation of the Imam in these worlds is their real cause, not anything else.

07. Definition of the degree of the Hujjat

(7. Definition of the Position of the Hujjat).

Having explained what is the recognition of the Imam, I will proceed to discuss the recognition of the Hujjat. Know that by this name a person is called whose real essence is the same as that of the Imam, from all eternity. He becomes manifested in this world from the sake of the "people of order" so that by having instructed them in his teaching he should make them recognise the Imam, because the Imam himself is free from (the necessity of) adopting (the teaching) or transmitting it (to anybody). The Hujjat, however, free from (the necessity of) adopting (the teaching) or transmitting it (to anybody). The Hujjat, however, free from (the necessity of) receiving (any body's) instruction, is not free from the duty (of delivering his teaching). And the da'I as well as the three degrees under him are not free (from both duties). The convert (mustajib) is not allowed to teach and needs only to accept the instruction. Therefore it is now clear that the Hujjat has a necessity to deliver his teaching and others need either accept it and transmit or only adopt it. And if he do not appear and teach, the "people of order" will fail in attaining salvation and perfection (in) the next life, and therefore [Fol.gv.] there will be no use in the creation of the world.

08. The logical proofs of the necessity of the Hujjat

(8. The Logical Proof of the Necessity of the Hujjat).


There are numereous indications, in logical arguments as well as in tradition, showing that without the help of the Hujjat it is impossible to recognise the Imam.

The logical proof is as follows. In every thing existent its perfect quality cannot pass from the state of potency into action without an impulse from outside. If it could be otherwise, the result necessarily would be that all the (material) bodies, in which the ability of movement is considered as their most perfect state, could come into activity spontaneously, without being compelled by something else, which "stays behind them," i.e., in some of them the vegetable spirit, and in the others the animal or human spirit. If this is the case with the body, which belongs to the world of semblance, in the spirit, which is the archetype (of the body), without (the help of ) the Hujjat no spiritual movement can exist, because it is the progress from the vices towards (moral) perfection and transmitting (the teaching ) to those able (to accept it).