قَالَ اَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِؑ اِنَّ الْاَرْضَ لَا تَصْلُحُ اِلَّا بِالْاِمَامِ وَ مَنْ مَاتَ لَا يَعْرِفُ اِمَامَهُ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً وَ اَحْوَجُ مَا يَكُونُ اَحَدُكُمْ اِلَى مَعْرِفَتِهِ اِذَا بَلَغَتْ نَفْسُهُ هَذِهِ وَ اَهْوَى بِيَدِهِ اِلَى صَدْرِهِ يَقُولُ لَقَدْ كُنْتُ عَلٰى اَمْرٍ حَسَنٍ
Imam Sadeq (peace be upon him) says,
“The earth cannot survive except with an Imam. Whoever dies without knowing his Imam, dies the death of paganism. You will need his recognition the most when your soul reaches here – and indicated towards his chest – saying, ‘You are on a good affair’.”
Note:
- لا تصلح means the earth cannot survive without an Imam or divine proof.
- When the angel of death or his companions capture the soul of a person, they start from the feet and then move upwards to the knees. When they reach to the chest, man sees his position in Barzakh. At that moment, he realizes whether his choice of Imam was right or wrong.
References:
1. Behaar al-Anwaar, vol. 23, p. 76, H. 2
2. al-Mahaasin, vol. 1, p. 154, H. 79 and al-Kaafi, vol. 2, p. 21, H. 9