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Home / Books / Kitāb al-Ghayba / Volume 1 / What is the difference between a hidden Imam and an Imam who does not exist or one that exists in the heavens? / Hadith 181
Hadith 181
Hadith #
181
Book
Kitāb al-Ghayba
Volume
1
Section
18
Part
Content
Chapter
What is the difference between a hidden Imam and an Imam who does not exist or one that exists in the heavens?
Source
Shaykh Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-Ṭūsī
۞
Likewise is their objection that what is the difference between his existence in a way that no one can reach him and his existence in the heavens, because we shall say that if he exists in the heavens in a way that the conditions of dwellers of the earth do not remain concealed from him, the heaven is like the earth in such a case, and if they do remain concealed, such an existence equals his non-existence. Then the argument is turned around against them about the Prophet (s) by asking: “What is the difference between the prophetic existence in hiding and his non-existence and his being in the heaven?” Whatever answer they will give to this question is our very answer to them to their question, as we elaborated earlier. They cannot make a distinction between the two cases, saying that the Prophet (s) did not hide from everyone and merely hid from his enemies and the Imam of the Age is hiding from everyone.
وكذلك قولهم: ما الفرق بين وجوده بحيث لا يصل إليه أحد وبين وجوده في السماء؟ بأن قلنا إذا كان موجودا في السماء بحيث لا يخفى عليه أخبار أهل الأرض فالسماء كالأرض وإن كان يخفى عليه أمرهم فذلك يجري مجرى عدمه ثم نقلب عليهم في النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم بأن يقال أي فرق بين وجوده مستترا وبين عدمه وكونه في السماء،فأي شي‏ء قالوه قلنا مثله على ما مضى القول فيه. وليس لهم أن يفرقوا بين الأمرين بأن النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم ما استتر من كل أحد وإنما استتر من أعدائه وإمام الزمان مستتر عن الجميع.
Tags Occultation

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