Anticipation, the Beginning of\nMovement…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nSo much has been mentioned in Islamic sources about\nthe status and rank of anticipators (Muntadhir) of the return of Imam Mahdi\n(PBUH) that it leads one to wonder how a simple act of awaiting has been given\nso much value. However, by focusing on\nthe philosophy behind “awaiting (Intidhar) the return of Imam Mahdi\n(PBUH)” and the responsibilities of his anticipators, one may to some\nextent understand the value of this act:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Prophet Muhammad\n(PBUH&HP) said: “The best of worship is to anticipate the relief\n(Faraj) (return of Mahdi (PBUH)).”1<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Prophet Muhammad\n(PBUH&HP) said: “The best struggle (Jihad) of my community is to await\nthe Faraj.”2<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Amir al-Mu’minin\n(PBUH) said: “Await the Faraj and do not be hopeless of Allah’s mercy;\nindeed Allah, the Lord of might and glory considers the best of acts to be the\nanticipation of Faraj”3<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Sheikh Sadooq has\nnarrated in his book, al-Khisal, from Imam Sadiq (PBUH) who narrated from his\nancestors: “The rank of those who await the return of Mahdi is equal to\nthe rank of those whom shed blood in the way of Allah.”4<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. Also in Kamal\nal-Din Imam Sadiq (PBUH) explains the importance of anticipation (Intidhar):\n“Blessed are those followers of our Ariser (Qa\u2019eim) who await the last\nImam during his occultation and are obedient after his reappearance; they are\nthe close ones to Allah; no fear shall come upon them, nor shall they\ngrieve.”5<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The above narrations gave a glimpse of\nthe importance of Intidhar, however in the following passages we will slightly\nexplain why anticipating the Faraj is so important:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1- Intidhar is\nthe connection between Imam Mahdi (PBUH) and his followers: As you may know,\n“Wilayat” and “Imamat” are essential beliefs of the\nShia. In fact the belief in the presence\nof Allah\u2019s representative and an Infallible Imam in all ages and at all times\nis one of the most important aspects of this school of thought. In other words, obeying the Imam of the era\nand representative of Allah is necessary for the acceptance of all worships and\ndeeds. Of course Intidhar must be used its correct context: to be hopeful to\nthe return of 12th Infallible Imam from the progeny of Prophet Muhammad\n(PBUH&HP). It is he who is the\nrepresentative of Allah in this age; and is the gate for Allah\u2019s blessing to\npeople, witness to the acts of his followers, and the helper of them in\ndifficulties and hardships. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
2- Awaiting the\nreturn of Imam Mahdi (PBUH), the criterion that determines the value of humans:\nThe goals of humans can to a great extent determine their intellectual growth\nin society. Just as the famous saying\nwhich says, “Speak up about your dreams so that I tell you who you are,\u201d\nwise goals and dreams talk a great deal about the excellence of humans who\nchoose them. Conversely having low\nwishes and dreams shows of the low character in that human. Amir al-Mu\u2019minin, Imam Ali (PBUH) has said in\nthis regard, “The worth of a man is according to his courage.”6<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After this short introduction, it can\nbe said that since a true Muntadhir (one whom awaits the return of Imam Mahdi\n(PBUH)) has valuable goals and dreams, then similarly he himself has the best\nand highest virtues. The final dream of\nthis Muntadhir is for the true and peaceful religion of Allah (SWT) to govern\nthe world, the destruction of all oppressors, and to see justice and safety put\ninto practice for everyone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
3- Intidhar\nkeeps individuals dynamic and hopeful: During the occultation era, Intidhar has\na critical effect in terms of individual and social improvements. If those who\nawait Imam Mahdi (PBUH) do their responsibilities and practice Islam as they\nshould, they will reach a high status in humanity. In other words, a Muntadhir by fulfilling all\nrequirements expected of him, reaches that highest degree of perfection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Reference:\nMu’ood monthly magazine, #28; certain changes have been made) <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Roshd Website congratulates all on\nthis auspicious occasion, 15th of Sha’ban, rebirth of justice and unending\nblessing upon the world: the birth of the savior, Allah’s present deputy on\nearth Imam Hujjat Ibn al-Hassan al-Askari (PBUH).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Footnotes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. \nKamal al-Din, vol. 1, pp. 287<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. \nTuhf al-U’qool, pp. 37<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. \nAl-Khisal, vol. 2, pp. 616<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. \nAl-Khisal, vol. 2, pp. 624<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. \nKamal al-Din, vol. 2, pp. 357<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6. \nNahj al-Balaghah, word of wisdom #47<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Anticipation, the Beginning of Movement… So much has been mentioned in Islamic sources about the status and rank of anticipators (Muntadhir) of the return of Imam Mahdi (PBUH) that it leads one to wonder how a simple act of awaiting has been given so much value. However, by focusing on the philosophy behind “awaiting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28248],"tags":[23750,17778,23748,20170,18418,18536,23751,23749,19683,19695],"class_list":["post-4715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-occasional-letters","tag-2003-10-12","tag-allah","tag-anticipation","tag-imam-mahdi","tag-occasion-letters","tag-prophet","tag-sources","tag-the-beginning-of-movement","tag-value","tag-worship"],"yoast_head":"\n