Responsibility 7: Relating the Merits and Qualities of the Imam

 

Another responsibility is to mention the merits and qualities of Imam al-Mahdi (ajtf). The narrations have encouraged the believers to do this for all of the Infallible A`immah (as) and specifically Imam al-’Asr (ajtf).

Without doubt, mentioning and reminding others of the merits and virtues of the Imam is the same as mentioning goodness in itself (as the Imams are the personification of everything good) and this is one of the best actions which a believer can perform and is a way to show enmity towards Satan.

Imam Musa b. Ja’far al-Kadhim (as) has said:

وَ إِنَّ الْمُؤْمِنَينِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ فَيَذْكُرَانِ اللٌّهَ ثُمَّ يَذْكُرَانِ فَضْلَنَا أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ فَلاَ يَبْقـى عَلـى وَجْهِ إِبْلِيسَ مُضْغَةُ لَحْمٍ إِلاَّ تَخَدَّدُ حَـتَّى إِنَّ رُوحَهُ لَتَسْتَغِيثُ مِنْ شِدَّةِ مَا يَجِدُ مِنَ الأَلَمِ

“Indeed when two believers meet one another and remember Allah and then mention the greatness of us the Ahlul Bayt (as), no flesh remains on the face of Iblis (Satan) except that it gets wrinkled and his soul cries out due to the severity of the pain (he feels).”1

In a tradition from Imam ‘Ali b. Husain as-Sajjad (as), it is stated that:

وَ أَمَّا حَقُّ ذِي الْمَعْرُوفِ عَلَيْكَ فَأَنْ تَشْكُرَهُ وَ تَذْكُرَ مَعْرُوفَهُ وَ تَنْشُرَ لَهُ الْمَقَالَةَ الْحَسَنَةَ

“As for the right of the person who has done good to you over you, it is that you should thank him, remember his favor and spread (to others) good words about him.”2

  • 1.al-Kafi, vol. 2, pg. 188, no. 7
  • 2.Tuhaf al-’Uqul, pg. 265; Makarim al-Akhlaq, pg. 459