Allamah Hilli and his Meeting with Imame’
Zamana (as)
Allamah Hilli narrates –
Once, I went for the Ziyarat of Imam Hussain (as) on Thursday night. I rode a horse on the journey and had a whip in my hand. After covering some distance I saw a person in Arab attire coming towards me on foot. He came very close to me and started walking alongside me. After some time, he asked me a question which affected me a lot and got me thinking that he is no ordinary person. Rather, he came across as a scholar of the highest rank. Thereafter, I asked him a few difficult questions which he was able to easily answer to my satisfaction. This convinced me 100% that he is the most knowledgeable person of this time because I had never come across any person like him ever in my life. This question and answer interaction was highly engaging and I was genuinely awe struck and mesmerized by him. During the course of this conversation, we discussed a question, his answer to which was against my view. I said to him, your response is against the rule. There is no proof in any tradition or narration which supports your view to be correct and acceptable.
He replied, my view is supported by the tradition reported by Shaikh Tusi in his book Tehzeeb. I said, there is no such tradition in Tehzeeb. I do not recollect this tradition, either in the book of Shaikh Tusi or in that of any other scholar. He said, this tradition is on so and so page number and line number in your copy of Tehzeeb. This reply really stumped me and I thought to myself – perhaps this person travelling with me is none other than my beloved, my master Imame’ Zamana (as). To validate this I as,ked him, is it possible to meet Imame’ Zamana (as) in this age. He bent down and picked up the whip and handing it over to me said, why not? Right now, his hand is your hands! Hearing this, I threw myself from the horse back to his feet so that I may kiss his blessed feet, however I was so overwhelmed by happiness that I swooned. When I came to my senses, I saw that I was alone. I regretted my separation from my master. I returned home and the first thing I did was pull out my copy of Tehzeeb. As I turned the pages, I reached the page which the Imam (as) had indicated and read the tradition. It was exactly as the Imam (as) had narrated, at exactly the same place the Imam (as) had said it would be. I wrote on the margin of the book, next to the tradition – This is the tradition which my master Imame’ Zamana (as) has taught me.
How privileged are those individuals who have been blessed with the good fortune to meet with Imam (as) in the period of ghaybat (occultation)! This opportunity is available to believer wherever they may be in the world. All that one needs is strong belief accompanied with good deeds.
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