A Critique of Ṭāriq al-Qaḥṭānī's Claim Regarding the Conflict in Shiʻa Narrations Concerning the "Reason for the Occultation of Imam al-Mahdī (AS)"

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Department of Theology and Islamic Studies, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, Tehran, Iran.

2 M.A, Quranic Sciences and Hadith, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

The occultation of Imam al-Mahdī (AS) is a key issue in Mahdavi thought, for which various reasons have been stated in Shia narrative sources. In an article entitled "al-Ghaybah ʻinda al-Shīʻah al-Ithnā ʻAsharīyyah wa Asbābuhā; Dirāsatun Taḥlīlīyyatun Naqdīyyah" written by Ṭāriq ibn Saʻīd ibn ʻAbdullāh al-Qaḥṭānī," it is claimed, by adhering to these very narrations, that Shia narrations regarding the reason for the occultation are unreliable, contradictory, and irreconcilable. The present study, with the aim of responding to the doubts raised in the aforementioned article regarding the reason for the occultation of Imam al-Mahdī (AS) and using the descriptive-analytical method, first, while stating the claim made, examines the authenticity of the narrations' chains of transmission based on two approaches: "Narrator-centric and evidence-centric authentication." It demonstrates that, with the exception of one narration, the rest are capable of being considered authentic and sound. Then, by examining their implications, it concludes that since all the reasons for the occultation mentioned in the narrations are of the nature of incomplete causes (causa sine qua non) and not complete causes, therefore, a semantic reconciliation can be made between them, and there is no need to prioritize them over each other. In this way, we can consider some of them as the cause of the occurrence of the occultation and others as the cause of the continuation of the occultation, or consider one of the causes as the principle and the rest as its branches.

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History

  • Receive Date: 19 December 2024
  • Revise Date: 19 March 2025
  • Accept Date: 13 April 2025
  • First Publish Date: 21 April 2026
  • Publish Date: 21 April 2026

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