Increase acquaintance concerning Imam Mahdi [ATFS] 1

Increase acquaintance concerning

Imam Mahdi [ATFS]

By

Umm Javad
 Increase acquaintance concerning Imam Mahdi [ATFS] 2

Abstract

Belief in the Mahdi is legendary in the midst of Shia Muslims; however it

becomes critical at this point to indulge in establishing a connection between the Shia

Muslims and the Imam of their time. Connecting with the Imam will bring a positive

transformation in the society. The stars provide accurate course of direction for the

people of the land and sea to navigate. The Ahlul bait (a.s) is like the stars providing

accurate path to eternal salvation. Examining over the hadith by Abu Abdillah (a.s)

says, One who dies while he does not have marifah of the Imam of his time, dies the

death of Jahilliyah The purpose of this article is to awaken the soul towards joy

of the heart consequently seeking closeness to the righteous appointed guide on this

earth.

Keywords: Imam Mahdi, Occultation of Imam Zamana (atfs), Dua for reappearance.

Introduction:

It has been related from Imam Jaffer Bin Muhammad as Sadiq (a.s.) that

Prophet (Saww) has said; " One who

dies while he does not have the marifah of the Imam of his time, dies the death of

Jahilliyah (The Last Luminary and ways to delve into the Light Responsibility one)

Lets discuss Jahilliyah, Imam Jaffer al-Sadiq (a.s) has said, There are three

categories of people in the world. The scholars, the seekers of knowledge and all the

others are a waste of humanity. (The infallibles Sayings of Imam Jaffer Al-Sadiq
 Increase acquaintance concerning Imam Mahdi [ATFS] 3

(a.s)).If one is uninformed of a certain thing, than he is ignorant of that particular

subject. The main purpose of this creation on Earth is indeed to attain knowledge.

Right knowledge will take one towards salvation. This is because one will be able to

identify truth versus falsehood. The knowledge of the Living Imam (atfs) who

Baqiyatullahi Fi Ardhi is meaning the Remnant of Allah in the world, Imam Al

Hujjah (atfs) is the only one left on this earth from the family of the Holy Prophet

(Saaw). Therefore it becomes necessary for us the followers of the twelve Imams to

know little more about this personality.

The Messenger of Allah - may Allah bestow peace and blessing upon him and his

Progeny - said: "Verily, I am leaving behind two precious things (Thaqalain) amongst

you: the Book of Allah (Quraan) and my kindred (`itrah) my household - Ahl alBayt,

for indeed, the two will never separate until they come back to me by the Pond (of al-

Kawthar on the Day of Judgement)." (A Study of Its Tawatur)Imam Khumayni -

ridwan Allah `alayh - began his wasiyyah or will with the mention of this tradition of

the Prophet (Saww), known as Hadith alThaqalayn. In the preamble to his wasiyyah

he pointed out that whatever tragedies and disasters befell the Muslim world during

the last fourteen centuries have been mainly due to its separation from the Thaqalayn,

the twofold legacy of the Prophet (Saww) in the form of the Qur'an and the Ahl al-

Bayt (a.s)
 Increase acquaintance concerning Imam Mahdi [ATFS] 4

This proclamation is quite powerful, and needs to be studied further. Allah

(s.w.t) in his immeasurable wisdom has wished-for mankind to be successful. This

can only be achieved through correct channels; which is perfect and purified. No

mortal being in this world to date can claim this ability, except that He who is

divinely chosen by the Creator himself. Itrah actually means the twelve guides after

the Holy Prophet (Saww), for the messenger of Allah did not leave his Ummah to

wander away after his departure from this world. Infact at every juncture of His life;

the Prophet made his family the source of divine knowledge and guidance. Hadith al-

Thaqalayn is also confirmed by some verses of the Holy Qur'an such as:

Say: 'I do not ask of you a wage for this, except love for the kinsfolk.' (Multilingual

Quran)

And thus concluding this portion since Allah is the maker of this beautiful world he

has kept for us corporeal guides His representatives and the guide book which is the

Quran. The Imam can never be separated from the Quran and its decree.

Leader in Arabic means Imam (). Anyone leading any company or family or

that who leads the salaah is an Imam. In Shia school of thought an Imam ( )is one

who is divinely guided and chosen by Allah (s.w.t) exclusively.

 Increase acquaintance concerning Imam Mahdi [ATFS] 5

And when Allah tried Ibrahim (a.s) with certain words, He fulfilled them He said I

will make you an Imam of men. Ibrahim (a.s) said: And of my offspring? My

covenant does not include the unjust. (Multilingual Quran)

Prophet Ibrahim (a.s)s prayer was accepted by Allah (s.w.t) in the appearance of

our Last Prophet (Saww) . However a condition was laid down by the creator that the

unjust soul will be not be included in this covenant. Therefore it becomes imperative

for the followers to scrutinize and select or follow those beings who are sinless.

It is important to discuss the subject in detail by keeping the following sub-titles

in mind;

Understanding who the Imam is?

Musa said to his people: Ask help from Allah and be patient; surely the land is

Allah's; He causes such of His servants to inherit it as He pleases, and the end is for

those who guard (against evil) (Multilingual Quran)

A divinely appointed Imam is human; being human does not mean that he can not

have any authority over other human. Authority is granted only 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 pleasure. (Shiite encyclopaedia)

The moment any citizen of a country decides to run for Presidential elections, the

first curiosity by the media is given on that person is his background check. Meaning

where he comes from, what are his qualifications, what are his achievements, what
 Increase acquaintance concerning Imam Mahdi [ATFS] 6

family does he belong to and so forth. This is all done in fairness as this background

check will help people to decide whom to select as their future Leader. If I dont

know the Imam of my time than how will I have empathy towards him? I know he is

divinely selected by the master and the creator Allah (s.w.t). Al Ridha (a.s) narrates

through his holy forefathers from the Prince of believers (a.s) saying; said the

Messenger of Allah (Saww.) said, The world will not perish until a man from the

progeny of Hussein takes charge of my Ummah. He will fill it with justice as it shall

become full of oppression and injustice. (Biharul Anwar Vol 51 pg 118 hadith 6)

The Imam is actually a grace given to us by Allah (s.w.t.) meaning without this

grace, survival in this world and hereafter becomes difficult. To understand grace let

us analyze our fingers. Had it not been for the sensation of the fingers, moving fingers

would have been difficult for man to actually function: Typing would be impossible;

eating would be a huge task and so forth. Thus fingers are neemah from Allah (s.w.t),

a grace Fazal bill ah.

And those who disbelieve say: Why has not a sign been sent down upon him from his

Lord? You are only a Warner and (there is) a guide for every people. (Multilingual

Quraan) The above verse is a proof for the fact that there exists one individual at each

era that is secured by Allah (Baqiyyatullah) on the earth to maintain the cause of faith;

he is the Imam of that age, and this position was never vacated so long as the earth

carries even one human being

How can one follow or love someone whom he doesnt know? This is a very

crucial ingredient in any humans life and a very important factor too. Since we all

know of our Imam; Al Hujjat Al Qaim (atfs) as long as we remember, it becomes

 Increase acquaintance concerning Imam Mahdi [ATFS] 7

necessary that we should go beyond just his name. Belief in Mahdi was well-known

during the time of the Prophet (Saww). From time to time The Prophet of Allah

(s.w.t) would inform people about Al Hujjah (atfs).

Concluding with the following Hadith: from the Holy Prophet (Saww). Imam Ali

(a.s) says that he asked the Holy Prophet (Saww), Is Mahdi going to be among our

family or from other family? The Prophet replied; He will be among us. Allah will

conclude His religion through Him, just as He began it with us. It will be through us

that people will find refuge from sedition, just as through us that they were saved

from polytheism. Moreover, it will be through us that Allah brings our hearts together

in brotherhood following the animosity sown by the sedition, just as they were

brought together in their religion after the animosity sown by polytheism. (Imam Al

Mahdi- The Just Leader of Humanity page 3)

Significance of the love of the Imam of the time in this world.

Guidance of any kind is given to us through the Imam (by the permission of Allah

s.w.t). Imam is Mahdi - he is guided. He is also Hadi - the guide. This is the age and

time where knowledge is at its peak. To acquire truthful guidance becomes of

important concern:

We said; Go fort from this state, so surely there will come to you guidance from me,

than whoever follows My guidance no fear shall come upon them nor shall they

grieve ( Multilingual Quraan)

Every High School has guidance department. The job of this department is to

guide the students to select courses which will eventually lead the student toward the

desired profession. Similarly, the job of the Imam of the time is to guide mankind
 Increase acquaintance concerning Imam Mahdi [ATFS] 8

towards siraat meaning towards the straight path thus at the end of the life man will

accomplish salvation. 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."

(Fadha'il al-Sahaba)

History records many of our scholars have been guided by our Imam to perform

a certain duty. This is the only way one can increase knowledge about Imam and thus

understanding the creator. Various Ulemas have experienced such guidance from the

Imam himself.. Imam Al Hujjah (atfs) ordered Sheikh Saduq (a.r) to pen a book on

occultation. He (atfs) said write a book on occultation containing discussions about

the concealment of the previous prophets. (a.s) the reason for this writing can be of

the following. Prophets like Yusuf (a.s), Musa (a.s), and many more are mentioned in

the Quraan it becomes easy to comprehend the occultation of our Imam. Different

Prophets had lengthy lives example Prophet Khizar (a.s), Prophet Adam (a.s) thus

proving that the Imam can live for as long as predetermined time by Allah (s.w.t).

Imam e Zamana (atfs) commanded Mirza Muhammad Taqi Isfahaani (a.r) to

write the book on the Importance of praying for his early reappearance. (Traditional

reports the hidden Imam volume. He (atfs) suggested the name of the book.

Motivation for this can be that by praying for the early reappearance of the Imam,

man would start building the connection between them and the Imam. Man would

also reform his actions thus striving hard to attain perfection or takwa. An earnest

need will emerge to meet with the Imam. These desires will all take one towards self
 Increase acquaintance concerning Imam Mahdi [ATFS] 9

purification as well as helping humanity from challenged situations. Faith and hope

go hand in hand for these are the two main ingredient of living in society. Faith that

the Imam is living therefore we are commanded to pray and hope that security will

come through the Imam. For the Imam himself says; Indeed I am the safety and

security for the people of the earth (Mikyaal al Makaarem Fi Fawaaed al-Dua Le al-

Qaim).One should continuously pray for the early reappearance of the Imam. This

should be done on daily bases. There are many ways of praying to hasten the early

reappearance of the Imam. Concluding this segment with a dua; this dua is for the

safety of Imam Al Asr (atfs)

O Allah, bless Muhammad and the

family of Muhammad.

O Allah, be, for Your

representative, the Hujjat (proof), son of AlHasan, Your blessings be on him and

his forefathers, in this hour and in every hour, a guardian, a protector, a leader, a

helper, a proof, and an eye. Until you make him live on the earth, in obedience (to

You), and cause him to live in it for a long time.

Some books add...

O One who directs all the affairs, O One who will raise those who are in the graves,

O One who makes the rivers flow, O One who softened the iron for Dawood, Bless

Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, and do for me . . . (ask for your wishes),

in this night, this night. ( Duas.org)

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Justice will prevail upon the Imams reappearance.

When we speak of Justice, what do we comprehend by this expression? Lets

define the word first, Justice means according to the vocabulary fairness, honesty,

integrity, uprightness and so forth. The Arabic word for Justice is Adalah.

Allah (s.w.t) says in the Holy Quraan that there are two categories of Rulers; Just

Rulers and Oppressive Rulers. Each one has a convinced character in them, thus

identifying their true personality. Quraan is explicit on this subject.

And We made them Imams who guided (people) by Our command, and We revealed

to them the doing of good and the keeping up of prayer and the giving of the alms,

and Us (alone) did they serve; (Multilingual Quraan)

The quality and responsibility have been expressed in the verse above are as

follows;

what is Bi Amrina? Realistically it

Guiding Men by Allah (s.w.t) s command

means with the command of Allah. Surely whatever happens in the earth is by the

command and will of Allah (s.w.t). But He (s.w.t) reserves this authority for his

special administrators who execute this amr. For example, before the inception of Issa

(a.s) Allah (s.w.t) sends Angel Gibrael in the form of a handsome man who blows a

spirit on Bibi Maryam s ears.

 Increase acquaintance concerning Imam Mahdi [ATFS] 11

So she took a veil (to screen herself) from them; then We sent to her Our spirit, and

there appeared to her a well-made man. (Multilingual Quraan). By sending Angel

Gibrael, Allah (s.w.t) is confirming that He directs his Wali and the job of the Wali is

to execute the command of His Master.

means - Imams are pure and guided by Allah (s.w.t)

Therefore

- by Our command.
and their job is to guide the people towards siraat.

Allah (s.w.t) constantly gives guidance to mankind. This can be through various

means: Receiving divine inspiration to do good, establishing regular prayers,

performing regular charity in order to decrease the breach between affluent and

underprivileged and constantly serving Allah (s.w.t). Imam Al Qaim (atfs) is serving

Allah (s.w.t) at all times for thousands of years. His serving is the kind whereby the

Imam is in the state of waiting for the command of Allah (s.w.t) to reappear and to

execute the Will of Allah (s.w.t) to bring peace, equality and justice on this earth. At

the same time The Imam is constantly guiding the people in His Ghaiba; inshallah this

will be discussed extensively in the next section. The reason of He (atfs) is also

referred to as Al Qaim the one who attentively awaits the call of His Master is

because He is Muntadhar.

Concluding with a Hadith by our 6th Imam (a.s.), Recognizing Good Leaders

and obeying them - Imam Sadiq (a.s.) narrated that Imam Hussein (a.s.) told his

companions; O people! God created the people in order that they get to recognize

Him. Once they recognize Him, they will only worship Allah and become needless of

worshiping other than Allah. A man said; O Imam may my parents be your ransom!

How do we get to recognize Allah? Imam Hussein (a.s) replied; For each era the
 Increase acquaintance concerning Imam Mahdi [ATFS] 12

people should recognize their own Leader whose obedience is obligatory for them (

A Divine Perspective on Rights)

How can a Hidden Imam benefit mankind.

The Sun provides its 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

(atfs) even though we can not see him during his period of occultation. Keeping this

in mind; The Imam of our Time is longing to help man but its us the humans need to

re- connect to the Imam (atfs). How is this achievable? We can re-connect to the

Imam of our Time by doing certain things to strive steadfastness; the purpose of our

creation is to constantly and sincerely remember Allah (s.w.t) and His Prophet and

Ahlul Bait (a.s); initiating the work for the Imam in His name. Such as building

schools, hospitals, awareness programs of the Imam and also environmental

awareness through justice, virtue and piety.

Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad as Sadiq (a.s) said to Fudayl; Do you gather and

discuss about us the Ahlul Bait? Fudayl said; Yes may I be sacrificed for you! The

Imam said; Verily I love such gatherings, so keep our teachings living O Fudayl,

May the mercy of Allah be upon a person who keeps our teachings Alive. (The Last

Luminary, chapter 9 pg 23) Performing good deeds on behalf of The Imam (atfs) e.g.

one can do the Tawaf in His name, give sadaqa, recitation of Quraan, salwat, ziarats

etc. The list can go on. In short any good deed performed by the believer is done on

Imams behalf this inshallah will bring abundant reward in this world and hereafter at

the same time one will start establishing ones love and affection towards the Imam

Inshallah. Greeting the Imam every week and more preferably everyday
 Increase acquaintance concerning Imam Mahdi [ATFS] 13

.

Peace be upon (the) progeny of Yaseen (maafitul Jinan).

Loving the Imam of the time in this world indeed helps one in the hereafter

Every soul will reap the fruits after its death. This world is a place of trials and

tribulations. To lead a righteous course becomes difficult as the state of the world is of

the survival of the fittest. Man often neglects the spiritual fitness in the process.

However, struggle is indeed a difficult choice we need role models who can aspire us

to great heights in this mortal life. Quran has recorded such struggles; these are

inspiring and help individuals to stay firm in their beliefs.

We relate to you their story with the truth; surely they were youths who believed in

their Lord and We increased them in guidance. (Multilingual Quraan)

"And We strengthened their hearts with patience, when they stood up and said: Our

Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth; we will by no means call upon any God

besides Him, for then indeed we should have said an extravagant thing. (Multilingual

Quraan)

The people of the Cave had strong Imaan towards their Lord before they were put

to sleep. As a result when they got up, their Iman was still intact. In the same fashion,

if we love our Imam (atfs) sincerely than even after death or during the time of death

they will be along our side. For this promise is apparent through the Quran.

 Increase acquaintance concerning Imam Mahdi [ATFS] 14

The day We shall summon every group of people with their Imam, then whoever is

given his book in his right hand they will read it, and they will not be wronged so

much as a single date thread.( Multilingual Quraan)

During the occultation of Al-Wali-e-Asr (atfs) there will be unbearable mischief

(as we are witnessing), different views will be prevalent and Islamic teachings will be

interpreted in a different way. At each step we will lurk the danger of deviation and at

every turn the danger of a slip. In such circumstances being firm on the true religion

will not be an easy task. The traditions narrate about this time, "A person will be a

believer in the morning but by evening he will turn into a hypocrite or a disbeliever"

or "at night he will be a believer and by dawn he will become a hypocrite or a

disbeliever". The occultation of Imam (a.s) will cause no confirmed way to find out

the right path? Individuals will question; where is Allah and His true religion? (Dua e

Maarifat e Imam Zamana atfs)

Imam Ali (a.s) has said: "to be hit by the sword would be easier than earning one

lawful dirham". (Nahjul Balagha, Sermon 229) Protection of Iman will be difficult,

for if the Iman has departed no deeds will be accepted by our Lord the Master and

creation of the Universe Allah (s.w.t). Real belief is in the hearts which come out as

actions. Thus in conclusion recognition of any being comes in totality when one

acknowledges the fact of the matter. In this discussion we discussed Increasing

Acquaintance with the Imam of the time; however it will be very important to note

that through the Imam one reaches close to the Lord of the worlds. For the Imam is

the medium through which one can appreciate the true religion one has been born in.

Through invocations difficult paths become easy. Dua e Maarifat e Imam e Zamana is
 Increase acquaintance concerning Imam Mahdi [ATFS] 15

one such dua where our 6th Imam (a.s.) is teaching us to pray to Allah to introduce us

to him through rightful channels. ('Dua Dar Ghaibat-e-Imam-e-Zamana)

O Allah! Grant marifah of Yourself. For, if I do not have the marifah of You
then I will never know Your Prophet.

O Allah Grant me marifah of Your Prophet (saws) for if I do not have marifah of
your messenger then I will never know Your Representative.

O Allah! Grant me marifah of Your Representative for if I do not have the

marifah of Your Representative, then surely I have gone astray from my religion.

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 Increase acquaintance concerning Imam Mahdi [ATFS] 16

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 Increase acquaintance concerning Imam Mahdi [ATFS] 17

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 Increase acquaintance concerning Imam Mahdi [ATFS] 18

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