Why do we need a Hujjah?

Why do we need a Hujjah?

The word hujjah comes from Arabic and is written حجة

حجة translates as Proof in the dictionary

منطق (logic) is taught in the Howzah of Imam Mahdi (pbuh) and the word حجة is defined as:

التعريف بالمعلوم التصقيدي الذي يوصلك إلى العلم بالمجهول التصديقي

Definition of a something known and confirmed, that takes you to confirmed knowledge of something unknown

In other words, حجة tells you about something else and is absolute proof about it, in such a way that the proof cannot be refuted by anyone with adequate intelligence

The word حجة is then used in a religious context to describe the individual who tells us about Allah, in such a way that when we deal with them, we understand Allah.

These individuals are the divine leaders who appear in every era including ours. They are mentioned in the Will of the Prophet Muhammad, which he had written the night he passed away.

The use of the above definition of حجة (hujjah) is then found in various narrations that state الأرض لا يخلو من حجة ‘The earth will not be without a hujjah‘, since there would be no purpose left for it and it would become unstable and uninhabitable.

There is a tradition that explains this, as received from the Prophet Muhammad, narrated by Imam Al-Hasan (pbuh): that the world will never be without a hujjah and the prophet names them one after the other until he ends the narration by saying they were the progeny of progeny, cultivation of cultivation.

أدلة الدعوة المهدوية الشيعية (Proofs of the Mahdi Shiite Call p. 75, as taught in the Mahdi Howzah).

[From Imam Al-Hasan b. Ali (as) he said: (Allah’s Messenger pbuh delivered a sermon one day: after he thanked and praised Allah, he said: “O people, it is as if I have been called and I will respond, and I am leaving amongst you two weighty things: Allah’s book and my close ones – my family – which if you held on to them both you will never go astray. Learn from them and do not try to teach them, for they are more knowledgeable than you. The earth will never be empty of them; had it been empty, it would fluctuate with its inhabitants”. Then he said: “O Allah I know that knowledge will never end and never be cut off, and that You will never leave Your earth empty of Your Hujjah over Your creation, (either) apparent but not obeyed, or fearful and hidden, so that Your proof is never nullified and Your friends are never led astray after You have guided them: they are the few in numbers yet mighty in value before Allah.”

So when he descended from his pulpit, I (Al-Hasan) said: “Oh Messenger of Allah, are you not the Proof of Allah over all the creation?”

He said, “O Hasan, Allah verily says: (You are but a warner and for each nation there is a guide – Al-Ra’d 7), so I am the warner and Ali is the guide”.

I said, “O Messenger of Allah, so your statement: “The earth will never be empty of a hujjah?”

He said, “Yes, Ali is the Imam and Hujjah after me, and you are the Hujjah and Imam after him, and Al-Husain is the Imam and Hujjah after you, and the Gracious and Aware One has told me that He will issue from the progeny of Al-Husain a child called Ali, namesake of his grandfather Ali. Then when Al-Husain has passed his son Ali will carry this task after him, and he is the Hujjah and Imam, and Allah will extract from his progeny my namesake and the closest to me in resemblance: his knowledge will be my knowledge and his wisdom will be my wisdom and he is the Imam and Hujjah after his father. Then Allah will extract from his progeny a child called Jafar, the most truthful of people in speech and action and he is the Imam and Hujjah after his father.

And Allah will extract from the progeny of Jafar a child who will be the namesake of Musa son of Imran (Moses son of Amram), who will be the most intense in his worship, so he is the Imam and Hujjah after his father, and Allah will extract from the progeny of Musa a child called Ali, the cradle of Allah’s knowledge and the place of His wisdom, so he is the Imam and Hujjah after his father.

And Allah will extract from the progeny of Ali a son called Muhammad and he will be the Imam and Hujjah after his father, and Allah will extract from the progeny of Muhammad a child called Ali, and he is the Imam and Hujjah after his father, and Allah will extract from the progeny of Ali a child called Al-Hasan, and he is the Imam and Hujjah after his father. Then Allah Most High will extract from the progeny of Al-Hasan the Hujjah, the Riser, the Imam of his time and Saviour of His friends, he will disappear until he is no longer seen; some people will turn back from his matter and some will stay firm on it (They say, ‘When is this promise if you are truthful – Younus:48). If only one day remained from this world, Allah would extend that day until He extracted our Riser, then he will fill it with justice, as it was filled with injustice and cruelty. So the earth will not be without one of you, may Allah give you my knowledge and my understanding, and I have supplicated to Allah, Most Blessed and Most High, to put knowledge and understanding in my progeny and the progeny of my progeny, and my cultivation and the cultivation of my cultivation”

~~~

References: Kifayat Alathar p. 165, Bihar Alanwar v36 p3

عن الحسن بن علي عليه السلام قال: (خطبنا رسول الله يوما، فقال بعد ما حمد الله وأثنى عليه: (معاشر الناس، كأني أدعى فأجيب، وإني تارك فيكم الثقلين: كتاب الله وعترتي أهل بيتي، ما إن تمسكتم بهما لن تضلوا، فتعلموا منهم ولا تعلموهم فإنهم أعلم منكم، لا تخلو الأرض منهم، و لو خلت إذاً لساخت بأهلها، ثم قال : اللهم إني أعلم أن العلم لا يبيد ولا ينقطع، وإنك لا تخلي أرضك من حجة لك على خلقك، ظاهر ليس بالمطاع، أو خائف مغمور، لكيلا يبطل حجتك، ولا يضل أولياؤك بعد إذ هديتهم، أولئك الأقلون عددا الأعظمون قدرا عند الله

فلما نزل عن منبره قلت: يا رسول الله، أما أنت الحجة على الخلق كلهم؟

قال: يا حسن، إن الله يقول: (إنما أنت منذر ولكل قوم هاد)، فإنا المنذر وعلى الهادي، قلت: يا رسول الله، فقولك: إن الأرض لا تخلو من حجة؟ قال: نعم، علي هو الإمام والحجة بعدي، وأنت الحجة والإمام بعده، والحسين هو الإمام والحجة بعدك، ولقد نبأني اللطيف الخبير أنه يخرج من صلب الحسين ولد يقال: له علي سني جده علي، فإذا مضى الحسين قام بالأمر بعده على ابنه، وهو الحجة بعد أبيه، ويخرج الله من صلبه مولودا يقال له جعفر أصدق الناس قولا وفعلا، وهو الإمام والججة بعد أبيه.

ويخرج الله تعالى من صلب جعفر مولودا سمي موسى بن عمران، أشد الناس تعبدا، فهو الإمام والحجة بعد أبيه، ويخرج الله تعالى من صلب موسى ولدا يقال له: علي، معدن علم الله وموضع حكمه، فهو الإمام والحجة بعد أبيه.

ويخرج الله تعالى من صلب علي مولودا يقال له: محمد، فهو الإمام والحجة بعد أبيه، ويخرج الله تعالى من صلب محمد مولودا يقال له علي، فهو الإمام والحجة بعد أبيه، ويخرج الله تعالى من صلب علي مولودا يقال له: الحسن، فهو الإمام والحجة بعد أبيه، ويخرج الله تعالى من صلب الحسن الحجة القائم إمام زمانه ومنقذ أوليائه، يغيب حتى لا يرى يرجع عن أمره قوم ويثبت عليه آخرون (ويقولون متى هذا الوعد إن كنتم صادقين)، ولو لم يبق من الدنيا إلا يوم واحد لطول الله (عز وجل) ذلك اليوم حتى يخرج قائمنا فيملأها قسطا وعدلا كما ملئت جورا وظلما، فلا يخلو الأرض منكم، أعطاكم الله علمي وفهمي، ولقد دعوت الله تبارك وتعالى أن يجعل العلم والفقه في عقبي وعقب عقبي ومن زرعي وزرع زرعي)

كفاية الأثر ص165، بحار األنوار: ج36 ص3