The Need for the Imam — Page 4
4 sa The Need for the Imam sa relied upon. On the other hand, such revelations some- times cause one to stumble. And until spiritual knowledge is conveyed through the guidance of the Imam, one is not immune to such dangers. An example of this can be found in early Islam: A scribe of the Holy Quran, who, by virtue of being close to the Pro- phetic light, would often partake of the revelation of Quranic verses just as the Imam-the Holy Prophet was going to dictate it. One day the scribe thought to himself, 'What difference is there between me and the Holy Prophet? I too receive Divine revelation!' This thinking led him to his ruin. It is recorded that even his grave threw him out, quite like Balaam who was similarly ruined. Hadrat Umar too was the recipient of Divine revelation, but he regarded himself unwor- thy and had no ambition to be a partner in the True Imāmat established on earth by the God of Heaven. Rather, he considered himself to be a humble ser- vant. The Grace of God, therefore, made him the vicegerent of the True Imāmat. Uwais Qarnia was recipient of Divine, was also the recipient of revela- tion. He was so humble that he thought it ra9 8 * A learned man among the Israelites. (Num. 31:16, 2Pet. 2:15) [Publishers] 'Umar ibn Al-Khattab (r. 634-644), the second Rightly Guided Caliph. [Publishers]