Imam Al-Mahdi (as)
Sayed Saleh Al-Qazwini
وَيَقُولُونَ لَوْلآ اُنزِلَ عَلَيْهِ ءَايَةٌ مِن رَبِّهِ فَقُلْ إِنَّمَا الْغَيْبُ لِلَّهِ فَانتَظِرُوا إِنّي مَعَكُم مِنَ الْمُنْتَظِرِينَ
And they say: ‘Why is not a Sign sent down to him from his Lord?’ Say then: ‘Verily the Unseen is only for Allah (to know). Wait you then, verily I, also with you, will be of those who wait.
[Surah Yunus 10; Verse 20]
As the Prophet Muhammad (saws) was propagating the message of Islam to society, Divine messages were being descended unto the him. However, despite this miracle, the idolaters constantly asked for more signs and proofs that strengthen the truth of his message. So then, Allah (saws) told the Prophet (saws) to tell them:
‘Verily the Unseen is only for Allah (to know). Wait you then, verily I, also with you, will be of those who wait’.”
Muslim scholars have differing interpretations on what it is that the Prophet (saws) is also waiting for. Some claim that he was referring to the day of judgement. However, Imam Jaafar Al-Sadiq (as) has stated that the Prophet (saws) was alluding to the reappearance of Imam Al-Mahdi (atfs). Even the Prophet (saws) is waiting for the day where justice will be established and Islam will prevail.
هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَى وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ
He it is Who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of Truth, that He may prevail it over all religions, though the polytheists may detest it.
[Surah At-Tawbah 9; Verse 33]
As far as we know, the triumph of the religion still hasn’t occurred, and therefore, it must stand to reason that it will definitely occur at some point because it has been declared by Allah (swt). Allah (swt) has even foretold of victory in previous scriptures.
وَلَقَدْ كَتَبْنَا فِي الزَّبُورِ مِن بَعْدِ الذِّكْرِ أَنَّ الاَرْضَ يَرِثُهَا عِبَادِيَ الصَّالِحُونَ
And We have written in the Psalms (Zabur), after the Reminder (the Torah), ‘My righteous servants shall inherit the earth’.
[Surah Al-Anbiya 21; Verse 105]
As such, all major religions are inherently waiting for a Messiah to come and fulfil this promise made by God. We Muslims believe it to be Imam Al-Mahdi (atfs), who will be accompanied by Jesus. After the Imam’s conquest of Mecca and Medina, he will advance towards Masjid Al-Aqsa in Jersuleum, where Jesus will descend. When it comes time for fajr prayer, the Imam will ask Jesus to lead the prayer but Jesus will insist that the Imam lead prayer as he is Allah’s (atfs) deputy on earth. When the world witnesses this, the monotheistic world will accept the Imam as their leader.
In another verse:
وَنُرِيدُ أَن نَّمُنَّ عَلَي الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا فِي الاَرْضِ وَنَجْعَلَهُمْ أَئِمَّةً وَنَجْعَلَهُمُ الْوَارِثِينَ
And We have intended to bestow (Our) favour upon those who were oppressed in the earth, and to make them leaders (in faith) and make them heirs.
[Surah Al-Qasas 28; Verse 5]
Who were the ones that were oppressed in the earth? Imam Jaafar Al-Sadiq (as) said it was the Ahlulbayt (as) that were the oppressed ones and had their rights taken away from them.
Many of us fail to realise that the Imam will reappear when we are ready for his reappearance. The Prophets were also yearning for the Imam, who possesses all their qualities and characteristics.
Imam Jaafar Al-Sadiq (as) says that Allah (swt) chose three features for the Imam that he chose for three of the Prophets:
His birth is a hidden and secret birth just like Moses, where his mother showed no signs of pregnancy.
His life will be a long life, just like that of Prophet Noah.
Just like Khidr, his life will be long too.
Hakimah, the sister of Imam Ali Al-Hadi (as), narrates:
I went to visit my nephew (Imam Hassan Al-Askari) in his home in Samarrah. On that night, the Imam insisted I have iftar with them and stay the night with them. When I asked why, he responded by saying that the greatest manifestation of proof of Allah will be born on this night. When I asked who the mother was, he pointed to Narjis, but I failed to recognise any signs of her pregnancy, so he told me not to doubt in the promise of Allah. So I stayed the night and was very watchful on seeing any signs of childbirth, and the Imam constantly reassured me to believe in the promise of Allah.
At dawn (15th Shabaan) the Imam was born and when he was born he recited the aforementioned verse: “And We have intended to bestow (Our) favour upon those who were oppressed in the earth, and to make them leaders (in faith) and make them heirs.”
After the death of Imam Hassan Al-Askari (as), Imam Al-Mahdi (atfs) went into occultation just like Allah (swt) has decreed for Jesus to be in occultation. Many people ask, how can we benefit from a hidden Imam that we cannot interact with. According to the Quran and the hadith on Ahlulbayt (as), we believe that everything we have in life is dependent on the Imam. There will be no point of life continuing without Allah’s (swt) representative on earth, who is the greatest manifestation of proof.
One of the companions of Imam Jaafar Al-Sadiq (as) asks:
Companion: “When the Imam reappears, how should we send our salams to him? Shall we address him by the title ‘Amir al-Mu’mineen’?”
Imam Al-Sadiq: “No, for that is a title reserved for Ali ibn Abu Talib only. Rather, you should address him by ‘Baqiyatullah’ (remaining proof of Allah).”
What we fail to realise is that just because the Imam is hidden, the world is still dependant on him, and that we still benefit from him. He is still actively engaged in our lives, although we may not perceive it.
In the Quran:
وَقُلِ اعْمَلُوا فَسَيَرَى اللّهُ عَمَلَكُمْ وَرَسُولُهُ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَسَتُرَدُّونَ إِلَى عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
And say: ‘Act you (as you will )! Allah will see your work and (so will) His Messenger and the believers, then soon you will be returned to the Knower of the Unseen and the visible, and He will inform you of what you used to do’.
[Surah At-Tawbah 9; Verse 105]
It is narrated that the word ‘believers’ in this verse refers to the Ahlulbayt (as). Therefore, they too are witnesses of our actions in life, alongside Allah (swt) and the Prophet (saws).
The same way Khidr inherently benefited the people through his actions without them realising, we too are benefitting from our Imam directly and indirectly. The Islamic centres which teach us faith and the grand scholars which guide our lives are essentially all representatives of the Imam on order to allow us to remain on the right path and recognise our Imam.
Again, many people question when the Imam will reappear, but as has been made clear, the Imam will reappear when the Muslims are ready. So ask yourself, what have you done for the Imam? Are you ready for the Imam? We shouldn’t get too comfortable in our lives because when the Imam does eventually arise, there will be those that will reject him and tell him to go back because they don’t think they need him anymore. Therefore, we must be in a state of constant yearning for the Imam, recognising the need for him in our lives and taking action that pleases the Imam, such as establishing justice, educating ourselves and others, and following the religion firmly.
The Prophet (saws) said:
“From the best of actions of my ummah is to wait patiently for the reappearance of the Imam.”
Most importantly, we must always be in a state of recognition that the Imam is alive and with us. We often forget this fact. The duas and ziyarats gifted to us by our Imams are a beautiful way to communicate with the Imam and to hasten his reappearance when recited with sincerity.
Imam Jaafar Al-Sadiq (as) says:
“A calamity will befall you, where a lot of you will remain without an Imam you can interact with. No one will be saved except the person who makes the dua of the person who is drowning.”
The companions asked the Imam what that particular dua was, so the Imam replied:
يا الله يا رحمان يارحيم يامقلب القلوب ثبت قلبي على دينك
“O God, O Most Merciful, O Most Merciful, O mold of hearts, fix my heart on your religion”