False Claimants Argue Not Everyone Will Hear the Heavenly Call

Gabriel’s Heavenly Cry — “By God, the pillars of guidance have collapsed!” — is a well-known narration in Shia tradition. Some false claimants argue that not everyone heard this heavenly call when Imam Ali (peace be upon him) was struck by Ibn Muljam, and they use this to claim that the heavenly call at the reappearance of the Mahdi will also not be heard by all.

They reason that if everyone had heard Gabriel’s Heavenly Cry, all would have reported it. Therefore, they conclude it could not have been a material-world event. They liken this to the heavenly call at the time of the promised savior’s appearance.

(Reference: “Fasl al-Khitab fi Hujjiyyat Ru’ya Uli al-Albab,” p. 82)

Response

In reply to this doubt, it must be said: Ahmad al-Basri and his followers are ignorant of the beliefs of the Shia, and this statement of theirs is yet another proof of the truth of our words. This claim of theirs is contrary to the explicit opinion of the narrations.

Allāmah Majlisī, quoting from ancient sources, narrates about the martyrdom of Imam Ali (peace be upon him):

Gabriel, the Trustworthy, called out between the heaven and the earth with a voice that every awake person heard: “By God, the pillars of guidance have collapsed! By God, the stars of the sky and the signs of piety have been extinguished! By God, the firm handhold has been broken! The cousin of Muhammad the Chosen One has been killed! The chosen successor has been killed! Ali al-Murtada has been killed! By God, the master of successors has been killed — slain by the most wretched of the wretched.”

(Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 42, p. 259)

This narration clearly states that every awake person heard Gabriel’s Heavenly Cry, which directly refutes the claim that many did not hear it.