HAQEEQAT E MEHDI

According to Hadiths and citations, the word “REVELATION” has always been used for IMAM MEHDI (AS) which is used only for whom who would exist previously but invisible for public. Arrival of Imam Mehdi (AS) in this world would consist of three periods. First, when he will come into being first time in this world and will preach his mission. In this period, most of the people would not pay attention to the teachings of IMAM MEHDI (AS) and signs of Allah, due to their inflexibility. In the second period, he will adopt invisibility (hidden from the common people) for some time due to any specific strategy, which, in Hadiths, has been called command of Allah or secrecy of Allah. During this period of invisibility, human being will face many problems and calamities like a lot of diseases, worries, earthquakes, floods, world war, coming out of Gog & Magog, dearth and restlessness etc. It would be the punishment from Allah. After these problems and calamites people will forget the world and put their attention to Allah and will pray for hasty appearance of IMAM MEHDI (AS). During this period, perhaps some people may recognize IMAM MEHDI (AS) by rightly considering on his full of spiritualism teachings and unique signs appeared from Allah. The third and last period, when, giving up his invisibility, he will appear before people with great dignity and splendor.

Some Hadiths and different references indicating the hidden period of IMAM MEHDI (AS) are as under:

1. Hazrat Jabar (RA) describes that Holy Prophet (PBUH) said: There will be a LORD in my nation who will distribute wealth to people abundantly and will not count it and, by God, in Whose control my soul is, no doubt (after his invisibility) he would must come back. (Hakim, Al-Mustadrak 7:105 Raqam 8400)

2. Holy Prophet (PBUH) said: I swear God who sent me with truthfulness making a messenger of good news and frightener, surely, those who will remain constant and stable on the saying of his leadership, will be honorable more than red sulphur (pure red gold). Thus Hazrat Jabar bin Abdullah (RA) stood up and asked: O beloved Prophet of Allah, would he be from your family? Will he also have invisibility? Holy Prophet (BPUH) replied: Yes! By God, there must be invisibility and during this period, Allah will make the believers pure and eradicate the unbelievers. O Jabar! It will be a secret of Allah from his secrets. (Fraed us Samtain)

3. Holy Prophet (PBUH) said: Our 12th Lord of Truthfulness IMAM MEHDI (AS) will appear after a long period of invisibility. (Gaiyat-ul-Maqsood)

4. Hazart Ali (RA) said: The most superior worship is to remain be awaited of LORD OF TRUTHFULNESS (AS). (Bahar-ul-Anwaar)

5. According to Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA): He who would be patient on the difficulties of enemies and denial of IMAM’S realities and also would not become worry, during the hidden period of 12th IMAM (AS), is as he fought with atheists for Holy Prophet (PBUH) and will get reward of it. (Akmaal-ud-Din)

6. Hazrat Imam Jaffer As-Sadiq (AS) said: By God! A time will come when your LORD will disappear and it would be the test of people even they will say that might he has died or gone to any valley; no doubt believers of IMAM will become aggrieved. (Akmaal-ud-Din & Atmam ul Hamma)

7. Hazrat Imam Jaffer As-Sadiq (AS) also said: There will be such invisibility for that LORD OF COMMAND (AS) that every deceitful person will be doubtful about IMAM. This (invisibility) is Allah’s command and is one of the secret from the secrets of Allah.

8. Hazrat Imam Jaffer As-Sadiq (AS) also said: IMAM MEHDI (AS) will be from our family, he will then disappear. In his period of disappearance, his followers will suffer in miseries and they would use to be tested and there would be doubts in their hearts due to late arrival of IMAM. (Yanabee Al-Mauda)

9. According to Imam Muhammad Baqar (AS), a time will come for the people when their Imam will disappear. They are lucky who will be remained stable about IMAM in that period. Lowest reward that they will get from God would be that Allah will say them: O my people and servants! You have believed in my LEADER and verified my hidden proof. Be pleasure to you for a good return. I will accept your good deeds and will neglect your bad acts and will forgive your sins and will shower down the rain of blessing and will remove the miseries of my people and if you didn’t exist I would suffer them from my anguish. The narrator questioned: what would be better to do at that time? Answered: “Control your tongue and stay at home”. (Akmaal-ud-Din)

10. Hazrat Imam Muhammad Taqi (AS) said: Next Imam after me is my son Ali, his order is my order, his saying is my saying, his obedience is my obedience, after him the Imam is his son Hassan, his order is his father’s order, his saying is his father’s saying, his obedience is his father’s obedience, after this he became silent. Writer says: I asked who will be next Imam after Hassan (AS)? He replied after much weeping that after Imam Hassan Askari (AS), his son QAIM AL MUNTAZIR will be the next Imam. Writer asked: Ya Bin Rasool Allah! Why he would be called QAIM? He answered: Because when his name will be disappeared, when number of his followers will be sidetracked from their faith then he will be constant. Again he will become famous and His name will become renowned again. He is called constant due to stableness after quietness. “And why he is called AL-MUNTAZIR (the awaited)?” writer asked. Replied: its reason is his long time disappearance, sincerest followers will wait for him and doubtful people will deny him; nonbelievers will make laugh at his name; those who will fix the time of his arrival will be liars and who will be in hurry, will be destroyed; those who will show great respect about him and his order, they will take liberty. (Akmaal ud Din)

11. Hazrat Imam Muhammad Taqi (AS) also said: Our QAIM is MEHDI (AS). It is compulsory to wait for him during his disappearance period. (Muntakhib al Aqool)

12. According to Imam Jafar-as-Sadiq (AS), don’t be afraid of him and deny him who fix the time of his appearance as we don’t have fixed time for anyone. (Al-Ghaiba)

13. Example of IMAM MEHDI (AS) in disappearance is as such as the sun concealed behind the clouds. (Aalam Alwari, Majalis al-Momneen, Kashf al Amma)

14. IMAM MEHDI (AS) goes everywhere and helps his followers. (Ghayt-ul-Maqsood)

15. Pray to God for meeting with QAIM-EL-MUNTAZIR as a believer because he will appear as a fury of God. (Roza-tul-Kaafi)

Those who are doubtful about the disappearance of IMAM MEHDI (AS), there is a Hadith fit for them. Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) says: He who deny the appearance of IMAM MEHDI (AS), he rejected what had been descended on Muhammad (PBUH) and only the sincere devotee will remain constant who would trust and believe in his leadership despite how much long is his disappearance. So anyone who denied disappearance and then appearance of IMAM MEHDI (AS) will be come to an end. Therefore, it is the responsibility of his followers to wait constantly for the appearance of IMAM MEHDI (AS) during his hidden period and neither would they say why he is not being appeared nor say he must be appeared now, because it would be as same as interference in the wisdom and policy of IMAM MEHDI (AS). Similarly, to fix a time for appearance of Imam is, in fact, to make himself a partner in hidden knowledge of God. (14 Sitaray by Syed Najam el Hassan Kararvi) Saying of Holy Prophet (PBUH): “Abstain yourself from doubt”. It means when disappearance period would become prolonged don’t become doubtful about Imam and don’t say that if Imam would be alive he must appear, because it is disloyalty to say this. There is in histories that after appearance, he will behave people harshly; he will not accept repentance of anyone and will kill the enemies of Allah, therefore, during the period of disappearance, set your belief in the right direction and wait for him constantly, as Hazrat Ali (RA) said: “Greatest and real worship is only to wait for IMAM MEHDI (AS)”.

The delicate point in the revelation of IMAM MEHDI (AS) is that only those people will wait for Imam who will assure about his comeback; and those, who will never wait for him, will have doubt about his appearance. In other words, belief will be safe in his waiting.

According to Hadiths and histories, as the days will go on and occultation period will become prolonged, many of his followers and lovers, even constant, will lose their faith. According to some other narrations, at the time of appearance of IMAM MEHDI (AS), in fact, just 40; and as said by some others, only 313 persons will catch their faithfulness firmly.

As, before execution, Bani Israel had assumed Jesus as dead, because they had seen all symptoms of his death e.g. bleeding, body fluttering and ultimately become unmoving etc. due to which they believed that he had been died but actually he had been lifted up by Allah in the sky of which, after many decades, Allah verified in Holy Quran. Before descending of Holy Quran, about him this very belief had been used to in the people that he had been died after execution because people had viewed his death scene in front of them and nobody had seen him going up to the heavens. Meaning thereby, not a single person was spectator of his lifting up to the heavens. Due to very reason they had belief in his death. Actually, a duplicate of Jesus was before Bani Israel on whom death process had been done and they had been got believed that he had been died. The similar most mysterious situation would be about IMAM MEHDI (AS) and people will forget him assuming him as dead. In the same way, also, on the basis of prolonged delay in return of IMAM MEHDI (AS), further many people will gradually be doubtful even best and true followers of IMAM MEHDI (AS) will also be turned down having doubt about him (The Imam).