THE JUDGMENT OF THE LEADER OF THE TIME

(May Almighty Allah hasten his relief)

Presently we will quote a narration denoting that the leader of the time (May our souls be sacrifice for him) in his judgment never needs witnesses just as Prophet Da'ud never need witnesses in his judgment.

Now study this narration attentively:

In a letter written to Imam al-Askari (Peace be upon him) by Hasan bn Tareef concerning how shall be the judgment of the great remainder of Allah's proof (May our souls be sacrifice for him)? He replied saying: 

«إختلج في صدري مسألتان وأردت الكتاب بهما إلى أبي محمد علیه السلام فكتبت أسأله عن القائم علیه السلام بم يقضي؟

فجاء الجواب: سألت عن القائم إذا قام يقضي بين الناس بعلمه كقضاء داود علیه السلام ولا يسأل البينة». 

 

"Two issues pre-occupied my mind and I wanted to write about it to the father of Mohammad (Peace be upon him) then I wrote inquiring from him, with what the riser (al-Qa'im) (Peace be upon him) will make judgment? The answer came: you have inquired about al-Qa'im the riser; when he rise he will judge between people with his knowledge like the judgment of Prophet Da'ud (Peace be upon him) and he will not inquire for any witness"[1] 

في رواية ثانية يقول الإمام علیه السلام لأبي عبيدة: «يا أبا عبيدة؛ إذا قام قائم آل محمّد حكم بحكم داود وسليمان، ولا يسأل الناس بيّنة». 

Imam Sadiq (Peace be upon him) in another narration says to Abu Ubaidah: "O' the father of Ubaidah; verily when the riser of the family of Mohammad rise, he will judge with the judgment of Prophet Da'ud and Suleiman (peace be upon them) and he will not inquire for witness from men"[2]  

ويقول أبان: «سمعت من الإمام الصادق علیه السلام يقول: لاتذهب الدنيا حتّى يخرج رجل منّي يحكم بحكومة آل داود، لا يسأل عن بيّنة، يعطي كلّ نفس حكمها». 

Abban said: he heard from Imam Sadiq (Peace be upon him) saying: "The world will not come to an end until a man will come from me, he will judge with the judgment of the family of prophet Da'ud, he will not inquire for any witness and he will give every soul its judgment"[3]

قال الإمام الصادق علیه السلام: «سيأتي في مسجدكم ثلاثمائة وثلاثة عشر رجلاً ـ يعني مسجد مكّة ـ يعلم أهل مكّة أنّه لم يلد(هم) آبائهم ولا أجدادهم، عليهم السيوف مكتوب على كلّ سيف كلمة تفتح ألف كلمة، فيبعث الله تبارك وتعالى ريحاً فتنادي بكلّ وادٍ: هذا المهدي يقضي بقضاء داود وسليمان‘ لا يريد عليه بيّنة».

This narration was also narrated in another form from Abban bn Taghlub that Imam Sadiq (Peace be upon him) said:

Three hundred and thirteen men shall come to your mosque, (i.e. the holy mosque in Mecca) the inhabitant of Mecca will surely know that they didn't begotten their fathers and grand fathers, they will behold swords, a word will be written on the sword which shall open another one thousand words, then Allah the Most high will expedite a wonderful wind that will call in every valley, this is Imam al-Mahdi, he will judge with the judgment of Prophet Da'ud and Suleiman (Peace be upon them) he will not need any witness (i.e. for his judgment)[4]

كذلك يقول جرير: أنني سمعت أن الإمام الصادق علیه السلام يقول: «لن تذهب الدنيا حتّى يخرج رجل منّا أهل البيت يحكم بحكم داود وآل داود لايسأل الناس بيّنة». 

Jareer also said that he heard from Imam al-Sadiq (Peace be upon him) saying: "The world shall not come to an end until a man comes from us, the holy household, he will judge with the judgment of Prophet Da'ud and the family of Da'ud; he shall not inquire for any witness from men"[5] 

وروى عبد الله بن عجلان: «أنّ الإمام بقيّة الله الأعظم علیه السلام لا يحتاج في مقام حكومته إلى البيّنة، وإنّما هو مطلع على الأمور الخفية الأخرى، ويخبر كلّ قوم عمّا يخفوه في ضمائرهم».

Abdullah bn Ajalan has narrated that "the honourable remainder of Allah's proof (May our souls be sacrifice for him) doesn't need witness in his government; rather the honourable Imam will be acquainted in other hidden issues and he will inform anybody of what he has hidden in his mind". 

يقول الإمام الصادق علیه السلام: «إذا قام قائم آل محمد علیه السلام حكم بين الناس بحكم داود لا يحتاج إلى بيّنة يلهمه الله تعالى فيحكم بعلمه، ويخبر كلّ قوم بما استبطنوه ويعرف وليّه من عدوّة بالتوسّم، قال الله سبحانه: {إِنَّ فِي ذَلِك لآياتٍ لِلْمُتَوَسِّمِينَ * وَإِنَّهَا لَبِسَبِيلٍ مُقِيمٍ}». 

Imam al-Sadiq (Peace be upon him) said:

 when the riser from the family of Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon them) rise, he will judge between people with the judgment of Prophet Da'ud, he will not need a witness, Allah the most High will inspire in him and he will judge base on his knowledge, he will inform every group of people of what they hide, he knows his friend from his enemy with a gaze. Allah the most High said: {there are indeed signs in that for the percipient. Indeed it is on a standing road}[6]/[7]

The other narration is so obvious that Imam of the time will judge according to the judgment of Prophet Da'ud and the speculation of whether he needs witness for his judgment or not is concerning his representatives and not the holy Imam. 

 يقول الرسول الأكرم صلی الله علیه وآله في رواية «... ويخرج الله من صلب الحسن علیه السلام قائمنا أهل البيت علیهم السلام يملأها قسطاً وعدلاً كما ملئت جوراً وظلماً، له هيبة موسى وحكم داود وبهاء عيسى، ثمّ تلا صلی الله علیه وآله: {ذُرِّيَّةً بَعْضُهَا مِنْ بَعْضٍ وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ}».   

The holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) in a narration said: "…. Allah will bring our riser (Qa'imana) among the Ahlulbayt (Peace be upon them) from the offspring of al-Hasan (Peace be upon him) he will fill the earth with justice and equity as it was filled up with oppression and inequity, he possess the veneration of Prophet Musa, the judgment of Prophet Da'ud and the splendid of Prophet Isa, then he (Peace be upon him and his family) read the following verse: {Some of them are descendants of the others, and Allah is all-hearing, all-knowing}[8]/[9]

 

The narration we shall be quoting didn't mention anything concerning the judgment of Prophet Da'ud but it is clearly stated in the narration that the leader of the time (May Almighty Allah hasten his relief) will judge base on two issue mentioned in the narration and the Imam shall not inquire for witness.

 يقول الإمام الصادق علیه السلام: «دمان في الإسلام حلال من الله عزّ وجلّ لا يقضي فيهما أحد بحكم الله حتى يبعث الله عز وجل القائم من أهل البيت علیهم السلام فيحكم فيهما بحكم الله عز وجل، لا يريد على ذلك بينة: الزاني المحصن يرجمه ومانع الزكاة يضرب رقبته».

Imam al-Sadiq (Peace be upon him) said: Two blood in Islam are lawful from Allah the Great and Almighty, but no one will judge concerning it until Allah the Great and Almighty send (al-Qa'im) the riser from the holy household of the holy Prophet (Peace be upon them), he will judge with Allah's judgment on it, and he don't need any witness for the judgment: An adultery which is to be stone to death and he who deny giving (Zakat) alms-giving which is to be killed.[10]

The narration we have quoted is explaining that Imam al-Mahdi (May Almighty Allah hasten his relief) doesn't need witness in his judgment and he will act according to knowledge and awareness; likewise Prophet Da'ud didn't need witness for his judgment.

Late Allamah Majlisi is also of the same belief when he said: the apparent meaning of this narration is that anywhere the honourable (al-Qa'im) the riser (Peace be upon him) will appear he will judge with realness which he possessed its knowledge and not with witness. But as for other Imam (Peace be upon them) they judge base on what is apparent to them and sometimes anything that is not apparent or what they were informed of, they composed it through apparent means just as the commander of the faithful (Peace be upon him) has done in many occasions.

Sheikh Mufid in the book "al-Masa'il" said: the Imam (Peace be upon him) is able to judge base on his knowledge just as he can judge with apparent testimony and at any place he knows that testimony and witness has difference with reality for the given witness, he will annul the witness and the testimony consequently he will judge base on the knowledge given to him by Almighty Allah.[11]

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