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It is a practice among the Shi’as that whenever the name “Qa’im (a.s.)” is pronounced in their gatherings, all of them stand up in reverence. Though this action is not established as an obligatory one, it is prevalent as a highly recommended act for expressing deference for the beloved Imam (a.t.f.s.).Imam As-Sadiq (a.s.) was asked, “What is the reason for standing while mentioning the title al-Qa’im?”He (a.s.) replied:“Sahib al-‘Amr (a.s.) will have a long occultation. Whenever he will be addressed by the title al-Qa’im, due to the intense love which his followers will have for him, they will remember his noble era and express sorrowRead More →

WHY DO WE PRAY FOR THE WELL-BEING OF IMAM ZAMAN?

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Praying for the well-being of the imam of our time is one of the commands of our religion that has its own reasons, and although these reasons may remain undiscovered to us, they are reasons that have to do with the real world, the same way a practitioner prescribes a certain medicine for a certain reason. In any case though, we act upon these commands and are sure that there are reasons behind why we have been asked to pray for his well-being. Nevertheless, some of the reasons for this can be of the following: 1- These prayers actually contribute to the well-being of theRead More →

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The reason for why the Shia do such, can be the following two hadiths: 1- In the famous hadith of Di’bil Khoza’i, the poet of the Ahlul-Bayt, it has been mentioned that when he was reciting his famous poem for Imam Ridha (as) and he reached the part that says Imam Mahdi’s emergence is for sure and that it will be in Allah’s (swt) name and with His bounties, the imam (as) put his hand on his head and arose in respect, praying for the emergence of Imam Zaman (aj). (Abdul-Husain Ahmad Amini Najafi, Al-Ghadir, vol. 2, pg. 361; Sheikh Abbas Qommi, Muntahal-Amal, fourteenth chapter, chapterRead More →

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The best approach in proving the Imamate of Imam Ali (as) for followers of the Sunni school of thought is through means of what has been mentioned in the Quran and narrations which have been mentioned in their own sources. In order to do this, one should thoroughly understand that which is presented in verses of the Quran. Meaning, the content of the verse, the context in which it is introduced, instances it refers to, etc. should all be considered in detail. In the Holy Quran there are many verses which make reference to and establish the Imamate of Ali (as) and the other Imams.Read More →

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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 →

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The answer to this question lies in the explanation of what the reason for Imam Mahdi’s (aj) occultation is, what it means to truly await his return, and what the benefits of a present imam [although unseen] are. But before getting started, this point must be made that the true main reason for Imam Mahdi’s occultation, as mentioned in hadiths, is a secret that only Allah (swt) knows of exactly. (Biharul-Anwar, vol. 52, pg. 91.) Nevertheless, we can try to discover some of the other reasons behind it with the help of hadiths and our own thought. These reasons can be divided into two categories: 1-Read More →

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The existence of the infallibles brings many benefits; some of them belonging to normal conditions when they are available. Yet, one mustn’t perceive that if an imam goes into occultation, his existence will be no longer of any benefit to the people. With help from hadiths and the sayings of great scholars on this issue, we will list some of the major benefits of an imam in occultation: 1- The upholding of clear signs and proof No matter in occultation or amongst the people, the imams are the “proof” [hujjah]of Allah (swt) in this world [meaning that Allah (swt) has sent them to be followed,Read More →

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

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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 →