This question is not exclusive to the appointment of the Imams (peace be upon them), but can be brought up regarding the selection of all the prophets and even angels such as Jibra’il, the Trustee of revelation, and regarding the superiority of some prophets over others and some nations and individuals over others, and in the same way about the superiority of humanity over many other types of creation. The …

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Conceptology of globalization Lexical concept: From the lexical point of view, "globalization" is derived from "globe". The word "globe" means sphere, and rounding;[1] also “the globe” means the world and universal.[2] Therefore, "Globalization" can be understood as "the interconnectedness of the world in all fields", in that it is like an interconnected being. Terminological concept: For the globalization, in terms of terminology, there is not a single and stipulated definition …

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One of the most important achievements of Imam Mahdi's appearance is to form a global government, which means a transnational, trans-regional and trans-ethnic government. In this approach, the extent of Imam Mahdi's ruling moreover all Islamic tribes and clans, includes all other religions and nations of the world. Hence due to the widely related and authentic traditions narrated from the Prophet and the infallible Imams (p.b.u.t), the global government of …

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Introduction Imam Mahdi (p.b.u.h) is the Imam of believers from all social strata, but, naturally, many people are not capable of using the argumentation of Imamology. Hence, for ordinary people, a simple way for having a better understanding of the Imam and making a better image of him in their minds is to know the physical characteristics of the Imam, which have been reflected in Islamic narrations. Of course, in …

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A set of hadiths narrated by our Sunni brothers about twelve successors of the Prophet will be presented in this article. There are different versions of these hadiths; sometimes the term Amīr, or ruler/leader is used for the twelve Imams and sometimes the term caliph, or successor, is used. It is interesting to note that in these sets of hadiths, the number twelve is always used. In a hadith in …

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One of the issues that the believers in Imam Mahdi would like to understand during the time of his Major Occultation, is to take cognizance of the tasks that are assigned to them during this period. It is totally clear that a loyal expectant awaiting the Imam and looking forward to the great universal peacemaker must also show his or her expectation and readiness in beliefs, thoughts, and actions. It …

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In response, we can pay attention to some points: First, creating a culture to celebrate the Days of Allah[1], such as Ghadir and Mab'ath Eve,[2] the anniversary of the Holy Prophet’s birthday, and other religious occasions are rooted in the cultural life of the Household of the Prophet. The Shias celebrate both of the birthday and the day of the beginning the mission of the Messenger of Allah; and both …

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In every period of time, there should be an Imam among people. This Imam must be spiritually a perfect human who knows everything and is able to guide people. This prefect man is connected to the world of unseen and is the deliverer of Allah’s words to people. This man should not let people to unanimously go astray and if the majority of people adapt the wrong path, he should …

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The other intellectual proof of the necessity of Imamate is called the Argument of instinct. People with different religions have an instinctive tendency towards a Perfect Man as the Savior who knows everything, can solve every problem, and is able to bring about peace, security, and unity in the world. When all people in the world without a single example are like this, it means that Allah has created this …

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Putting aside the authentic narrations written in the books of traditions, there are some intellectual arguments that prove the necessity of Imamate one of which is called the Argument of Purpose. We know that there is a purpose behind whatever Allah does; and Allah Who is All-Wise never creates something that is useless in which there is no clear purpose or reason behind it. Some Sunni theologians who are called …

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