Throughout history, those who truly recognized the Imams of the Ahlul bayt (peace be upon them) understood that to serve them was not a duty of burden but a privilege. In one such narration, we find the importance and significance of serving the Imam of the Time (peace be upon him.
Muhammad Bin Al Waleed Al Kirmany narrates that he asked Imam Al-Jawad (peace be upon him):
What is there for your friends who are in your Wilayat?
He said: Abu Abdillah, Imam al-Sadeq (peace be upon him) had a servant who would hold his mule when he entered the mosque.
While he was sitting and his mule was with him, a delegation from Khurasan arrived.
A man from the delegation said to the servant, “O young man! Will you ask him to let me take your place and become his servant, and I will give you all of my wealth? For I am a man of abundant wealth of all kinds. Go and take it, and I will remain in your place.”
[Note: The man was ready to exchange all of its wealth for being a slave of Imam Jafar-e-Sadeq (peace be upon him)]
The servant said, “I will ask him (Imam).”
So, he asked Abu ʿAbdillah and said, “May I be your ransom! You know my service and the length of my companionship. If Allah sends some good my way, will you deny it to me?”
He replied, “I give to you from myself, and I withhold from others.”
Then he conveyed to him the man’s words.
The Imam (peace be upon him) said, “If you have become disinterested in serving us, and the man desires us, we will accept him and release you.”
When the servant turned to leave, the Imam (peace be upon him) called him back and said, “I advise you out of loyalty to our long companionship. The choice is yours.”
On the Day of Judgment, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) will be clinging to the Light of Allah, Ameerul Momineen, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) will be clinging to the Messenger of Allah, the Imams (peace be upon them) will be clinging to Ameerul Momineen (peace be upon him), and our Shia will be clinging to us and they will enter where we enter and drink from where we drink.”
The servant said, “Rather, I will remain in your service and prefer the Hereafter over the world.”
The servant went out to the man, and the man said to him, “You came back to me with a different face than when you went in.” So he told him what the Imam had said.
Then he brought the man to Abu Abdillah (peace be upon him), and the Imam accepted his loyalty and ordered a thousand dinars to be given to the servant.
[Reference: Behar Al Anwar, v.50, pg. 87, h.3]
Conclusion:
- When the servant conveyed the offer to Imam al-Sadeq (peace be upon him), the Imam was willing to accept another person in his place. This teaches us that if we fail to serve the Imam of our Time (may Allah hasten his reappearance), our position may be taken by someone more willing. The opportunity to serve the Imam is a blessing that should not be taken for granted.
- The importance of serving the Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them) is evident from the fact that those who serve them sincerely in this world will be with them in the Hereafter.
- Regarding serving Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance), Imam Sadeq (peace be upon him), himself has said:
ولو أدركته لخدمته أيام حياتي
If I reach his era, I shall serve him my entire life
[Reference: Gaibat-e-Nomani, v.1, pg.250]
We pray to Allah, the Almighty, to hasten the reappearance of the Imam of our time, His Eminence Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.). May He grant us the opportunity to sincerely serve the Imam of our time before and after his reappearance.