By: Jassim M. HussainIt is indeed an old idea in Imamite history that one Imam from the progeny of the Prophet would go into hiding to prepare for the day when he would rise again under the title al-Qa’im al-Mahdi and fill the world with justice. The concealment (al-Ghayba) was considered a sign of the true al-Qa’im al-Mahdiand both before and after the occultation of the Twelfth Imam in 260/874. Many Shi’ite writers collected ...
Ibn Khaldun concludes this section on the traditions concerning the Mahdi thus:
The truth one must know is that no religious or political power's propaganda can be successful unless power or group feeling exists to support the religious and political aspirations and to defend them against those who reject them and until God's will concerning them materializes. We have established this before with rational arguments which we presented to the ...
OUR NEGLIGENCE During the major occultation, our society has distanced itself from religion itself to such an extent that ‘Madness is called as intellect and intellect, madness’. To put it simply, customs and rituals are called as religion and vice-versa. Our ignorance has reached to such depths that a large chunk of our society comprising of the elderly, the youth and the children, are unaware of Sifaat-e-Sabootiyyah and Sifaat-e-Salbiyyah ...
6. The Strategy of the Saviour In AD 70, the imperial power of its day, through the sovereign direction of God, turned on the regime it had supported in murdering the Saviour. At this juncture it is pertinent to state that just because the present global power - America - is seen by most Muslims as backing the regime oppressing Muslims and Christians, it does not follow that this will always be the case. From a supernaturalist viewpoint, it is ...
A fact concealed in the belief in divine monotheism (Tawheed) is that none, except Allah, has the right to rule over others. Even a father does not enjoy any sovereignty over his children. When a father does not possess this right, the question of other individuals ruling over their fellow beings, commanding and prohibiting, appointing them to a position or removing them from it, does not arise. To the extent that man does not have any right ...
In our world today, countless people suffer from violence. Many nations are afflicted by the destruction of ongoing wars. Others live under constant threats of violence from other nations and militant organizations. Some of the actual violence and the threats of violence arises from people who claim to belong to one of the three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity or Islam. When God called Abraham, according to the Torah, God made a ...
Imploring help from the Infallibles is another way to get closer to the Imam of Time. It is much better to invoke the Infallibles to intercede God to grant us visiting of the Imam of Time. We should not forget that all power belongs to God and the Infallibles are merely some windows through which we can beseech God to grant us all kinds of assistance. Assistance comes only from God. Others are merely spiritual guides through which we can beseech ...
The eschatological pessimism of those people who grope finding analogies between some eschatological signs symbolically described by Holy Scripture and some situations of moment from church or universal history, is not according to our time. Don’t forget that in the first ages Christians appreciated a lot the ascetical life, and in middle age the individual pietism and mystic life, in our century the Church appreciate and cultivate especially ...
A fact concealed in the belief in divine monotheism (Tawheed) is that none, except Allah, has the right to rule over others. Even a father does not enjoy any sovereignty over his children. When a father does not possess this right, the question of other individuals ruling over their fellow beings, commanding and prohibiting, appointing them to a position or removing them from it, does not arise. To the extent that man does not have any right ...
Meanwhile, televangelists and other ‘new armies of God’ are passionate enough in freeing the genie of apocalyptic prophecies (e.g. Daniel 9, Ezekiel 38, Revelation 16:14-16) out of the bottle and wish for their governments to unleash trigger-happy dogs of war in the Middle East, thereby heralding the ‘coming of the Lord’. In a recently published book, titled “Beyond Iraq: The Next Move-Ancient Prophecy and Modern-Day Conspiracy ...
A SIGNED PROCLAMATION FROM IMAM-E-ASR (A.T.F.S.)
Though at present we are living away from the dominions of the oppressors and till the unjust rule the world, the Almighty has considered it better for us and our Shias that I stay away from them. But despite this separation, I am cognizant of all your affairs. Nothing pertaining to you is hidden from us. Whenever you experience insults, I come to know of it. This is from the time some of you ...
1. "I am the Mahdi. I am the Qaem of the time" (Bihar V.52 p.2)2. "I am the one who will fill it (the earth with justice as it would be full of tyranny". (Bihar, V.52, P.2).3. "I am the reminder of Allah in His earth". (Bihar, V.52, p 24)4. "I am the avenger from His enemies". (Bihar, v.52, p.24)5. "I am the seal of successors". (Bihar, V.52, p.30)6. And through me shall Allah, the Mighty and Glorious, drive away the calamities from my progeny ...
“Even if there remains only a day in the life of this earth, God will prolong it for His emissary to appear so that the earth shall be filled with justice and equity as it is filled with injustice and tyranny.” This is the prophecy that the Prophet Muhammad left for his followers so that they would prepare themselves for the launching of that transformation of the world to the ideal that God has promised humanity. This paper is an ...
Here we try to answer the question of how to get the most of spiritual blessings of feeling the presence of the Imam of the time? Interestingly, it is easier for the youth to be in touch with the Imam of the time by refraining from committing sins and having a clearer heart.
The Imam never forgets us and will get to us on our most demanding times if we deserve it though we should remember him sincerely. The more sincerely remember him the more ...
COMPARATIVE VIEWS ON MAHDISM The Divine vs The Human
Throughout the centuries mankind, by its own standards, has sought someone to bring justice as a means to peace and fulfilment. Leaders have come and gone, but impenitent man in his ignorance and futility still keeps seeking one who will bring victory over oppression. Sadly in many instances the justice sought has been driven by fallible conceptions and convictions; even, at times, ...
(3) THE DESTINATION OF THE SUN
This is our journey which we began towards Allah with the intention of Hijrat. We have taken a draught from the spring of Marefat and attached ourselves with the Imams (a.s.). The final destination of the sun is before us.
As far as ghaibat is concerned, it is due to our ownself. The only remedy is repentance. Repentance means turning towards Allah with the sincerity of intention to express our respect and our ...
I would like first to quote Baruch de Spinoza who said something which may help to shed some light in resolving the problems of this question:Peace is not a status of non-war, but rather a virtue, a faculty, a disposition for welfare, trust and justice.207He has actually analyzed that peace is not a simple and independent phenomenon or an easy task. The great revolution of Al-Mahdi (as) requires many preceding events. The Russian revolution was ...
By: Baqir Shareef al-QurashiImam Ali al-Hadi (a.s.) lived most of his life in Surra Man Ra'a (Samarra'). The Abbasid government imposed on him house arrest. He was like a prisoner. The policemen and investigators of the Abbasids surrounded his house watching all his movements and everyone associating with him or carrying money to him. He suffered the severest political pressure during the reign of al-Mutawakkil, the Abbasid tyrant, who saved no ...
Such hadith-reports are abundant. The main idea that runs through all of them suggests that the topic about the future coming of the Mahdi and Qa'im during the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) was well known. In fact the way these reports speak about the subject indicates that it was not something new which was being presented to the people. On the contrary they relate the signs and characteristics of the person who would ...
An introduction to twelveth Imame Hazrat Mahdi(a.s)
Birth
The Sun of the existence of the twelveth Imam (A.S.) cast its reflection and enlightened and brightened the hearts of the Shias with its light. The Abbasade caliphs and government functionaries had heard that the Imams are twelve people and that the last and final of them is the son of eleventh Imam Hassan Askari (A.S.) whose occultation will prolong, and he is the one who will form ...
