, the Twelfth Imam and the World’s Great Reformer

When we look at the deplorable state of the present situation where crime, murder, bloodshed, wars, and international conflicts prevail, we are faced with the following question: will this situation continue to exist? Are these murders and crimes going to destroy mankind altogether?

Is there a small window of hope for man’s salvation there are two answers to these questions.

According to pessimists and materialists, the horizon is dark and time is replete with hazards. For those who believe in the Divine religions, especially the Muslims, and the Sh¢`ah in particular, there is an optimistic view to this dilemma; that is there is a morning of hope that follows behind this dark and gloomy night.

According to this latter view, these dark clouds, and morbid storms and destructive floods will ultimately vanish and a clear sky, a shining sun and a calm environment will prevail.

This view holds that these horrifying whirlpools will be removed and the shores of safety will become visible in the distant horizon.

They maintain that the world awaits a great reformer who will change the world for better through a revolution. This reformer is called by different names by the followers of different religions. In the words of an Arab poet:

“We make use of different names,

But your beauty is just one thing.

And all our statements refer to your beauty.”

Innate disposition and the Appearance of the Great Reformer

Inner inspiration, whose reflections are at times greater than our natural wisdom, are our guides not only in the issue of knowing God but also in all religious thinking.

The signs for such inspirations are the following:

First: General love for universal justice. This is because all people of the world, despite their differences, all love, justice and peace.

We all work for peace, justice, and endeavor to implement them.

There is no better reason than this for the innate orientation to this Great Reformer’s appearance. This is because the general nature of wants and desires in general lead us to believe that those wants and desires are natural and innate.

Any genuine and innate love leads us to believe that there is an outside attraction for it.

How could God create such a thirst for love inside our brains and souls without there being a source that natures it in the outside world?

That is why we claim that man’s innate desire for justice proclaims that one day everywhere in the world there will be peace and justice and the very bases of cruelty and injustice will be extinguished, and humanity will live peacefully as a unified nation under one single banner.

Second: The universal anticipation of all religions is for a great world reformer. In almost all the religions of the world one can find this phenomenon. The belief that a great savior will come to alleviate man’s deep-seated worries and griefs does not belong only to Muslims. Indeed, records and documents illustrate the fact that this idea has been in existence since antiquity among all nations and religions both in the east and the west and since Islam is a more complete religion, it places more emphasis on this issue.

In one of the books of the Zoroastrians, called the Zand after mentioning the permanent struggle between Izad (God) and Ahriman (Shaitan), it is written: then “the great victory will be for And those who believe in Izad and those who believe in Ahriman will be defeated. The world will achieve genuine prosperity and man will settle on the throne of magnanimity”

In the Zoroastrian book Jamasb Nameh, we shall read: “A man will rise from the land of the Arabs… a man with a large head, a large body, and large legs, of the religion of his ancestors, with large armies and will spread justice over the earth.”

In one of the books of the Hindus, called the Vashn Jok, we read: “Finally the world will return to someone who is in love with God and is one of his special servants.”

In another book of the Hindus, called the Bask, we will read: “At the end of the world, there will be a just king who will be the leader of all angels and men alike; he will be right and will acquire whatever is hidden in the earth or in the seas. He will be aware of what goes on both in the heavens and on the earth. There will never be anyone greater than him.”

In the Psalms of David, which is one of the books of the Old Testament, we read: “The wicked shall vanish, but those relying on God shall inherit the earth.” Further on we read: “the honest ones and well-wishers shall inherit the earth and shall live therein for ever.” Similar statements, too, are recorded in the other books of the Old Testament. In the Gospel of Matthew chapter 24, we read “As the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, so it is with the son of man…”

And in the twelfth chapter of Luke, we read: “Be well-prepared and ready, keep your lights burning; act like those who are awaiting the arrival of their master, and who will open the door as soon as he bangs on the door.”

In the book called, “The Signs of His Appearance” well read: “The belief in the arrival of a great reformer can be seen in the ancient books of the Chinese, the Indians, Scandinavians, the ancient Egyptians, the natives of Mexico and the like.”

Rational Proof

a) The order of creation teaches us that man’s world must finally surrender to the law of justice and submit to a just order and a permanent reformer.

It should be pointed out that the world of existence, as far as we know, is a collection of systems. The existence of regulating laws in the entire universe indicates the unity of this system.

The issue of law order and accountability is one of the most important and fundamental issues of this universe.

Every system, whether it is the macrocosm or a tiny atom, of which several millions could be placed on a needlepoint, follows a strict set of rules.

Every organ in our bodies whether it is a single cell with its complicated structure, our nervous system, our hearts or our lungs, has a precise order that is like a very exact watch. Compared with the most delicate computers, the structure of the human body is complex, indeed.

In such an organized world, in which man is just a tiny component, could man always live in chaos, lawlessness shedding blood and practicing injustice?

Could injustice, ethical and social corruption, which are modes of lawlessness, prevail over the human community forever?

We, therefore, come to the following inevitable conclusion: The observation of the system of existence leads us to believe that the human community has to ultimately submit to order and justice and return to the original path of creation.

b) The gradual advancement of human communities is an indication of man’s bright future since we cannot ignore the fact that man has been advancing since the time he has known himself.

In the physical and materialistic dimension, man was once living in the lowest possible conditions of life and this applied to his shelter, clothing, food, transportation and means of production. Today, however, he has reached such degrees of advancement that it surprises even the human intellect.

In the dimension of sciences, knowledge and culture, man makes discoveries daily. This law of perfection one day will no doubt include the spiritual, ethical and social dimensions as well, and will put man on the straight path of just laws, peace and permanent justice, so when we see ethical corruption prevailing, it will no doubt set the stage for such a revolution.

We are not saying that corruption should be encouraged rather, we are saying that when corruption goes out of hand, ethical revolution will step in.

People should be prepared for the principles brought by a divine leader at a time when they are faced with obstacles created by their own involvement in sins, when they see the deplorable consequences of their wrongdoings, and when they are no longer able to carry on with their lives.

The Holy Qur’¡n and the Appearance of the Mahd¢

There are numerous verses in the Holy Qur’¡n that deal with the auspicious news of the Mahd¢’s appearance. However, here we will deal with only one verse: In verse 55 of S£rah N£r, we read:

وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُم فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ.

Allah has promised to those of you who believe and do good that He will most certainly make them rulers in the earth as He made rulers of those before them.

This verse clearly shows that the government of the earth shall one day be taken from despotic tyrants and the deserving believers shall take their place.

The rest of this verse deals with some of the promises concerning the establishment of religion and the spiritual impact of Allah’s government on men’s hearts:

وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضَى لَهُمْ.

He will most certainly establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them.

Among these promises are the following, as well: the change from insecurity to security.

وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّن بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْناً.

And that He will most certainly, after their fear, give them security in exchange.

And that the root of blasphemy shall be eradicated from the earth altogether:

يَعْبُدُونَنِي لَا يُشْرِكُونَ بِي شَيْئاً.

While they worship me not ascribing any partners to me.

Imam `Al¢ Ibn Al-°usayn(s), in interpreting this verse, said:

هُمْ وَاللهِ شِيعَتُنَا؛ يَفْعَلُ اللهُ ذَلِكَ بِهِمْ عَلَى يَدَيْ رَجُلٍ مِنَّا وَهُوَ مَهْدِيُّ هَذِهِ الأُمَّةِ.

“I swear to God that this group includes those who are our Sh¢`ah. God will realize this issue through a man from our Household and he is the leader and guide for this Ummah.”⁽[1]⁾

The Mahd¢ in the Traditions

The number of those narrations that deal with the establishment of a universal government based on peace and justice through a member of the Household, called Mahd¢, is extremely numerous in both Sh¢`ah and Sunni sources.

Those narrations dealing with the fact that Mahd¢ is the twelfth Imam, a successor to the Prophet(s), the ninth descendant of Imam °usayn(s) and the son of Imam °asan `Askar¢, are indeed numerous in the Sh¢`ah sources.

The frequency of narrations dealing with Mahd¢’s appearance that are recorded in Sunni sources is so high that Sunni scholars have had to refer to it explicitly in their books. In a treatise published recently by R¡bi§at al-`ªlam al-Isl¡m¢, one of the most distinguished religious centers in the °ij¡z, says: “He is the last caliph of the twelve rightly guided caliphs to whom the Prophet(s) refers in the ¥i¦¡¦ and the narrations dealing with the Mahd¢’s appearance are reported from many of the companions of the Prophet(s).”

Having mentioned the names of twenty of the Prophet’s companions who have spoken of the Mahd¢’s appearance narrating directly from the Prophet(s), this treatise continues to say: “A great group of others, too, have reported such narrations… some Sunni scholars have written special books on the Mahd¢. Among them are Ab£-Na`¢m Isfah¡n¢, Ibn °ajar al-Haytham¢, al-Sak£n¢, Idr¢s Maghrib¢, and Ab£’l-`Abb¡s Ibn `Abd al-Mu'min.” Then it continues: “A group of ancient and contemporary Sunni scholars emphasize the fact that there are many narrations dealing with the Mahd¢’s appearance.”

After mentioning the names of Sunni scholars who have dealt with narrations concerning this, the treatise brings its discussion to an end: “A group of reciters and narrators have stated explicitly that they believe the narrations dealing with the Mahd¢ are correct (¥a¦¢¦) and good ones (¦asan) and naturally are among those Hadith that go back to many sources (mutaw¡tir). Belief in Mahd¢’s uprising is obligatory and this is one of the fundamental beliefs of the Sunni and the Muslim community and nobody will doubt it except for those who are ignorant, or those who follow heresy.”

The Narrations on the Mahd¢ Relayed by Sh¢`ah Scholars

Suffice it to say that there are hundreds of narrations concerning the Mahd¢ relayed by both the Prophet’s Companions and by the Imams(s). The notion of the Mahd¢’s appearance is a fundamental Sh¢`ah’s belief. Every Sh¢`ah believes in his appearance and is aware of al-Mahd¢’s characteristics and the signs of his appearance.

Since the first centuries of the advent of Islam up to the present time, the great Sh¢`ah scholars have written many books on this topic and have collected a tremendous number of narrations dealing with this issue.

Here we will present you with two or three of such traditions and refer readers who are interested, to books such as “Al-Mahd¢; the Great Revolutionary,” “The Good News of Peace and Security,” and the translation of the book “Al-Mahd¢,” by the honorable writer Sayyid ¯adr al-D¢n al-¯adr.

The great Prophet of Islam has stated:

لَوْ لَمْ يَبْقَ مِنَ الدَّهْرِ إلاَّ يَوْمٌ لَطَوَّلَ اللهُ ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمَ حَتَّى يَبْعَثَ رَجُلاً مِنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتِي يَمْلأُهَا قِسْطاً وَعَدْلاً كَمَا مُلِئَتْ ظُلْماً وَجَوْراً.

“If there were left only one day of the earth’s life, God would prolong it until the time when a member of my Household would rise by God’s command to fill the earth with justice.”⁽[2]⁾

In another narration reported from Imam ¯¡diq (s) we read:

إذَا قَامَ القَائِمُ حَكَمَ بِالْعَدْلِ وَارْتَفَعَ الْجَوْرُ فِي أَيَّامِهِ وَأُمِّنَتْ بِهِ السُّبُلُ وَأَخْرَجَتِ الأَرْضُ بَرَكَاتِهَا وَرُدَّ كُلُّ حَقٍّ إلَى أَهْلِهِ... وَحَكَمَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ بِحُكْمِ دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ وَحُكْمِ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ. فَحِينَئِذٍ تُظْهِرُ الأَرْضُ كُنُوزَهَا وَتُبْدِي بَرَكَاتِهَا وَلاَ يَجِدُ الرَّجُلُ مِنْكُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ مَوْضِعاً لِصَدَقَتِهِ وَلِبِرِّهِ لِشُمُولِ الغِنَى جَمِيعَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ.

“When the revolutionary Imam rises up, he will base his government on justice. Injustice and hegemony will vanish during his reign. Roads will become safe in the light of him; the earth will pour out its wealth; every right will return to its possessor; He will judge among people in the way D¡w£d and Mu¦ammad (s) judged. At this time the earth will reveal its hidden treasures; it will manifest its bounty; nobody will be able to find any poor person to give his poor-rate to; this is because all believers will become affluent…”⁽[3]⁾

We know that during the Mahd¢’s absence (occultation), the continuation of the line of imamate will continue through his deputies i.e., the jurisprudents.