July 4th, the Birthday of Imam al-Mahdi

No wonder that this day is a public holiday every year in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and is marked as the Day of the Deprived, in order to convey the message to the have-nots of the world that there is no need to despair.

"Allah 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, and will give them in exchange, after their fear, security: They shall serve Me, not associating with Me anything." (24:55)

What we recited was ayah 55 of Surah Noor of the holy Qur'an, which refers to the happy ending that mankind had longed for since antiquity and which philosophers had described as utopia or the “Ideal State”? in their writings. The previously revealed scriptures such as the Torah of Moses and the Psalms of David had foretold about this blissful outcome, as is clear from ayah 105 of Surah Anbiya of the holy Qur'an, which says:

"We had written in the Psalms, after the Reminder (i.e. the Torah), the earth shall be the inheritance of My righteous servants."

Thus in view of these prophecies in the heavenly scriptures, without the least doubt, the present worsening misery and tyranny will one day end, and mankind will be delivered from the tentacles of the human devils of our days.

Here it should be mentioned that irrespective of the creed a person follows, everyone knows that the concept of the Redeemer of the human race is found in all societies. This means the Saviour is the one and the same person although different religions call him by different names. The Jews, the Christians, the Zoroastrians, the Hindus, the Buddhists, the Amerindians, and last but not the least the Muslims, may use different names for this person of God, but the fact of the matter is that he is the one and same awaited deliverer. In Islam, however, in the hadith quoted by both Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims, he is the direct descendant of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). But, it is only the school of the Prophet's Ahl al-Bayt that gives a profound description of the identity of the Saviour. It calls him Qa’em al-Mahdi or the divinely ordained Guide who will rise to establish peace and justice on earth by rooting out all vestiges of corruption and tyranny. It goes on to say that he was born in the city of Samarra in Iraq, on the auspicious 15th of Sha’ban in the year 255 AH, corresponding to the 869 AD. He is the Prophet’s 12th infallible successor, since his father, Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS), who was martyred through poisoning by the Abbasid caliph was the 11th Infallible Imam. His mother's name has been mentioned as Narjis, a grand-daughter of the Greek Byzantine Emperor, and through her mother, Narjis was a direct descendent of Simon, the eminent disciple of Prophet Jesus (PBUH). Thus, the Saviour who by the will of God is currently in the state of occultation, will rise in the end times as Mahdi al-Qa’em, and will be accompanied by Prophet Jesus as well.

The Saviour will appear when chaos will rule, as is the present condition of the world. Family life will disintegrate, bloodletting will be regarded as insignificant, magnanimity will be considered as weakness and injustice as glory, intellectuals will be traitors, false witness will be brought openly and immorality proclaimed in loud voices. Slander, sin and exaggeration will become widespread. The most ignoble of the people will become leaders, the debauched will be believed for fear of the evil they will cause, the liar will be considered as truthful and the traitor as trustworthy. The advent of Imam Mahdi (AS) will change all this and transform the world into a better place to live in. He will rise in Mecca, at the Holy Ka’ba and while leaning on the wall of Abraham’s ancient edifice will herald the start of his global mission by reciting ayah 86 of Surah Houd, which reads: “Baqiatollah (or the Remainder of Allah) is better for you if you are believers."

He will then say “Ala ya ahl al-alam! An-al-Imam al-Qa’em," which means: "Know O’ people of the world that I am Imam al-Qa’em!”? After setting things aright in Hejaz and bringing justice in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina where the unjust oppressor would be punished, he will proceed towards Iraq, where after defeating the forces of evil he will make Kufa the capital of his global government of peace, order and justice. He will lead humanity towards progress that is beyond imagination. The Prophet’s 6th infallible heir, Imam Ja’far as-Sadeq (AS) has narrated:

"At the time of advent of our Qa’em, God, may He be exalted and glorified, will develop the hearing and sight of our faithful in such a manner that, without there being a messenger between the Qa’em and themselves, He will speak with them and they hear Him and see Him without Him having left the place where He is.”?

The coming of Imam Mahdi (AS), along with Prophet Jesus (AS) who will serve as his lieutenant, is thus a fundamental principle of Islamic faith that no one can deny, because it is against Divine Justice to leave humanity unguided, without redemption and at the mercy of the satanic powers. Imam Mahdi (AS) is definitely not in need of technology that the domineering regimes of our days jealously and selfishly deny other nations, especially Islamic states, to keep them perpetually backward. His spiritual powers are far greater than the brains of the most brilliant scientists. His miracle will be speed that would make the speed of light pedestrian in comparison. Weapons of mass destruction – stockpiled by the evil regimes to browbeat nations into thralldom and cold-bloodedly annihilate them if they refuse submission – will simply evaporate before his God-given might. In other words our Planet, after all that it has seen since Cain killed his brother Abel, and the tyrants that have terrorized mankind in every age and clime, including through the use of weapons of mass destruction such as the atomic bombs that the US so criminally dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, will one day witness peace prosperity and justice. The Planet will have a meaningful end, and human beings will no longer be confounded by such fallacious creations of the fallible mind, as democracy, secularism, despotism, and all other absurdities including elections, selections, nominations, designations, voting, referendum, etc. These are horrifying news for the oppressors but tidings of redemption at last for the oppressed!

It is interesting to note that the forces of the faithful that Imam Mahdi commands would be composed of various nationalities, from all over the globe, having different colour of skin and speaking different languages, but united in belief in the One and Only God for the cause of peace and justice. Among these would be some designated as commanders. In several hadith, the names of these commanders have also been mentioned, and the foremost of them would be Prophet Jesus. The Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS) has said in one of his famous sermons: "Then the Mahdi will appoint Jesus as his representative in the operations against the Dajjal (or Anti-Christ). Jesus will set out to capture and suppress ad-Dajjal."

Dajjal, who will then be controlling the entire world, destroying agriculture and human generation, will call the people toward him and anyone who accepts him will be treated with favor and anyone who refuses to accept him would be killed. All the illegitimate children from both the east and the west of the globe wouldl rally around him. According to a narration, Dajjal will set out toward the Hijaz and Jesus will intercept him at the passage of Harsha, where the Son of the Virgin Mary will strike him a decisive blow. Dajjal will melt in a blazing fire like lead melting in fire. The penetration of the blow that will lead to the melting of ad-Dajjal is perhaps due to the use of the ultramodern weapons at that time, or it could be due to one of the miracles of Prophet Jesus, who would disown all those worshiping him as son of god.

The names of other commanders of Imam Mahdi (AS) have also been mentioned in hadith and historical texts and those interested can refer to them, since these are outside the scope of a brief radio programme. Here present you part of the Du'a al-Ahad which the faithful recite every morning implore God to hasten the reappearance of the Saviour:

“O Allah make him the refuge for Your oppressed servants and a helper for him who has no other helper besides You and the reviver of the commandments in Your book which has been neglected and the strengthener of the sciences in Your religion and the way of Your Prophet. May Allah's blessing be upon him and his progeny.”?

It would not be out of context to present to our listeners a passage from the supplication of the month of Ramadhan that is recited every night for speeding up the materialization of God's promise in the heavenly scriptures:

"O Allah, make Your religion prevail through him, as well as the sunnah of Your Prophet, until nothing that is true and genuine is kept concealed out of fear of any of the creatures. O Allah, we ardently beseech You to bring about the noble government through which You may strengthen Islam and its followers, and humble and humiliate the imposters, and appoint us in it to be among those who invite people to Your obedience and lead them to Your approved path, and grant us through that government dignity in this world and the Hereafter."

After felicitating you again and before bidding goodbye, we present you an eloquent poem by Iran's English-language poet, Dr. Hassan Najafi as tribute to the Imam of the Age:

To wait is love’s first demand
Die in wait is its last command.
To wait concomitant with hope is pleasant
This is the lovers’ fate and their only current.
O Mahdi! We are awaiting you --
A necessity of life as to the vegetation the dew
Muslims; are not they your nation?
See how they are parted in separation.
If they get united no power can rule
Over them; but powers will be humble to their rule.
See Gaza and its plight
Their calamity is the Zionists’ delight.
On what mandate America is killing
Muslims in Afghanistan and fighting,
Bridal gatherings and innocent people
The US kills them as if a bubble.
Indeed, they are our open enemies;
Unless we united they fly like flies.
There is much to gain to thwart atrocities,
If not, no refuge to provide the cities.
No safety to property,
No worth to humanity;
Law is his who mighty.
Under the rule of the dirty,
When such will become the vogue of life
For the Saviour's coming man will strive.
You are the Authority of God over the world;
No one can deny God’s Authority and His Word.
Islamic laws will run
Let Imam Mahdi return
Muslims will raise their head
Downcast will go the guilty head.
Today is the day of your birth,
To you we look for pious mirth.

The End
Source: IRIB World Service

No wonder that this day is a public holiday every year in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and is marked as the Day of the Deprived, in order to convey the message to the have-nots of the world that there is no need to despair. "Allah 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, and will give them in exchange, after their fear, security: They shall serve Me, not associating with Me anything." (24:55) What we recited was ayah 55 of Surah Noor of the holy Qur'an, which refers to the happy ending that mankind had longed for since antiquity and which philosophers had described as utopia or the “Ideal State”? in their writings. The previously revealed scriptures such as the Torah of Moses and the Psalms of David had foretold about this blissful outcome, as is clear from ayah 105 of Surah Anbiya of the holy Qur'an, which says: "We had written in the Psalms, after the Reminder (i.e. the Torah), the earth shall be the inheritance of My righteous servants." Thus in view of these prophecies in the heavenly scriptures, without the least doubt, the present worsening misery and tyranny will one day end, and mankind will be delivered from the tentacles of the human devils of our days. Here it should be mentioned that irrespective of the creed a person follows, everyone knows that the concept of the Redeemer of the human race is found in all societies. This means the Saviour is the one and the same person although different religions call him by different names. The Jews, the Christians, the Zoroastrians, the Hindus, the Buddhists, the Amerindians, and last but not the least the Muslims, may use different names for this person of God, but the fact of the matter is that he is the one and same awaited deliverer. In Islam, however, in the hadith quoted by both Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims, he is the direct descendant of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). But, it is only the school of the Prophet's Ahl al-Bayt that gives a profound description of the identity of the Saviour. It calls him Qa’em al-Mahdi or the divinely ordained Guide who will rise to establish peace and justice on earth by rooting out all vestiges of corruption and tyranny. It goes on to say that he was born in the city of Samarra in Iraq, on the auspicious 15th of Sha’ban in the year 255 AH, corresponding to the 869 AD. He is the Prophet’s 12th infallible successor, since his father, Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS), who was martyred through poisoning by the Abbasid caliph was the 11th Infallible Imam. His mother's name has been mentioned as Narjis, a grand-daughter of the Greek Byzantine Emperor, and through her mother, Narjis was a direct descendent of Simon, the eminent disciple of Prophet Jesus (PBUH). Thus, the Saviour who by the will of God is currently in the state of occultation, will rise in the end times as Mahdi al-Qa’em, and will be accompanied by Prophet Jesus as well. The Saviour will appear when chaos will rule, as is the present condition of the world. Family life will disintegrate, bloodletting will be regarded as insignificant, magnanimity will be considered as weakness and injustice as glory, intellectuals will be traitors, false witness will be brought openly and immorality proclaimed in loud voices. Slander, sin and exaggeration will become widespread. The most ignoble of the people will become leaders, the debauched will be believed for fear of the evil they will cause, the liar will be considered as truthful and the traitor as trustworthy. The advent of Imam Mahdi (AS) will change all this and transform the world into a better place to live in. He will rise in Mecca, at the Holy Ka’ba and while leaning on the wall of Abraham’s ancient edifice will herald the start of his global mission by reciting ayah 86 of Surah Houd, which reads: “Baqiatollah (or the Remainder of Allah) is better for you if you are believers." He will then say “Ala ya ahl al-alam! An-al-Imam al-Qa’em," which means: "Know O’ people of the world that I am Imam al-Qa’em!”? After setting things aright in Hejaz and bringing justice in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina where the unjust oppressor would be punished, he will proceed towards Iraq, where after defeating the forces of evil he will make Kufa the capital of his global government of peace, order and justice. He will lead humanity towards progress that is beyond imagination. The Prophet’s 6th infallible heir, Imam Ja’far as-Sadeq (AS) has narrated: "At the time of advent of our Qa’em, God, may He be exalted and glorified, will develop the hearing and sight of our faithful in such a manner that, without there being a messenger between the Qa’em and themselves, He will speak with them and they hear Him and see Him without Him having left the place where He is.”? The coming of Imam Mahdi (AS), along with Prophet Jesus (AS) who will serve as his lieutenant, is thus a fundamental principle of Islamic faith that no one can deny, because it is against Divine Justice to leave humanity unguided, without redemption and at the mercy of the satanic powers. Imam Mahdi (AS) is definitely not in need of technology that the domineering regimes of our days jealously and selfishly deny other nations, especially Islamic states, to keep them perpetually backward. His spiritual powers are far greater than the brains of the most brilliant scientists. His miracle will be speed that would make the speed of light pedestrian in comparison. Weapons of mass destruction – stockpiled by the evil regimes to browbeat nations into thralldom and cold-bloodedly annihilate them if they refuse submission – will simply evaporate before his God-given might. In other words our Planet, after all that it has seen since Cain killed his brother Abel, and the tyrants that have terrorized mankind in every age and clime, including through the use of weapons of mass destruction such as the atomic bombs that the US so criminally dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, will one day witness peace prosperity and justice. The Planet will have a meaningful end, and human beings will no longer be confounded by such fallacious creations of the fallible mind, as democracy, secularism, despotism, and all other absurdities including elections, selections, nominations, designations, voting, referendum, etc. These are horrifying news for the oppressors but tidings of redemption at last for the oppressed! It is interesting to note that the forces of the faithful that Imam Mahdi commands would be composed of various nationalities, from all over the globe, having different colour of skin and speaking different languages, but united in belief in the One and Only God for the cause of peace and justice. Among these would be some designated as commanders. In several hadith, the names of these commanders have also been mentioned, and the foremost of them would be Prophet Jesus. The Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS) has said in one of his famous sermons: "Then the Mahdi will appoint Jesus as his representative in the operations against the Dajjal (or Anti-Christ). Jesus will set out to capture and suppress ad-Dajjal." Dajjal, who will then be controlling the entire world, destroying agriculture and human generation, will call the people toward him and anyone who accepts him will be treated with favor and anyone who refuses to accept him would be killed. All the illegitimate children from both the east and the west of the globe wouldl rally around him. According to a narration, Dajjal will set out toward the Hijaz and Jesus will intercept him at the passage of Harsha, where the Son of the Virgin Mary will strike him a decisive blow. Dajjal will melt in a blazing fire like lead melting in fire. The penetration of the blow that will lead to the melting of ad-Dajjal is perhaps due to the use of the ultramodern weapons at that time, or it could be due to one of the miracles of Prophet Jesus, who would disown all those worshiping him as son of god. The names of other commanders of Imam Mahdi (AS) have also been mentioned in hadith and historical texts and those interested can refer to them, since these are outside the scope of a brief radio programme. Here present you part of the Du'a al-Ahad which the faithful recite every morning implore God to hasten the reappearance of the Saviour: “O Allah make him the refuge for Your oppressed servants and a helper for him who has no other helper besides You and the reviver of the commandments in Your book which has been neglected and the strengthener of the sciences in Your religion and the way of Your Prophet. May Allah's blessing be upon him and his progeny.”? It would not be out of context to present to our listeners a passage from the supplication of the month of Ramadhan that is recited every night for speeding up the materialization of God's promise in the heavenly scriptures: "O Allah, make Your religion prevail through him, as well as the sunnah of Your Prophet, until nothing that is true and genuine is kept concealed out of fear of any of the creatures. O Allah, we ardently beseech You to bring about the noble government through which You may strengthen Islam and its followers, and humble and humiliate the imposters, and appoint us in it to be among those who invite people to Your obedience and lead them to Your approved path, and grant us through that government dignity in this world and the Hereafter." After felicitating you again and before bidding goodbye, we present you an eloquent poem by Iran's English-language poet, Dr. Hassan Najafi as tribute to the Imam of the Age: To wait is love’s first demand Die in wait is its last command. To wait concomitant with hope is pleasant This is the lovers’ fate and their only current. O Mahdi! We are awaiting you -- A necessity of life as to the vegetation the dew Muslims; are not they your nation? See how they are parted in separation. If they get united no power can rule Over them; but powers will be humble to their rule. See Gaza and its plight Their calamity is the Zionists’ delight. On what mandate America is killing Muslims in Afghanistan and fighting, Bridal gatherings and innocent people The US kills them as if a bubble. Indeed, they are our open enemies; Unless we united they fly like flies. There is much to gain to thwart atrocities, If not, no refuge to provide the cities. No safety to property, No worth to humanity; Law is his who mighty. Under the rule of the dirty, When such will become the vogue of life For the Saviour's coming man will strive. You are the Authority of God over the world; No one can deny God’s Authority and His Word. Islamic laws will run Let Imam Mahdi return Muslims will raise their head Downcast will go the guilty head. Today is the day of your birth, To you we look for pious mirth. The End Source: IRIB World Service