In describing the time of Imam al-Mahdi's (A.S) rule, the Prophet (PBUH) has said, "People will be searching for someone poor who would accept charity or gifts from them, to no avail; they will put aside the zakat of their wealth, but they will not find anyone to give it to, for all will be made well-off by Allah grace."
After Imam al-Mahdi (A.S) establishes his rule, will there be any oppressors remaining in power?
The character trait of the universal rule of Imam al-Mahdi (A.S) will be the worldwide maintenance of peace, security, justice, and the annihilation of the foundations of corruption, decadence, oppression, and crime; just as this has been the main purpose of all the prophets, but with the difference that the success of the latter and their successors following them was not as decisive, but nevertheless, establishing worldwide peace and security has always constituted one of their promises. And so the unpolluted souls of mankind at large, ever since the beginning of human history, have been waiting for the time when those promises would be realized. Now since Allah (awj), His messengers, and their infallible successors do not breach their promises, they would not raise the hopes of people without a good reason. This means that this promise will certainly be realized and that a just government will be established, consisting of the aforementioned characteristics.
This promise is so vital and real that its realization can be considered the rationale behind the creation of humankind; a promise that once realized will lead to the unity of the whole of humankind under the banner of tawhid and, by Allah's (awj) mercy, the uprooting of disbelief, polytheism, and hypocrisy from amongst them. The narrations that express this are numerous. For instance, it has been recorded that Imam Hasan b. ‘Ali al-'Askari (A.S) told his son, [Mahdi] (A.S): "It is as though I see you when Allah's (awj) support has been sent upon you, relief (faraj) has been achieved, your magnificence and greatness has risen ... it is at this moment that the rule of truth will dawn and the darkness of evil will vanish from the scene of existence. Through your hands, Allah will break the oppressors' backs, will reinstate the religious sacraments, will enlighten the horizons of the world, and will establish calm and peace throughout the world. Your enemies will be disgraced and your friends esteemed and victorious. Not even a single oppressor, criminal, rebellious denier, encroaching enemy, spiteful opponent will remain on the face of earth, for whoever trusts in Allah, He will provide him sufficient support. Verily, Allah fulfils His wish and executes His definitive promise and will. Verily Allah has set a plan for everything."
Will sin be totally annihilated after Imam Zaman's (A.S) rule has been established?
The most important motives for the human being's sinning are, on the one hand, his avarice in hoarding material wealth and, on the other hand, his sense of need for the goods of this world. If the human being possesses a sufficient amount of wealth, a good social reputation; if his mentality becomes Divine-permeated, if the world and her goods are belittled in his eyes, and he thus reaches the certainty that all Divine promises are true and as such will certainly be fulfilled, regardless of the aversion of the enemies and their effort to obstruct their realization; if he reaches the certainty that there will be a resurrection, a reckoning, that paradise and what it holds are incomparably superior to the life of this world""in such a case, there will be no motive for sinning. This is especially true based on a few narrations to the effect that at the commencement of the Imam's revolution, Satan will be slain by the Prophet (PBUH) in Jerusalem, hence putting an end to his tempting and decoying.
Moreover, during that time there will be innumerable obstacles in the way of sinning""such as, the inescapable and universal rule of justice, the healthy and secure environment, and the general rejection of corruption and sin by society. Therefore, there will remain very little motive for sin, and at the same time there will be obstacles in its way, which means that sin will be at its lowest ebb.
There are also numerous narrations in this regard, such as: Imam Ja'far b. Muhammad as-Sadiq (A.S) has thus described that era, "Illicit gender relationships, alcoholic beverages, and usury will vanish. People will turn their attention to worship and obedience; they will righteously honour their trusts. The evil people will perish, and the virtuous will remain."
In another narration, the Prophet (PBUH) is recorded as having given the following good tidings: "Allah will, through the Mahdi, relieve the hardships of the nation of Islam. He will enamour their hearts with the love of worship and obedience, and will make His justice universal. Allah will, through him, eradicate lies; He will destroy the spirit of violence and animosity, and will free them of the disgrace of bondage."
Is it true that he will be martyred at the hands of a bearded old woman? How does such a crime take place despite the Imam's uprooting of oppression?
There are various narrations about Imam Zaman's (A.S) martyrdom or demise; and as this event is due in the future, obviously the only way of unveiling the mysteries surrounding it is by studying the narrations related from the Infallibles in this regard. Nevertheless, the narration pertaining to the event of Imam Zaman (A.S) being murdered by an old woman is not accepted as authentic by most scholars. This story has only been recorded in Ilzam al-Nasib and lacks authentic narration. However, if we do accept this narration, it must be noted that what is for certain is that the universal rule under Imam Zaman (A.S) will be the rule of justice and equity, and as such the rule of the oppressors will be destroyed. However, this does not necessarily certify that there will be no possibility of individuals sinning.
source : www.tebyan.net
