Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Imam Khamenei) about Imam al-Mahdi (pbuh)

Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Imam Khamenei) about Imam al-Mahdi (pbuh)

1. “… Scholarly and careful work should not be neglected about the issues of "the Awaiting" and the "the Advent". Also, vulgar and ignorant works should be strictly avoided. One of the things that can be a great danger in the matter of Mahdism is dealing with ignorant works which are far from knowledge and are not based on documents and evidence that provide the ground for false claimants. These unscholarly works which are not documented and based on authentic sources and evidence and are based solely on imagination and illusion, make people far from the proper expectation and prepare the ground for the emergence of liars and antichrists, so one should strictly avoid falling into this trap. I hope that Almighty Allah will hasten the appearance of Imam Mahdi (pbuh) as soon as possible, and assign us among his companions, both in occultation and in his presence, and may Allah make us among the strugglers along with him and martyrs in his way.”

2. From the beginning of history to the present day, the blessed presence of the Remainder of Allah (may our souls be at his ransom) continues the movement of the prophets and the divine invitations. This truth is alluded to in the Supplication of Nudbah, where it states,  (may Allah hasten his appearance)

»فَبَعْضٌ‏ أَسْكَنْتَهُ‏ جَنَّتَك‏».

“And You housed some [of them] in Paradise.”

It refers to Adam.

Then in the following parts we read,

» إِلَى‏ أَنِ‏ انْتَهَى‏ الْأَمْرُ».

“Until the matter [of prophecy] leads to him.”

Which refers to the Last Prophet. Then the issue of the succession of his Household is raised until it reaches the Imam of the Age. All of them form a related sequence in human history. This means the great prophetic movement and the divine invitations through the prophets have never stopped at any point. Man has needed prophets and divine invitations and inviters. This requirement has remained up to this day, and the more time passes, the closer man gets to the teachings of the prophets.

3. The 15^th of Sha'ban is the embodiment of our hopeful outlook towards the future. All the hope that we invest in something may or may not have the outcome that we hoped for; however, the hope towards the final salvation by the absolute Walī of the Almighty Allah [a person given an authority or guardianship from Allah] - the Imam of the Age (may Allah hasten his appearance, and may our souls be sacrificed for his sake) - is an inviolable hope... It is not only Shi'as that have made this claim; it is not only Muslims that have made this claim: all religions of the world are waiting for such a day to come. Our privilege is that we know him; we feel his existence; we believe in his existence; we speak to him; we address him; we make requests to him and he grants us our requests. This is the difference between us and others. Others (non- Shi'a Muslims and non-Muslim believers) believe in something vague; however, this is not the case with us the Shi'as. It is clear what we want and whom we speak to. The 15^th of Sha'ban is a day of hope.

4. The 15^th of Sha'ban is the embodiment of our hopeful outlook towards the future. All the hope that we invest in something may or may not have the outcome that we hoped for; however, the hope towards the final salvation by the absolute Walī of the Almighty Allah [a person given an authority or guardianship from Allah] - the Imam of the Age (may Allah hasten his appearance, and may our souls be sacrificed for his sake) - is an inviolable hope... It is not only Shi'as that have made this claim; it is not only Muslims that have made this claim: all religions of the world are waiting for such a day to come. Our privilege is that we know him; we feel his existence; we believe in his existence; we speak to him; we address him; we make requests to him and he grants us our requests. This is the difference between us and others. Others (non- Shi'a Muslims and non-Muslim believers) believe in something vague; however, this is not the case with us the Shi'as. It is clear what we want and whom we speak to. The 15^th of Sha'ban is a day of hope.

5. One of the points about the Imam of the Age (May Allah hasten to his appearance, and peace be upon him) is that his Majesty is the Inviter to Allah. Looking at him and his behavior is a way to show sincerity and slavery to Allah Almighty, as we read in a supplication when we address him:

« السَّلامُ عَلَيكَ يَا دَاعِيَ اللهِ وَ رَبَّانِيَّ آيَاتِه»^[1]

“Peace be upon you, O the Inviter to Allah, and the place of manifestation of His signs!”

The fact is that the prophets, the friends of Allah, the saints, and the pure souls who shine in our lives, to the world, and into the whole existence (in which Imam Mahdi is one of them) are the signs and the manifestation of Allah. This is a point that should be noted. We take notice and recourse to the Imam of the Age and humble ourselves before his Majesty so that it may lead us to humbling before Allah, and to asserting our slavery to Him Almighty.

6. To remember Imam Mahdi constantly reminds us that rising the sun of the Right and Justice is a decisive matter at the end of this dark night. Sometimes, when men see the dense waves of darkness and oppression, they may become despaired… Of course, there are darkness, oppressors, and darkness makers; and they have been existent for centuries, but certainly, there is sunrise at the end of this dark night. That is what the belief in the Imam of the Age teaches us. This is the guaranteed promise of Allah in the following of the supplication, when we address the Imam by saying,

«السَّلامُ عَلَيكَ أَيُّهَا العَلَمُ المَنصوُبِ وَ العِلمُ المَصبوُبِ وَ الغَوْثُ وَ الرَّحمَةُ الوَاسِعَةُ وَعْداً غَيْرَ مَكْذُوبٍ»^[2].

“Peace be upon you, O the installed flag (of Islam), and the one who is filled with knowledge, and the help, and the far-reaching mercy, a promise which is not a lie.”

This is Allah’s unfailing promise. We say at the beginning of the supplication:

«السَّلامُ عَلَیکَ یا وَعدَ اللهِ الَّذی ضَمِنَه».^[3]

“Peace be upon you o the promise of Allah which He has guaranteed.”

His Majesty’s appearance is the meaning of this guaranteed promise. Believers in the appearance and existence of the Imam of the Age (May our souls be at his ransom) never give up, and they know that this sun will rise and eliminate the darkness.

7. One of the points about Imam Mahdi is that we are ordered to be expecting. What is expectation? Expectation means being vigilant. There is a word namely “alert” in the military literature. Expectation means to be alert. We have to be watchful. An expecting believer is the one who is watchful. If your Imam, who is ordered to create and establish the justice in the world, appears today, we have to be ready. Being alert is very important. Expectation is like this; expectation does not mean impatience, or asking, "why it’s late? why that certain thing did not take place? And so on. Expectation means that we have to be alert constantly.

8. In Islam, we are asked to be waiting. Expectation is beyond the requirement and feeling the need. We are said to keep waiting; waiting means hope and believing in a definite future. Expectation is not a mere need, but it is constructive. Therefore, there is an important position for expecting the arrival of Faraj (relief) in our Islamic teachings and narrations. In the Imam of the Age’s letter to Ibn Bābawayh (Ali Ibn Babawayh) it is quoted that the Prophet has said,

«أفضَلُ أعمالِ أُمَّتي إنتِظارُ الفَرَجِ»^[4]

“The best deed of my Ummah is to keep waiting for the Relief.”

From Imam Mousa ibn Jaˈfar is narrated,

«أفضَلُ العِبادَةِ بَعدَ المَعرِفَةِ، إنتِظارُ الفَرَجِ»^[5]

“Waiting for the Relief is the best kind of worship after the knowledge [of monotheism and divine facts].”

It is narrated from the Commander of the Faithful, (Imam Ali) to have said,

«إنتَظِروا الفَرَجِ وَ لا تَيأسوا مِن رَوحِ اللهِ»^[6]

“keep waiting for the Relief, and do not be disappointed of Allah’s mercy.”

Thus, in the waiting for the Relief, there is hope, motion, and action. Of course, this has been said about the waiting for the Relief, and it is obvious that it means waiting for the appearance of the Imam of the Age.

9. One should not be disappointed in confronting the hardships, and should keep waiting for the Relief. Man should know that relief will come. Waiting for relief itself is a kind of relief. There is a narration from Imam Musa ibn Ja’far to have said,

«أَ وَ لَسْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ انْتِظَارَ الْفَرَجِ‏ مِنَ‏ الْفَرَج‏»؟^[7]

“Do not you know that looking forward to relief is a part of relief?”

waiting for relief and comfort in itself, is a relief for man to salvage himself from despair and distress preventing him to do awkward and strange acts. The statements of the Prophet and Imams mean that the followers of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) do not feel depressed and disappointed in any incident during their life. They always and in every situation wait for relief and comfort. Waiting does not means doing nothing and being passive rather it means to prepare ourselves and to act. It means man should feel that there is an achievable end which he should endeavor to gain. We who await the relief, who await the appearance of Imam Mahdi, the reminder of Allah (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake), must endeavor for this goal, must endeavor to establish a Mahdawi society. We must improve both ourselves and others as much as we can and as much as possible. Therefore, we must strive to bring our circumstance closer to a Mahdawi society as much as possible. Since a Mahdawi society is a society of justice and spirituality, it is a society of cognition and fraternity. This society is a knowledgeable and honorable society.

10. Awating (Intizār) the deliverance means to expect the sovereignty of Islām and we should endeavor to accomplish the sovereignty of Islām in the world, and to make the preparations for the appearance, if God wills.

(Sahifeh-e-Noor, Vol. 7, P. 255)

11. On the issue of Mahdism and the issues related to the Imam of the Age, including the issue of waiting, the issue of his lifespan, the issue of his government, the issue of the responsibilities that anticipators have and other different issues - the best source is hadith and what has been narrated by the Imams themselves because these sources leave no room for doubt and this is the most important point.

12. What is important is that the belief in the Imam of the Age is part of the world’s view of religions. As divine religions express their viewpoints, through their general world view, about the world, human beings, the origin of creation, and the end of humanity's life - in other words, about the origin of human beings and the resurrection - one of the parts of this world view is the end of humanity's caravan in this world which is so important that is a great system that lays the foundation for all the thoughts, obligations, and rules of religions.

13. If we liken the human community throughout history to a caravan which is taking a specific path, then we are faced with this question: What is the destination of this caravan?

The answers that religions provide are very similar. All of them believe that this caravan will reach a favorable, sweet and pleasant destination in the end and the main characteristic of this destination is justice. Justice has been humanity's general request from the first day until today and it will remain its main request until the end. Humanity is after justice. It has never changed its mind about this request and at the end, this request will be met.

14. Human community is like a traveler or a caravan that is passing through difficult bends and turns, difficult passages, mountains, valleys, swamps and scrublands in order to reach a specific point… This point is a freeway, an important road and a smooth path. All the things that we witness throughout the history of humanity are a movement on the same difficult paths… Humanity is constantly taking this path in order to reach a freeway. This freeway is the era of Mahdaviat. It is the era of the appearance of Imam al-Mahdi (Allah's greetings be upon him).

15. The outlook of religions towards the destination of humanity's caravan is a very promising outlook. The spirit of waiting and establishing a close relationship with the Imam of the Age and anticipating the day when he appears are really one of the greatest gates of salvation [al-Faraj] for the Islamic community. This anticipation is the gate to salvation. It is promising and revitalizing. It prevents us from feeling desperate, ruined, hopeless and confused about the future. It gives us hope and it provides guidance. This is the issue of the Imam of the Age (Allah’s greetings be upon him). I hope that Allah the Exalted the Glorified will make us be among those who wait for his appearance in the real sense of the word and I hope that He will enlighten our eyes by fulfilling this promise.

16. Today, people are ready to realize and to make sure that a great man will come to save them from oppression and injustice. This goal is what all the prophets tried to attain. The Prophet of Islam also was chosen by Allah to give this promise to people as Allah says in the Quran,

﴿وَ يَضَعُ عَنْهُمْ إِصْرَهُمْ‏ وَ الْأَغْلالَ الَّتي‏ كانَتْ عَلَيْهِم‏﴾^[8]

“And (the Prophet) relieves them of their burdens and the shackles that were upon them”

Allah Almighty, with His power, can fulfill this promise for mankind through the help of a divine man who is connected to the world of unseen and to the world of spirituality and to the worlds that are higher than to be conceived by us who are short-sighted. This is why the hearts of people are eager to see that day and everyday people will think about it more.

(The Supreme Leader’s speech on the occasion of birthday anniversary of Imam al-Mahdi on Wednesday, the 24^th of November 1999.)

17. One of the fundamental issues in the field of knowledge is the issue of knowing the Imam of the Age. Basically, the subject of Mahdism is one of the pivotal subjects which is the source of some subsidiary topics. This is the reason many of our foes have contemplated to annihilate this subject or at least debilitate it.^[9]

18. The belief in the advent of Imam al-Mahdi is not exclusive to the Shia. Both Shia and Sunni believe in that. Even non-Moslems somehow regard it as a fact. However, the Shia possesses this privilege in his belief that knows the Imam precisely by his name and traits, and regards him as a man who is constantly prepared to receive the divine commands. As soon as Allah permits him, he will initiate his great job which is to change the basics of humanity and its history.^[10]

19. Likewise, all the faithful people (from all religions) wait for a Peacemaker, all the Muslims await the Promised al-Mahdi. Based on the vision of the Muslims, Imam al-Mahdi (Allah may hasten his appearance) enjoys the following trait:

«يَمْلَأُ اللَّهُ‏ بِهِ‏ الْأَرْضَ‏ قِسْطاً وَ عَدْلًا كَمَا مُلِئَتْ ظُلْماً وَ جَوْرا»^[11]

“With him, Allah will fill the earth with justice and equality as it was filled with oppression and tyranny.”

Upon the content of this narration, institutionalizing fairness and justice, establishing equality in sociality, and eradicating the oppression from all parts of the earth are some of the basic features of the Promised al-Mahdi.^[12]

20. The believers’ spiritual connection with Imam al-Mahdi who possesses the greatest level of Divine Guardianship is a blessing for them and it stems from the strong belief of Mahdism among them (May Allah hasten the appearance of the Imam.) We, in addition to the belief that there is a promised savior with the name of al-Mahdi that will appear to fill the world with justice and equity, are aware of his traits, his name, his cognomen, his parents, the date of his birth, the reason he disappeared, and his companions. We also have some information about the conditions related to the time of his advent. Though we cannot see this luminous figure who is like a shiny Sun in our outer world and where we live and cannot recognize him if we see him, have a great knowledge about him.

(The Supreme Leader’s speech in his meeting with officials and the families of the martyrs on Tuesday, the thirteenth of march 1990.)

21. The connection between the Shia who have a proper knowledge (about their Imam), and the Promised al-Mahdi who possesses the level of Divine Guardianship is an everlasting connection. How nice and how necessary it is that every of us from the depth of our heart maintain this connection through our attention to him, taking recourse to him and by talking to him (by our heart). Based on different supplications that are highly probably introduced by our Infallible Imams, this hearty and spiritual connection between the individuals and the Imam of the Age (May Allah hasten to his appearance) is a praiseworthy and vital connection which contains some sorts of benefit since it maintains and enlivens hope and a proper expectation within the hearts of people.

(The Supreme Leader’s speech in his meeting with officials and the families of the martyrs on Tuesday, the thirteenth of March 1990.)

22. In our time, people’s mentality is ready to realize, know, and be sure that a supreme man, who will save mankind from the weight of oppression and tyranny, will come to them. This is what all of the prophets worked for, and this is what Allah promises people about the Prophet in a verse of the Quran,

«...وَ يَضَعُ عَنْهُمْ إِصْرَهُمْ وَ الْأَغْلالَ الَّتي‏ كانَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ»^[13]

“And he (the Prophet) removes from them their burden and yokes which were upon them [from superstitions of the Time of the Ignorance].”

Allah, the Powerful, can fulfill this promise for us with the help of a sublime man who is godly and connected to the incorporeal world of unseen which is a world so high that some narrow-minded people like us cannot realize it. This is why our hearts and our fondness and loves have tendency towards him and, day by day, gains more inclination.^[14]

23. One of the most important days of the year is the day of Mid-Sha'ban. This day not only coincides with the auspicious birthday of Imam al-Mahdi, but also is titled as being a blessed day. The night before this day is supremely important in Islam to the degree that would be equal to Nights of Qadr (in the month of Ramadan). This night is the night of attention, remembrance, seeking recourse to Allah the Glorified, and asking His mercy. There are some prayers and supplications for this night that would be the subject of acceptance by Allah.^[15]

24. Some of the greatest duties of the real expectant of Imam al-Mahdi are to make themselves spiritually, morally, and practically ready. Moreover, they should try to strengthen their religious, ethical, and sentimental ties with other believers. They also should prepare themselves to collaborate to oppose the oppressors severely.^[16]