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.

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