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INTRODUCTION
Not only is al-Mahdi (the Guided One) a
materialization of an Islamic belief of a spiritual
nature, but a model to a particular goal which humanity
has been striving to achieve, as well as a form to a
natural inspiration, through which people came to realize
- in spite of their different faith and means of access
to the unseen - that there is an appointed day on earth,
when the Divine messages will be fulfilled in all their
great significance and final aim, when the exhausting
march which humanity took in the course of history will
lead to stability and security, after a long struggle.However, the awareness of this expected future is not
limited to those who believe in the unseen from a
religious angle, but it has extended to others and has
even been reflected in those ideologies which strongly
denied the existence of the unseen and any of its
aspects, such as dialectical materialism, that
interpreted history in terms of contradictions, but at
last admitted the fact that there was an appointed time
in which these contradictions would be resolved when
peace and harmony would prevail on earth.Thus we find that the psychological experience of this
awareness, which humanity has undertaken in the course of
time, is one of the widest and most commonly held among
people.So, if religion strengthens this awareness by
reaffirming that at the end of matter, the earth will be
filled with justice after having been filled with
injustice and tyranny, it is in reality providing it with
its objective value and turning it into a decisive belief
in human destiny, which is not only a source of
consolation but of generosity and strength.A source of generosity, since belief in al-Mahdi is in
reality belie f in the protest against all forms of
oppression and tyranny although they still prevail in the
world.It is also a source of strength and a refutation that
cannot dwindle, since it is a ray of light that is
continually struggling against despair within people and
keeping the flame of hope ablaze within their hearts in
spite of the gloomy conditions and the might of
oppression under which they live, because the appointed
day confirms the fact that justice can challenge a world
filled with transgression and tyranny, that it can shake
its foundations, and rebuild it anew; that oppression is
only an unnatural condition, regardless of its power and
extent in the different corners of the world. that it
will eventually be defeated; that the ultimate defeat of
oppression while on the summit of its glory, brings great
hope before every persecuted individual and every
oppressed nation, in tipping the balance and rebuilding
the world.If the idea of al-Mahdi is older and wider than Islam,
the detailed outlines, which the latter has fixed for it,
have proved more satisfactory to all those ambitions that
have been seeking its realization since the dawn of
history as well as a more generous gift and a stronger
prediction for the feelings of those who have been
persecuted and op pressed in the course of history. This
is because Islam has turned the idea from the unseen into
reality, and from an aspiration for a saviour the world
would produce in the distant and unknown future into the
conviction that he actually exists looking forward with
other people to that day and the right circumstances that
would make it possible for him to assume his great role.Thus, al-Mahdi (peace be upon him) is no longer an
idea waiting to be materialized nor a prophecy that needs
to be substantiated, but a living reality and a
particular person, living among us in flesh and blood,
who is sharing our hopes, suffering, sorrows and joys,
actually witnessing all the sufferings, sadness and
transgression that exist on the surface of the earth, who
is affected with all this from near or far, who is
waiting for the appropriate moment when he can stretch
his hands to every oppressed and needy person and
eradicate the tyrants.However, it has been decreed that this expected leader
is not to reveal anything concerning his life or person
to other people, although he is living amongst them,
waiting for the appointed moment.It is obvious that thinking in terms of these Islamic
indictions narrows the gap of the unseen between the
oppressed people and the expected saviour and reduces the
psychological distance between him and them, no matter
how long the expectation may last.So, when we are supposed, as far as we are concerned,
to consider the idea of al-Mahdi as actually designating
a particular living person who is observing events like
we are, it is to inspire us with the fact that the idea
of the unconditional protest against all sorts of
transgression and tyranny, which al-Mahdi stands for, has
already materialized in the expected dissident leader who
will emerge, paying no homage to the transgressors, as it
has been mentioned in the hadith (tradition), and
that by believing in him we are in reality believing in
this unyielding and living protest and participating in
it.Indeed lots of ahadith ( traditions) are
constantly urging those who believe in al-Mahdi to expect
release from suffering and be prepared for his coming,
which is a consolidation of that spiritual bond and
emotional tie between them and the dissident leader and
every value he stands for both of which could not have
existed had he not actually materialized as a
contemporary living person.Thus we come to realize that this materialization has
given a new impetus to the idea and made it a source of
strength and generosity of a higher degree in terms of
what any dissident individual finds of comfort
consolation and relief from the pains that he has to
suffer under tyranny and deprivation, when he comes to
feel that his Imam and leader shares them with him, since
the latter is a contemporary person and not an idea to be
realized in the future.However, the above mentioned materialization has led
many people, who found it hard to believe or assume, to
take negative attitudes even regarding the idea of
al-Mahdi.Since they all wonder if the idea of al-Mahdi actually
designates a living person who has coexisted with all
these consecutive generations for more than ten
centuries, who will continue to do so until the time
comes for him to emerge on the surface, how can such a
human being live all this long and yet be immune from the
laws of nature which compel any person to pass by the
phase of old age and decrepitude and from there to his
death. Is not such a matter impossible from an
existential point of view?Also, why should Allah show all this desire for this
particular person - for whom the laws of nature would be
obstructed - and endeavours to prolong his life and
preserve him for the appointed day. has humanity become
barren from yielding capable leaders? Why should not that
day come when a leader will be born at its dawn and grow
up like anyone else and gradually assume his role until
the earth be filled with justice after having been filled
with injustice and transgression?They also wonder if al-Mahdi is the name of a
particular person, who is the son of the eleventh Imam of
the family of the Prophet (Ahlu'l-bayt - peace and
blessing of Allah be upon them), born in the year 256
A.H. whose father died in the year 260 A.H. This means
that he was very young when his father died, not
exceeding the age of five, which is too early for him to
have completed his religious and intellectual education
at the hands of his father. Therefore how and by what
means could he personally be prepared to assume that
great role from religious, intellectual and scientific
angles.Moreover, if the leader is ready why should he wait
all these hundreds of years? Is not what the world has
witnessed of afflictions and social disasters enough to
justify his appearance on its surface for the
establishing of justice on earth?They also wonder how can we believe in his existence
even if we were to assume that this could be possible?
Can anybody admit the validity of a hypothesis of this
kind when it is not actually supported by any conclusive
legal or scientific evidence? Should some narratives (ahadith)
related to the Prophet ( blessing and peace of Allah be
upon him and his progeny), of which we doubt the
authenticity be enough for us to approve such a
hypothesis?As far as the role that this individual is going to
play on the appointed day is concerned they wonder how a
single person can assume this great decisive role in the
world, while we know that however great an individual is,
he cannot create history nor lead it into a new phase;
whereas the seeds of any historical movement ripen under
certain objective circumstances and their coming
together. and the sublimity of the individual is the
factor which selects him to shape these objective
circumstances and provide the required solutions?They also wonder how we can imagine what this
individual would achieve of enormous change and decisive
victory for justice and its message against the realities
of injustice, oppression and tyranny in spite of what
they have of power and influence and what they possess of
means of destruction as well as what they have achieved
of high standards in scientific, political, social and
military capabilities.Questions in this connection recur often in one form
or another, however the true motives behind them are not
only intellectual, since they have also a psychological
source expressed in terms of the fear that dominates the
world and the meagerness of all opportunity of change
from the roots. Therefore, doubts deepen and questions
increase, the more one becomes aware of the harsh reality
that has prevailed in the world in the course of time.
Thus failure, meagerness and the weakness that the human
being is subject to lead him to feel under a
psychological pressure whenever he attempts to imagine
the tremendous change of the world which would relieve it
of its contradictions and historical oppression and would
provide it with a new structure based on justice and
truth. This pressure makes the individual doubt the whole
concept of change and leads him to refuse it for one
reason or another.As far as we are concerned, we are going to deal with
all these questions in sequence answering each one
briefly due to the limits provided by these pages.
