Aberdeen

Women Preparing for the Imam (ajfs)

Rebecca Masterton
30-5-15

A reminder of some of the signs

The time leading up to the coming of Imam-e Zaman (as) is a time of reversal: when the
servant rules the master; when the corrupt rule the just; when lies are believed and truth is
disbelieved; when immorality is deemed good and morality is deemed bad; when those who
were humble build tall buildings The Holy Prophet (s) has said There will come a time for
people when they will not respect their scholars except for their good clothing; they will not
listen to the Quran except for the pleasant voice; they will not worship Allah except during
the Month of Fasting; there will be no shyness in their women and no patience in the poor;
there will be no prosperity for the rich since they will not be content with little and they will
not be satiated by abundance. They will strive only for their stomach; their religion is
money; their women are their qiblah; their homes are their mosques and they run away
from their scholars just as lambs run away from wolves. (Waqayi al-Ayyam).
It is with the coming of Imam-e Zaman (ajfs) that these reversals will be righted; that
what was upside down will be turned the right way up, and this is good news for the
followers of Ahl al-Bayt (as), for Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) has said When Imam Mahdi (as)
appears, the followers of the lower desires will be transformed into the followers of
guidance, after the followers of guidance had been transformed into the followers of the
lower desires; and the thoughts and opinions of the people will be in line with the Quran
after the Quran had previously been put in line with the thoughts and opinions of the
people. (Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 51). Imam Zayn al-Abdin (as) has said: When our Qaim will
rise, Allah will remove all defects from our shia. He will make their hearts like pieces of
iron, and he will make the strength of a man among them equal to the strength of forty
men. Imam al-Sadiq (as) has said: At the time of the Return, God will place the hand of our

Qaim on the heads of the faithful; through this hand, they will have their aql unified.
(Moezzi, p. 10). Wherever the true believers are in the world, they will respond to the call of
al-Mahdi (as), and be united with him without any difficulty. Imam al-Sadiq (as) said: Verily
when our Qaim will rise, Allah will sharpen the sights and the hearing of our followers to
such an extent that there will be no need for a courier between them and al-Qaim. He will
speak to them and they will hear him, and they will see him whilst he is in his own locality.
We can see the effect upon the believers hearts with the arrival of the Imam. Imam
Ali (as) has said: When a caller calls from the sky Certainly the truth is with the progeny of
Muhammad, that is when al-Mahdi will reappear, it being circulated on peoples tongues
and they will be quenched by his love, and they will not talk about anything but him. A
people in the East will have prepared for his arrival, and Imam Jafar (as) said The city of
Qom has been named so because its inhabitants will gather with the Qaim from Al-e
Muhammad (s) and will stand alongside him, will strive to hold firm to their belief and will
assist him. (Safinat al-Bihar).
We might ask, again, how do we know that Imam-e Zaman (ajfs) is among us? It is
interesting to note that he himself has said We are not regardless of considering you nor
are we forgetful of you, because if it were not so, afflictions would shower upon you and
enemies would eradicate you. Hence, fear Allah and obey Him, Glory be to His Majesty.
(Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 53)
Can we see him?
Imam al-Sadiq (as) said A person who recites Sura Bani Israil (17) every Thursday
night will not die unless he sees al-Qaim and becomes one of his Companions. (Bihar alAnwar, Vol. 86).
Imam al-Sadiq (as) said, There will be thirteen women alongside al-Qaim. They will treat
the injured and the sick just as women did at the time of the Messenger of Allah (swt).

Application: connecting to the Imam of our Time (ajfs): inner contemplation; connection
of the heart to the heart of the Imam (ajfs); developing intuition; an inner sense, and
wisdom.
Sayyeda Zaynab perceived the inner reality of her Imam, and the inner reality to which his
inner reality was connected. She was able to do this because her inner state corresponded
with the state of her Imam (as). Henry Corbin explains why today we do not see our Imam:
if the Imam is today the Hidden Imam, it is essentially because people have veiled him from
themselves, because the human consciousness has become incapable of knowing him and
recognising him, of perceiving his mode of being, his mode of action and the place where
he resides. *+ The Reappearance is not an exterior event that will be imposed one fine day
from outside; it is only the final appointed time of the transformation of the consciousness.
(En Islam Iranien, p. 125)
Today we have more or less entirely absorbed the secular perception of time that has been
propagated by the industrialised world for two hundred years. It is a perception of time that
sees it only as consisting of seconds, minutes, hours and days passing one after another; but
the occultation of the Imam of our Time, existing, as Henry Corbin says, simultaneously in
the past and in our time, is a hujja, or a proof, of another kind of time: the time of the soul.
As Corbin explains, life is not limited to the conditions of our visible material world with its
biological laws that we know. There are events in the life of the Hidden Imam (Mundus, p.
23), in his state occultation.

In his book The Last Luminary and Ways to Delve into the Light, Sayyid Ridha Husayni
Mutlaq has given a number of chapters of how to prepare for the Imam (as).
Pleasing the Imam (as) sending gifts, spending in the way of Islam.
Pleasing other true believers (p. 79)
-

helping, showing respects, helping in sickness, Imam al-Sadiq (as) making a believer happy
makes Allah (swt) and the AB (as) happy.

Giving gifts and presents to the Shia (p. 80)

Help to alleviate poverty
Imam al-Kadhim (as): A person who cannot present us with a gift should give it to the righteous
ones of our followers.

Not hurting or upsetting the Imam (as), p. 243.

Disrespecting sacred beliefs; desecrating the teachings of the HP (s); exposing secrets of Allah (swt);
not observing taqiyya; not having taqwa.
Surely ignorant Shias have upset us; a person with weak faith is better than them.

Respecting those close to the Imam (as)

This include Sadat, scholars who are practicing and sincere, people of taqwa and wara

Remaining unknown and anonymous (how especially in this age of media?)

Recommended by Imam Jafar (as): If you are able to remain unknown then do so.
Protecting the tongue staying at home - remaining unknown.

Exercising caution (taqiyya)

Al-Sadiq (as) said taqiyya is the shield of the believer; taqiyya is the safeguard of the believer and
the person who does not observe taqiyya has no faith. (al-Kafi, Vol. 2)

Performing good deed on behalf of the Imam (as)

Sending salutations to the Imam (as)

Allahumma salli ala mawlana sahib al-asr

-

a form of dua

a way of seeking Allahs mercy

Visiting lovers of the Imam, whether alive or dead

Imam al-Kadhim (as) said A person who cannot do our ziyara should visit righteous people from our
followers. (p. 275).
Dua al-Ghaybat Imam al-Zaman (ajfs)

Zurarah a companion of Imam Sadiq (as) asked What is the

best

action

occultation? Imam
Always

recite

supplication.
O Allah introduce Your
self to me
For,if you do not introduce
Your self to me, I will not
recognize Your Prophet
(saws).
O Allah make me
recognize Your
Prophet(saws)
because if I do not
recognize Your Prophet
(saws),I will not
recognize Your Proof
[Imam (as)].
For,if you do not make
me recognize Your Proof,I
will deviate from my
religion"

during
(as)
the

replied
following