[44] Imamah (Leadership) - Imam Hasan al-Askari - Part 2: Guardian of the Final Proof

A series of discussions on the teachings of Imam Sadiq (sixth Imam of the Muslims), from the book Misbah ash-Sharia (The Lantern of the Path)

In His Name, the Most High

As the luminous torch of Imamate passes from one bearer to the next, so too does our understanding build, session upon session, into a single, interconnected tapestry of divine guidance.

Over our last gathering, we journeyed with the eleventh Imam, Imam Hasan ibn Ali al-Askari.

We stood with him in the heart of the Samarra garrison and witnessed a life lived under total surveillance.

We saw him perfect the Wikala (Agency) System, a clandestine network that became the “artery” of the Ummah.

We confronted the “Lesser Imams” fallacy, establishing that his life is the primary blueprint for the Occultation, a manual that demands our sincere submission and our courage to hold religious authority accountable.

Finally, we saw how his divine knowledge and sacred character—which converted his own jailers—proved that Wilayah (Guardianship) is a spiritual reality that no prison can contain.

That history of the Imam’s life of preparation is the essential preface to our session today. His entire mission, lived under the shadow of the sword, was focused on one ultimate, critical objective.

Today, we turn our hearts to the very purpose of that mission: the continuity of the divine line.

This is the story of how Imam al-Askari (peace and blessings be upon him) completed the most dangerous and sacred task entrusted to him: safeguarding the secret birth and protecting the identity of the final Proof of God, the Awaited One, Imam al-Mahdi (may our souls be his ransom and may God hasten his return).

This is the story of the sacred trust, the covenant he left for us to connect with his living son, and the strategies of resilience he taught to ensure the community would survive to see the dawn.

With the epic of the Imam’s preparation fresh in our minds, let us now turn to the story of the Guardian of the Final Proof.

In His most beautiful Name, and with full trust in His support, imploring His assistance and guidance, we proceed…

Recap

The Imam of Preparation: A Review of Our Last Discussion

In our last session, we had the honour of exploring the life of the eleventh Imam, Hasan al-Askari.

We saw how his entire Imamate was a masterclass in leading a global community while under complete house arrest, a divine “boot camp” to prepare the Ummah for the Age of Occultation.

Our reflection on his life unfolded across three core themes:

1. The Final Phase: Perfecting the Clandestine Network: We began by analysing how the Imam operated the Wikala (Agency) System under maximum pressure, communicating almost exclusively through secret letters (tawqi’at). We saw his brilliance in appointing Uthman ibn Sa’id al-Amri (the “ghee seller”) as his chief agent, creating the seamless, operational bridge that would become the Minor Occultation. This seamless transition - Uthman ibn Sa’id moving from serving the visible Imam to serving the hidden one - mirrors exactly what the entire Ummah had to undergo: learning to maintain connection and obedience to a veiled but present guide.

2. The Garrison as a Blueprint: We then confronted the “Lesser Imams” fallacy, establishing that the Imams of Samarra are our primary manual for living in the Ghaybah (Occultation). We used the Imam’s own words, and the fiqh of ‘Adalah (Justice), to prove that our duty is twofold: sincere submission to righteous scholars, and the moral courage to hold corrupt or opulent ones accountable.

3. A Light from the Cell: Finally, we saw how the Imam’s guidance transcended his prison walls. Through his Jihad of Knowledge (his Tafsir and letters) and his Jihad of Character (his akhlaq that converted his jailers and tamed lions), he provided the ultimate proof that Wilayah is a divine station, not a political one. Just as today’s resistance movements operate under satellites and drones yet still coordinate victory, the Imam proved that no amount of surveillance can prevent divine work. We concluded that his veiled-but-present leadership was the final lesson to teach us that the Unseen is not the Absent.

Having established how the Imam prepared the Ummah, we now turn to the sacred secret he was protecting: the continuity of the Imamate itself.

Imamah (Leadership) - Imam Hasan al-Askari: Guardian of the Final Proof

The Qur’anic Frame

Before we enter the most secure and secret chamber of the Imam’s life, we must first understand the divine laws that governed his mission.

The secret birth of Imam al-Mahdi (may our souls his ransom, and may God hasten his return) was not a historical accident, but the fulfilment of a divine promise, the execution of a divine law, and the result of a divine methodology.

First, the divine promise that this was all building towards: that the era of the oppressed (mustad’afin) would inevitably end in their victory.

This is the promise that sustained the Imams through centuries of persecution.

وَنُرِيدُ أَن نَّمُنَّ عَلَى الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَنَجْعَلَهُمْ أَئِمَّةً وَنَجْعَلَهُمُ الْوَارِثِينَ

“And We willed to show favour to those who were oppressed in the land and make them leaders (aimmah) and make them the inheritors.”

— Qur’an, Surah al-Qasas (The Chapter of the Stories) #28, Verse 5

The Imams explicitly identified this verse as the banner of their final victory.

The Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali, looked to the future and, referencing this verse, promised this divine restoration:

قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (ع): ...لَتَعْطِفَنَّ الدُّنْيَا عَلَيْنَا بَعْدَ شِمَاسِهَا عَطْفَ الضَّرُوسِ عَلَى وَلَدِهَا. وَتَلَا عَقِيبَهَا: ﴿وَنُرِيدُ أَن نَّمُنَّ...﴾

The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) said: “...The world will turn towards us after having been rebellious, just as a biting she-camel turns towards her calf.” He then recited, immediately following this: “And We willed to show favour to those who were oppressed...”

— Nahjul Balaghah, Saying #209

Imam al-Askari’s entire mission was to safeguard the child who would be the final fulfilment of this very promise.

Second, the divine law that makes this promise a certainty.

This is not just a one-time promise; it is an unbreakable, universal law, recorded in all of God’s books, that righteousness is the prerequisite for inheritance.

وَلَقَدْ كَتَبْنَا فِي الزَّبُورِ مِن بَعْدِ الذِّكْرِ أَنَّ الْأَرْضَ يَرِثُهَا عِبَادِيَ الصَّالِحُونَ

“And We have certainly written in the Zabur (Psalms) after the Dhikr (Reminder) that the earth shall be inherited by My righteous servants.”

— Qur’an, Surah al-Anbiya (The Chapter of the Prophets) #21, Verse 105

As Allamah Tabatabai explains in Tafsir al-Mizan, this is the eternal divine decree for the planet:

...وَالْمُرَادُ بِهَذِهِ الْوِرَاثَةِ هِيَ وِرَاثَةُ الْأَرْضِ لِغَرَضِ الْحُكْمِ الْإِلَٰهِيِّ وَإِقَامَةِ دِينِهِ.

...And the meaning of this inheritance is the inheritance of the earth for the purpose of divine governance and the establishment of His religion.

— Allamah Tabatabai, Tafsir al-Mizan, Volume 14, Commentary on Surah al-Anbiya, Verse 105

Imam al-Askari was the guardian of the “righteous servant” who would finally establish this divine governance.

And third, the divine methodology commanded upon the believers who must await that promise.

We are not commanded to be passive; we are commanded to be resilient, patient, and, above all, linked.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اصْبِرُوا وَصَابِرُوا وَرَابِطُوا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

“O you who have believed, be patient and excel in patience and remain steadfast/linked (rabitu) and fear God, that you may be successful.”

— Qur’an, Surah Al ‘Imran (The Chapter of the Family of Imran) #3, Verse 200

The command rabitu (remain linked/steadfast) is the very essence of the Wikala system and the basis of our resilience.

As Allamah Tabatabai explains, this is a military term:

...وَالْمُرَابَطَةُ فِي عُرْفِ الْقُرْآنِ هُوَ الْإِقَامَةُ فِي ثَغْرٍ مِنْ ثُغُورِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ... لِإِعْدَادِ الْقُوَّةِ وَرَدِّ الْعَدُوِّ عَنْ حَوْزَةِ الْإِسْلَامِ.

...And al-murabatah in Qur’anic usage is to be stationed at one of the frontiers (thaghr) of the Muslims... to prepare one’s strength and to repel the enemy from the sanctum of Islam.

— Allamah Tabatabai, Tafsir al-Mizan, Volume 4, Commentary on Surah Al ‘Imran, Verse 200

This is what Imam al-Askari was teaching: the strategies of patience, strategic prudence (taqiyyah), and remaining “linked” to the leadership, even when veiled.

His life was a lesson in how to guard the spiritual frontier.

With this divine framework—the Promise, the Law, and the Method—we can now explore the first theme of his final, sacred mission.

The Sacred Trust: Safeguarding the Final Proof

Imam Hasan al-Askari’s entire life—his house arrest, his veiled communications, his akhlaq (ethics) with his jailers—was a single, focused strategy.

While he was outwardly managing the Wikala system, he was inwardly guarding the most dangerous and sacred secret in creation: the impending birth of the final Proof of God.

The Abbasid state was not just a political dictatorship; it was an “intelligence and surveillance state.”

They were not simply trying to contain the Imam; they were actively trying to prevent the future.

They were well aware of the widely-circulated prophecies, from the Prophet himself, that the twelfth Imam, the Mahdi, would be the one to destroy thrones and fill the earth with justice.

They knew this child was prophesied to be the son of Imam Hasan al-Askari.

The Imam’s home in Samarra was under 24/7 surveillance.

Spies, soldiers, and informants were tasked with one mission: to identify a pregnancy, locate the child, and extinguish that light.

The Imam’s life was therefore a masterclass in divine diversion, concealing the greatest reality in plain sight.

The Sacred Birth: A Divine Secret

The secrecy surrounding the birth of Imam al-Mahdi was so profound that it was even veiled from the closest members of the Imams family until the very last moment.

This event was a divine operation, mirroring the hidden birth of Prophet Moses (Musa), who was also born under a tyrant’s decree to slaughter the sons of his people.

The most beautiful narration of this event comes from the Imam’s own aunt, Sayyedah Hakimah, the daughter of Imam al-Jawad.

She is the trusted eyewitness to the miracle.

In a detailed account preserved by the great Shaykh al-Saduq in his masterpiece Kamal al-Din, she narrates that on the night of the 15th of Sha’ban, 255 AH, Imam al-Askari summoned her.

قَالَ أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ الْحَسَنُ (ع): يَا عَمَّةِ، كُونِي اللَّيْلَةَ عِنْدَنَا فَإِنَّهُ سَيُولَدُ اللَّيْلَةَ الْمَوْلُودُ الْكَرِيمُ عَلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ... قَالَتْ حَكِيمَةُ: فَقُلْتُ: يَا سَيِّدِي! وَ مِمَّنْ يَكُونُ ذَلِكَ؟ قَالَ: مِنْ نَرْجِسَ. قَالَتْ: فَقُلْتُ: يَا سَيِّدِي! مَا بِهَا أَثَرٌ. فَقَالَ: هُوَ مَا أَقُولُ لَكِ... فَلَمْ أَزَلْ أَرْقُبُهَا إِلَى وَقْتِ طُلُوعِ الْفَجْرِ وَ هِيَ نَائِمَةٌ بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ لَا تَقَلَّبُ جَنْباً عَنْ جَنْبٍ. حَتَّى إِذَا كَانَ فِي آخِرِ اللَّيْلِ وَقْتَ طُلُوعِ الْفَجْرِ وَثَبَتْ فَزِعَةً... فَضَمَمْتُهَا إِلَى صَدْرِي... ثُمَّ قَالَ أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ (ع): اقْرَئِي عَلَيْهَا ﴿إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ﴾... فَأَجَابَنِي الْجَنِينُ مِنْ بَطْنِهَا يُسَلِّمُ عَلَيَّ... فَوُلِدَ (ع) مُطَهَّراً مَخْتُوناً.

Abu Muhammad al-Hasan said: “O Aunt, be with us tonight, for the child beloved by God, the Mighty and Majestic, will be born tonight...” Sayyedah Hakimah said: I replied, “O my master! And from whom will this be?” He said, “From Narjis.” I said: “O my master! But there is no sign of pregnancy on her.” He said: “It is as I have told you...” [Sayyedah Hakimah narrates:] I watched her until the time of the rising of the dawn, and she was asleep before me, not even turning from side to side. Then, at the end of the night, at the time of the dawn’s rising, she suddenly sprang up, alarmed... I drew her to my chest... Then Abu Muhammad called out: “Recite over her ‘Indeed, We sent it down on the Night of Qadr’...” And the child answered me from within her womb, greeting me with Salaam... And he (peace be upon him) was born, pure and circumcised.

— Shaykh al-Saduq, Kamal al-Din wa Itmam al-Ni’mah, Volume 2, Chapter 42, Page 424

This narration is breathtaking.

The pregnancy itself was supernaturally concealed.

The birth was miraculous.

This was a divine secret, protected by God Himself from the tyrant’s spies.

The Mother of the Imam & The Satanic Disease of Racism

This story brings us to the sacred vessel for this final light: the Imam’s mother.

She is known by several names, including Narjis, Sawsan, and Reyhana. And just as with the mothers of the previous Imams, her selection is a profound theological lesson.

The traditions surrounding her origin vary.

Some narrate that she was a Roman princess, a descendant of Simon Peter, the wasi (legatee) of Prophet Jesus (Isa), who was miraculously guided to Samarra.

Other narrations state she was a noble jariya (bondwoman) from the Nuba region of Africa, brought into the Imam’s household.

What matters is not which narration is ‘correct’ but that God deliberately made her origin a divine mystery.

Perhaps this very ambiguity is the lesson - that the mother of humanity’s saviour transcends all ethnic categories, making him truly universal.

In our time, some have tried to seize upon this, to “ethnify” the Imam of the Age, to obsess over his “race.”

Will he be “white”?

Will he be “black”?

This entire line of questioning is not just a distraction; it is a satanic disease.

The very first racist was Iblis (Satan).

When God commanded him to prostrate to Adam, his arrogance was born from a hierarchy of origin:

قَالَ أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ ۖ خَلَقْتَنِي مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِن طِينٍ

He (Iblis) said, “I am better than him. You created me from fire, and You created him from clay.”

— Qur’an, Surah al-A’raf (The Chapter of the Heights) #7, Verse 12

As Allamah Tabatabai explains in Tafsir al-Mizan, this act was the origin of using a false, materialist analogy to reject a clear divine command.

Iblis judged the vessel (clay vs. fire) and wilfully ignored the divine spirit that God had placed within it.

إِنَّ إِبْلِيسَ تَمَسَّكَ بِأَنَّهُ مَخْلُوقٌ مِنْ نَارٍ وَآدَمُ مِنْ طِينٍ، وَالنَّارُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الطِّينِ... وَهَذَا مِنْهُ قِيَاسٌ فِي مُقَابَلَةِ النَّصِّ... وَقَدْ غَفَلَ عَنِ التَّشْرِيفِ الْإِلَٰهِيِّ لِآدَمَ بِالنَّفْخِ مِنْ رُوحِهِ وَالْأَمْرِ بِالسُّجُودِ لَهُ.

Indeed, Iblis clung to the fact that he was created from fire and Adam from clay, and that fire is better than clay... And this, from him, was an analogy (qiyas) in the face of an explicit text (nass)... And he was heedless of the divine ennoblement (tashrif al-ilahi) of Adam by the blowing of His spirit into him and the command to prostrate to him.

— Allamah Sayyed Muhammad Husayn Tabatabai, Tafsir al-Mizan, Volume 8, Commentary on Surah al-A’raf, Verse 12

This is the very sin of racism. It is the sin of judging a human being by their “clay” rather than by their taqwa (piety).

God gave us the one and only standard:

...إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ...

“...Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of God is the most pious of you...”

— Qur’an, Surah al-Hujurat (The Chapter of the Chambers) #49, Verse 13.

The Imams of Samarra themselves are God’s divine answer to this pre-Islamic tribalism. The mothers of the lineage—Sayyedah Sumanah (mother of Imam al-Hadi), Sayyedah Hudayth/Sawsan (mother of Imam al-Askari), and Sayyedah Narjis (mother of Imam al-Mahdi)—were all from outside the Arab nobility.

They were chosen by God not for their pedigree or their race, but for their supreme, unmatched piety.

The question is not “what race will the Imam be?”

The terrifying question is:

When the Imam appears, and he does not match our cultural or ethnic expectations, will we follow him? Or will we, like Iblis, argue with God about “fire and clay”?

Call to Clarify: A Lineage of Piety, Not Pedigree

Here, our first clarification must be a spiritual purification.

We must confront and eradicate this satanic disease of racism from our hearts, our homes, and our communities.

The Imams of Samarra built a holy household that was a beautiful tapestry of Roman, Nubian, and Arab blood, proving that the only lineage that matters to God is the lineage of taqwa.

Our duty is to clarify that Wilayah is a matter of piety, not pedigree.

We must build communities where a believer is judged only by the content of their character and the sincerity of their faith.

We must ask ourselves if we are truly ready to pledge allegiance to the Hujjah (Proof) of God, regardless of the “clay” from which he appears, or if we, too, would fail the test of Iblis.

The Living Covenant: Ziyarah Aal-e-Yasin

Imam Hasan al-Askari’s final mission was not just to physically protect the birth of his son. He had to provide his Ummah with the spiritual “key” to his son’s door—the method of communication for an entire age of Occultation.

This is the profound context for Ziyarah Aal-e-Yasin.

If Ziyarah Jami’ah al-Kabirah (gifted by Imam al-Hadi) is the “Constitution of Imamology” that teaches us who the Imams are, then Ziyarah Aal-e-Yasin is the “Oath of Allegiance” that teaches us how to speak to the living, present, but veiled Imam.

This ziyarah is one of the most important legacies of the Samarra Imams.

It was transmitted by Imam al-Mahdi (may our souls be his ransom, and may God hasten his return) himself through his father, Imam al-Askari, and delivered to the Ummah via the first special deputy, Uthman ibn Sa’id.

It is, in essence, the official, divinely-authored communication protocol for the Age of Occultation.

Yet, it is tragically neglected.

Many recite its beautiful words without ever grasping its earth-shattering theological implications.

A Conversation, Not a Monologue

The genius of Ziyarah Aal-e-Yasin is that it is not a historical remembrance.

It is a real-time conversation.

It shatters the false notion of an “absent” or “inactive” Imam.

Notice its unique and powerful structure.

We are not just saying, “Peace be upon you.”

We are taught to salute the Imam in his present, active states (halaat).

We are addressing a living, breathing, working Imam right now:

السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ حِينَ تَقُومُ
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ حِينَ تَقْعُدُ
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ حِينَ تَقْرَأُ وَ تُبَيِّنُ
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ حِينَ تُصَلِّي وَ تَقْنُتُ
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ حِينَ تَرْكَعُ وَ تَسْجُدُ

Peace be upon you when you stand.
Peace be upon you when you sit.
Peace be upon you when you recite and explain.
Peace be upon you when you pray and perform qunut.
Peace be upon you when you bow and prostrate.

— Ziyarah Aal-e-Yasin, cited in Al-Tabrisi, Al-Ihtijaj, Volume 2, Page 492

These are all present-tense verbs.

We are not remembering a martyr; we are addressing a commander.

We are saying,

“O Imam of our Age, as you are right now, in this very moment, standing, reciting, praying, and guiding the cosmos—peace be upon you.”

This ziyarah is the ultimate expression of Wilayah as a living, cosmic reality.

Ayatullah Shaykh Mohsen Araki explains that the Wali (Guardian) of God is the living heart of the universe, and this ziyarah is our way of “tuning in” to that living heartbeat.

‏إن الولاية هي روح العالم... والإمام هو قلب هذا الوجود. الزيارة هي محاولة الاتصال بهذا القلب الحي. عندما تقول “السلام علیک حین تقوم”، فأنت لا تخاطب تاریخاً، بل تخاطب الحاضر المطلق، الحجة الحیة التی تدیر الکون بإذن الله.

Indeed, Wilayah is the spirit of the universe... and the Imam is the heart of this existence. Ziyarah is the attempt to connect with this living heart. When you say, “Peace be upon you when you stand,” you are not addressing history; you are addressing the absolute present, the living Proof who administers the cosmos by God’s permission.

— Ayatullah Mohsen Araki, from his lectures on Sharh Ziyarat Aal-e-Yasin (Commentary on Ziyarah Aal-e-Yasin)

A Covenant, Not a Ritual

Because this ziyarah is a conversation with a living leader, it is, by its very nature, a renewal of our bay’ah (allegiance).

This is why it is so much more than a simple recitation.

Hujjat al-Islam Shaykh Alireza Panahian explains that Ziyarah Aal-e-Yasin is our required “weekly report” to our Imam.

It is the moment we stand at attention before our commander and re-affirm our loyalty.

‏زیارت آل یاسین، تجدید عهد هفتگی ما با امام زمان (عج) است. این فقط یک متن عاطفی نیست؛ یک میثاق‌نامه نظامی و سیاسی است. شما دارید به فرمانده خود گزارش می‌دهید که من بر عهد خود هستم.

Ziyarah Aal-e-Yasin is our weekly renewal of the covenant (tajdid-e ‘ahd) with the Imam of our Time (may our souls be his ransom and may God hasten his return). This is not just an emotional text; it is a military and political charter of allegiance (mithaq-nameh). You are reporting to your commander that you are still standing by your covenant.

— Hujjat al-Islam Alireza Panahian, from his lecture series The Path to Steadfastness.

This ziyarah is the practical application of our “Belief in the Unseen.”

It is the action that makes the unseen (ghayb) witnessed (shahadah) in our own hearts.

By addressing him, we affirm he is present.

By affirming he is present, we are forced to assess our own lives in relation to him.

This is the true meaning of tawassul (seeking a means). It is not “bypassing” God.

As Ayatullah Misbah-Yazdi (may God rest his pure soul) explains, it is the highest form of Tawhid.

‏توسل به اهل بیت (ع) نه تنها شرک نیست، بلکه عین توحید است. خداوند خود این وسایل را قرار داده است. زیارت، یعنی شما از دری که خدا فرمان داده وارد می‌شوید. این زیارت، اعلان آمادگی و طلب یاری از حجت خدا برای پیمودن راه خداست.

Seeking a means through the Ahl al-Bayt (peace and blessings be upon them) is not only not shirk, it is the very essence of Tawhid. God Himself established these means. Ziyarah means you are entering through the gate that God commanded you to enter... This ziyarah is a declaration of readiness and a request for help from the Proof of God to traverse the path of God.

— Ayatollah Muhammad Taqi Misbah-Yazdi, from his commentary on Ziyarah Aal-Yasin in the Payam-e Wilayat series

It is, as Imam Khamenei has stressed, the essential act that maintains our spiritual connection and readiness during this long period of testing.

‏در دوران غیبت، ارتباط قلبی و معنوی با امام زمان (عج) یک ضرورت مطلق است... این زیارات و ادعیه، مانند زیارت آل یاسین، همان رشته‌های مستحکمی هستند که این ارتباط را حفظ می‌کنند و مؤمن را در حالت آمادگی نگه می‌دارند.

In the Era of Occultation, a heart-based and spiritual connection with the Imam of the Time (may our souls be his ransom) is an absolute necessity... These ziyarahs and supplications, like Ziyarah Aal-e-Yasin, are the strong cords that preserve this connection and keep the believer in a state of readiness (halat-e amadegi).

— Imam Khamenei, from a speech on the occasion of the 15th of Sha’ban

Call to Clarify: Your Direct Line to the Imam

This ziyarah is Imam al-Askari’s final and most personal gift to us.

It is the living, direct line of communication he established for his son.

Our first duty is to rescue it from neglect.

We must clarify that Ziyarah Aal-e-Yasin is not just “another” ziyarah; it is our primary covenant with the living Imam of our Age.

Our action is to implement it.

We must encourage our communities and families to recite it regularly, especially on Friday, the day of the Imam.

But we must not just “recite” it; we must “pray” it.

We must stop and feel the meaning of saluting a living leader.

This is not a ritual; it is a living, covenantal relationship.

It is the weekly report that reminds us, and him, that we are still part of his army, awaiting his command.

But let us be clear: reciting this sacred covenant while simultaneously supporting oppression, remaining silent about corruption, or choosing comfort over justice is not just hypocrisy - it is a direct betrayal of the very allegiance we claim to renew.

The Fortress of the Faithful: Taqiyyah as a Sacred Strategy

We now arrive at the third and most misunderstood legacy of the Samarra Imams: the strategy of Taqiyyah (Prudent Concealment/Strategic Prudence).

For centuries, this concept has been slandered by our enemies as “sanctioned lying” or “cowardice.” And even worse, it has been abused by many within our own ranks as a religious excuse for apathy, assimilation, and silence in the face of injustice.

Imam al-Askari’s life, the pinnacle of this “veiled” Imamate, teaches us its true, powerful, and strategic meaning.

Taqiyyah is not hypocrisy.

Taqiyyah is not a license to lie.

It is not a path to apologetics.

It is a sacred strategy for survival in a hostile environment, a concept we explored in detail when we discussed Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq.

He was the one who defined it as a revolutionary method:

اَلتَّقِيَّةُ تُرْسُ الْمُؤْمِنِ، وَالتَّقِيَّةُ حِرْزُ الْمُؤْمِنِ، وَلاَ إِيمَانَ لِمَنْ لاَ تَقِيَّةَ لَهُ.

Taqiyyah is the shield of the believer, and taqiyyah is the safeguard of the believer. There is no faith for the one who has no taqiyyah.

— Al-Kulayni, al-Kafi, Volume 2, Page 217, Hadeeth 3

The Qur’anic Precedent: A Jihad from Within

The Imam’s teaching rested on the Qur’an itself.

The ultimate precedent for taqiyyah is not a story of weakness, but of profound courage.

It is the story of the Believer from the family of Pharaoh.

...رَجُلٌ مُّؤْمِنٌ مِّنْ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ يَكْتُمُ إِيمَانَهُ...

...a believing man from the family of Pharaoh who concealed his faith...

— Qur’an, Surah al-Ghafir (The Chapter of the Forgiver) #40, Verse 28

As Allamah Tabatabai explains, he concealed his faith not to save his own skin, but “to protect the truth” and to defend Prophet Moses (Musa) from within the tyrant’s own court.

وَقَوْلُهُ: “يَكْتُمُ إِيمَانَهُ” حَالٌ مِنَ الرَّجُلِ... وَفِي هَذَا الْكِتْمَانِ الَّذِي دَامَ عَلَيْهِ مُدَّةً طَوِيلَةً حَتَّى ظَهَرَ أَمْرُ مُوسَى وَاشْتَدَّ خِصَامُ قَوْمِهِ مَعَهُ وَهَمُّوا بِقَتْلِهِ، دَلَالَةٌ عَلَى أَنَّهُ إِنَّمَا كَانَ يَكْتُمُ إِيمَانَهُ لِيُظْهِرَهُ فِي يَوْمٍ يَنْتَفِعُ بِهِ الْحَقُّ وَيَرْتَفِعُ بِهِ الْخَطَرُ عَنْ نَبِيِّ اللَّهِ.

And His statement: “...who concealed his faith“ is the hal (state) of the man... And in this concealment, which he persisted in for a long time until the affair of Moses became apparent and his people’s dispute with him intensified and they resolved to kill him, there is a proof. It is a proof that he only concealed his faith so that he could reveal it on a day when the Truth could benefit from it, and when the danger to the Prophet of God could be repelled by it.

— Allamah Tabatabai, Tafsir al-Mizan, Volume 17, Commentary on Surah al-Ghafir, Verse 28.

This is taqiyyah: a strategic choice to preserve the core of the mission.

It is the “shield” that absorbs the blow, and as Imam Khamenei explains, the “hidden spear” that strikes the enemy when he cannot see the hand that wields it.

نیزه کجا به‌کار می‌رود؟... تقیه هم همین‌طور است؛ تقیه سپر است، دژ است... معنایش این بود که وقتی تیغ شمشیر را بر پیکر نحس دشمن فرود می‌آوردیم، او نه شمشیر را می‌دید، نه دست را... فقط درد و برش آن را حس می‌کرد.

Where is the spear used?... So too is taqiyyah—it is the shield, the rampart... In those times when we practised taqiyyah, it meant that when we brought down the weight of the sword upon the wretched body of the enemy, he could see neither the sword, nor the hand... but he felt only the pain and the cut.

— Imam Khamenei, Insan-e 250 Saleh (The 250-Year-Old Person), Pages 276-277

The Abuse of the Shield: Apologetics vs. The Axis of Resistance

But here we must confront our own failures.

The Imams gave us a shield, and we have used it as a blanket to hide under.

There is a vast difference between taqiyyah (prudent concealment/strategic prudence) and nifaq (hypocrisy).

Taqiyyah is to conceal your identity to protect the deen to protect Islam.

Hypocrisy is to conceal your deen to protect your dunya (worldly life).

When we, living in the relative freedom of the diaspora—especially in the West—hide our core beliefs, this is not taqiyyah.

This is cowardice.

This is a sickness of apologetics.

This is the great weapon of the enemy lobbies: self-censorship.

They create a climate of fear so toxic that we do their work for them.

We silence ourselves.

We dilute our message.

We hide our principles so much that we, and our children, begin to forget what they are.

This is not taqiyyah; it is capitulation.

For a stark contrast, we must look to our brethren in Gaza, in Palestine, in Lebanon, Yemen, and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

We see the mothers of Gaza, pulling their martyred children from the rubble, standing tall and thanking God. We see the children of Palestine, the women of Lebanon, the men of Yemen, standing firm against the worst aggressors on earth.

They do not misuse the idea of taqiyyah as an excuse for silence.

They speak truth while bombs are falling.

Yes, we must be strategically prudent, but prudence is not a license to break God’s commandments or to become hypocrites.

Taqiyyah is forbidden when the very core of Islam is at stake.

As Imam Khomeini declared:

این تقیه‌ای که اینها می‌گویند... تقیّه برای حفظ اسلام بود، نه برای حفظ خود. اگر اسلام در خطر بود، تقیّه حرام است.

This taqiyyah that they speak of... Taqiyyah was for the preservation of Islam, not the preservation of oneself. If Islam itself is in danger, taqiyyah is forbidden.

— Imam Khomeini, Sahifeh-ye Imam, Volume 3, Page 315

The Goal: From Failure to Active Awaiting

This brings us back to our covenant, Ziyarah Aal-e-Yasin.

We are a people awaiting the return of our Imam.

He is waiting for us.

His return is delayed because we have failed.

We are not ready.

We have failed to live the blueprint of the Samarra Imams.

We are not the steadfast followers of the Maraji’ and the Wali al-Faqih, but “loophole shoppers.”

We are not the courageous guardians of amanah (trust), but silent witnesses to corruption.

We have abused the sacred strategy of taqiyyah until our own identity has become blurred.

Every time we choose comfort over justice, every time we remain silent about corruption in our religious institutions, every time we practice ‘taqiyyah’ to protect our reputation rather than Islam - we add another day to the Occultation.

But, this is not a moment for despair.

It is a moment for clarity.

This is precisely why Imam al-Askari left us these tools.

The blueprint of the Samarra Imams is not a record of our failure; it is the path to our success.

The goal is not to drown in guilt, but to awaken.

To stop making excuses, to stop hiding in the shadows of a misunderstood taqiyyah, and to finally get our own house in order.

The goal is to internalise the covenant of Ziyarah Aal-e-Yasin, to let it burn into our hearts, so that our every action moves us one step closer to being the people he is waiting for.

We must transform ourselves from passive, “waiting” people into a community that is actively awaiting Imam Mahdi (may our souls be his ransom and may God hasten his return).

Call to Clarify: Taqiyyah is a Shield, Not a White Flag

This is our final and most urgent clarification as we conclude our study of the Imams.

We must reclaim the true meaning of taqiyyah.

We must clarify that taqiyyah is a sacred and limited military strategy for survival, not a social tool for convenience.

It is haram (forbidden) to use taqiyyah as an excuse for silence when the core principles of Islam—justice, truth, and the Wilayah of the Ahl al-Bayt—are under attack.

Our brothers and sisters in Gaza, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran and Yemen, who speak truth while bombs fall, have taught us the difference between prudence and fear.

Our duty is to be like the “Believer of the family of Pharaoh”: to know when to be silent to protect the mission, and when to speak truth to save it.

This is the final, razor’s-edge lesson from the school of Samarra.

Mastering it is the final condition for our own readiness, as we now move from the history of the Imams to the living, breathing reality of Mahdawiyyah—the age of the Mahdi, the age we live in today.

Conclusion: The Legacy of the Garrison and the Dawn of Awaiting

So concludes our six-part journey with the three Imams of Samarra.

We have walked with them from the gilded cage of Baghdad to the heart of the military fortress, and what we have found is not a story of despair, but one of profound, divine, and meticulous preparation.

We began with Imam Muhammad al-Jawad, the Imam of “Youthful Authority,” who proved that divine knowledge transcends age and whose clarity unmasked the sophisticated hypocrisy of the state.

We walked with his son, Imam Ali al-Hadi, the “Light in the Garrison.” From within his prison, he delivered the Ziyarah al-Jami’ah al-Kabirah, the timeless “Charter of Wilayah,” defining the cosmic station of the Imamate. And he perfected the Wikala System, the clandestine infrastructure that would become the lifeline of the Ummah.

And tonight, we stood with Imam Hasan al-Askari, the “Guardian of the Dawn.” We saw him operate this network under total surveillance, using his tafsir and letters to continue the Jihad of Knowledge, and his sacred character to convert his own jailers.

Their lives were not a tragedy; they were a triumph.

The Abbasid plot was to sever the line of Imamate forever.

They failed.

Imam al-Askari’s entire mission was to defy this plot, and he succeeded.

He completed the training of the Ummah and, as we shall see, he ensured the sacred trust of the Imamate was passed on, safe and secure.

This is not the end of the story; it is the beginning of ours.

The passing of Imam al-Askari is the pivot point of our history. It is the moment the preparation ends and the test begins.

It is the dawn of the age of Mahdawiyyah.

In our next series of discussions, God willing, we will step into this new era.

• We will explore the Ghaybat al-Sughra (the Lesser Occultation), where the Wikala system we have studied was put to its ultimate test, functioning through the Four Special Deputies.

• We will trace the transition into the Ghaybat al-Kubra (the Greater Occultation)—the age in which we now live.

• And most importantly, we will study our own duties and responsibilities within this age, moving from a passive state of “waiting” to an active state of “awaiting.”

We must understand that the length of this occultation is not a punishment from God, but a consequence of our collective failure.

The Imam of our Time (may our souls be his ransom and may God hasten his return) himself told us that the only barrier to his return is us.

وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَشْيَاعَنَا وَفَّقَهُمُ اللَّهُ لِطَاعَتِهِ عَلَى اجْتِمَاعٍ مِنَ الْقُلُوبِ فِي الْوَفَاءِ بِالْعَهْدِ عَلَيْهِمْ لَمَا تَأَخَّرَ عَنْهُمُ الْيُمْنُ بِلِقَائِنَا، وَلَتَعَجَّلَتْ لَهُمُ السَّعَادَةُ بِمُشَاهَدَتِنَا.

And if our Shia—may God grant them success in His obedience—were to unite their hearts in fulfilling the covenant upon them, our blessed meeting with them would not be delayed, and the felicity of witnessing us would be hastened for them.

— Imam al-Mahdi, from his Tawqi’ (Signed Letter) to Shaykh al-Mufid, cited in Al-Tabrisi, Al-Ihtijaj, Volume 2, Page 499

This letter from the Imam himself proves that his return is not a fixed date written in the heavens but a dynamic reality determined by our readiness.

We are not waiting for time to pass; we are failing to become the people he needs.

The Imams of Samarra gave us the blueprint.

They taught us how to be a community of tawhid, amanah, and taqiyyah.

Our study of Mahdawiyyah will be the study of that covenant.

It is the most urgent and important subject of our time.

A Supplication-Eulogy for Imam al-Askari

The Covenant of the Garrison

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

O God,
send Your blessings upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad.

We send our salutations upon the Seal of Your Prophets,
the Mercy to the Worlds,
our master, Muhammad al-Mustafa.

We send our salutations upon his daughter,
the Lady of Light,
the axis of the kisa’,
Sayyedah Fatimah al-Zahra.

We send our salutations upon Your Wali (Guardian) and Your Trustee,
the very “Self of the Prophet,” our master,
Imam Ali al-Murtada,
and we say:
“Peace be upon you,
O Trustee of God (Amin Allah) in His earth,
and His Proof over His servants.”

We send our salutations upon the Masters of Youth in Paradise,
Imam al-Hasan and Imam al-Husayn.

We turn to the Master of Martyrs,
and we channel the heart-broken cry of his descendant from Ziyarat al-Nahiyah al-Muqaddasah:
“Peace be upon the one whose blood was shed in oppression...
Peace be upon the one ‘whom the angels of heaven wept for’...
Peace be upon the one whose beard was drenched in his own blood.”

O God,
we bear witness, as we do in Ziyarat Ashura,
that the affliction and the calamity are great upon us and upon all the people of Islam.

And from that sacred sacrifice in Karbala,
we turn to the guardians of the final phase.

We send our salutations to the Imam of supplication, al-Sajjad;
the Splitter of Knowledge, al-Baqir;
and the Teacher of the Ummah, al-Sadiq.

We send our salutations to the Imam of Patience, al-Kadhim;
the Imam of Submission, al-Ridha;
and the Imam of Generosity, al-Jawad.

And we send our most profound peace upon the Imams of Samarra,
the very architects of our age.

We send peace upon the Light in the Garrison, Imam al-Hadi,
who, from his prison, gifted us the Ziyarah al-Jami’ah al-Kabirah—
the charter that taught us that you are
the “locations of the cognition of God,”
the “lamps in the darkness,” and that
“the Truth is with you, in you, from you, and to you.”

And we send our deepest peace and salutations upon our master for tonight,
the eleventh light,
the Guardian of the Dawn,
Imam Hasan ibn Ali al-Askari.

O God,
we thank You for his life of sacred patience,
a life lived under the shadow of the sword,
a life dedicated to protecting the future.

We thank You for the blueprint he left us,
for the Wikala he perfected,
for the Tafsir he taught,
and for the life of piety that converted his jailers and tamed lions,
proving that Your Wilayah is a power that no tyrant can cage.

O God,
his entire life was a preparation for this moment.
And now, in this age of veiling,
our hearts cry out with the lament of Dua al-Nudbah:

“Where is the Remnant of God?
Where is the Awaited One to sever the ropes of tyranny and oppression?
Where is the one to rebuild the crookedness and the error?”

O Lord,
we turn to him,
Your living, present Proof.

We channel the covenant of Ziyarah Aal-Yasin and say:

“Peace be upon you, O Caller of God and the embodiment of His verses.
Peace be upon you as you stand and as you sit.
Peace be upon you as you recite and explain.
Peace be upon you when you pray and perform qunut.
Peace be upon you when you bow and prostrate.”

O God,
he is not absent;
he is present.

He is veiled not by Your decree,
but by our own sins.

We are the ones who have failed him.

We are the ones who ask with “obstinacy” rather than for “understanding.”

We are the ones who have allowed “scholars in love with the dunya“ to betray Your trust.

We are the ones who have abused the shield of taqiyyah as a white flag of capitulation,
while our brothers and sisters in Gaza and Yemen,
in Lebanon and Iran,
teach us the true meaning of Imam Husayn’s cry:

“How far from us is humiliation!”

So,
O God, in this very moment,
we beg You for tawfeeq (ability/success) to change.

We beg You to help us be better.

We renew our covenant,
as we pledge in Dua al-Ahd:

“O God, I commit to him my covenant,
my allegiance,
and my loyalty for as long as I shall live...
O God, make us among his helpers,
his aides,
his defenders,
and those who hasten to fulfil his commands.”

O God,
let this not be an empty pledge.

Grant us the profound submission of Ziyarah al-Jami’ah:

“My heart is submitted to you,
my affair is following you,
and my help is prepared for you.”

Make us a community that is truly “prepared”—
accountable,
sincere, and united in our love for You.

Let this pledge be a fire for justice.

Let it be our strength to stand with Your oppressed servants in Gaza and all of Palestine.

Protect the children under the rubble.

Grant victory to the hands of the Resistance,
who embody the true dignity of Imam al-Askari and refuse to bow to the tyrants of the age.

O Lord,
accept from us this small remembrance.

Make us worthy of the system the Samarra Imams built.

Make us true servants of the Imam they protected,
and hasten the day when the Light of the Garrison returns to fill the earth with the justice of his fathers.

Amen, O Lord Sustainer of the Universes.
Amen, O Most Merciful of the Merciful.

And from Him alone is all ability and He has authority over all things.