The Imam of the Time
Allah’s Successor in The World
{وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّٰلِحَٰتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِى الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِى ارْتَضَىٰ لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّن بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا يَعْبُدُونَنِى لَا يُشْرِكُونَ بِى شَيْـًٔا وَمَن كَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ الْفَٰسِقُونَ}
God has promised those of you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely make you successors in the land, even as He made those who were before them successors, and that He will surely establish their religion for them that He has approved and will give them in exchange, after their fear, security: 'They shall serve Me, not associating with Me anything.' Whoso disbelieves after that, those - they are the ungodly. (An Nur 24:55).
In the narrations, there are many traditions where we read from the Divinely Guided the full extent of this Ayah is the day of governance of Imam Mahdi (pbuh) In the Holy Qur’an, the ultimate government will be run by the righteous is stipulated multiple times. For example:
{لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ}
That He may uplift it above every religion (Al Tawba 9:33).
Meaning that Islam will succeed over all other religions. Elsewhere:
{أَنَّ الْأَرْضَ يَرِثُهَا عِبَادِىَ الصَّٰلِحُونَ}
The earth shall be the inheritance of My righteous servants. (Al Anbiya 21:105).
And:
{وَالْعَٰقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ}
The issue ultimate is to the godfearing. (Al A’raf 7:128, Al Qasas 28:83).
The meaning of “successors” in this Ayah is either that of the righteous successors from Allah or the ruin of the corrupt governments and replacing them with the righteous government.
“Qurtabi”, in his exegesis, in regard to the complete success of Islam narrates a number of hadiths that say on Earth, not a single dwelling will remain where Islam has not entered that house.
The Prophet, on the return trip of his last Pilgrimage in Ghadir Khum, appointed Imam Ali (pbuh) as his successor on the order of his Lord, and the Ayah was revealed that states today Allah has chosen for you Islam as your religion (Holy Qur’an 5:3). In the same Ayah Allah promises the victory of this religion which he has approved:
{دِينَهُمُ الَّذِى ارْتَضَىٰ لَهُمْ}
Their religion for them that He has approved (An Nur 24:55).
And the religion the Allah has approved and announced is that very religion of Ghadir Khum.
Messages that can be taken away from this Ayah are:
1. Islam is the future religion of the world. The future of history will be for the benefit of the believers and the demise of the dominating disbelievers. “God has promised…, and that He will surely establish their religion”.
2. The disadvantaged believers are given hope so that they can withstand the pressures and hardships they are going through, and they do not despair as a result of them. “God has promised those of you who believe”
3. The key and secret ingredient to obtaining rightful and widespread governance is only faith and good deeds. “God has promised those of you who believe and do righteous deeds…” is a promise who have faith and perform good deeds, not just who have faith.
4. Religion and politics are not separate, but rather, politics and government is there for the preservation of religion. “make you successors in the land….'They shall serve Me”.
5. In propagation and guiding the community, in order to make them believe, an example of history is indicated. “Even as He made those who were before them successors”.
6. The final victory will be to those who are with the Truth, one Divine Tradition. “Even as He made those who were before them successors”.
7. The goal for the victory of the people of Truth and faith is the settlement and stability of the Divine Religion on earth, and to arrive to monotheism and complete safety and security. “He will surely establish their religion…and will give them in exchange… not associating with”.
8. The religion of Islam is the only religion that will be to the Divine Contentment of Allah. “Religion for them that He has approved”.
9. True security and safety comes under the shadow of a theocratic government. “And will give them in exchange, after their fear, security.”
10. Under the pious government will be a group that will be deviated. “God has promised…. Whoso disbelieves after that”.
Treasure of Allah
بقیة الله
In narrations, wherever there is a blessed presence of the Divine Will for something to be retained from humanity, is referred to as “Remnant of God”, or بقیة الله (Baqqiyat Allah), an example, are the believing soldiers that return triumphantly from the battlefield, and are so called, having survived with the will of Allah, Remnants of God.
In reference to the Imam of our Time#, the term is also used, because by Divine Will, he has been held back for the guidance of mankind’s remembrance and guarded away from the people.
In narrations, we have that one of his blessed names is Remnant of God and we refer to him by this name:
السلام علیک یا بقیة الله في ارضه
Peace be upon you of Remnant of God on His land.
At the time of his reappearance, the Ayah 86 of Surah Hud will be recited
{بَقِيَّتُ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ}
God's remainder is better for you, if you are believers. And I am not a guardian over you. (Hud 11:86).
And he will then say I am he who is the Remnant of God.
Of course, this tile has also been given to the other Divinely Guided.
Source: Ramaḍān with the Holy Qur’an [30 Lessons in 30 days], by Ayat-Allah Muhsin Qarā'ati, Lesson 21.