بِسْمِ ٱللّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Introduction
More than twelve centuries have passed since the beginning of occultation, yet the longing for the reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) remains as vivid and alive today as it was at its very outset. Throughout these centuries, generations of believers including scholars, preachers, poets and our own ancestors have departed from this world with the belief of Intezaar, the awaiting of the reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (a.t.f.s.), firmly rooted in their hearts.
Human experience shows us that the passage of time does not affect everyone in the same way. For some, the passage of years strengthens their sense of waiting and deepens their faith and for others, however, prolonged delay gives rise to doubt and disappointment. While death is an undeniable reality, does this mean that if the reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) does not occur within our lifetime, we should surrender to despair? Is waiting destined to weaken with time or does it possess a deeper meaning that transcends generations?
The Importance of Awaiting and the Virtue of the One Who Awaits
The one for whom we wait is no ordinary individual. He is the heir of the People of the Cloak (Ashaab al-Kisa), the divinely appointed leader through whom the religion of Allah will ultimately prevail over all other systems. He is the hope of the oppressed against tyranny, the final proof of Allah upon the earth and the means through whom the order of the heavens and the earth continues to exist. Regarding him, the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) declared:
أَفْضَلُ اَلْعِبَادَةِ انْتِظَارُ الْفَرَجِ
"The most superior form of worship is waiting for relief (the reappearance)."
[Reference: Kamaluddin, vol. 1, p. 287]
At this point, a fundamental question arises: Is this exalted act of worship confined only to human beings who wait for relief?
The answer is no. Imam Reza (a.s.) broadens our understanding of Inteẓār by linking it directly to divine practice itself. He states:
وَ ارْتَقِبُوا إِنِّي مَعَكُمْ رَقِيبٌ
"And watch; indeed, I am with you, watching." (Surah Hud (11), verse 93)
فَانْتَظِرُوا إِنِّي مَعَكُمْ مِنَ اَلْمُنْتَظِرِينَ
"So wait; surely I too am with you among those who wait." (Surah A'raf (7), verse 71)
Therefore, patience is obligatory upon you all, for surely after despair there will be relief, and those who passed before you were more patient than you.
[Reference: Kamaluddin, vol. 2, ch.55, h.5, pg. 645]
This narration clearly establishes that awaiting the reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) is not merely a human act of hope, it is a divinely endorsed state which Allah Himself associates with those who wait.
In another narration, Abu Khalid al-Kabuli reports from Imam Zain al-Abideen (a.s.):
یَا بَا خَالِدٍ إِنَّ أَهْلَ زَمَانِ غَیْبَتِهِ وَ الْقَائِلِینَ بِإِمَامَتِهِ وَ الْمُنْتَظِرِینَ لِظُهُورِهِ علیه السّلام أَفْضَلُ مِنْ أَهْلِ كُلِّ زَمَانٍ
"O Aba Khalid! Indeed, the people of the time of his occultation, those who believe in his Imamate and who wait for his reappearance, are superior to the people of all other eras."
[Reference: Ehtejaaj by Shaikh Tabresi, p. 173]
The virtue of waiting is so immense that it even defines the identity of the most beloved followers of the Prophet (s.a.w.a.). One day, while some companions were present with the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.), he said:
اللَّهُمَّ لَقِّنِی إِخْوَانِی مَرَّتَیْنِ
"O Allah, allow me to meet my brothers!"
The Prophet repeated this statement twice. One of the companions asked:
أَ مَا نَحْنُ إِخْوَانَكَ یَا رَسُولَ اللهِ
"Are we not your brothers, O Messenger of Allah?"
He replied:
فَقَالَ لَا إِنَّكُمْ أَصْحَابِی وَ إِخْوَانِی قَوْمٌ فِی آخِرِ الزَّمَانِ
"No. You are my companions. My brothers are a people who will come in the last era.
آمَنُوا وَ لَمْ یَرَوْنِی
They will believe in me despite not having seen me.
لَقَدْ عَرَّفَنِیهِمُ اللهُ بِأَسْمَائِهِمْ وَ أَسْمَاءِ آبَائِهِمْ مِنْ قَبْلِأَنْ یُخْرِجَهُمْ مِنْ أَصْلَابِ آبَائِهِمْ وَ أَرْحَامِ أُمَّهَاتِهِمْ
Indeed, Allah has informed me of their names and the names of their fathers even before they emerge from the loins of their fathers and the wombs of their mothers.
لَأَحَدُهُمْ أَشَدُّ بَقِیَّةً عَلَی دِینِهِ مِنْ خَرْطِ الْقَتَادِ فِی اللَّیْلَةِ الظَّلْمَاءِ أَوْ كَالْقَابِضِ عَلَی جَمْرِ الْغَضَا
Each one of them will hold firmly to his religion more strongly than one who walks on thorns in a dark night or one who grasps burning coals in his hands.
أُولَئِكَ مَصَابِیحُ الدُّجَی یُنْجِیهِمُ اللهُ مِنْ كُلِّ فِتْنَةٍ غَبْرَاءَ مُظْلِمَةٍ
They are lamps of darkness. Allah will save them from every blinding and dark tribulation."
[Reference: Behaar al-Anwar, vol. 52, pp. 123–124, h. 8]
Those who await the reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) with patience and steadfastness were honored by the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) himself, who distinguished them from his companions and called them his brothers, a title that reflects their elevated rank and closeness to him despite never having seen him.
May Allah include us among the true Muntazireen and grant us the honour of being counted among those whom the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) called his brothers.