Dr. Chris Hewer (a Christian British Researcher) Talks about Imam al-Mahdi.
If the world were left without the guidance of an Imam, then it would go into chaos. So, in some way that we cannot really understand, the 12th Imam is still constantly exercising that function of guidance in the earth, today. And the model here which is given is a useful one. We can see the sun and then the sun disappears behind the clouds and is hidden from our sight and yet we know that the sun is still present behind the clouds even though we cannot see the sun; and we know that the sun is still shedding the rays upon the earth bringing warm, bringing light; and thus enabling life to continue upon the earth. Without the presence of the sun all life on the earth would end.
Without the presence of the divinely appointed Imam, human being would necessarily go into chaos and confusion. The 12th Imam is at this stage the hidden Imam but also the Imam of the present age. He serves this function today. At some future date, we know not when, he will reemerge from his occultation, from his hidden existence and then he will be known once again by people upon the earth. Obviously, this is something in which the Shia Muslims will pray that God may hasten the return of Imam al-Mahdi and bring that blessed day when he will be there in our midst and people can turn to him and receive his guidance in a direct way during this period that we call “the End of Time” leading up to “the End of the world”.
