Article ID: 36

Article Date: 2016-04-24

Writer: Mostafa Amiri (http://rajanews.com/node/240377)

The Signs of the Reappearance(9)

A Critical Review of the Hypothesis of the Symbolic Nature of the Definite Signs of the Reappearance / Is “Sufyani” a Symbol or a Reality?

In the series of articles on Mahdism studies, an effort will be made, relying on Islamic traditions and narrations, to provide a complete, coherent, and rational picture of the definite signs of the Reappearance and the related events. The minimum result of this effort is that researchers will be able to distinguish documented materials from undocumented ones in discussions on Mahdism, and in their judgments and analyses, they will avoid relying on undocumented materials.
In the fifth article, reference was made to the jurisprudential obligation of recognizing the definite signs of the Reappearance. In the sixth article, this question was answered: whether in the signs of the Reappearance, and especially in the definite signs—such as Yamani, Sufyani, and others—there is a possibility of alteration or even non-occurrence, or not. And in the seventh article, the great significance of the uprising of Sufyani was discussed, as the greatest enemy of the Imam of the Age and the first definite sign of the Reappearance, to the extent that all the definite signs are in some way connected to this sign. It was also pointed out that one of the fundamental goals of Sufyani’s uprising is the attack on Shia-populated regions, the massacre of the Shias, and the assault on the sacred Shia shrines in Iraq.
The impact of this enormous event on the identity of Shi‘ism, and the threat posed to the Shias of the world from Sufyani, makes it necessary to study the dimensions of this affair and to be aware of its various aspects. And in the eighth article, we introduced the first definite sign of the Reappearance, Sufyani, and the broad dimensions of this event, as well as its connection with the events of Syria in the end times and the region of al-Sham.
Now, this question will be answered: is Sufyani a symbol or a reality? In other words, can Sufyani be regarded as a symbol of the prevailing ideology and the current opposed to Shi‘ism? Or, while the Sufyani current in the Islamic world is considered an anti-Shia ideology, there is nothing improbable in the idea that the leader of this current is a single individual from the family of Mu‘awiya ibn Abi Sufyan. In other words, is Sufyani a real personality or a symbolic one?

Sufyani: Symbol or Reality

A fundamental question regarding Sufyani arises: is the ter“Sufyani,” which has been mentioned in numerous narrations and traditions, a coded and symbolic word, or is it real and referring to a human figure? Undoubtedly, answering this question plays a significant role in understanding the narrations on this subject. And with each option chosen, our interpretation of the narrations will differ greatly. Therefore, it is appropriate to first examine this issue.
The prevalent opinion is that Sufyani, as the first definite sign of the Reappearance, from the descendants of Banu Umayyah and from the offspring of Abu Sufyan and Hind the Liver-Eater, will emerge from the valley of Yabis in Syria, at the border of Jordan, in the month of Rajab of the year of the Imam Mahdi’s reappearance. He will fight for six months and then rule for nine months over al-Kur al-Khams (the Five Regions: Damascus, Homs, Aleppo, Jordan, and Qinnasrin) in the region of al-Sham. Sufyani, who has been titled as the greatest enemy of Imam Mahdi, after retreating from Iraq and al-Sham, will be killed in the battle for the liberation of Jerusalem at the hands of the companions of Imam Mahdi.
On the other hand, a group emphasizes the symbolic nature of Sufyani and assumes that “Sufyani” is a symbolic term, referring to the front of falsehood, which the Infallibles used as an expression for bringing the concept closer to the mind.
Regarding this subject, the two mentioned hypotheses will be examined along with their supporting reasons:

Symbolic Hypothesis of the Term “Sufyani”

Some believe that the term “Sufyani” is symbolic, meaning that the Sufyani represents an intellectual and cultural current. This current, which has emerged within the Islamic world, is in conflict with Shi‘i Mahdism and its related values.⁽¹⁾
According to this hypothesis, the Sufyani will not be a human personality. A similar view has also been presented regarding the Dajjāl, based on which the Dajjāl is not a human personality, but rather the materialistic civilization dominating the world at the end of time.⁽²⁾ Likewise, the Sufyani, similar to the Dajjāl, is symbolic.

Critique and Examination of the Hypothesis of Symbolic Interpretation of the Definite Signs of the Reappearance

The symbolic hypothesis of the Sufyani is incorrect and invalid for several reasons, including:

1.

Interpreting the Sufyani symbolically contradicts numerous narrations, including:

a.

The group of narrations that explicitly mention the name of the Sufyani;

b.

The group of narrations that address the lineage of the Sufyani;

c.

The group of narrations that describe the outward appearance and physical characteristics of the Sufyani.
All of the above narrations share the common theme that the Sufyani is a human being. In a reliable narration, Imam al-Sādiq (PBUH) stated:
“If you see the Sufyani, you have seen the most wicked of mankind... his wickedness is such that he buries his child’s mother alive out of fear that she might reveal his whereabouts.”⁽³⁾
According to the above narration, the result of considering the Sufyani as symbolic would be the dismissal of a collection of narrations. Therefore, to avoid this, we must regard the Sufyani as a human being and not as a symbolic or allegorical term.

2.

Considering the Sufyani symbolic contradicts the outward meaning of numerous narrations.
Explanation: if the Sufyani were symbolic, then the apparent meaning of four groups of narrations would have to be interpreted against their plain sense, which is incorrect:

a.

The group of narrations that speak about the religion and sect of the Sufyani — and describe him outwardly as a Muslim.

b.

The group of narrations that speak about the place and time of the Sufyani’s uprising as that of a specific person. According to the symbolic hypothesis, these narrations would have to be interpreted as referring to the origin of this cultural current and its place of emergence in Syria — and not that such a person will rise from there.

c.

The group of narrations that speak about the power of the Sufyani in Syria and his attack on Iraq, Medina, and Mecca would have to be interpreted, according to the symbolic hypothesis, as allusions to the spread of the Sufyani’s anti-Shi‘i culture in those mentioned lands.

d.

The group of narrations that speak about the killing of the Sufyani would have to be interpreted as referring to the eradication of this deviant cultural current.
From the sum of these four groups of narrations, can it be concluded that the Sufyani is not human but symbolic? Interpreting the Sufyani symbolically is only possible if accepting the plain sense of the narrations that describe his characteristics and features were impossible. However, these narrations are free of any irrational or supernatural content. Therefore, there is no reason to reject their outward meaning, which describes him as a person.⁽⁴⁾
According to the well-known Shi‘i view, and based on the plain sense of the narrations, the Sufyani is a human being with a specific name, from a known family (descended from Banu Umayyah and Yazid), with distinct physical features, who believes in a religion and creed opposed to Shi‘i doctrines, and who will rise at a specific time and place (the month of Rajab, from the border regions of Syria and Jordan). He will launch attacks on various countries, including Iraq and Arabia. Considering the narrations about the Sufyani as symbolic or allegorical is contrary to the outward meaning of the Islamic hadiths.

Proving the Humanity of the Sufyani

To prove the second hypothesis, which considers the Sufyani a human, one may rely on what was mentioned in the critique of the first hypothesis. The narrations’ explicit references to the name, lineage, and outward appearance of the Sufyani, which can only be understood by acknowledging him as a human being, serve as evidence.

The Sufyani: A Specific Individual or a General Type?

After establishing that the Sufyani is human, the next question arises: is the Sufyani mentioned in the narrations a particular person or a generic type?

First View: The Sufyani is an Individual

To consider the Sufyani as an individual means that the term refers to a specific person, and that he will rise only once in history — at the end of times and on the eve of the reappearance of the Imam of the Age. According to this view, the use of the term “Sufyani” for the said figure could be due to his descent from the family of Abu Sufyān, or because of his possession of the traits and character of Abu Sufyān and Banu Umayyah, who throughout history raised figures such as Mu‘āwiyah and Yazid in opposition to true Islam.

Second View: The Sufyani is a general type person

In contrast, some believe that the Sufyani is not a specific individual. Rather, the term applies to figures who rose against the truth and possessed the traits of Abu Sufyān.⁽⁵⁾ On this basis, it is possible that throughout history, various Sufyanis have emerged — or will emerge — and that one of them is the Sufyani who, on the eve of the reappearance, will stand against Imam al-Mahdi (PBUH). According to this view, the application of the term “Sufyani” to such individuals would be due to their possession of Abu Sufyān’s traits, not necessarily due to descent from his family. This view is referred to as the theory of the “typological Sufyani.”
It seems, however, that with a brief reflection on the narrations related to the Sufyani, one can easily conclude that the Sufyani of the end of times is none other than a single person, and thus the first view is established (the Sufyani is an individual, not a type). The narrations that mention his name, lineage, and physical features, as well as those that describe the time, place, and events of his uprising, all use the term “al-Sufyani” to refer to one Sufyani. Thus, since in none of the statements of the infallible Imams (peace be upon them) about the events related to the Sufyani is it mentioned that “the first Sufyani” is such and such, or that “the last Sufyani” has certain traits, but rather, all narrations refer to him simply as “al-Sufyani,” and likewise, in none of the cases when the companions of the Imams asked about the features and details of the Sufyani’s uprising did the Imams qualify him as the first, last, or similar, it is thus understood that, according to the understanding of the companions, the Sufyani mentioned in the narrations was none other than a single person, and the religious leaders also described the characteristics and features of that one person.

Examination of the Narrations on the Typological Sufyani

However, among the narrations transmitted from the infallible leaders (peace be upon them), three narrations have been found that indicate the plurality of Sufyanis:
1. Ibn Hammād, through his chain of transmission, narrates from the Prophet (PBUH and his family):
“The uprising of the Sufyani will be after thirty-nine years.”⁽⁶⁾
Since without doubt a Sufyani will also rise at the end of times, this narration indicates the multiplicity of Sufyanis and supports the typological theory, suggesting that there have been, or will be, multiple Sufyanis throughout history.
2. In the book al-Tashrif bi’l-minan (The Honor of Blessings), Sayyid Ibn Tawus, quoting from al-Fitan of Sulayli, transmits in mursal (a narration with an incomplete chain of transmission) form that Imam ‘Ali (PBUH), after mentioning future seditions, said:
“The beginning of those seditions is the Sufyani, and the end of them is the Sufyani.” He was asked: “Who are these two Sufyanis?” The Imam replied: “One is Hijri and the other is Shāmi.”⁽⁷⁾
3. Likewise, in the book Qurb al-isnād (Nearness of the Chain), Himyāri narrates in a reliable report from Imam al-Sajjād (PBUH):
“... The reappearance from God is certain, and the uprising of the Sufyani is also certain from God. For every one who rises, there exists a Sufyani.”⁽⁸⁾
Among these three narrations, the first two are weak and unreliable, because similar reports are not mentioned in Shi‘i hadith sources, but only in Sunni sources, and they lack any corroboration from the Shi‘i side. As mentioned earlier, citing Sunni narrations is only acceptable when their meaning and content are also found in the narrations of Ahl al-Bayt. Perhaps, one might interpret the “Hijri Sufyani” as Abu Sufyān, and the “Shāmi Sufyani” as the Sufyani of the end of times. However, due to the reliability of the third narration, it cannot be disregarded. Nevertheless, it appears that this narration does not in any way conflict with the narrations that identify the Sufyani specifically, and both groups of narrations can be accepted. For according to the content of the second group of narrations, even if we suppose that for every true qāʾim there exists a Sufyani — which will be examined later — then by the generality of these narrations, the last true qāʾim, namely Imam al-Mahdi (PBUH), would also be included. Therefore, against him as well, there will rise a Sufyani to oppose, confront, and wage war.⁽⁹⁾

A Discussion about the Attribute al-Qaʾim(the Riser)

It might be supposed that, according to the narration of Imam al-Sajjād in the book Qurb al-Isnād of Himyāri, there exists a Sufyani from the front of disbelief against every qāʾim and true riser.
“... The reappearance from God is certain, and the uprising of the Sufyani is also certain from God. For every one who rises, there exists a Sufyani.”⁽¹⁰⁾
Thus, the hypothesis of the “typological Sufyani” and the multiplicity of Sufyanis throughout history seems to be strengthened. How should this question and ambiguity be answered?
The answer is this: although all the infallible Imams were risers (qāʾimun) by God’s command, the frequent application of the attribute al-Qaʾim(the Riser) to the Imam of the Age has a hadith-based origin. This attribute has been repeatedly and frequently mentioned in the speech of the infallibles. In the book al-Ghaybah (Occultation) of Shaykh al-Tusi, it is narrated from Imam al-Sādiq:
“The narrator asked Imam al-Sādiq: Are the Mahdi and the Qāʾim the same? The Imam replied: Yes.”⁽¹¹⁾ Even when the infallible Imams were asked by the companions whether they themselves were the Qāʾim, they only referred to the Twelfth Imam, al-Mahdi, as the Qāʾim. Imam al-Jawād, in response to ‘Abd al-‘Azim al-Hasani who asked: Are you the Qāʾim? — rejected the claim and then said:
“The Qāʾim of the family of Muhammad is none other than Imam al-Mahdi.”⁽¹²⁾
And whenever the questioners referred to the infallible Imams as the Qāʾim, the savior, and the Qāʾim of the family of Muhammad, they were met with denial and objection from the Imams. As Imam al-Sādiq replied to a narrator: “How could I be the Qāʾim, while the Sufyani has not yet risen?”
Therefore, by carefully considering the related narrations, the use of the word Qāʾim without qualification in the narrations proves that the Qāʾim is a specific attribute of Imam al-Mahdi (PBUH). And if one becomes somewhat familiar with the style and content of the narrations on Mahdism through study and reflection, it becomes clear that the infallible Imams frequently and repeatedly employed the term Qāʾim to describe the Imam of the Age.⁽¹³⁾
Imam al-Sādiq said in this regard:
“We and the family of Abu Sufyān are two households who opposed each other for the sake of God. We affirmed God, and they denied Him. Abu Sufyān fought against the Prophet, Mu‘āwiyah against ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib, and Yazid against Husayn ibn ‘Ali. And the Sufyani will fight against the Qāʾim.”⁽¹⁴⁾

Final Note

Is the Sufyani a symbol or a reality? One may consider the Sufyani as a symbol of the dominant thought and the current opposing Shi‘ism. And while it is true that the Sufyani phenomenon may be regarded, on the scale of the Islamic world, as an anti-Shi‘a current, there is no improbability that the leader of this current will be a single individual from the family of Abu Sufyān. In other words, the Sufyani is a specific person, not a type. And such a figure has not appeared in history until now, and only in the end of times and on the eve of the reappearance will he rise as the enemy of Imam al-Mahdi, from the region of Wādi Yābis on the border of Jordan and Syria. He will first gain control over Syria, and after internal wars in the Levant and his victories, he will attack Iraq and Arabia with the aim of conquering the Shi‘a centers.

Footnotes

1. Muhammad Sadr, Tārikh mā ba‘d al-zuhur (History After the Reappearance), p. 173.
2. Ibid., p. 175.
3. Shaykh Saduq, Kamāl al-din (Perfection of Religion), vol. 2, p. 557.
4. Muhammad Sadr, Tārikh mā ba‘d al-zuhur (History After the Reappearance), p. 173.
5. NāSir Makārim Shirāzi, Hukumat-i jahāni-yi Mahdi (The Global Government of the Mahdi), p. 181.
6. Ibn Hammād, al-Fitan (The Seditions), p. 226.
7. Ibn Tāwus, al-Malāhim wa’l-fitan (Battles and Seditions), p. 271.
8. ‘Abd Allāh ibn Ja‘far al-Himyāri, Qurb al-isnād (The Nearness of the Chain), p. 374.
9. NāSir Makārim Shirāzi, Hukumat-i jahāni-yi Mahdi (The Global Government of the Mahdi), p. 184.
10. Himyāri, Qurb al-isnād (The Nearness of the Chain), p. 374.
11. Shaykh al-Tusi, al-Ghaybah (Occultation), p. 471.
12. Shaykh Saduq, Kamāl al-din (Perfection of Religion), vol. 2, p. 377.
13. Cf. Hadith Studies Journal, no. 11, article: “An Analysis of the Concept and Referent of the Word Qāʾim in the Narrations of Ahl al-Bayt.”
14. Shaykh Saduq, Ma‘āni al-akhbār (Meanings of Reports), p. 346; Majlisi, Bihār al-anwār (Seas of Lights), vol. 52, p. 190.

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