The belief in the Mahdi is not only an essential doctrine deep-rooted in
Islamic faith but rather it is an embodiment of human nature regardless of one’s
religious affiliations. For it is the universal desire of humans as a whole to
try to achieve or at least witness the realisation of the ultimate objective of
their existence, through which they will achieve perfection and social happiness
in their entirety. Therefore by reason of inner necessity and inspiration, humans
will see a day when society will be replete with justice.
More importantly, from a religious perspective the concept of the Mahdi is the
culmination of human struggle in their path towards God the Almighty. It is when
true Justice will be established through human hands but with Divine succour
resulting in the prevalence of truth over falsehood and all its offshoots.
And say: Truth hath come and falsehood hath vanished away. Lo! falsehood is ever
bound to vanish. [Holy Quran: Chapter 17, Verse 81]
Having identified that the need for the Mahdi is a subject of inner necessity
that is instilled into the hearts of human beings, it is essential to outline
the duties of the human race as a whole in trying to achieve a purgatory state
of social felicity in the outward absence of the Mahdi that would lay a
foundation for his imminent reappearance.
This goal and its realisation however, prompts one to question the fundamental
motive behind the concealment of the Mahdi despite when social and political
factors are welcoming to his presence and his precepts. To this we say: Indeed,
this is exactly where the problem lies! The principle reason for the delay in
the reappearance of the Mahdi is that his followers are not ready to acknowledge
the perfect leader and the perfect ideology, rather more correctly they have not
prepared themselves for his coming and the system that is to be established by
him. This is clearly mentioned by the Imam himself in one of his narrations:
‘If our Shi’a (followers), may Allah help and succeed them to His obedience,
were united in wholeheartedly honouring the promise and obligation that is upon
them, there would have been no delay in meeting us (i.e. in our reappearance),
and bliss and felicity for them would have hastened by seeing us with full
knowledge and certainty of testifying to our (leadership)’ - [Bihar Al-Anwaar,
Ch. 53, Pg. 177]
Therefore, each and every one of us has to be very cognisant of their acts in
relation to the part we play during the occultation of the Mahdi. This period
has been like none other before nor is the test set upon the Muslim Ummah and
humanity at large like any before. With lack of direct contact with the divine
leader of the time and the many injustices that have overwhelmed today’s society
resulting in moral demise and social injustice, the resort of the believers is
in seeking the help of Allah (SWT) and beseeching Him to hasten in the
reappearance of the Mahdi and his promised victory.
Strong faith in the promised triumph in the midst of injustice and darkness is a
means of separating the true believers from the rest. A brief look into history
shows endless of these so-called followers who eventually betrayed their leaders
and thus put eternal shame and disgrace on themselves. A perfect example being
the story of the inhabitants of Kufah at the time of the great ancestor of the
Mahdi, Husayn son of Ali, for whom he weeps blood each day until the day of his
reappearance.
Certainly those fortunate and blessed individuals who will take part in this
grand culmination of servitude, which will result in the prevalence of Truth
over all forms of falsehood will be those whose conviction in the Mahdi and the
promised day is resolute. The believers will be constantly tested by those whose
aim is staunchly fixed in denying the Mahdi, by using arguments such as his age,
for the Mahdi’s age is now more than 1170 years. Many find it difficult to
believe that a human can live for a period of this length, however, the
impossibility in this objection is relative and its relation is to some person,
place and time. What is an impossibility to one person, time or place may be
very possible to another, as we well know. Moreover, it should be said that
living for such a length of time is neither a scientific nor a logical
impossibility. Today scientists have succeeded in prolonging the life of certain
animals, hundreds of times beyond their normal life spans by artificially
creating conditions that delay the degeneration of their tissues and cells. The
failure of this being effectively carried out on humans is merely due to the
increased difficulties involved, however it is in no way an impossibility, from
a scientific point of view, to achieve this in the future.
Yet it is through the light of faith that one can truly appreciate the
magnanimity of the person of the Mahdi and his blessed and most extraordinary
role. The two personalities who will lead the ship of humanity toward the shore
of safety and success, both share this characteristic of long age -- Imam Al-Mahdi
and Prophet Jesus, the two leaders of the promised revolution, are both alive
according to the Islamic viewpoint. These two leaders have been and are witness
to the various modes of thought and systems that human beings have introduced
and adapted, failingly seeking to bring about the innate desire of peace and
harmony. They are aware of the inner intricacies and failures of these systems
and the keys to the secrets of the quest of human struggle lie only in their
hands.
The Mahdi was born on the fifteenth of Sha’ban in the year two hundred and fifty
five after Hijrah. His birth was kept secret since the authorities of the time
were actively seeking to execute him should he be found alive. The circumstances
of his birth were therefore very similar to those of Prophet Moses who was also
being searched for by the authorities of his time. The Pharaoh of the time was
well aware of the prophecy that a child would grow up to prevail over him and
his evil rule and would replace this with the belief in the true One God whose
Power, Might and Wisdom is Absolute. A belief which directs humanity towards
perfect Unity and removes the shackles of inequity and imbalance from all
spheres of life.
Similarly the Abbasid Caliphate was well aware of the Mahdi and of how he would
fill the world with justice and truth after it had been filled with injustice
and falsehood from several traditions originating from the Prophet Muhammad.
These narrations are present to date in both Shi’a and Sunni books.
“The world will not come to an end until a man from the descendants of Husayn
takes charge of the affairs of the world and fills it with justice and equity as
it is filled with injustice and tyranny.”
At the age of five, after the tragic martyrdom of his father, the eleventh
divine successor of the Prophet Muhammad – Hassan son of Ali, the Mahdi went
into a minor occultation. During this period, the Mahdi was in contact with his
followers through appointed deputies. This lasted for a period of about sixty
nine years. A few days before the death of his fourth and final deputy the Imam
informed his followers, through his deputy, that there would be no more deputies
after the death of the current one and after this period the Imam would go into
a Major Occultation, which would continue until the day God grants permission to
the Imam to manifest himself. During this period, none would be able to approach
the Imam through deputies or through direct contact. In regards to the duration
and the importance of this period, the Prophet Muhammad was once asked about the
nature of the reappearance of the Mahdi. In his reply the Prophet likened the
time of the Reappearance of the Mahdi to that of the Hour of Resurrection and
then narrated the Quranic verse;
“He alone will manifest it at its proper time. It is heavy in the heavens and
the earth. It cometh not to you save unawares” (Holy Quran: Chapter 7, Verse
187)
An important question is raised in relation to this specific period, by those
who doubt or question the existence of the Mahdi. What is the benefit of the
Imam to his followers during his occultation?
In order to answer this question, one should realise that the position and the
role of an Imam is not only to administer the affairs and the needs of the Ummah,
rather he is the link between man and God, the link between the material and the
spiritual worlds. Moreover, his physical presence or absence has no bearing on
his position in regards to this role. This can be derived from one of the
sayings narrated by the Imam himself;
‘My benefit (to the people) during my occultation is similar to that of the sun
when it disappears from sight behind the clouds.’ - [Bihar Al-Anwaar, Ch. 53,
Pg. 181]
Examining the above saying from a scientific approach, we understand that just
like how the Earth is sustained with the Sun’s energy and light irrespective of
whether it is behind clouds, similarly, we derive immense spiritual benefit from
the Imam regardless of whether he is physically with us or not. Furthermore, one
can also obtain another important role of Imamate from the saying above. Today,
we know that the Sun is the centre of the solar system and its existence
nourishes and nurtures for the planetary objects around it, similarly the Imam’s
sole presence, whether active or not, is of paramount importance as it is the
source of life for all as without the existence of God’s proof on Earth the
world is tantamount to complete annihilation.
We therefore have to be mindful of what we do and should endeavour in making our
souls pure by nourishing them with the Divine light thus making our souls the
abode for Allah and his beloved angels. Spiritual perfection should be our goal
and if there is any doubt as to whether the Imam is aware of our acts and is
overlooking the welfare of his followers, a saying by the Imam should suffice;
‘We have not ignored your consideration, and have not forgotten your mention;
otherwise hardship would have descended upon you and your enemies would have
exterminated you.’ [Bihar Al-Anwaar, Ch. 53, Pg. 175]
The Imam is therefore watching over our affairs and is patiently awaiting our
response to his call. The matter regarding the return of the Imam is not one
simply related to awaiting a time frame chosen by the Almighty Allah, rather in
accordance to the narration from the Prophet (SAW), it has a direct relationship
with our own actions, as he says;
‘The best of actions is awaiting Al-Faraj (the return)’
The emphasis in this saying is on the word ‘actions’, because it is in reference
to participating in an action in order to bring about that awaited time. From
this narration stems the School of Awaiting which is a comprehensive study into
the necessary approaches and actions of the Muslim community in order to hasten
the appearance of the return.
It is this exact approach that the AhlulBayt Islamic Mission (AIM) undertakes as
its core doctrine, and it is through this that all AIM projects are run. It is
therefore the objective of the AhlulBayt Islamic Mission, to outwardly promote a
platform for the blessed return in all fields of life, and to encourage and
motivate the masses to embrace true Islam and work towards the fulfillment of
the command of Allah on Earth.
AIM believes that the solution to all problems be they on a worldly or
individual level, and that the completion of the Divine plan is realized with
the return of the Imam of our time. Based on this and on the narration mentioned
earlier, AIM believes that it is the duty of every Muslim to continually
remember the central significance of the Imam and to place all efforts in to
working for the return of the Imam.
It is therefore necessary for everyone to work tirelessly for this objective and
to remember that this mission is the only legitimate solution to the problems
faced by mankind at large. It is the responsibility of everyone to remind those
around them of this sacred mission and it is likewise their responsibility to
sacrifice their time, efforts and even their finances for the cause of the
awaited Imam.
It is a frequent saying amongst many Muslims, when they remember the martyrs of
Karbala to chant: “If only we were with you, for surely we would have been
victorious.” We today have that option, we have an Imam in occultation waiting
for us to reach out towards him. He is patiently waiting for that time to come
where a small group of people would truly be of his followers such that he may
appear and lead this Ummah towards salvation, and yet we as a people sit and do
nothing.
The AhlulBayt Islamic Mission, calls on everyone to join its ranks and help in
this sacred mission to bring about the return of the Imam of our time, for
surely as the Imam himself stated:
“In my return is your return"
Comments (5)
1. Written by Noor on 03-09-2007 17:59
May Allah hasten the appearance of our Imam, and grant us all to be of his ansar.
2. Written by Nisam on 06-09-2007 11:22
Insha allah! Mahdi Imam Will appear within 25 years and lead Islam in it's top position.may Allah Help us
3. Written by A. C on 17-09-2007 20:56
The Mahdi you are looking for is the biblical anti-christ. Do the research.
4. Written by Hamid on 17-09-2007 23:41
AC, perhaps you should do your research. The Mahdi whom we await will return with Jesus Christ. These two holy personalities will lead the final revolution of Truth and Justice.
5. Written by Husnain abbas on 08-11-2007 11:18
inshaallah one day he will appear and we say labak on his voice.
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