The era of occultation is the time of responsibility; it is the time of work, action and hope of the future, of the victory of the Right over the Wrong. Expect Him and act. RNA - Grand Ayatollah Safi Golpaygani, through a note on the start of the victory of the Right over the Wrong, stressed that the Era of Occultation is the time of responsibility; it is the time of work, action and hope of the future and of the victory of the Right over the Wrong. Therefore expect Him and act.
The note of the grand source of emulation reads as below:
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
God, the Sublime, says, “And We have already written in the book [of Psalms] after the [previous] mention that the land [of Paradise] is inherited by My righteous servants”. The great obedience celebration of the Mid-Shaaban, the birthday of the single Saviour of the world, the one promised by prophets and Imams, Imam Mahdi (AS), is a great and blissful opportunity for the Shiite and the friends of that Heavenly Imam to both participate in the commemoration of this grand heavenly birthday, and attend the spiritual and elaborate happy ceremonies making spiritual links with Him as well as meeting the moral, behavioural, societal, cultural, economic and political standards, expected from the Shiite and His friends. The happy will be the men and the society that are successful in meeting the said expectations of that Grand Imam.
On this occasion, in order to have the honour of participation in this happy celebration, and to consider some facts and concepts on the Expectation of His Reappearance, I present some words in this regard:
I hope that the lights of the meaning of these words, originated and based on the words of holy Quran and the narrative, illuminate the hearts of the believers.
Dears, you that participate in this grand ceremony each year through different means, including illumination and decoration of the streets, mosques, Hussainiehs, holding speech ceremonies, writing texts and composing poems on the heavenly characteristics of Imam Zaman (Imama Mahdi), and you that hold feasts and congratulation ceremonies to show your own respect to Imam Zaman and that you are happy with your belief and unhappy with His absence.
Heavenly Salute and greetings to you all! And happy this enthusiasm, love, feelings and wisdom and moves on the heavenly path of Wilayat!
Thank God for filling your heart with the knowledge of Imam Zaman (AS) and for saving you from dying in ignorance and for your direction towards faith of and knowing his Sole Saviour.
Do the responsibilities each believer, expecting His reappearance, is shouldered with and do your best in this regard.
The Era of Occultation is the time of examination and purification. The happy people and believers, who are firm and stable, and train themselves in the human-training school of Occultation, won’t be affected by different events, pressures and hardship and their faith won’t be undermined, they are strong and stable the same as mountains against the storms, and they are separated and recognised from the people of weak faith and will.
The more resort to and following religion and faith gets difficult and is accompanied with apparent deprivations, the faith and commitment of the said group will be firmer and they will be more ascertained of the truth and sincerity of the narratives on the events of the Era of Occultation, including the prevalence of some sins and music, the conditions of the youth and women and the relations between men and women. In such a situation, due to some narrative, “remaining faithful will be as difficult as holding fire in hand”, or as mentioned by another narrative, “following and resort to Imam Zaman in the Era of Occultation is like holding the sharp thorns of bush in his hand”.
In the Era of Occultation, the firmly faithful people receive the same rewards given to the people combated for and before the Prophet of Islam (S), and they have a high rank as the prophet (S) called them his own brother, and as put by some narratives, he longs for meeting them.
The believers in Occultation and Hezbollah are the ones truly expecting His Reappearance and Universal Government and Islam, about whom the narratives mention: they are truly the right ones, they are our Shia (followers) due to their own honesty, they invite to the Heavenly Religion (Islam) both secretly and openly, they believe in the Non-apparent, therefore they are the army of Allah, and the army of Allah are the blissful.
And according to the narrative “الْمُنْتَظِرُ لِامْرِنا كَالْمُتَشَحِّطِ بِدَمِهِ في سَبيلِ اللهِ”, they are like the people who have been martyred on the path of God.
What mentioned are all the good characteristics of you Shiite men and women who are expecting Imam Zaman (AS) and are committed to the orders and loyal to Imam Zaman. Be diligent in this regard and guard these good characteristics.
Human rights, and the rights of the men and women are the ones mentioned and defined by God, the creator of the man and woman; others are wrong, aberration, corruption and move towards animal life.
Every man and woman, both young and old, if disapproves of a Heavenly order/rule, for it is against the corrupt Western culture, or not commensurate with the existing conditions, his faith will be damaged, as mentioned by the noble narratives, “in the Era of Occultation, the man is faithful in the morning, but at night, he may be faithless and wrong”.
The Era of Occultation is prolonged, as Imam Ali (AS) mentioned, “how long does takes it for us and how far will be this expectation?”
On the path of drastic development and fundamental changes, different schools and systems are experienced by the men, but they are found inappropriate and unqualified. The man sees them incapable of administering justice and equality, and, although the world becomes full of oppression, cruelty and corruption, due to the rule “if something violates its limits, it will see its consequences”, the human societies prepare for the establishment of the said Heavenly-Islamic order and the sole world Just government, and with His Reappearance, the world will reach the point of perfection and acme of promotion.
O you lovers of Imam Zaman and the ones expecting His Reappearance! The Era of Occultation is the time of action, work, shouldering the responsibility, doing tasks and the period of resistance, move and patience, all practiced and exercised for the cause of the religion.
Concerning the fulfilment of the slogans, promotion of the word of Allah and Islam, preparing the grounds required for political, economic and cultural independence of the infidels, flourishing the science and industry and development/expansion of training/education, promotion of enjoining the good and forbidding the wrong, cooperation in conduction of the good, helping the deprived and needy and meeting their needs, defence of borders, reinforcement of the Islamic homeland, expansion of intellectual and belief limits, elimination of the heresies, confrontation with and removal of doubts and the fight against the signs of corruption and desecration of the Heavenly orders, we, and all Muslims, are all responsible and committed, and you and all the Shiite and the one expecting His Reappearance should attempt for the fulfillment of the targets of Islam.
Explore and recognise the dangers threating the Muslim societies, i.e., those menaces having weakened many societies up to the point of destruction and dependence on infidels, and don’t let them do the same to our society and our dear young generation. The Era of Occultation, is the time of responsibility, it is the time of action and hope of future, hope of the victory of the Right over the Wrong. Expect and practice that God says, “And say: "Work (righteousness): soon will Allah observe your work, and His Messenger and the Believers.”
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