Grand Ayatollah Shirazi: “Wilayah is precondition for acceptance of worship, including prayer, fasting and Hajj”
The daily scholarly meeting of Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Sadiq al-Hosseini al-Shirazi was held on Wednesday, the 26th of Rajab. In this session, like the previous meetings, the Marja answered the questions of the attendees about various jurisprudence issues.
Grand Ayatollah Shirazi discussed Wilayah as the precondition for the acceptance or correctness of acts of worship, and said: This issue is a point of disagreement among jurists, and the predominant opinion among jurists based on traditions that are mutawatir in meaning or in essence is that Wilayah is a precondition for the correctness of all acts of worship, including prayer, fasting and Hajj. But, if someone is enlightened into acceptance of Shiism before death, God Almighty will forgive his past acts of worship, and his prayer, fasting and Hajj, and they do not need to be redone or repeated.
His Eminence set apart the issue of zakat in this regard, and said: The ruling on the issue of zakat is different in relation to “Mustabsireen”, because there is a special tradition in this regard that says they must pay zakat again, because their zakat went to a wrong cause and was spent against the will of God. Therefore, based on certain hadiths, their previous provisions of zakat were not correct. However, there is no specific narration regarding prayer, fasting, and Hajj, and based on general rules, Wilayah is a precondition for correctness of acts of worship, not that they are correct without it, and just not accepted.
Referring to a part of the Shaqshaqiya sermon of Amir al-Mu’minin, where he says: (If it were not for the presence of that crowd and the excuse being removed with the presence of helpers, and if it were not for the fact that God has made a covenant with the learned man not to give in to the oppression and hunger of the oppressed, I would have not hesitated to abandon the reigns of Caliphate), the Supreme Marja said: Amir al-Mu’minin felt duty-bound [to assume apparent caliphate] at a time when the people turned out at his house and urged him to accept the rein. But this issue does not negate the duty of the people to accept the Wilayah of the Infallibles (peace be upon them). Therefore, people do not have the right to choose a person other than Masum to lead the society, just as they cannot choose another person to be a prophet.
Grand Ayatollah Shirazi further said: The presence and invitation of the people creates a duty for the Infallible Imam, but the absence of the people does not excuse them from their duty to accept the Wilayah of the Infallible Imam.
His Eminence also emphasized: The presence and invitation of the people gives political legitimacy to the fallible individuals, but their refusal of presence around and invitation of the Infallibles (peace be upon them) and their turning to fallible individuals does not legitimize those whom the people have turned to.
