By:

In response to the foregoing question, we must mention a few points: A) We have enquired the office of late Ayatollah Bahjat about whether or not the Ayatollah had said those words and they denied that he had said them. Instead, His Eminence had said that whenever difficulties and problems increase, then the time of reappearance is near (“اذا اشتد الامر قرب الفرج”). This saying by Ayatollah Bahjat is derived from a narration which says: “Before the reappearance, the seditions become visible and the world will be filled with oppression and injustice.” B) When it comes to fixing the time of the reappearance of theRead More →

By:

At present we are living in the period of Greater Occultation which is the period of “general deputyship”. That is, guidance of the Shiites is an obligation as well as a responsibility of the grand jurists and prominent religious scholars who bear the necessary qualifications and the eligibility to guide people, and it is also the duty and obligation of the people to follow and obey them. As for why the Imam of Time (ajt) does not author a book so that people and religious scholars may turn to it for guidance, there can be many reasons some of which are enumerated as under: 1.Read More →

By:

To clarify the answer, we must make mention of the following points: 1. What the Shiites believe concerning the Imam of Time (atf), and which the Holy Prophet (pbuh) and also the infallible Imams (a.s.) (See Behar al-Anwar, vol.52 and Muntakhab al-Athar from Grand Ayatollah Saafi.) have pointed out is all the Imam’s occultation, not hiding in a cave or a cellar. Some say only out of mockery that Shiites believe that the Promised Mahdi (pbuh) hid, after his birth in a cellar (the underground of Imam Hasan’s house in Samarra) wherefrom he started his occultation and he is living in that cellar. However, if weRead More →

WHAT IS THE JEWS’ BELIEF CONCERNING THE RETURN (RAJ’AH) OF IMAM MAHDI (A.S.)?

By:

“Raj’ah” literally means to return (Farhange Mo’in, vol. 2, pg. 1640.) and in Islamic terms, it refers to the return of certain people (pure believers and absolute polytheists) from the dead before the Day of Resurrection. When it comes to Imam of Time (aj), raj’ah technically does not apply to him. Raj’ah in the question actually implies the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (aj). All the nations and peoples of the world despite their differences in thought, manners, customs, tendencies, interests, wishes and schools are interested in peace and justice. Almost all those who have studied about saviorism and the coming of a global reformer agreeRead More →

By:

This question can be studied in two parts:1. Did Muhammad bin Uthman Umari meet with the Imam of Time (‘atf) during Hajj season?2.  Muhammad bin Uthman Umari has been reported to have said that the Imam of Time (‘atf) attends the Hajj ceremony every year and that one can meet with the Imam during Hajj season. How far is this report true? We shall deal with both questions here:A) Meeting with the Imam of Time (‘atf) during the period of occultation:It is possible to meet with the Imam of Time (‘atf) during the period of occultation. Many scholars who is believed to be honest andRead More →

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF THE REAPPEARANCE OF THE IMAM OF TIME (ATF)?

By:

Anything that has a role to play in the reappearance of the Imam of Time (atf) and is considered to be among the factors of his reappearance are the causes of reappearance. Although the main cause of the reappearance of the Imam of Time (atf) is “God’s will”, what, in fact, humans can do to prepare the ground for the reappearance of the Imam (atf) is to create preparation in themselves. Because every revolution or movement which comes into being for a particular purpose will triumph only when there are no hurdles and when the ground is paved, otherwise it is doomed to failure. TheRead More →

HOW LONG WILL THE IMAM OF TIME, IMAM MAHDI (AS), WILL THIS WORLD RULE AFTER HE REAPPEARS?

By:

There are two categories of narrations in this regard which are apparently varied giving differing reports:1. The first category of narrations has, for the major part, been extracted from Sunni sources. (What is available in Shia sources are cited from Sunni sources.) According to it, the period during which the Imam of Time, Imam Mahdi (AS), will rule the world has been reported differently. For instance, according to some reports, he will rule the world for twenty years while based on some other reports he will rule for thirty or forty years..A) Huzaifa narrates from the Holy Prophet (S) that he said: “Al Mahdi is a manRead More →