Imam al-Sadiq (a.s) said,
كَيْفَ يَنْتَفِعُ النّاسُ بِالْحُجَّةِ الْغائِب الْمَسْتُور؟ قالَ كَما يَنْتَفِعُونَ بِالشَّمْسِ إذا سَتَرَهَا السَّحآبُ
Imam As-Sadiq (a.s.) was asked: “how can people enjoy the existence of an invisible and hidden Imam?”
He replied, “ just as they enjoy sunlight from behind the clouds.”1
Sunlight is the source of all activity on this earth and no living creature can continue to live without it. The fact that it sometimes comes from behind the clouds does not diminish its utility. And the same applies to the light from a divine Imam and leader in the context of man’s spiritual and human life.
Sun hidden by a cloud, just like a light behind a translucent glass, sends out a considerable part of its light and removes the darkness of night and benefits the living plants and creatures. The spiritual blessings of the Imam (a.s.) illuminate the human world even from behind the hiding curtain, but just as the amount of sunlight entering a building depends on its openings, people’s share from the light of leadership is proportionate to the method and degree of their relation and connection with the Imam.