\u201cWhen the fifth son of the seventh Imam goes in occultation, seek refuge\nin Allah (SWT)! Seek refuge in Him in regards with your religion, so that no\none would deviate your from you religion\u201d (1). (Imam Kadhim (PBUH))<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We all believe that the savior of\nmankind, Imam Mahdi (PBUH), is alive on the earth today, and breathes from the\nsame air as we do. However, by the will of Allah (SWT), he is in occultation\nand will remain hidden from the eyes for as long as Allah (SWT) wills. This\nlengthy occultation of Imam Mahdi (PBUH) is indeed a great trial Allah (SWT)\nhas tested the mankind with. As such, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP) and the\nAhl al-Bayt (PBUT) were concerned about the people living during his\noccultation, and sometimes used to groan and lament over this issue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, Imam Sadiq (PBUH) said,\n\u201dBeware! I swear to Allah (SWT) that your Imam will be in occultation for some\nyears, and you will undergo a difficult test to the level that some will say:\nHe has passed away; he was killed\u2026 while the eyes of the believers will shed\ntears over him, and you will be overturned just like ships are overturned by\nthe waves of the sea\u201d (2).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fourteen centuries ago, Imam Sadiq\n(PBUH) was concerned about our current situation, and he has described it for\nus in advance. So, now that we feel that huge waves of that tornado in the sea\nof our life, what should we do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let us listen to what Prophet Muhammad\n(PBUH&HP) has predicted about the severity of the situation we are living\nin:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUndoubtedly, a\ntime will come when a believer could not hold his religion intact; unless he\nflees the community and escapes from one mountain to the other and from one\nburrow to the other, just like a fox do so to protect its children\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then, the companions asked the Prophet\n(PBUH&HP),\u201d When would that time be?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP)\nreplied, \u201dWhen living facilities will not be obtained except through sins, and\nwhen remaining single will be permitted\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The companions then said, \u201dO Messenger\nof Allah (PBUH&HP)! You have ordered us to get married. How is it that you\nsay remaining single will become desirable?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP)\nreplied, \u201dYes! (I have ordered you to get married), but when that time comes, a\nbeliever will lose his religion by his parents; and if not by the parents, he\nwill be deviated from religion by his spouse or children; and if not by them,\nhe will get out of religion by his relatives and neighbors\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The companions asked, \u201dO Messenger of\nAllah (PBUH&HP)! How could the parents, spouse, children, relatives, and\nneighbors of a person make him lose his religion?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP)\nreplied,\u201d They will reproach and blame him for poverty and inability to provide\nfacilities; they will force him to do things he is unable do; and they will\neventually lead him to perdition and annihilation\u201d (3).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nevertheless, those who pass this test\nsuccessfully have a high rank; in fact, their rank is so high that one day when\nProphet Muhammad (PBUH&HP) was among his companions, he prayed twice by\nsaying, \u201dO Allah! Meet me with my brothers\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The companions said, \u201dO Messenger of\nAllah (PBUH&HP)! Are we not your brothers?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP)\nreplied,\u201d No! You are my companions; my brothers are those who will believe in\nme at the end of the time while they have not seen me\u2026 each one of them is so\nfirm in his religion that keeping his religion is much more difficult than\nshaving the thorns of Qitad (4) in a dark night; or it is as if he is holding a\nfire made from the wood of Ghada (5) in his hand\u2026\u201d (6)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indeed, how difficult is it to grab a\nbranch full of sharp thorns-like needles- and try to shave them with your\nhands? Holding on to religion at the end of time is more difficult than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nonetheless, what should we do at this\ntime? As the Ahl al-Bayt (PBUT) themselves have taught us, although falsehood\nis widespread at this time, the truth is like a shining sun. Therefore, what we\nare asked mostly to do is to be pious, virtuous, and stay away from sins;\nbecause otherwise, the dust of impurity will cover one\u2019s perception and\ninsight, and prevent him from truly recognizing the sun of reality. As such,\nImam Sadiq (PBUH) said,\u201d You shall refrain from sins; be truthful, trustworthy,\nand pious\u201d. (7) <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Based on that, we have to believe that\nthe reason behind ineffectiveness of the acts of worship on our souls is \u201cnot\nrefraining from sins\u201d, as the sixth Imam (PBUH) has taught us, \u201d\u2026Beware that\nany endeavor or effort done in the acts of worship which is not accompanied by\nrefraining from sins is useless\u201d.(8)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thus, we are facing a severely\ndifficult test during the occultation era. So, in order for us to maintain the\nvaluable jewel of religion intact, extreme care is required; we have to await\nthe promised one with a purified soul, and we have to believe that: We will not\nreach the rank of the purified ones unless we are purified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(The above is a selection\ntaken from \u201cThe Consequences of Neglect in the Occultation Era\u201d, by Sayyid\nMuhammad Zia Abadi (with some changes))<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Roshd Website congratulates all\nMuslims, especially you dear friend, upon 15th of Sha\u2019ban, the birthday\nanniversary of the promised spreader of justice and the purveyor of kindness,\nImam Hujjat ibn al-Hassan al-Askari (PBUH)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Footnotes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Usul al-Kafi,\nvol. 1, p. 336.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Usul al-Kafi,\nvol. 1, p. 336.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Muntakhab\nal-Athar, p. 437, Hadith 20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Qitad is the\nname of a tree full of thorns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. Ghada is the\nname of a tree whose wood keeps the heat of fire for a long time within itself\nand does not turn off quickly. Therefore, the charcoal made from this tree is\nof high quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6. Basa\u2019ir\nal-Darajat, p. 84<\/p>\n\n\n\n
7. Safinah\nal-Bihar, vol. 2, p. 643, the section of Piety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
8. Usul al-Kafi,\nvol. 2, p. 76.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cWhen the fifth son of the seventh Imam goes in occultation, seek refuge in Allah (SWT)! Seek refuge in Him in regards with your religion, so that no one would deviate your from you religion\u201d (1). (Imam Kadhim (PBUH)) We all believe that the savior of mankind, Imam Mahdi (PBUH), is alive on the earth […]<\/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":[23844,17778,21727,20245,21626,18658,21209,20170,23845,23843,17990,18418,17955,18536,23846],"class_list":["post-4727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-occasional-letters","tag-2009-08-07","tag-allah","tag-believer","tag-brother","tag-eyes","tag-great","tag-hidden","tag-imam-mahdi","tag-kille","tag-let-us-be-conscious","tag-muhammad","tag-occasion-letters","tag-people","tag-prophet","tag-sun"],"yoast_head":"\n