Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Chapter 4 - How was the preparation of the expected leader achieved?

Now we have reached the third question which is: How could the preparation of the expected Leader be achieved, while we know that he only remained five years with his father, al- Imam al-’Askari - which is a period of childhood not sufficient for the maturity of his personality. Therefore, under what circumstances has this achievement taken place?

The answer is: That al-Mahdi (peace be upon him) was appointed as a successor to his father, for the leadership of the Muslims, which means that he was an Imam in the fullest intellectual and spiritual sense of the word in a very early age of his noble life.

Moreover, the early Imamate (leadership) is a previous phenomenon in the case of his fore-fathers (peace be upon them all), for example, al-Imam Muhammad son of ‘Ali al-Jawad (peace be upon him). We call it a phenomenon because it has given in the case of al-Mahdi ‘s forefathers (peace be upon them), a perceptible and a practical meaning, which the Muslims have lived and been aware of, in all their experiences with the Imams, in one way or another. Therefore, we cannot claim the proof of a clearer and wider phenomenon than the experience of a whole community. So, we can clarify the issue in the following points:

1) The leadership of the Imams ofAhlul - bait (descendants of the Prophet) has never been one of thecentres of influence and power that are transmitted through inheritance, from father to son, with the full support of the ruling regime, as was the case, in the leadership of Fatimid caliphs and the 'Abassids , but it has always won the good will of its wider popular bases, on the grounds of their intellectual and spiritual conviction about the worth of the Imamate for the leadership of Islam.

2) These popular bases have existed since the dawn of Islam and became wider during the times of the two Imams, al-Baqir and as-Sadiq (peace be upon them). The school that these two Imams led within the boundaries of these bases formed a very wide trend that stretched all over the world of Islam, bringing together hundreds of jurists (fuqaha ’) theologians (mutakallimin and commentators (mufassirun on the Qur‘an and the learned in the different branches of Islamic and human sciences that were predominant in those times, to the extent that al-Hasan son of ‘Ali al-Washsha said, "I went into al-Kufah Mosque and found nine hundred sheikhs all of them were saying, ‘Ja’far son of Muhammad related to us.

3) This school and what it represented of popular bases from Islamicsociety, had certain conditions which it believed in and abode by, in the appointment of the Imam and his suitability for the role because it believed that an individual cannot be appointed as Imam unless he is the most learned among the agnostic of his time.

4) That both this school and its popular bases were ready to give sacrifices, for the sake of their belief in the Imamate, since the latter was considered, in the opinion of the concomitant leadership, as a hostile line, even from an intellectual point of view. This was the reason that led the authorities to carry out several campaigns of purging and torture to the extent that many people were either killed or were put into prisons, while hundreds of them died in the darkness of the cells. This meant that those who believed in the Imamate were ready to pay a lot, and the only instigation they had was their nearness to Allah.

5) The Imams these bases yielded to were not isolated from them, only when the authorities prosecuted them or sent them into exile. This is what we come to know through the narrators who related to us the events of each one among the twelve Imams, and on the one hand from what has been copied from the letters that they sent to their contemporaries and the trips that they took, and on the other hand from representatives that they dispatched to the different corners of the Islamic world, as well as the frequent visits that theShi’ahs used to pay to their Imams in the holy city of Medina, when they went to the sacred lands for the performance of the holy rites ofhajjl . All of these factors show an uninterrupted inter-action between the Imam and his popularbases, that stretched over the different parts of the world of Islam, with all their different classes including the learned as well as the others.

6) That the caliphate which was contemporary with the Imams (peace be upon them) used to consider their spiritual leadership as a great threat against its existence and its destiny. Because of that it deployed all of its efforts for the sake of disintegrating that leadership and bore a lot of negativism in that respect, sometimes appearing under the guise of cruelty and transgression when its security was at stake. The campaigns of persecution andvictimisation were a permanent event with respect to the Imam in spite of what that left behind of sadness and disgust among the Muslims and theft supporters from the different classes of society.

If we take these six points into consideration knowing that they are all historical facts, it leaves no room for doubt, and we come out with the following result: That the phenomenon of the early Imamate was a fact and not an illusion. Because the Imam who emerges while still young and declares openly that he is the spiritual and the intellectual leader of the Muslim community as a whole, and whom that wide trend pledges its loyalty, must surely be in possession of a remark-able, let alone a very wide knowledge andagonises and a very wide horizon as well as a proficiency in jurisdiction, exegesis and the articles of faith, otherwise the popular bases would not be convinced of his spiritual leadership. We should also bear in mind the fact that the Imams took certain positions that made the interaction with their bases possible and threw different lights on their way of life and personality.

Do you think then that a young child who declares his Imamate (spiritual leadership) and hoists out of it a flag for Islam, with the full know-ledge of the masses among his popular bases who believe in him and are prepared to sacrifice their lives and security without taking the trouble to discover his condition, or without being incited by the phenomenon of the earlyImamamte to in-quire about the validity of the situation and the establishment of the worth of this young Imam?

Now supposing that people did not attempt to assess the situation, would it then be possible that after days, months or even years, the whole affair would go unnoticed without its truth coming to the surface, although there has been a natural and constant interaction between the young Imam and the rest of the people? Is it rational that the worth of a young child’s way of thinking and knowledge would not be obvious after this long interaction?

Therefore, if we assume that the popular bases of the Imams ofAhlul bayt (descendants of the Prophet) were not able to discover the truth of the matter, why did the existing caliphate keep silent and did not attempt to find out, if it were for its benefit?

Nothing could have been easier for the authorities then if the Imam had been a child, quite immature in his education and way of thinking, the normal case in all children.

No plan would have been more successful than to present this child to his supporters (theShi’ah ) and others and prove to them that he was not fit for the Imamate and the intellectual and spiritual leadership.

If it is indeed difficult to convince people of a man in his forties or fifties, already in possession of a great deal of education for the role of the Imamate, there can be no difficulty in convincing them of the incapacity of an ordinary child for the same role, in the sense that theShi’ah know, regardless of his intelligence and awareness.

All this would have been possible and easier than the complicated means of suppression and recklessness which the authorities resorted to in these times.

The only explanation for the caliphate’s hesitation in playing thiscard, is that itrealised that the early Imamate was a real phenomenon and not an invented idea. The truth is that it hadrealised the fact after it had attempted to play that card but failed. History relates to us many of these attempts and their failure, while it does not mention at all the occurrence of a situation in which the phenomenon of early Imamate was put into question, where the Imam was confronted with difficulties or complications which surpassed his ability or shook people’s trust in him.

This is what we mean when we said earlier that the early Imamate is a real phenomenon in the life ofAhul -Bait (descendants of the Prophet), moreover this phenomenon has similar roots and situations in the Divine heritage that stretched over all the messages and the Divine leadership. It is enough to cite one example of an early leadership ofAhlul-Bayt (peacebe upon them) in the case ofYahya (peace be upon him) when Allah said:

"OYahya take the Book with strength, and We have given him wisdom when he was young". (Qur’an, 19:12)

Now that the early leadership has been proved as an existing and real phenomenon inAhlul Bayt life there is no more objection to the leader-ship of al-Imam al-Mahdi (peace be upon him) nor to his succession to his father while very young.

Chapter 5 - How can we believe in the existence of Al-Mehdi ?

Now we have reached the fourth question which is: Supposing that the hypothesis of the Expected Leader and all that it comprehends of prolonged life, early leadership and a silent absence, is possible, that would not be enough proof for his existence, thus, how can we indeed believe in the existence of al-Mahdi ? Would some narratives related in books on the Great Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him and his progeny) be enough for perfect conviction in the existence of the Twelfth Imam, in spite of what this supposition bears of peculiarity and deviation from the norms? Or rather, how can we prove that al-Mahdi had a true historical existence and that he is not only an assumption, for which psychological circumstances have been combined to confirm his existence in many people’s minds?

The answer is: That the idea of al-Mahdi , as the Expected Leader, who will change the world for the best, has been already mentioned in several OF the narratives (ahadith ) related from the Great Messenger in general, and the Imams ofAhlul-Bayt in particular. Moreover, it has been reconfirmed, with a degree beyond doubt, in many texts. I could count up to four hundred narratives of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) which reach-ed us through our brothers, the Sunnis, (e.g., the book al-Mahdi written by my uncle as-Sayyid Sadru’d -Din as-Sadr , may Allah bless his noble soul), as well as a great number of reports about al-Imam al-Mahdi through both theShi’ites and the Sunnis - nearly more than six thousand narratives, [Selection of traditions concerning the Twelfth Imam] by ash-Shaykh Lutfullah Safi), which is very high statistical number, not found in many of the self-evident Islamic issues.

As regards thematerialisation of this idea in the Twelfth Imam (peacebe upon him) we do possess enough justifications to be convinced that he is the one. They can be summed up into two groups of evidence; the first Islamic, and the other scientific, By the Islamic evidence we confirm the existence of the Expected Leader.

By the scientific evidence, we can prove that al-Mahdi is not just a myth or a supposition but a reality which has been confirmed by historical experience. The Islamic evidence appears in the hundreds of narratives related from Allah's Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him and his progeny) and the Imams ofAhlul-bayt (peace be upon them), which prove that al-Mahdi will be appointed as Imam, that he is from the descendants of the Prophet and Fatimah and the ninth descendants from al-Husayn , that the caliphs (Prophet’s successors) are twelve.

All of these narratives limited that universal idea by personifying it in al-Mahdi , the Twelfth Imam ofAhlul-Bayt . Moreover they reached a great number and diffusion, although the Imams took a great precaution and care, fearing their exposure on a general level, in order to protect the righteous descendants against assassination or an unpredicted assault on his life.

However, the numerical abundance of these narratives is not the only reason for their validity, for in addition to this, there are certain virtues and coherence to be taken into account for proving their validity.

The Prophet’s narratives (ahadith ) about the fact that the Imams.caliphs , depending on the style of the narrative in its different ways -are twelve. Some writers counted up to more than two hundred and seventy narratives taken from the most well-known books of Sunni andShi’ah traditions such as al-Bukhari al-Muslim, at-Tirmidhi Abi Dawud and the collection of Ahmadibn Han-bal and the Rectification of the Judge on the TwoSaths (al-Hikim ,Mustadrak ‘ala s-sahihayn ). We should bear in mind here that al-Bukhiri who had compiled these narratives, was a contemporary to both al-Imam al-Hadi and al-Imam al-’Askari which means quite a lot, since it proves that the narratives were recorded from the Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him and his progeny) before that therealisation of their contents and the idea of the Twelfth Imam hadmaterialised .

This means, therefore, that there is no room left for doubt, that the recording of the narratives was not influenced by the fact of the Twelfth Imam or that it might have been a reflection of it, because the false narratives (ahadith ) that are related from the Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him and his progeny) are either a reflection or a justification for a fact occurring later in time. Now, they did not precede in their appearance and recording in the books, that fact which they came to reflect, therefore, as long as we possess the material evidence, which is that the mentioned narrative had already preceded the historical sequence of the twelve Imams, and that it had been recorded in the books ofahadith (books of traditions) before that the event took place, we can be sure that this narrative is not a reflection of an event but an expression to a truth from Allah, uttered by the one who did not speak out of fancy (the Holy Prophet) when he said: "Surely the caliphs after me are twelve". So, the event of the twelve Imams was fulfilled, starting with al- Imam, Ali and ending in al-Mahdi , this way being the only rational interpretation to that noble narrative of the Prophet.

As far as the scientific evidence is concerned it is formed out an experience, lived by a community of people, lasting nearly seventy years, which we call the period of the minor occultation (ghaybah as-sughra ) To elucidate this point, we will pave the way by giving a brief description.

This minor occultation marks the first phase in the Imamate of the Expected Leader (peacebe upon him). From the time that had been predestined, from the time he assumed the role,he remained hidden from the outside world, distant from all the events that were taking place although being at the same time proximate to them in his mind and heart.

We should bear in mind that had this occultation occurred suddenly, the result would have been a great shock among the popular masses, who believed in the Imamate since they were used to contacting their Imam in every period, to consulting him for solutions to their various problems. Thus, had he suddenly vanished, his supporters would have felt cut off from spiritual and intellectual leadership. Such an event would have created an enormous gap which would have thoroughly shaken the whole structure and under-mined its unity. Therefore, it proved necessary that the way should be paved to this occultation, so that these bases might get used to it and gradually adapt themselves to the new situation.

So the plan was this minor occultation, during which al-Imam al-Mahdi vanished from the universal scene, while keeping in touch with hispopu-lar bases and supporters through his delegates or representatives and the most reliable among his companions, who acted as a link between the Imam and those who believed in his line.

The position of representative of the Imam was held in those times, by four personalities, whom the popular bases agreed as to their fear of Allah, piety and integrity. They were:

1) ‘Uthman ibn Sa'id al-’Amri ;

2) Muhammadibn ‘Uthman ibn Said al-’Amri ;

3)Abu'l-Qasim al-Husayn ibn Rfih ; and

4)Abul-Hasan ‘Allibn Muhammad as-Samuri .

These four individuals assumed the role of representative of the Imam (al-Mahdi ) according to the above classification. So whenever one of them died, the other succeeded him, after being designated by al-Imam al-Mahdi (peace be upon him).

The representative of the Imam used to get in touch with the Shi’ ahs and submit their questions and problems to the Imam and return to them with his answers.Sometimes orally and very often in a written form. So these masses who lacked the vision of their Imam, found some comfort and consolation in these indirect communications.

Moreover they could notice that the signatures and the letters were all written in the same way, during the time of the four representatives that lasted nearly seventy years. The last representative, as-Samuri , declared that the period of the minor occultation, which wascharacterised by the designated delegates, was over; that the period of the major occultation, in which there would be no designated individuals to mediate between the Imam and theShi’ites , had began. This transition meant that the minor occultation had already accomplished its mission and achieved its goal, since itimmunised theShi’ites against the great shock and the feeling of the profound gap caused by the Imam's occultation. In that way, it enabled them to adapt themselves to the situation and gradually prepared them to accept the idea of general representation on behalf of the Imam. By this token the latter changed from a representation by a designated individual to a more general line manifested in the justMujtahid (a legalist who arrives at an independentjudgement ), who has a keen insight into the religious and worldly issues of the Muslims, in view of the transition from the minor to the major occultation.

Now you can have an idea about the situation, in the light of what has been discussed up to now, so you can clearlyrealise that al-Mahdi is a reality that a community of people has lived and which has been expressed for seventy years, by the representatives and the mediators of the Imam, whom no one could suspect of cheating nor of playing on words.

For can you imagine - by your Lord - that a lie could survive for nearly seventy years, which four individuals would successively assume and agree upon and continue to interact with others on its basis as if it were a reality that they lived; that nothing would escape their control, which would cause a doubt in people’s minds; that there would be no particular relation between the four through which they could gain the trust of everyone and their belief in the truth of the matter, which they pretend to live and feel?

An old proverb said, "The rope of lies is short"; also logic in life confirms the fact that it is impossible that a lie could survive in this way and for all time through these relations and still wins everyone’s confidence.

Thus, the phenomenon of the minor occultation can be considered as a scientific experiment which has confirmed the factual objectivity of the Imams existence, his birth, life and occultation, on account of which he has been hidden from the world and has not revealed himself to anyone ever since.

Chapter 6 - Why has the leader not appeared yet?

Why has the leader not appeared during all this long period?If he were really prepared to assume his social work? What prevented him from emerging during the period of the minor occultation or after, instead of extending it into a greater one, when the conditions for any social and transformative work were much simpler and easier and when the leader’s relation with the people, owing to the minor occultationorganisations , could have made it possible for him toorganise the ranks and start the work with strength. Also the authorities that existed then did not have that tremendous level of strength and power which humanity has achieved thanks to its technical and scientific evolution?

The answer is: That the success of any operation of social change is bound by certain conditions and objective circumstances without which it cannot achieve its aims.

However all the operations of social change that are sent to earth from heaven are marked by the fact that the contents of their message are not bound by any objectivecircumstance. Since the message on which the whole operation depends is of the Lord’s making and is not created by these objective circumstances, but rather relies on them on its executive side as well as for its timing, heaven waited five centuries of ignorance (al-Jahiliyah ) before sending its last message into the hands the Prophet Mt4iammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him and his progeny), since the connection that should exist between the objective circumstances and the execution required its postponement although the world had been waiting for it for a long time.

Among the objective circumstances that have an effect on the executive part in the operation of change, are those that create the right climate and the general atmosphere for the intended change, while others form some details required by the movement of change in its elaboration. For example, in the case of the operation of change led by Lenin in Russia, this operation was connected to an important factor manifested in the first world war and the decline of the Tsar, which played a major part in creating the appropriate climate for the operation of change. It was also linked to partial and limited factors such Lenin’s health, during his trip and when he entered Russia and led the revolution.For had he met with an incident while on his way, he would have been delayed and the revolution would have lost its ability for that swift move.

However, the unchangeable custom of Allah in every Divine operation of change proceeded, in its executive side, in accordance with the objective circumstances that created the appropriate climate and the general atmosphere for its success.

Hence Islam came only after a great gap and long period which lasted for centuries after the messengers.

Although Allah, the Exalted, could have over-come all the obstacles and difficulties that were on the way of the Divine message and created the appropriate climate by way of miracles, He preferred not to use such a style, since the tests, trials and the afflictions that make the human being perfect required that this Divine task be natural and objective.

However, this did not prevent Allah, the Exalted, from interfering from time to time with some details that did not shape the appropriate climate but which were sometimes needed for the movement within such a climate, such as the support that Allah, the Exalted, bestows on his saints during some of their difficult moments, so as to protect the message. So suddenly Nimrod’s fire becomes cool and a peace for Ibrahim. When the traitor’s hand which was bearing the sword to strike the Prophet’s hand was suddenlyparalysed and lost its ability to strike, also when suddenly the storm swept away the unbelievers and the polytheists’ camps, when they were encircling Medina, on the Day of the Ditch (yawmu’l-Khandaq ), thusterrorising them. However, all of these events did not go beyond certain details and the provision of assistance during some decisive moments after the appropriate atmosphere had been already formed for the operation of change in a natural way and in accordance with the objective circumstances.

In this light we can examine al-Mahdi ‘s position to find that the operation of change, for which he had been prepared, is linked, on the executive side, as is the case with any other operation of social change to certain objective circumstances that participate in securing the convenient climate under which it will occur.

We must bear in mind that al-Mahdi has not been prepared for a limited social task nor for an operation of change limited to a particular part of the world or another. Since the message which Allah decreed for him has been a comprehensive change of the whole world and the leadership of humanity away from the darkness of transgression to the light of justice. However, it is not enough for this great operation that its message and its leaderbe made available, for otherwise its conditions would have been fulfilled in the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny). Rather, an operation of such a scale requires a world-wide climate and a universal atmosphere which willfulfil the required objective circumstances for itsrealisation .

From a human perspective we should consider the feeling that the man ofcivilisation experiences of exhaustion as an essential factor for the creation of that appropriate climate, which paves the way for the acceptance of the new message of justice. This feeling is established and implanted through the various experiments ofcivilisation , out of which man comes overloaded with negativism regarding what has been built, andrealises his need for help, thereupon turning with his natural disposition to the unseen or the unknown.

From a material angle, it is possible that modern conditions of life are better equipped torealise the aims of the message world-wide than the conditions that existed in the previous periods - such as the period of the minor occultation - owing to what has been achieved in terms of shorter distances and a greater ease of interaction between the different nations of the world, as well as the availability of instruments and means that a centralorganisation needs in order to carry out itsprogramme for the awareness of the different nations of the world and their education on the bases of the new message.

Yet what I hinted at here, which is a fact, is the growth of military strength and equipment that faces the leader of the appointed day when-ever his appearance is delayed. But to what avail can the growth of the material aspect be, when they already exists a psychological defeat for it from within and the spiritual collapse of that man who possesses all these equipment and power?

Indeed many were the occasions, in history, when the gigantic structure of a wholecivilisation collapsed only with the smallest conquering gesture. That was because it has been already falling apart andloosing confidence in its existence and trust in its reality.

Chapter 7 - Can an individual resume this role?

Now we have reached another question in this series which is: Can an individual, however great he may be, achieve this great role? Is not such an individual only that one who is selected by circumstances and faced with therealisation of their movement?

The ideahere, is related to a particular view of history which interprets the latter on the basis that man is only a secondary factor in it, while the objective strength that surrounds him is the essentials In this sense the individual can only be, in the best of situations, the intelligent expression to that essential factor.

However, we had already made it clear, in other chapters of our printedbooks, that history is made up of two roles: The first one being man and the second the material strength that surrounds him. Thus, while this material strength, the circumstances of production and nature affect man, the latter also exerts an influence upon them. Moreover, there is no evidence for the assumption that the movement starts from material conditions and ends up with man, except when there is an evidence for the contrary, since both factors interact in time. Therefore, within this framework, an individual can be more than a parrot in the historical trend, especially when we take into account his relation with heaven, since the latter intervenes, then, as a guiding power to this historical trend. That has been the case in the history of all the prophets, especially the last one since by virtue of the relation of his message with heaven, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him and his progeny), assumed by himself the reins of the historical movement and started acivilised expansion which the objective circumstances that existed around him, could not bring about in any case as we have already mentioned in the introduction of al-Fatiwa al-waddihah .

Therefore, what had been achieved at the hands of the Great Messenger could occur also at the hands of the Expected Leader from among his progeny whom he announced and whose role he hinted at.

Chapter 8 - How will the change on the appointed day occur?

Now we have reached the last question, which is about the manner through which we can form an image about what will be accomplished at the hands of this individual in terms of a decisive victory for justice and an end to the existence of transgression that he is faced with?

The limited answer for this question is related to the knowledge of the time and the phase in which al-Mahdi (peace be upon him) is supposed to emerge to the world, as well as the possible assumption regarding what peculiarities and close relations, mightcharacterise that phase so as to be able to draw, in that light, the shape that the operation of change would take and the path that it would follow.

But as long as we do not know anything concerning that phase, its environment nor its circumstances, we cannot scientifically predict what would take place on the appointed day, although we can imagine or give certain assumptions in this respect, which are founded on theoretical bases and not on realistic grounds.

There is one basic assumption which we can adopt in the light of the previous narratives we mentioned earlier, as well as in the light of the great operations of change in the course of history, namely the appearance of’ al-Mahdi (peace be up-on him) after a great gap which will result in a shocking decadence and a crisis iscivilisation . This gap will give the opportunity for the message to expand and the decadence ofcivilisation will prepare the psychological atmosphere for its acceptance.

However, this decadence incivilisation is not a mere incident that will occur suddenly in the history of humancivilisation , but a natural result of a contradiction in a history that is cut off from Allah the Exalted, that cannot reach a decisive solution of the end of its course, so that its fire will burn leaving nothing in its path and the light will then appear to establish Divine justice on earth.

Chapter 9 - The Good news

There is no doubt that the Holy Qur’an is the book of Allah, and that all the Muslims of the world accept and obey its teachings and instructions.

When one opens this Book (Qur’an) and casts a glance at its verses, one will come to what seems to be a clear vista of the extraordinary, sensational and exciting future and end of the universe - The Holy Qur’an says that the ultimate mission of the Holy Prophet of Islam is to make this holy religion prevail over all other religions of the world; and one day this holy aspiration will finally be fulfilled, as the Holy Qur’an says:

He it is who has sent His messenger (Muhammad) with the guidance and the Religion of Truth, that He maycause it to prevail over all religions, however much the idolaters may be averse. (9:33)

The divine Look of the last Messenger of Allah gives the glad tidings that rule over the earth shall finally belong to the righteous and virtuous servants of Allah:

The earth isAllah ‘s . He gives it for an inheritance towho He will. And lo!the sequel is for those who keep their duty (unto Him). (7:128)

The earth, which will be full of corruption, destruction and ignorance like a lifeless body, will be revived with the glowing light of justice, as referred to in the Holy Qur’an)

We also read in the Holy Qur'an:

Allah has promised such of you as believe and do good works that He will surely make them succeed (the present rulers) in the earth even as he caused those who were before them to succeed (others) and that He will surely establish far them religion which he has approved for them, and will give them in exchange safety after their fear. They serve MeThey ascribe no thing as partner unto Me. (24:55)

The Almighty Allah also says:

Vain would they put out the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light however much thedisbeliveers are averse. (61:8)

These are some short examples of the divine glad tidings mentioned in the Holy Qur'an By studying these matters and tens of other similarmatters, it shall be perceived that the Islamic message will reach its completefulfilment when these holy aspirations and desires have taken place. All fabricated and superstitious objectives will disappear and then only Islam, the unique and true religion, will be the faith of the people in the east and west of the world. Injustice, oppression and inequality shall vanish and instead justice and equality which is the law of the creation of the world will be established everywhere. The sovereignty of the divine caliphs (khulaffa ) will be established in all the corners of the world. The light of the guidance of Allah will shine and the earth be-long to the virtuous ones.

Yes, the Holy Qur’an gives the good news that a day will come when all Muslims of the world shall wait enthusiastically for such a time.

Next to the Holy Qur’an, the sayings of the Holy Prophet and theHonourable Imams are the most important and worthiest treasure of Islamic learning. For every Muslim, it is obligatory and essential to follow and obey the sayings of the Holy Prophet and the Holy Imams since obeying their commands is particularly and clearly mentioned in the Book of Allah.

In the sea of jewels of Islamic traditions, glad tidings on the Government of Justice can be seen. Moreover, special mention has been made regarding the "Divine Revolution" and the divine leader who willfulfil this holy aspiration.

The Holy Prophet of Islam said:

"Even when the entire duration of the world’s existence has already been exhausted, and one solitary day is left to embrace the eve of Doomsday, Allah will expand that day and make it swell to such a length of time as to accommodate the ultimate reign of a person out of my holy progeny who will be called by my name and my agnomen (‘Abul-Qasim ). He will then make the earth abound with peace and justice as it will have been fraught with injustice and tyranny before him."

The context of this precious tradition revealsa definite good news more than anything else, and informs the people of the Government of Justice, Achievement and Divine Promises as mentioned in most of theShi’ite and Sunnite sources.

In another tradition, the Holy Prophet told Amir al-mu’minin ‘All (a.s .), saying:

"There will be twelve Guides (aimmah ) after me, the first of whom is you, O’ ‘All, and the last one will be the ‘Support’, who with Almighty Allah’s grace, will gain victory over the whole of the east and west of the world."

The Purified Imams reminded people in several traditions of the significance of the Divine Promise and Government of the Twelfth Imam, and told them that waiting for the GreatSaviour is the most valuable deed, and that his followers and devotees are the best and the beloved people.

It will suffice here to quote, as an example, a few of these traditions:

1) When ImamHasan al-Mujtaba (a.s .) held the seat of the caliphate, he fought the hypocriticalMu’awiyyah , who, with the assistance of his cunning minister, gradually deceived the companions of ImamHasan (as.), who thus deserted and left the Imam alone. Hence, he was compelled to make a peace treaty withMu’awiyyah in which lie (Mu’awiyyah ) was obliged to comply with some duties and to refrain from appointing a successor and fighting. On some occasions, the Imam took the opportunity to point out to the peopleMu’awiyah's errors and unjust acts. Meanwhile, some of ignorant people startedcriticising the Imam as to why he had accepted the peace treaty! ImamHasan (a.s .) clarified for the people the meaning of the Imam and the leader, and the necessity of obeying every command of the Imam without asking why and wherefore. Then he explained to them about the Government of the Twelfth Imam saying:

"Don’t you know that every one of us (Imams) has the responsibility of taking allegiance from the oppressors of his time, except the ‘Support’ (al-Qa'im ) behind whom the Spirit of Allah (Jesus) will pray; and Almighty Allah will keep secret his birth from some people and will conceal his person from their sights. When he appears he will not be responsible for taking allegiance from anyone. He is the ninth descendant of my brotherHusayn , the son of the captive princess. Almighty Allah will pro-long his age during his occultation, and by His Perfect , he will appear as a young man of less than forty years so that all people will know that Allah truly has power over all things.

2. ImamJa’far as-Sadiq (a.s ) in reply to a question from one of his followers about his successors, said:

"The Imam succeeding me is my son Musa, and the Awaited Imam is Muhammadibn Hasan ibn ‘Allibn Muhammadibn ‘Aliibn Musa. The same Imam is quoted as having said repeatedly that:

"Every group of people is waiting for a government and we are waiting for our Government to be established at the End of Time."

3. The Seventh Holy Imam Musaibn Ja’far (a.s .) in a reply to one of his companions who asked him whether he was "al-Qa'im bi ‘1-Haqq" (he who is supported by the Truth), said:

"I am al-Qa’im bi’l-Haqq , but that ‘al-Qa'im who will remove Allah's enemies from the earth and will fill it with justice and equity is my fifth descendant. Since he will fear for his own life, he will be in occultation for a long time during which a group of people will apostate, but there will also be a group who will be firm in their belief."

He added:

"Blessed are our followers (theShi’ites ) who, during the time of the occultation (ghaybah of the Imam of the Age, identify them-selves with our Authoritywilayah ) and keep away from our enemies. They belong to us and we belong to them. They have accepted our leadership and we are pleased with their adherence. Therefore, blessed are they. I swear to Allah that they will be with us in our rank in Paradise."

4. Finally, the Eleventh ImamHasan al-‘Askari (a.s .) said:

"I see that after me differences will appear among you concerning the Imam after me. Who-ever accepts the Imams after the Prophet of Allah but denies my son is like a person who accepts all the prophets but denies the prophet-hood of Muhammad (s.a.w .), the Prophet of Allah. - And whoever denies (Muhammad) the Prophet of Allah is like one who has denied all the prophets of Allah, for to obey the last of us is like obeying the first and to deny the last of us is like denying the first. But beware! Verily, for my son there will be an occultation during which all people will fall into doubt except those whom Allah, protects."

The available traditions from the Holy Prophet and the infallible Imams are so many in number as to make us well-informed on this important principle of faith. One can say that the most important, and the highest recorded number, of traditionsis on the subject ofImamology (Imamate) in theShi’ite books of traditions.

The subject of the leadership of the Twelfth Imam, his Government, and other related matters, comes next to the subject of the successor-ship of Imam Ali, Amir al-mu’minin (a.s .) There are hundreds of these traditions recorded both in theShi'ite and Sunnite books.14 A large number of religious scholars from all Islamic sects have independently compiled books on this subject.15 Their number runs to tens of volumes.

The years of Imams, Islamic leadership passed one after another along with tyranny of therulers contemporary with them, till the leadership of ImamHasan al-Askari (a.s .) came. This Holy Imam livedin a difficult circumstances , appearing less frequently in the public gatherings. His beloved son who is the last Divine Proof, was hidden from ,the sight of strangers till the year 260 A. H, when the rays of his being set while the eyes of all people were fixed at the door of Imam al-Mehdi (a.s .).