Raj‘a in the Thought of Sadeq Khademi: Exposition and Philosophical Innovations in the Book Awareness and the Divine Human

Abstract

The concept of raj‘a, a fundamental belief in Shi‘i theology, is reexamined in Sadeq Khademi’s book Awareness and the Divine Human through a philosophical and mystical lens. Khademi employs the principles of transcendent philosophy and Qur’anic verses. He presents raj‘a not only as the return of souls to nasut but also as a rational and religious necessity. It ensures divine justice and the fulfillment of rights in a collective system. This article elucidates Khademi’s perspectives. It explores his innovations in redefining raj‘a, emphasizing its broad scope, and linking it to wilayat. Khademi critiques prior views, including those of theologians and some philosophers. He offers a novel framework. This framework extends raj‘a beyond perfected souls to encompass all justice-seekers and oppressors. The article analyzes these innovations. It clarifies raj‘a’s role in completing monotheism, religion, and wilayat in Khademi’s thought.

Introduction

Raj‘a is a pivotal concept in Shi‘i theology. It has long been a subject of profound reflection for theologians, philosophers, and mystics. Raj‘a refers to the return of certain souls to nasut before the Resurrection. In Shi‘i tradition, it is both a religious belief and a necessity for divine justice and the perfection of creation. Sadeq Khademi, in Awareness and the Divine Human, offers a novel philosophical and mystical framework for understanding raj‘a. He renders it an indispensable rational and religious imperative. Khademi critiques traditional and contemporary views. He elevates raj‘a from a narrow, personal event to a broad, collective mechanism for fulfilling rights and enacting justice. This article focuses on Khademi’s thought. It elucidates his perspective on raj‘a, highlights his innovations, and examines its role in perfecting the monotheistic and wilayat-based system.

Exposition of Raj‘a in Khademi’s Thought

Raj‘a as a Rational and Religious Necessity

Khademi presents raj‘a as more than a religious event. He views it as a rational and religious necessity. He argues that divine justice, a core Shi‘i principle, requires souls to return to nasut. This ensures the fulfillment of rights and worldly punishments. Nasut, with its material and social attributes, is an ideal realm for collective justice. Violated rights are restored. Oppressors face retribution. Khademi cites Qur’anic verses, such as Surah al-Zumar 39:42:

“Allah takes the souls at the time of their death, and those that do not die [He takes] during their sleep.”

He distinguishes between temporary death (tawaffa) and definitive death (mawt). Raj‘a involves the return of souls in the state of tawaffa. This distinction, rooted in Allama Tabataba’i’s Al-Mizan, allows soul return to the nasut-based body. It avoids rational contradictions, such as the impossibility of metempsychosis.

Critique of Traditional Views

Khademi critiques traditional theological views. These views equate raj‘a with the soul’s return to its original body in nasut, akin to corporeal resurrection. He argues they face rational challenges, such as the eater-eaten dilemma and metempsychosis. He references Ibn Sina’s argument in Al-Shifa. Ibn Sina deems corporeal resurrection impossible due to the impossibility of restoring the annihilated. Khademi counters that raj‘a avoids these issues. The soul retains partial connection with the body in temporary death. He also finds interpretations by philosophers like Ayatollah Shahabadi insufficient. Shahabadi views raj‘a as the manifestation of wilayat or soul summoning with an imaginal body. Khademi argues these reduce raj‘a to a merely imaginal or spiritual event. Raj‘a in nasut is essential for social and material justice.

Broad Scope of Raj‘a

A key innovation is Khademi’s expansion of raj‘a’s scope. He includes all justice-seeking and oppressive souls. Unlike views limiting raj‘a to perfected souls or divine saints, Khademi encompasses infants, youths, and those deprived of rights and sustenance. He includes oppressors who violated others’ rights. They face punishment in a just nasut-based system. This transforms raj‘a from a limited event to a comprehensive mechanism for collective justice. Khademi argues that without this breadth, creation remains incomplete. Divine justice is not fully realized.

Khademi’s Innovations in Redefining Raj‘a

Linking Raj‘a to Wilayat

Khademi offers a novel framework by linking raj‘a to wilayat. He posits that the raj‘a of divine saints, especially during the era of the seal of wilayat, is a concrete manifestation of wilayat in nasut. This return perfects the education of devotees and lovers. It realizes the wilayat-based system in nasut. Khademi cites narrations, such as Amir al-Mu’minin’s presence at the bedside of the dying. Perfected saints can create multiple nasut-based bodies. They manifest in nasut without implying metempsychosis or cyclical return. This innovation presents raj‘a as integral to the wilayat system. Wilayat is the axis of justice and perfection.

Distinction Between Voluntary and Natural Death

Khademi innovates by distinguishing voluntary death of divine saints from natural death. He argues that perfected saints perceive the Angel of Death, Azrael, ceremonially at death or martyrdom. Through divine will and visitation of the fourteen infallible saints, they seize their own souls. Khademi cites Surah al-Baqarah 2:132:

“So do not die except while you are Muslims [in submission].”

He likens this death to voluntary sleep. It enables traversal of nasut-based, celestial, and eschatological barzakhs. This view emphasizes the saints’ autonomy and authority in death. It presents raj‘a as an extension of this autonomy in nasut.

Rejection of Metempsychosis and Preservation of the Nasut-Based Body

Khademi rejects metempsychosis. He argues that the raj‘a of divine saints occurs with a real nasut-based body, not an imaginal or substitute one. Nasut is the core of their presence. It requires a material body to manifest wilayat concretely. This contrasts with views in Taqrirat Falsafa or Shahabadi’s interpretations. They emphasize imaginal bodies. Khademi asserts that perfected souls maintain some connection with bodily components post-death. They guide them toward specific perfection. Sometimes, no bodily trace remains at the burial site. This innovation upholds nasut-based presence. It fully resolves the metempsychosis objection.

Raj‘a as Completion of Creation

Khademi views raj‘a as essential for justice and creation’s completion. He argues that nasut, tainted by evils and imperfections in eras like that of savages, cannot fully realize justice. This necessitates another realm for definitive reckoning and divine justice. Raj‘a serves as a prelude to ma‘ad in nasut. Khademi stresses that creation is incomplete without raj‘a. He likens it to a field for eternal harvests or an eternal wasteland. It paves the way for ma‘ad and the hereafter.

Critique and Evaluation

Khademi’s perspective is rooted in transcendent philosophy and Qur’anic exegesis. Yet, it faces challenges. His emphasis on saints’ nasut-based presence with material bodies may seem to conflict with rational principles, such as the impossibility of soul return post-definitive death. However, his distinction between temporary and definitive death, supported by Tabataba’i’s exegesis, mitigates this. The expansion of raj‘a to all justice-seekers and oppressors is innovative. It requires further clarification of its practical mechanisms in the divine system. Nevertheless, Khademi’s innovations—linking raj‘a to wilayat, emphasizing voluntary death, and redefining raj‘a as essential for creation’s completion—place him among thinkers enriching Shi‘i philosophy.

Conclusion

Sadeq Khademi, in Awareness and the Divine Human, redefines raj‘a through a philosophical and mystical framework. He presents it as a rational and religious necessity for divine justice and the perfection of the wilayat-based system. By critiquing traditional views and expanding raj‘a’s scope to all justice-seekers and oppressors, he transforms it into a comprehensive mechanism for fulfilling rights. His innovations—linking raj‘a to wilayat, elucidating voluntary death, rejecting metempsychosis, and emphasizing raj‘a’s role in completing creation—demonstrate the depth and originality of his thought. This perspective enriches Shi‘i theology. It provides a foundation for further reflection in Islamic philosophy and mysticism.

References

• Khademi, Sadeq. Awareness and the Divine Human. Tehran: sobheintizar Publications, 1402 AH.
• Tabataba’i, Muhammad Husayn. Al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Qur’an. Qom: Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyya, 1390 AH.
• Qaysari, Dawud. Al-Fukuk. Edited by Hassan Hassanzadeh Amoli. Qom: Bustan-e Ketab, 1385 AH.