Search Result in All Videos

Lesson of Mutahirat from Noor-e-Ahkaam

A Multimedia Training Program of Practical Laws of Islam - Rislah Tawdih al-Masail.

From Sahar TV - Urdu

Lesson of Taqleed from Noor-e-Ahkaam

En islamisk sång av Yusuf Islam om det arabiska alfabetet med vackra associationer till islamiska termer.

play presented by the muslim youth of San Diego directed by Noor Alasady and lots of effort and time put in by the youth this was a time consuming but well worth educational and historical play

play presented by the muslim youth of San Diego directed by Noor Alasady and lots of effort and time put in by the youth this was a time consuming but well worth educational and historical play

play presented by the muslim youth of San Diego directed by Noor Alasady and lots of effort and time put in by the youth this was a time consuming but well worth educational and historical play

play presented by the muslim youth of San Diego directed by Noor Alasady and lots of effort and time put in by the youth this was a time consuming but well worth educational and historical play

play presented by the muslim youth of San Diego directed by Noor Alasady and lots of effort and time put in by the youth this was a time consuming but well worth educational and historical play

play presented by the muslim youth of San Diego directed by Noor Alasady and lots of effort and time put in by the youth this was a time consuming but well worth educational and historical play

Set of 5 DVDs Coming Soon at www.mominshoppingcenter.com

Ayat. Murtaza Mutahhary Tafsir Surah Noor Part 1 of 3 Persian

Ayat. Murtaza Mutahhary Tafsir Surah Noor Part 2 of 3 Persian

Ayat. Murtaza Mutahhary Tafsir Surah Noor Part 3 of 3 Persian

Ayatollah Noori Hamadani And Ayatollah Safi Gulpaygani Message on 31st Anni.IslamicRev - Farsi - Message was recorded on 10th Feb 2010 urging Huge Turnout of People

Available at zainab.tv, abbasayleya.org, muslimcongress.tv.

Dua Fatima Zahra S.A. for all afairs of life and hereafter - Arabic

The Holy Prophet had given this dua to his daughter with instruction that whoso recites it daily in the morning and evening remains safe from fever

Face to Face Interview with Nouri Al-Maliki, Iraqi Prime Minister - 03Mar10 - English

Fourteen Lights - by Basim Karbalai - English

Grand Ayatollah Nouri Hamadani Leading Morning Prayers- Complete - Arabic

H.I Sayyed Abbas Ayleya - Noor (Light) and Zulumaat (Darkness) - Majlis 3a - English

H.I Sayyed Abbas Ayleya - Noor (Light) and Zulumaat (Darkness) - Majlis 3b - Urdu

HOLY LAND FOUNDATION - Interview with Sister Noor Elashi Campaingning for her Father who was sentenced 60 years due to unidentified israeili witness

This article addresses the necessity of the existence of the Representative of Allah on the earth at any time. The opponents of Shia protest that although Shia consider the Imam necessary in order to expound the injunctions and verities of religion and to guide the people, the occultation of the Imam is the negation of this very purpose, for an Imam in occultation who cannot be reached by mankind cannot be in any way beneficial or effective. The opponents argue that if God wills to bring forth an Imam to reform mankind, He is able to create him at the necessary moment and does not need to create him thousands of years earlier. In answer to this, it must be said that such people have not really understood the meaning of the Imam, for the duty of the Imam is not only the explanation of the religious sciences and external guidance of the people. In the same way that he has the duty of guiding men outwardly, the Imam also bears the function of "Walayah" and the internal guidance of human. The divinely appointed Imam directs human's spiritual life and orients the inner aspect of human action toward God. Clearly, his physical presence or absence has no effect in this matter. Imam is the representative of Allah (Khalifatullah) on the earth, and is His vice-regent. He is the connection between the heavens and the earth, and is appointed by Allah as the intermediate for the rest of creatures. His existence is always necessary even if the time has not as yet arrived for his outward appearance and the universal reconstruction that he is to bring about. Let me provide an example to clarify this delicate issue. Any human needs blood to continue his life, and the existence of blood is necessary in every single moment of life. This need is NOT, in anyway, independent of God. He is God who has created this need for human, and He is the one who has fulfilled it. Similarly the function of Imam over the rest of creatures is NOT independent of God. He was Allah who created this need for the universe and He was Allah who has fulfilled it. Allah (SWT) wished the inhabitants of the earth not to be able to live without the existence of His representative on the earth, the same way that Allah wished our body not to be able to survive without blood. Notice that in the above examples, both Imam and blood are no more than the creation of Allah. A divinely appointed Imam is a human, but being human does not mean that he could not have any authority over other human by the permission of Allah. The closer the human is to Allah, the more authority he will have. Closeness to Allah is obtained through obedience and piety. When one reaches that level of perfection, he does not desire anything except Allah's orders. Imam is not divine, but he is fully supported by divine power. He has been given authority as the Quranic verses below testifies. This authority has come from Allah and is also controlled by Allah. Another example would be to consider a company with a president and some managers and employees. The one who is closer to the president (in his position or any other aspects) has more authority than the others. This authority is given and is controlled by the president at any time. This authority is not in parallel with the authority of president, and remains as long as the president wishes to. The authorized person does not feel independence and can not do anything against the order of the president, otherwise the position will be taken away from him. The president has appointed that person to carry out a task. Similarly, a divinely appointed Imam is NOT considered a parallel power beside Allah, and his authority is NOT independent of Allah since Allah does NOT relinquish His Majesty and Sovereignty to ANYONE. If He gives His righteous Servant a certain power or authority, He will still have control over that individual. Quran testifies that Allah has ASSIGNED some Imams with authority to guide mankind: "And We assigned them Imams who guide by our authority and We have inspired in them the doing of good deeds." (Quran 21:73) و جعلناهم ائمة يهدون بأمرنا و اوحينا اليهم فعل الخيرات Also: "And We appointed from among them some Imams who guide by our authority since they were patient and believed firmly in Our Signs." (Quran 32:24) و جعلنا منهم ائمة يهدون بأمرنا لما صبروا و كانوا باياتنا يوقنون Moreover, on the commentary of Quranic verse: "And lo! verily I am Forgiving toward him who repents and believes and does good deeds, and afterward he accept guidance [20:82]", Ibn Hajar mentioned that it is narrated from Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (AS) as well as Thabit al-Lubnani that, the end of verse means "he is guided to the Wilayah of the Ahlul-Bayt." (al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 11, section 1, p235). Allah, Exalted, also said: "O' you who believe! Obey Allah, and Obey Apostle and those from among you who are given authority (by Allah)." (Quran 4:59) Who are those Imams whom Allah gave them authority and are to be obeyed beside the Prophet? The above verses of Quran prove beyond doubt that a divinely appointed Imam has authority and he guides. The authority of Imam is not restricted over a group of people but also covers every other creatures (see Quran 36:12 which uses the word Imam for keeping the account of everything). Again, this authority is controlled by Allah. Allah also said in Quran: "(O' Muhammad!) You are but a Warner, and for every community there exists a Guide." (Quran 13:7). انما انت منذر و لكل قوم هاد Prophet Muhammad was a Warner, and the Imams of his Ahlul-Bayt were each a Guide for the people of their time. In fact, the following Sunni commentators of Quran narrated that the word "Guide" in the above verse was Imam Ali (AS): Tafsir al-Tabari, v13, p72; Tafsir al-Kabir, by Fakhr al-Razi, on the commentary of verse 13:7 Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthoor, by al-Suyuti, under verse 13:7 of Quran Kanz al-Ummal, by al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, v6, p157 Noor al-Absar, by al-Shablanji, p70 Kunooz al-Haqa'iq, by al-Manawi, p42. If there should be a Guide for each time, as the verse 13:7 testifies, then my question is: Who is this guide today? There should be an alive Imam in every instant of time, in order the above verses make sense. This is another proof for the fact that Imam al-Mahdi (AS) is alive. Moreover, Allah said: That which is spared by Allah (on the earth) is better for you if you are believers. (Quran 11:86) بقية الله خير لكم ان كنتم مؤمنين The above verse is another proof for the fact that there exists one individual at each era who is spared by Allah (Baqiyyatullah) on the earth to maintain the cause of faith and he is the Imam of that age, and this position was never vacated so long as the earth carries even one human being. This, in fact, is a doctrine of Shia Muslims that a "Proof (Hujjah) of Allah" should always exist on earth for earth to continue its function as a living place for human being. It is NOT that Hujjah is god or life-giver, rather it is because Allah has created the world for the best of His servants. The best of Allah's creation is the one who is the most obedient to him at each time. Other creatures are considered to be secondary objects in the sight of Allah. Besides, there are traditions stating that if it happens that there exists only one human on the earth, he is the "Proof (Hujjah) of Allah". This implies that Allah never left the human on the earth without His representative. At the time of the prophets, the Hujjah were the prophets. Now that there will be no prophet after Prophet Muhammad, the Hujjah is his living Ahlul-Bayt at each era till the day of resurrection. The necessity of the existence of a Hujjah on the earth follows that this world will end when the last Imam passes away. Beside what we quoted from Quran, let us quote some traditions from Sunni sources to support the above assertions. Ahmad Ibn Hanbal and many others narrated: The Messenger of Allah said: "The stars are amnesty for the inhabitants of the heavens, and if the stars go away (i.e., become non-existent), the inhabitants of the heavens will be destroyed. And my Ahlul-Bayt are amnesty for the inhabitants of the earth, and if my Ahlul-Bayt go away (i.e., all die), the inhabitants of the earth will be destroyed." Sunni references: Fadha'il al-Sahaba, by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v2, p671, Tradition #1145 Dhakha'ir al-Uqba, by Muhibbuddin al-Tabari, p14 Manaqib Ahmad, and many more such as al-Tabarani, etc. al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 11, section 1, p234 Musnad, Abu Ya'ala, on the authority of Salama Ibn Awka' in which the wording is: "The stars are amnesty for the inhabitants of the heavens, and my Ahlul-Bayt are the amnesty for my Ummah." Also: The Messenger of Allah said: "The stars help prevent the inhabitants of the earth from being drowned, and my Ahlul-Bayt are the protectors of my community against disputes (in religious matters). Therefore, whichever groups among the Arabs opposes my Ahlul-Bayt, shall be split up by dissensions and will become (a party of) Satan." Sunni reference: al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v3, p149, who said this tradition is authentic (Sahih). al-Tabarani, quoting Ibn Abbas Also in al-Manaqib Ahmad, as quoted by Muhibbuddin al-Tabari. al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 11, section 1, p234 Ibn Hajar mentioned the above two traditions as well as many other similar ones under the commentary of the following Quranic verse: "It is not for Allah to punish them while you are among them." (Quran 8:33) Then Ibn Hajar comments that: "Ahlul-Bayt are amnesty for the inhabitant of the earth the same as the Messenger of Allah was amnesty for them." In the next page, after mentioning a tradition from Sahih Muslim which states that after the end of government of Justice in the last days, just before the day of resurrection Allah sends a wind which takes the souls of all the believers and only wrong-doers will remain when the earthquakes of hour of resurrection occurs. Then Ibn Hajar comments: To my opinion, it probably refers to the Ahlul-Bayt, since Allah created this world for the sake of the Prophet, and has made its existence conditional to the existence of his Ahlul-Bayt for they have certain virtues in common with the Prophet as Fakhr al-Razi mentioned, and because the Messenger of Allah said on their virtue that: "O Allah! They are from me and I am from them" since they are a part of him as their mother, Fatimah, was a part of him. Thus they (Ahlul-Bayt) are also amnesty for the earth (similar to what the above verse establishes for the Prophet himself). Sunni reference: al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch. 11, section 1, p234 In another tradition, it is narrated that: The holy Prophet was asked: "What would be the condition of the people after the Ahlul-Bayt," and he replied: "Their condition will be like that of an ass whose spine is fractured." Sunni reference: al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, p143 These traditions, therefore, leave no room for any doubt regarding to existence of Ahlul-Bayt in each era, and that the Imam of the time, Imam al-Mahdi (AS), is alive. Now look at the following tradition: The Messenger of Allah said: "Regard the Ahlul-Bayt among you as the head to the body, or the eyes to the face, for the face is only guided by the eyes." Sunni references: Is'af al-Raghibeen, by al-Saban al-Sharaf al-Mua'abbad, by Shaikh Yusuf al-Nabahani, p31, by more than one authority Also the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) said: "In every generation of my followers there are going to be just and righteous members of my Ahlul-Bayt to counteract the alterations and corruption's which the misguided people will try to make in my religion, to remove the false allegations of the untruthful and contradict the misinterpretations of the ignorant. Be aware! Your Imam shall be your representative before Allah, so be careful whom you adopt as your representative." Sunni references: al-Sirah, by al-Mala al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch. 11, section 1, p231 under the commentary of verse: "And stop them, for they shall be questioned! [37:24]" And now a saying from Commander of Believers, Imam Ali (AS): "I and my pure holy descendants and my virtuous household are most sober in childhood and when we grow up we are the wisest: we are the means through which Allah shall exterminate falsehood and break the teeth of blood-thirsty wolves and restore you the freedom by removing the ropes that are tied around your necks. Allah wished to commence (all things) through us, and to complete (all things) through us." Sunni references: Kanz al-Ummal, by al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, v6, p36 Aydah al-Ishkal, by Abd al-Ghani The clear and unequivocal terms in which the Holy Prophet has directed us about these matters in the above-mentioned traditions cannot be surpassed or equaled in any other language. The word Ahlul-Bayt can not cover all the family of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). This label applies only to those who occupy the position of Imams by Divine Decree, as established by reasons and upheld by the traditions. Learned scholars from the major section of the Muslims also admit this. For instance, Ibn Hajar writes in his al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah: "The Ahlul-Bayt, whom the Holy Prophet has designated as protectors are the learned men among his family, since the guidance can be attained only through them. They are like the stars through whom we are guided in the right direction, and if the starts are taken away (or hidden) we would come face to face with the signs of the Almighty as promised (i.e., the Day of Resurrection). This will happen when the Mahdi will come, as mentioned in the traditions, and the Prophet Jesus will say his prayers behind him, the Dajjal will be slain, and then the signs of the Almighty will appear one after another." Sunni reference: al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch. 11, section 1, p234 This is why the demise of the twelfth Imam will bring the end of the world, and this is one of the reasons that he should be alive. In another place, Ibn Hajar writes: "The traditions which describe the necessity of adherence to Ahlul-Bayt until the day of Judgment, also imply that the existence of the righteous members of the family of the Prophet will NOT terminate until the day of Judgment the same way as the Book of Allah will remain." Sunni reference: al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch. 11, section 1, p232 The occultation of the twelfth Imam is divided into two parts: the first, the minor occultation (Ghaybah al-Sughra) which began in 259/873 and ended in 329/939, lasting about seventy year. On that period, people were in contact with him through four special deputies. These four deputies knew the place of Imam and were able to directly contact him. That period served as preparing his followers to the absence of the Imam. The second, the major occultation which commenced in 329/939 and will continue as long as God wills it. There is no special deputy in direct contact with him in this period, and Muslim scholars are his general deputies at this time without having ability to meet him. It might be that the Imam (AS) showed himself to someone during the major occultation, but it was never a regular occurrence, and no one can claim to meet him anytime he wishes. Moreover, even if Imam (AS) appears to a person and gives him an instruction, it is only personal, and is not meant for all people. The Shi'a doctrine quite clearly states that the Imam (AS) would not deputize a person at this time. In fact, any claim of receiving new public orders (which are not found in our traditions narrated from Ahlul-Bayt) during the major occultation is considered itself to be the proof of the falsity of such claim. There is NO specific place of residence known for Imam al-Mahdi (AS) and no one knows his whereabouts on the earth except Allah, and he has been seen by different people throughout his life in various locations of the world. Imam al-Mahdi (AS) wrote through one of his special deputies during the minor occultation: "Rest assured, no one has a special relationship with Allah. Whoever denies me is not from my (community). The appearance of the Relief (al-Faraj) depends solely upon Allah. Therefore those who propose a certain time for it are liars. As to the benefit of my existence in occultation, it is like the benefit of the sun behind the clouds where the eyes do not see it. Indeed, my existence is an amnesty for the inhabitants of the earth. Pray much to Allah to hasten the Relief, for therein also lies the release from your sufferings." : | : | | . | || | . | | | 4_,| _o ]_7 | . _,_, q |_7 q _c 4_|_|| . _,_, w_,_| 4_,| o_|_c | . / (_): . / (_|. / / (_): . (_/ : ( . | . . || |. | | . | . . /. | 4_, |_9 _7 _9_|| q_8_D |_o | q _,_o w_,_|_9 _, _)_, | . _o (_./ / / / (_S (_/ : (_S / (_) | .: . | || | | . : | : || . / | || || _, c |_9_,_,|_|| 4_7 q |_o |_9 . q_,|_o q_|| .__,]_) q 4_|_|| _|| (_S. (_ . / (_) / / . / (_S | : . | . | ^ || | .: . | | | / . : . . |_8_,_,_,_c | > | w_o_w_||_, c |_9_,_, |_| |_)_9 _,_,_,_c _9 . : (_/ . (_ (_S . : (_S . | || | | | | | . | | || | | || q _p |_|| |_8 |_| . |_o | _, | q .__,|_7_w_|| |,_p_,|_|| . _c / (_/ / (_| (_) (_S / . / . (_) / . / | . | . . || | : | || | ^ /| o_)_7 _9 (_)_| > . |_9 _7 _9_|| |_,_7_e_,_, |_c ]_|| . _o | q _,_)| ( . / (_) (_./ (_|: . . (_) / / Guidance can be of different ways. Do we need to see God to guide us? How about the Prophet who has already passed away? The above tradition of Imam al-Mahdi (AS) gives a very interesting analogy, and the same analogy was given by the Prophet (PBUH&HF) on the account of Imam al-Mahdi (please see the article titled: Leadership and Infallibility). If we want to see our way and in order to walk safely, we need light. The Sun provides this light for us even if it is hidden behind the clouds where the eyes do not see it directly. Similarly, we benefit from the guidance of Imam al-Mahdi (AS) even though we can not see him during his period of occultation. As I mentioned earlier, Imam al-Mahdi and all other Imams and prophets are not anything but the best creatures of Allah. They were NOT divine in any way. However, I have seen few English translated Shi'i books in which the phrases like "divine Imam" or "divine Prophet" have been used. By looking at those books in the original language, it became evident that by "a divine leader" the translator meant "a divinely appointed leader", that is, a leader who has been assigned by Allah (and not by people). Such phrases should not any how imply that those leaders are divine themselves. This is the matter of understanding the phrase. Although there are many translated Islamic books which have very poor translation, but fortunately the occurrence of such ambiguous words which are critical to the understanding of the reader, is quite rare. Also Imam al-Mahdi (AS) is NOT a prophet, and as such he will bring neither a new religion nor a new religious law. He does not cancel any regulations set by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF), but he will enforce the true Islamic based on the genuine Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). However there are some authentic traditions which state that although Imam al-Mahdi does not bring any new law when he comes, some people say: he is bringing a new religion. Those traditions further explain that it is as a result of many innovations set by pseudo-scholars into to the religion of Islam. Imam al-Mahdi's mission is to reject ALL the innovations and to revive the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad which was polluted by people throughout the history. As a result of ignorance of people to the true Sunnah of Prophet, they think he is bringing a new religion. Some traditions say that Imam al-Mahdi will also provide the unique interpretation (Tafsir book; divine commentary) for the Quran.

Brief Biography of Imam Mahdi (A.S.) Name: Muhammad. Title: Al-Mahdi, Al-Qa'im, Al-Hujjah, Al-Gha'ib, Sahibu'z-Zaman. Agnomen: Abul-Qasim. Father's name: Imam Al-Hassan (AS). Mother's name: Hazrat Narjis (SA). Birth: Sha'ban 15, 255 A.H. Death: Still alive but in occultation. (The hidden Imam who is expected to return) “The world will not come to an end,” said the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), “ until a man from my family (Ahlulbayt) and of my name shall be master of the world, When you see a green ensign coming from the direction of Khorasan, then join them, for the Imam of God will be with the standards who will be called al-Mahdi.” “The Mahdi will be descended from me, he will be a man with an open countenance and a face with a high nose. He will fill the earth with equity and with justice, just as it has been filled with tyranny and oppression.” (Biharul Anwar, Majlisi) Imam Mahdi (AS), the last in the line of the Twelve Ithna Ashari Imams was born on 15th Shaban 255 Hijri in Samarra, Iraq. His father was the Eleventh Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS) and his mother was Nargis Khatoon, grand daughter of the Emperor of Rum. It was 8th Rabiul Awwal 260 Hijri when our Twelfth Imam led the funeral prayer of his father Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS). He was only Five years old, yet the whole crowd of muslims including the Abbasid caliph of that time Al-Mu’tamid followed the young Imam without question. Once the prayers were over and the Imam went inside the house, that the Caliph realised the full implication and significance of the occasion and he immediately ordered his soldiers to enter the house and search for the young Imam. They did not find any one inside the house. The Caliph was very angry at this incompetence of ministers and other officials who were unable to find a boy of five who had just led the prayers and had just disappeared. The caliph had no inkling of the secrets that God did not want to reveal. He went back to his palace and into the luxurious life of a playboy king while the world around him squeezed his empire into oblivion. The Imam’s period of lesser concealment began immediately after he led the funeral prayers and disappeared inside the house. This was in the year 260 Hijri. The doctrine of ‘Ghaiba’ or concealment, declares simply that the Imam has been withdrawn by God from the eyes of people, that his life has been miraculously prolonged, that he has been seen from time to time, has been in correspondence with others, and has maintained a control over the guidance of the followers and the believers and the safety of Islam from its enemies. In the following few pages we shall try to bring some evidence from the Qora’an and the authentic Hadith of the Prophet to prove the point to interested readers. This is an essential belief that Imam Mahdi (AS) Sahibuz zaman, is alive and guide's his followers whenever such need arises. This is based on the verses of the Holy Qur’an that express the idea of Divine Guidance through the Prophets and Imams. “ And among those whom we have created are a people who guide others with truth, and in accordance therewith act justly” . (Sura vii V 180) “ We shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere (Sura 2, V.155) A great Hanafi scholar Muhammad ibn Muslim cites Imam Ja’afar al-Sadiq (AS) explaining the meaning of the above Verse. Imam indicated that there would be signs indicating the coming (reappearance) of al-Mahdi(AS) which are the means whereby God tests the faithful. “Something of fear” is a reference to masses perishing by contagious diseases; “hunger” is a reference to high prices of foodstuffs; “Some loss in goods” is a reference to scarcity and famines; “Lives” is a reference to mass destruction of human lives, probably global wars; “Fruits” is a reference to lengthy periods of draughts; so when all that happens, then give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere.” “This is its interpretation,” continued the Imam , quoting Verse 7 of Sura 3, which indicates that “only those who are firmly grounded in knowledge are capable of interpreting the verses of the Holy Qur’an”, adding, “ We the Ahlulbayt are the ones firmly grounded in knowledge”. In the book “Yanabi al Muaddah”, the Hanafi scholar and Mufti of Istanbul during the Osmani Caliphate in Turkey writes on page 321, quoting Imam Ja’afar al-Sadiq (AS) interpreting Verse 83, Sura III of the Holy Qora’an comments as follows:- “ When the Qa’im al-Mahdi reappears, there will be no land on earth where the Kalima is not said. “This could be a reference to the fact that by the time al-Mahdi reappears, all continents of the world will have muslim populations. They already do now. After presenting the above proofs from the Qur’an, the following are authentic traditions from the Prophet of God regarding Imam Mahdi (AS). At the end of Vol.2 of Fara’idh al-simtain and on page 269 Ibn Khaldun’s ‘Mukaddimah’ , it is related from Ibn Abbas, that the Holy Prophet said, “ Ali is Imam of my nation and my successor therein after me, and among his offspring is the awaited Qa’im who shall fill the world with justice and equity as it was filled with injustice and oppression. The Prophet further elaborates, “ beware of doubting, for to doubt the order of God, the Mighty, the Sublime, is apostasy (Kufr). Ibn Khaldun also states that “ When imprisoned with his mother in the house, he entered a sort of well or pit in the house that his family occupies at Samarrah, Iraq, and there he disappeared, but he is to come forth at the end of the age to fill the earth with justice”. Allama Jalaluddin Suyuti quotes in his book Jalalul- Oyun Vol.6 page 50. “ The Hour shall not come till Al-Mahdi takes charge on earth on my behalf,” said the Messenger of God. Allama Suytu also quotes Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal that famous companion Abu Said Khadhri quoting the Messenger of God saying, “ I bring you glad tidings of al-Mahdi, God shall send him to my nation, in a time different from your own, and after a series of earthquakes, and he shall fill the earth with justice and equity as it was filled with injustice and oppression. He shall distribute the wealth equitably among the inhabitants of the earth. In the manual in which he sets forth the many duties and privileges of pilgrims, Majlisi has given an accepted form for a short letter in Arabic, which anyone can write, and sent to his Imam of the age. It may be placed on the tomb of any of the Imams, or it may be fastened and sealed, and covered with clean earth and cast into the sea or river or a deep well. In any case it will reach the Hidden Imam andhe will give his personal attention. There is a famous saying of Imam Hussain (AS) about the twelvth Imam. “ The Ninth of my descendants is the Imam who will rise with the Truth. God will grant life to earth through him after its death. The true faith will supersede all religions through him. His absence shall be lengthy during which many people will go astray. Only a few will remain on the Right Path. They shall suffer pains, people will put pressure on them, saying,” let us know when this promise of the Return of the Mahdi is fulfilled”. Those who will bear the pains and denials patiently will get the same rewards as those who accompanied the Prophet during his expeditions for Jihad.” Imam Zainul Abedeen (AS) has said, “ Of us one will be born whose birth will remain secret so much so that the people will say that he was not born at all.” Imam Muhammad al Baqir (AS) is quoted by Kulaini in Al-Kafi, “ Nine Imams after Hussain are destined, the last of them will be al-Qaim.” Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (AS) is quoted in Ilal al-shaa’i saying, “ The fifth of the descendants of my son Musa will be the Qa’im a descendant of the Prophet (SA). Imam Musa ibn Ja’afar (AS) was asked once, “ Are the Qa’im with the truth?” The Imam replied, “ I also rise truthfully, but the real Qa’im is he who will remove the enemies of God from earth and will fill it with justice. He shall be my fifth descendant. His absence will be lengthy during which multitudes will turn away from the faith while only a few will uphold it”. Imam Ali al-Reza (AS) in the above saying of Imam Hussain (AS) that due to the excessive the length of the concealment of the 12th Imam many believers will have doubts about his existence. Many will question the very longevity of his life and the usefulness of his presence as an Imam. Reza said, “ O Da’bil, my son Muhammad (AS) will come when I am gone. After him, his great grand son will be named Muhammad(AS) who will be the Qa’im. He will be awaited during his absence. When he appears, the world shall bow down before him.” Imam Muhammad Taqi (AS) has said “ The Qa’im will be from amongst us the third of my descendants”. Imam Ali Naqi (AS) said, “ My successor will be my son Hasan; but what will be your condition during the reign of Hasan’s successor”? Those who were present asked, “Why, what do you mean by that”? Imam replied, “ you will not have the chance to see him, later you will not be allowed to mention his name”. Then the Imam was asked as to how they should mention him. Imam replied, “ You may say that he is the last of Muhammad’s (PBUH) (infallible) descendants. “ Some people asked Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS), “ your forefathers have said that the earth would never be without knowing the sign of Allah (Hujjatullah) till Doomsday, and he who dies without knowing the Imam of his time will die the death of ignorance”. Imam replied, “ That was as true as the shining day. They inquired as to who would be the Imam who would be the sign of the Mercy of God after his death, Imam replied, “ He will be my son, the namesake of the Holy Prophet (Muhammad Abul Qasim). He who died without knowing him will die the death of ignorance. His absence will be so lengthy that the ignorant will wander puzzled and would surely stray from the Right Path. But the Righteous shall remain steadfast and pray for their Imam to appear within their life time”. All these predictions were recorded since the time of the Holy Prophet who himself prophesied the advent of the Mahdi. (Read this Hadith in the story of the 5th Imam). As in the above saying of Imam Hussain (AS) that due to the excessive length of the concealment of the 12th Imam many believers will have doubts about his existence. Many will question the very longevity of his life and the usefulness of his presence as an Imam. To the question of existence, we have seen above the many Verses from the Qora’an and Hadith of the Prophet and all the Eleven Imams. We have also read quotations from the Books of Ahlul Sunna wal Jama’a and many scholars and philosophers from the earliest times to the present. As far as the longevity of his life, in Qur’anic terms it is not difficult to explain. Prophet Jesus is alive and will come out with the 12th Imam. Prophet Sheeth and Prophet Khidhr are still alive according to the Verdict of the Qur’an. If God keeps his guided ones alive for a certain purpose there should not be any doubt. As for the usefulness of his concealed existence, there are numerous occasions when the Imam miraculously helped those who called him for help. During the period of Ghaibate Sughra (the period of lesser concealment) from the time of the death of his father Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS) in the year 260 Hijri, our 12th Imam was seen only by a few people who were appointed his ambassadors (Safeer) on his behalf to convey his teachings to the believers. These Four Ambassadors were as follows: 1. Abu Amr Uthman ibn Sa’id al Asadi. He was a deputy of 10th Imam Ali Naqi (AS) and after his death, of the 11th Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS) and after his death, of our 12th Imam. Having performed these duties of conveying the messages from the Imam to the believers and the teachings of Ahlulbayt, he died in Baghdad and was buried there. 2. Abu Ja’afar Muhammad ibn Othman al Amri, the son of the first Ambassador was appointed the 2nd Safeer of our 12th Imam. He died in 305 Hijri (917 AD) . 3. Abul Qasim Hussain ibn Rauh Nawbakhti was appointed the Imam’s 3rd Safeer. He was a top ranking scholar and Faqeeh, renowned for his knowledge of all Islamic sciences. He was also a very pious man. Under the directions of the 12th Imam, his 3rd Safeer Hussain ibn Rauh performed his duties as Safeer for the next 15 years. He died in the year 320 Hijri 4. Abul Hasan Ali ibn Muhammad al-Samari. He was the last Safeer of the 12th Imam, succeeding Hussain ibn Rauh as directed by the Imam. He performed his duties for 9 years and died on the 15th Shabaan 329 Hijri (May 15, 941 AD) Having being asked on his deathbed as to who would succeed him, he replied: Providence now wishes to give the matter another shape the duration of which is known to God alone.” After Abul Hasan there was no Safeer. In this sorrowful year, i.e. 329 Hijri, many scholars such as Ali ibn Babwayh Qummi and Muhammad ibn Yaqub Kulaini, the learned compiler of al-Kafi also died. Besides these events, an extra ordinary phenomenon was also witnessed. In the sky so many stars did shoot that it seemed as if Doomsday had come. That year was namedas the year of the dispersal of stars. After this, followed a dark period because no saffeer was left to directly approach the Imam al Mahdi (AS). It is also related that Imam himself told his last Safeer that there will not be any more appointments of Sofara. When asked what the believers would do, the Imam replied, “follow the Foqaha of our Deen, those who have knowledge of Qora’an, who protect Deen and would not follow their own desires”. In answering those who question the usefulness of the Imam in concealment, there are numerous occasions mentioned in books of many Ulemas, such as Shaikh Mufid (d413 Hijri) Allama Hilli (d. 726) /shahid Thalith Noorullah Shoostry (d.1019). They have mentioned in their own period as to how the 12th Imam was approached and gave help. All these stories are mentioned in their own books. Here in this book I would like to mention two such occurrences that happened to those who have told their experiences to me personally. Both of them are now dead and it is important for me to tell these happenings before my own death. I lived in Najef in the fifties and during my stay there I used to visit Kerbala nearly every week. In the town of Kerbala there was a Dispensary run by the Pakistan Government. The Pharmacist there was one Mr.Rizvi who not only distributed medicine to the poor of Kerbala but also looked after the patients and sometimes even prescribed medicine for them. There was no qualified doctor to attend to the patient. Mr.Rizvi used to go to Baghdad on Friday to get stocks from the Hospital there. On one such occasion when he was coming back by Minibus, the Bus driver stopped at Mehmudiya, half way Kerbala. It was late in the evening. The Bus Driver told the passenger’s that there was something wrong with the Bus engine and he could not proceed until next morning. The passengers would have to provide for their own Board and lodging themselves for the night. Mr.Rizvi was very upset. He had a box load of medicine with him and if he would not be in Kerbala, the next morning his patients would be disappointed and some of them might have to go without any medicine. He was standing by the Road side, in this little town Mehmudiya, some 40 miles from Kerbala. Night was getting darker. People were sitting in dark coffee houses drinking coffee or playing card games etc. As time passed his worries increased. He realised that if he does not move from there soon, some youngsters might come and vandalise his goods and stocks of medicine. So he prayed to God and the words uttered were “Ya Sahebuz Zaman Udrikny” O’Imam of the Time, help me. Moments later, he saw a jeep car stopped right there where he was standing and a very good looking young Arab gentleman got out of the Jeep and told him, “Do you want to go to Kerbala”? He was astonished at this help and said yes, of course I want to go to Kerbala. He said, “put your box in the car and sit beside me”. The man drove the car and arrived in Kerbala an hour later. Without asking him the address of his destination he took him straight to the door of the Dispensary and stopped. Mr.Rizvi got down, brought his box of medicine down and started to look for some money in his pocket to give something to the Driver of the Jeep. When he turned to look for him, there was nothing there. There was no jeep car, no man, nothing. The road was completely empty. He bowed down on the dust of Kerbala to thank God for sending the help through the Imam of the Time. He told me this story personally and he had no doubt in his mind that the help came from the 12th Imam. From that time onward his devotion towards helping the people of Kerbala had increased a hundred fold. He died some years later while still helping his patients in that little Dispensary in Kerbala. My second story was from the lips of an Englishman, Col.Abdullah Baines. During the 2nd World War he was stationed at the Royal Air Force Base at Habbaniyah, a town some 22 miles south of Baghdad. During the height of the war there was some scare in Britain that Hitler might invade Iraq to grab oilfields. It was 1942 that the Commander of the Base decided to evacuate families of the people living at the base. Col.Baines was given the task of leading the caravan of jeep cars full of women and children from Baghdad to Damascus. They had to pass through the Desert where there was no road and they had to find there way by looking at the stars as Captains of the ship sail in the sea and find there way to their destination. Col.Baines was a Christian but he was well versed in Islamic history and especially the history concerning the lives of the Imams. He had read many books about the 12th Imam and was well aware of the stories of those faithful who believe who receive help from the Imam in their distress. They call the Imam and help comes to them. All the women and children with Col.Baines were all christians and not muslims. Half way through their journey of this caravan of five jeeps through the desert, they lost their way in a desert storm. They were hopelessly lost, going round and round in the desert, not knowing where to go and how to find their way to Damascus. They decided to camp there. Made a circle of jeep cars and all travellers sat down on the ground to await a miracle to get them out of that endless desert. They did not know what to do. One day and one night passed like that and when the next day’s sun came scorching, all of them were in despair. Water stocks had gone and thirsty children began to demand for water. Col.Baines did not know what to do. Then he remembered that he read somewhere that if you are in such distress, call the Imam of the time for help. He put up his hands in the shape of prayer, closed his eyes and asked in his heart for the Imam to help. He said, “we are all Christians and we may be sinners, but these children with me are innocent , they do not deserve to die in this manner. O’Imam of the Time, help them get out of this desert”. His prayers had not even ended when he saw that two horsemen were coming right through the eye of the storm. They came near the circle of jeep cars, approached Col.Baines, and asked, “ Do you all wish to go to Damascus”. He said “yes of course”. They said, “follow us”. The jeeps lined up and followed the horsemen. They had gone a few miles until the way became clear for them. Their guides told them to go straight to the West and they will reach Damascus. In a few days they all reached Damascus and safety. Col.Baines realised that his prayers to the 12th Imam were heard and help arrived from the Imam. Once the war was over, Col.Bains embraced Islam, changed his name to Abdullah Baines and after his retirement from the Army, settled in Kent. He has himself told me his story before his death in 1965. He also told me to publicise this as much as possible for this is the truth and people should not refrain from telling the truth. There are numerous experiences of this kind of help given by the Imam to people in distress who call him for help. Ayatollah al-Jazaeri told us two such stories of his own experiences in Iran when help came from the Imam to people. Although absent and unrepresented, Imam al-Mahdi (AS) still guides people and defends the faith. Even though unseen, the Imam supervises the world affairs and guides it. This curtain will exist as long as Providence deems it necessary. The time will come, which may be too late for many of us, but when the curtain of absence will be removed, Imam al-Mahdi (AS) will reappear and as predicted by the Prophet, fill the world with justice and equity, discarding the prevailing injustices and oppressions. May God bring about his early reappearance and ease his coming. We beseech the Most High and Almighty to make our effort of enduring benefit and to help us in disseminating benevolence and guidance. He is the Hearing and Answering.

Imam al-Mahdi "The belief in an expected reformer and a saviour of humanity is not peculiar to the Shia school of Islam. It is common not only to all the Muslim sects, but is also shared by all the great religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Zoroastrianism. In this quest for the truth about the Mahdi, there is no distinction of any caste, creed, or country. The quest is universal, just as the Mahdi himself is universal. He stands resplendent high above the narrow walls in which humanity is cut up and divided. He belongs to everybody. For all that and much more, what exactly is the Mahdi?" Contents: A note on Imam Mahdi The Saviour's Return -- Who and What of the Mahdi Some objections about the Mahdi Replies to the objections -(a) Longevity Replies to the objections -(b) Suspension of Laws Replies to the objections -(c) His training for the mission Replies to the objections -(d) Reasons for his continued existence Replies to the objections -(e) Reasons for delay in his appearance Replies to the objections -(f) His superhuman role Replies to the objections -(g) His modus operandi The Saviour's Revolution -(h) The Final Victory The Quran and History Interpretation of the Evolution of History Dialectic Approach Human Approach Two concepts about man The Great Expectation al-Mahdi: in the light of Hadith al-Mahdi: in the light of Quranic verses References This effort dedicated to our guide, our Divine leader, Hazrat Imam Mahdi (a), the Awaited Saviour. May we be counted as his lovers and followers in this world and the next. A note on Imam Mahdi by Allama Yusufali Nafsi Back To Contents A figure more legendary than that of the Mahdi, the Awaited Saviour, has not been seen in the history of mankind. The threads of the world events have woven many a fine design in human life, but the pattern of the Mahdi stands high above every other pattern. He has been the vision of the visionaries in history. He has been the dream of all the dreamers of the world. For the ultimate salvation of mankind, he is the Pole Star of hope on which the gaze of humanity is fixed. The Qur'anic prophecy of the inevitable victory of Islam will be realized following the advent of the Mahdi who will fight the wrong, remedy the evils and establish a world order based on the Islamic teachings of justice and virtue. Thereafter, there will be only one religion, and one government in the world. It may be mentioned here that the movement for the establishment of a world government is already afoot and this point is engaging the attention of many prominent intellectuals. The setting up of the United Nations is a step in this direction. In spite of the growing consciousness of its desirability, the unification of the world is still a distant dream. The vested interests and the mutual rivalries of the regimes in the various countries and the mutual animosities of the divergent blocs constitute a big hurdle in the way of its materialization. Hence, its consummation cannot be expected to come off automatically. It will need the active struggle of a world reformer in the person of Mahdi. Anyhow, a start has been made and the things are gradually turning out exactly as predicted by Islam, fourteen centuries ago. The Universality of the concept of Mahdi The belief in an expected reformer and a saviour of humanity is not peculiar to the Shia school of Islam. It is common not only to all the Muslim sects, but is also shared by all the great religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Zoroastrianism. In this quest for the truth about the Mahdi, there is no distinction of any caste, creed, or country. The quest is universal, exactly in the same way as the Mahdi himself is universal. He stands resplendent high above the narrow walls in which humanity is cut up and divided. He belongs to everybody. For all that and much more, what exactly is the Mahdi? Surely that is the big question which the thinking people all over the world would like to ask. It is only Islam that has given this concrete shape to an abstract idea. The Mahdi is not to be born in the distant future. He is already living amongst us and shares our joys and sorrows. His appearance will mean not only the materialization of an Islamic aspiration, but will also be the realization of a hope cherished by the entire humanity. Prof. Henry Corbin of Sorbonne University says: "To my mind, the Shi'ite is the only sect which has preserved and perpetuated the link of Divine guidance between man and God through its belief in the Imamate. According to the Jews, the Prophethood, a real link between man and God, came to an end with Moses. They do not believe in the Prophethood of Jesus and Muhammad. The Christians too, do not go beyond Jesus. The Sunnite sect has also stopped at the Prophet Muhammad and believes that the link between man and God has been severed with the end of the Prophethood." It is only the Twelver Shias, who believe that the link still exists through the Mahdi and will continue to exist forever. It is hardly necessary to give an explanation as why the Mahdi disappeared immediately after assuming the Imamate. Let it suffice to say that Allah in His Divine Wisdom ordained so. In the meantime, it is the duty of all the Muslims, especially the Shias, to strive steadfastly for the creation of the proper atmosphere and the right climate for the establishment of a world order based on justice, virtue and piety. They should not only mould their individual lives according to the teachings and high ideals of Islam, but they should also bend their efforts to set up the Islamic order on the collective and communal level. They should devote themselves to the service of the faith and be prepared to receive the Awaited Saviour. That is what was meant by the Imams when they exhorted the Muslims to keep on waiting for the Mahdi. The Mahdi, in the light of Hadith An authentic and universally accepted Hadith (tradition) reports that the Holy Prophet of Islam, (Peace and benediction be upon him and his infallible progeny) to have said explicitly on several occasions that he would be followed by twelve Amirs,[1] (according to another version, twelve caliphs) the first of them being Ali and the last Mahdi.[2] According to another reliable tradition, he pinpointed the personality to Imam Mahdi when he said that the Mahdi would be a descendant of Imam Husain (a) in his ninth generation. [3] In certain other traditions, the Holy Prophet (s) referred, in clear terms to the last Imam's mission and narrated the events connected with his occultation and reappearance. In this connection, it is interesting to note, as pointed out by the famous historian Tabari, that the reports about the occultation of the Mahdi were recorded in their books by the Shia traditionalists during the lifetime of Imam Baqir (a) and Imam Sadiq (a), i.e. long before Imam Mahdi was born. This fact alone is enough to vouch for their genuineness. The Sunnite scholars have also mentioned and recorded hundreds of traditions about the Mahdi in more than seventy books by their own valued and dependable authorities, of which we shall mention a few examples. Musnad by Ahmad ibn Hanbal (d. 241 AH) Sahih Bukhari by Muhammad ibn Ismail Bukhari (d. 256 AH) Sahih Muslim by Muslim ibn Hajjaj Nishapuri (d. 261 AH) Sunan Abi Dawud by Sulayman ibn Ash'ath Sijistani (d. 275 AH) Sahih Tirmizi by Muhammad ibn Isa Tirmizi (d. 279 AH) The author of the above books, each one of them, died either before or shortly after Mahdi's birth. (See also [4]) Prophecies about the Mahdi (a) The other facts which can be gleaned from the prophecies of the Holy Prophet (s), about the Mahdi, are briefly stated below: a) He will bear the same nomenclature as the Holy Prophet. b) He will not be bearing allegiance to any tyrant (or not be under any despot's rule). c) He will fill the earth with justice and fair-play after its having been filled with injustice and tyranny. d) At the time of his advent, he will be found leaning against the wall of the Ka'bah. He will call together his 313 supporters who will respond to his call and gather around him. Then he will lead the congregational prayers. e) He will establish Islamic laws in the whole world. f) On his second advent, Jesus will offer prayers behind him. According to the Islamic traditions, Jesus will descend from the heaven and espouse the cause of the Mahdi. The Christians and Jews will see him and recognize his true status. The Christians will abandon their faith in his god-head. The Holy Quran says: "There shall be none among the People of the Scripture, but will believe in him (Jesus) before his death; and on the Day of Resurrection, he will be a witness against them." (Surah al-Nisa, 4:159) Evidently at that time, Jesus will not be following the Christian law, which has already been repealed. He will be following the Mahdi, the master of the time, and that is why he will be offering prayers behind him. According to a tradition, recorded in the celebrated books of tradition, including the Sahih Bukhari and the Sahih Muslim, the Prophet is reported to have said: "How abut you, when Mary's son will descend into your midst, while your Imam will be from amongst you?" Here the word Imam refers to Imam Mahdi. This tradition clearly shows that Jesus at the time of his second advent, will be a follower of the Mahdi. According to these and many other prophecies handed down by the Holy Prophet and the great Imams to the succeeding generations, Imam Mahdi was born in the city of Samarrah, (Iraq) in the middle of the month of Sha'ban in 255 AH. His mother's name was Narjis. He succeeded to the Imamate at the early age of five on the death of his father, Imam Hasan al-Askari, the eleventh Imam. Soon afterwards, he went into occultation from the scene of life, but retained contact with his followers through his vicegerents. This period, which spreads over 70 years is known as "al-Gaybat al-Sughra", the period of the minor occultation. During this period, the people could refer their problems to him and receive his replies through his vicegerents. The minor occultation was followed by "al-Ghaybat al-Kubra", the major occultation which still continues. During this period, direct contact with him had been severed. Anyhow, those who are aware of the historical conditions prevailing at the time of his occultation know well that the Abbasid rulers regarded Mahdi as the biggest potential threat to themselves and their dynasty, and were determined to remove him from their way at any cost. Hence, to foil an attempt on his life, it was advisable for him to go into occultation. Several sayings of the Imams, expressly refer to this situation. The Grand Victory promised by Quran The Mahdi is alive. He visits different places and takes an intelligent interest in the world events. He often attends the assemblies of the faithful but does not disclose his true identity. He will reappear on the appointed day, and then he will fight against the forces of evil, lead a world revolution and set up a new world order based on justice, righteousness and virtue, as you will read in detail in this book. The Holy Quran has clearly promised that a day is to come when truth will prevail and the righteous will come to power. We quote here a few verses. "Indeed We have written in the Psalms after the Torah had been given: The earth will be inherited by Our righteous servants". (Surah al-Anbiyah, 21:105) "Allah has promised those of you who believe and do good deeds, that He will surely make them successors on the earth as He has made those who were before them, and that He will surely establish their religion which He has choosen for them." (Surah al-Noor, 24:55) "They wish to put out the light of Allah with their breaths (propagation) but Allah will perfect His light, howsoever much the disbelievers may be averse. It is He who has sent His messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth to make it prevail over every other religion, howsoever much the disbelievers may be averse." (Surah al-Tauba, 9:32-33) It is clear from these verses that ultimately, the righteous will take the world administration in their hands and Islam will be victorious over all the religions. Shaykh Yusufali Nafsi (Representative Ayatullah al-uzma Aqa Seestani) The Saviour's Return Back To Contents Who and What of the Mahdi by Ayatullah Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr The Mahdi is not only an embodiment of the Islamic belief but he is also the symbol of an aspiration cherished by mankind of its divergent religious doctrines. He is also the crystallization of an instructive inspiration through which all people, regardless of their religious affiliations, have learnt to await a day when heavenly mission, with all their implications, will achieve their final goals, and the tiring march of humanity across history will culminate satisfactorily in peace and tranquillity. This consciousness of the expected future has not been confined to those who believe in the supernatural phenomena but has also been reflected in the ideologies and cults, which totally deny the existence of what is imperceptible. For example, dialectical materialism which interprets history on the basis of contradictions, believes that a day will come when all contradictions will disappear and complete peace and tranquillity will prevail. Thus, we find that this consciousness experienced throughout history is one of the widest and the commonest psychological experience of humanity. The religion, when it endorses this common consciousness and stresses that in the long run, this world will be filled with justice and equity after having been filled with injustice and oppression, gives it a factual value and converts it into a definite belief in the future course of humanity. This belief, is not merely a source of consolation, but it is also a source of virtue and strength. It is a source of virtue because the belief in the Mahdi means the total elimination of injustice and oppression prevailing in the world. It is a source of inexhaustible strength because it provides hope which enables man to resist frustration, howsoever hopeless and dismal the circumstances may be. The belief in the appointed day proves that it is possible for the forces of justice to face the world filled with injustice and oppression, to prevail upon the forces of injustice and to reconstruct the world order. After all, prevalence of injustice, howsoever dominant and extensive it may become, is an abnormal state and must be eliminated, in the long run. The prospect of its elimination after reaching its climax, infuses a great hope in every persecuted individual and every oppressed nation, that it is still possible to change the state of affairs. Although the concept of the Mahdi is more wide-spread than the Muslim community, yet its detailed features, as determined by Islam, meet more fully all the aspirations attached to it, since the dawn of history. They are in greater conformity with the feelings and sentiments of the oppressed and the persecuted of all times. It is Islam, which has given a concrete shape to an abstract idea. It is no longer necessary to look forward to an unknown saviour, who may come into the world at a distant future. The saviour is already here, and we simply have to look forward to the day, when the circumstances are ripe for him to appear and begin his great mission. The Mahdi is no longer an idea. He is no longer a prophecy. We need not wait for his birth. He already exists actually and we only wait for the inauguration of his role. He is a specific entity living among us in his real human form and shares our hopes and disappointments, and our joys and grief. He witnesses all the acts of oppression and persecution, which are perpetrated on the face of the earth, and somehow or other, he himself is affected by them. He is anxiously awaiting the moment when he will be able to extend his helping hand to everyone, whom any wrong has been done and be able to eradicate injustice and oppression completely. Although this Awaited Saviour is living among us, waiting for the appointed moment for his advent, yet he is ordained not to proclaim himself nor to disclose his identity. It is evident that the concept of the Mahdi, with its Islamic features, shortens the gap between the oppressed and the expected saviour. It spans the bridge between them, howsoever long the period of waiting may be. When we are asked to believe that the Mahdi is a particular person already living a normal life, we are also expected to believe that the idea of absolute eradication of every kind of injustice and oppression by the Mahdi has already been embodied in the person of the Awaited Saviour, who will reappear while he will be 'owing no allegiance to any tyrant', as the tradition goes. The belief in him, means the belief in eradication of all evils in a concrete form. The tradition urges the believers in the Mahdi to keep on waiting for him and to continue looking forward for solace. The idea is to establish a close spiritual and intuitive link between the believers, on the one hand, and the Mahdi and all that he stands for, on the other hand. It is not possible to establish such a link without believing that the Mahdi has already been born and is a living and a contemporary personality. Thus we find that the concept of the living Mahdi has given a new impetus to the idea of an expected saviour. It has made it a source of effective strength and consolation to every person suffering from deprivation and injustice, a person who rejects all forms of tyranny, because he feels that his Leader, being a contemporary and a living personality, and not a future idea, shares his sufferings and feels his misery. Yet this concept, being beyond the imagination and comprehension of a number of people, has led them to adopt a negative attitude towards the very idea of the Mahdi. Some objections about the Mahdi Back To Contents (a) Longevity They object to the Mahdi being a contemporary of so many successive generations during the past ten centuries and continuing to live until he reappears on the scene. How is it possible for him, (they ask), to live such a long life without being affected by the natural laws, according to which everyone has to pass through the stages of old age and senility and eventually has to die at a time far earlier than the supposed present age of the Mahdi. Isn't such a long life impossible from a factual point of view? (See reply) (b) Suspension of Laws They also inquire as to why Allah is so keen to suspend natural laws for the sake of this particular person and to prolong his life so extraordinarily. Is humanity unable to produce any other competent leader? Why is it not possible that the role of filling the world with justice and equity be left to a leader who may be born on the eve of the appointed day and grow like other people? (See reply) (c) Lack of training They also say that if it is true that the Mahdi is the name of a particular person who is the son of the eleventh Imam of the Prophet's House, who was born in 255 AH and whose father died in 260 AH, and who at the time of his father's death, was a child of not more than five years of age, then obviously this age was not sufficient for his having been trained religiously and intellectually by his father. They ask as to how then he has been prepared for his great role?(See reply) (d) His continued existence They also say that even if it is presumed that the existence of the Mahdi is theoretically possible, how can they believe in his actual existence in the absence of any scientific or religious proof? According to them, a few traditions of unknown authenticity attributed to the Holy Prophet (s), cannot be considered to be enough for such a belief? (See reply) (e) Delay in appearance They also say that if, the leader is already prepared for the performance of his great role, then what is the necessity of waiting for hundreds of years? Could not the upheavals and tragedies so far witnessed by the world justify his appearance on the scene? (See reply) (f) His superhuman role With reference to the Mahdi's role, they ask as to how it is possible for such an individual, howsoever great he may be, to play such a decisive role in the world, when it is known that no individual by himself, can make history nor can he give it an entirely new turn. It is the prevailing circumstances which produce and direct historical changes. The greatness of an individual lies only in his coming to the fore-front, in the given circumstances, and in effecting a practical change by selecting one of the multiple solutions. (See reply) (g) His modus operandi They also ask what practical methods will be employed by that individual to bring about the colossal change and to ensure the final victory of the forces of justice over the mighty and dominating forces of oppression and injustice, which now have the most destructive weapons, scientific potentialities and political, social and military power at their disposal. (See reply) These are the questions which are frequently raised in this connection and repeated in one form or another. They are not always motivated merely by intellectual curiosity. There are psychological reasons also which stimulate them. There is a strong general feeling that there is little chance of overthrowing the present world system., which is too powerful and seemingly invincible. This feeling produces skepticism and gives rise to queries. It leads to defeatism and an inferiority complex. One begins to shudder at the very idea of a world-wide change which may eliminate injustice and historical contradictions and usher in a new system based on justice and equity. This mental frustration impels one to doubt and reject every possibility of such a change by giving one reason or another. We now propose to take the above-mentioned queries, one by one and deal with them briefly. Replies to the objections Back To Contents (a) Longevity See Question: Is it possible for any human being to continue to live for many centuries, as is presumed in the case of this Awaited Saviour, who has already lived for more than 1145 years? This long life is about 14 times the life of an ordinary man who passes through all stages of life from infancy to old age?? The impossibility of such a long life is the objection. Let us have a close look at the objection. The word "impossibility" here (like any other truth) is relative. It has meaning only in relation to some person, place and time. What is impossible for one person need not be so for the others. Then what is impossible in one place, may be quite possible in another place. Again what is not possible at one time may be quite possible at another. There is no dearth of illustrations to prove how impossibility is a relative term. In other words, the possibility of a thing may be of three categories, viz. factual possibility, scientific possibility and logical possibility. Practical possibility: To journey across the ocean, to reach the bottom of the sea and to travel to the moon are practical possibilities. There are people who have accomplished these tasks in one way or another. Scientific possibility: By a scientific possibility, we mean that there may be certain things which may not be practicable in the present circumstances, but there exists no scientific reason to justify the denial of their practicability in favourable circumstances and the scientific trends indicate that they will be feasible sooner or later. For example, there exists no scientific reason to deny the possibility of man's travelling to Venus. Although, it has not been possible for anyone to go to that planet so far, yet we know that there is only a difference of degree between man's landing on the moon and his landing on Venus. It is only a question of surmounting additional difficulties because of the greater distance. Hence, it is scientifically possible to go to Venus, though practically, it is still impossible. In contrast, it is scientifically impossible to go to the sun in the sense that science does not hope that it will ever be able to manufacture a protective shield against the heat of the sun which is virtually a huge furnace blazing at the highest imaginable degree of temperature. Logical possibility: By a logical possibility, we mean that on the basis of self-evident laws, reason does not regard a thing impossible. For example, it is logically impossible to divide three oranges into two equal parts without cutting any one of them. It is self-evident that, three being an odd number, it is not divisible into two whole numbers. Only an even number can be so divided and the same number cannot be both odd and even simultaneously, because that will mean self-contradiction which is impossible. But a man's entering into fire without being hurt or going to the sun without being affected by its heat, is not logically impossible, for it is not self-contradictory to suppose that heat does not pass from a body having a higher temperature to a body having a lower temperature. Only experience has proved that if two bodies are mixed or put together, heat passes from a body having higher temperature to a body having lower temperature, till the temperature of both the bodies is at par. Thus, we know that the scope of the logical possibility is wider than that of the scientific possibility and the scope of the scientific possibility is wider than that of the practical possibility. The possibility of the Mahdi's existence? There is no doubt that a person's remaining alive for thousands of years is not logically impossible, for there is nothing irrational or self-contradictory about it. Life itself does not imply the sense of quick death. Admittedly, such a long life is not as practical as descending to the bottom of the sea or ascending to the moon. Notwithstanding the present scientific facilities, it has not so far been possible to prolong human life to hundreds of years. Even those who have all the modern facilities at their disposal and are the keenest to continue to live, cannot have more than the normal span of life. As for the scientific possibility there exists nothing to justify its denial from a theoretical point of view. In fact, this question is related to the physiological explanation of senility. The question is, whether there exists a natural law according to which human tissues and cells, after attaining the stage of full development, automatically begin to stiffen and degenerate, till they cease functioning at a particular moment or the senile degeneration is caused by some external factors, such as microbes and poisons infiltrating into the body through polluted food, unhealthy jobs or some other causes. It is a question with which science is grappling at present and is earnestly trying to find an answer to it. For the present, there are more than one scientific explanations of senility. Anyhow, if we accept the view that senile degeneration is caused by external influences, it means that if the tissues of the human body are secluded from these particular influences, it is theoretically possible to prolong life, to delay senility and even to control it eventually. The other view tends to suppose that living cells and tissues are governed by a natural law according to which they carry within themselves the seeds of their complete exhaustion. They, in their natural course, pass through the stages of old age, and senility and eventually cease to function. Even if we accept this view, it does not mean that this natural law is not flexible. In fact, it is supposed to be a flexible law, for we see in our ordinary life, and it has been confirmed by scientific laboratory observations also, that senility is an untimely physiological phenomenon, in the sense that sometimes it appears early and sometimes very late. It is a common experience which has also been confirmed by the observations of the physicians, that many a man of advanced age still possess a supple body and do not suffer from any old age ailments. It is because of the flexibility of this natural law that the scientists have already succeeded in prolonging the life of certain animals,[5] hundreds of times beyond their normal span of life by artificially creating conditions conducive to the delay of senility. They have falsified the law of natural senility by acquiring brilliant successes and have made it clear scientifically that to postpone senility or to provide opportunities and specified factors, therefore is possible and if present day science is not able to enforce this programme in the case of phenomena like human beings, it is on account of the fact that more difficulties are involved in the matter with regard to man as compared with other animals. In a nutshell, it is logically and scientifically possible to prolong life, though it is still practically impossible to do so. Anyhow, science is endeavouring to make it practical also. Islam and Science If we consider the question of the Mahdi's age in this light, there appears to be nothing strange or surprising about it, for it has been proved that such a long life is logically and scientifically possible and the scientists are working to turn its possibility into a reality. All that appears to be surprising is that the Mahdi has attained such a long life before the scientists have been able to turn its theoretical possibility into a practical one. This phenomenon can be compared to the discovery of a cure for cancer or brain haemorrhage before science can make such a discovery. If the question is how Islam, which planned the age of the Awaited Saviour, could anticipate science in this field, the answer is simple. This is not the only field wherein Islam has anticipated science. The Islamic Shariah as a whole anticipated the scientific movement and the natural development of human thinking by several centuries. Islam had already presented, for practical application, the laws, which science has taken hundreds of years to discover. It has propounded doctrines, the wisdom of which has been corroborated by science only recently. It disclosed such secrets of the universe which none could think of, at that time and the truth of which, was later confirmed by science. If we believe in this, then it is not too much for Allah, the Exalted, to anticipate science in planning the age of the Mahdi. We have talked of only those aspects of anticipation which we can see directly. We can add other instances about which Quran has told us. Here we have talked of only those aspects of anticipation by Islam vis-a-vis science which we can observe directly. It is, however, possible for us to add some other instances of anticipation about matters which it has not been possible for science to comprehend so far. For example, Quran tells us that the Holy Prophet of Islam (s), was carried one night from Masjid al-Haram (at Mecca) to Masjid al-Aqsa (at Jerusalem). If we try to perceive the quality of this journey, within the framework of natural laws, it points to the application of laws which govern nature in this sense that science has not yet been able to understand them and it will take it hundreds of years more to specify their quality. The same Divine Knowledge, which granted the Prophet this high speed long before science could consider it to be possible, also granted long life to his last Divinely appointed successor, long before it could be achieved by science. Replies to the objections Back To Contents (b) Suspension of Laws See question: It is true, as far as common experience and the experiments carried out so far by the scientists are concerned, this long life granted by Allah to the Awaited Saviour appears to be very unusual. But his role of revolutionizing the world order and rebuilding the entire system on the basis of justice and truth is also so extraordinary that neither are the people familiar with it nor has it ever been experienced in history. So, it should not be surprising if at the preparatory stage also, his role is preceded by some unusual and extraordinary events, like his long life. However, unfamiliar these events may be, they are not more unusual than the great role to be performed by the Mahdi on the appointed day. If we can relish that role, having no precedent throughout history, there is no reason why we should not relish his long life unprecedented in our ordinary life. Similarity between Noah and the Mahdi We wonder if it is a mere chance that each of the only two persons who undertook to purify the human civilization of all its impurities and to reconstruct the world should have had a very long life span, several times that of a usual one. One of them played this role in the past. He was Noah, about whom the Holy Quran has expressly said that he lived among his people for 950 years. He reconstructed the world after the Deluge. The other is to play his role in the future. He is the Mahdi who has already lived among his people for more than a thousand years and is destined to play his role on the appointed day and build the world anew. How is it then that we accept the longevity of Noah who lived for at least about a thousand years and deny that of Mahdi? We have learnt that a long life is scientifically possible but let us suppose that it is not so and the law of senility is inexorable and cannot be defied either today or in future. Then what does this mean?? It means only this that to live for centuries, as is the case with Noah and the Mahdi, is contrary to the natural laws established by science through modern methods of experimentation and investigation. Miracles / Suspension of natural laws in the Quran In this case a long life may be accepted as a miracle which suspends a natural law in particular circumstances to preserve the life of a particular person entrusted with a celestial mission. This miracle is not unique in its kind, nor is it alien to the Muslim belief derived from the text of the Quran and the Sunnah. ([6] Some well-known miracles in the Quran, Hadith and apostolic texts) The law of senility is not any the more relentless than the law of the exchange of heat, according to which heat passes from a body having a higher temperature to a body having a lower temperature. This law was suspended to protect Abraham when he was thrown into the burning fire, for this was the only way to preserve his life. The holy Quran says: "We said: O fire, be coolness and peace for Abraham". (Surah al-Anbia, 21:69) Accordingly, he came out of the fire unscathed! In many other cases also, natural laws were suspended to protect the prophets and other Divinely appointed people. The sea was parted for Moses. It appeared to the Romans that they had captured Jesus whereas they had not. Muhammad got out of his house while it was surrounded by a mob of the tribe of Quraish, waiting for an opportunity to assassinate him. Allah concealed him, so that the Quraishites could not see him when he walked out through their midst. In all these cases, natural laws were suspended for the protection of the people whose lives, the Divine Wisdom wished to preserve. The law of senility too, can be bracketed with these cases of suspension. From the above discussion, we can arrive at a general conclusion and say: Whenever it is necessary to preserve the life of one of the chosen servants of Allah, to enable him to accomplish his mission, the Divine Grace intervenes to protect him and one of the natural laws is suspended. On the contrary if the period of his appointment comes to an end, and the task entrusted to him by the Almighty is accomplished, he meets death in accordance with the natural laws related to life or is martyred. Science and Miracles Question: In this connection, we are usually confronted with the following questions. "How can a natural law be suspended and the compulsory relationship existing between the various phenomena be severed? Will such a suspension not be in contradiction with science which has discovered that law determines the compulsory relationship on the basis of experimentation and investigations?" Science itself has provided an answer to this question. It has already given up the idea of compulsion in respect of natural laws. It only says that these laws are discovered on the basis of systematic observation and experiment. When it is observed that one phenomenon invariably follows another, this invariability is treated as a natural law. But science does not claim that there exists a binding and compulsory relationship between any two phenomena, because compulsion is a factor which cannot be proved by experiment and scientific methods of investigation. Modern science confirms that a natural law as defined by it, speaks only of an invariable association between two phenomena and is not concerned with any compulsory relationship between them. [7] Hence, if a miracle takes place and the natural relationship between two phenomena breaks down, it does not amount to the breaking down of a compulsory relationship. In fact, a miracle in its religious sense has become more comprehensive in the light of modern scientific theory than it was when the classical view of causal nexus prevailed. According to the old theory, it was presumed that the phenomena invariably associated with each other must have an inevitable relationship between them and this inevitability meant that their separation from each other was inconceivable. According to modern scientific thinking, however, this relationship has been transformed into a law of association or invariable succession. Thus, a miracle need not come into clash with inevitability any longer. It is only an exceptional state of the invariability of association and succession. We agree with the scientific view that modern scientific methods cannot prove the existence of an inevitable relationship between any two phenomena. Anyhow, we are of the view that there must still be some explanation of the invariability of association and succession. As it can be explained on the basis of the theory of intrinsic inevitability, it can also be explained if we assume that it is the Wisdom of the Organizer of the universe, which requires a particular phenomenon to be invariably related to some other phenomenon and that in certain cases, the same wisdom may require that there should be an exception. Such exceptional cases are called miracles. But why this extraordinary suspension of laws, for the Mahdi?? Now let us take up the question as to why Allah is so keen to prolong the Mahdi's life that, even natural laws are suspended for his sake. Is it not advisable to leave the leadership of the appointed day to a person to be born in the future and brought up according to the needs of the time?? In other words, what is the justification of this long occultation? Most of the people who ask this question do not want an answer simply based on belief. It is not enough to say that we believe it be so. What the interrogators really want is a social explanation of the position in the light of the tangible requirements of the great change to be brought about by the Mahdi. Hence, we leave aside for the time being the qualifications we believe the infallible Imams to have possessed and take up instead the following question: Is it likely, in the light of the past experience, that such a long life of the leader-designate will contribute to his success and will enable him to play his role better?? Our reply to this question is in the affirmative. Some of the reasons are given below: The proposed great revolutionary change requires that its leader should possess a unique mental calibre. He should be conscious of his own superiority and the insignificance of the knotty system he has to overthrow. The more conscious he is of the insignificance of the corrupt society he has to fight against, the more psychologically prepared he will be to wage a war till victory is won. It is evident that the size of his mental calibre should be proportionate to the size of the proposed change and the size of the social system to be eliminated.. The more extensive and deep-seated this system, the greater should be the psychological push required. The mission being to revolutionize the world, full of injustice and oppression, and to bring about a radical change in all its cultural values and diverse systems, it is but natural that it should be entrusted to a person whose mental calibre is higher than that of anyone in the whole of the existing world and who may not have been born and brought up under the influence of the society required to be demolished and replaced by another culture of justice and righteousness. One brought up under the shadow of a deep-seated and world-dominating culture is naturally impressed and overawed by it, that being the only culture which he has seen and by which he has been influenced from a tender age. But the case should be different with a person who has a long historical background, who has witnessed several great cultures successively grow and decline, who has seen the big historical changes with his own eyes and has not read about them in books, who has been a contemporary of all the stages of the development of that culture which happens to be the last chapter of the human history before the appointed day and who has seen all its ups and downs. Such a person, who himself has lived through all these stages very carefully and attentively, is competent to look at the culture he has to grapple with, in its historical perspective and is not daunted by its magnitude. His attitude to it will not be like that of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) to the French monarchy. It is reported that Rousseau, in spite of being a great champion of political revolution from an intellectual and philosophical point of view, shuddered at the very thought of there being a France without a king, the reason being that he was born and brought up and had always lived under the shadow of monarchy. But the man having a long historical background and being fully aware of the historical factors, knows perfectly well how and when the prevailing culture and the prevailing system came into being, and developed. He knows that the historical age of the cultures and systems, howsoever long, is very limited. Have you read the Surah al-Kahf (Chapter 18 of the Holy Quran)? And have you gone through the story of the youths who believed in Allah and were virtuous, but had to face an idolatrous system which was dominant at that time and which ruthlessly crushed every idea of Monotheism? They felt greatly distressed and lost all hope. In utter despair they took refuge in a cave, for they were at their wits' end and did not know what to do. They thought that the then existing unjust system would continue to prevail for ever and would liquidate all those whose hearts throbbed for the truth. Do you know what Allah did? He sent them to sleep in the cave for 309 years. Then He awakened them and sent them back to the scene of life. By then the unjust regime, the power and tyranny which had dazzled them, had completely collapsed and become a part of past history. This arrangement was made to enable those young men to see themselves the downfall of falsehood, the power and grandeur which had overawed them. The people of the cave achieved moral uplift and sublimation through this unique experience which extended their lives for three hundred years. The same privilege will be enjoyed by the Awaited Saviour through his long life which will enable him to see the giant dwindling into a dwarf, a lofty tree shrinking to become a mere seed leaf and a tornado turning into a mere whiff of the wind. Furthermore, the conscience gained through the direct and close study of so many successive cultures will widen the mental horizon the person designated to lead the revolution and will prepare him better, for the accomplishment of his mission. He will have benefited by the experience of others, knowing their strong and weak points, and will be in a better position to assess social developments correctly in their true historical contexts. As the revolution to be brought about by the Awaited Saviour is to be ideological and based on the message of Islam, the very nature of his mission requires him to be close to the early Islamic sources and to have a personality built independently of and detached from the influences of the culture he is destined to fight. A person born and brought up under the shadow of a particular culture cannot in all probability, escape its effects totally, even if he leads a campaign against it. To ensure that the leader-designate is not himself influenced by the culture, he is expected to change, his personality must be built fully at a cultural stage closer in its general spirit to the system he wants to establish. Replies to the objections Back To Contents (c) His training for the mission See Question: Now we come to the third question as to how the preparation of the Awaited Saviour for his mission was completed, as he was only about five years old, when his father Imam Hasan Askari died? This age is the time of early childhood and the child is not old enough for the development of the personality of a leader? Then how did his personality develop? The answer is that several of his forefathers also assumed the Imamate at an early age. Imam Muhammad ibn Ali al-Jawad assumed it when he was only eight years old and Imam Ali ibn Muhammad al-Hadi when he was only nine. It should be observed that the phenomenon of the early Imamate reached its zenith in the case of Imam Mahdi. We call it a phenomenon, because it assumed a tangible and practical form as in the case of his forefathers. It was felt and experienced by the Muslims coming into contact with the Imam concerned. Experience of the people being the best proof of a phenomenon, we cannot be asked to give a more tangible or a more convincing proof of it. The following points will elucidate what we mean: (i) The Imamate of an Imam belonging to the Holy House was not a centre of hereditary power and influence, nor did it have the backing of any ruling regime, as was the case with the Imamate of the Fatimid caliphs and the caliphate of the Abbasid caliphs. The extensive popular support and allegiance which the Imams enjoyed was only due to their spiritual influence and the conviction of their followers that they alone deserved the leadership of Islam on spiritual and intellectual grounds. (ii) The popular bases supporting the Imamate had existed since the early days of the Islamic era. They expanded further during the time of the Imam Baqir and Imam Sadiq. The school set up by them assumed the form of an extensive intellectual movement which included among its ranks, hundreds of legists, scholastic theologians, exigetists and others learned in various fields of Islamic scholarship and the humanities known at that time. Hasan ibn Ali Washsha, when visiting the Masjid of Kufa, found there 900 scholars all repeating the traditions narrated to them by Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq. [8] (iii) The qualifications which an Imam possessed, as believed in by this school and the popular bases represented by it, were very high. The Imam was judged by the standard of these qualifications to find out whether he was really fit to be an Imam. They believed that the Imam must be the most learned and wise man of his time. (iv) The school and the popular bases had to make great sacrifices for the sake of their belief in the Imamate which the contemporary governments regarded as a hostile line, at least from the ideological angle. This attitude led the then authorities to the persecution of the followers of the Imams. Many people were killed. Many others were thrown into dungeons. Hundreds died while in detention. Their belief in the Imamate of the Prophet's House used to cost them dear. The only attraction was their conviction of gaining the favour of Allah. (v) The Imams, whose Imamate these popular bases acknowledged, were not living like the kings in high towers isolated from their followers. They never segregated themselves, except when imprisoned, exiled or forcibly kept aloof by the ruling juntas. This we know for certain on the authority of a large number of reporters, who have narrated the sayings and deeds of each of the first eleven Imams. Similarly, we have a record of the correspondence exchanged between the Imams and their contemporaries. The Imams used to make journeys to various places and appointed their deputies in different parts of the Muslim world. Their supporters, also while visiting the holy places during Hajj, made it a point to call on Medina. All this meant a continuous contact between the Imams and their followers scattered all over the Muslim world. (vi) The contemporary caliphs always regarded the Imams and their spiritual leadership as a threat to themselves and their dynasty. For this reason, they did all they could, to disrupt this leadership and in pursuance of their nefarious ends, they resorted to mean and arbitrary actions. Occasionally their behaviour was too harsh and despotic. The Imams were continuously chased and kept in detention. Such actions were painful and disgusting to all the Muslims, especially to the supporters of the Imams. These six points comprise historical facts. If we take them into consideration, we can easily come to the conclusion that the early Imamate was a real fact and not a fiction. It is certain that an Imam who appeared on the scene at a very early age, who proclaimed himself to be the spiritual and intellectual leader of the Muslims and who was acknowledged to be so by a vast cross-section of the people, must have had great knowledge, competence and mastery over all branches of theology. Otherwise, the popular bases could not be convinced of his Imamate. We have already said that these bases had continuous contact with the Imams and were in a position to judge their personalities. It is not conceivable that so many people should have accepted a boy to be their Imam and should have made sacrifices for his sake without ascertaining his real worth and assessing his competence. Even if it is presumed that the people made no immediate efforts to ascertain the position, still the truth could not remain unknown for years in spite of the continuous contact between the child Imam and the people. Had he been childish in his knowledge and thinking, he would certainly have been exposed. Even if it is supposed that the popular bases of the Imamate could not discover the truth, it was easy for the government of the day to expose the child, if he had been really childish in his thinking and cultural attainments like all other children. It certainly would have been in the interest of the government of the day, to bring him before his supporters and others to prove that the was not fit to be an Imam and a spiritual and intellectual leader. It might have been difficult to prove the incompetence of a man of 40 to 50, but it would have been quite easy to prove the incompetence of an ordinary child, howsoever intelligent he might have been. Evidently, this would have been much simpler and easier than the complex and risky policy of suppression adopted by those in power at that time. The only explanation for why the government kept quiet and did not play this card is that it had realized that the early Imamate was a real phenomenon and not a concoction. The fact is that the government did attempt to play that card, but did not succeed. History tells us of such attempts and their failures, but it does not report any occasion on which the child Imam vacillated or showed signs of such embarrassment as could shake the confidence of the people believing in his early Imamate. This is what we meant when we said that the early Imamate was really a phenomenon and not a mere presumption. This phenomenon has deep roots, for there exist parallel case throughout the history of the heavenly mission and Divine leadership. We cite just one instance. "We commanded John, Zachariah's son, to follow the guidance of the Lord with due steadfastness. To John, We gave knowledge and wisdom during his childhood." (Surah Maryam, 19:12) After it has been proved that the early Imamate had been a real phenomenon already existing in the life of the people of the Prophet's House, no exception can be taken to the Imamate of Mahdi and his succession to his father while he was still a child. Replies to the objections Back To Contents (d) Reasons for his continued existence See Question: Now we come to the fourth question. Even if it is presumed that theoretically the existence of the Mahdi, with all its implication including the long life, the early Imamate and the complete occultation is possible, how can we believe that he actually exists, for a mere possibility is not enough to prove that? As the concept of Mahdi is unusual and extraordinary, the existence of a few sayings of the Holy Prophet (s), which are enshrined in the books, is not enough to prove that the existence of the Mahdi is a historical fact and not a mere presumption, which has seized the imagination of a large number of people for certain psychological reasons? The answer to this question is that this concept of the Mahdi as the Awaited Saviour who is to change the world for the better, has been mentioned in the traditions of the Holy Prophet generally and in the sayings of the Imams particularly. It has been emphasized in so many passages that there is no reason to doubt it. The number of the reports on this subject found in the books of our Sunni brethren comes to 400, [9] and the total number of the reports found in both the Shia and the Sunni sources comes to more than 6,000. [10] This is a colossal figure, unparalleled in the case of most of those Islamic issues which are not usually doubted by an Muslim. As for the embodiment of this concept in the person of the twelfth Imam, there exists enough justification to believe that. This justification can be summarized in two arguments, one being Islamic and the other Scientific. By the Islamic argument, we prove the existence of the Awaited Saviour, and by the scientific argument we prove that the Mahdi is not a mere myth but his existence is a fact proved by historical experience. As for the Islamic argument, it is represented by hundreds of traditions which have come down from the Prophet and the Imams of his House. They specify that the Mahdi will belong to the Prophet's House, will be descended from his daughter Fatima Zehra and will be the descendant of Imam Husain in the ninth generation. The traditions also say that the total number of caliphs will be twelve. Thus, the traditions give a specific shape to the general idea of the Mahdi and determine that he is none other than the twelfth Imam of the Prophet's House. The number of these traditions is very large in spite of the fact that the Imams were very reserved on this subject, for fear of an attempt on the life of the Mahdi. It is not only because of their number that we have to accept these traditions, but there are also other indications of their authenticity. According to the different versions of a tradition of the Holy Prophet, he is to be succeeded by twelve caliphs, by twelve Imams, or by twelve commanders. The total number of reports about this saying as counted by some writers exceed 270 and they are found in the most celebrated Shia and Sunni Books such as Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sahih Tirmizi, Sunan Abu Dawood, Ahmad's Musnad and Hakim's Mustadrak. It may be noted that Bukhari, who has quoted this tradition, was a contemporary of Imam Muhammad ibn Ali al-Jawad, Imam Ali ibn Muhammad al-Hadi and Imam Hasan al-Askari (the ninth, tenth, eleventh Imams respectively). This fact has great significance, for it proves that the tradition was recorded before its contents could materialize. Hence, it cannot be suspected that it is a possible reflection on the actual number of the Imams, as believed by the Twelver Shias to reinforce their belief in the twelve Imams. This is because the spurious sayings attributed to the Holy Prophet (s) refer to the events which take place earlier and the sayings come afterwards. Such sayings do not precede the events nor are they recorded in the books of tradition earlier. So long as we possess material evidence of the fact that the tradition was recorded before the number of the Imams was actually completed, we can safely say that it is not a reflection on an accomplished fact. It is only an expression of a divine truth, expressed by him who never spoke whimsically, and a prophecy which was subsequently fulfilled by the actual number of the Imams beginning with Imam Ali and ending with Imam Mahdi. As for the scientific argument, we have to state that it consists of the experience of a large number of people for a period covering about seventy years. This period is known as that of minor occultation. To elucidate the point, we propose to explain minor occultation briefly. The Minor Occultation and the scientific argument The minor occultation represents the first stage of the Imamate of the Awaited Saviour, who was destined to keep himself physically absent from the public scene, from the very inception of his Imamate, though he still continues to take an intelligent interest in what happens around him. Had this occultation come suddenly it would have been a great shock to his supporters, for they had been accustomed to be always in contact with the Imam and to consult him on their divergent problems. His sudden disappearance would have caused a big vacuum which might have absorbed and even destroyed the whole organization, for his supporters would have felt that they had been cut off from their spiritual and intellectual leadership. In order to familiarize them with the idea of occultation, and to enable them to adapt themselves to the new situation, it was felt necessary that a preparatory stage should precede the final occultation. This stage was that of minor occultation during which the Imam disappeared from the public scene, but maintained his contact with his followers through certain representatives who formed a connecting link between him and those who believed in his role as an Imam. During this period, four persons, whose piety and impeccability was recognized by all, occupied the position of the vicegerents of the Imam. They are as under: 1. Usman ibn Sa'id al 'Amravi 2. Muhammad ibn Usman 'Amravi 3. Abul Qasim Husain ibn Ruh Nawbakhti 4. Abul Hasan Ali ibn Muhammad ali-Simmari These four persons performed the duties of his vicegerents in the above order. As and when one of them died, another was duly appointed by the Mahdi to succeed him. The vicegerent was in contact with the Shias. He carried their questions to the Imam and submitted their problems to him. He also conveyed the Imam's replies to his followers. The replies used to be mostly in writing and were occasionally verbal. The people who missed the sight of the Imam, found consolation in correspondence and indirect contact. All the letters received from the Imam during the tenure of his four vicegerents, which lasted for about seventy years, were in the same hand-writing and in the same style and bore the same signature. Al-Simmari was the last vicegerent. He announced the end of the stage of the minor occultation, the distinctive feature of which was the appointment of the particular vicegerent. It was turned into the major occultation after its object had been achieved and the Shias had gradually adapted themselves to the absence of the Imam. They had been immunized against the shock and the vacuum. Following the major occultation, instead of being represented by a specially appointed vicegerent, the Imam is now represented in a general way by the qualified mujtahids, (eminent legists, capable of arriving at an independent decision on issues of religious law) having a keen insight into both the spiritual and temporal affairs. Now, in the light of the foregoing, it can easily be inferred that the existence of the Mahdi is a fact which was experienced by a large number of the people. He was represented by his vicegerents for seventy long years during which they dealt with so many people but no one observed an signs of deception in their conduct. Is it conceivable that a fraud could be continued for seventy years, by four persons, one after the other, without giving rise to the least suspicion? These four persons had no special link with each other, and no collusion between them could be suspected. Their conduct was above reproach. They gained the confidence of all and everyone believed in the genuineness of their claim and the reality of their experience. An old proverb says that truth will always come out. Events of practical life also prove that a fraud has no chance to last for such a long time in such a way. It is not possible to deal with so many people fraudulently, and at the same time to gain their confidence. Thus we know that the minor occultation is tantamount to a scientific experiment to prove the facts about the Awaited Saviour including his birth, life and occultation and the general proclamation of his major occultation, according to which he retired from the scene of life and does not disclose his identity to anyone. Replies to the objections Back To Contents (e) Reasons for delay in his appearance See Question: Why did the Saviour not appear during all this period when he had already prepared himself for the intended task? What prevented him from reappearing on the scene of life during the period of the minor occultation or immediately thereafter, instead of converting it into the major occultation? At the time it was simpler, and easier to bring about the required change. He had a good opportunity at that time to mobilize his forces and to start his work forcefully because he already had contact with the people through the organization which existed during the period of the minor occultation. Moreover, at that time the ruling powers were not so powerful as they subsequently became as a result of the scientific and industrial development?? The successful execution of a revolutionary order depends on certain prerequisites and on the existence of a particular atmosphere. Unless these conditions are fulfilled and that atmosphere is created, it cannot achieve its object. As regards the Divinely ordained shape of things, it has two aspects. As far as its missionary aspect is concerned, it being Divinely ordained, does not depend on any congenial atmosphere, but, as far as its operational side is concerned, its timing and success is linked with the conducive circumstances. The same was the reason why the pre-Islamic period of five centuries had to elapse before the Last Divine Message came to Prophet Muhammad, though the world had been in dire need of it since a far earlier time. It was delayed only because its successful completion was linked with certain suitable circumstances. The conducive circumstances, which affect the accomplishment of the change, include those which create a suitable atmosphere for it, and those which determine the right moment for the beginning of the operation. For example, the revolution which was successfully led by Lenin in Russia, was linked with certain factors, such as the out-break of the First World War and the decline of the Czarist regime. In addition, there were some minor factors also. For instance, Lenin's safe journey during which he secretly slipped into Russia. If he had met with some accident, which might have impeded his entry into that country at that time, the revolution would possibly have been delayed. It has been the unalterable practice, decreed by Allah, that the actual implem