Esoteric Shi'ism

Esoteric Shi'ism (Dutch: Esoterisch Sjiisme; Indonesian: Syi'i Batini) has a long and complex history in Astyria and particularly on the continent of Sythith, where it remains the largest of the Shia denominations. Founded by Al-Sayyid al-Mu'alim in Muzdatijer, present-day Maqtajer, Esoteric Shias separated from the rest of the Shia communities after disagreements on fundamental aspects of the Shia religion, most notably on the station of Al-Sayyid al-Mu'alim as the purported deputy of the Hidden Imam, status of the scriptures and the role of ta'wil in religion.

Esoteric Shias believe in a line of twelve divinely-appointed Imams who are descendants of the Prophet through his daughter and his son-in-law, the twelfth of whom, according to Shia tradition, went into the Major Occultation and thus hidden on the very day the last of his Four Deputies passed away. Together, these twelve Imams, the Prophet and his daughter Lady Fatima form the Fourteen Infallibles who are considered to be infallible from error and sin. Esoteric Shias believe that infallibility is a necessary quality in prophets, as otherwise their teachings would be prone to errors caused by human shortcomings.

Esoteric Shias emphasise ijtihad, or human reasoning; social justice; universalism (kawniya), affirming the singular source of revealed religions; pluralism as well as political quietism for the Esoteric Shia clergy.

By its recognition of the hidden Twelfth Imam, a figure considered in Esoteric Shi'ism to be a guide par excellence, Esoteric Shias maintain that they preserve the sacred succession of gnosis (rewayat al irfan), which is considered as the essence of the divine word, passed down to the hidden Twelfth Imam from the time of Adam up to and since the advent of Islam, which Shias maintain to be the last of all revealed religions on earth and a continuation of a primordial divine truth. Esoteric Shi'ism revolves around doctrines of the unity of God (tawhid), Divine Justice (adalah), Prophethood (nubuwwah), the Imamate (imamah) and the Last Judgement (qiyamah). Esoteric Shi'ism may be considered a religion of the Infallible Imams, due to the great emphasis placed on their role in the religion.

The ruling administration of Esoteric Shi'ism is the Shia Convocation, headquartered in Bukit Ilias, a verdant hill range in Java, Hindia Belanda entirely owned by the administration. The Shia Convocation is headed by the Auxiliary Imam, currently Siyyid Hussain al-Hakim Billah, who acts as the spiritual guide of Esoteric Shias during the ongoing absence of the Imam of the Time (the Twelfth Imam), a period which Shias believe will continue until the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The absence of the phenomenon of the ‘Church’ in Esoteric Shi'ism means that the Shia Convocation cannot, by itself, define dogma, for that authority belongs to the Imam of the Time alone. Its work in the present-day is limited to giving spiritual guidance to its members based on the teachings of the Fourteen Infallibles and may create new interpretations deduced from their teachings.

Beliefs

Unity of God

Esoteric Shias believe that God is the immutable, uncreated being who is the source of all creation and whose nature is forever unknowable and transcendent beyond all conceptions, qualities and attributes.

The unity of God (tawhid) is one of the central doctrines of Esoteric Shi'ism which teaches that God is both immanent and transcendent. It maintains that God and his creation are ultimately not ontologically separate since the concept of tawhid requires that God is alone in being, along with his names, actions, attributes and theophanies, not next to, above or below other beings. According to Esoteric Shia theology, the Divine transcends all thought, imagination, intelligence and conception. God is the unknowable and the infinitely transcendent that cannot be comprehended or described except by description and terms by which God describes himself through revelation.

Tawhid is, therefore, the recognition that every being and reality in all their essences are ultimately from God, because God is the totality of being. This concept is explained metaphorically through the Parable of the Ink and Letters, taught by the Four Wandering Deputies:

“The Ink, being God, produceth letters, which are like unto the sum of all that is in this physical world. The letters by themselves do not exist without the Ink and they came from that Ink.”

Esoteric Shia teachings thus distinguish two levels of ontology of the Divine: the level of the Essence, which is forever inaccessible, incomprehensible and unknowable, and the level of the Revealed God, of the unknown and hidden wishing to be known and recognised by created beings. The unity of God and the inaccessibility of his essence are affirmed by Esoteric Shias everyday during the performance of the obligatory Canonical Prayers, particularly at parts where the Esoteric Shia kneels:

"... “Ashhadu annaka fi-l-haqiqati fawqa kulli-l-asma, wa fawqa kullil-awsaf, wa qabla kulli shay'in-us-sifaati. La ilaha illa Anta'l Ghafur-ur-Rahim.”"
"... I bear witness that Thou art, in truth, above all names, attributes and qualities. There is no God but Thee, the All-Forgiving, the All-Merciful."

The Kalimat al-Jalilih: Authorised Translation of the Auxiliary Imamate, Noon Canonical Prayer, paragraph 20

Reality and the necessity of God

Esoteric Shi'ism teaches that a human, upon coming into existence, gains the knowledge of their own existence and the existence of the world surrounding them. This knowledge and comprehension remains within them for as long as they are human; in other words mankind's perception of that reality is immutable and undergoes no change. As this reality is immutable, it cannot be destroyed, and yet every phenomenon in the visible world which has the qualities of being conscious and perceiving, such as human beings, eventually loses its reality and becomes nonexistent. The visible world and its elements, therefore, are not the essence of or sum of reality, which cannot be destroyed nor obliterated. From this concept, Esoteric Shi'ism maintains that the visible world must depend on a base reality, which is permanent, through which all things gain their reality, by whose mean they come into existence and for as long as they remain connected to which they remain existing. Esoteric Shi'ism calls this base reality, the 'Immutable Reality', which is God.

Divine Justice and Free Will

The first Shia Imam maintains that God is justice itself. Since God is justice, it follows that everything he does is always just and that humankind is called to act justly in every affair to attain godliness. Esoteric Shi'ism considers justice innate to the nature of God.

Esoteric Shi'a traditions hold that God does not produce human actions, but that they are entirely generated by humans. This constitutes the doctrine of free will, integral to Esoteric Shi'ism, which states that God has not fixed a definite and final course for human history and that humans themselves are responsible for it. Esoteric Shi'ism strictly rejects the concept of predestination which exists in other Islamic traditions, such as Sunni Islam.

Prophethood

Muhammad ibn Abd Allah. Esoteric Shias believe that Muhammad was the last of God's prophets, whose prophethood effectively ended the cycles of prophecy.

Amongst the tenets of Esoteric Shi'ism is the recognition of the existence of prophets whom God has sent to every nation on earth throughout history, culminating in the Islamic Prophet who finished the cycles of prophecy. He is therefore known as the Seal of the prophets. This doctrine of prophethood is articulated in a verse:

“For each nation We have appointed a Divine Law and a Way. Had God willed, He could have made you one community. But that He may try you by that which He hath given you. So vie with one another in good works. Unto God ye will all return, and He will then inform you concerning that wherein ye differed”

The multiplicity of religions and belief systems in the world is, according to Esoteric Shia teachings, an intentional and necessary consequence of an infinite God, who makes no distinction between one revelation from another. Esoteric Shia teachings maintain that the function of prophethood is, in its very essence, a reminder to humankind of the eternal and primordial pact of fidelity into which they entered long before they were born into the terrestrial world. This mystery of creation is expressed in the divine question which, according to Esoteric Shia traditions, human spirits were required to answer from before their birth to the physical world, long before the advent of divine religions on earth:

"'Am I not your Lord?'. The concourse of humankind shouted with great joy as their spirits were leaving that Blessed Presence of the All-Merciful for the physical world: 'Yes, Thou art truly our Lord and Friend'." — from Al-Masalah bayn al-Hayat wal Mawt

This shout was, to Esoteric Shias, a melancholic farewell as the creation of the current world was the moment human spirits and all that exists in the physical world separated from God, who Esoteric Shias consider as the totality of being, and a veil was placed between the physical and the metaphysical, both being parts of the Divine Essence itself. This moment of separation is commemorated by Esoteric Shias when they perform the ritual of remembrance of God (dhikr).

The Imamate

For Esoteric Shias, the conclusion of the cycles of prophecy (nubuwah) with the death of the Islamic Prophet begins another cycle of Imamate. The necessary complement of each cycle of prophecy (nubuwah) is the Imamate and thus Esoteric Shias believe that there is always a succession of Imams (successors) on earth at any given time following the death of any given prophet.

Since Esoteric Shias believe that the Islamic Prophet is the final prophet of God sent to earth and that the entire cycles of prophecy (nubuwah) ended with his death, the line of Imams that followed his absence is also the last and final cycle of Imamate. Belief in the Imamate is central to the Esoteric Shia faith and each follower must recognise the Imam of their time.

For Esoteric Shias in the present-day, the current Imam of the Time is the hidden Twelfth Imam, whose return will coincide with the Second Coming of Christ. Esoteric Shias believe that the together with Christ, the Hidden Imam will battle against the antichrist.

Esoteric Shias affirm the classical Shia belief that each revealed religion, such as Islam, Christianity and Judaism, is fundamentally an initiatory one, meaning that the revealed divine word has an apparent, exoteric aspect as well as a secret, esoteric aspect. Although each law-bearing prophet is familiar with both aspects or levels of the divine word, his mission, according to Esoteric Shias, is merely to present the exoteric divine word, or that which 'has come down' (tanzīl) in an apparent manner to the masses of the faithful in the community of each law-bearing prophet. Esoteric Shias believe that all law-bearing prophets are always accompanied in their mission by one or more 'Imams'. Esoteric Shia lists recurrently recognise, for instance, Abel as Adam's "Imam", Aaron or Joshua for Moses, Saint Peter and his sucessors for Jesus as well as 'Ali and his successors for Muhammad.

The term 'Imam' in this respect refers to a position which succeeds that of the prophet, whose duty is to make known the spirit of the divine word, or the esoteric aspect, and reveal the secrets of its essence (ta'wīl) and the exegesis of the scriptures to a select, initiated few. This minority of the initiated few are the "shias" of each religion, initiated by the Imam of that religion to the mysteries and esoteric aspect of the divine word on which that religion is based.

History

Succession

The Investiture of Ali ibn Abi Talib (left) as the First Imam by the Islamic prophet Muhammad (right).

The succession to Muhammad plays an important role in the formation and later development, both political and religious, of Shi'ism. Shi'ism disagree with the majority Sunni Islam on the nature of the role of the Prophet's successor. Whereas Sunni muslims maintain that the Prophet's successor should be styled as Caliph who leads a Caliphate and thus empowered with temporal affairs, Esoteric Shias maintain that the prophet's successor must be an Imam from the Prophet's bloodline, through his daughter Fatima, who leads an institution called the Imamate and is tasked with guiding the faithful in their spiritual endeavour.

It can be said that Shi'ism started at the time of the death of Muhammad, when there were conflicting opinions on who should succeed the Prophet. The majority accepted Abu Bakr as leader at an acclamation that took place within a few hours of Muhammad's death, an outcome that Shias believe amounted to an usurpation of the Imam Ali's rightful place as successor. The absence of the Imam Ali at the acclamation, who was at the time preoccupied with the funeral preparations of Muhammad, renders the meeting unlawful in the eyes of supporters of the Imam, in view of the numerous statements made by Muhammad before his death on 'Ali being his successor as spiritual head of the muslims.

Arrival in Hindia Belanda

<imgur thumb="yes" w="250" comment="A monopteros atop a small hill at the western side of the Shia Convocation Headquarters. The Auxiliary Imam delivers talks every evening from the monopteros.">I3t9kKj.jpg</imgur>

Esoteric Shi'ism arrived in Hindia Belanda by way of Maqtajer, with the arrival of partisans loyal to the cause of the Third Imam. A split between the Esoteric faction, which forms the majority of the Shia population in Hindia Belanda, and the Legalist faction, which now forms the majority of the Maqtajeri Shias, occurred 300 years following the Major Occultation of the Twelfth Imam, resulting in the 1068 Shia Schism. The Batoe Lempar Inscription recounts the arrival of these Esoteric Shias who fled Maqtajer and found refuge in the neighbouring Duchy of Serambi, present-day Hindia Belandan province of Malaya. There, they were met with open arms by the animist ruler Adipati Sangtrinila whose great-grandson Adipati Sangadinila converted to Esoteric Shiism circa 1269 CE and started a Shia dynasty in his name.

The Shia Convocation

Main article: Shia Convocation

<imgur thumb="yes" w="200" comment="Hussein al-Hakim Billah, the incumbent Auxiliary Imam.">nWiQvAO.png</imgur> The Shia Convocation is the central administration of Esoteric Shi'ism, headquartered in Hindia Belanda. Members of the Shia Convocation mainly reside in Hindia Belanda, though there is a minority of Esoteric Shias in neighbouring Maqtajer where most of the Shia population follows the legalist Zahiri Shi'ism, often at odds with Esoteric Shi'ism. The Commonwealth Government of Hindia Belanda recognises the Shia Convocation as a legal body with the ability to enter into treaties with sovereign countries, although neither its properties nor the land which it owns in Hindia Belanda enjoy the status of being sovereign.

The Shia Convocation is headed by the Auxiliary Imam, who is elected by an electoral body consisting representatives of each local Esoteric Shia jurisdiction, numbering 2,812 in total. Once elected, the Auxiliary Imam serves for life and takes upon the role of administrative head of the Shia Convocation and, by extension, spiritual guide of the Esoteric Shia faithful. The position of the Auxiliary Imam does not replace the Imamate, which is a divinely-appointed position occupied by the hidden Twelfth Imam.

Clergy

The Esoteric Shia Clergy consists of Interpreters, Panghoeloes (a Dutch-Indonesian word originally denoting a person with religious training who served the colonial government before 1929) and Mualims.

Practices and worship

Canonical prayers

Esoteric Shias perform five canonical prayers every day, comprising the prayers of sunrise, noon, afternoon, sunset and night. They usually combine the noon and afternoon prayers, as well as the sunset and night prayers.

Intimate conversation with God

In addition to canonical prayers and formal rituals, there is also intimate conversation with God (munajat) in which an Esoteric Shia engages the Divine source in a private conversation. This practice was taught by the Fourth Shia Imam.

“For each one of us has fallen short and yet Thou has not spread this abroad; each of us has committed vile acts yet Thou hast not exposed us to dishonour; each of us have concealed evil deeds yet Thou didst not point us out. How many an act prohibited by Thee have we performed; and how many a command that Thou hast ordained for us have we neglected, and there is the evil that is ours, and the sins we have committed.”

Intercession

Esoteric Shia doctrines teach that the Fourteen Infallibles, prophets, saints and angels may be asked to pray to God on behalf of others due to their nearness to God.

Remembrance

Rituals of remembrance are one of the main practices of Esoteric Shi'ism. There are two kinds of remembrance rituals in Esoteric Shiism, one concerns man’s remembrance of God (dhikr) and the other concerns the remembrance of the Fourteen Infallibles and their sacrifices (taziya).

Remembrance of God (dhikr) can be done by believers wherever they may be and is begun by invocation with the tongue, then contemplation with the mind aided by human imaginal faculty. The believer who remembers God such that he experiences ego death (fana) is said to then arrive in a state of nearness to the divine presence. According to Esoteric Shia teachings, remembrance of God is the highest form of worship because it enables the complete integration of the body, spirit (ruh) and soul (nafs) in an uninterrupted nexus with God, who is referred to as the ‘Friend'.

A ceremonial form of remembrance of God (dhikr) also exists, which is done congregationally with musical accompaniment at least once every Friday at a Bayt al-Adhkar, or House of Remembrance, the Esoteric Shia principal place of worship.

Places of worship

Esoteric Shi'ism recognises various types of places of worship, each playing distinct roles in the religious life of Esoteric Shias.

Bayt al-Adhkar

Further information: Bayt al-Adhkar

Bayt al-Adhkar of Lady Zaynab in Jakarta. Esoteric Shia religious life revolves around the Bayt al-Adhkar, or House of Remembrance.

The principal place of worship for Esoteric Shias is called a Bayt al-Adhkar, or House of Remembrance. It is often a large building or a complex of buildings where main religious activities and rituals take place on a daily basis. Every Friday, after performing the second canonical prayer of the day, Esoteric Shias gather at a Bayt al-Adhkar in order to perform a ceremonial Ritual of Remembrance (dhikr). In between congregational rituals, Esoteric Shias may come to a Bayt al-Adhkar to contemplate or perform the Fifteen Whispered Prayers.

Bayt al-Ahzan

A Bayt al-Ahzan, or House of Sorrows, is a building dedicated to hold mourning ceremonies during martyrdom commemorations of various Esoteric Shia figures.

Mosque

The least numerous of the three types of Esoteric Shia places of worship, a mosque serves as a place for Esoteric Shias to perform the canonical prayers thrice daily. Contrary to Reformed Sunni Islam, Esoteric Shia mosques tend to be small since most religious activities take place at a Bayt al-Adhkar, where the canonical prayers can also be performed. For this reason, there has been a steady decline of the number of Esoteric Shia mosques since Esoteric Shias prefer performing their religious obligations at a Bayt al-Adhkar. Many mosques are being expanded into Bayt al-Adhkar or Houses of Remembrance. Jurisprudentially, a mosque can be anywhere that is ritually pure where a canonical prayer is performed, thus a Bayt al-Adhkar is technically also a mosque. The

Social issues

Women in the Shia Clergy

Shia doctrines teach that there exists a priestly function in each believer irrespective of their gender, which allows any believer who is of sound mind and has attained maturity to lead congregational prayers. The highest religious office a woman can attain in Shi'ism is of the Interpreter (mujtahidah) which entails the authority to create new interpretations of the scriptures based on the condition and needs of the time.

Male and female Interpreters are eligible for the position of Auxiliary Imam, which is an administrative office of the Shia Convocation.

Marriage

According to Esoteric Shiism, marriage in its essence is a legal contract between a man and a woman of sound mind in order to institute a solid structure for reproduction of offspring and child-rearing. For this reason, Esoteric Shia doctrines do not recognise same-sex marriage because the reproductive function is lost in a same-sex marriage.

Opposition to theocracy

The Shia Convocation maintains the classical Shia position that theocracy is an unlawful form of government without the presence of the Twelfth Imam. It continues to oppose the idea of a Shia theocracy in the current era and insists that the only lawful theocracy will be the one instituted by Jesus Christ and the Twelfth Imam after their second coming. In Esoteric Shia jurisprudence, support for a theocracy other than the one believed to be established in the Second Coming constitutes unbelief.