Moment by Moment: Expectation The advent of Al-Qa’im- Introduction

In the Name of Allah the Compassionate the Merciful

Moment by Moment: Expectation The advent of Al-Qa’im- Introduction

During their missions, all the prophets and apostles have emphasized the fact that a savior will arrive at the end of time who will implement the government of justice over the globe. This news has been heard since human beings appeared on earth. Allah has indicated this promise in all the early scriptures and commanded humans throughout ages to expect the manifestation of the kingdom of Allah on earth. The holy Quran also gives glad tidings of the day for which all the believers of the world are enthusiastically awaiting, and confirms that the righteous and virtuous servants of Allah shall finally inherit the earth:

إنَّ الأَْرْضَ لِلَّهِ يُورِثُها مَنْ يَشاءُ مِنْ عِبادِهِ وَ الْعاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ‏.

The earth is Allah’s. He gives it as a heritage to whom He wills, and the end is for the watchful. (7:128)

The Most Glorious also says:

وَ لَقَدْ كَتَبْنا فِي الزَّبُورِ مِنْ بَعْدِ الذِّكْرِ أنَّ الأَْرْضَ يَرِثُها عِبادِيَ الصَّالِحُونَ.

And indeed We wrote in the Psalm (Zabur) after the reminder that My righteous servants shall inherit the earth. (21:105)

Allah confirms that He will revive the earth and will give it a true life after it had become dead as a result of corruption by mankind:

اِعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُحْيِ الأَْرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِها.

Know that Allah shall give life to the earth after its death! (57:17)

Allah has guaranteed to manifest the kingdom for the righteous believers on earth in the following verse of the Quran:

وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَ عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الأَْرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ وَ لَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضى‏ لَهُمْ وَ لَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْناً يَعْبُدُونَنِي لا يُشْرِكُونَ بِي شَيْئاً وَ مَنْ كَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذلِكَ فَأُولئِكَ هُمُ الْفاسِقُونَ.

Allah has promised to those of you who believe and do good that He will most certainly make them rulers on earth as He made rulers before them, that He will most certainly establish for them their religion that He has chosen for them, and that He will most certainly, after their fear, give them security in exchange. They worship Me and they do not associate anything with Me. (24:55)

In a number of verses in the Quran, Allah has emphasized that what He has promised will certainly take place. For instance:

إِنَّما تُوعَدُونَ لَصادِقٌ.

Verily that which you are promised is true. (51:5)

وَ لَنْ يُخْلِفَ اللَّهُ وَعْدَه.

And Allah shall never break His promise. (22:47)

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يُخْلِفُ الْمِيعادَ.

Surely, Allah shall never fail to keep the promised event. (3:9)

سُبْحانَ رَبِّنا إِنْ كانَ وَعْدُ رَبِّنا لَمَفْعُولاً.

Glory to our Lord! Truly the promise of our Lord is a fulfilled one! (17:108)

Besides the indications in the Quran and the early scriptures, the testimonies of the last Apostle of Allah (PBUH&HF) that have been narrated by all Islamic schools in numerous traditions leave no doubt that this promise will be fulfilled by the hand of a man from his progeny. The Sunnis have narrated:

عنِ النبّيِّ (ص) قالَ: لَو لمَ يبَقَ مِنَ الدّ’نيا إِلا يَومٌ لَطَوَّل الله’ ذلِكَ اليَومَ حَتّى يَبعثَ فيهِ رَجُلا‏‏ً مِن أَهلِ بَيتي يُواطئُ اسْمُهُ اسْمي … يَمْلَأُ الأَرضَ قِسطاً وَعَدلاً كَما مُلِئَت ظُلماً وَجَوراً.

The Apostle of Allah (PBUH&HF) said, “Even if only one day has remained for the duration of the world’s existence, Allah shall prolong that day to send a person from my Ahl al-Bait whose name is the same as my name… He shall fill out the earth with peace and justice just as it was filled with injustice and tyranny.”^[[1]^]

The above tradition proves that although Allah may postpone this divine promise even up to the last days of the world’s existence, nevertheless it will certainly take place. Hence, all the true believers should expect its happening through the hands of the promised savior from the family of Muhammad (PBUH&HF), whose most famous titles are al-Mahdi (the guided), al-Qa’im (the one who shall stand up), al-Muntadhar (the awaited).

There are many traditions narrated by all Islamic schools where the Apostle of Allah (PBUH&HF) has portrayed the events just prior to the reappearance of al-Mahdi (PBUH). The Shi’ite traditions, narrated from the Prophet (PBUH&HF) and the Imams of Ahl al-Bait (PBUT), provide much more details for these events. On the other hand, there are many traditions conveying that the advent of Imam al-Mahdi (PBUH) will be very sudden and unpredictable, and that Allah may cancel or change the signs before his reappearance and may let the Imam (PBUH) reappear at any moment.

In the first part of this work, we will discuss the significance, purpose, and predictability of the signs, and the way they should affect our expectation for the arrival of Imam al-Mahdi (PBUH). We will examine the possibility of canceling the foretold signs in the light of the verses of the Quran and the traditions. We will also investigate why the Imam (PBUH) has not yet started his mission, for what reasons Allah has delayed his advent, and how our behavior has contributed to this delay.

In the second part, we will enumerate some of the divine commandments that if we follow, Allah may expedite the reappearance of the Imam (PBUH) and lessen the hardships that we are going to face prior to and during his advent. They are the duties of everyone who is expecting al-Qa’im (PBUH), as instructed by Ahl al-Bait (PBUT). In this light, we will show the significance of continual expectation of receiving al-Qa’im (PBUH), will present the notion of waiting for the relief (Intidhar al-Faraj), and the way it should affect our life.

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^[[1]] Tafsir Durr al-Manthur, al-Suyuti, vol. 7, under commentary of Verse 47:18; Sunan, Abu Dawud, vol. 2, Chapter 35 (Kitab al-Mahdi), Bab 1, Hadith 4279; Sahih, al-Tirmidhi, vol. 3, Chapter of Fitan, Bab 44 (what has come about al-Mahdi (PBUH)), Hadith 2331-2332.

Liverpool Shia Society

Moment by Moment: Expecting the Advent of al-Qa’im (PBUH)

In the Name of Allah the Compassionate the Merciful

Moment by Moment: Expecting the Advent of al-Qa’im (PBUH)

According to the Ahl al-Bait’s (PBUH) and the Holy Prophet’s (PBUH&HF) traditions, expectation for the arrival of Imam Mahdi (PBUH)  during his disappearance is one of the main duties of the Muslims, in particular Shias who strongly believe in the presence of Imam Mahdi (PBUH).  “Moment by Moment: Expecting the Advent of al-Qa’im (PBUH)” is the name of a book written by Dr. Vahid Majd (Associate Professor at Tarbiat Modares University, Iran) which discusses in detail the events prior to the Imam Mahdi’s (PBUH) advent and the reasons of the delay, using Shia references.  From next week, every chapter of the book will be published here on Fridays.  If you are interested to know the book in brief, read through the book nutshell below:

In many traditions, the events just prior to the reappearance of the promised savior, al-Qa’im (PBUH) have been portrayed. On the other hand, other traditions convey that the advent of the Qa’im (PBUH) will be very sudden and unpredictable, and the foretold events prior to his advent may be altered. In the first part of this book, the significance, purpose, predictability, and possibility of alteration in the signs, as well as their effect on one’s expectation of the arrival of al-Qa’im (PBUH) are discussed. In addition, the reasons for the delay in his advent and its relation with people’s behavior are presented with evidence.  In the second part of the book, some divine prescriptions for an early relief are enumerated. As confirmed by the traditions, adhering to these obligations may alleviate the hardships prior to and during the advent of al-Qa’im (PBUH) and may expedite the manifestation of the kingdom of justice over earth. In this light, the significance of continual expectation of receiving al-Qa’im (PBUH), the notion of waiting for the relief, and its effect on one’s life are discussed.

Liverpool Shia Society

The Impact of Polytheisms on Feelings about Allah (SWT) and Ahl al-Bait (PBUT)

In the Name of Allah the Compassionate the Merciful

The Impact of Polytheisms on Feelings about Allah (SWT) and Ahl al-Bait (PBUT)

There are non-believers who have developed some good morals in themselves and this fact is not denied.  Although the original and perfect human attitudes are the permanent and divine characteristics of Ahl al-Bait (PBUT) and their special followers (Shi’ites), those few developments of non-believers (which are the borrowed characters fitted and aimed only at the pleasures of this world) are the centre of attention for many people.  For such people, mentioning the excellence of the behaviour of Ahl al-Bait (PBUT) and their special followers (Shi’ites) is not pleasant and they rather want to hear and praise the good actions of non-believers than those of the Lights of Allah (Ahl al-Bait (PBUT)).  But why?  Why do these people feel uncomfortable when talking about the superiority and distinction of Ahl al-Bait (PBUT) and become so attracted and inclined to other than them?

The answer to this question lies in the verse 39:45 of the Holy Quran which discusses a symptom of polytheism in worship. This verse is interpreted by Imam Ja’far Sadiq (PBUH) and Imam Muhammad Taqi (PBUH) as follows:

Imam Ja’far Sadiq (PBUH) was asked about [the interpretation of] a saying of Allah (SWT), as ‘when Allah is mentioned alone, the hearts of those who do not believe in The Hereafter (The Day of Judgment) are filled with disgust and when those from other than Him are mentioned they become joyful and delighted’ (Holy Quran, 39:45).  Imam Ja’far Sadiq (PBUH) answered, when Allah (SWT) is mentioned alone by means of urging people to obey only whom Allah has ordered to obey among the progeny of Muhammad [i.e. Ahl al-Bait] (PBUH&HF), then the hearts of those who do not believe in Hereafter are filled with disgust; however, when people whose obedience has not been ordered by Allah (SWT) [i.e. people other than Ahl al-Bait (PBUT)] are mentioned, their hearts are filled with joy [i.e. they feel happy and delighted].” (Ref: al-Kafi, Vol. 8, p. 304)

Imam Muhammad Taqi (PBUH) was asked about al-Murji’ah [those who hope the forgiveness of Allah while believing that action according to His orders is not necessary and that Allah has left people to themselves]. The Imam (PBUH) answered, ‘pray with them (under Taqiyya), attend their funerals, visit their ill; but, behold, when they die, do not appeal forgiveness for them because they were such that if our names [the holy names of Ahl al-Bait (PBUT)] were mentioned before them, their hearts were filled with disgust, and if something/someone was mentioned before them from other than us, their hearts were filled with joy and pleasure!’” (Ref: Bihar al-Anwaar, Vol. 23, Ch. 21, p. 362)

Both narrations in conjunction with the verse 39:45 of the Holy Quran imply that the root of such feelings is the polytheistic view towards the religion of Allah, which also result in lack of belief in the real Hereafter with the specifications that Allah has created.  An important aspect of monotheism is to believe that obedience only belongs to who are from Allah, and are sent by Him to express His commands to mankind.  Obeying the ambassadors of Allah is obeying Allah and obeying other than them against their orders is obeying Satan.

Liverpool Shia Society

Some Articles from ‘Islamic Insights’

In the Name of Allah the Compassionate the Merciful

Some Articles from ‘Islamic Insights’

Islamic Insight is a weekly online magazine that seeks to cater to the religious, spiritual, cultural, social and political concerns of the North American Muslim community.  Their online issues have been welcomed by visitors greatly and they have some articles free to view and read.  The following articles can be of use due to their coincidence with the birthday anniversary of our current Imam (PBUH).

The Living Imam

Imam Mahdi’s Companions

The Final Victory of Truth

The 12^th Prince

Signs of the Return

If Imam Mahdi Appears

The Imam of Our Time: A Few Common Questions

Establishing a Relationship with Imam Mahdi

If you know some other routes working in this direction, please do inform us via our Contact Us page.

Liverpool Shia Society

Deeds (A’maal) of Night of the 15th of Sha’ban

In the Name of Allah the Compassionate the Merciful

Deeds (A’maal) of Night of the 15^th of Sha’ban

The 15^th of Sha’ban is remarked as one of the most significant days in the Islamic culture.  The most obvious basis of that is the glorious birthday of the final Reason (Hujjat) of the Almighty Allah (SWT), the one who will fill the Earth full of justice.  He is the most beloved of the Ahl al-Bait (PBUT) by them and all the Imams (PBUT) and the Holy Prophet (PBUH&HF) have promised his advent and his lovely and joyful government.  Shia are expecting his arrival at any time which is the choice of the Almighty Allah (SWT).

However, further to such great coincidence, the Holy Prophet (PBUH&HF) and the Imams (PBUT) have notified the excellence of the 15^th of Sha’ban even before the birth of Imam Mahdi (PBUH).  This day has been appreciated as highly as the Night of Qadr when the fate of the world is determined by the Almighty (SWT).

Due to the high importance of the night of the 15^th of Sha’ban, some deeds (a’maal) have been advised to be fulfilled in order to have been showered by the blessings of such divine night.  The details of a’maal can be found here.  The more the a’maal one can do, the more the reward he will receive.  However, even just doing the minimum of the deeds will glorify the heart of the believer and will create the ground of happiness of the Almighty Allah (SWT).

Liverpool Shia Society

‘Useful Links’, a New Category on the Web Site of Liverpool Shia Society

In the Name of Allah the Compassionate the Merciful

‘Useful Links’, a New Category on the Web Site of Liverpool Shia Society

As communication between the communities is of outscored importance, web sites of similar natures try to bridge their users to other platforms so as to extend their knowledge and awareness.  This fact gains higher importance when the people in the communities are not of the majority but need to be in constant contact with each other to develop further activities and performance.  Religious bases are not exempted from this rule and make good effort to connect their visitors to other useful sources and resources.

Liverpool Shia Society has found this route of vital significance and has planned to introduce useful links to its visitors for better performance and higher outcome.  By the birthday anniversary of our Imam (may Allah advent his return) on the 15^th of Sha’ban, a new category as ‘Useful Links’ will be established.

We hope that the counterpart web sites whose addresses have been introduced on LSS web site will links us to their visitors as well.  Therefore, we will, by the help of the Almighty Allah (SWT), create a real web of web site to know each other, exchange knowledge and activities, and provide support for each other.  This will hopefully construct the foundation for further development among Shia.

Hereby, we would like to request you to kindly give us a hand and if you know any useful web site, please let us know by filling the form on our Contact Us page.  Thank you.

Liverpool Shia Society

Glorious Birthday Anniversary of Imam Mahdi (PBUH)

In the Name of Allah the Compassionate the Merciful

Glorious Birthday Anniversary of Imam Mahdi (PBUH)

Great great congratulations on the anniversary of Imam Mahdi (May Allah hasten his advent).  Liverool Towhid Centre has arranged a programme to celebrate the anniversary of a fabulous day on which Earth took a deep breathe and seeds of hope to a better world were seeded.  The programme will start with Holy Quran recitation and Ziaarat Aale Yassin.  Lectures and poems have been included in the programme before Maghrib Call-for-Prayers.  After prayers, the guests are invited to have supper and do networking.

The programme is to commence sharp at 8.00 pm on Sunday, July the 17^th, and we would like to see all before the start so that every single person can get the benefits of listening to the message of Quran and ziaarat.  Programme will officially end at 10 pm.  Please do inform your other friends who may not see the ad.

Hope to see you all again.

Liverpool Shia Society