God says “Do what the Prophet wants you to do and keep away from what he forbids you from doing.” “Do not take the summoning of the Prophet to you to be similar to your summoning one another. God knows those of you who slip away under shelter of some excuse. Let those who disobey the orders of the Prophet, beware of the calamity that will befall them here or the severe punishment which will be inflicted on them hereafter.” To obey the commands and prohibitions of the Prophet in toto is enjoined on us by God. It is an act of devotion to Him. God has linked our devotion to Him with our devotion to the Imams. Lip-profession of devotion in words ceases to be a devotion unless it is prompted by conviction and is followed by practice. tice. To criticise the Prophet or to pry into his affairs or to show disapproval of his actions in words or in thoughts is abominable. It is strictly prohibited by God who through His holy Book has enjoined on us all to submit ourselves to his will. Our faith is incomplete without our submission to his will. The holy Imams occupy a similar position. They are the representatives of the Prophet on earth and our devotion to them is a devotion to the Prophet.
It logically follows that it is our bounden duty to obey the commands of every Imam of the time and submit to his will. To criticise him or to pry into his affairs is as abominable as to criticise the Prophet or to pry into his affairs. God has entrusted our case to him. He has guaranteed His support to him. He has recognised him as a legitimate heir to his predecessor from amongst the Imams. He has conferred on him his highest favours and is always ready to help him when he needs His help. The Imam looks at things with the light of God and does what he does with the help of God. Whatever he does and in whatever age he does, he does well because he is guided by God. He does things which suit the requirements of the times, and says things which are appropriate for the occasion and he treats people as they ought to be treated. All his activities are well planned and are in tune with his surroundings. Those who cannot see through them disapprove of them and criticise the Imams because of their ignorance. They forget that God has forbidden us from finding fault with his actions and has made it obligatory on us to submit ourselves to his will. With all this there are people who disapprove of his actions and criticise him by saying that the Prophet and the Caliphs had never lived the life of grandeur which the Imam lives. They appear to be ignor- ant of history. They are not aware of what God says in the holy Quran about a large kingdom which was granted to the Prophets like Joseph, David and Solomon. They know nothing of the various blessings of this world which God had conferred on the Prophets and the Imams. Imam jafar says “A certain Prophet used to sit on a throne studded with jewels with a circular canopy interlaced with golden threads made after the pattern of the throne which was used by Pharoe. It was from this elevated seat of grandeur that he used to decide the disputes among the people ac- cording to the book of God.” The holy Quran says “Say, who has forbidden the beautiful gifts of God which He has produced for His servants and the things clean and pure which He has provided for sustenance? Say, they are in the life of this world for those who believe and purely for them on the day of judgement
We must bear in mind that in the eyes of the Imams this world is more contemptible than a particle of dust. In every age and at every time they look into the things minutely and in whatever they do. they do for the good of the people.
O the devotees of God, be careful of the posi- tion of the Imams. Never misconstrue their actions and never allow yourselves to be misled by their outward pomp which they are required to maintain to strike awe in the minds of the ene- mies of God
May God guide you in carrying out the orders of the Imam of the time.