Those who know the true position of the Imams and have faith in their ‘imamat’ conscientiously believe that their standing, in front of the Imams with respectfulness which is due to them is a sort of prayer which brings the devotee nearer to God. For He has enjoined on us to hold them in rever- ence. When we stand in their presence we should be as respectful to them as we respect God at the time of our prayers. God says “Stand before God devoutly’.” Hence, when one stands in the presence of the Imams one should do so with the full faith that his standing with reverence will bring him near to God. He should look for the reward for this act and should never entertain the idea that sitting in front of the Imams is better than standing before them. He should never think that his sitting will bring him near to the Imams
No one can claim, as a matter of right, to sit before them. If, however, one of us is asked by the Imam, either out of respect for him or for any other consideration he should sit down and acknow- ledge his gratitude to them for this act of bene- volence on their part. He should be particularly thankful to them and should not look upon it as a small affair. This is the highest position that one can aspire after and the greatest favour that one can look for from the Imams.
We should bear in mind that, if any one of us, receives a favour of this type, he should not be carried away with the idea that it will be used as a precedent on future occasions. None of us has any claim on the Imams. If they confer a favour on some one of us it cannot be claimed as a matter of right for ever. The favours of the Imams on their devotees are like the favours of God on His creatures. He says “This is our favour. We extend it or withhold it as we like.” Thus, the Imams can favour whom they like and how they like. If they withhold their favours they do so, not because they are unable to confer them or because they are too reluctant to confer them, but because they are the masters of the situation. It is left entirely to their sweet will.
What we are required to do is to show to the Imams that we are always satisfied with them. Their bestowal of favours on us or their withholding them from us should make no change in us. If they confer a favour on one of their devotees he should thank them for this and should not have the least idea that he has got it because he was worthy of it. He should never entertain such ideas in his head. If the favour is repeatedly conferred on him he should be doubly thankful to them and should never feel that he was deserving of it. If it is not repeated he should still thank them for their previous favours and admit his un-worthiness for additional favours. He should be convinced that it was for his own good that this additional favour was not conferred on him. He should never visit the Imams in expectation of receiving what he imagines is his due from them.
If any one of us stands up before the Imam he should adopt the position which he takes up at the time of standing for prayers. He should have a due regard for the dignity of the Imam and should fix his eyes on the ground. He should lower his arms and look up to him with the belief that to get a glimpse of the Imam is a sort of prayer. There is an authoritative tradition to this effect. He should not turn his eyes here and there. He should not make awkward movements. He should not play with his hands. He should either lower them down or place the right one on his left a little below his chest.
He should be respectfully silent. He should speak only when the Imam asks him to speak or circumstances force him to speak or when the Imam intends to speak to him or when he is re- quired to give some information to the Imam about some work which was assigned to him. When he speaks he should speak as long as the Imam is prepared to hear him. The moment the Imam turns away from him or stops talking to him he should immediately stop unless the Imam, directly or indirectly, permits him to con- tinue the topic. In that case he should say what he has to say otherwise he should shut his mouth and never utter a word without his permission.
While talking to the Imam he should talk as slowly as the Imam can hear him. He should not raise his voice. God has forbidden us from raising our voices above the voice of the Prophet. We have to follow a similar rule of conduct in our talking to the Imams. God has linked our obedience to the Imam with our obedience to the Prophet and hence our respect for the Imams is equivalent to our respect for the Prophet and God Himself.
When the Imam talks to somebody the person to whom he talks should be all attention to him. If he speaks to a group of people, then it is the duty of every one of them to pay close attention to what he says. If he speaks to any one of them openly or secretly then the one to whom he speaks should attend to every word that he utters and derive the fullest advantage from the speech of the Imam. For every word he utters is full of wisdom, full of knowledge and full of sense. The Imam never utters a word which is light, superfluous or meaningless. If a listener finds a single word of this type he must know that there is something wrong with him. God has made the Imams free from these defects. If we imagine that a parti- cular word uttered by the Imam is not fruitful, the fault lies with us. We are too dull to detect the proper meaning of the words uttered by the Imam.
The signs and symbols used by the Imams in the course of their conversation with us and hints dropped by them are a fathomless ocean. None can dive deep in it with the exception of those whose hearts have been illumined by God. They, too, cannot master all the subtleties in the conversation of the Imams. In this connection if I were to describe my own experience and the difficulties that I had in understanding them, the matter will prolong and will exceed the limits of my book.
If, in front of the Imam, some one says some- thing which makes the Imam smile or laugh, none of those that are present there should laugh. They should smile, with their eyes fixed on the ground. They should show their reverence for the Imam and maintain the dignity of the occasion by refraining themselves from laughing. If the Imam wishes to speak to some one in secret, then let those who are sitting close to this man clear away from him. All those that are present there should divert their attention from him and should never try to over-hear his secret talk with the Imam. They should not whisper or talk among themselves in the presence of the Imam. All the talking that takes place at the meeting with the Imam has to be kept secret. We should look upon it as a secret that has been confided in us by the Imam. There is a tradition to the effect that the proceedings of meetings with the Imams are to be treated as an ‘amanat’. It matters little whether we have been asked by the Imams or not, to guard this secret. There is one exception to this. We are required to give full publicity to all the good things about the Imams and the favours they confer on their devotees. Even in these matters we can talk only of those things which have taken place in public. Of things that that have been communicated in secret we have no right to talk.
We should never quarrel or indulge in disputes in the presence of the Imam. If one uses an offenssive language to us we should not try to re- tort him We should hould take no notice of such things. We should turn a deaf ear to those who talk ill of us. We should never give them a tit for tat even if we are in the best position to do so. However, if the Imam permits us to continue our dispute in his presence, then we should confine ourselves to the pleading of our own case. We should never deviate from the right course. We should not be reckless in the discourse. We should not talk respitefully. We should not yawn or stretch our limbs and make all sorts of awkward move- ments.
In our visiting the Imams there is one more point which deserves our attention. At the time of the rising of the Imam, before he actually rises, usually some indication is given to the public to this effect. Those who are present, the moment they become aware of this sign, should stand up, and go out by bowing without waiting for the permission. If they don’t notice these signs and he stops talking or if they find out from his move- ments that he intends to rise then they should rise. If they are asked by the Imam to sit down, they should do so until they are ordered by him to leave. Under no circumstance should the visitors prove themselves to be a nuisance to the Imam. If the Imam wants them to leave, then they should move backward with their faces turned to the Imam. They should never turn their backs to the Imam until they reach the stage when he is out of sight