DOES IMAM MAHDI (AJ) HAVE A SPOUSE AND CHILDREN?

Imam Mahdi’s (as) personal life is an issue that one can barely reach any certain conclusions on, but some possibilities can be presented considering the hadiths there are on it. Concerning the question regarding Imam Mahdi’s (as) having a spouse and children or not, there are three possibilities: a) The imam hasn’t married anyone. b) He has married but doesn’t have any children. c) He has married and has children as well. The first necessitates that the imam hasn’t performed one of the greatest Islamic traditions and it doesn’t seem like he would disregard such an important tradition. Of course, some have said that ImamRead More →

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 DOES IMAM REAPPEAR IN MECCA?

Answer: Its main and real reason is not clear to us; but noticing some points makes Mecca a suitable place for the Reappearance: 1. Mecca and the Kaaba has been the Kiblah (praying direction) of Muslims and people, every day, notice that holy place many times and prostrate towards it. 2. The Kaaba and Mecca are holy places wherein honorable divine prophets from Adam (PBUH) toMuhammad (PBUH) have been presented by the order of Allah and have shown their submission inaddition to performing pilgrimage. 3. Mecca is the birthplace of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the place where he was appointed to prophecy. Maybe the ReappearanceRead More →

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

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 →

WHAT IS OUR DUTY DURING THE TIME OF IMAM MAHDI’S OCCULTATION?

Our duties during the Imam’s occultation are very much the same duties we have during his presence. Even though we can not see the Imam, he watches us and oversees our acts and conduct. Therefore, all of the commands that are mentioned in the Quran and the words of the prophet and his household in regard to a believer must carried out during the Imam’s occultation. One could briefly say that the greatest duty of the Shias during this period is to await Faraj and Imam Mahdi’s government. However, knowing that awaiting Faraj is not solely a … but rather a culture that consists ofRead More →

Mizanul-Hikmah has narrated this hadith from the book Al-Gheybah of Nu’mani. Nu’mani narrates Ibrahim ibn Abdil-Hamid saying (regarding the Shias at the time of the emergence of the Mahdi (aj)): “One who had heard from Imam Sadiq (as) told me: “When the Qa’im (the standing/waiting one, Imam Mahdi (as)) emerges, one who used to think he was a follower of the imam (as) will disobey him and some like those who worship the sun and stars will accept the imam’s wilayah and authority [and join him].” (Nu’mani, Al-Gheybah, pg. 317; ReyShahri, Mizanul-Hikmah, vol. 1, pg. 187; “حدثنا أحمد بن محمد بن سعید ابن عقدة قال حدثنا حمید بن زیاد عن علی بن الصباحRead More →

HOW IS IMAM MAHDI’S FOOD AND CLOTHING?

The imam (aj) lives a normal life just like everyone else. What can be concluded from hadiths about his food and clothing, is that they are at a minimum. Nu’mani, in his book of Gheybah, narrates a hadith from Imam Sadiq (as) and Imam Ridha (as) about Imam Mahdi (aj): “ما لباسه الا الغلیظ و ما طعامه الاّ الجشب” (Muntakhab al-Athar, pg. 378.) Also, in a hadith from Imam Husein (as) it is said that Imam Mahdi’s (aj) clothing is rough and harsh and his food is barley. (Ibid, pg. 619.) (Islamquest)Read More →

The preceding discussions indisputably establish the fact concerning the Islamic belief in Mahdawiyyah and the reappearance from occultation of a divine reformer. History records that while some people have falsely represented themselves as the promised Mahdi, some others have been erroneously attributed as Mahdi by either ignorant and harassed people or the selfish motives of others have foisted Mahdawiyyah on them.Some of the pseudo-Mahdis in history are as follows:Abu Ishaq Abu Abidah Saqafi, Abu Muhammad Abdullah al-Mahdi, Abu Abdullah al-Magrebi, Mahdi al-Sudani, Sayed Muhammad Jaunpuri Hindi, Musa Kurdi, Mahdi al-Bengali, Ghulam Ahmad Qadiyani, Sayed Bab and Bahaaullah. (14 Questions about Imam az-Zaman Volume 1, AssociationRead More →

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 →

MENTION BRIEFLY ABOUT WHAT HAS BEEN RECORDED ABOUT THE LIFE OF IMAM MAHDI (A.S.).

Name: M-H-M-DFamous Titles: Mahdi, Mau’ood, Wali- al-Asr, Sahebuz Zamaan, Qa’im, Muntazar, Hujjatullah, Muntaqim, etc.Kuniyyat: Abul Qasim, Abu Abdillah. Names of Parents: Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) and Janab Narjis Khatoon (s.a.w.a.).Time and place of Birth: Born in Samarra, a city in Iraq, on 15th of Shabaan in the year 255 A.H. Till the age of five, he lived an obscure life under the care of his father.The Minor Occultation: After the martyrdom of Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.), he assumed the responsibilities of Imamat. Immediately thereafter in 260 A.H., with the permission of the Almighty, the Minor Occultation started. This lasted for sixty nine years till 329Read More →