Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Alhassanain (p) Network for Islamic Heritage and Thought

Universality of theMahdi’s Mission

Author: Mahdawiat.com

www.alhassanain.org/english

Table of Contents

Preface 3

I. Introduction 4

II. The Days of Allah 5

II.1 Minor Resurrection - The promised day of the Mahdi's reappearance 6

II.2 Middle Resurrection - Al-Raj'ah or the return of selected dead persons to life 8

II.3 Major Resurrection - The day of Reckoning 10

III. The Sun and the Moon 11

IV. Light and Darkness 13

V. The Mahdi in Muslim Traditions 16

VI. The Messiah in the Judo-Christian Texts 17

VII. Concluding Remarks 18

The Economical System of Salawat 20

Introduction 20

Examples of specific Islamic economy 20

Government debts 21

Injustice of world's economy 23

Preparing the return of the 12th Imam from the viewpoint of economy 24

Bright future 25

Preface

At this era, mankind lives in what is called the global village. Technological breakthroughs have brought the different nations closer to each other. New ventures enabled man to send space shuttles to search for signs of life on other planets. As a revolt against an authoritative Church in the Middle Ages, modern scientists opted to think only in the realm of Physics.

As a result, materialism prevailed, while spirituality receded, in man's life.. The theory of Evolution was systematically presented, displacing the ample evidence of a created man as a tiny creature in a vast universe. Because of dysfunctional man-made laws and disproportionate exploitation of nature's resources, the human race is heading towards more anarchy, bloodshed, and suffering. Overcrowded cities, reduced productivity, prevailing dependency and consumerism have crippled humanity on a global scale. Unjustifiable wars, unemployment, and inflation can spread like a powerful lighting to harm the entire world.

Islam, as a universal faith, gives mankind hope. Abjuring false Gods and returning to the One True Creator should remove all afflictions from man's life. Unlike what the Judaic faith claims that God has created and then abandoned mankind, Islam stresses that the Merciful Creator has appointed a Vicegerent who leads humanity towards guidance and felicity.

Eventually, this God's representative will implement the plan of all other God's envoys. Similar to raising Jesus to Heaven for saving him from his persecutors, Allah has destined for theMahdi to be in (a lengthy) occultation. His presence is felt by those who believe in God. However, signs for his reappearance, which will proceed Jesus' second return, are unfolding one after the other. These two heirs of Abraham will join efforts to implement justice and fairness on this Earth after being filled with injustice and tyranny. TheMahdi will deliver his mission on a global scale just before the time ends.

After presenting a unifying theory to better understand the worlds of Seen and Unseen, the author will present a number of fulfilled prophecies - proving the Unity of the Creator and the Quran's revealers. Quotations from other God-revealed religious texts will also be attached. At turbulent times which have persisted in man's life on this planet, peoples can always preserve their unity and sanity by adhering to the appointed Imam.

Pharaoh-like rulers are destined to the abyss of history, as Saddam's end clearly shows. Not only theMahdi is supported by Allah's angels, but also he has inherited the wisdom and experiences of all the righteous envoys that came before him. Just before the End Times, He will fulfill the Creator's promise in making the meek the ones who will inherit the Earth.

I. Introduction

Humanity has long yarned for aSaviour . Both scientific and religious texts indicate that cycles of human races lived on theplant Earth, and then went distinct. Archaeological studies takes man's existence to 500,000 years in history, whereas the religious texts puts Adam's fall on Earth some 12,000 years back, indicating to prior existence of humans here.

The Creator has given man a relatively free will to conduct his life, on different parcels of land, in various societies. Throughout human history, God sent very many envoys to guide man towards what is good for him in this life (and the Hereafter). By bringing laws to regulate man's life, the Prophets warned against breaking these laws. Religious legislations have always been harmonious with the natural (existential) laws, leading to abundance, happiness, and peace in man's life.

Many of the humanity's problems can be attributed to the dysfunction of man-made laws. Just examine the isms which were recently made so glamorous and then sharply declined. In the past century, Communism is a good case for academic interests. When a human society moves in a direction opposite to the natural course, it inevitably hits the rock of history. For being based on materialism, Capitalism will soon meet its prescribed destiny.

Balancing both the spiritual and material needs of man, Islam is expected to dominate the global arena. The Quran provides a complete code of life - it is a perfect constitution. After testing all other man-made laws, the humanity will eventually profess its need for Islam's equalitarian legislations. Central to these is the concept ofMahdism - a divine figure who will justly implement the codes of laws and help mankind to discover the Earth's abundant treasures.

Reviewing the missions of all Allah's envoys, one will find the implementation of justice is central for all of them. Many prophets fore-warned their peoples from transgression, but their efforts were to no avail. Historically, the Jews were known to be notorious in either belying or killing theirprophets . According to the seal of the Prophets' foretelling, the Muslims will follow their suite towards his household.

The Mahdi1 is one of them - from his daughter Fatimah and the 9th descendent ofHussain . Because Allah has willed to protect theMahdi , alongside with Prophet Jesus, for the implementation of Allah's decrees, both will have their roles in establishing God's kingdom on Earth. Throughout the course of history, many prophets reminded their peoples of the Days of Allah. Let us first examine these days in sequence.

II. The Days of Allah

"We verily sent Moses with Our revelations, saying: Bring thy people forth from darkness unto light. And remind them of the days of Allah. Lo!therein are revelations for each steadfast, thankful (heart)." Quran (14:5)

II.1 Minor Resurrection - The promised day of theMahdi's reappearance

"Wait they for naught else than that Allah should come unto them in the shadows of the clouds with the angels? Then the case would be already judged. All cases go back to Allah (for judgment)." Quran (2:210)

Both the Quran and the authenticatedSunnah of the Prophet speak about this monumental day of Allah. The Quran cites: "And verilyWe have written in the Psalms, after the Torah: My righteous servants will inherit the Earth." Quran (21:105) The Prophet stated: "Even if one day remains, Allah will stretch that day until theMahdi comes to fill the Earth with Fairness and Justice after it has been filled with Tyranny and Injustice."

In the monotheistic faith of Islam, Allah is neither bound by space nor by time. In the chapter of sincerity, Allah introduces Himself as As-Samad, i.e. the Master Creator on Whom all other creatures depend, the Being that has no inner space (to have an outer shape), … etc. among other significant attributes. Space wise, Allah encompasses everything in the whole wide (and expanding) universe. Yet, nothing looks like Him.

Just ponder who will be coming then "in the shadows of the clouds with the angles?"

Time is absolutely irrelevant to the Creator. He is beyond it. He is not bound with it, the same way He is NOT bound with anything else - including the clouds. If He ascribes any specific days to His name, it is only to signify the importance of those days. This is an extra reminder for the human being - who tends to forget. The same can be stated about those who are affiliated with Him. The affiliates are the elites, whom He chose.

Their rank in the sight of Allah is even above than that of the closest Arch Angel - Gabriel. With Muhammad at the focus, thanks to what he has experienced on the night of theIsraa andMi'raj , Allah has introduced these elites to one another even before their births. Similarly, He foretold the physical coming of a number of his envoys. Such assertion can be proven from the glad tidings the four angels gave the barren, old Sara.

This coincidently occurred upon communicating the bad news of destructing the Sodom and Gomorrah of those who had committed the indescribable crime. Consequently, the 90-yr old Abraham got his second son Isaac - who subsequently fathered Israel (Jacob), as the Quran narrates.

At the dawn of history, some 12,000 years ago, Allah created Adam from dirt. Later, He made Noah a great Prophet. At other points in time, He made Abraham as a close friend, spoke to Moses, and miraculously created Jesus form Virgin Mary. Eventually, He chose the Prophet Muhammad to be His beloved one, and the seal of the Prophets. Throughout history, human beings had no say in the selection of any of the very many prophets. As the Quran states:

"Lo! Allah preferred Adam and Noah and the Family of Abraham and the Family of 'Imran above (all His) creatures." Quran (3:33)

"And when a token cometh unto them, they say: We will not believe till we are given that which Allah's messengers are given. Allahknoweth best with whom to place His message. Humiliation from Allah and heavy punishment will smite the guilty for their scheming." Quran (6:124)

The Muslims agree that every Messenger is a prophet, but not vice versa. Among the Messengers of Allah, five were with Universal missions: Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. To Muhammad's contemporaries, who denied hisMessengership , the Quranchallenges:

"They who disbelieve say: Thou art no messenger (of Allah). Say: Allah, and whosoever hath knowledge of the Scripture, is sufficient witness between me and you." Quran (13:43)

Who other than Imam Ali that had the knowledge of the Book, i.e. the Quran. If the Quran was a silent book, Imam Ali was the talking one. When Allah gives such recognition to Imam Ali's testimony for the Prophet'sMessengership , little consideration should be given to those who institutionalized his dismissal as the immediate Vicegerent for the Prophet?

In very manyHadiths , the Prophet identified hisTwelve vicegerents - all are fromQuraysh . In his life, not only he assigned Imam Ali, but also he spoke about the Imamate of Al-Hassan and Al-Hussain , and the nine Imams from thelatter's progeny. None but Imam Muhammad bin Al-Hassan Al-Askari , commonly known as theMahdi is the awaitedSaviour about whom all prophets spoke. Birth: mid Sha'ban 255 A..H.,Samaraa , Iraq.

II.2 Middle Resurrection - Al-Raj'ah or the return of selected dead persons to life

"Or (bethink thee of) the like of him who, passing by a township which had fallen into utter ruin, exclaimed: How shall Allah give this township life after its death? And Allah made him die a hundred years,then brought him back to life. He said: How long hast thou tarried? (The man) said: I have tarried a day or part of a day. (He) said: Nay, but thou hast tarried for a hundred years.

Just look at thy food and drink which have not rotted! Look atthine ass! And, thatWe may make thee a token unto mankind, look at the bones, how We adjust them and then cover them with flesh! And when (the matter) became clear unto him, he said: I know now that Allah is Able to do all things."

Quran (2:259)

Again, the Quran speaks in many places about this resurrection and authenticates the leadership of the designated, rightful Imams. In his role, the Prophet explained the intended meanings of the Quran's verses. Take this verse as a starting example:

"AndWe desired to showfavour unto those who were oppressed in the earth, and to make them examples and to make them the inheritors." Quran (28:5)

To his daughter Fatimah, the Prophet confided that she will be the first one who will follow his departure from this temporal world. To his companions, he stated: "Fatimah is a piece of me. Whoever pleases her, he pleases me. And, whoever displeases her, he displeases me." Ample historic evidence exist that Fatimah was martyred only 75 days after the Prophet's martyrdom. Proof: she was extremely angry at the two sheikhs. In her will, she even asked Imam Ali to deny them the participation in her funeral procession. She also asked to make her graveyard anonymous.

While allowing the two sheikhs to be buried beside the Prophet's tomb inMadinah ,Aeysha denied the burial of Imam Hassan there after he was poisoned byMu'aawiyah in 50 A.H.

Thus a bitter commotion rose betweenBani Hashim andMarwan's men - who showered Imam Hassan's corpse with intense arrows. Observing the sanctity of the place and paying reverence to the burial place his grandfather, ImamHussian put an end to that unnecessary, futile argument by burying his brother somewhere else and he quoted the Quran:

"O ye who believe! Lift not up your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor shout when speaking to him as ye shout one to another, lest your works be rendered vain while ye perceive not." Quran (49:2)

Ten years before Imam Hassan's martyrdom, in the year 40 A.H., ImamHussain eulogized his father: Imam Ali - the first oppressed Imam, when theKharijite AbdulAr-Rahman binMuljim assassinated him in collaboration withMu'aawiyah - Omar's appointed governor over Syria.

In the year 61 A.H., barely 50 years after the Prophet's demise, ImamHussain himself was martyred byMu'aawiyah's sonYazid - the drunkard, the womanizer, the tyrant. The episode of Karbala is well documented in Islam's history. With slight factual mistakes2, the late (Egyptian)Shaikh AbdulHameed Kushok spoke eloquently on the day of Ashoraa3. What need to be stressed here is that none but the appointed Twelve Imams who have suffered that much persecution. Similar to saving Jesus from the Jewish persecution, Allah ordered ImamMahdi to go into occultation.

ImamHussain sacrificed everything in the Path of Allah, including a newborn child. Upon testing Abraham, Allah ransomed His closefriend's sacrifice with a more significant one. This magnificent ransom must have been of the same kind as the sacrifice itself. Itcan not be a lamb Gabriel brought down - or even a sacrificial animal a pilgrim makes upon performingHaj .

All evidences are indicative towards that the ransom might have been the master of the Martyrs - whom Allah will resurrect among others to reign during His kingdom. Some who were extreme in their cruelty and injustice will also be resurrected to be punished by their victims in this life, before tasting the humiliating chastisement in the Hereafter.

Linage of Prophet Muhammad is connected to Abraham through Ishmael. ImamHussain was Prophet Muhammad's grandson - the son of Imam Ali and Fatimah (a.s .). History records that the Prophet of Islam left only one daughter from his own seeds. Yet, the Quran, in its shortest chapter, prophesies that he was given abundant progeny!

It is indeed saddening to see some Muslim doctors of religion who cannot fathom this fulfilled prophecy. A recent declaration by Dr.Zakir Naik4 puts him in the category of the Israelite scholar -Bal'am binBa'aoora .. In the chapter ofJum'ah , Allah describes him as being like a donkey that carries voluminous books on its back. If both Pharaoh and Moses cannot be right, then ImamHussain andYazid should not be viewed as just Imams (leaders). Hope that this stern message will reach this memorizer of the Quran before he will be resurrected with whom he loves.

II.3 Major Resurrection -The day of Reckoning

"Nay, I swear by the Day of Resurrection." Quran (75:1)

Believing in this day is one of the foundations of the Islamic faith. The Noble Quran makes very many references to it. All the prophets of Allah reminded their peoples about this monumental day. Disbelievers normally deny the day of resurrection,claming that their existence in this temporal life is purposeless. It is only the time (age) which turns a newborn to a young and then to an elder person - who eventually perishes upon death. No spirit. No life after death. How a dead person who turns to dust and decayed bones can be brought back to life? They wonder.

In Islam, this day has many names. The Quran gives a number of characteristics to it. It comes suddenly, making the disbelievers really wonder.. A nursing mother will be bewildered from her newborn. On that day, a man will flee from his brother, wife, and sons.Every body will be regretful then. The believers would regret for not doing enough good to shield them from the horrors of that day. The disbelievers will be regretful for being caught in a surprise.

Some 4000 years ago, Abraham once asked Allah to show him how He resurrects the dead. Demonstrating His Power to His close friend, Allah told him to do a little experiment. The Quran cites the story of cutting four birds into pieces, placing their flesh onto four mountains, then summoning them back.. All the four birds flew hastily back to Abraham, by the leave of Allah.

As a prophet, Abraham was naturally a believer. Developing spiritually, he became a Messenger. The Quran lists him among the five envoys of Allah who delivered universal messages. By conducting above experiment, he wanted to elevate his certainty (about Allah's Power in resurrecting the dead). After completing Allah's trials, Abraham attained the status of an Imam.

Like Moses and Jesus, Abraham foretold the coming of Muhammad. The Prophet Muhammad, in turn, foretold about the coming of theMahdi . This will occur just before the day of resurrection. The seal of the Prophet's certainty about the coming of ImamMahdi was no less than that of Abraham's certainty about the Judgment day.

III. The Sun and the Moon

"He it isWho appointed the Sun asplendour and the Moon a light, and measured for her stages, that ye might know the number of the years, and the reckoning. Allah created not (all) that save in truth. Hedetaileth the revelations for people who have knowledge." Quran (10:5)

"AndWe appoint the night and the day two portents. Then We make dark the portent of the night, and We make the portent of the day sight-giving, that ye may seek bounty from your Lord, and that ye may know the computation of the years, and the reckoning; and everything have We expounded with a clear expounding." Quran (17:12)

The Universality of Islam can be established by referring to the Quran, as it speaks about heavenly bodies. Focusing on the Solar system, the Creator tells in the Quran that:

"He created the Sun and the Moon, so we learn how to enumerate the years and reckoning."

Thus, the alteration of the day and the night and the seasons of the year must all be in conformity with Allah's plan. In nature, the light that is reflected on the Moon depends on the rays of the Sun's light.Right. Mathematically, there must be a linear correlation between the Lunar and the Solar years, or: y =mx + b

where : y: dependent variable - Lunar (Hijri ) year, x: independent variable - Solar (Gregorian) year, and, b, m : constants.

In the chapter of the Cave, Allah gives m = 309/300 = 1.03 (the slope).

Quran's chapter of the Elephant marked the birthday of the Prophet - which corresponded to 571 A.D (the intercept).

Knowing that the Prophet migrated from Mecca toMadinah at the age of 53, one can determine b = - 639. Thus:

y = 1.03x - 639

Example: put x = 2008 into this equation to get 1429.

Proof: The author of the Quran is none but Allah - the exalted Creator.

The Prophet Muhammad could never make such a discovery, given the fact that illiteracy was prevailing in the Arabia Peninsula at his time. In the city of Mecca, where he was born, people were either wood cutters, or shepherd, or merchants. A few were poets. But, none was expert in Physics or Astrology. It was only in the past century when man put his step on the Moon, and learned that its mean distance from the planet Earth is 384,400 Km.

It is pertinent to cite another wondrous revelation that captured the attention of a number of disbelievers and made them return to Islam. Here is the verse:

"The hour drew nigh and the moon was rent in twain." Quran (54:1)

Therefore it is important to stress that the Muslims are not Moon worshippers. Unfortunately, this is a stereotype which is very prevalent in the Western media to portray Islam with a negative brush. Islam is the true religion which the Creator has sent to the entire humanity. The Muslims' motto is: the One Creator Who has sent theOne true message to the One human family.

According to some tradition5, Lunar and Solar eclipses in the month ofRamadhan may herald the coming of theMahdi . Leaving aside the birth of the tailed cometHelley for other studies, the 1981 and 1982 Lunar and Solar Eclipses in the monthRamadhan have already occurred. But, their occurrence was in the reverse order of what another more authenticHadith stipulates:

The author of 'eqdud-durar ' in section one, chapter four narrates from 'al-fatan ' of hafizabu-abdullah na 'eem-ibn-hemmad and he, fromyazid-ibn-khalil asadi who said: 'I was in the presence of Imam MuhammadBaqir (a.s .). He mentioned two of thesigns which would occur before the emergence ofMahdi and which has not yet been witnessed (right from the time of fall of Adam till now). One sign is this that there shalloccur an eclipse of the Sun on 15th ofRamadhan and the Moon too shall be eclipsed at the end ofRamadhan .

A person said: 'O son of messenger of Allah! It is not as you say. Rather the Sun will be eclipsed at the end of the month ofRamadhan and the Moon will be eclipsed during the middle of the month. ImamBaqir (a.s .) said: the One who says these words is knowing better (than you) that right from the time of Adam's fall till today these two signs have not occurred.

The author ofes 'aaf-ul-raghaben ' too has narrated the same tradition.

IV. Light and Darkness

The Quran declares that we categorically have two worlds: theSeen ; and, the Unseen. When light projects on material objects, man's naked eyes can see them. It is probably for this reason that Allah breathed His spirit (or essence which can be construed as an invisible light) into the clay upon Adam's creation. Reasonably, the Prophet set a requirement for the Moon sighting: witnessing the Crescent by the naked eyes. Thus witnessing becomes a source of certainty - not the speculative computational models.

Distinguishing different kinds of light, the Quran calls the Sun asSiraj (i.e. a lamp which usually generates the light that is familiar to us). The Moon, on the other hand, is calledNoor - which is a mere indication of the reflected light on its surface to the planet Earth. Remember the dependency of the Moon's light on the Sun's.

"And for the moon We have appointed mansions till she return like an oldshrivelled palm-leaf.." Quran (36:39)

In this verse, Allah says that He is the One Who has predestined the Moon's (monthly) stations, changing it from a full Moon until it looks like an old arch of a palm-tree leaf. Removing the barrier between the two worlds and demonstrating His control of everything in existence, Allah also states that He manages the affairs on Earth from the Heaven, in a day which is equivalent to 1000 years of that you count (enumerate).

Ironically, the Quran had spoken about the relativity (theory) some 1200 years before the birth of Albert Einstein. Historically, the Arabs used to use the units of time to indicate to long distances travelled. Here, if you substitute the 1000 years by the intended distance travelled by the Moon as it revolves around the Earth 12,000 times and divide that distance by 1 day converted to seconds, you get:

Speed of light = distance travelled by the Moon in 1000 years/( 24x3600) = 299748 Km/s.

This speed of light was adopted in a Scientific Conference in Paris, in 1984.

Similar to the concept of minor, middle, and major resurrections, here I submit: Physics (realm of the Physical world); and, Metaphysics I, Metaphysics II to refer to two worlds in the Unseen. The Physical world, for being material in nature, is being experienced by the majority of the children of Adam. For man's ignorance about the other worlds (which are spiritual in nature), very many generations of human beings do not know what they have missed.

Seeingis believing , the adage goes.But with what eyes? True: the naked eyes only see the material objects. For investigating tiny particulate matters (or distant heavenly planets), the scientists have utilized powerful microscopes. High resolution cameras can picture even the nuclei of living and pathological cells. One is not sure where to place the lie detectors, when the occupants of the Oval office lie with impunity.

After the recent technological breakthroughs, we started believing many things which wecan not normally see by our naked eyes. Wireless communication was a dream a few decades ago. The Quran talks about Joseph's dream in seeing the Sun, the Moon, and 11 stars bowing down to him.A dream which came true a few decades later, as the Quran reports.

Other points in Metaphysics I can be derived from Joseph's chapter and other chapters in the Quran. Here, I only state the strong sense of smelling of Israel (Jacob - Joseph's father) and recovering his sight after throwing Joseph's shirt on his face.

To the materialistic Children of Israel who out of envy threw their half-brother Joseph in a deep well and caused too much anguish for their old father, Jacob said:

"I expose my distress and anguish only unto Allah, and I know from Allah that which ye know not." Quran (12:86)

"Then, when the bearer of glad tidings came, he laid it on his face and he became a seer once more.. He said: Said I not unto you that I know from Allah that which ye know not?" Quran (12:96)

The Quran exhorts mankind to believe in the Day of Judgment. This day is equivalent to 50,000 Earthy years! Once again, Allah's words can be viewed on three levels: lower (worldly, for the majority to understand); higher (Metaphysics I, for the prophets to know); and, Superior (Metaphysics II, for the Imams to relate to).

This categorization is an oversimplification to express spiritual experiences in layman's language. In other words, a tiny object loses its gross material nature when it moves at the speed of light. Thus, we can examine the various kinds of waves, including the electromagnetic waves which constitute the rays of light. This light is visible to our eyes.

Examination of subatomic particular reactions leads to the measurement of: Alpha particles; Beta particles; and, Gamma Rays - which are invisible electromagnetic waves. Mass-energy balance leads to other emissions. Co-60 has been used for sterilization by Gamma radiation. Dentists normally use X-Ray machines for diagnoses.. Hospitals utilize Ultrasound detectors to discover thefoetus's gender. Lately, with the heightened security concerns, new detectors were developed for detecting explosives from 25m distance.

Why then the majority of the human beings do not believe in the CreatorWho describes Himself in such a lower, worldly vocabulary:

"Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The similitude of His light is as a niche whereinis a lamp . The lamp is in a glass. The glass is as it were a shining star. (This lamp is) kindled from a blessed tree, an olive neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil would almost glow forth (of itself) though no fire touched it. Light upon light. Allahguideth unto His lightwhom He will. And Allahspeaketh to mankind in allegories, for Allah is Knower of all things." Quran (24:35)

In the physical world, darkness occurs when layers of material prevent the penetration of rays of light. A good example is what marine biologists experience in deep seas. WhenYonus (Joanna) angrily left his town, he suddenly found himself in three layers of darkness: the night; the deep sea; and, the whale's belly.

The Quran presents another interesting case, which is indicative towards Allah as the Creator:

He created you from one being, then from that (being) He made its mate; and He hath provided for you of cattle eight kinds. He created you in the wombs of your mothers, creation after creation, in a threefold gloom. Such is Allah, your Lord. His is the Sovereignty. There is no Allah save Him. How then are ye turned away? Quran (39:6)

In the spiritual world, it is man's heart which receives the rays of guidance from Allah. Upon sinning, this heart will be covered with layers of what looks like "rusts" - which are impermeable to any spiritual enlightenment. The Quran calls the hearts of those who insistently indulge in sins, without considering repentance, as being "sealed." According to the Prophet, only constant, sincere repentance can remove such rusts.

In the first chapter of the Quran, there is an interesting analogy between the physical darkness and the spiritual one.

As discussed somewhere else6, the (written) Quran is the lower word of Allah - it is only a silent book. Recitation of Allah's words brings humility to the believers' hearts and makes them ready to receive the guidance. The rightful Imam is the light of Allah who guides the pious towards the straight path. For knowing the intended meanings of Allah's final revelation, the Imam's light piercesthrough every darkness to dispel it.

The Quran encourages every Muslim to become aMo'min - a true believer. Then by responding to the call "Oh you who believe," the believers are perhaps moved to become pious -Mutaqeen . Only the latter group can find guidance from the Quran. Believing in the Unseen constitutes an integral part of the belief of the latter group, as the Quran declares in its very first chapter. ImamMahdi is part of the Unseen. His path is therefore the Straight Path.

The interconnection between the Quran and the Imam is inseparable. One leads to the other. Without being an infallible, already-guided, theMahdi can not provide any guidance to others. His occultation is just part of the Unseen world.His presence in the hearts of the pious looks like the shinning Sun which is being obscured by little clouds.

V. TheMahdi in Muslim Traditions

With the exception of a smallSalafi group, both the Caliphate andImamte schools of thought believe in the coming of theMahdi before End times. TheHadiths from the Prophet in this respect are too numerous and authenticated enough to defy. A slight difference however exits regarding whether theMahdi was born or he will be born in the future.

Without being able to justify/identify the twelve rightful Caliphs, the Caliphate school followers sometimes raise feeble objections concerning the Imam's long life, the purpose of his occultation, and the like. Such objections cannot withstand any critiquing in the light of the Quran and the authenticSunnah . A number of scholars thoroughly debated this matter7,8,9 . I trust some speakers in this conference will address it, too.

VI. The Messiah in the Judo-Christian Texts

When Jesus started his mission, some Jews believed in him as being the Messiah. The original Old Testament must have spoken about this important prophecy. It is well known that Jesus did not come to change the Laws of Torah. Jesus' native language was Aramaic. Neither he nor any of his disciples wrote a book in this language. The New Testament was later written in Creek.

The Jews, who rejected Jesus, accused him of blasphemy. That was a sufficient accusation to justify the spilling of his blood. God in the Heaven raised him to protect him. Of course the Christians contend that he was crucified for the atonement of children of Adam's sins. Similar to the contemporary afore-mentioned stance towards theMahdi , the Children of Israel were divided into two main groups. The Jews have long been waiting for the Messiah for their redemption. The Christians expect the (second) coming of Jesus.

In mid February 2008, I spoke at a Conference held in Qum on the contributions of (the late)Allamah MuhammadJawad Al-Balaghi and highlighted the fact that he mastered the Hebrew and English languages to delineate a number of Islamic perspectives in the (present) Old and New Testaments - prophecies about ImamMahdi was one of them.

Similar to the late Al-Balaghi who composed poetry on theMahdi , millions send their daily salutation to him10,11 . Here, I refer the researcher to a number of short clips12 on this subject, developed by the Turkish Muslim scholar -Harun Yahya . As a herald for a humanity that is preparing to greet itsSaviour , my only hope is that this research paper will spin further interests.

VII. Concluding Remarks

1. The Book of Allah in its written form makes the universal message of Islam fairly known to the Muslims/non-Muslims who can read Arabic with understanding. Exhorting the believers to reach a higher understanding, Allah expects them to ponder at the deeper meaning of His last message to mankind. At this higher level, Muslim scholars have put excellent efforts to elucidate the deeper meanings of the Quran's verses.

Voluminous books were written for what is calledTafseer , i.e. interpretation. When it comes to the meanings intended by Allah, they are inaccessible except to the chosen Imams. Both the Quran and the practice of previous messengers naturally lead to the belief in Imamate. None but the purified can comprehend the Quran that is in the sight of Allah. Therefore, at this highest level of understandingTa'weel becomes necessary.

2. True, neither the name of the first nor the last, nor any other Imam is being mentioned in the Quran. But, the Quran infers that Imam Ali is the one who possesses the knowledge of the Book. It also refers the Muslims to those who know theTa'weel - i.e. the actual meanings of the revelation as intended by Allah. The Muslims contemporary to the Prophet Muhammad unanimously agreed thatAhlul Bait, i.e. the household of the Prophet as being introduced in the verses ofTatheer andMubahalah , are the ones whom Allah entrusted with His knowledge - especially as it pertains to the implementation of justice in man's life.

It has becomeMutawatar in the science ofHadith that the Prophet, not only appointed Imam Ali as a Vicegerent, but also declared the Imamate of his grandsons Hassan andHussain , and the 9 Imams fromHussain's progeny. It was only the will of Allah on which the Prophet acted. This was very similar to giving his only daughter Fatimah in marriage to his cousin. Thus, the appointed 12th Imam (Muhammad bin Al-Hassan) was being introduced by the Prophet himself long before his birth in 255 AH.

3. Similar to the persecuted Israelite prophets, the Prophet of Islam'shousehold have endured unimaginable suffering. The same way the mother of Moses had to put her newborn in a box (see Ark of the Covenant below) and throw him in the Nile River, ImamMahdi's father had to hide his son from the henchmen of the ruling Caliph. But, the Imam was properly introduced to a close circle of 40 disciples.

After the poisoning of his father in 260 AH, the Imam executed his duties through four special representatives for 69 years. Since 329 AH, the Imam has been in occultation waiting for Allah's permission to appear for the eventual implementation of justice. His mission is undoubtedly universal.

As a minor resurrection, the Imam's appearance represents Islam's revival. For the divine knowledge he inherited, he is a true partner of the Quran. Only he knows theTa'weel of the confuted (Mutashabahat ) verses. TheMuhkamat verses are self explanatory for the learned.

Quoting the Quran on the resurrection of a prophet 100 years after his death, and bringing back to life the youths of the Cave after 300 years, are proofs that the Middle resurrection is not aShi'ah invention (as some ignorant call it).Raj'ah simply means the coming of specific persons back to life - by the leave of Allah.

Some of these are pious (like the above examples) and others could be ordinary witnesses (like the dead whom Mosessmite by the tail of a slaughtered cow).

The ultimate judge is always Allah. The majority of the wrongdoers will undoubtedly be sentenced on the day of reckoning. However, the Quran declares that the ones who have persistently committed heinous crimes will have two deaths and two resurrections.

ImamMahdi will bring such to the book, especially if they were the ones who laid the foundation of persecution ofAhlul Bait and subsequently caused the tragedy of Karbala.