Raj'a
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Rajʿa (
In
The concept was later also used in the
Occultation and rajʿa in Twelver Shia
Twelvers believe that their twelfth Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, has been concealed by God, though he remains responsible for the affairs of men and their inward spiritual guidance in his state of occultation (874 CE-present).[5] While various sects disagree about the identity of the eschatological Mahdi, the belief in him remains popular among all Muslims, possibly owing to numerous traditions to this effect in canonical Sunni and Shia sources.[6][7]
Shortly before the Day of Judgment, when commanded by God, Muhammad al-Mahdi will return to lead the forces of righteousness against the forces of evil in an apocalyptic war that would ultimately establish peace and justice on earth, according to the Twelvers.[8] In his mission, al-Mahdi will be assisted by Jesus,[9] who will pray behind al-Mahdi in his Second Coming.[9][6] Jesus also kills al-Dajjal (antichrist) in some Sunni accounts,[10][10] though that function is reserved for al-Mahdi in Twelver sources.[11]
In Twelver thought, al-Mahdi is also expected to avenge the injustices suffered by Husayn, grandson of the prophet, whose innocent blood is believed to have plunged the Muslim community into a cycle of violence, corruption, and oppression. This vengeance is necessary, it is said, to rid the Muslim community of the most odious crime ever committed in their name.[9][12] It also involves the return to life of the evildoers and their victims, which is known as the doctrine of rajʿa (lit. 'return').[9][8] The purpose of this return is for the oppressed to exact their revenge on their oppressors.[9]
It is generally said that the prophet or the Imams will return to aid in the victory of al-Mahdi.[9] In Shia traditions, particular emphasis is placed on the return of Husayn, who is expected to rule until old age upon his return.[3][13] In some traditions, the rule of Husayn would be followed by that of Ali ibn Abi Talib, often referred to as ṣāḥib al-karrāt.[3]
Quran
In Twelver exegeses of the Quran, several verses have been associated with rajʿa, including Q2:259, Q17:6, Q24:55, Q27:83, Q28:5-6, and Q28:85. In particular, Q27:83 includes the passage, "On the day when We shall muster out of every nation a troop."[3] Verse Q43:61 includes the sentence "He [Jesus] is surely a knowledge of the Hour," which has been connected to the descent of Jesus during the rulership of al-Mahdi and the imminence of the Day of Judgment after his descent.[11] An analogy is often made with verse Q2:243, where God brought to life a group of the children of Israel.[14][3]
Earlier uses
Non-Twelver sects of Shia have used the term rajʿa to refer to the return of their imams from concealment, including the now-extinct sects of Kaysanite and Waqifite Shia, who denied the deaths of Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya (died 700) and Musa al-Kazim (died 799), respectively, and awaited their return.[3] In Twelver Shia, however, the reemergence of the Hidden Imam is most commonly referred to as ẓuhūr (lit. 'appearance').[15][3] While often considered outside the pale of Islam,[16] rajʿa has also been used by some of the ghulāt (lit. 'exaggerators') to refer to the passing of the soul into another body (metempsychosis, tanāsukh).[14][3]
It has been argued that the conceptualization of rajʿa in 8th/9th-century ghulāt texts such as Mā yakūn ʿinda ẓuhūr al-Mahdī ('What Will Happen at the Appearance of the Mahdi') attributed to al-Mufaddal ibn Umar al-Ju'fi (died before 799) has influenced the early 10th-century development of the Twelver Shi'i doctrine on the return of the twelfth and Hidden Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi.[17]
Baháʼí Faith
The concept of periodic return of a
See also
- Last Judgment
- Occultation (Islam), Shi'ite eschatological belief in the concealment and subsequent reemergence of an Imam or Mahdi, who will establish justice and peace on earth in the end of time
- Minor Occultation, first period of concealment of the Imam (874–941) in Twelver Shi'ism, during which the Hidden Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi is believed to have communicated regularly with his followers through four successive agents
- Major Occultation, second period of concealment of the Imam (941–present) in Twelver Shi'ism, during which the Hidden Imam is believed to be without agent
- Kitab al-Ghayba (al-Nu'mani), a work on the occultation of the Imam by the Twelver Shi'ite scholar Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Nu'mani (died c. 970)
- Kitab al-Ghayba (al-Tusi), a work on the occultation of the Imam by the Twelver Shi'ite scholar Shaykh Tusi (995–1067)
- Resurrection of the dead
- Second coming
References
- ^ Kohlberg 1976.
- ^ Amir-Moezzi 2007–2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Kohlberg 1960–2007.
- ^ Turner 2006, pp. 175, 192.
- ^ Tabatabai 1975, pp. 194–5.
- ^ a b Madelung 1960–2007.
- ^ Sachedina 1981, p. 69.
- ^ a b Momen 1985, p. 166.
- ^ a b c d e f Amir-Moezzi 1998.
- ^ a b Sachedina 1981, p. 171.
- ^ a b Sachedina 1981, p. 172.
- ^ Sachedina 1981, pp. 167–8.
- ^ Sachedina 1981, pp. 168–9.
- ^ a b Sachedina 1981, p. 167.
- ^ Sachedina 1981, p. 168.
- ^ Momen 1985, p. 45.
- ^ Turner 2006, pp. 175, 192.
- ^ Moojan 1995.
Sources
- Amir-Moezzi, Mohammad Ali (1998). "Eschatology iii. Imami Shiʿism". Encyclopædia Iranica. Vol. VIII/6. pp. 575–581.
- Amir-Moezzi, Mohammad Ali (2007–2012). "Islam in Iran vii. The Concept of Mahdi in Twelver Shiʿism". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica.
- S2CID 155070530.
- .
- .
- ISBN 9780300034998.
- Moojan, Momen (1995). "Baha'u'llah's prophetology: Archetypal patterns in the lives of the founders of the world religions". Baháʼí Studies Review. 5.
- ISBN 978-0873954426.
- ISBN 0-87395-390-8.
- Turner, Colin P. (2006). "The "Tradition of Mufaḍḍal" and the Doctrine of the Rajʿa: Evidence of Ghuluww in the Eschatology of Twelver Shiʿism?". Iran. 44: 175–195. S2CID 170603436.