Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Recommendation of Supplication on the Night of the Imam’s Birth

Supplications and recitals of prayers quoted from the Imams of guidance are recommended on the night of the auspicious birth of the Awaited Imam. And the following supplication is recommended:

English Transliteration Arabic

The night of the birth of the Qaim of the Progeny of Muhammad (a.s) is considered as the holiest and the greatest night in the view of Islam. On this night was born the one who would establish justice and equity and eradicate injustice and oppression and he will destroy every falsehood and false deities.

Acquainting the Shias with Imam of the time

Imam Hasan Askari (a.s) initiated training so that the sincere Shias and his good friends may recognize His Eminence, Mahdi (a.s) in such a way that none could deny or have doubts about him.

Muawiyah Ibne Hakim, Muhammad Ibne Ayyub and Muhammad Ibne Uthman, each of them have separately narrated that His Eminence, Abu Muhammad Hasan Askari (a.s) acquainted us, forty persons, with his newborn son, His Eminence, Mahdi, while we were present at his house. He said: “This son of mine is my Imam and Caliph for you after me. Obey him and after me do not become disunited in your religion, that you be destroyed. But you should know that, after this, you will not see him…”[52]

Imam Hasan Askari completed the argument upon them and acquainted them with the Imam of their time so that they may be testifiers of truth and that they may convey to others what they had witnessed.

Characteristics and Qualities of the Imam of the time

The qualities and merits of His Eminence, Mahdi (a.s) are same as those of the divine messengers and legatees. The effulgence of Imamate and the awe of the prophets was perfectly apparent in the face of the Holy Imam. His description and details have come in the narrations as follows:

1. Abu Saeed Khudri narrates from the Messenger of Allah (a.s) that he said, “Indeed, the Almighty Allah will raise from my progeny and Ahle Bayt a man, who would have appropriate gap between his front teeth and have a bright forehead so that he may fill the earth with justice, welfare and economic equality.”[53]

Numerous traditions of the same type have been recorded by the scholars and narrators of Ahle Sunnat from the Holy Prophet (a.s) describing the various characteristics of Imam Mahdi, the descendent and great grandson of the Prophet.

2. His Eminence, Abu Ja’far, Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s) through his forefathers has narrated from the chief of Ahle Bayt, His Eminence, Amirul Momineen (a.s) that His Eminence proclaimed from the pulpit, “In the last age a man from my progeny would rise, having a fair complexion that has some redness (hue) and having a clear and wide belly and his thighs would be broad and his bones shall be long (big) and prominent and he would have two beauty spots one of whom shall be the color of the Prophet. He shall rise up.”

3. In another tradition His Eminence, Ali (a.s) again mentions about Imam Mahdi (a.s) in the following words:

“He shall have a wide forehead and big eyes and a clear and wide belly, broad thighs, his front teeth would be sparkling and there is a mole on his right thigh.”[54]

A fact derived from traditions and reports of the Holy Prophet (a.s) is that in his facial appearance he is most handsome and elegant. All physical and facial beauties would be humble and submissive before the elegance of Imam Mahdi (a.s).

The prominent and acknowledged poet, Agha Sayyid Hasan has thus mentioned about His Eminence:

“The elegance came up (arose) through his clear face The morning breeze spread from his calming countenance.”[55]

Resemblance of Imam of the time with the Prophet

Among all the people, His Eminence is most resembling His great grandfather, the Messenger of Allah (a.s), by way of method, Jihad and revolution against oppression and transgression and transformation of the system of the oppressive rulers in society, from theft and destruction humiliation, affliction and problems. He would replace all this with a system that would provide every kind of comfort and security and be a cause of general welfare and happiness of the people. When the Qaim of the progeny of Muhammad would appear, he would work in the same way as his great grandfather had done. That is why he would destroy the false powers and tyrannical rulers whose power is based on falsehood and hypocrisy and he shall eradicate them completely. He would then establish justice and equity in every sense of the term.

Numerous traditions of the Holy Prophet (a.s) and the Imams of guidance have reached us that mention that Imam Mahdi (a.s) resembles his great grandfather, the Messenger of Allah (a.s). Some of them are mentioned below:

1. Abdullah Ibne Masud narrates from the Messenger of Allah that he said, “A man from my family would arise having my name, and his manners and habits would be like my manners and habits and he would make the earth abound with justice and equity.”

2. Huzaifah relates from the Messenger of Allah (a.s) that he said:

“Even if there remains one day in the life of the earth, God will bring forth a man whose name and character will be like mine, and whose patronymic will be Abu Abdillah. People would pay allegiance to him between the Rukn and Maqam[56] of Ka’ba. Through him God will revive His religion and bring it back to its early glory. God will also endow him with many victories and there will remain on earth none other than the ones who will declare: There is no god, except Allah.”

Sulaiman got up from his place and asked as to which of his children’s descendent he would be.

The Prophet struck his hand on Husain (a.s) and said, “From his [descendants].”

3. Ayesha has narrated from the Messenger of Allah (a.s) that he said:

“Mahdi is a person from my progeny. He will fight for my Sunnah like I have fought for revelation.”[57]

4. Jabir Ibne Abdullah Ansari has quoted the Messenger of Allah (a.s) that he said:

“The Mahdi is from my progeny, his name and patronymic is same as mine. Among all the people he would resemble my character. There would be an occultation for him during which people shall be perplexed. After that he would reappear like a bright star and make the earth abound with justice and equity after it had been completely fraught with injustice and oppression.”

5. Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s) has narrated through his forefathers from the Messenger of Allah (a.s) that he said:

“The Mahdi shall be from my descendants. He would be having the same name and agnomen as I have. He would resemble me most in character; he would have an occultation which would cast people into confusion, till they deviate from their religion. At the time he reappears he shall be like a brilliant star. Then he would spread justice and equity on the earth just as it would have been absolutely fraught with injustice and inequity.”[58]

6. Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s) has narrated through his blessed ancestors from the Holy Prophet (a.s) that he said:

“The Qaim is from my descendents. His name is same as mine and patronymic is same as mine. His appearance is like my appearance and his practice like my practice. He will establish the people on my religion and my law and call them to the Book of my Lord, the Mighty and the sublime. One who obeys him has obeyed me and one who disobeys him has disobeyed me. And one who denies his occultation has denied me. And one who falsifies him has falsified me. And one who testifies for him has testified for me. I would complain to Allah about those who falsify me in my affair and those who mislead the people. And the oppressors would soon realize where they would be returned when they are sent back (to Hell).”[59]

The above tradition is the most comprehensive one that shows that Imam Mahdi (a.s) would be like his great grandfather, the Messenger of Allah (a.s) in many respects.

7. Abu Salih Saibi in Al-Fitan has narrated from His Eminence, Amirul Momineen (a.s) that he said: “His Eminence, Mahdi (a.s), in appearance, character, habits and good virtues, would most resemble the Messenger of Allah (a.s).”[60]

Such types of traditions have reached us in large numbers from the Holy Prophet (a.s) and the Holy Imams (a.s). They all prove beyond any doubt that Imam Mahdi (a.s) not only resembles the Holy Prophet (a.s) in appearance and built; he is also having the same type of character and habits, due to which he is more superior to the other prophets of God. Rather in his method of reformation, engagements and his war tactics for the annihilation of oppression and injustice and for the establishment of equity and justice on the earth he closely resembles his great grandfather, the Messenger of Allah (a.s).

Concocted Traditions

Sources of Islamic beliefs are heavenly revelation, the Holy Quran and the practice of the Infallibles (a.s). Reason, understanding, conscience and nature are bestowed by Almighty God so that through them we may derive the authentic and correct heavenly sciences and avoid the pitfalls of deviation. All these are provided as internal prophets for humanity. That is why Islamic thoughts derived from these pure sources are actually bestowed by God. They all are pure and conform to reality.

In spite of all this, people of evil and malicious nature and enemies of religion have always been in pursuit to cast doubts and spoil the true face of religion and religious leaders.

That is why enemies of faith and malicious people have concocted many traditions to defame and spoil the true Islamic facts and beliefs and these concocted traditions were surreptiously included in the tradition compendiums. In the parlance of traditional science these concocted traditions are termed as “Israiliyat.” One of such fabricated traditions is related by Ganji and others that the Messenger of Allah (a.s) said,

“Mahdi is from my descendants. His face is like a bright star and his complexion is of Arab and his body is of an Israelite. He would make the earth abound with justice just as it would be filled with oppression. All the folks of the heaven and the earth and also the birds would be happy during his kingdom and caliphate. He would reign for twenty years.”[61]

The reason that this tradition is fabricated is that the body of the Holy Imam (a.s) is a part of the body of the Prophet and Amirul Momineen (a.s), which were the most pure and clean; infused with the effulgence of guidance. How can the physique of Imam (a.s) resemble that of the Israelites, while they are having the worst of the bodies and the most evil of the appearancea They are the wolves among human beings, the germs and personification of low character. Most probably, the Jews have fabricated this tradition to defame the Muslims on the basis of their enmity towards Islam and to present their own deficiencies in favorable light.

Prominent Characteristics and Merits of the Imam of the Time

The predominant characteristics and personal traits of His Eminence, Mahdi (a.s) are the same as that of his honorable ancestors and forefathers, the Holy Imams (a.s). Those great personages were the centers of mercy and torchbearers of effulgence of guidance on the earth, as the Almighty had sent them for the guidance of His creatures, they were created from effulgence, and appointed as guides and callers to Himself. Some of the important merits of the Holy Imam Mahdi (a.s) are as follows:

Encompassing knowledge of the Imam of the time

It is an established fact that His Eminence, would be the most knowledgeable and possess proficiency in all the sciences because he is the heir of his grandfather, the Messenger of Allah (a.s) and he is the custodian of the treasure of prophetic wisdom.

He is having encompassing knowledge about the religious law and the various aspects of the Shariah of his grandfather, the chief of the prophets. It is one of the comprehensive sciences of the Awaited Imam.

The Purified Imams have mentioned the high intellectual level of Imam Mahdi (a.s) in their sayings issued long before he was born in this world.

1. His Eminence, Amirul Momineen (a.s) says with regard to the virtues of Imam Mahdi (a.s), “He shall be most refuge-giving and the one having most knowledge and the one who does the most ‘Sile Raham’ (doing good to relatives).”[62]

2. Harth Ibne Mughaira Nazari says, “I inquired from His Eminence, Aba Abdillah Husain Bin Ali (a.s), ‘From what would the Mahdi be recognizeda’ He replied, ‘By recognizing the permissible and the prohibited and by the fact that people would be needful of him while he would not be needful of them.’”[63]

3. His Eminence, Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s) said, “His matter, that is, Kingdom would be from the youngest and the most handsome of us (the Progeny of Muhammad). The Almighty Allah would give him knowledge in inheritance and not leave him on his own (rather He is his helper and supporter).”[64]

4. His Eminence, Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s) said, “Knowledge of Almighty Allah, the Mighty and Sublime and the Sunnah (practice) of the Messenger of Allah (a.s) grows luxuriantly in the heart of our Mahdi in the best form. Any of you that survives and sees it should say when you see him: ‘Peace be upon you (all) of Ahle Bayt of Mercy and Prophethood and the mines of knowledge and the location of messengership.’”[65]

Under the discussion of his excellent knowledge and accomplishments of His Eminence it is narrated that when he would reappear, he will discuss and prove his points with the Jews on the basis of Torah as a result of which a majority of them would accept Islam.[66]

His Eminence, Mahdi (a.s) during the minor occultation, was the sole point of reference and the greatest center of the final decision. Therefore the special deputies used to convey the questions of the people to the Holy Imam and obtain their replies. Such questions in large numbers are recorded in books of jurisprudence and traditions and they serve as references for the Islamic jurisprudents in deriving their verdicts.

It is better to reiterate here that Shaykh Saduq (a.r.) had collected many replies bearing the signature of the Holy Imam.

Piety of the Imam of the time

The character and hearts of the Imams of Ahle Bayt (a.s) in all aspects of thoughts and actions (among them is piety in the world and giving up of material pleasures and joys) are same for all of them. It is not possible to pick out a single instance from them but that it would be found to be piety in the world and the renunciation of material things. His Eminence, Amirul Momineen (a.s), the gate of the city of knowledge of the Messenger of Allah (a.s) in fact, divorced the world thrice so that it did not remain worthy of reconciliation. His pure and chaste descendents have also been bestowed with this exalted quality. Many traditions regarding the piety of Imam Mahdi (a.s) are recorded in history. Some of them are presented below:

a. Muammar Ibne Khuld has narrated from Imam Reza (a.s) the he said, “The dress and food of the Qaim of the Progeny of Muhammad shall be coarse and dry.”[67]

b. Abu Basir has quoted that Imam Sadiq (a.s) said, “Do not be in haste of the advent and reappearance of the Imam of the time. By Allah, his dress shall be coarse and his food, barley bread, thick and dense.”[68]

c. Ali Ibne Hamzah and Wahab have narrated from Imam Sadiq (a.s) that he proclaimed regarding His Eminence, the Awaited Imam, “His dress is coarse and thick and his food is hard and rigid.”[69]

It is an established fact that this method is found in all aspects of the life of His Eminence. If he had not possessed such mannerism, the Almighty Allah would not have selected him for the greatest reformative movement, from all the personalities of the earth. Then he it is, who would make the earth abound with justice and equity, as it would be completely fraught with injustice and oppression, and he would save humanity from arrogance and pride of oppressors. He would distribute divine wealth and goodness between deprived and needy people.

Patience of Imam of the Time

One of the prominent characteristics and spiritual excellence of His Eminence is patience and forbearance.

His Eminence is encountering more severe problems and calamities than faced by all the infallible Imams. During his prolonged life he has experienced many bitter incidents and great tragedies, which has made the Islamic world black and broken its limbs and the Muslim community with these pieces, is subjugated under the yoke of disbelievers and tyrants and struggling in that position. Such types of different oppressions have become common in the world of Islam and the divine rules and laws have been rendered useless. The wealth of the Muslims has been plundered and they interfere in all the decisions of the Muslim nation and they force their own view upon them.

All these calamities and corruptions are being wrought under the very eyes of His Eminence and he, being the father of the broken-up community, is very much pained by it.

He has indeed resorted to patience and forbearance and entrusted everything to the Almighty. And this is so because He is the One, Who has everything in His power, and He is the true Ruler on His creatures, and there is no kind of any command or opinion for anyone else.

Worship of the Imam of the time

It is beyond any doubt that the worship of His Eminence, Mahdi (a.s) is also like the worship of his respected forefathers, the Purified Imams (a.s). All the Imams had devoted their whole lives to the Almighty Allah. They have deeply imbibed the love and regard of Allah in the depths of their hearts. Their complete beings are surrounded by the love of Almighty. That is why they fasted most of the days and prayed during the better part of the night, extolling and praising the Lord. Yes, the method of worship of the Awaited Imam is also same. Therefore, the tradition scholars have recorded some of his supplications in the ritual prayers or otherwise, that point out the extreme piety and attachment of the Holy Imam with his Lord and his aloofness from everything else. Some of them we present below:

Supplications of the Imam of the time in the Qunut of Ritual Prayers

His Eminence, the Master of the Age, recites the following supplication in the Qunut of his ritual prayers. The actual supplication is as follows:

This blessed supplication mentions the unimaginable power of the Lord Creator Who has brought everything into existence. He is the One Who bestows existence and is the originator of all creatures. In the same way the supplication also proves that His Eminence, begs to the Almighty for help and success over the enemies of Allah and the prophets. And also desires that his helpers should be gathered so that the religion may be enlivened and bestow exaltation of the Kalimah.[71]

Another Supplication of the Imam of the time

His Eminence, Mahdi (a.s) recites the following blessed supplication in some of his prayers:

In this blessed supplication, His Eminence has clearly explained that he is very eager for his reappearance and extremely keen to enliven the religion and practice of his grandfather, the chief of the prophets and to take revenge from the enemies of Islam and monotheism. He is very keen and desirous to reappear as soon as possible.

Valor of the Imam of the time

His Eminence, Mahdi (a.s) is the bravest and the most valiant of all the people. In strength, power, courage and daring, he is like his great grandfather, the Messenger of Allah (a.s), because His Eminence, with all his capacity uprooted the powers of polytheism and destroyed roots of ignorance and oppression and announced the rights and honor of human beings. The Prophet of Islam rose against the leaders of oppression and enemies of Islam who intended to destroy and humiliate the lofty religion of God and destroyed their leaders and dispersed their supporters and bestowed honor and majesty to the word of Allah on the earth. In the same way, his great grandson and caliph, the Promised Imam, will also perform the same function. He would make the oppressors and rebels taste their misdeeds. And with firm determination, bereft of sloth, reinfuse greatness and honor to Islam without in any way surrendering to any sort of difficult matter and painful circumstances due to weakness and lack of attitude.

Steadfastness of the Imam of the time in rightfulness

His Eminence, the Awaited Imam is among the most steadfast defenders of truth and his defense and help for the oppressed and tortured one is more than that of anyone else. No kind of criticism hinders him from the deliverance of truth and its establishment.

The forefather and elders of His Eminence supported truth and displayed steadfastness in the face of falsehood and presented their sacrifice for social justice among the people. His Eminence, the Mahdi (a.s) also possesses the same quality.

When the world shall be illuminated by the reappearance of the Qaim of the Progeny of Muhammad and humanity would become fortunate by the advent of His Eminence, His Eminence would enliven all aspects of truth and destroy every kind of fraud, cheating and oppression.

Generosity of the Imam of the time

His Eminence, the Awaited Imam is the most generous and charitable among all the people. Narrators of traditions are unanimous that during the time of his government, His Eminence would distribute bounties and sustenance of God among all the poor people in such a way that not a single poor and needy person would remain on the face of the earth; so much so, that a person who desires to pay his Zakat to the eligible one would not be able to find a single recipient of alms. Some of these types of traditions are presented below:[72]

a. Abu Saeed Khudri has narrated from the Prophet of Islam, in the events of His Eminence, Mahdi (a.s) that he said, "A man comes to him and says, 'O Mahdi! Give me! Give me!' His Eminence fills his utensil to the extent of what he could lift."

b. Ibne Asakir has quoted from the Messenger of Allah (a.s) that he said, "In the last age there would be a caliph who would pile up wealth."[73]

c. Jabir has narrated that he was in the company of His Eminence, Abu Ja'far Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s) when a person came to him and addressing the Imam said, "Please accept these 500 dirhams, that is the Zakat of my wealth, and spend it in a suitable way." His Eminence, Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s) said, "Search for them yourself in your neighbors, orphans, the needy and brothers-in-faith and distribute it among them. And it is the time when our Qaim would rise so that he could distribute it in equitable way and establish justice among the creatures of God, according to their good or evil. One who obeys him has obeyed Allah and one who disobeys him has disobeyed Allah. Since he guides in a secret and subtle manner, he is called 'the Mahdi.'"

His Eminence will bring out the Torah and other books from a cave in Antioch and command the people of Torah by Torah and people of Injeel with Injeel and people of Zabur with Zabur and people of Quran with Quran. All the wealth of the earth that is on its surface and below its surface would be gathered with him. Then he would say, 'O People! Come towards that for which you had severed relations and spilled blood on the earth and committed things prohibited by God.' Then he would give so much wealth to them as had never been given.[74]

And other traditions that prove that His Eminence is a sea of mercy and generosity are those that mention that His Eminence would deal with the people with kindness and favors and save them from the yokes of hunger and deprivation and spread peace, comfort and needlessness among them.