The Beliefs of Those Awaiting the Mahdi (May God Hasten His Reappearance) and the Role of Supplication in Salvation from the Tribulations of the End Times

Article Abstract:

Imamate is the greatest blessing that God has bestowed upon the community of the Noble Prophet (PBUH), and it constitutes the axis of divine trial throughout the history of Islam. In this regard, Imam al-Mahdi (may his reappearance be hastened), as the final divine proof, is the “gate of trial” in the age of occultation, and people’s felicity or perdition depends on the nature of their relationship with this absent Imam. The narrations of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) report a severe sifting of the Shi‘a during the period of occultation and regard only a small group as saved: those who remain steadfast in their love, knowledge, and obedience toward the Imam of the Age (may his reappearance be hastened). Emphasizing Qur’anic and narrational teachings, this article demonstrates that worship, adherence to obligatory duties, abstention from forbidden acts, and especially supplication for the hastening of the relief of the Imam of the Age (may his reappearance be hastened) play an essential role in preserving faith and passing through the tribulations of the end times. Based on a narration from Imam Hasan al-Askari (peace be upon him), salvation during occultation depends on steadfastness in belief in the Imamate of Imam al-Mahdi (may his reappearance be hastened) and the success of praying for his relief. Moreover, citing the signed communications of the Imam of the Age (may his reappearance be hastened), the article stresses the necessity of avoiding unlawful wealth and the connection between sincere awaiting and economic purity. In conclusion, the article points to the Mahdist upbringing of generations through a culture of supplication and constant attention to the Imam of the Age (may his reappearance be hastened).

Keywords:

Imam of the Age (may his reappearance be hastened)

The Major Occultation

The tribulations of the end times

Prayer for the hastening of the Relief

The Beliefs of Those Awaiting

The Sifting of the Shiʿa

Imamate

Unlawful Wealth

One of the outstanding features of Shiʿi teachings is their particular view of “Imamate” as a divine blessing and the principal criterion by which human beings are tested. The Noble Qur’an speaks of a blessing concerning which people will be questioned on the Day of Resurrection, and the narrations of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) have, in many instances, applied this blessing to Imamate. In Ziyarat al-Jamiʿa al-Kabira, the Ahl al-Bayt (a) are introduced as the “gate of trial”: a gate toward which one’s coming or failing to come determines the boundary between salvation and perdition.

Throughout the Islamic community, every era has borne some aspect of this trial; yet in the age of the Major Occultation, this affliction takes on a more complex and profound form. For the Imam of the Age (may his reappearance be hastened) is hidden from sight, and this very occultation creates the conditions for heedlessness, deviation, and Satan’s exploitation. The traditions speak of tribulations that target the believers’ convictions and lead many away from the path of wilayah.

Under such conditions, the central question is this: how can a true awaiter in the age of occultation preserve faith and connection with the Imam of the Age (may his reappearance be hastened), and be delivered from the maelstrom of end-times tribulations? Drawing on Qur’anic verses and traditions, this article seeks to show that adherence to the Imamate, worship of God, prayer for the hastening of the Relief, and avoidance of unlawful wealth are the principal foundations of salvation in this period.

The Imamate is a great and decisive blessing that God has bestowed upon the community of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family)—and, in particular, upon the Shi‘a. According to the noble verse, “ثُمَّ لَتُسْئَلُنَّ یَوْمَئِذٍ عَنِ النَّعِیمِ,” people will be questioned about this blessing on the Day of Resurrection (al-Takāthur, 8). In the religious understanding, all divine tests within the community of the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) ultimately return to this very blessing of the Imamate. Whoever remains steadfast in belief in the Imamate, recognizes and fulfills his duties toward the Imam of his time, will be among the saved; otherwise, he will join the ranks of the perished. In the noble Ziyārah of al-Jāmi‘ah al-Kabīrah, we address the infallible Imam (peace be upon him): “وَ الْبابُ الْمُبْتَلى بِهِ النّاسُ، مَنْ أَتاكُمْ نَجا وَ مَنْ لَمْ یَأْتِكُمْ هَلَكَ”; you, the Ahl al-Bayt, are the gate through which people are tested: whoever comes toward you is saved, and whoever does not come toward you perishes (Ziyārah al-Jāmi‘ah al-Kabīrah).

Imam al-Mahdi (peace be upon him) is humanity’s final divine proof and God’s reserved treasure for humankind. In keeping with the meaning of Ziyārah al-Jāmi‘ah al-Kabīrah, he too, like the other Imams (peace be upon them), is the “gate of trial” and the locus of people’s testing. Whoever moves toward him and orders his course by his guardianship and obedience is counted among the saved; whoever has no spiritual wayfaring or movement toward this hidden Imam is exposed to perdition (Ziyārah al-Jāmi‘ah al-Kabīrah). This principle applies generally to all the pure Imams (peace be upon them), whether they are outwardly present or behind the veil of occultation. If the Imam is present, the believer’s duty is to go toward him and follow him; in his occultation as well, the believer is obliged to move toward his Imam, remember him, and attend to him.

In the age of occultation, this principle acquires twice the importance, for the Imam lives in concealment, and this very fact creates the ground for heedlessness. Satan likewise exploits this outward absence to turn hearts away from remembrance of the Imam of the Age (may his reappearance be hastened); heedlessness of the Imam is a prelude to spiritual downfall and perdition. Thus, to be saved from the tribulations that ensnare believers in the end times, there is no recourse but continual attentiveness and heartfelt and practical movement toward Imam al-Mahdi (peace be upon him)—tribulations that will draw many ostensibly steadfast religious people into the whirlpool of deviation, ruin, and even disbelief.

Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him), concerning the intensity of the tribulations of the age of occultation, states: “By Allah, you will surely be tested and purified; by Allah, you will surely be distinguished from one another; by Allah, you will surely be sifted until none of you remains except a very small and rare group” (Bihār al-Anwār, vol. 5, p. 216, chapter “al-Tamhīs wa al-Istidrāj”).

This noble narration is a clear warning that God will subject the Shi‘a to exceedingly severe trials during the occultation, such that many of those who regard themselves as affiliated with Shi‘ism will be set aside in this divine sifting, and only a small, sincere, and steadfast group will remain. The saved ones of this period are those who, in the age of occultation, draw themselves ever closer to Imam al-Zaman (peace be upon him), grow in love, knowledge, and obedience toward him, and reduce their distance from the Guardian of God.

Imam al-Zaman (peace be upon him) states: “Each of you must do that which brings him closer to our love and friendship, and refrain from that which is displeasing to us and causes our aversion and anger.” If a person performs an act that attracts the pleasure of God and the satisfaction of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them)—especially the Imam of the Age, may God hasten his relief—and avoids what causes their anger and displeasure, the Imam himself will graciously favor him and encompass him with his special kindness and care (reported from the tawqī‘āt of Imam al-Zaman [‘aj]).

Worship is the way to reach God and the path of growth and perfection for created beings. The Noble Qur’an describes the purpose of the creation of humankind and jinn as follows: “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except that they may worship Me” (al-Dhāriyāt, 56).

The “‘Ibād al-Raḥmān” (servants of the Most Merciful) are those who regard everything as from God and for God; therefore, their deeds, thoughts, and conduct take on the character of worship, and their entire lives and efforts are shaped along the path toward reaching the Beloved (cf. al-Furqān, 63).

Undoubtedly, one of the most important matters that keeps a person among the true companions of Imam al-Mahdi (may his relief be hastened) is diligence in fulfilling obligatory duties and serious avoidance of the divine prohibitions. Yet it should be noted that this alone is not the condition for salvation from the trials that may lead to a person's ruin; for the maelstrom of the end-time tribulations targets, before and more than anything else, the beliefs of those awaiting Imam al-Mahdi (may his relief be hastened), and by creating false and deviant beliefs, it prepares the ground for their downfall and destruction.

One of the most important duties that Shi'a have toward the Imam of the Age, peace be upon him, is to pray for the hastening of his deliverance. This success is a divine gift and is not granted to everyone; not every heart and tongue is worthy of this connection. Undoubtedly, one of the important effects of supplication is the hastening of the deliverance of that Hidden Imam; yet alongside this great effect, it has another important fruit: protection from ruin during the occultation and deliverance from the maelstrom of the end-time tribulations.

Praying for the hastening of the deliverance is a shield that preserves Shi'a from the doctrinal deviations and the intellectual and moral distortions of the end times. Hence, Imam Hasan al-Askari, peace be upon him, says to Ahmad ibn Ishaq: “By God, he will certainly undergo an occultation in which none will escape destruction except one whom God, Mighty and Majestic, keeps steadfast in affirming his Imamate and grants success therein to pray for the hastening of his deliverance” (كمال‌الدین, vol. 2, p. 384).

Based on this noble narration, praying for the hastening of the deliverance of Imam al-Mahdi, peace be upon him, is among the most important duties of every Shi'a: a duty that appears simple, yet is inwardly very profound and decisive. All Shi'a of that Imam must be diligent and persistent in this practice and must also teach this culture to their children, so that future generations may likewise receive a Mahdist upbringing and belief in, and attention toward, the Imam of the Age (may his relief be hastened) may always remain alive and active in Shi'a communities.

It may be said that one of the reasons for this extensive emphasis in the narrations and signed decrees of Imam al-Mahdi, peace be upon him, on praying for the advent, as well as praying for the Imam’s well-being, is that supplication keeps the name and remembrance of the Imam of the Age (may his relief be hastened) alive in hearts. When a person repeatedly prays for his Imam of the Age, the Imam’s presence becomes more vivid in the depths of his soul; consequently, Satan cannot easily exploit the Imam’s physical absence and draw people into heedlessness, indifference, and negligence.

On the other hand, praying for the hastening of the Deliverance also shapes the supplicant’s ideal and horizon of life; it makes them yearn to live under the state and governance of Imam al-Mahdi, peace be upon him. Such a person gradually grows weary of the present condition, mingled with oppression and hypocrisy, and inwardly dissociates themselves from it. In this state, they embody the “true awaiter”: one who, in heart, speech, and action, seeks the realization of the noble rule of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, and continually recites:

One whose aspiration is to worship God in a state where Islam and its people are honored, while hypocrisy and its people are humbled and abased, can more readily save themselves from the trials of the end times; for their heart is bound to the ideal of the believers’ honor and the hypocrites’ humiliation. Such a person gradually orders their conduct and way of life according to what pleases Imam al-Mahdi, peace be upon him, and cannot, while praying for the Deliverance, stand among the hypocrites or those who aid oppression.

The late al-Kulayni relates that Imam al-Zaman, may Allah hasten his noble reappearance, declined and returned funds that some Shi'a had sent to him, because those funds had not been acquired lawfully. In a signed decree issued in the Imam’s blessed handwriting, it is stated: “... As for your wealth, we accept it only so that you may be purified thereby. So whoever wishes may send it, and whoever wishes may withhold it; for what Allah has given us is better than what He has given you.” That is: we accept your wealth only so that you may purify yourselves through it; thus, whoever wishes may send it, and whoever wishes may refrain from sending it; what Allah has bestowed upon us is better than what you send to us (al-Kulayni, al-Kafi, paraphrased).

Undoubtedly, one whose lips continually murmur, “O Allah, hasten the Deliverance of Your guardian,” and who sees themselves among those awaiting and believing in the Imam, cannot remain indifferent to forbidden acts—especially illicit wealth. In order to remain among the true companions of the Imam of the Age (may his reappearance be hastened), such a person must exercise the utmost care concerning what is lawful and unlawful in earning and spending wealth, and must rigorously avoid every doubtful or impure income and transaction.

In light of what has preceded, the Imamate—and especially the wilayah of Imam al-Mahdi (may Allah hasten his relief)—is a great blessing to which humanity’s spiritual destiny is bound. The Age of Occultation is a time of intense testing for the Shi‘a, and only those who emerge honorably from this divine sifting will be those who remain steadfast in love for, knowledge of, and obedience to the Imam of the Age (may Allah hasten his relief), and who take their relationship with him seriously. Sincere worship, fulfilling obligatory duties, refraining from prohibited acts, and vigilance regarding the purity of one’s wealth are the essential foundations of this steadfastness.

Within this framework, supplication for the hastening of the Relief holds a distinctive and salvific position: a prayer that both contributes to hastening the Imam’s appearance and keeps the believer’s heart alive and awake in the atmosphere of remembering the Imam. One who prays daily for the Relief gradually comes to define his ideal as living beneath the banner of the noble government of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), and grows weary of the present condition, mingled with oppression and hypocrisy.

This article invites the reader to conclude that awaiting is not merely an emotional state or a verbal prayer; rather, it is a program for shaping oneself in accordance with the pleasure of God’s guardian. If we wish to pass safely through the tribulations of the end times, then alongside whispering, “Allāhumma ‘ajjil li-waliyyika al-faraj,” we must also order our lifestyle, choices, and livelihood in a manner worthy of assisting the Imam of the Age (may Allah hasten his relief).