Introduction
The perpetual existence of divine proof (Hujjat Allah) and the enduring need for a perfect guide are foundational beliefs of Twelver Shiʿism. In this article, we examine this concept and assess whether the notion of an ever-present Hujjah sufficiently establishes the existence of a living Imam. Our aim is not to prove or disprove the Imam’s existence itself, but rather to test the validity of the specific link drawn between the divine proof and an Imam in occultation.
Our discussion will center primarily on a selection of narrations relevant to this topic. Before we proceed, we should clarify that our aim is not to include a detailed analysis of their chains of transmission (isnad) nor to provide an exhaustive textual or historical critique. That said, we will offer reflections where appropriate, and the narrations cited herein are drawn from sources that enjoy widespread acceptance within the mainstream tradition.
Note: The article will soon be updated to include a list of references.
The existence of a divine proof
Due to the complexity and density of this discussion, we have broken up the text into notions, narrations, questions and conclusions. We hope that this will assist in making the article easy to digest.
Notion 1: Earth has not been devoid of Allah’s proof since the time of Adam
Narration 1
عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ قَالَ: وَ اَللَّهِ مَا تَرَكَ اَللَّهُ أَرْضاً مُنْذُ قَبَضَ اَللَّهُ آدَمَ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ إِلاَّ وَ فِيهَا إِمَامٌ يُهْتَدَى بِهِ إِلَى اَللَّهِ وَ هُوَ حُجَّتُهُ عَلَى عِبَادِهِ وَ لاَ تَبْقَى اَلْأَرْضُ بِغَيْرِ إِمَامٍ حُجَّةً لِلَّهِ عَلَى عِبَادِهِ
“On the authority of Abu Ja’far, peace be upon him, who said: By God, God has not left a land since God took Adam, peace be upon him, except that there is an Imam in it who guides people to God and he is His proof over His servants, and the land will not remain without an Imam who is a proof for God over His servants.“
Some questions arise with regards to the concept of perpetual existence of an Imam. For example:
Question 1: Who was the Imam between Prophet ‘Isa and the final prophet, as well as the extended periods between other prophets?
Narration 2
كان بين عيسى (عليه السلام)، وبين محمد (صلى الله عليه وآله) خمس مئة عام، منها مئتان وخمسون عاماً ليس فيها نبي، ولا عالم ظاهر. قلت: فما كانوا؟! قال: كانوا متمسكين بدين عيسى (عليه السلام). قلت: فما كانوا؟! قال: مؤمنين. ثم قال (عليه السلام): ولا تكون الأرض إلا وفيها عالم
“There were five hundred years between Jesus (peace be upon him) and Muhammad (may God bless him and his family), two hundred and fifty of which there was no prophet or apparent scholar. I said: What were they? He said: They were on the religion of Jesus (peace be upon him). I said: What were they? He said: Believers. Then he (peace be upon him) said: And the earth will not exist except that there is a scholar on it.”
Narration 3
عن ابى عبد اللّه عليه السلام قال: قلت له كانت الدنيا قط منذ كانت و ليس فى الارض حجة قال قد كانت الارض و ليس فيها رسول و لا نبى و لا حجة و ذلك بين ادم و نوح فى الفترة و لو سئلت هولاء عن هذا لقالوا لن تخلو الارض من حجة (الحجة) و كذبوا انما ذلك شىء بدا اللّه عز و جل فيه« فَبَعَثَ اَللّٰهُ اَلنَّبِيِّينَ مُبَشِّرِينَ وَ مُنْذِرِينَ » و قد كان بين عيسى و محمد عليهما السلم فترة من الزمان و لم يكن فى الارض نبى و لا رسول و لا عالم فبعث اللّه محمدا صلى اللّه عليه و اله بشيرا و نذيرا و داعيا اليه
“I said to him, ‘The world has never existed since it came into being, while there was no proof on earth.’ He said, ‘The earth existed while there was no messenger, no prophet, and no proof in it. This was the period between Adam and Noah, and if you ask these people about this, they would have said, “The earth will never be devoid of proof.” They lie! But that was something that God Almighty and Majestic decided to do. God sent the prophets bringing good tidings and warnings. There was a period of time between Jesus and Muhammad, peace be upon them, and there was no prophet, no messenger, and no scholar on earth. So, God sent Muhammad, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him and his family, as a bringer of good tidings and a warner and a caller to Him.'”
Narration 3 is worded very strongly in opposition to those who claim that a divine proof has always existed. This seems to be in contradiction with Narration 1 and the last sentence in Narration 2 (And the earth will not exist except that there is a scholar on it).
Conclusion 1: Historical evidence and the cited narrations compel us to acknowledge that there can indeed be periods when no living prophet or Imam exists on earth.
Sheik al-Suduq seemingly recognized this point and attempted to resolve the lack of a divinely appointed prophet with the perpetual existence of a guide – He mentions narration 1 in Kamal al-Din and goes on to state:
“Among those who roamed in the lands in search of divine proof was Salman Farsi (r.a.). He continued to move from one learned to another and moved from one jurisprudent to another and remained in the pursuit of divine secrets, gained guidance through narrations. He awaited for the Qaim, the Qaim and the chief of the formers and the latters, Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) for four hundred years till he received the glad tidings of his birth. When he became certain of deliverance he set out for Tahama and he was taken a captive there.”
He seems to imply that Salman al-Farsi was the ‘Alim of his era.
There is frequent usage of the word ‘alim within the narrations in the context of divine proof as we shall see in what follows:
Notion 2: The earth is not without a scholar who keeps the affairs of the people in order
Narration 4
عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ قَالَ سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ: مَا تَرَكَ اَللَّهُ اَلْأَرْضَ بِغَيْرِ عَالِمٍ يَنْقُصُ مَا زَادَ اَلنَّاسُ وَ يَزِيدُ مَا نَقَصُوا وَ لَوْ لاَ ذَلِكَ لاَخْتَلَطَ عَلَى اَلنَّاسِ أُمُورُهُمْ
“On the authority of Abu Ja’far, peace be upon him, he said: I heard him say: God does not leave the earth without a scholar who would decrease what the people increase and increase what they decrease. Were it not for that, people’s affairs would get mixed up.”
Notion 3: The earth is not without an Imam for (the explanation of) the laws of Allah
Narration 5
قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ هَلْ تَكُونُ اَلْأَرْضُ إِلاَّ وَ فِيهَا إِمَامٌ قَالَ لاَ تَكُونُ إِلاَّ وَ فِيهَا إِمَامٌ لِحَلاَلِهِمْ وَ حَرَامِهِمْ وَ مَا يَحْتَاجُونَ إِلَيْهِ
“I said to Abu Abdullah, peace be upon him: Can the earth exist without an Imam? He said: It cannot exist without an Imam for (the explanation of) their lawful and unlawful things and whatever they need.”
There is an abundance of narrations where the purpose of the scholar or Imam is mentioned – Guidance for mankind. The reason for which a scholar must exist is for people to understand the religion of Allah. It is a rational and practical notion – people need guidance in their daily lives and that is why Allah provides them with practical guidance in the form of a scholar who can guide them.
Question 2: Can this scholar or Imam serve the role of a practical guide while being inaccessible to the public?
Regarding the scholar and Imam mentioned in the above two (and several other) narrations:
Conclusion 2: The scholar cannot serve as a practical guide if he is inaccessible to the public. To fulfill the role of a guide, he must be actively present and engaged in their worldly and religious affairs; inaccessibility negates the very purpose of guidance.
Notion 4: The proof of Allah is (also) upon the wretched
Narration 6
عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ : أَنَّ جَبْرَئِيلَ نَزَلَ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ يُخْبِرُ عَنْ رَبِّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فَقَالَ لَهُ يَا مُحَمَّدُ لَمْ أَتْرُكِ اَلْأَرْضَ إِلاَّ وَ فِيهَا عَالِمٌ يَعْرِفُ طَاعَتِي وَ هُدَايَ وَ يَكُونُ نَجَاةً فِيمَا بَيْنَ قَبْضِ اَلنَّبِيِّ إِلَى خُرُوجِ اَلنَّبِيِّ اَلْآخَرِ وَ لَمْ أَكُنْ أَتْرُكُ إِبْلِيسَ يُضِلُّ اَلنَّاسَ وَ لَيْسَ فِي اَلْأَرْضِ حُجَّةٌ وَ دَاعٍ إِلَيَّ وَ هَادٍ إِلَى سَبِيلِي وَ عَارِفٌ بِأَمْرِي وَ إِنِّي قَدْ قَضَيْتُ لِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ هَادِياً أَهْدِي بِهِ اَلسُّعَدَاءَ وَ يَكُونُ حُجَّةً عَلَى اَلْأَشْقِيَاءِ
“On the authority of Abu Abdullah, peace be upon him: Gabriel came down to Muhammad, may God bless him and his family, informing them about his Lord, the Almighty and Majestic, and he said to him, O Muhammad, I did not leave the earth except that there was in it a scholar who knows my obedience and my guidance and who will be a salvation between the death of the Prophet and the emergence of the next Prophet, and I did not leave Satan to mislead people while there is no proof and an inviter to Me, a guide to My path, and a knowledgeable one about My affair. And indeed, I have decreed for every people a guide by which I guide the noble ones and provide proof against the wretched ones.”
This narration highlights a crucial function of the Divine proof (Ḥujjah). It indicates that the role of the Ḥujjah extends beyond merely guiding the faithful—it also serves as Allah’s definitive argument (proof) against non-believers.
Throughout recorded history, we encounter numerous instances in which individuals engaged directly with a prophet or an Imam from the Ahl al-Bayt and, through that very interaction, were guided to the truth. It was in this manner—through personal engagement—that the guides functioned as the proof of Allah for those who came into contact with them.
This brings us to perhaps the most fundamental aspect of this discussion—the very concept of proof itself. What precisely is meant by the existence of a divine proof?
Proof is Evidence or argument establishing or helping to establish a fact or the truth of a statement.
At its core, a proof is a means of verifying the truth of something. The divine proof, verifies the reality of Allah as the sole creator and the one true object of worship. In doing so, it leaves no justification for those who oppose the truth—and, as the narration explicitly suggests, serves as a conclusive argument against the wretched ones who reject it.
Question 3: Do we require the divine proof to ascertain the truth, or is it the other way around? In other words, does the proof—whether Prophet, Imam, or scholar—lead one to Allah, or must one first establish belief in Allah through independent means and only then accept the scholar as His proof on the basis of that preexisting belief?
Human intellect, the Holy Quran, and the narrations we have cited all affirm that the proof must precede belief—it must “come first.” It is through the proof that human beings are guided to reality. If acceptance of certain truths—such as Tawheed, the Quran, Prophethood, or the narrations—is made a prerequisite for believing in an inaccessible divine leader, then that leader cannot genuinely be regarded as a Ḥujjah.
Conclusion 3: It is self-evident that the proof of Allah must be manifest; if it remains unknown and out of reach, it fails to fulfill its essential role.
Notion 5: The Ḥujjah serves a cosmological role: The earth will “sink” without a divine representative
We find some narrations within the Shia hadith corpus which point to the idea of a designated representative of Allah without whom the earth and its inhabitants would be destroyed.
Narration 7
عَنْ أَبِي اَلْحَسَنِ اَلرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ : قُلْتُ لَهُ يَكُونُ اَلْأَرْضُ بِلاَ إِمَامٍ فِيهَا قَالَ لاَ إِذاً سَاخَتْ بِأَهْلِهَا
On the authority of Abu al-Hasan al-Ridha, peace be upon him: I said to him, “Can the earth exist without an Imam in it?” He said, “No, for then it would sink with its inhabitants.”
Several other narrations convey the same meaning: if a divine representative were absent from the earth, even for a single moment, the earth would sink along with its inhabitants. These narrations present a separate—and perhaps parallel—role for the divine representative within the cosmic order, one that is metaphysical and cosmological in nature.
This concept occupies a central position within Twelver theology and warrants further exploration. As noted earlier, our aim is not to scrutinize the reliability of the chains of transmission for these narrations. Nevertheless, it is instructive to pause and reflect more deeply on the notion itself.
When studied closely, we can identify several issues with such narrations:
- No rational or Quranic basis: In matters of fundamental belief, the intellect (‘aql) and the Holy Quran serve as primary authorities. While narrations from the Prophet and the Imams often elaborate on core tenets—such as the details of resurrection, punishment, reward, angels, paradise, and hell—they are not independent sources for establishing essential doctrines. The claim that the earth would be destroyed without a prophet or Imam is a significant one, yet it finds no support in either reason or the Quran. If such narrations are taken to inform a central belief, the absence of direct rational and / or Quranic support becomes problematic.
- No basis in al-Ṣaḥīfa al-Sajjādiyya and Nahj al-Balāgha: After the Holy Quran, Nahj al-Balagha and Sahīfa al-Sajjādiyya are among the earliest and most authentic sources of prophetic teachings, coming directly from the early Imams. As a general principle, if a major belief cannot be derived directly from the Quran and these two sources, we adopt a cautious approach toward it. Notably, these collections do not affirm the notion of the earth’s destruction; in fact, they present a different perspective altogether—one we shall discuss in our conclusion.
- Lack of elaboration: A significant number of narrations within the hadith collections explicitly mention this sinking of the earth. Yet none of them offer any elaboration on what this means—whether the sinking is physical or metaphysical, what mechanism is involved, or what wisdom lies behind it. This is in sharp contrast to how the narrations extensively detail the other role of the Ḥujjah—guiding people in religious matters and leaving no excuse for rejectors. The absence of any explanation on this matter is therefore unusual.
- Contradiction with earlier conclusions: According to Conclusion 3, there may indeed have been periods without a living prophet or Imam. Yet the narrations that acknowledge such periods do not mention—or even allude to—the destruction of the earth along with its inhabitants. This contradiction is difficult to reconcile.
In summary, the cosmological role of the Hujjah is unsupported by reason, the Quran, and the most robust Imami sources. It lacks explanation and contradicts historical realities. While we do not reject this notion outright, we are inclined to treat these narrations with caution.
Notion 6: The proof is apparent or hidden
There have been a number of traditions where the proof of Allah has been described as being manifest and well-known (ظَاهِر مَشْهُور) or something other than that. In a lot of the discourses, modern discussions as well as classical texts the commonly referred “other” proof is (خَائِف مَغْمُور) – fearful and obscure. However, there are several other narrations which give other description.
Narration 8
اَللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ لاَ تُخَلِّيَ اَلْأَرْضَ مِنْ حُجَّةٍ لَكَ عَلَى خَلْقِكَ إِمَّا ظَاهِرٍ مَشْهُورٍ أَوْ خَائِفٍ مَغْمُورٍ
“O Allah, You will not leave the earth without an argument for You over Your creation, whether apparent and well-known or fearful and obscure.”
Narration 9
بَلَى لاَ تَخْلُو اَلْأَرْضُ مِنْ قَائِمٍ بِحُجَّةٍ ظَاهِرٍ أَوْ خافي [خَافٍ] مَغْمُورٍ
“Yes, the earth is not devoid of someone who upholds the proof, either manifest or obscure.”
Narration 10
لَمْ تخلو [تَخْلُ] اَلْأَرْضُ مُنْذُ خَلَقَ اَللَّهُ آدَمَ مِنْ حُجَّةٍ لِلَّهِ فِيهَا ظَاهِرٍ مَشْهُورٍ أَوْ غَائِبٍ مَسْتُورٍ
“Ever since Allah created Adam, the earth has not been devoid of a proof for God, whether apparent and well-known or hidden and concealed.”
Narration 11
إن هاهنا يقتدح الشك بشبهة ظاهر مشهور أو مستتر مغمور و بيناته
“Here, doubt is fueled by suspicion of an apparent well-known or a hidden, obscure one and its evidence.”
Narration 12
اَللَّهُمَّ بَلَى لاَ تَخْلُو اَلْأَرْضُ مِنْ قَائِمٍ لِلَّهِ بِحُجَجِهِ ظَاهِرٍ مَشْهُورٍ أَوْ بَاطِنٍ مَغْمُورٍ لِئَلاَّ تَبْطُلَ حُجَجُ اَللَّهِ وَ بَيِّنَاتُهُ
“O God, the earth will never be empty of someone who stands up for God with His proofs, whether apparent and well-known or hidden and obscure, lest God’s proofs and evidences be invalidated.”
We observe that the manifest and well-known proof appears consistently across these narrations, while the second category varies. The term خَائِف (fearful) in Narration 7 seems out of place, as it is not a natural opposite of ظَاهِر (manifest). It is more plausible that the intended word is خَاف (hidden), which could easily be misvowelled as خَائِف (scared). Notably, the more common and linguistically fitting opposite of ظَاهِر is بَاطِن, and this is precisely the reading found in Narration 12. The variant خَاف (hidden) could plausibly be a result of scribal error or deliberate alteration—a phenomenon not uncommon in transmitted texts.
In any case, all of these narrations mention:
Conclusion 4: There are two kinds of proofs of Allah, and at least one of those is ever present on earth – a manifest proof and a hidden proof.
How can we harmonize conclusions 3 and 4? How can a proof be hidden and also guide one to Allah at the same time. We find a possible answer to this within the teachings of Ahl al Bayt:
Narration 13
يَا هِشَامُ إِنَّ لله عَلَى النَّاسِ حُجَّتَيْنِ حُجَّةً ظَاهِرَةً وَحُجَّةً بَاطِنَةً فَأَمَّا الظَّاهِرَةُ فَالرُّسُلُ وَالانْبِيَاءُ وَالائِمَّةُ (عَلَيْهم السَّلام) وَأَمَّا الْبَاطِنَةُ فَالْعُقُولُ
“O Hisham, God has two proofs for people: an external proof and an internal proof. As for the external proof, it is the messengers, prophets, and imams (peace be upon them), and as for the inner proof, it is the intellects.”
According to the above narration:
Conclusion 5: The “hidden proof” referred to in the narrations could be the intellect – It shall always guide one to the truth in the absence of a manifest proof. This fact is ascertained by the Quran and an abundance of narrations.
Conclusion
This article was not intended to either affirm or deny the existence of an Imam in occultation. Rather, our objective was to examine whether the concept of perpetual divine proof can serve as a valid basis for that claim. The Shia hadith corpus contains numerous narrations that explicitly support this view, representing the mainstream Twelver position. Indeed, standard Twelver doctrine relies heavily upon these traditions. While we acknowledge and respect this perspective, our own reading of such narrations adopts a more holistic and nuanced approach. Without undertaking a formal analysis of chain of transmissions, we have engaged with the issue from various angles and arrived at the conclusion that the need for divine proof, taken by itself, does not provide sufficient evidence for affirming the existence of a hidden Imam.
That said, we do not deny that a divine proof exists across time—it most certainly does. Where our view diverges is in the understanding that the nature of this proof is not static; it evolves with each era and according to the needs of each people. The proof is fundamentally that which guides creation toward the Creator. Legitimate forms of proof include prophets, Imams, scriptures, the established traditions of the prophets, and the intellect. This broad spectrum of proofs ensures that Allah’s Ḥujjah remains perpetually accessible and meaningful—and this is entirely consistent with divine justice.
We had earlier mentioned that we consider al-Ṣaḥīfa al-Sajjādiyya and Nahj al-Balāgha among the most authentic sources of guidance. Let us examine how these sacred texts can contribute to our understanding of this matter.
We read in al-Ṣaḥīfa al-Sajjādiyya, dua for the day of ‘Arafa:
Narration 14
أللَّهُمَّ إنَّكَ أَيَّدْتَ دِينَكَ فِي كُلِّ أَوَان
بِإمَام أَقَمْتَهُ عَلَماً لِعِبَادِكَ وَّمَنارَاً فِي بِلاَدِكَ
O Allah, you aided your religion at all appointed times by an Imam who you set up as a sign for your servant and a beacon in your lands.
The word أَوَان is often translate simply as “times” to reflect perpetuity. But this usage is not accurate. A more precise translation would be appointed / opportune time – the right time. The use of the word أَوَان indicates that appointment of a divine leader is not necessarily true for every, and all times. To illustrate this further, we find the following in the dua within the Sahifa for the beginning of the month of Ramadan:
Narration 15
أللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّد وَآلِهِ، فِي كُلِّ وَقْت وَكُلِّ أَوَان وَعَلَى كُـلِّ حَال
O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, in all times and all opportune moments, and in all conditions.
Here the word وَقْت refers to all times, whereas أَوَان would refer to specific moments within that time.
This indicates that the Imam (divine guide) mentioned in the dua is not necessarily appointed and present at all times – if that was the intention, then a more appropriate usage would be Zaman, or Waqt.
Finally, let us turn to the words of Imam Ali in Nahj al-Balāgha where we find a profound statement.
Narration 16
ولم يخل سبحانه خلقه من نبي مرسل ، أو
كتاب منزل ، أو حجة لازمة ، أو محجة قائمة
He, glorified be He, did not leave His creation without a sent prophet, or a revealed book, or a binding proof, or an established clear path.
This statement eloquently and accurately captures the conclusion that we arrived at – The use of the word “or” indicates that the mechanism by which the creation reaches the creator can vary. Even though the divine proof exists at all times, its nature can change.
In our view, at the present time, the intellect, the Holy Quran, and the established prophetic tradition—his Sunnah, as preserved through the teachings and practices of the Ahl al-Bayt—all constitute valid forms of Hujjah.
May Allah guide us to the truth.