The Last Luminary and Ways To Delve Into The Light

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The Last Luminary and Ways to Delve
Into the Light
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Ths work authored by Sayyd Rdha Husayn Mutaq, presents nnety-nne rghts and
responsbtes whch the true beevers have to the Lvng Imam. The author demonstrates
that the best way whch one can fuf such responsbtes s through purfcaton of the
sou and n addton, a sprtua change must take pace wthn each person and we must
seek to mantan coseness to Aah.
Author(s):
Sayyd Rdha Husayn Mutaq |3|
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Translator(s):
Shaykh Saeem Bhm| |4|
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Category:
Imam a-Mahd |5|
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Miscellaneous information:
ISBN 978-0-9809487-0-7 Copyrght 2008 the Isamc Pubshng House Frst Pubshed n
2008 by: Isamc Pubshng House 283 Actva Avenue Ktchener, ON Canada, N2E 3V2
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Crescent Ktchener, Ontaro Canada, N2K 2Y8 Te: 519-576-7111 Fax: 519-576-8378
hs786@musmyouth.ca www.a-haqq.com A rghts reserved. No part of ths pubcaton
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Foreword by the Publisher
In the Name of Aah, the Most Gracous, the Most Mercfu
A prase beongs to Aah, the one who created us and then sent to us Hs Messengers,
specfcay Hs fna Prophet, and made apparent for us the dvney apponted guardanshp
of Hs ntmate frends, the Ammah of true gudance, for the perfecton of the fath.
He then guded us towards the best of ethca trats and the keys for the acceptance of our
actons and permtted us to seek the reward of our actons so that we may enter nto the
haven of peace that we may resde n the permanent gardens, where He w aow us to
wtness the Ange who w say to us, _Saam |Peace| ths s the word from your Lord, the
Mercfu._
May the prayers and sautatons be upon the fna Messenger of Aah, Muhammad a-
Mustafa and upon hs pure and mmacuate famy members those who came to expan to
us the responsbtes whch we must fuf (towards Aah) through ther rghteous words,
and who came to ead the servants toward the oceans of ght usng the fame whch s ke
a _Gowng amp t from the o of the bessed ove tree._
Snce the dawn of cvzaton, humanty has had to grappe wth the forces of good versus
ev. Socetes sometmes ve n perods of reatve camness and securty, but |ust when
everyone starts to get comfortabe, oppresson rases ts ugy head, brngng peace to a
standst.
Ths has been the stuaton snce the comng of the frst human beng on Earth, namey
Prophet Adam, and w persst unt as we contnue to progress n terms of scence and
technoogy, we see that humanty s dgressng n terms of moraty, cuture and ts
nteracton wth other natons.
Asdes from the countess natura dsasters whch have dspaced and ked mons of
peope over the ages, the current century has seen wars on the ncrease, and t s the
nnocent men, women and chdren who are caught n ths cross fre.
How can t be that humanty has evoved to such a eve that they can penetrate the
furthest ponts of the soar system, but we cannot ve n harmony wth our neghbors? Why
s t that we can feed our nsatabe appette for the atest technoogca gadgets, but we
cannot manage to noursh the hungry chdren dyng of manutrton?
How s t possbe that we can spend bons of doars on the desgn and producton of the
atest weapons of mass destructon, but we cannot afford to provde educaton and basc
heath care servces to the most vunerabe of our socety? Is there any hope for the
underprveged and deprved peope of the word? Yes there s a beacon of hope.
The beef n an awated reformer and savor of humanty s an embodment and a symbo of
an aspraton chershed by manknd, n spte of ts dvergent regous doctrnes. The Mahd
(a|tf) as he s referred to n the Isamc beefs s the crystazaton of an nspraton through
whch a peope, regardess of ther regous affatons, are watng for.
They a ook forward to a day when the Heaveny msson w materaze when the trng
march of humanty across hstory w cumnate and the word w be abe to ve n peace
and tranquty.
Regon, when t endorses ths common conscousness and stresses that n the ong run,
ths word w be fed wth |ustce and equty after havng been fed wth n|ustce and
oppresson, gves t a factua vaue and converts t nto a defnte beef.
Ths beef s not merey a source of consoaton rather t s a source of virtue and strength.
It s a source of virtue because the beef n the Mahd (a|tf) means the tota emnaton of
n|ustce and oppresson prevang n the word and t s a source of nexhaustbe strength
because t provdes hope whch enabes humanty to resst frustraton, however hopeess
and dsma the crcumstances may be.
The beef n the apponted day of hs advent proves that t s possbe for the forces of
|ustce to face and preva over a word prevousy fed wth n|ustce and oppresson and
reconstruct the word order.
After a, prevaence of n|ustce howsoever domnant and extensve t may have become s
an abnorma state and must be emnated. The prospect of ts emnaton after havng
reached ts cmax nfuses a great hope n every persecuted ndvdua and every oppressed
naton, that t s possbe to change the state of affars of ths word.
The concept of a Mahd (a|tf) s more wdespread than |ust wthn the Musm communty
however ts detaed features, as determned and expaned by Isam, are more n ne wth
manknds aspratons and dreams.
The Isamc concept of the Mahd (a|tf) s n greater conformty wth the feengs and
sentments of the oppressed and the persecuted of a tmes, more so than n any other
regon or tradton. It s Isam whch has gven a concrete shape to an abstract dea!
It s no onger necessary to ook forward to an unknown savor, who may come nto the
word at a dstant future, rather as the savor is aready here we smpy have to ook
forward to the day when the crcumstances are approprate for hm to reappear and begn
hs great msson.
The Mahd (a|tf) s no onger an dea. He s no onger a prophecy. We do not need to wat for
hs brth. He already exsts. We ony have to wait for the nauguraton of hs roe. He s a
specfc entty vng among us n hs rea human form and he shares our hopes and our
|oys; and greves at our sorrows and tmes of dstress.
He wtnesses a the acts of oppresson and persecuton whch are perpetrated on the face
of the earth, and somehow or another, he s affected by them. He too s anxousy watng
the moment when he w be abe to extend hs hepng hand to everyone upon whom any
wrong has been done, and that he w be abe to eradcate n|ustce and oppresson
competey.
Athough ths Awaited Savior s vng among us, watng for the apponted moment of hs
advent, however, he has been ordaned not to procam hmsef, nor dscose hs dentty.
The concept of the Mahd (a|tf) as espoused by Isam shortens the gap between the
oppressed and the expected savor. It connects the brdge between them, howsoever ong
the perod of watng may be.
The tradtons (ahadith) urge the beevers n the Mahd (a|tf) to keep on watng for hm and
to contnue ookng forward to soace. The dea s to estabsh a cose sprtua and ntutve
nk between the beevers on the one hand and wth the Mahd(a|tf) and a that he stands
for, on the other hand.
It s not possbe to estabsh such a nk wthout beevng that the Mahd (a|tf) has aready
been born and that he s a vng and contemporary personaty.The ate Professor Henry
Corbn, phosopher and researcher on Isam, and a student of the ate Aamah Sayyd
Muhammad Husan Taba`taba has stated:
To my mind, the Shiite is the only sect which has preserved and perpetuated the link of
Divine guidance between man and God through its belief in the Imamate. According to the
Jews, the prophethood, a real link between man and God, came to an end with Moses. They
do not believe in the Prophethood of Jesus and Muhammad. The Christians too, do not go
beyond Jesus. The Sunnite sect has also stopped at the Prophet Muhammad and believes
that the link between man and God has been severed with the end of the Prophethood.
Thus, t s ony the Tweve Sha, who beeves that the nk between man and God st
exsts through the Mahd, and ths beef w contnue to exst forever!
However, beng n a state of Intar or actve expectaton for the awated savor of
humanty, the Sha dffer greaty from other regous tradtons and the varous schoos of
thought wthn the Isamc word, Snce t s them who have been ordered to and are
actvey workng to ay the foundatons whch w herad the gorous advent of Imam a-
Mahd (a|tf).
The word, Intar comes from the Arabc root word whch teray means to see
somethng. However, when t s put nto the fourth of the ten (most common) Arabc verba
forms, t becomes whch teray means to wat or to antcpate (somethng).
From the Isamc texts and the wrtngs of the schoars, we understand that Intar s an
actve state whch a true beever must be n 24 hours a day. What s the proof of ths?
One of the great Mara|a (sources of emuaton) of ths current era and the foremost
authorty on ssues of the 12th Imam, Ayatuah a-Uzma a-Ha|| ash-Shaykh Lutfuah Saf
Gupaygan (may Aah keep hm under Hs pro|ecton) expans that term of actvey watng
for the Mahd (a|tf) n hs work, Intar: The Force Behnd Resstance and Opposton |to
Tyranny|.
In ths work he states:
Intiar is a state (which a person finds himself in) which is comprised of true faith and firm
belief in the sources (of legislation) in the faith of Islam (The Quràn and Sunnah of the
Prophet and Aìmmah) and in the mastership and guardianship (Wilayah) of Imam al-
Zaman (ajtf). It (Intiar) is a spirit of zeal and keen desire for the advent, governance and
living along side with the Ahlul Bayt (as).
It is the detestation of the current state which we are in times of imperfection, corruption,
perversity and degeneration of our surroundings. This state of affairs (being separated from
the Imam and the corruption around us) burns deep within the heart of a person and
creates turbulence within the heart and affects ones entire presence including ones
individual actions and struggles to better the entire society
The ate Henry Corbn stated the foowng n regards to the antcpaton of the Imam:
In the meantime it is the duty of all the Muslims, especially the Shia, to strive steadfastly
for the creation of the proper atmosphere and the right climate for the establishment of a
world order based on justice, virtue and piety.
They should not only mould their individual lives according to the teachings and high ideals
of Islam, but they should also bend their efforts to set up the Islamic order on the collective
and communal level.
They should devote themselves to the service of the faith and be prepared to receive the
Awaited Savior. That is what was meant by the Imams when they exhorted the Muslims to
keep on waiting for the Mahdi (ajtf).
The founder and eader of the Isamc Repubc of Iran, the ate Ayatuah a-Udhma a-Ha||
Sayyd Ruhuah Khumayn (may hs sprt be sanctfed) stated the foowng n regards to
awatng the fna Imam (a|tf):
What has value is that a person stands up in opposition to oppression. He stands up and
puts an end to the face of despotism and does not permit inhuman acts of injustice to take
place this is what has value and worth!
We have a responsibility! It is not correct to believe that since we are awaiting the advent
of Imam al-Zaman (ajtf), we just sit at home, take the prayer beads (tasbih) in our hands
and merely repeats the prayer, may his return be a speedy one. Rather, the swift return of
the Imam must be made such by our own actions! We ourselves must lay the groundwork
for the return of the awaited Imam!
Therefore, we see that we have a very mportant roe n preparng ourseves and the
socety for the return of the Mahd (a|tf).
He s ave and vsts dfferent paces and takes an nterest n word events. He often
attends the assembes of the fathfu, but does not dscose hs true dentty. He w
reappear on the apponted day, and w fght aganst the forces of ev, ead a goba
revouton and set up a new word order based on |ustce, rghteousness and vrtue.
Aah n the Nobe Ouràn has ceary promsed that a day w come when truth w preva
and the rghteous w come to power:

...
Allah has promised those of you who believe and do good deeds that He will
surely make them successors on the Earth as He made those who were before
them and that He will surely establish their religion which He has chosen for
them... (Suratul Noor, 24: 55)
It s cear from ths and other verses that utmatey, the rghteous w take the word
admnstraton n ther hands and Isam w be vctorous over a the other regons.
However, as we are nstructed, those awatng the gorous advent and the eradcaton of a
forms of ev need to actvey engage n ayng the groundwork for the return of Imam a-
Mahd (May Aah hasten hs reappearance).
The book that you have n your hands detas over 80 responsbtes, dvded nto 99
chapters whch provde us wth practca steps that need to be performed and mpemented
n order to put n pace the foundatons for the advent of the Imam of our tme.
Some of the responsbtes mentoned n ths work perhaps are thngs whch we aready
perform on a reguar bass, wthout beng aware that they are our dutes towards the Imam.
By smpy shftng our ntenton and enactng them wth the thought n mnd that they are
beng done to heard the return of the Awated Savor, we can do our part to ensure that hs
advent s hastened and that we have done whatever s n our power to assst hm.
We woud ke to thank everyone who payed a roe n hepng ths pubcaton materaze,
for wthout your contnued support of ths and our other pubcatons, such works woud not
see the ght of day.
Our sncerest apprecaton s extended to the numerous prvate contrbutors, who have
requested anonymty, who gracousy donated fnancay to ths pro|ect. In addton, we
need to acknowedge the varous non-proft chartabe organzatons who aso contrbuted
fnancay `to ths work, specfcay the foowng (n aphabetca order): The Islamic
Humanitarian Service of Ktchener, Ontaro, Canada and The Mohsin and Fauzia Jaffer
Foundation of Oprngton, Forda, USA a of your rewards are wth Aah aone.
Our speca thanks are aso extended to Shaykh Tahr-Rdha |affer for hs metcuous proof
readng of the Arabc text of ths book and to Sster Arfa Hudda for a thorough revew and
edtng of the Engsh text not an easy task for ether of them gven ther other
responsbtes and commtments. Indeed, wthout the assstance of these two ndvduas,
ths pubcaton woud have further been deayed.
We pray to Aah that He grants a of the donors and anyone who had a roe n the
pubcaton of ths book the greatest bessngs, and keeps them under Hs Mercy and
Protecton, and that He accepts ths humbe work from us, and Insha-Aah, enabes us to be
among the hepers and Sha of Imam a-Zaman (may Aah hasten hs gorous advent).
Isamc Pubshng House
February 3rd, 2008 ce
Muharram 25th, 1429 ah
Martyrdom annversary of Imam A b. Husayn Zanu Abdn (peace be upon hm)
Introduction by the Author
A Prase beongs to Aah, the Lord of the Unverse. May the prayers and sautatons be
upon our master and eader, the chef of a the Prophets and those who have been sent by
Hm, the beoved of the Lord of the Unverse, the best of Hs creatons and the best of
humanty, Abu Oasm Muhammad (S).
In addton, may prayers and sautatons be upon hs famy, the rghteous and pure
Infaabes (as) especay the Remnants of Aah on Hs Earth, Imam a-Hu||ah bn Hasan
a-Askar (a|tf). Fnay, may the greetngs and sautatons be upon a of the great Mara|a
|sources of emuaton| of the fath and the shnng ghts of the Sharah the past and
present especay the ate Ayatuah Khumayn, may Aah be peased wth a of them.
The purpose of humantys creaton s for them to attan sprtua growth and advancement
towards the pnnaces of greatness and coseness to Aah, the Most Hgh. The ony path
whch one can traverse to reach ths staton s The Straght Path (as-Sratu Mustaqm) and
we cannot dverge from ths course.
Accordng to the accepted proofs1, The Straght Path s nothng other than the Imam whom
we have been ordered to foow. Therefore, n every tme perod, the Imam and Dvney
apponted proof of Aah, the Most Hgh, s the true straght path and hs s the ony
drecton whch eads towards happness n both words.
In the tme whch we are vng, whch s fu of trbuatons and caamtes, and durng ths
state of uneasness and angush, the straght path whch eads to Aah, the Most Hgh, s
none other than the 12th Imam who s n occutaton (ghaybah) and whose advent s
awated by a.
He s the proof of Aah on ths Earth, even though he s behnd the curtans of occutaton
and hs exampe s |ust ke the sun whch occasonay ves tsef behnd the couds;
however we st beneft from ts rays.
In fact, the twefth Imam (a|tf) has stated: Durng my perod of occutaton, you w beneft
from me |ust as you beneft from the sun when t goes behnd the couds and s veed from
your sght. Thus, I am the source of refuge and protecton for the peope of Earth.2
Durng the current age, acqurng marifah (a deep understandng and nsght nto the
Imam, hs characterstcs and trats), brngng about true fath and ove for hm, and
compete obedence to hm s the straght path of Aah and s the ony road towards
savaton and happness.
We must traverse ths path and must not show any apses rather, we must expend a of our
energes n attanng pety and conscousness of Aah so that we may reach to the hghest
eve of our goa. The purfcaton of our sou and the attanment of the conscousness of
Aah n our heart.
Taqwa of Aah s the ony component whch makes up the reaty of the straght path, and
s the true essence of the path. It s aso the same reaty and frm foundaton whch the
Imam and proof of Aah of our tme, a-Hu||at bn Hasan (as) has nvted hs Sha
(foowers) and those who are actvey awatng hs nobe advent to observe:

So be conscous of Aah, Ma|estc s Hs Gory, and hep us to save you from a sedtous
matter that s about to overcome you.3
He has aso stated:

Be conscous of Aah and submt to us and refer a affars to us.4
In addton, he has tod us:

The end resut, by vrtue of the exceent arrangement of Aah, Gorous s He, sha be
praseworthy for them (our foowers) because they avoded commttng the sns whch He
forbade them to perform.5
Those who have a cam over us are many the greatest of whch s Aah after Hm, Hs
frend (wali) and representatve on the Earth (khalifah) has a rght over us and thus, the
true defnton of taqwa s to fuf the rghts of these ndvduas.
The rghts whch must be observed whe on the path of truth and whch beong to the
representatve of Aah, Imam Wau Asr (a|tf) are many. Some are reated to partcuar
ndvduas, whe others are reated to the beevers n genera.
In ths work, we have restrcted ourseves to the second category the rghts reated to the
beevers n genera and as the reader can apprecate, we can ony cover some of them.
Our purpose n compng ths work was to make these responsbtes avaabe to the
overs of the Imam (a|tf) and those who are seekng to foow the path of true gudance. It s
hoped that the beevers w be abe to uphod these responsbtes whch we have to
Imam a-Hu||ah (a|tf).
In addton, the beevers w aso be acquanted wth responsbtes whch the Imam (a|tf)
hmsef has to fuf towards hs foowers.
In the current era, the enemes of the fath have ncreased and have been abe to use
varous weapons aganst the beevers. Through ther onsaught, they have aunched wars
aganst regon and those who foow Dvne gudance, and wthout doubt, one of ther ams
s to msgude the young generaton of Musms.
Unfortunatey, those who are unaware of ther persona responsbtes have faen nto the
trap of the enemes, and ether knowngy or unknowngy, has asssted them and may
actuay be at the forefront of hepng them.
The actons of the enemes of Isam, both n the past and present, have been enacted n
order to remove the aura of sprtuaty whch exsts amongst the true beevers and to
deude the peope from ther prmary goas of fe.
In such a tme, t s ncumbent upon the schoars and researchers of the fath of Isam to
eucdate upon the sprtua ssues and pure teachngs of the regon of Isam.
In order to further advance the sprtua teachngs, one must pay attenton to the
dscussons reated to Imam a-Zaman (a|tf) as he s the sprtua sun of the unverse and
the prmary reason for a sprtua movements. It s through the dssemnaton of these
teachngs that we w arrve to the best methods of expanng the sprtua ssues, whch
w n turn, have a favourabe mpact upon the entre Isamc socety.
Thus, we hope that ths book w ead to a contnuaton of dscussons n regards to Imam
a-Hu||ah (a|tf) especay those whch focus on the practca actons whch we must perform.
As mentoned prevousy, ths work focuses on the rghts and responsbtes whch the true
beevers have to the Imam. As we know, the best way whch one can fuf such
responsbtes s through purfcaton of the sou and n addton, a sprtua change must
take pace wthn each person and we must seek to mantan coseness to Aah.
Therefore, wth the permsson of Aah, and through the bessngs whch we pray are
showered upon us by Imam a-Mahd (a|tf), may our sous be sacrfced for hm, we hope to
be abe to reach our goa and encounter a favourabe end whe on ths path.
We pray that we are abe to grant contentment and happness to the Imam (a|tf) and that
we are gven a grand status for our endeavours.
Ths book s an abrdgment of varous books whch have been wrtten on ths topc and ts
contents has been extracted from works such as Mikyalul Makarim6 and Spiritual Links with
the Sacred Presence of the Mahdi7 however the work n your hands has been presented
wth sght modfcatons from these two books.
We have eucdated upon cose to eghty responsbtes, however when we ook at a the
responsbtes and ther sub categores as presented n ths book, the number reaches
nnety-nne.
Where we have deemed necessary and n order to offer a deeper expanaton, we have
dvded a duty nto numerous dscussons. Obvousy, a of the branches of that partcuar
responsbty are merey extensons of the prmary responsbty.
As you sha see, responsbtes whch are branches of the genera responsbty are noted
accordngy.
17th of Rab a-Awwa, 1420 ah
Brth Annversary of Prophet Muhammad b. Abduah (S) and Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-
Sadq (as) Sayyd Muhammad Rda Husan Mutaq
1. These proofs can be seen n the books of tradtons such as Bharu Anwar, and Usuu
Kaf n the dscussons reated to the Dvney apponted eadershp (Imamah).
2. Kama ad-Dn wa Tamam an-Nmah, pg. 483 the etter gven by the Imam n response
to questons by Ishaq b. Yaqub; a-Iht|a| (a-Tabrs), vo. 2, pg. 284
3. Bharu Anwar, vo. 53, pg. 175, sec. 31, no. 8 (the etter wrtten by the Imam to Shaykh
a-Mufd)
4. a-Ghaybah of Shaykh Tus, pg. 285; Bharu Anwar, vo. 53, pg. 179, sec. 31, no. 9
5. a-Iht|a|, pg. 498 (The etter wrtten by the Imam to Shaykh a-Mufd); Bharu Anwar,
vo. 53, pg. 177, sec. 31, no. 8
6. Wrtten by the ate Ayatuah Sayyd Muhammad Taq Musaw ISfahan.
7. Wrtten by the ate Sadru Isam Mrza A Akbar Hamdan.
Responsibility 1: Marifat of the Imam
(as) Part 1
One of the most mportant responsbtes for a Sha s to acqure marfah (a detaed and
profound understandng) of the Imam of the tme, and the testmony to ths can be seen n
both the ogca and narrated proofs (ahadth).
It s cear from the tradtons that we must know the characterstcs and specfc trats of the
Imam (as) whom we are a obged to foow. Ths must be done so that we do not mstake
hm for someone who cams hs status. In addton, there are aso numerous tradtons
whch obge us to have a marfah of our Imam (as).
It has been reated from Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) that the Prophet of Aah
sad:

One who des whe he does not have marfah of the Imam (as) of hs tme, des the death
of |ahyyah (the perod of Ignorance before the tme of the Prophet (saws))1
In another tradton, ths one from the eeventh Imam, Hasan A a-Askar (as), t s
mentoned that:

:
:
:

Unquestonaby, the Earth can never reman devod of a hu||at (proof) of Aah over Hs
creatons. Indeed the person who des wthout recognzng the Imam of hs age has ded the
death of |ahyyah. The Imam (as) contnued: Surey ths (the ssue of an Imam exstng
for a ages) s true, |ust as the (exstence of) he fre s true.
It was sad to the Imam: O son of the Messenger of Aah! Who s the hu||at and Imam
after you? The Imam reped: My son, Muhammad s the Imam and hu||at after me.
Whoever des and has not recognzed hm (as hs Imam) has ded the death of |ahyyah.2
Wthout doubt, the meanng of these tradtons whch state that t s obgatory to recognze
the Imam of the tme s that those who possess true fath must know the Imam n the way
and to the extent that woud ead to ther happness n ths word and the next.
In addton, the recognton of the Imam must be such that there remans no room for
msgudance or confuson n regards to ths nobe personaty.
Thus, recognton can be dvded nto two types:
1. Marfah of the personaty of the Imam;
2. Marfah of the Imam hmsef.
In order to acqure these two forms of marfah, we must refer to the wrtngs of the
schoars of the fath.3
We must reaze that recognzng the character and personaty of the Imam can ony be
acheved through understandng hs quates, attrbutes and speca trats whch are reated
to the status of Imamate.
If we are successfu n becomng acquanted wth the status of Imamate, ts centra roe n
Isam and ts characterstcs and quates, then we w become acquanted wth any Imam
snce a of the A`mmah are created from one nur (Dvne ceesta ght) and n the words
of the eaders of true gudance themseves:
The frst of us s Muhammad, the mdde of us s Muhammad and the ast of us s
Muhammad!4 Thus, we must have marfah of the merts and exceence of a of our
A`mmah (as) snce they share these trats amongst themseves
On the other hand, we must aso become acquanted wth the merts of exceence whch
are specfc to the Imam whom we wsh to know more about so that our marfah of hm can
become compete. Ths form of marfah can be acqured through knowedge of hs name,
tte, ttes of appeaton, geneaogy, characterstcs, vrtues, and other trats whch reate to
the specfc tme and pace n whch he ves.
The mnmum and maxmum mts of these two types of marfah of the Imam can be
understood by our nteect and n bref, we w menton the mnmum mt as stated n the
tradtons.
Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) has sad: The mnmum eve of marfah of the
Imam s to know that he s on par wth the Prophet except n the status of prophethood. The
Imam s the nhertor of the Prophet, and obedence to the Imam s equvaent to obedence
of Aah and the Messenger of Aah.
Thus, you must submt to the Imam n a ssues, and a questons must be referred to hm.
You must act n accordance wth hs commands and must know that the Imam after the
Messenger of Aah was A b. Ab Tab (as). After hm t was Hasan (as), then Husan (as),
then A b. a-Husan (as), then Muhammad b. A (as), then |afar b. Muhammad (as), then
Musa b. |afar (as), then A b. Musa (as), then Muhammad b. A (as), then A b.
Muhammad (as), then Hasan b. A (as) and then a-Hu||ah b. a-Hasan (a|tf) these are
your eaders.5
As was prevousy mentoned, n order to recognze the Imam, we must know hs name,
ttes of appeaton, the name of hs father and other ncdenta facts. However, we must
aso know hs quates of exceence and speca merts.
The Imam of our tme (a|tf) shares the same frst name as the Prophet Muhammad (S). Hs
tte s aso the same as that of the Prophet of Aah (S) (Abu Oasm) and hs tte of
appeaton s a-Mahd. He has a beautfu back mark on hs rght shouder bade, a very
handsome face wth a nose that s sghty protruded and s of average heght.
In addton, we aso need to understand the specates reated to the tme and pace of the
Imam and the events surroundng hm ncudng hs actons and speech.
For exampe, we need to know that n order for the Imam to make hs advent, fve sgns
must be fufed. We know that when he makes hs appearance, the Earth woud be fu of
oppresson and corrupton. However, before hs advent, a sound w be heard from the sky
an mage of a hand w be seen on the moon the staff of Musa w be seen wth hm and
many other sgns.
It shoud be noted that a of these sgns are mentoned n the books of tradtons6 and the
appearance of these w herad hs return. In addton, there are aso other speca sgns
reated to hm whch we must know and understand. Therefore knowng these sgns
consttutes one of the ways n whch we can recognze our vng Imam.
1. Bharu Anwar, vo. 53, pg. 175, sec. 31, no. 7; a-Iht|a|, pg. 498
2. Wasa` ash-Sha, vo. 11, pg. 491, sec. 33, no. 23
3. Books such as: a-Ghaybah, wrtten by Shaykh Muhammad b. Ibrahm Numan better
known as Ibne Ab Zanab; a-Ghaybah of Shaykh Tus; Na|m a-Thaqb of Shaykh Tabrs
Nur; Kama ad-Dn wa Tamam an-Nmah of Shaykh Saduq; Ayan ash-Sha (secton on
Imam a-Mahd); Bharu Anwar (secton on Imamah and the book of Imam a-Mahd); Usu
a-Kaf, vo. 1 and 2.
4. a-Ghaybah of Numan, pg. 85; Bharu Anwar, vo. 36, pg. 399, sec. 46, no. 9
5. a-Burhan, vo. 2, pg. 35, no. 3
6. Books such as a-Ghaybah of Shaykh Muhammad b. Ibrahm Numan better known as
Ibne Ab Zanab; a-Ghaybah of Shaykh Tus; Na|m a-Thaqb of Shaykh Tabrs Nur; Kama
ad-Dn wa Tamam an-Nmah of Shaykh Saduq.
Part 2
Another responsbty whch the beevers have s to ask Aah for a thorough marfah of
Imam a-Zaman (a|tf) and one must be sncere n prayng for ths.
|ust as was prevousy stated, after attanng the marfah of Aah and Hs Messenger (S),
the next most mportant acton for the beevers s to have marfah of Wau Amr, Imam
a-Zaman (a|tf).
Ony Aah can grant ths eve of marfah to hs servants for ths s somethng whch s out
of the power of human bengs to acqure wthout the hep of Aah. Thus, ths marfah
cannot be acheved through a persons own strugges as ths s a nur (Dvne ceesta ght)
whch Aah paces n the heart of those whom He wshes. Therefore, we must request the
recognton of our Imam from the Amghty through suppcatons.
It has been narrated that Muhammad b. Hakm sad to Abu Abdah, |afar b. Muhammad
as-Sadq (as):

Who s responsbe for grantng ths marfah (of the Imam)? He reped: It s the dong of
Aah and the servants have no roe n t (on ther own - wthout the nterventon of Aah).1
In order to arrve at the recognton of the Imam, the foowng suppcaton s very effectve:
...
O Aah! Grant me marfah of Your Sef...2
1. a-Kaf, vo. 1, pg. 163, sec. on the Necessty of Havng a Hu||ah, no. 2
2. The fu text of ths suppcaton w be mentoned n the next responsbty.
Part 3
Rectng the suppcatons whch the Ahu Bayt (as) has advsed us s another responsbty
of the beevers. The books of tradton have stated that the foowng suppcaton shoud be
rected and ths s ceary seen n the foowng tradton.
It has been narrated from Zurarah that he heard Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as)
say:
: : :
:

!
:
.
.
.
Very there s a perod of occutaton for my son before he makes hs advent. It was sad
to the Imam: And why s ths? The Imam reped: He w be frghtened and paced hs
hand on hs abdomen and then sad: O Zurarah! He s the one who w be awated, and he
s the one whom the peope w have doubt n wth regards to hs brth.
Some peope w say: Hs father ded wthout a chd others w say Hs mother was
pregnant wth hm (when hs father ded) others w say He was born two years before hs
father passed away and he s awated, for surey Aah, the Nobe and Grand, oves to test
the Sha and t s then that the mpugners begn to doubt. O Zurarah! If you wtness that
perod (of confuson) then suppcate wth ths suppcaton:

.
.

O Aah! Grant me marfah of Yoursef for f I do not have the marfah of You then I w
never know Your Prophet. O Aah! Grant me marfah of Your Messenger for f I do not have
the marfah of Your Messenger than I w never know Your Representatve. O Aah! Grant
me marfah of Your Representatve for f I do not have the marfah of Your Representatve,
then surey I have gone astray from my regon.1
1. a-Kaf, vo. 1, pg. 337; a-Ghaybah of Numan, pg. 166, no. 6
Part 4
Another responsbty of the true beevers s to be famar wth the sgns of the
reappearance of Imam a-Zaman (a|tf).
|ust as was prevousy mentoned, t s mportant for us to recognze the sgns of hs return,
as ths s actuay consdered as a part of knowng the Imam. There are numerous sgns
whch w herad hs advent and they are dvded nto two categores:
1. Sgns whch are absoute and w defntey happen.
2. Sgns whch may or may not take pace.
Accordng to the narratons, t s obgatory to know and understand both types of sgns.
However, t s much more mportant to know the frst type those that w defntey occur
before hs return.
Accordng to the Isamc narratons, the sgns that must occur before the Imam w return
are fve wth a sma dscrepancy n some of them (due to there beng varous tradtons n
ths regards). The dfferences n the sgns w become obvous when we ook at them
drecty from the tradtons.
In bref, these sgns are:
1. The arrva of Sufyan.
2. The arrva and uprsng of Yaman.
3. A oud nose from the sky.
4. The kng of a pure sou (Nafs-e-Zakyyah).
5. The snkng of Bayda`.
It has aso been mentoned n the tradtons that the mage of a hand w be seen on the
moon and ths s aso consdered as one of the defnte sgns.
Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) has sad:
:

There are fve (defnte) sgns for the return of a-Oam (a|tf) the appearance of a-Sufyan
(the appearance of) a-Yaman, a oud cry from the sky, the kng of a pure sou |an-Nafs a-
Zakyyah|; and the cavng n (of the earth) at Bayda`.1
It has been mentoned n the tradtons that a-Sufyan s a reddsh whte cooured man wth
a back eye and that he w make hs advent durng the month of Ra|ab. We are tod that he
w take over a few countres of the word and that the advent of a-Mahd (a|tf) w be n
the same year.
After many vctores, a-Sufyan w turn hs attenton towards Iraq and t s at ths tme that
Imam a-Mahd (a|tf) w make hs advent from Makkah. At ths pont, a arge contngent of
forces w be sent to attack the Imam (by a-Sufyan), however when ths army w reach
the pace known as Bayda` a ocaton between Makkah and Madnah they w be swaowed
nto the Earth.
In addton, before the advent of the Imam (a|tf), many uprsngs w take pace such as the
revots of a-Hasan and a-Yaman and accordng to some tradtons, the uprsng of a-
Yaman s aso one of the defnte sgns.
The hearng of two cres one from the sky and the other from wthn the Earth s aso one of
the defnte sgns. Durng the frst ca, |bra` w ca the name of Imam a-Oa`m (a|tf) and
hs father and w procam that the truth s wth A bn. Ab Tab (as) and hs Sha
(foowers). Everyone w hear ths ca n ther own anguage and even the women who are
n ther house behnd ocked doors w hear the ca.
As we, before the advent of the Imam, a nobe person w be ked durng the Ha|| rtes n
Makkah. In the tradtons, ths person has been referred to as the Pure Sou or an-Nafs a-
Zakyyah. Detaed nformaton about ths ndvdua has been mentoned n the books
concernng the occutaton of Imam a-Zaman (a|tf).
The mportance of knowng the sgns whch w take pace before the advent of our Imam,
especay the defnte sgns that must occur, can best be understood when we revew the
hstory of Isam.
We see that some other sgns may have aready taken pace and thus, a number of peope
fasey camed to be the Mahd (a|tf) Wthout doubt, these peope have faen out of the fod
of Isam and t s they who are msguded and are eft aone n utter sprtua darkness.
The reason for them fang nto ths state s that they were not acquanted wth the sgns
reated to the advent and uprsng of the Imam such that they coud foow them. In
addton, they acked awareness of the specfc sgns whch w herad n the advent of the
Imam.
If they had knowedge of these sgns, then they woud not have been ed astray and woud
have stayed frm on the Imamate and Wayat of the Imam (as). They woud not have been
fooed nor woud they have mstaken anyone ese for the rea Mahd (a|tf).
Possessng a marfah of the sgns of the advent, especay the defnte sgns whch must
take pace, heps us n dfferentatng between truth and fasehood, and by recognzng
Imam a-Zaman (a|tf), we woud actuay ook forward to and prepare the groundwork for hs
uprsng. We woud aso not fater n our obedence to hm or our deay n adherng to hm.
It has been narrated by Zurarah that Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) has sad:

: .

: : .

A caer w announce from the sky: Certany so and so s the eader. Then a caer w
announce: Certany A (as) and hs foowers are the vctorous ones. I sad to the Imam:
So then who w fght aganst the Mahd (a|tf) after ths (ca)? The Imam reped:
Unquestonaby, Satan w aso ca out: Certany, so and so and hs foowers w be the
successfu ones meanng a man from the trbe of Ban Umayyah.
I sad to the Imam: So then how w a person be abe to recognze the truthfu one from the
mposter? The Imam reped: Those who narrate tradtons w recognze (the dfference)
and they w say that t (the ca from the sky) w come before (the advent), and they w
understand ths and w know that they (the ones who make the frst ca) are speakng the
truth.2
1. a-Ghaybah of Numan, sec. 252 on the sgns of the return, no. 9
2. a-Ghaybah of Numan, pg. 246, no. 28
Responsibility 5: Fulfilling the Rights of
the Imam
Another responsbty of the Sha, s to fuf the rghts whch the Imam has over us.
Wthout doubt, the most mportant rght whch we owe to others starts wth those whch we
owe to Aah, foowed by the Messenger of Aah and then the rghts whch we must fuf to
our Imam. Obvousy, the rghts whch our Imam demands from us must be carred out n
the most perfect way.
In regards to ths responsbty, there are numerous tradtons whch have been mentoned.
Snce t s not possbe to narrate a of them, we suffce wth one tradton from the
Infabes whch states:

Any rght or prvege whch beongs to Aah, the Most Hgh, s aso a prvege that beongs
to us (the Ahu Bayt).1
1. Mkya a-Makarm, vo. 2, pg. 282; n Bharu Anwar, vo. 27, pg. 314, sec. 9, no. 11 t s
mentoned wth a sght varaton n the wordng.
Responsibility 6: Inviting People to the
Imam
The next responsbty whch rests upon the shouders of the beevers s to nvte others to
have a better knowedge of the Imam and to hep them advance n ther convcton. In
addton, the beevers must aso be ready to gude one another to the hghest pnnaces of
marfah of the Imam.
There are many proofs whch stress the mportance of ths responsbty, such as Amr b
Maruf (en|onng others to what s rght) and the benefts whch are gven to gudng peope
to the path of truth.
We are tod that each person must nvte others to the path of the Imam n accordance wth
ther eve of awareness and understandng of the Imam. One must educate others on the
characterstcs of the Imam, hs mora fber and other ssues reated to hm, and n actuaty,
ths s a responsbty whch we a share towards ths nobe personaty and t s through
ths act that we brng ourseves coser to the Imam.
A person who s actve n ths sort of nvtaton must not ony possess the theoretca
knowedge of the Imam (and of Isam), rather he must aso manfest ths knowedge
through hs actons.
As we know, t s through both the theoretca knowedge and our practca actons that we
are abe to educate and gude the peope towards the Imam so that they too may be abe to
take hm as ther own persona exampe and gude to foow n fe.
Wthout a doubt, nvtng others to the path of gudance through ones practca actons has
a greater effect than merey possessng theoretca knowedge.
From another pont of vew, we see that a person who s engaged n nvtng others to the
way of the Imam must aso empoy good exhortaton and advce, and through a
combnaton of these methods, shoud gude others towards the Imam.
If needed, the path of warnng (of the punshment of Aah) can aso be used so that the
hearts of the peope are awakened to the truths around them and so that ther sprtua
sous are kept envened.
A person nvtng to the Imam must aso be abe to make use of the reabe proofs
(tradtons) and wth the varous proofs and ogca arguments avaabe, shoud be abe to
convnce others of the exstence of the Imam and acquant them wth ther true eader.
One of the Infabes has sad:

Surey the schoar who nstructs the peope n matters of ther regon and nvtes them to
ther Imam s better than seventy thousand worshppers.1
In another tradton, ths one from Imam A b. Muhammad a-Had (as) t s stated that:

.

If after the occutaton of your Oa`m (a|tf) there were not to reman a person from
amongst the schoars who nvte towards hm (the Imam) gude others to hm defend hs
regon by the proofs of Aah, rescue the downtrodden servants of Aah from the snares of
Ibs and hs hoards, and the traps of the enemes (of the Ahu Bayt), then there woud not
reman a snge person (on Earth) except that he woud have eft the regon of Aah.
However, these schoars take t upon themseves to be the protectors of the hearts of our
downtrodden Sha |ust as the captan of a boat takes contro of the ves and safety of
those on hs shp. Thus, these (schoars the Uama) are the best peope n the sght of
Aah, the Nobe and Great.2
1. Mkya a-Makarm, vo. 2, pg. 274
2. Bharu Anwar, vo. 2, pg. 6, sec. 8, no. 12
Responsibility 7: Relating the Merits and
Qualities of the Imam
Another responsbty s to menton the merts and quates of Imam a-Mahd (a|tf). The
narratons have encouraged the beevers to do ths for a of the Infabe A`mmah (as)
and specfcay Imam a-Asr (a|tf).
Wthout doubt, mentonng and remndng others of the merts and vrtues of the Imam s
the same as mentonng goodness n tsef (as the Imams are the personfcaton of
everythng good) and ths s one of the best actons whch a beever can perform and s a
way to show enmty towards Satan.
Imam Musa b. |afar a-Kadhm (as) has sad:

Indeed when two beevers meet one another and remember Aah and then menton the
greatness of us the Ahu Bayt (as), no fesh remans on the face of Ibs (Satan) except that
t gets wrnked and hs sou cres out due to the severty of the pan (he fees).1
In a tradton from Imam A b. Husan as-Sa||ad (as), t s stated that:

As for the rght of the person who has done good to you over you, t s that you shoud
thank hm, remember hs favor and spread (to others) good words about hm.2
1. a-Kaf, vo. 2, pg. 188, no. 7
2. Tuhaf a-Uqu, pg. 265; Makarm a-Akhaq, pg. 459
Responsibility 8: Taking Part in
Religious Gatherings
The next responsbty s to take part n gatherngs n whch the merts of Imam a-Mahd
(a|tf) are mentoned or n whch hs nobe ancestors are remembered. We must be present
n such gatherngs and through our presence, offer a sprtua gft to these great
personates and make such programs dynamc as ths s one of the sgns of true ove for
our Imam.
A companon narrated that Imam Muhammad b. A a-Baqr (as) sad:
... :
:

Do you secude yourseves and speak to one another about whatever peases you (n
regards to the teachngs of Aah)? I reped: Yes, by Aah. The Imam reped: I swear by
Aah that surey I woud ove to be wth you n some of these gatherngs.
Surey, by Aah I ove the peasant aroma that emanates from you (by hodng such
gatherngs) and I ove your sous! Surey you are a on the regon of Aah and the regon
of Hs Anges so hep (one another) to observe pety and strugge (n these regards).1
1. a-Kaf, vo. 2, pg. 187, no. 5
Responsibility 9: Arranging Religious
Gatherings
Another responsbty of the beevers s to arrange gatherngs n whch Imam a-Zaman
(a|tf) s mentoned, as ths s aso a sgn of ones ove for the Imam. If a true beever s we
versed n pubc speakng and s abe to speak about the Imam and hs quates, then he
must perform ths act.
Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) sad to Fudha:
: :

Do you gather and dscuss (about us the Ahu Bayt)? Fudha sad: Yes, may I be
sacrfced for you! The Imam sad: Very I ove such gatherngs, so keep our teachngs
ave O Fudha! May the mercy of Aah be upon a person who keeps our teachngs ave.1
Indeed, estabshng such gatherngs s the true essence of hepng the regon of Aah and
the Hu||ah of our tme and w resut n the spread of the regon of truth.
In fact, t s possbe that at certan tmes, t may actuay become obgatory to estabsh
such programs. For exampe, f there s a possbty of danger comng to the regon and
peope are beng ed astray, then n order to save the fath and protect the sous of the
peope, t w become obgatory to hod such gatherngs.
Responsibility 10: Written Propagation
of the Imam
Another responsbty s to recte poetry, wrte books or other such thngs n whch the
merts and vrtues of the Imam are mentoned. Such wrtngs shoud aso contan prase and
admraton of the Imam and words of consoaton, soace and amentaton for hm (snce he
s n the ma|or occutaton).
Of course, ths shoud be carred out accordng to ones abty and ndeed, ths s one way
n whch we can hep the regon and our Imam. The pure A`mmah (as) used to
recommend ther foowers to exto the vrtues of the Ahu Bayt (as) through ther words
and deeds and there are many tradtons n ths regard.
For exampe, Imam A b. Musa a-Rdha (as) has sad:

There s not a snge beever who rectes a poem n our (the Ahu Bayts) prase except
that Aah buds for hm a cty n Paradse whose expanse s more than the word seven
tmes over and wheren a the cosest Anges (to Aah) and every apponted Messenger w
come to vst hm.1
Responsibility 11: Absolute Obedience
to the Imam
Another responsbty of the beevers s to obey the Imam, durng the tme of hs advent
and aso durng hs occutaton. Obeyng hm means that we must adhere to the egsatons
sent by Aah.
Durng the perod of the occutaton, obeyng the Imam can be acheved by foowng the
commandments of hs nobe ancestors whch are found n the books of narratons.
Imam A b. Husan as-Sa||ad (as) has sad:

There s no honour except by beng Godwary, and there s no acton except when
accompaned by the (correct) ntenton, and there s no worshp except wth contempaton.
Surey the most hated of peope n the sght of Aah s one who foows the tradton of the
Imam, however does not foow hm n hs actons.1
In a second tradton from one of the Imams t has been stated:

Be a beautfcaton for us (the Ahu Bayt) and not a source of embarrassment to us.2
In a fna tradton for ths responsbty, we quote the words of the sxth Imam, |afar b.
Muhammad as-Sadq (as) who sad:

Indeed we do not cassfy a person as a true beever unt he foows a of our teachngs.
Certany pety s attaned by foowng our teachngs so beautfy yourseves wth t, may
Aah have mercy upon you, and hurt our enemes wth t and Aah w enven your
sprts.3
1. a-Kaf, vo. 8, pg. 234, sec. 8, no. 312
3. a-Kaf, vo. 2, pg. 78, sec. a-Wara, no. 13
Responsibility 12: Giving the Imam
Priority in our Lives
Another responsbty of the beevers s to pace the wshes and desres of Imam a-Zaman
(a|tf) above our own wshes and desres. A true beever must aways gve precedence to
the Imams requests over hs own peasure and happness.
Before a beever carres out a task, one must frst thnk to hmsef f that acton s n
accordance wth the wshes of the Imam or not? If one fees that the Imam w be happy
wth t, then one shoud go ahead and foow through and that too ony to earn the Imams
satsfacton and not for ones own peasure or to satsfy hs ower desres.
If an acton one wshes to perform w not pease the Imam, then one shoud not perform t.
In essence, a beever shoud try to strugge aganst the ower sef n order to earn the
satsfacton of the Imam.
A person who acts n ths manner w defntey earn the attenton of the Imam and w be
of those whom the Imam w ove. In turn, the Imam w remember that person n a postve
way and suppcate for hm.
The foowng tradton narrated by Ab Abdah, Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as)
sheds more ght on ths ssue n whch a person asked the Imam a queston:

.

.

Why do I hear you speak so much about Saman a-Fars, O my master? The Imam
reped: Do not ca hm Saman a-Fars, rather refer to hm as Saman a-Muhammad. Do
you know why I speak so much about hm? The man reped to the Imam: No I do not
know. The Imam sad: Because of three trats whch he possessed.
The frst one s that he preferred the wshes and desres of the Commander of the Fathfu,
A. Ab Tab (as) over hs own desres. The second reason s because he oved poor peope
and preferred them over those who had weath and rches. The thrd reason s due to hs
ove of knowedge and those who possess knowedge (the Uama). Unquestonaby Saman
was a servant (of Aah), rghteous, uprght, submssve (to Aah) and he was not from
among the poythests.1
Responsibility 13: Knowing the Scholars
of the Faith
Another responsbty s to know the narrators of tradtons, schoars of the regon and
those who are we acquanted wth the tradtons of the Ahu Bayt (as), especay those
who (n addton to knowng these scences), act accordng to what they know.
These are none other the peope who make up the gorous chan of great |ursprudents and
respected schoars (who are worthy of beng foowed).
The second secton of ths responsbty s to obey the rungs of such schoars and ths s
one of the most mportant responsbtes of a servant of Aah durng the occutaton.
Rather, even n the perod of the Imams advent, ths w aso be one of the most mportant
dutes.
Durng the occutaton, t s obgatory to have fath n and testfy to such schoars and t s
aso mandatory upon the peope to perform taqd (to foow) one of the Mu|tahdn from
amongst them.
It goes wthout sayng that a detaed dscusson regardng taqd cannot be covered n ths
book. However n bref we can state that durng the perod of occutaton, a true beever
has one of three choces, He hmsef becomes a Mu|tahd; he acts accordng to precauton
(Ihtyat) n the performance of a hs actons or becomes a muqad whch means that he
foows a person who s at the hghest eve of I|thad.
If one does not ft nto the frst two categores, then one must perform taqd of a Mar|a
who fufs a of the requrements to be foowed1 n a areas of the Furu ad-Dn (the
practca Isamc reguatons).
|ust as the narrators of tradtons and the schoars of the regon have been ordered to
gude the peope n ther regous n|unctons and ssues reated to the next fe, so too the
peope have been commanded to take gudance from such schoars of the fath.
Through reyng upon our ntegence and the Isamc proofs, we can deduce that not ony s
t permssbe to refer to the peope of knowedge when an ssue comes up, rather t s the
ony way to acheve success and reach our goas!
The Ouràn ceary tes us:

Ask the people of the remembrance (those who have knowledge on a particular
issue) if you do not know. (16:43)
In regards to ssues of the next fe and ths transent word and how to acheve success n
both, the ony path of savaton es n referrng to the peope of knowedge and those who
are permtted to express ther opnon the schoars of the fath who act accordng to ther
knowedge.
At the head of a responsbtes whch we have, t s ths one whch makes the duty of a
true beever cear n regards to the representatve (of Aah).
It s through foowng ths commandment that a persons actons, n reaton to the fe of
ths transent word and the next, are gven a stabe footng; t s under the shadow of
obeyng the commandments of the Mar|a through the act of taqd that obedence to the
Imam s reazed t s aso through ths act that happness n ths transent fe and the next
word are guaranteed.
In reaty, foowng the commandments of the Imam can never materaze except under
the shadow of obedence to a Mar|a who fufs a of the requrements to be foowed2 and
ths status can be referred to as Wayatu Faqh or the Guardanshp of the |ursprudent.
The ony way that one can obey Imam a-Mahd (a|tf) s by obedence to hs genera
representatve, as t s ths person who s at the forefront of the narrators of the tradton,
schoars and caers towards the fath.
The prncpe of Wayatu Faqh s the foremost foundaton of Isam and the person who
wshes to possess true fath durng the perod of occutaton must beeve n and accept
ths.
Even f the term Wa a-Faqh s thought of as beng coned n our current era, we see that t
smpy means to foow the Mar|a who fufs a of the requrements (of beng foowed) as
t s he who s responsbe for eadng the Isamc socety.
He s the one who s permtted to ead the Musm communty as they have accepted hs
eadershp and authorty (Wayah). Therefore, once he s entrusted wth ths authorty, hs
obedence s at the pnnace of a obgatory acts.
Wthout doubt, t s obgatory to obey a of those who narrate the tradtons and are
consdered as true schoars of the fath, however f from amongst these, there are Mara|a
who fuf the requrements, and amongst ths seect group there s an ndvdua who s
recognzed as the Wa a-Faqh, then he s the frst one who must be foowed snce he
possesses the guardanshp over the entre Musm naton.
As we know, foowng Imam a-Hu||ah (a|tf) can ony be done under the shadow of foowng
the orders of the Wa a-Faqh who has taken on the responsbty of guardanshp of the
entre communty. Therefore, to dsobey hs orders s tantamount to dsobeyng the
commandments of Imam a-Hu||ah (a|tf).

Aah, the Most Hgh, sad to Isa: Hod the schoars n great esteem and recognze ther
greatness snce surey I have granted them greatness above a My creatons, wth the
excepton of those who have been sent as Prophets and Messengers |ust ke the sun en|oys
greatness over the other stars, and the next fe en|oys greatness over the transent word,
and ke My greatness over a other thngs.3
In a etter whch Imam a-Hu||ah (a|tf) wrote to Ishaq b. Yaqub, he stated:

()
As for (gudance n) the events whch transpre, refer to those who narrate our tradtons,
snce they are my proof over a of you and I am the proof of Aah (over them).4
In a tradton from Imam Hasan b. A a-Askar, he sad:

As for the one who s from amongst the Fuqaha (schoars) and who protects hs sou safe
guards hs fath goes aganst the passons of hs owy desres obeys the commands of hs
master (Aah) t s requred that the common peope shoud foow hm. However these
characterstcs are present ony n some of the Fuqaha of the Sha not a of them.5
1. Refer to the Tawdhu Masa of any Mar|a Taqd, secton on Taqd, ssue 1
2. A Mu|tahd who fufs a of the requrements ||amu Sharat| n order to be foowed
must possess the foowng quates: mae, mature (Bagh), Sha Ithna-Asher, of
egtmate brth, ave and |ust (Ad), one who protects hs own sou (from sns), one who
protects and safeguards hs regon, one who goes aganst the desres of hs ower sou
and foows the commands of Aah, the Most Hgh. (Rsaah Tawdhu Masa, secton on
Taqd, ssue 2)
3. Bharu Anwar, vo. 2, pg. 25, sec. 8, no. 91; Munyat a-Murd, pg. 121, sec. on the
Greatness of Knowedge
4. Wasa` ash-Sha, vo. 18, pg. 101, secton 11, no. 9; Bharu Anwar, vo. 2, pg. 90, sec.
14, no. 13
5. Wasa` ash-Sha, vo. 27, pg. 131, sec. 10, no. 33401; Bharu Anwar, vo. 2, pg. 88, sec.
14, no. 12; a-Iht|a| (Tabrs), vo. 2, pg. 283
Responsibility 14: Imitating Those
Spiritually Close to Allah
Another responsbty s to mtate the cose, ntmate frends of Aah. The Awyah and The
Dvne Gnostcs. Ths means that t s obgatory to sprtuay trave towards Aah and to
foow those who have reached the staton of unon and annhaton n Aah.
One must strve to become ke those who have decorated themseves wth the Dvne
vrtuous trats and etquette have reached ofty statons of marfah of Aah and arrved to
the pnnaces of ther sprtua mgraton to the Amghty. Whe on ths path, the beever
must cut hmsef off from a other ndvduas n hs fe other than those who are on ths
path.
Amongst the schoars of the regon and those who narrate the tradtons of the pure and
nfabe Ahu Bayt (as) and those who practce what they know wth true sncerty, there s
a group who through ther hard work, have attaned the status of the sncere ndvduas (a-
MukhSun).
It s ths group of peope who possess compete marfah of Aah, and through sprtua
unon wth Hm, have competey annhated themseves n Hs Sacred Essence.
It s ncumbent upon the true beevers to go n search of these peope so that through
them, the beevers are guded. It s through foowng ther drecton that one can beneft
from the sprngs of goodness whch they possess and through whch one may be abe to
reach the hghest goas.
Accordng to the nteect and the tradtons, t s obgatory to foow these schoars as they
are at the sprtua forefront over a others. These schoars must be sought after throughout
the entre Earth and one must be abe to dentfy them and know who they are. Once ths s
accompshed, one must then strengthen hs aspratons and become a dscpe of such
peope.
Through both the nner beng and the outer sef, one must have fu trust n them and not
devate from ther path even n the sghtest. It s under the shadow of ther gudance that a
true beever w be abe to reach hs goa - the ofty eves of sprtua coseness to Aah _
and purfcaton of the sou.
Through ths, one w become a true manfestaton of the coecton of verses of the Ouràn
whch start wth:
...
Surely successful are the true believers...1
In every era, there are certan ndvduas who make up the pure tree (Sha|aratu Tayybah)
and for the one who s searchng for the truth, fndng such ndvduas s:

Easier than all other easy tasks.
Those who wsh to foow ths responsbty must seek to be amongst those whom Imam
|afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) has spoken n regards to when he sad: I swear by the
One who hods my fe n Hs hands.
Very on the and and ts surroundngs, there are true beevers for whom the entre
transent word does not even measure n the worth of the wng of a fy.If the entre
matera word and a that s wthn t and upon t was to be turned nto god and was to be
put around ther neck and was then to fa off of ther neck, they woud not even fee that
somethng was on ther neck nor woud they reaze that somethng had faen off!
After expanng some of the characterstcs of the cose, ntmate frends of Aah, then
Imam went on to say: Ahh!
How I ong to st and speak wth these peope and how much gref I have for that whch they
have - however by sttng wth them, my gref woud go away! I am ookng for these peope
and when I fnd them and beneft from ther Dvney granted Lght, then I too sha be
guded. Through them, we w a be successfu n ths fe and n the next.
Such peope are more scarce than red suphur. Ther ornament s ther proonged sence,
keepng of secrets, estabshng the Saat, Zakat, Ha|| and Fastng, beng n soace, hepng
ther brothers n fath when they have the abty and even when they are n dffcuty.
These are ther ornaments and thngs that they ove to do. Gad tdngs upon these peope
and what a good return (from Aah) they w have! These are the peope who sha be the
nhertors of the Fradus wheren they sha abde for eternty.2
The Nobe Prophet _ had stated: O Usamah! Ths group of peope sha have knowedge of
a corners of the Earth. Anytme the Mhrab (pace of worshp) w not fnd them wthn
them, they w ament!
Thus, take these peope as your treasure and worth t s possbe that through them you
sha be saved from the dffcutes of ths transent word and the fears and uncertantes of
the Day of Resurrecton! Ensure that you foow the path they are on because f you eave
ther path, then your feet sha defntey trembe and you w sp nto the he-fre.3
In a tradton from Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) , we read:

When the ove of Aah umnates the nner sef of a servant, t dstracts hm from a
preoccupatons and a thoughts other than Aah. One who oves (Aah) w become the
most sncere of a peope to Hm n secret the most truthfu n words; the most fathfu n
hs promse, the purest n deeds, the most earnest n rememberance (of Aah) and the
most obedent n worshp.
The Anges w be deghted when he whspers (to hs Lord) and w fee proud when they
see hm. It s because of hm that Aah makes Hs ands prosper; and n favour of hs honour
w Aah honour Hs servants.
He gves them when they beseech Hm n hs name, and He wards off msfortunes on
account of Hs mercy (for hm). Had the creaton known the actua status and standng of
such a ovng servant wth Amghty Aah, they woud not have sought nearness to Aah
except by the dust of hs feet!4
1. Suratu Mumnun (23), verse 1; Suratu Aa (87), verse 14; Suratu Shams (91), verse 9
3. The Sprtua Lnk wth the Sacred Essence of a-Mahd, pg. 264; a-TahSn (Ibne Fahd a-
H), sec. 3, pg. 22
4. Bharu Anwar, vo. 70, sec. on the Love of Aah, pg. 23, no. 23
Responsibility 15: Rejecting the
Imposters
Renuncaton of those who cam to be the specfc representatves of Imam a-Mahd (a|tf)
durng the ma|or occutaton s another responsbty of the true beevers. The Imamyah
Sha frmy beeves that wth the death of the four specfc representatves of the Imam
durng the perod of the mnor occutaton, namey hs ast one, Shaykh A. Muhammad
Samar a-Ra, the specfc representaton of Imam a-Zaman (a|tf) came to an end.
Durng the era of the ma|or occutaton, there s absoutey no specfc representatve of the
Imam. However, a genera representaton1 of the Imam s possbe and permssbe and the
proofs confrm the exstence of genera representatves of the Imam and te us that the
schoars who act accordng to ther knowedge and fuf the condtons2 whch have been
mentoned n the sayngs of the Ahu Bayt (as) are the genera deputes and
representatves of the Imam.
In a tradton narrated by Muhammad a-Hasan b. Ahmad we read that:

. :

I was n the cty of Peace (Baghdad) n the year n whch Shaykh A b. Muhammad a-
Samur, may Aahs grace be upon hm, passed away and was wth hm a few days before
he eft ths word. At that tme, he brought out a pece of paper wth some wrtng on t that
stated: In the Name of Aah, the Most Gracous, the Most Mercfu.
O A b. Muhammad a-Samur! May Aah grant your brothers a grand reward concernng
you snce you are gong to de soon and between you and death, ony sx days reman.
Thus, gather your affar and do not appont anyone to be n your pace (as my
representatve) after your death for the tme of the second occutaton s here and there w
be no advent unt after the permsson of Aah, the Nobe and Ma|estc.
Ths w be after a ong perod (has passed) after the hearts have become hardened and
the Earth has become fu of corrupton. And there w come some from my Sha who w
cam to have seen me. Certany the person who cams to have seen me before the
appearance of a-Sufyan and the Ca s a ar and a fabrcator. And there s no power or
strength, save wth Aah, the Most Hgh, the Ma|estc.3
Confrmng the specfc representaton of the Imam can be possbe through the foowng
three ways:
1. A drect and expct text from Imam a-Zaman (a|tf) hmsef.
2. A cear text from one of the drect representatves of the Imam (a|tf)
3. A person who cams to be the representatve of the Imam (a|tf) shows supernatura
actons whch woud prove the reatonshp between hm, Aah and the Imam.
Durng the mnor occutaton, the four specfc representatves of the Imam were ether
expcty apponted drecty by the Imam or through a wrtten text from the precedng
representatve based on the Imams drectve and each one was abe to perform
supernatura actons to prove ther status.
Therefore, as ong as the specfc representaton s not proven through the defnte proofs,
we cannot accept hs cam! In actuaty, t s forbdden (haram) to make ths cam and to
accept the cam from one who makes t!
Durng the perod of the ma|or occutaton, t s hard to arrve at the three condtons
mentoned rather, t s mpossbe as there s no expct text from the Imam hmsef or one
of the drecty apponted representatves, nor can we fnd a snge person who coud
produce such supernatura and paranorma acts that woud be abe to confrm hs
appontment as a specfc representatve of the Imam!
Indeed, t s possbe that a person or a group of peope may cam to be specfc
representatves of Imam a-Zaman (a|tf), however we must test them to see f they possess
any of the three ponts mentoned above.
Through testng them and cosey montorng ther speech, actons, behavor and ther
cams of specfc representaton, ther es and trckery w ceary be seen as from the
begnnng of the ma|or occutaton unt today, not ony have we not heard, but aso we
have not seen any of these sgns n any person.
A person who cams ths status must be one who acts upon the Sharah and the regon of
Aah. In addton, there must not be even the smaest sps n hs character or n the
performance of the regous dutes. He must perform a of the obgatory (wa|b) acts and
refran from a of the prohbted (haram) acts.
Of course, a reprehensbe (makruh) acts must be avoded and the recommended
(mustahab) acts must be carred out. In addton to ths, the supernatura acts woud have
to be shown as ths defnes hs reatonshp wth Imam a-Hu||ah (a|tf) and hs beng a
specfc representatve of the Imam.
In the tradton quoted above, the Imam noted: Whoever cams to have seen me (durng
the occutaton) s a ar and has eveed a fase accusaton aganst me and ths statement
ceary proves that there are currenty no specfc representatves of the Imam!
Thus, f a person cams to have a certan status granted to hm by the Imam or cams to
have met the Imam |ust ke the (four) specfc representatves of the Imam had done
(durng the mnor occutaton), then he must be caed a ar and must be ntroduced as one
who has paced a fase accusaton aganst the Imam.
1. The proofs whch speak about the genera representaton are many and can be found n
the books whch are reated to the ssue of the Wayatu Faqh. There are tradtons n
regards to ths topc whch are found n the thrteenth responsbty n ths book, from
Imam Hasan a-Askar _ and one from the 12th Imam _ hmsef.
2. Refer to the Tawdhu Masa manua under the secton of Taqd, Issue 1
3. Kama ad-Dn wa Tamam an-Nmah, vo. 2, pg. 516, sec. 45, no. 44
Responsibility 16: Praying To Allah for
the Noble Traits
Another responsbty s to pray to Aah for the attanment of the necessary trats whch a
beever must possess. A true beever must ask Aah for that whch s good for ths word
and the next. He must aso ask Aah to grant hm the vrtuous ethca trats such as
patence, truthfuness n speech, ntegence, apttude, wsdom and nsght.
If havng patence s one of the necessary trats of the beevers durng the occutaton of
the Imam, then ts correspondng responsbty s that a beever asks Aah for ths trat to
be nsted wthn hm. As we, f fufng the rghts of the Imam s consdered as one of the
dutes of a beever, then another responsbty s that one must pray for the abty to fuf
the rghts of the Imam.
Thus n summary, one must suppcate to Aah _ to be abe to fuf every mportant task.
The Messenger of Aah has sad:

Ask Aah, the Ma|estc and Gorous, for the necesstes that you requre, even for as much
as your shoeace, because f He does not make t easy avaabe for you then t w not be
attanabe.1
Responsibility 17: Acquiring the Noble
Ethical Traits Part 1
The next responsbty s to acqure the nobe ethca trats (Makarmu Akhaq) and a
beever must strugge to attan these vrtuous quates.
The nobe ethca trats and worthwhe quates that a Sha of Imam a-Zaman (a|tf) must
possess are many some of whch ncude: sence, knowedge, forbearance, feowshp wth
the peope, never gong to extremes n the fath or n fe, and other thngs.
|abr b. Abduah a-AnSar sad to Imam Muhammad b. A a-Baqr (as):

O son of the Messenger of Aah! What s the best acton for a true beever durng that
tme (the perod of occutaton)? The Imam reped: Protectng ones tongue (watchng
what he says) and stayng at home (protectng ones sef from corrupton).1
The meanng of protectng the tongue s to keep quet and may refer to usng dssmuaton
(taqyyah) when necessary; stayng at home means that one keeps away from corrupton,
refrans from sns and acts wth cauton wth the transent word and the over-ndugence of
peasures contaned wthn t.
The narrator of the foowng tradton asked Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) for
gudance n regards to the best actons durng the perod of occutaton, to whch the Imam
reped:

Convey my sautatons to the Sha whom you know to be obedent to me and who acts
upon my words.
I aso advse you to mantan conscousness of Aah, the Gorous and Nobe, pety n
reaton to your regon strugge n the way of Aah, truthfuness n speech and gvng back
a trust (when you have been entrusted wth somethng), proongng the prostratons and to
be a good neghbour snce these (are a thngs) that Muhammad (bessngs of Aah be
upon hm and hs famy) brought.
Gve back the trust that someone has gven to you to keep whether he be a good person or
an open snner, because certany the Messenger of Aah (bessngs of Aah be upon hm
and hs famy) used to command the return of the trust even f t be (somethng as sma
as) a thread and neede.2
Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) aso sad:

: .
:

Surey we ove that person who s ntegent, has understandng; deep knowedge of the
regon, forbearng, compassonate, patent truthfu and trustworthy. Surey Aah, the
Gorous and Nobe, graced the messengers wth the nobest of ethcs so whoever has these
trats n hmsef shoud prase Aah for ths and whoever does not possess them shoud
beseech Aah, the Gorous and Nobe, and pead for them from hm.
The companon contnued: I sad to the Imam, may I be sacrfced for you, what are they?
The Imam reped: They are to keep away (from sn), to be satsfed (wth what one has),
patence, thankfuness, forbearance, chastty, benevoence, courage, dgnty,
rghteousness, truthfuness n ones speech and returnng the entrusted.3
1. Kama ad-Dn wa Tamam an-Nmah, vo. 2, pg. 330
2. a-Kaf, vo. 2, pg. 636, no. 5; Wasa` ash-Sha, vo. 12, pg. 6, sec. 1, no. 10496
3. a-Kaf, vo. 2, pg. 56, sec. on Makarmu Akhaq, no. 3
Responsibility 18: Acquiring the Noble
Ethical Traits Part 2
Another responsbty s to ask Aah for the nobe trats (Makarmu Akhaq) so that a
beever can resembe and manfest the trats of the Imam, thus earnng hs ove.
In regards to ths responsbty, t s hghy recommended to recte the prayer known as
Makarmu Akhaq1 whch has been mentoned n varous books of suppcatons, as ths
Dua s very benefca n attanng ths rank. Ths suppcaton starts as foows:

...
O Aah! Send your bessngs upon Muhammad and the famy of Muhammad and eevate
my fath to a perfect fath and make my certtude the best of certtudes...
Rectng these sorts of suppcatons s mportant for deveopng the nobe ethca trats and
reachng ths state s ony possbe wth the assstance of Aah for t s out of the reach of
humanty to attan on ther own.
A beever can ony strugge and choose the path meanng that t s up to hm to choose the
path towards the nobe trats and then strugge to reach ones goa.
However, the true pont of achevng these trats, for exampe, arrvng to the stage of
possessng the nobe ethca trats, n dependent upon both the ntenton and strugges of a
person and the desre of Aah _ to grant the beever such a status.
1. Suppcaton number 20 n as-Sahfah as-Sa||adyah a-Kamah; aso found at the end of
Mafath a-|nan.
Responsibility 19: Fulfilling the Rights of
the Believers
Another responsbty s to fuf the rghts of feow beevers and ths s actuay regarded
as fufng the rghts of the Imam!
The rghts whch our feow beevers have upon us are numerous however one of these s
to satsfy ther needs and to act wth goodness and honesty towards them.

A person who fufs the need of one of our frends s ke the one who has fufed the
need for a of us (the Ahu Bayt).1
Once, a person asked Imam |afar. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) about the rghts of another
beever to whch he reped:

These are seventy rghts.2
In addton, Abu Hasan has sad:

When a person s approached by hs beevng brother n need of assstance, ths s

actuay a mercy from Aah, the Hgh, whch He sent to that person.
Therefore, f a person accepts ths (and heps hs brother) then t w brng hm to our
custodanshp and the custodanshp of Aah.
However, f he re|ects hs brothers request (for hep) whe he s abe to hep hm, then
Aah w make a arge serpent of fre come that w frghten hm n hs grave unt the Day
of |udgment, ether a means of forgveness for hm (f he had done other good deeds n the
word) or a punshment. And f the seeker forgves hm then he w be n a worse state.3
From these and other tradtons, we can deduce that fufng the rghts of the beevers s
one of the best ways to get coser to Aah _ and Imam a-Zaman (a|tf)
1. Mkya a-Makarm, vo. 2, pg. 420; Bharu Anwar, vo. 100, pg. 121, sec. 2, no. 26
2. a-Kaf, vo. 2, pg. 184, sec. The rghts of a beever over hs brother, no. 14
3. a-Kaf, vo. 2, pg. 196, sec. Fufng the needs of a Beever, no. 13
Responsibility 20: Enmity for the
Enemies of the Imam Part 1
Another responsbty s to hate the enemes of the Imam. One of the defntons of an
enemy of the Imam s a person who s an enemy of Aah and ths concept has been
referred to as Tabarrah n the Furu ad-Dn (Prncpes of Regon) and s one of the sgns of
true fath.
A true over of Aah w be abe to show the truthfuness of hs ove through the hatred of
the enemes of the one whom he truy oves.
The enemes of the Imam are varous and come from a waks of fe and thus, we cannot
eucdate upon a of them. However n summary we can state that hs man enemes are:
the dsbeevers, hypocrtes, agnostcs, and those who are workng aganst the fath (of
Isam). Of course, these peope are hs enemes as ong as they persst n ther ncorrect
beefs and actons and do not accept hm.
In addton, those who openy (and knowngy) commt sns and carry on n ths way wthout
returnng to the straght path are aso hs enemes.
|ust as the enemes of Imam a-Zaman (a|tf) are n dfferent stages and eves n ther
hatred towards hm, so too the hatred that we must show to them must aso be at dfferent
stages and eves.
The mnmum eve of hatred for them s the sprtua averson n the heart. After ths, a
physca averson and separaton from them - n addton to the averson of the heart such
as not speakng wth them, busness transactons, partnershp or workng together and
beng n ther company, etc Must aso be enacted.
However, aong wth the hatred whch we show and our means of nteracton, the condtons
of en|onng the good and forbddng from the bad (Amr bn Maruf and Nah an Munkar)
must aso be carefuy observed.
One of the enemes of Imam a-Zaman (a|tf) s Satan (May he be removed from the mercy
of Aah) and a true beever must take hm as an enemy! Wthout doubt, the best form of
enmty that one can show towards Satan and hs hepers s to work aganst hs orders. In
other words, one must obey Aah and the regon that He sent and must aso obey Aahs
representatve and trave the path of sef-purfcaton.
The other enemes of the Imam ncude those wth extremey negatve ethca trats and
peope who ntentonay try to msead the masses. These nfuences may take on the form
of cutura nvasons and ncude those who wrte books to msead the peope, centers of
corrupton, wrong deas and systems of economcs (such as takng nterest), and other
effects of dsbeef, transgresson and rebeon whch a true beever must protect hmsef
from.
In descrbng the Sha, Imam |afar. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) has stated:

They (our Sha) are those who w not ove the peope who have enmty towards us (the
Ahu Bayt) and w not hate those who ove us (the Ahu Bayt).1
Imam Muhammad. A a-Baqr (as) has sad:

Have enmty for those who have enmty for the famy of Muhammad even f they fast and
stand (for Saat) a ot.2
Imam |afar. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) has sad:

I swear by Aah that Aah has not permtted anyone to foow anybody other than us (the
Ahu Bayt) and whoever foows us (the Ahu Bayt) has gone aganst our enemes; and
whoever agrees wth our enemes n ther words or deeds s not from us and we are not
from them.3
1. Bharu Anwar, vo. 68, pg. 165, sec. 19, no. 16; Bharu Anwar, vo. 68, pg. 179, sec. 19,
no. 37
Responsibility 21: Enmity for the
Enemies of the Imam Part 2
Another responsbty s to ask Aah to remove Hs mercy from the enemes of the Imam,
as ths s one of the best ways to show our hatred for hs enemes.
A true beever must keep these enemes n mnd, ask Aah to remove Hs specfc mercy
from them, and pray to Aah _ to ncrease Hs chastsement over them. Ths act s actuay
consdered as a good deed and n addton, t has a postve effect on the sprt of a person
and w assst n strengthenng hs sou aganst the opposng enemes!
The greatest hstorca enemes of Imam a-Mahd (a|tf) ncude the Ban Umayyah and Ban
Abbas and the beever must remember to curse these peope every day and nght wth hs
heart and tongue.
The smpest eve of cursng them s to detest them through ones actons. In ths regards,
Imam Muhammad b. A a-Baqr (as) has sad:

When you have departed from your obgatory Saat then do not eave (your prayer area)
unt you have cursed the Ban Umayyah.1
The Messenger of Aah has sad:

:

: .

If one s too weak to support us the Ahu Bayt (n open) and thus curses our enemes n
secret, Amghty Aah makes hs voce reach a the creatures from the earth up to the
Dvne Throne (Arsh).
Hence, whenever one curses our enemes, they support hm by cursng the one whom he s
cursng then they aud hm sayng: O Aah! (Pease) send bessngs on ths servant of
yours who s dong the best he can and who woud certany do more f he coud.
Amghty Aah answers: I have responded to your prayers and have stened to your
requests therefore, I send bessngs upon the sou of ths servant and I ncude hm wth the
Company of the Eect, the Vrtuous.2
1. Wasa` ash-Sha, vo. 4, pg. 1038, sec. 19, no. 2; Bharu Anwar, vo. 86, pg. 58, sec. 38,
no. 64
2. Tafsr of the Ouran by Imam Hasan b. A a-Askar, pg. 47, no. 21
Responsibility 22: Keeping a Distance
from People of Ill-Reputation
Another responsbty of a true beever s to keep away from peope who are not worthy of
assocatng wth those who are not on the path of the Imam or do not foow hs way of fe.
Peope who have dstanced themseves from the rghteous and nobe ndvduas and do not
remember the Imam. Ths s defntey one of the mportant responsbtes for one who
oves and s seekng coseness to the Imam.
It s possbe for a person to be consdered as a Musm and even a Sha and t s possbe
that he performs the Saat, Sawm, pays hs Zakat and other chartes and Isamcay
egsated taxes and fufs a other obgatons, but s st consdered as one who s not
worthy of assocatng wth.
In essence, these peope spend most of ther tme preoccuped wth the matera word and
foow ther ower desres and passons. They pay very tte attenton to sprtua ssues, the
sprtua |ourney towards the fna abode or treadng on the path towards Aah. They have
fed the dffcut paths (of ths fe), have run away from the sope that eads towards the
next fe and have gven preference to a fe of ease, comfort, reaxaton and neggence (of
the fath).
If they approach the Saat and fastng and other Isamc acts, then they do so because they
are seekng a good outcome n the next fe and because of ther fear of the he fre. Thus,
the ony reason for them to perform these acts s n order to get a ofty pace n Paradse!
When a person ooks at ther acts of worshp, one sees that they are performed n a
partcuar manner such that t does not ntrude wth the goas of the transent word!
How many tmes has t been seen that ther acts of worshp are smpy performed because
they wsh to ook good amongst the peope (that others see them perform these acts) and
to gan somethng for ths word from another person. Therefore, such peope actuay seek
to acqure even more of the transent word by mseadng the peope (through the acts of
worshp!)
Even n the face of many sod proofs, they refuse to submt to true gudance and refuse to
turn away from the path they are on (of seekng the matera word). Such ndvduas are
drownng themseves n unattanabe desres and wshes.
These types of peope, whose number s not sma, and whom we can safey say make up a
arge percentage of the foowers of the path of truth(The Sha) If they are not cassfed as
enemes of the Imam, t can safey be sad are not true frends of the Imam ether! Thus,
the true foowers of the Imam must keep ther dstance from such peope.
In addton, one shoud aso keep away from them when t comes to busness deangs and
workng wth them n other ssues of fe - except n the case of necessty.
Of course, there s no probem n gudng them and takng them by the hand to enghten
them wth the hope that ths w have an effect on them and that some change may take
pace. Rather, ths s actuay obgatory (wa|b) upon the true beever! However, n other
than ths stuaton, one must keep ther dstance from them.
One who assocates wth them, speaks wth them and remembers them, w defntey
forget the Imam even though they apparenty may be rghteous peope.
If beng wth a certan ndvdua or speakng wth hm makes one forget the ove of the
Imam, then t s not worth assocatng wth that person - even f he or she s not an enemy
of the Imam and s a part of the naton of the Imam! In essence, any person who makes a
true beever neggent of hs responsbtes to the Imam s not worth assocatng wth!
In addton, f a person does not hep hs brother or sster n ther sprtua growth and
achevng coseness to the Imam, then t s not advsabe to assocate wth that person -
even f they does not prevent one from these thngs.
The ony peope who are worthy of keepng company wth are those who hep one another
on the path towards the Imam; those who have the same sprtua course n fe; and those
who have the same desres and goas and are actvey awatng the Imam.
Of course, that whch has been expressed n ths responsbty does not go aganst the
recproca rghts that one must fuf n reaton to brothers n the fath. For exampe, f one
does not assocate wth a person who s not worthy of assocatng wth, ths does not mean
that he has broken off famy tes (whch s a sn n Isam).
Responsibility 23: Being Ready &
Equipped to Assist the Imam
Another responsbty of the beevers s to prepare and keep ther weapons of warfare
ready. In addton, accordng to some tradtons, one shoud keep a horse to hep the Imam
upon hs advent.
Durng the perod of watng for the advent of the Imam, these and other ways whch w be
expaned n deta must be foowed f one wshes to estabsh a reatonshp wth the
Imam.1

Each one of you must prepare for the advent of a-Oa`m (peace be upon hm) even f t be
(by as much as) an arrow because when Aah, the Hgh, knows that a person has ths
ntenton, then He w grant such a person a onger fe.2
Imam Muhammad. A a-Baqr (as) has sad:
: :

How many days do you cacuate a rbat (statonng of an army) to be? The narrator
answered: Forty days. The Imam (peace be upon hm) sad: Yet, the rbat for our sake s
as ong as ones fetme.3
One who statons a rdng anma for our sake sha be rewarded accordng to ts weght as
we as the weght of t as ong as t w be kept by hm; and one who keeps a weapon
prepared for our sake sha be rewarded accordng to ts weght as we as the weght of t
as ong as t s kept by hm.4
The meanng of weapons n ths tradton are the very weapons of war whatever type they
may be such as bow and arrow, spear, mace, ance, dagger, sword or gun.
However accordng to some tradtons, the meanng of weapon s specfcay mted to the
sword and ths can be deduced from the (varous) proofs and the tradtons snce we know
that n some countres, t s not permssbe to possess weapons such as guns.
The meanng of the Imam when he spoke about the reatonshp .for ones entre fetme
(as was seen n the second tradton quoted above) w be dscussed n the next
responsbty.
1. A deeper expanaton of ths pont w appear n the next responsbty.
2. a-Ghaybah of a-Numan, pg. 320, sec. That whch has been mentoned about the
Sha.
3. Commentng on ths narraton, Shaykh Kuayn says: Ths means that the Sha are
requred to dedcate a ther efforts to the obedence of the Imam and to the expectaton
of the advent as they must prepare themseves for such.
4. a-Kaf, vo. 8, pg. 381, sec. 8, no. 576
Responsibility 24: Achieving Closeness
to the Imam
Seekng coseness to Imam a-Asr (a|tf) s another responsbty of the beevers. Ths
coseness can be dvded nto three categores, however before dscussng them, t shoud
be stated that one meanng of coseness s to mantan the boundares whch exst between
ourseves and the enemes of the Imam.
Another more genera nterpretaton s the genera boundary of fe and ths means that we
must ook after and be aware of everythng happenng n the word around us (to the best
of our abty).
As for the meanng of coseness whch has been mentoned n the book of Aah and the
Sunnah, t s reated to the foowng three thngs:
1. Lookng after and keepng ones weapons ready be t a horse or anythng ese n
antcpaton of the advent of Imam a-Zaman (a|tf) wth the hope that one w be abe to
hep hm and make use of those thngs n the servce of the Imam durng hs advent. Ths
type of coseness was mentoned n the prevous responsbty and s one of the
recommended acts n Isam.
2. Those thngs whch the schoars have mentoned n ther wrtngs n the Book of |had. In
these wrtngs, the schoars have stated that a true beever must protect and defend hs
country when there s a possbty that the enemes w aunch an attack. One must aso
keep hs stead and weapon ready so as to protect the Isamc ands from the enemes
attack and n the event of an attack, must rse up to defend Isam!
The mnmum amount of tme a beever must spend n protectng the Isamc terrtory s
three days whe the maxmum s forty days. However, f he guards the terrtory for more
than forty days, then he w be gven the reward of a Mu|ahd (one who s struggng) n the
way of Aah!
Ths type of coseness wth the Imam at the tme of hs advent or durng the occutaton s a
recommended act.
The Messenger of Aah (S) has sad:

To be prepared (for war) one nght n the way of Aah s better than fastng an entre
month and spendng a ts nght n worshp. If a person s to de (n ths state), then the
(reward) for the acton he performed w contnue, hs sustenance w contnue to be gven
to hm and he w be saved from the Ange of Examnaton (n the grave).1
The Messenger of Aah (S) aso sad:

The actons of every deceased person are seaed except one who s garrsoned n the way
of Aah - ths persons good deeds w contnue to grow unt the Day of |udgment and he
w have protecton from the Anges of the Grave.2
3. A true beever must mantan hs affaton and coseness to Imam a-Zaman (a|tf) by
makng a pact wth the nfabe eaders of the regon and forgng a covenant reaffrmng
hs beef n these ndvduas.
Through ths, one w be abe to deveop cose tmes wth hs Imam. In addton, one must
consder the acts of hepng, assstng and foowng the Imam as beng ncumbent upon
hm. Ths sort of affaton s Wa|b a-Ayn meanng that t s obgatory upon every true
beever.
Ths reatonshp wth the Imam s dfferent than the second meanng of the affaton whch
must be shown snce at the eve we are currenty dscussng, a person s not permtted to
have someone ese step n and perform ths task for hm. Thus, ths form of pact wth the
Imam s very mportant and s one of the pars of true fath and wthout t, Aah sha not
accept the actons of any person.

Have patence n the face of dffcutes, observe patence n reaton to the performance of
obgatory acts, and estabsh an affnty wth the A`mmah.3
In regards to the verse of the Ouràn n whch Aah _ has sad:
O you who have firm faith! Observe patience, have endurance and establish a
relation4,

Observe patence n reaton to performng the obgatory acts, have endurance n facng
your enemes and estabsh coseness wth your Imam, a-Muntadhar (the Awated One).5
In reaton to the verse that states:

_O you that have fath! Observe patence, stand frm and cose |your| ranks._
Imam |afar. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) sad that estabsh a reaton means:

Standng frm (and resoved) wth your Imam.6
1. |awahr a-Kaam, vo. 21, pg. 40; Tahrr a-Ahkam, vo. 1, pg. 134
2. |awahr a-Kaam, vo. 21, pg. 40; Ma|ma a-Fadah wa Burhan, vo. 8, pg. 449
4. Surah Ae Imran (3), Verse 200
Responsibility 25: Getting Spiritually
Closer to the Imam Part 1
Another responsbty of the beevers durng the perod of occutaton of the Imam s that
they shoud consder the door to Imam a-Zaman (a|tf) open at a tmes. However, t shoud
be noted that the appcabty of ths ssue, ts meanng, and reazaton cannot be reazed
by |ust anyone.
A true beever must accept the fact that the path towards the Imam s open and thus, he
must speak to hm and ask hs wshes snce the Imam can see and hear us and wthout
doubt, he w repy to the requests of the beevers.
A companon of the Imam once sad: I wrote to Abu Hasan that there s a person who
woud ke to convey somethng drecty to hs Imam and to Aah, the Great. The Imam
reped:

If you have a need, then move your ps (and menton t) and the repy w surey come to
you.1
It s mentoned n the tradtons that Imam A. Muhammad once sad to a man:

If you want to ask a queston (to your Imam), then wrte t down and pace the wrtng
under your prayer mat and eave t there for an hour. Then take t out and ook at the
paper.2
The companon stated: I dd |ust as I was tod and receved the answer that I was ookng
for. The sgnature of the Imam was even on the paper!
2. a-Khara|, pg. 419, Bharu Anwar, vo. 50, pg. 155, sec. 3, no. 41
Durng tmes of dffcuty, msfortunes, sckness and other such thngs even n the tmes of
confuson and sprtua dffcutes whch can wreak havoc on the beef system and fath of
a person one shoud hod tght to Imam a-Zaman (a|tf) and seek hep and support from
hm. Durng such a tme, one must cry out for hep to the Imam.
Aah has sad n the Ouràn:

And to Allah belong the most beautiful names so call upon Him by them.1
In reaton to ths verse, t has been narrated from Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq _
that:

We (the Ahu Bayt) are, by Aah, the most beautfu names (of Aah).2
In addton, Imam A b. Musa a-Rda (as) has sad:

:
When dffcutes come upon you, then seek assstance through us (the Ahu Bayt) as
ntermedares wth Aah, the Nobe and Grand, and ths s the meanng of Hs words, the
Nobe and Grand, _And to Aah beong the most beautfu names so ca upon Hm by
them._3
Indeed, the beevers must refer to ther Imam and seek assstance from hm because f
they do not do so, then they w reman n troubes and w not be protected from dsgrace
and humaton.
1. Suratu Araf (6), Verse 180
2. a-Burhan, vo. 2, pg. 52 under the commentary of Suratu Araf (6), Verse 180
A true beever must perform the suppcatons, Saat and other acts of worshp whch the
A`mmah of gudance have nstructed us to perform as a form of Tawassu (seekng
assstance) from the Imam n order to fuf our needs and remove any dffcutes that we
have.
In ths responsbty, we menton some of these prayers and suppcatons whch are
varous ways and means that we can request our needs from our Imam.
One Salat: On ether a Wednesday or Thursday nght, one shoud go under the open sky
wth ones head uncovered and perform a two Rakat Saat. After the Saat, the foowng
shoud be sad 55 tmes:

O Hu||atu Oa`m.1
One Dua: Ths Dua was taught by our twefth Imam to a man who had been sent to
prson. After rectng ths short suppcaton, he was freed:

.

.
.

.

O Aah, terrbe s the caamty; and ts ev consequences are vsbe the coverng has
been removed (a) hopes have been cut off; the (pentfu) Earth has shrunk (wth very tte
room to spare); the heaveny bessngs have been wthhed.
You aone can hep, we refer our gref and sorrow to you, we have fu fath n you, n the
tmes of dstress, as we as n good fortune.
O Aah send Your bessngs on Muhammad and the famy of Muhammad, whom we must
obey as per Your command, through whch we become aware of ther rank and status, and
et there be |oy after sorrow for us, for ther sake, rght away, n the twnkng of an eye or
even more rapdy than that.
O Muhammad, O A, O A, O Muhammad, Gve me enough, because both of you provde
suffcenty (by the permsson of Aah). Hep me, because both of you hep and protect (by
the permsson of Aah). O our master, O the Imam of our Tme! Hep me, hep me, hep
me! Assst me! Assst me! Assst me!
At once, n ths hour. Be quck, be quck, be quck. O the Most Mercfu of those who show
mercy, for the sake of Muhammad and hs pure famy.2
One written request: It s mentoned n the tradtons that f a person has a egtmate
desre, then he shoud wrte the foowng on a pece of paper and pace t nsde the grave
of one of the A`mmah.
If ths s not possbe, then he may sea t wth pure mud and pace t n a deep we, rver or
any other body of fowng water and t w reach to Imam Sahb a-Zaman (a|tf). The Imam
hmsef has guaranteed that he w answer the requests of the person:

( )

() ...

I am wrtng to you, O my master, may Aahs bessngs be upon you, seekng your ad.
And I am companng about what has befaen me, seekng protecton from Amghty Aah
and then from you aganst the troube that has nfcted me; bused my heart; occuped my
mnd; deprved me of my prudence; and changed the great favors of Amghty Aah upon
me.
It has dsapponted me after I had thought of t as my frend; and dsavowed me after t had
pretended tsef as my cose comrade. Thus, a my means have faed to defend me aganst
t; and my endurance and power have been too short to bear t.
I therefore resort to you aganst t and I depend upon Aah, the greaty Prased, and upon
you, on account of my confesson of your (unque) standng wth Aah, the Lord of the
Words, the Source of perfect management, and the Prevaer over a affars, n protectng
me aganst t and I am sure that you w expedte ntercedng for me before Aah, the
greaty Prased, regardng my affar.
I am certan that He, the Bessed and Eevated, w respond to me by answerng my appea.
Very, you, my master, are worth causng my expectaton to come true and makng my
hope achevabe concernng so-and-so...
In the place of the last words in bold, the person would proceed to write his needs and then
continue by writing:
...whch I cannot stand to bear athough I have deserved not ony that probem but aso
many tmes as many as t due to my msdeed and neggence of my dutes towards
Amghty Aah. O my master!
May Aahs bessngs be upon you, (pease) ad me as I am anxous, and provde my
request before Amghty Aah before I am n|ured and my enemes goat over my gref. It s
through you that the bountes have been spread over me.
Pease ask Amghty Aah to grant me a great assstance and a near vctory through whch
my hopes may be attaned, the commencements and ends of my deeds may be made
good, and a my apprehensons secured under a crcumstances. Very, He, the greaty
Prased does whatever He ws; and He s Suffcent for me! Most Exceent s He n whom
we trust frst and ast.
The person shoud then stand near the rver or body of water and by takng the name of the
one four specfc representatves of the Imam (t s best to take the name of Hasan b. Ruh)
ca upon hm and say:
. :( )

O so and so (Hasan b. Ruh): Peace be upon you! I bear wtness that surey your death was
n the way of Aah and that ndeed you are ave n the presence of Aah beng sustaned
(by Hm) and thus I address you n your fe whch you have n the presence of Aah, the
Nobe and Grand, and ths wrtng of mne has my needs that are to be gven to our master
so then submt ths to hm snce you are the trustworthy and reabe.
The person shoud then throw the paper nto the fowng water so that hs desres w be
fufed, Insha-Aah.3 |Ths s common known as the Areezah.|
One ziyarat: Among the best rtes of vstaton that can be rected for the Imam to have
our egtmate desres fufed (by the permsson of Aah _) s the Zyarat of Aae Yasn4
whch has been recorded and preserved n many books of suppcaton and t s as foows:

.
.
. .
Peace be upon (the) progeny of Yasn. Peace be upon you, O the caer of Aah and pace
of manfestaton of Hs sgns. Peace be upon you, O the door of Aah and the devout one of
Hs regon. Peace be upon you, O the vcegerent of Aah and the heper of Hs truth. Peace
be upon you, O the proof of Aah and the symbo of Hs ordnance.
.
. .
.
Peace be upon you, O the recter of Aahs book and ts nterpreter. Peace be upon you n
your nght and n your day. Peace be upon you, O the vestge of Aah on Hs earth. Peace
be upon you, O the covenant of Aah, whch He took and affrmed.
.

Peace be upon you, O the promse of Aah whch He guaranteed. Peace by upon you, O the
rased fag and the one who s moded wth knowedge, the hep, the far-reachng mercy
and the promse whch s not a e.

Peace be upon you whe you are standng. Peace be upon you whe you are sttng. Peace
be upon you when you are readng and expanng (the Ouràn). Peace be upon you when
you are prayng and suppcatng.
Peace be upon you when you are bowng (n Ruku) and prostratng (n Sa|dah). Peace be
upon you when you are announcng the Tah (sayng: There s no god but Aah) and
Takbr (sayng: Aah s greater |than can be descrbed|.) Peace be upon you when you are
prasng (Aah) and seekng forgveness. Peace be upon you when you enter the mornng
and the evenng.

Peace be upon you n the nght when t enveops and the day when t becomes manfest.
Peace be upon you, O the protected eader. Peace be upon you, O the one whose comng s
hoped for. Peace be upon you by the coectons of the sautatons.

I ca you as a wtness, O my Master, that certany I testfy that there s no god except
Aah, He s aone, there s no partner wth Hm. And (I testfy) that ndeed Muhammad s Hs
servant and Hs Aposte; there s no beoved except hm and hs progeny.

And I ca you as a wtness, O my Master, that certany A, the Commander of the
Beevers s Hs proof and Hasan s Hs proof and Husan s Hs proof and A, son of Husan
s Hs proof and Muhammad, son of A s Hs proof and |afar, son of Muhammad s Hs
proof and Musa, son of |afar s Hs proof and A, son of Musa s Hs proof and Muhammad,
son of A s Hs proof and A, son of Muhammad s Hs proof and Hasan, son of A s Hs
proof and I testfy that ndeed you are the proof of Aah.

You (a) are the frst and the ast. And surey your return s a truth, there s no doubt n t,
(on) the day when (the) beef of none w beneft hm who prevousy dd not beeve or
acqured goodness through hs beef.

And ndeed death s (an nescapabe) truth; and ndeed (the questonng of) Nakr and Nakr
s a truth; and I testfy that ndeed the dsperson (n Oyamat) s a truth; and the
resurrecton s a truth; and ndeed the (narrow) path (over he) s a truth; and the pace of
observaton s a truth; and the (measurng) scaes s a truth; and the gatherng (of a
human bengs) s a truth; and the accountng (of deeds) s a truth; and Paradse and He s
a truth; and the promse and the threat are both a truth.

O my master, one who opposes you (a) s wretched and the one who obeys you (a) s
successfu. Then testfy whatever I made you a wtness upon. And I am a frend of yours,
dstanced from your enemy. So the truth s whatever you are peased wth, and fasehood s
whatever you are angry wth, and goodness s whatever you have ordered, and ev s
whatever you have prohbted.

So I am a beever n Aah, the One, He has no partner, and (I am a beever) n Hs
Messenger and n the Commander of the Fathfu and n you O my master, the frst among
you and the ast among you. And my hep s ready for you and my ove s purey for you.
Ameen! Ameen! (Accept! Accept! |whatever I have asked for|)
The foowng dua shoud then be rected to compete ths Zyarat:

O Aah, surey I ask you to send bessngs upon Muhammad - the Prophet of Your mercy
and the aphorsm of your ght. And f my heart wth the ght of certanty; and my chest
wth ght of fath; and my thnkng wth the ght of ntentons and my determnaton wth
the ght of knowedge and my strength wth the ght of acton and my tongue wth the ght
of truthfuness.
And my regon wth the ght of understandng from You and my vson wth the ght of
umnaton and my hearng wth the ght of wsdom and my ove wth the ght of
frendshp for Muhammad and hs progeny, peace be upon (a of), them unt I meet You
havng certany fufed (my duty to) Your promse and Your covenant. So you cover me
wth your mercy, O Master! O Praseworthy.

O Aah send your bessngs upon Muhammad, your proof on your earth, your vcegerent
over your ands the caer towards your way, the estabsher of your |ustce, the one who
foows Your command. The master of the beevers and the (cause of) run of the
dsbeevers, the enghten of the darkness, the umnator of the truth the speaker wth
wsdom and truth.
Your compete word on Your earth, the anxous antcpator and the counseng master, the
shp of savaton, the fag of gudance, the ght of the sght of manknd, best of he who was
attred and was cothed and the umnator of the bnd, the one who w f the earth wth
|ustce and equty, |ust as t was fed wth n|ustce and oppresson. Surey you are Powerfu
over a thngs.

.

O Aah send your bessngs upon your cose frend and son of your cose frends those
whom you have ordered (us) to obey, you made (the observaton of) ther rghts
compusory, you removed from them a unceanness and purfed them a thorough
purfcaton. O Aah hep hm and come to the ad of your regon through hm and hep
your cose frends (those who are) hs frends and hs foowers and hs hepers, and pace us
among them.

O Aah! Protect hm from the ev of every tyrant and despot and from the ev of a your
creatures and grant hm protecton from hs front, hs back, hs rght and hs eft and protect
hm and prevent from hm the reachng of any ev.
Protect Your Aposte and the progeny of Your Aposte through hm and make |ustce
manfest through hm; support hm by vctory; ad hs hepers and abandon hs deserters;
crush hs enemes and break up the forces of dsbeef through hm.
Through hm, k the dsbeevers and the hypocrtes and a the nfdes wherever they be,
n the east of the earth and ts west, ts and and ts sea. F the earth wth |ustce through
hm and manfest the regon of Your Prophet, bessngs be upon hm and hs progeny
(through hm).

And pace me, O Aah, among hs hepers and hs ades and hs foowers and hs partsans.
And show me n the progeny of Muhammad peace be upon them, whatever they are hopng
for and n ther enemes whatever they (the enemes) are afrad of. O Lord of the truth,
Ameen (Accept). O the Possessor of Spendor and Honor! O the Most Mercfu of a the
Mercfu.
One dhikr: When a person has a egtmate need that must be fufed, he shoud stand
facng the Obah wth hs head uncovered, and say the foowng 570 tmes:

O Hu||atu Oa`m.5
One form of tawassul: We are abe to seek an ntermedary to Aah through the 12th
Imam (a|tf) by rectng ths suppcaton:

O Aah! Send your bessngs upon Muhammad (S) and hs househod (as) and I beseech
you, O Aah, n the name of Muhammad (S), hs daughter (sa), and her two sons, a-Hasan
and a-Husayn (as), that by ther rght you hep me to obey you and attan your peasure
and that you grant me the best of a that whch you have ever granted to any of ther cose
frends.

And I beseech you n the name of Your cose servant, the Commander of the Fathfu, A b.
Ab Tab, that by hs rght, You take revenge on hm who has wronged me, and by hs rght,
You stand aganst anyone who ntends to n|ure me as ong as You w to keep me ave.

And I beseech you n the name of Your cose servant, A b. a-Husayn, that by hs rght, You
protect and save me from the persecuton of the ruers, and the ev nspratons of the
devs.

And I beseech you n the name of your two cose servants, Muhammad b. A and |afar b.
Muhammad, that by ther rght, you hep me manage the affars of my next fe by means of
obedence to you.

And I beseech You, O Aah, n the name of Your cose rghteous servant, Musa b. |afar, who
suppressed hs anger (a-Kadhm), that by hs rght, You safeguard me aganst a that whch
I fear and and am carefu about regardng my sght and the rest of my entre body, and a
my organs the externa and the nterna from a nesses, dseases, aments, and pans,
out of Your power, O the most Mercfu of a those who show mercy.

And I beseech You, O Aah, n the name of Your cose servant, A b. Musa a-Ra, that
through hm, You rescue me and guard me aganst a that I fear and am carefu about n a
my |ourneys through the ands, deserts, vaeys, |unges, and seas.

And I beseech you, O Aah, n the name of your cose servant, Abu |afar a-|awad, that by
hs rght, you generousy confer upon me your favours and bestow upon me wth your
expansve grace so that I w no more need what s possessed by Your creatures and n
partcuar the crue among them.
Bess a that whch you confer upon me as we as your favours, grace, and sustenance that
I possess. O my God! A my hopes have faed except that whch I put n you, and a the
expectatons have been dsapponted, except those whch I expect from You; O the Lord of
Ma|esty and Honour.

I beseech You n the name of hm whose rght You have made ncumbent upon you, that
You bess Muhammad and hs Househod, and grant me the sustenance whch You have
kept from me, and make t easy for me (to acqure) n goodness and webeng whe I en|oy
good vng and comfort; O the most Mercfu of a those who show mercy.

And I beseech You, O Aah, n the name of Your cose servant, A b. Muhammad, that
through hm, You hep me perform my supererogatory actons, act rghteousy wth my
brethren-n-fath, and obey You perfecty.

And I beseech You, O Aah, n the name of your cose servant, Hasan b. A a-Had, the
trustworthy, the generous, the sncere counseor, the trust-worthy schoar; that through
hm, you hep me n the affars (whch are benefca) for my next fe.

And I beseech You, O Aah, by Your cose servant, and Your proof over Your servants, and
Your representatve n Your ands, (the one) who w take revenge on Your enemes and the
enemes of Your Messenger; the perfecton of hs Immacuate fathers, the nhertor of hs
Infabe predecessors, the Patron of the Age, may Aahs bessngs be upon hm and upon
hs fathers, the vrtuous, the preferred ones, and the honourabe ones that You make me
hs foower and dever me from a msfortunes and grefs, and protect Your favours upon
me, od and new, and shower upon me wth Your exceent boons.

O Lord! hep me through hm and save me from the fear (that I have) and from a
hardshps, caamtes, horrors, dsasters, grefs, debts, nesses, dseases, epdemcs,
persecutons, pre|udces, and sedtous matters concernng my regon, wordy affars, and
affars of my next fe out of Your grace, compasson, mercy, magnanmty, favour and
sympathy.
O He Who saved (Prophet) Musa from the Pharaoh! O He Who reeved Muhammad, Aahs
bessngs be upon hm and hs Househod, a that whch greved hm.

O He who rescued A from that whch greved hm on the day of Sffn, O He Who rescued
A b. a-Husayn on the day of (the Batte of) a-Harrah, O He Who saved |afar b.
Muhammad aganst Abu a-Dawanq (.e. Abu-|afar a-ManSur, the Abbasd ruer).
Send bessngs upon Muhammad and hs Househod and reeve me aganst a that whch
has greved me n ths wordy abode and aganst a horrors asde from Paradse out of Your
mercy, O the most Mercfu of a those who show mercy. O He Who grants a needs! O
He Who fufs a the desres! O He Who provdes abundanty! O He who devers from
angush.

O Aah! You ndeed know that I admt that You have the power to grant a my needs,
therefore, bess Muhammad and hs Househod and hasten, O Lord, the advent of Your
cose servant, the son of Your Prophets daughter, and grant, O Aah, the needs of
Muhammads househod, and grant, O Lord, n the name of Muhammad and hs househod,
a my needs n ths word as we as n the Next Word.
Be they bg or sma, wth easness and webeng from You; and perfect Your graces for me,
and make me en|oy Your honor, and dress me wth Your (bounty of) webeng, and confer
upon me wth Your pardon, and, n the name of Muhammad and hs Househod, be my
Guardan, Custodan, Supporter, Savor, Overseer, Protector and Sustaner, n a of my
affars. Ony that whch Aah ws sha occur; whe that whch He does not w sha not
occur. Nothng s dffcut for Aah to do n the Earth or n the Heavens. Ths sha be; ths
sha be, Aah wng.6
It may be possbe that some of the overs of the Imam may have other ways whch they
use to seek hep and assstance from the Imam to fuf ther needs and requests.
For exampe, t s possbe that a person has a need whch he wants fufed and he conveys
ths to the Imam ether n hs dreams or even whe awake n a state of Mukashfa (an
awaken state n whch one experences the presence of the Dvne or Hs apponted agents)
wth the answer comng drecty from the Imam.
In addton, t s possbe that a person verbay decares hs desres and an answer comes
from the Imam.
Aso, t s possbe that a person may wrte hs requests to the Imam and keep t under hs
prayer rug and one w see hs answer wrtten on that paper.
In ths regards, Imam A b. Muhammad (as) has sad:

: .

When you wsh to ask for somethng, then wrte t down (on paper) and pace ths wrtng
underneath your prayer mat. Wat for an hour and then take the paper out and ook at t.
The narrator sad: I dd |ust ths and I found the answer to what I has asked for wth the
sgnature of the Imam on t (the paper).7
1. Sprtua Bond wth the Sacred a-Mahd, pg. 252
2. MSbah of a-Kafam, pg. 176; Mafath a-|nan after Dua at-Tawassu
3. Bharu Anwar, vo. 102, pg. 234, sec. 10, no. 2; a-Baad a-Amn, pg. 157; MSbah a-
Kafam, pg. 404
5. Sprtua Bond wth the Sacred Mahd, pg. 252
7. a-Khara|, pg. 419; Bharu Anwar, vo. 50, pg. 155, sec. 3, no. 41
Responsibility 28: Praying for the
Protection of the Imam Part 1
Another responsbty whch a true beever has s to pray for the protecton of Imam a-Asr
(a|tf) from a types of tras and trbuatons whch can appear from the Earth or Heavens,
and from ev of the devs among manknd and the |nn.
The over of the Imam must suppcate, whenever he s abe to, for the Imam. As we are
tod, the best tme to pray to Aah _ s when the suppcatons are most ready accepted
and these specfc tmes w be mentoned n the next responsbty.
One of the best suppcatons whch can be read for hs protecton s the foowng short
Dua (whch we w menton n deta n the next responsbty):
...
O Aah, be for your deputy (Wa), a-Hu||at b. a-Hasan...1
1. The entre text of ths suppcaton w be mentoned n the next responsbty.
Responsibility 29: Praying for Protection
of the Imam Part 2
Another responsbty of a beever s to suppcate to Aah for the Imam and the best
suppcaton for hs protecton s the famous one whch has been taught to us by the
nfaabe A`mmah (as):

O Aah, be for Your deputy, a-Hu||ah b. a-Hasan, may Your Bessngs be upon hm and
hs forefathers, now and at a tmes, the Master, Protector, Gude, Heper, Proof and Guard
unt he resdes peacefuy on Your earth and et hm en|oy (the bessngs of ths fe) for a
ong tme.1
1. MSbah a-Mutaha||d, pg. 630; a-Baad a-Amn, pg. 203
Responsibility 30: Giving Charity on
Behalf of the Imam
Another responsbty s to gve Sadaqah (charty) for the safety and protecton of the
Imam. The amount and type of Sadaqah gven s not mportant, rather what s vta s the
sncere ntenton that t s gven wth, and that what s gven s wthn ones abty (a person
does not go through untod hardshps to offer ths charty such as gvng too much).
The gvng of Sadaqah for the safety of the Imam can be done on a day, weeky or monthy
bass whatever s easy for the beever and at the tme of gvng the Sadaqah, one shoud
remember and pray for the safety of Imam a-Hu||ah (a|tf).
A person gvng the Sadaqah can and shoud pray for the safety of hs frends and famy
members hs father, mother, chdren, and others such as hs teacher and other peope as
we. Therefore, wthn the ntenton, one can specfy that he s gvng Sadaqah wth the
hopes that t w be accepted as a protecton for a of these peope not |ust the Imam.
Responsibility 31: Vigilance in
Mentioning the Imam
We shoud not take the proper name of Imam a-Zaman (a|tf) when we menton hm and
shoud observe taqyyah (dssmuaton) as much as possbe. The proper name of the Imam
s hs frst name whch s the same as the Prophet of Isam ) .( Snce we are not
permtted to refer to hm by hs proper name, we shoud refer to hm through hs ttes and
names of appeaton.
Wthout a doubt, t s forbdden (haram) to menton the name of the Imam n gatherngs n
whch the enemes of the regon are present and any pace where there s a fear of the
enemes. If there s fear that danger may come to a person, then t becomes forbdden to
menton the tte of the Imam and the names or ttes of the other A`mmah as we.
However, the prohbton of not mentonng the name of the Imam n other nstances, for
exampe n gatherngs n whch there s no fear or danger of the enemes of Isam, and
where t s not necessary to observe taqyyah. Ths s a matter of debate amongst our
schoars. However that whch we deduce from the tradtons whch speak about ths ssue s
that t s prohbted to menton hs proper name (n any gatherng).

He s the one whom no one cas by hs (proper) name openy before hs advent, except
the one who dsbeeves n hm.1
The Messenger of Aah has aso sad:

It s not permtted for anyone to ca hm by hs name or hs tte before hs advent, may
the bessngs of Aah be upon hm.2
There are many reabe tradtons found n the we-known books of hadth on ths ssue
whch reach to the eve of mustafha3 rather, they reach to the eve of beng mutawatr-
e-manaw4 and te us that t s mpermssbe to menton the name and tte of Imam a-
Mahd (a|tf) before hs advent.5
It s permssbe to menton the name of the Imam n suppcatons and the whspered
prayers (Muna|at) whch are rected n prvate, however one shoud keep away from ths n
arge gatherngs and accordng to htyat6 t s st better not to do ths.
The same hods true for mentonng the name of the Imam n secret and n ones heart such
that ony the person hmsef can hear what he s sayng ths too s permtted, however t s
better to observe precauton n these regards as we.
In addton, t aso goes aganst precauton to menton the proper name of the Imam n
wrtngs and books. Thus, from the tme of the ate Shaykh Kuayn _7 unt now, we see
that our great schoars have not mentoned the name of Imam a-Zaman (a|tf) n ther
books or wrtngs and the methodoogy of our schoars s constant and none of them have
gone aganst ths custom.
Mentonng the proper name of the Imam (a|tf) through the use of the ndvdua etters of
hs name ) ( as a way of ndcatng hm s permssbe and |ust as t was prevousy
stated, hs name s the same as the name of the Messenger of Aah and hs tte s the
same as that of the Prophet of Aah (S).
Ths same rung (about mentonng hm) appes n regards to rememberng hm by hs
name and tte n cosed gatherngs and programs those gatherngs n whch the Sha,
especay those partcuar Sha such as the Uama and the pous peope are present as
ong as there s no fear or danger and there s no need to be n a state of taqyyah.8
So, what s the reason for t to be prohbted to menton the name and tte of the Imam?
Numerous reasons can be cted why t s forbdden to menton hs name, however we must
concede that the true reason for ths prohbton has been hdden from us (by Aah, the
Prophet and the A`mmah).
Another name of Imam a-Mahd (a|tf) whch s aso one of the names of the Prophet s
Ahmad. So the queston arses that s t aso forbdden to menton the Imam by ths name?
In bref we can state that t s not forbdden to ca the Imam wth ths name, however,
accordng to precauton, t s better to refran from ths as we.
From some of the tradtons, we can deduce that t s aso prohbted to menton the specfc
tte whch the Imam s known by, as t shares the same rung as mentonng hs proper
name.
Some peope state that t s forbdden to menton hs name and ttes and we must not ca
hm by such thngs s ths true? In answer to ths we state that the strongest opnon9 s that
t s not forbdden to menton the ttes of Imam a-Mahd (a|tf). However, accordng to
precauton t s not permtted and ths s how we shoud tread n these regards (by
observng ths precauton).
:

In the tradton of a-Khdhr t has been mentoned: And I bear wtness to that man who w
come from the chdren of a-Husan (as) whose tte w not be expressy mentoned nor w
hs name be caed unt hs advent.10
1. Mkya a-Makarm, vo. 2, pg. 111; Mustadrak a-Wasa, vo. 12, page 285, sec. 31, no.
14106
2. Mkya a-Makarm, vo. 2, pg. 117; Mustadrak a-Wasa, vo. 12, page 280, sec. 31, no.
14095
3. Any tradton that has not reached the eve of beng cassfed as beng Tawatur s
caed Khabar-e-Wahd. However, f the number of narrators of the tradton s greater than
three, then that tradton s referred to as a mustafdh tradton whch s one of the best
types of khabar-e-wahd tradton.
4. A Mutawatr tradton s of two types: The tera/verba and the fguratve/abstract. The
tera/verba mutawatr tradton s one n whch the words of the varous tradtons are
exacty the same wth no dfference n them whe the fguratve/abstract mutawatr
tradton s one n whch the words and phrases are not exacty the same, however ther
content s smar and thus, a of the hadth on that one topc have the same content and
substance wth dfferent wordngs.
5. Pease refer to books such as Kama ad-Dn wa Tamam an-Nmah, vo. 2; Mustadrak a-
Wasa, vo. 2; a-Kaf, vo. 2
6. Ihtyat s n the meanng of a recommended precauton here.
7. Hs exact brth date s not known, however he passed away n the year 328 or 329 and
had seen the speca representatves of Imam a-Zaman _ and hs book a-Kaf s aso one
of the Kutub a-Arbah or Four Ma|or books of Sha tradton and s the most mportant of
a of them.
8. It s our opnon that n ths era, the name of the Imam _ can be mentoned wthout any
fear and when we ook at the hstory and see the fear and frght of the past whch does not
exst today and thus, t s not necessary to refran from cang the Imam _ by hs name.
9. That whch the Mu|tahd fees s the most correct way and whch s aso n the meanng
of Ihtyat Mustahab.
10. Kama ad-Dn wa Tamam an-Nmah, vo. 1, pg. 315; a-Iht|a|, pg. 267
Responsibility 32: Observing Proper
Manners Part 1
Another responsbty of the true beever s to observe the proper etquette and to refran
from anythng whch woud be consdered as bad manners n the presence of Imam a-
Zaman (a|tf).
Takng part n gatherngs n whch Imam a-Asr (a|tf) s spoken about n a bad way or n
whch peope openy queston and deny hs exstence, or where he s made fun of, are
exampes of thngs whch woud be cassfed as bad manners n reaton to the Imam.
In addton, we must aso stay away from programs whch do not have the remembrance of
Aah and Imam a-ASr (a|tf) as ths too s a sgn of not observng manners and etquette n
reaton to the Imam.
Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq(as) has sad:

He who has true beef n Aah and the Last Day w not attend gatherngs n whch the
Imam s beng dsparaged or n whch the defects of a beever are beng spoken about.1
Actons such as not observng the responsbtes whch one has to fuf n regards to Imam
a-Zaman (a|tf) dspayng our own shortcomngs n reaton to these rghts, seekng hep
(tawassu) from other than the Imam or hs pure famy n tmes of dffcutes, tryng to fnd
fauts and defects n the rungs of the regon and that whch the Prophet of Isam brought,
or nsutng the aws of Aah are a thngs whch are equvaent to nsutng the Imam.
In addton, actons such as havng hatred for the frends and overs of Imam a-Zaman
(a|tf), or ovng the enemes of the Imam and enemes of the regon are aso practca
exampes of showng dsrespect and not observng the correct etquette n reaton to the
Imam.
Therefore, these and many other thngs whch are consdered as showng dsrespect to the
Imam must be kept away from and wthout doubt, those wth nteect and understandng
can ceary under ths responsbty.
1. a-Kaf, vo. 2, Pagre 377, no. 9
Manners Part 2
Another responsbty s to observe the proper etquette when the Imams name s
mentoned.
A true beever shoud ony ca upon the Imam by hs ttes such as: a-Hu||ah, a-Oa`m, a-
Mahd, Sahb a-Amr, Sahb az-Zaman, Aba Sah and others.
In addton, when one wants to say or wrte the bessed name of the Imam, one must aso
dspay the utmost of respect.
For exampe, f we use the word Harat or Mawa or thngs such as ths before hs name,
then we must aso add the varous forms of greetng, sautatons and prayers after
mentonng hm, such as: (peace be upon hm): (may Aahs
peace be upon hm): (prayers and peace be upon hm):
(may our sous be sacrfced for hm) or (may Aah, the Most
Hgh, hasten hs nobe return) after hs bessed name.

Whoever sends bessngs on me n wrtng, the Anges w contnue to ask forgveness for
hm for as ong as my name s n that book (or wrtng).1
Therefore based on ths tradton, we must remember to show honor and respect to the
Prophet, the Imam of our tme and the other A`mmah and ths cannot be acheved by
merey wrtng ()2 n the pace of ,( ) or () n the pace of )
( or () n the pace of ( ) and other thngs such as these.
Many tmes, we see schoars wrte ong dssertatons and do not even try n the east to
keep ther words to a mnmum or we see speakers who dever ong ectures and never
suffce wth short taks, however when t comes to showng respect to the A`mmah of true
gudance, they never foow the code of honor n reaton to them or f they do, they resort
to usng the abbrevated forms of respect.
Therefore, nstead of wrtng out ( ) they w wrte () or even worse,
they w cut the sautaton off and wrte ) )! In pace of the prayer, ( ) and n
pace of ( ) they w use the symbos () and ))! Sometmes, n
pace of the prayer ( ) or the prayer ( ) they w shorten them
and wrte them as () and .()
We shoud keep n mnd that not ony s the use of such shortened expressons n reaton to
these nobe personates rude and mpote, but t s aso one of the greatest forms of
dsrespect towards them!
Another pont of etquette n showng respect to the Imam s that we shoud not touch hs
name or any of hs ttes wthout Wudhu (sprtua purty).
What we have |ust mentoned n reaton to showng respect and honor to the Imam s |ust
the tp of the ceberg and there are many other forms whch can be manfest and ndeed
these are cear for the one who has true nsght and understandng (of the Imam).
It goes wthout sayng that what we have stated n ths responsbty n regards to the ast
Imam aso hods true for the rest of the Infabes.
1. Bharu Anwar, vo. 94, pg. 71, sec. 29, no. 65; Munyat a-Murd, pg. 347 (The secton of
Wrtng and Keepng Books)
2. In most Engsh pubcatons, ths s wrtten as (S), (s), (SAW), (saws), (pbuh&hf) and
other such ways. (Tr.)
Manners Part 3
Another responsbty of the beevers s that when they hear or see the name of Imam a-
Zaman or any of hs ttes, they shoud mmedatey show the approprate form of respect.
In addton, as a sgn of acknowedgng hs status, they shoud stand up when they hear hs
bessed tte, a-Oa`m.
One day, a person was n a gatherng wth Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) when
another person took the name of Imam a-Zaman (a|tf) and out of respect to the 12th
Imam, the 6th Imam stood up!1
Once, a companon named Db, who ved n the ater part of the Isamc hstory, rected a
poem whch he had composed n whch he mentoned Imam a-Hu||ah (a|tf) to the 8th
Imam, A b. Musa a-Rda (as). When he mentoned the 12th Imam, Imam a-Rda (as)
stood up and paced hs rght hand on hs head as a form of respect to the fna Imam and
prayed for hs speedy arrva!2
The phosophy behnd standng up when one hears the bessed name or tte of the Imam,
especay a-Oa`m (a|tf) s that we are showng our readness to rse to hep and assst the
Imam.
Indeed, whenever and wherever the name of the Imam s taken, he mmedatey makes
hmsef present n that gatherng and ooks wth attenton towards the peope (who have
taken hs name) and therefore, t s recommended to show respect to the Imam by standng
up whenever hs name s mentoned.
1. Sprtua Reaton wth the Nobe Personaty of the Mahd, pg. 240, Muntakhab a-Athar,
pg. 506, a-Zamun NaSb, vo. 1, pg. 371
2. Ibd.
Responsibility 35: Showing Humility &
Humbleness Part 1
Another responsbty of the foowers of the Imam s that we must have humty and
humbeness and show concern n our hearts (for the Imam) when we menton hm.
:

Aah, the Most Hgh has sad (n the Nobe Ouràn):
Has not the time come that those who have true faith begin to show humility in
their hearts when Allah and that which He has revealed of the Truth is
mentioned?1
Imam Muhammad b. A a-Baqr (as) has sad that: Rememberng us (the Ahu Bayt) and
mentonng us s the same as rememberng or mentonng Aah.2
Therefore, the hearts of the true beevers must have humbeness whch can ony come
about through rememberng the name of the Imam, |ust as Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-
Sadq(as) stated n hs suppcaton for Frday:

O Aah! Indeed I seek nearness to you wth a submssve heart, and (I seek nearness) to
your representatve wth a body that s humbe and (I seek nearness) to the rghty guded
A`mmah by a heart fed wth humty.3
1. Suratu Hadd (57), Verse 16
2. a-Kaf, vo. 2, pg. 396, no. 2
3. |ama a-Usbu, Pag 230, Bharu Anwar, vo. 89, pg. 332, sec. 4, no. 5
Responsibility 36: Showing Humility &
Humbleness Part 2
A true beevers entre presence must show humty to the 12th Imam. By ths we mean
that every part of our body must be n the servce of and ready to carry out the commands
of the Imam.
We must know that n the presence of the Imam, we are weak and nsgnfcant and that t
s the Imam who possesses greatness and magnmty. In addton, we must foow the Imam
by our actons and our heart.
Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) has sad the foowng n hs suppcaton for the
day of Frday:

O Aah! Indeed I seek nearness to you wth a submssve heart, and (I seek nearness) to
your representatve wth a body that s humbe; and (I seek nearness) to the rghty guded
A`mmah by a heart fed wth humty.1
1. Ibd.
Responsibility 37: Love for the Imam
Part 1
Another responsbty that the beevers have s to ove the Imam snce he s one of the
nfabe members of the Ahu Bayt (as) of the Prophet Muhammad (S).
The consecutvey narrated tradtons te us that ovng the Ahu Bayt (as), and specfcay
Imam a-Zaman (a|tf), s one of the responsbtes of the true beevers.
As we know, t s obgatory upon every beever to ove the famy of the Prophet whch s
actuay the reward he asked for brngng us the message of Isam. In addton, ths act s
aso regarded as a part of havng true fath and s one of the condtons for our actons to be
accepted n the presence of Aah.
A of the permtted, pure bessngs of Aah and the varous peasures whch the beevers
have been granted are due to the presence of the Imam and the bessngs he brngs wth
hm and t stands to reason that a person must ove the one who s the reason for a of the
bessngs whch he has been granted. Indeed, the Isamc tradtons te us that the
presence of the twefth Imam s the reason that we are bessed.
Thus, our ntegence commands us to ove hm and n prncpe, human nature commands
peope to ths truth we must ove the one who has gven us bessngs and bountes and has
done good to us.
In addton, there are numerous tradtons that speak drecty about the need to have ove
for our vng Imam.
:
Aah has sad n a Sacred Tradton (Hadth a-Ouds): O Muhammad! Have ove for hm
(a-Mahd) snce surey I ove hm and I ove anyone who oves hm.1

A person who woud ke to meet Aah n a state of perfect fath and n the best form of
submsson shoud ove a-Hu||ah Sahb a-Zaman a-Muntadhar (a|tf).2
Responsibility 38: Love For the Imam
Part 2
In addton to havng ove for the Imam, a true beever must aso encourage others to ove
hm n essence, they must pu others towards the Imam and towards ove for hm!

May Aah have mercy upon a servant who endears us to the peope and does not make
them have hatred towards us (the Ahu Bayt). 1
In another tradton, Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq has sad:

May Aah have mercy upon that servant who encourages the peope to ove us (the Ahu
Bayt) through speakng to them whatever (postve) they know (about us), whe refranng
from mentonng that whch they do not fnd acceptabe (about us).2
1. a-Kaf, vo. 8, pg. 229, sec. 8, no. 293
2. a-Ama (Shaykh Saduq), pg. 99
Responsibility 39: A Desire to Meet the
Imam Part 1
Expressng ones desre to meet the Imam s another responsbty of the beevers.
In the suppcatons whch are specfcay reated to Imam a-Zaman (a|tf) such as Dua a-
Nudbah1, there are passages (whch as we know are the exact words of Imam |afar b.
Muhammad as-Sadq) n whch ths responsbty has been ceary mentoned:

How dffcut t s for me that I am abe to see a the creaton, however you cannot be
seen, and I do not hear any sound or whsper from you!
The Commander of the Fathfu, A b. Ab Tab (as) has sad:
!
Aah! (O how I wsh I coud see hm!) And then he struck hs hand on hs chest as a sgn of
ongng to see the Imam (a-Mahd).2
1. Ths suppcaton has been narrated n the reabe books of suppcaton such as Mafath
a-|nan, Mkya a-Makarm, vo. 2, pg. 93-100; the hand wrtten copy of Mzar a-Kabr of
Ibne a-Mashad, pg. 822; Mzar (the od Verson) by Outb Rawand; the hand wrtten copy
of Mzar of Sayyd bne Tawus whch s known by the name of MSbahu Zar, pg. 334;
Bharu Anwar, vo. 102
2. Mkya a-Makarm, vo. 1, pg. 115; Bharu Anwar, vo. 51, pg. 115, sec. 2, no. 14
Responsibility 40: A Desire to Meet the
Imam Part 2
Another responsbty of a beever s to ask Aah for the abty to meet Imam a-Mahd
(a|tf). We must pray to Aah that the Imam permts us to see hm, but of course we shoud
ask to see hm whe we are n a state of true fath and performng good deeds.
Therefore, we shoud be bessed to meet hm havng fu fath n Isam so that we do not
cause any sprtua harm to the Imam and such that we are not among those whose hs
anger s taken out upon.
Ths type of meetng wth Imam a-Mahd (a|tf) s possbe both durng hs advent and durng
hs occutaton. Therefore, t s possbe for the beevers to see and meet hm durng hs
occutaton, |ust as t s possbe to see and meet hm durng hs advent. Thus, |ust because
he s currenty hdden from the eyes of the peope, we must not deny the fact that t s
possbe to see hm.
To see the Imam durng hs advent or durng the perod of occutaton whe awake or
aseep s somethng that everyone aspres towards and ths must be the wsh of a true
beevers. They must sncerey ask Aah for ths honor and the best way to acheve ths s to
suppcate to Aah to be granted the opportunty to meet the Imam upon hs advent.
In the Dua of Ahd (The Suppcaton of the Pact to the Imam)1 whch has been narrated by
Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as), we pray the foowng:

...
OAah! Show me the appearance of the one who s rghty guded and the fnest of those
deservng prase; and beautfy my sght wth the abty to ook upon hm...2
Later on n ths same suppcaton we appea to Aah _ and say:
...
O Aah I ask that you show me the authorty of your affars manfesty as he carres out
your orders...3

Anytme one of you has the desre (to see) a-Oa`m (a|tf), then you shoud desre that (you
see hm whe) you are n a good (sprtua) state snce surey Aah had sent Muhammad (S)
as a mercy but w send a-Oa`m (a|tf) as an avenger.4
In addton, t has been mentoned n Dua a-Nudbah5:
...
And aow hm (Imam a-Mahd) to see hs Master, O the Amghty...6
In another suppcaton7, t has been mentoned:

And make us of those whose eyes are deghted by seeng.8

A person who rectes Surah Ban Isra` (17) every Thursday nght w not de unt he sees
a-Oa`m (a|tf) and becomes one of hs companons.9
Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) has aso sad:

A person who rectes the foowng suppcaton after every obgatory Saat w defntey
see Imam ) ( Ibn a-Hasan, may peace be upon hm and upon hs forefathers, (ether)
whe he s awake or n hs dreams.10
Then the Imam rected the foowng suppcaton:
.
...
In the Name of Aah, the Most Gracous, the Most Mercfu. O Aah! Convey to our Master,
Sahb a-Zaman (a|tf), wherever he s and everywhere he s...
1. Bharu Anwar, vo. 102, pg. 1111, sec. 7, no. 2; MSbah of a-Kafam, pg. 550
2. Bharu Anwar, vo. 102, pg. 90
3. Ibd.
4. a-Kaf, vo. 8, pg. 233, no. 306
5. Ths suppcaton has been narrated n the reabe books of suppcaton such as Mafath
a-|nan, Mkya a-Makarm, vo. 2, pg. 93-100; the hand wrtten copy of Mzar a-Kabr of
Ibne a-Mashad, pg. 822; Mzar (the od Verson) by Outb Rawand; the hand wrtten copy
of Mzar of Sayyd bne Tawus whch s known by the name of MSbahu Zar, pg. 334;
Bharu Anwar, vo. 102
10. Ibd.
Responsibility 41: Visiting the Places the
Imam Visits
Another responsbty of the beevers s to go to those paces where ths s a possbty that
the Imam vsts such as Mas|d a-Sahah (n Iraq), Mas|d |amkaran (n Iran) and other
paces, especay at the specfc tmes whch have been mentoned that he may be there1
the gatherngs n whch the greatness and trats of the Imam and the other nfabe
A`mmah are mentoned.
Programs to commemorate the marrage of the Sadat and the Uama and especay those
gatherngs n whch the Sadat schoars who aso possess the quates of abstanng from
sns and who adhere to pety are present, gatherngs n whch the troubes that befe the
Ahu Bayt are mentoned programs n whch the teachngs of Aah and n whch the
nfabe A`mmah are remembered.
Especay the days whch are reevant to them such as Ashura, Ed a-Ftr, Thursday nght
and other days accompanyng the dead bodes of the schoars and those who ove the
Imam especay the true Sha to ther bura ste are a programs and gatherngs whch a
true beever shoud be present n.
In addton, the |oyous occasons whch take pace durng the year such as Ed a-Ghadr,
Ed a-Ourban, the Nghts of Oadr n the Month of Ramahan and others, are aso tmes n
whch Imam a-Hu||ah (a|tf) s present and thus, we shoud aso be sure to take part n
programs whch are hed around these great days.
1. For exampe accordng to the tradtons t s stated that Imam Wa a-ASr attends the
Ha|| every year and on the day of Arafat, he s present on the Pans of Arafat.
Responsibility 42: Grief and Sorrow Due
to Separation Part 1
Another responsbty of a true beever s that one must fee gref and sorrow due to ones
separaton from the Imam and not beng abe to see hm. Ths state of gref shoud be a
contnuous feeng for a beever and shoud not be mted to merey a few days durng the
year.
If a true beever s ony abe to be n sprtua contact wth the Imam for certan hours or
parts of the day, then at east n those tme perods, one must express gref at beng
separated from the Imam and the deay n hs advent.
There s a secton n Dua a-Nudbah whch expans the sorrow one fees at beng separated
from hs Imam:

Is there any assstant that w be aongsde me n proongng my gref and tears (at beng
separated from you, O Imam?)1
Responsibility 43: Grief and Sorrow Due
to Separation Part 2
Another responsbty of the beevers s to shed tears due to beng separated from the
Imam and because of the tras and trbuatons whch he has had to endure. If t s not
possbe for a person to cry, then he shoud try and force hmsef to cry or at east pretend
to cry whch s known as tabaka n Arabc.
In a tradton from Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) t s mentoned that:

Anyone who remembers us or when we are remembered n hs presence, a tear-drop the
sze of the wng of a gnat comes out from hs eye, Aah w forgve hs sns even f they are
the amount of the foam on the waters of the sea.1
In another tradton from Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) he has stated:

Take care not to refer to hm (by name))! By Aah (I swear that) your Imam w dsappear
for many years durng whch tme, you sha be (ntensey) tested unt t w be sad: He
ded or He has pershed or Whch vaey has he taken as hs pace of recuse? Very,
the eyes of the beevers sha shed tears for hm.2
Sudar Saraf has narrated that:

:

!

: !

:

:

.

: .
: .

...

.

: .

.
.

Sudar a-Saraf says: I aong wth a-Mufaa b. Umar, Abu BaSr, Aban b. Taghb
entered upon our master Abu Abdah |afar b. Muhammad (as). We saw hm sttng on
bare earth wth a Khabar wooen coak that was rnged at the neck, dd not have any
pockets and had short seeves.
He was cryng ke a deepy affcted and bereaved mother of a chd from the depths of a
heart that was fu of mournng. Gref had appeared n the sdes of hs face, the change had
spread on to both of hs cheeks, and tears were rong on the sdes of hs vsage, as he was
sayng: My master, your occutaton has taken away my nghts seep t has narrowed my
bed for me, and has snatched away the soace from my heart.
My master, your occutaton has turned my tragedes nto the atroctes of eternty. The oss
of one after the other pershes a crowd and a muttude.
No more I fee the tear that drops from my eye, and the moan that fanty eaves my chest
from the paces of tragedes and past caamtes except that t exempfes before my eye
the greatest and crueest of catastrophes, the most dsma and dsdanfu mshaps, mxed
wth your wrath, and caamtes couped wth your anger.
Sudar says: Our hearts and mnds were overwhemed by that terrfyng scene and
mortfyng vew. We thought that t s the sgn of a dreadfu shatterng or tmes have
brought hm a caamty.
We sad: May Aah, O son of the best of the creaton, never brng tears nto your eyes. For
what ncdents are your eyes pourng and your tears ranng and what stuaton has ed you
to ths mournng?
Sudar says, as-Sadq (as) took a deep sgh that hs chest expanded and hs frght
enhanced, and he sad: O you, I ooked at the Book of a-|afr ths mornng, and that s the
book that encompasses the knowedge of deaths, tras and trbuatons and the knowedge
of a that has been and a that w be unt the Day of |udgment, whch Aah, gory to Hs
name, has excusvey mparted to Muhammad and the Imams after hm, peace be unto hm
and them.
I vewed theren the brth of our Oa`m a(a|tf) and hs dsappearance and ts protracton and
the ength of hs fespan and the tras of the beevers through hm after hm n that perod
and the generaton of doubts n ther hearts from the ength of hs dsappearance and the
apostasy of most of them from ther regon and ther removng the cord of Isam from ther
necks.
About whch Aah, gory to Hs name, has sad: We have fastened to everymans neck hs
fatefu record whch s the wayah. So emotons overpowered me and greves
overwhemed me.
We sad: O son of the Messenger of Aah, dgnfy us and bestow honor upon us by sharng
some of what you know from the knowedge.
He sad: Aah, the Exated, has consgned three quates n the Oa`m (a|tf) of ours, whch
He had consgned to three of the apostes. He foreordaned hs brth ke the brth of Moses,
hs dsappearance ke the dsappearance of |esus and hs protracton ke the protracton of
Noah. Moreover, He made the fespan of Hs vrtuous servant a-Khdhr a proof of hs
fespan.
I sad: remove the curtans for us, O son of the Messenger of Aah from the faces of these
concepts.
He sad: As for the brth of Moses: When the Pharaoh dscerned that the demse of hs
kngdom s n hs hands, he ordered the soothsayers be caed, who foretod hm about hs
neage and that he w be from the Chdren of Israe. Pharaoh dd not cease to have hs
men rp open the abdomens of the pregnant women of the Chdren of Israe, unt he ked
n the pursut of Moses twenty and some odd thousand babes.
He was unabe to murder Moses, for Aah, the Exated, protected hm. Lkewse, when the
Umayyad and the Abbasds dscovered that the demse of ther kngdom and that of ther
kngs and tyrants w be at the hands of the Oa`m (a|tf) from us.
They showed enmty towards us and took ther swords out for the murder of the House of
the Messenger of Aah (as) and to cut off hs progeny n order to make certan they have
ked the Oa`m (a|tf). However, Aah dskes not reveang Hs Command for one of the
oppressors unt Hs ght s fu, even f the pagans may dske ths.
As for the dsappearance of |esus: The |ews and the Chrstans formed unanmty that he
has been ked whereas Aah beed them n Hs verse:
They did not kill, nor crucify him, but rather, it was made dubious for them.
Lkewse s the dsappearance of the Oa`m (a|tf) snce one congregaton denes t for ts
ength rangng from one msguded person who says: He was never born, to another who
says: He was born and he ded, to another who re|ects fath by sayng that our eeventh
was barren, to another who devates by sayng: Ths w ncrease to thrteen an upwards,
and another who sns aganst God, the Exated, by sayng: The sprt of the Oa`m speaks
through the body of someone ese.
As for the protracton of Noah: When he prayed for the descent of punshment aganst hs
peope from the heavens, Aah, the Exated, sent Gabre, the Trusted Sprt, wth seven
kernes, and sad: O Aposte of Aah, Aah, the Exated, says to you: They are my
creaton and my servants.
I w not persh them wth a ghtenng from my thunderbots unt the ca has been
stressed upon and the proof has become bndng.
Retan your hard abor n makng the ca to your peope, for I w reward you for that. Pant
these kernes, because your reef and beraton w be at ts pantaton, outgrowth, and
fruton when t reaches fruton. Gve ths gad tdng to your beevng foowers.
When the trees grew and thrved and ther trunks and branches deveoped and spread out
and ther fruts grew bg, he asked Aah, the Exated, for the fufment of the promse.
Aah, the Exated, ordered hm to pant the seeds of those trees and retan patence and
hard work and make the ca to hs peope.
He nformed the natons that beeved n hm; three hundred men of them turned away from
hm and sad: If what Noah s camng were true, the promse of hs Lord woud not have
been voated. Then Aah, the Exated, contnued to order hm every tme to pant the
seeds unt they had been panted seven tmes.
Natons of beevers contnued to ose congregatons unt they were eft ony seventy and
some odd men. At that tme, dd Aah, the Exated, sent a message to hm and sad: O
Noah, now the dawn on your eyes has broken the nght as the truth has manfested wth
carty and the order of beef has become pure from mpurty by the apostasy of everyone
who had a wcked dsposton.
If I had destroyed the dsbeevers and kept those who have apostatzed from amongst the
beevers n you, I had not fufed my eary promse to the beevers from your peope who
were sncere n ther beef n Me and had adhered to the rope of your Prophet hood that I
woud make them hers n earth and empower for them ther regon and repace ther fear
wth securty, so that worshp be pure for me by the departure of doubts from ther hearts.
How coud I provde hershp and empowerment and repacement of fear wth securty whe
I know the weakness of certanty of the peope who apostatzed and ther wcked
dspostons and ther ev nsdes, whch were the outcomes of hypocrsy and the ntaton
of msgudance?
If they had procured from Me the kngdom that w be gven to the beevers at the tme of
her shp when I w have ked ther enemes, they woud have snffed the smes of ts
attractons, and t woud have strengthened the nner secrets of ther hypocrsy, and
eternazed the strngs of msgudance n ther hearts, and they woud have faced ther
brothers wth enmty and woud have batted them n pursut of chefdom and the
dstncton of commandng and forbddng.
And how can the regons empowerment and the Commands spread amongst the
beevers coexst wth rse of mschef and occurrence of wars? Never. Bud the ark under
our eyes and as We revea.
AS-Sadq (as) sad: Lkewse s the Oa`m (a|tf). The days of hs occutaton w be engthy
so truth may become cear and beef may become pure from mpurty by the apostasy of
everyone from the Sha wth a wcked dsposton, who are feared they are hypocrtes when
they expect her shp and empowerment and a vast securty n the regn of the Oa`m
(a|tf).
a-Mufaa says, I asked: O son of the Messenger of Aah, the nawasb beeve ths verse
has been reveaed about Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and A (as)!
He sad: May Aah not gude the hearts of the nawasb. When was the regon whch Aah
and Hs Messenger peased wth empowered through spread of securty n the Ummah and
departure of fear from ther hearts and doubts from breasts durng the regn of anyone of
them? In the regn of A (as) especay wth the apostasy of Musms and mschef whch
were occurrng n ther days and the wars that were breakng out between the dsbeevers
and between themseves.
Then as-Sadq (as) rected ths verse:
Until, when the apostles despaired and deemed they were counted liars, our
succor came to him
As for the vrtuous servant of Aah, a-Khdr: Aah, the Exated, dd not engthen hs fespan
for the sake of an aposteshp ordaned to hm, nor for a book sent to hm, nor for a code of
aw repacng the prevous codes from other messengers before hm, nor for an Imamate
obgng Hs servants to foow hm, nor any obedence mandated wth respect to hm.
Instead, snce Aah, the Exated, knew how engthy He woud make the fe of the Oa`m
(a|tf) n the days of hs dsappearance and He knew the re|ecton of Hs servants wth
respect to the ength of that fe, He engthened the fespan of the Vrtuous Servant for no
other reason but to argue on ts bass for the fespan of the Oa`m (a|tf) and so that the
argument of the adversares may cease and peope may not have any proofs aganst
Aah.3 and 4
2. a-Ghaybah of a-Numan, pg. 152; Kama ad-Dn wa Tamam an-Nmah, vo. 2, pg. 347,
sec. 23, no. 35
3. Kama ad-Dn wa Tamam an-Nmah, vo. 2, pg. 352, sec. 33, no. 50; Bharu Anwar, vo.
51, pg. 219, no. 9
4. The transaton of ths tradton has been taken from the Engsh transaton of Bharu
Anwar, vo. 51, pubshed by Ansaryan Pubcatons and transated by Hasan Aahyar.
Responsibility 44: Making Others Cry for
the Imam
The beevers shoud make others cry due to the separaton wth the Imam or because of
the dffcutes whch the Imam and hs pure fore-fathers had to endure of course, ths
shoud be done n accordance wth ones abty.
It must be noted that ths responsbty must ony be carred out through the means
permtted by the fath. By ths we mean that one must enact ths responsbty through
recang the authentc tradtons whch recount the tras and trbuatons whch the Ahu
Bayt (as) went through.
Thus, a beever must not make others cry by yng or changng the hstory of what the
Infabes went through as t s not permtted to make up hstorca narratons smpy to
make peope cry as ths s not what Aah _ and the pure and nfabe famy of the Prophet
want from us.

A person who cres or makes one other person cry w be granted Paradse and even a
person who pretends to cry (f he cannot cry) w aso be granted Paradse.1
1. a-Luhuf, pg. 11; Bharu Anwar, vo. 44, pg. 288, sec. 34, no. 27
Responsibility 45: Supplicating for the
Imam
Another responsbty of the beevers s to recte Dua a-Nudbah1 whch has been taught
to us by Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as). Ths suppcaton can be rected at any
tme, however we are tod that t s hghy recommended to be rected on the four days of
Ed, namey: the day of |umuah (Frday); Ed a-Ftr; Ed a-Ourban and Ed a-Ghadr.
Accordng to the opnon of some of our Uama2, t shoud aso be rected on Thursday
nght whch s another very bessed tme. After rectng ths suppcaton, one shoud aso
perform a two Rakat Saat of Zyarat to the Imam.
1. Bharu Anwar, vo. 102, pg. 111, sec. 7, no. 2; MSbah of a-Kafam, pg. 550.
2. Muhaddth Nur (reated from the book Mzar Oadm)
Responsibility 46: Remembering the
Imam Frequently Part 1
Another responsbty s to remember Imam a-Asr (a|tf) at a tmes and paces as much as
possbe, especay durng the tmes of the year reated to the Imam such as every Frday;
the 15th of Shaban, the Nghts of Oadr (n the Month of Ramahan) and after each of the
day prayers.
We must aways be n a state of rememberng the Imam and must aways keep hm n our
hearts. If t s possbe to remember hm wth the tongue (openy and verbay), then ths
must be done, otherwse f t s ony possbe to remember hm n the heart (senty), then
one must act n ths way, and f t s ony possbe to remember hm n the mnd, then ths s
how he must be remembered. The pont s that we shoud never be neggent of hm.
When the heart of a true beever s taken over by the remembrance of Imam a-Mahd
(a|tf), then hs entre presence goes nto a state of hs remembrance and ths s the best
state we can fnd ourseves n.
In order for a beever to be abe to aways remember the Imam, one need to be vgant1
and constanty protect hs heart and keep away from everythng other than the Imam.
The greater n frequency of the verba remembrance of the Imam, and the purer the
ntenton, the more of an effect ths w have on a person. Ths w aso make the
remembrance of the Imam stronger n our heart.
In certan nstances, the remembrance of the Imam can actuay be obgatory as those who
have a deep sprtua nsght nto ths ssue w attest to the remembrance of the Imam n
any tme and n a forms s equvaent to rememberng and mentonng Aah, and n a
tradton from Imam Muhammad b. A a-Baqr (as) we read:

Surey our remembrance s from the remembrance of Aah.2
Here, we refer to some of the specfc tmes and paces whch we have been hghy
recommended to remember Imam a-Mahd (a|tf):
The nght and day of the 15th of Shaban.
The nghts of Oadr (n the Month of Ramahan)
The nght and day of Ashura (the 10th of Muharram)
The nght and day of |umuah (Frday)
The Day of Nuruz (frst day of sprng)
The afternoon of Monday and Thursday snce t s these two days when a of our actons
(good and bad) are presented to the Imam
Before gong to seep
The ast one-thrd of the nght when even the Imam s busy n Saatu Taha||ud (Saatu La)
Whenever one s rectng Dua
Anytme when a person s cryng and askng Aah _ for hs needs3
The nta rsng of the sun (Fa|r tme)
After Saatu Fa|r
The begnnng of the afternoon (Zuhr)
After Saatu Zuhr
After Saatu Asr
At sunset
The Day of Arafah (9th of Dhu H||ah)
1. The Days of Ed such as Edu Ghadr, Edu Ftr and Edu Ourban, the brth
annversares of the Infabes _ and ther death annversares.
2 .As for the paces whch are specfcay reated to the Imam and shoud be shown
veneraton, they ncude:
Mas|d a-Haram
Mas|d as-Sahah
Mas|d a-Kufah
Mas|d |amkaran
The cear n Samarrah where hs occutaton began
Mas|d Zad
Mas|d SaSaah
The Pans of Arafat4
The bura stes of a of the Infabes (pubth), especay Karbaa.
The gatherngs and programs n whch Aah s remembered and n whch the greatness,
trats and tras and trbuatons of the Ahu Bayt (as) are recaed.
Indeed, one of the responsbtes of the true foowers s to remember Imam a-Zaman
(a|tf) n these tmes and paces by vstng them and hodng them n great esteem and by
observng the etquette and performng the acts whch are reated to each of these areas.
If we truy wsh to remember the Imam n these paces then we must see what hs wsh and
desre s for us to perform. Through ths, we w be abe to perform the deeds whch w
earn hs peasure and happness.
Rememberng the Imam performng hs vstaton; sendng greetngs and prayers to hm
prayng for hm and cang upon Aah for hm dedcatng the reward of rghteous acts such
as the Saat and aso the performance of certan other acts by means of proxy for hm
wthn the acts of worshp and servtude to Aah, are some of the ways n whch ths
responsbty towards the Imam can be carred out.
1. Refer to responsbty Ffty-Sx for more nformaton on ths ssue.
2. a-Kaf, vo. 2, pg. 496, no. 2
3. From some of the narratons we can deduce that the Imam does not seep and spends
hs whoe nght n the worshp and obedence of Aah _ |ust as hs nobe fore-fathers
before hm used to do and t may be for ths reason that when the tradtons speak about
the coour of hs compexon as beng a ght yeow/brown coour, t s due to the fact that
the Imam spends ths entre nght n worshp and prayer to Aah _.
4. Mas|du Haram s n Makkah and ncudes the Kabah, Maqam of Ibrahm, and the we of
Zamzam; Mas|d as-Sahah s one of the argest Masa|d and s ocated n Kufah; Mas|d a-
Kufah s the most sacred mas|d n the cty of Kufah and s aso one of the odest Masa|d
after Mas|du Haram and was but by Prophet Adam _; Mas|d Zad b. Sawhan and the
Mas|d of SaSaah b. SawSan are aso two mportant Masa|d n Kufah; Mas|d |amkaran s
one of the Masa|d of the Sha n Iran whch s approxmatey eght kometres south-east
of the cty of Oum; the Pans of Arafat are approxmatey twenty-one kometres from the
cty of Makkah |ust around the mountan known as the Mountan of Rahmah (|aba a-
Rahmah) and s one of the spots n whch those performng the Ha|| vst durng the days of
the pgrmage and s one of the pars of the ha|| rtes.
Responsibility 47: Remembering the
Imam Frequently Part 2
A true beever must aways remember the Imam n a acts of worshp whether obgatory
or recommended even n the Saat. One must be aware that we are performng the Saat n
the presence of Imam a-Zaman (a|tf) and we must reaze that the Imam s watchng us.
When a true beever says:
... .
Keep us on the straight path, the path of those whom You have blessed 1
One must remember that the Imam s the Sratu Mustaqm (the Straght Path) and Aah
competed and perfected Hs bountes and favours upon hm and hs forefathers.
When one rectes the Tashahhud and says:

OAah! Send your prayers upon Muhammad and the famy of Muhammad then at ths
tme too, one must remember the Imam snce he s the most perfect manfestaton of the
famy of Muhammad!
When a beever rectes the Saam n the Saat and says:

Peace be upon us and upon the rghteous servants of Aah or one says:

Peace be upon a of you and may the mercy and bessngs of Aah be upon you as we
then one must aso remember the Imam and the rghteous servants of Aah and reaze
that ths ne s actuay beng spoken to Imam a-Mahd (a|tf).
Even durng the Ruku, Su|ud, Ounut one must remember the Imam n short, one must
aways be thnkng about hm.
Ths great personaty must aways be n our mnds and the focus of our ntentons, and
when we send prayers upon hm and hs nobe famy we must say:

OAah! Send your prayers upon Muhammad and the famy of Muhammad.
1. Suratu Fatha (1), Verses 6 and 7
Responsibility 48: Thanking Allah
through Supplication
Another responsbty s to suppcate to Aah and thank Hm for pacng us amongst the
overs, frends, and true Sha of the Imam both n ths word and the next.
As we know, the ony way true success can be acheved n ether of the two words s
through frendshp and ove for the Imam and to be recognzed as hs Sha.
In ths regards, there are many suppcatons whch can be rected, ncudng Dua a-Ahd
(The Suppcaton of the Pact)1 whch s as foows:


OAah! Lord of the Great Lght, Lord of the Exated Throne, Lord of the tempestuous sea,
the Reveaer of the Taurat, the In| and the Zabur; Lord of the shade and the heat; the
Reveaer of the great Ouràn, Lord of the Honoured Anges, the Prophets and the
Messengers.

O Aah I ask you by your benevoent countenance and by the umnaton of your brance
and your eterna kngdom. O the Ever-Lvng, O the Sef Subsstng! I ask you through your
Name by whch the heavens and the earth are umnated, and through your Name by
whch the predecessors and the successors are reformed.
O the Ever-Lvng before any vng thng exsted, and the Ever-Lvng even after a fe w
cease. O Ever-Lvng even when there was no fe at a, O One Who gves fe to the dead
and brngs death to the vng, O Ever-Lvng, there s none worthy of worshp except you.

O Aah, convey to our Master, the Imam, the gude, the guded, the estabsher of Your
authorty, may Your bessngs be on hm and hs pure forefathers, from a the beevng
men and women, n the east and the west of the word, n the pans and on the mountans,
on the ands and n the sea, and from me and my parents, the bessngs that are equa n
weght to the Throne of Aah, the nk of Hs words and such as ony encompassed by Hs
knowedge and covered by Hs book.

O Aah, I renew on the dawn of ths day and a the remanng days of my fe, my pedge,
covenant and aegance to hm, whch I sha nether contravene, nor negect ever.

O Aah ncude me among hs hepers, supporters, protectors, those fufng hs
commands, hs defenders, the fore-runners to carry out hs wshes and those to be
martyred n hs presence.

O Aah shoud death come between me and hs reappearance the death whch You have
made nevtabe on your servants then brng me out from my grave covered n my shroud,
my sword unsheathed, my spear posed, respondng to the ca of the caer n the ctes and
the deserts.

O Aah grace me wth a sght of the appearance of one rghty guded and the fnest of the
prase-worthy, and coo my eyes wth a gance towards hm, and hasten hs return; ease hs
re-appearance; wden hs course; ead me onto hs path; cause hs orders to be executed,
and strengthen hs back.

O Allah populate your cities through him and revive your servants by him, for
indeed you have said and your words are true: Corruption has appeared in land
and sea on account of what the hands of the people have wrought. (A-Ouràn
30:41)

O Aah make appear for us your frend and the son of the daughter of your Prophet who
bears the name of Your Messenger, unt nothng fase remans but that he destroys a of t
and manfests the truth fuy and mpements t.

O Aah! Make hm a refuge for your oppressed servants; a heper for hm who has no other
heper besdes you, a revver of the commandments of your book whch have been
negected; the strengthener of the teachngs of your regon, and the tradtons of Your
Prophet. May Aahs bessng be upon hm and hs progeny.

O Aah pace hm among those whom you have protected from the ev of the
transgressors.

O Aah pease Your Prophet Muhammad, may the bessngs of Aah be upon hm and hs
progeny, and those who accept the nvtaton of the Imam and have mercy on our state of
abasement after hs appearance.

O Aah remove ths gref from ths Ummah by hs presence and hasten hs reappearance
for very they (the hypocrtes) regard t to be dstant and we see t very near (a-Ouràn
70:6-7) by Your mercy, O the Most Mercfu.
One shoud then strke ones rght hand on the rght thgh three tmes, and each tme
rectes the foowng:

Hasten, Hasten, O my Master O Master of the tme.
It has been narrated that after Prophet Ibrahm saw the ceesta ghts of the fourteen
Infabes, he sad to Aah:
.
.

: .
: .

O my Lord and my Master! I see ghts encrcng around these (fourteen ceesta ghts) of
whch none know the number except You! Aah reped: O Ibrahm! These are ther Sha
and ther overs (of the Ahu Bayt). Ibrahm sad: O my Lord! How are ther Sha and
overs known?
Aah reped: Through ther ffty-one Rakat of Saat ther pronouncng the phrase _In the
Name of Aah, the Most Compassonate, the Most Mercfu_ out oud (n ther Saat); ther
performance of the Ounut before gong nto the Ruku, the prostraton of thanks and
wearng a rng on ther rght hand.
Ibrahm then sad: O Aah! Pease pace me among ther Sha and ther overs (too).
Aah reped to hm: I have paced you among them. At ths pont, Aah reveaed the
foowng, |And surey from amongst ther Sha was Ibrahm when he went nto the
presence of hs Lord wth a pure and submssve heart (Oab-e-Saeem).|2
1. Ths suppcaton s mentoned n Bharu Anwar, vo. 102, pg. 110, sec. 7. It can aso be
seen n Mafath a-|nan after Dua a-Nudbah and we have aso ncuded t n ths
responsbty.
Responsibility 49: Assisting the Imam
Part 1
Another responsbty s to hep the Imam as n essence, ths s equvaent to assstng
Aah. The meanng of assstng Imam a-Asr (a|tf) s that a true beever must accept and
foow whatever the Imam hmsef has put nto pace and must strugge to brng the wshes
of the Imam nto beng.
Hepng the Imam takes on varous forms accordng to the tme, pace, stuaton and events
that one s surrounded n. However t must be noted that hepng the Imam durng the
perod of occutaton s dfferent than hepng hm durng hs advent.
Hepng hm durng the occutaton means that a true beever shoud sprtuay purfy
hmsef and observes awareness of Aah (taqwa). He must not abandon dssmuaton
(taqyyah) when t s requred, and must suppcate on behaf of the Imam and hs Sha.
Durng the occutaton, a beever must aso menton the greatness and quates of the
Imam, and convey the mportance of hepng the Imam to hs frends and Sha. One must
aso wrte and spread whatever knowedge one has to hep keep the regon ave. It goes
wthout sayng that these are a to be done accordng to ones abty.
As for hepng the Imam durng hs advent, t ncudes thngs such as struggng (|had) on
the sde of the Imam; bearng dffcutes wth patence, and gvng up ones fe and
property for the sake of the Imam.
Part 2
In order to hep Imam a-Zaman (a|tf) durng hs advent, we must have a strong sprtua
heart and be frm n our beefs enterng absoutey no doubts or confuson n regards to hm
(and thngs reated to hm). In ths regards, Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) has
sad:

Indeed for you s a promsed reward equvaent to becomng a martyr wth hm (the Imam)
whch resuts from your ntenton - even f you de on your beds.1
In another tradton from Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) t s stated:

I do not thnk of mysef as beng out of the ranks of the martyrs of a-Tufuf (Karbaa), nor
do I count mysef as havng a esser reward than them because t s from my ntenton to
hep f I had wtnessed that day. Ths s aso the case wth our Sha they too are martyrs
even f they de on ther beds.2
Part 3
Foowng the prevous two responsbtes, another obgaton upon the beevers s for
them to gather together and agree to hep Imam a-Zaman (a|tf).
Indeed, there s a great sprtua effect n gatherng together and agreeng (to hep the
Imam), whch s not present when one does ths act on hs own n prvate.
In a verse of the Ouràn, we read that:

Help one another towards good deeds and God consciousness.1
Ths verse proves that t s obgatory to gather together and hep each other.
In a tradton from the Commander of the Fathfu, A b. Ab Tab (as) t has been
mentoned that:
!

Opeope! Had you not faed to support the rght and undermne the wrong, he who s not
from you woud not have overcome you and he who s now rung over you woud not have
had the opportunty to do so.2
In addton, t has been stated by Imam a-Mahd (a|tf) n one of the etters he wrote that:

And f our foowers, May Aah make them successfu n obeyng Hm, were unted wth
ther hearts n fufng the promse that s upon them, there woud be no deay for them
from the good fortune of meetng us.3
1. Suratu Madah (5), Verse 2
2. Nah| a-Baagha, sermon 165, pg. 542
3. Bhar a-Anwar, vo. 53, pg. 177, sec. 31, no. 8
Part 4
The true beevers must suppcate to Aah that when Imam a-Mahd (a|tf) makes hs
advent, He paces them among hs companons, hepers and those who are hs attendants.
In addton, ths suppcaton w aso petton Aah for the opportunty to wtness the
Imams return!
There are varous suppcatons whch have been narrated n the books of prayers n
regards to ths responsbty, such as Dua a-Nur1, Dua a-Ahd2 and others a of whch
are from the Ahu Bayt (as).
In Dua a-Ahd, we read the foowng:

And pace me among hs hepers and foowers and defenders and among those who (are
bessed to) seek martyrdom n hs presence.
Therefore, the beevers must pray to Aah that durng the occutaton, they are gven the
opportunty to be wth the companons and hepers of ths great personaty.
|ust as we yearn to be bessed wth ths rank durng hs return, even durng hs occutaton,
we shoud have the same wsh.
1. Bhar a-Anwar, vo. 102, pg. 111, sec. 7, no. 2; MSbah of a-Kafam, pg. 550
2. Refer to the footnote n the forty-eghth responsbty.
Part 5
Another responsbty s to recte Dua a-Nur1. Ths suppcaton has been narrated from
the A`mmah of the Ahu Bayt (as) and s a prayer whch s found n many of the reabe
books of suppcaton.
It has been narrated that Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) sad: Any person who
makes a promse wth Aah wth ths dua for forty mornngs w be among the hepers of
our Oa`m (a|tf).
If that person s to de before the return of the Imam, then Aah the Hgh w brng hm
forth from hs grave (to hep the Imam). For every etter of ths pact, one thousand good
deeds w be wrtten n the persons book of records and one thousand sns w be
erased.2
Ths suppcaton has been mentoned n responsbty forty-eght.
1. Bhar a-Anwar, vo. 102, pg. 111, sec. 7, no. 2; MSbah of a-Kafam, pg. 550
2. Ibd.
Responsibility 54: Pledge of Allegiance
to the Imam
Another responsbty whch the true beevers must fuf s to renew ther pedge of
aegance to Imam a-Zaman (a|tf).
Accordng to the narratons, t s best that ths act s done after every obgatory Saat or at
east once a day and f ths s not possbe, then at east once a week.
The meanng of pedgng aegance to the Imam s that the person obgates hmsef to hep
the Imam. Whe fufng ths promse, one must not show any remorse or regret f one
needs to hep the Imam wth hs fe or weath.
One of the frst tmes ths sort of pedge was taken was durng the speech of Ghadr when
the Prophet commanded the entre naton to make a pedge of aegance to a the nfabe
A`mmah.
Ths pedge of aegance s actuay one of the necessary acts of true fath and n essence, a
true beever w never have fath unt he reazes and comprehends ths pedge of
aegance and stays frm on t after makng t.
The foowng condtons must be observed n ths pedge of aegance:
1. A person makng the aegance must have the ntenton n hs heart to obey the Imam
and must promse that he w hep hm. In addton, a person must not show remorse f he
has to gve up hs fe or weath to mantan ths pact.
2. The pedge of aegance, ntenton to hep the Imam and ntatng ths frm covenant
must be done verbay.
Of course, when the advent of the Imam takes pace and when hs government s
estabshed, the pedge of aegance for these two ssues w be done physcay wth the
Imam by a shakng of hands.
It shoud be noted that the reazaton of ths pedge of aegance n whch a person w
pace hs hand n the hand of the person whom he s pedgng to s obgatory and ths can
ony take pace when the person whom the aegance s beng made to s one of the
Infabes or one of ther drecty apponted representatves. Thus, t s not permssbe to
make ths knd of pedge to anyone ese!
Obvousy, durng the perod of occutaton, the fufment of ths form of aegance n whch
a person paces hs hand n the hand of Imam a-Zaman (a|tf) or hs specfc representatve
s not possbe snce accordng to the tradtons, the Imam s hdden from the vew of the
peope and thus, ths form of the responsbty s mted to the tme when he makes hs
advent.
Durng the perod of the occutaton, no one has been desgnated by the Imam to accept
the pedge of aegance, thus ths form of aegance cannot be performed wth any person
and t s actuay forbdden even f the person to whom the pedge s beng made s a
schoar.
In addton, even f the schoar was a Faqh |am a-Shara`t (Wa a-Amr a-Musmn), st
t s not permssbe to make such a pedge of aegance to hm.
Therefore, there s no proof of the permssbty of ths form of pedge of aegance durng
the tme of the occutaton. Rather, the tradtons have actuay forbdden ths and we a
know that n ssues of the regon, such as ths pact of aegance, are a contngent upon
what the regous commandments specfy and the permssbty of these partcuar acts
rest on the egsaton of the Isamc aws.
!

OMufaa! Every pedge of aegance that takes pace before the advent of a-Oa`m
(a|tf) s dsbeef, hypocrsy and decepton. May the curse of Aah be upon a person who
makes such a pedge of aegance and the one who accepts ths pedge of aegance?1
Wthout doubt, the meanng of bayah n ths tradton s the hand to hand bayah and not
a forms of pedgng aegance snce n other tradtons, some forms of the bayah have not
been competey forbdden. Therefore, durng the perod of the occutaton, the bayah
(pedgng oyaty) whch s done wthout gvng ones hand s not a probem and s actuay
one of the sgns of true fath and has been emphaszed.
Accordng to the tradtons, durng the perod of the occuaton of Imam a-Zaman (a|tf), we
are permtted to pedge our aegance to the genera representatves of the Imam. Thus,
we can pedge ourseves to a schoar who fufs the condtons of beng foowed especay
the Wa a-Faqh who s the guardan of the Musm communty.
Ths bayah s done wth the thought n mnd that payng aegance to hm s due to the fact
that he s a schoar who fufs a of the condtons of beng foowed, s the Wa a-Faqh
and that the pedge of aegance to hm s actuay a pedge to Imam a-Zaman (a|tf), and
the pedge of aegance to the Imam s actuay the pedge of aegance to Aah.
There are many ways n whch we can make the bayah to Imam a-Zaman (a|tf) as have
been narrated by the nfabe A`mmah, one them s Dua a-Ahd.2
The schoars3 have stated that these suppcatons are recommended to be rected every
day after Saatu Fa|r. Rather, t shoud be rected after every obgatory Saat, f possbe. In
addton, due to there beng some proof n the tradtons, t s recommended that ths
pedge of aegance shoud be repeated every |umuah (Frday).
It has aso been recommended rather t s essenta that Dua of Ahd whch has been
narrated from Imam Muhammad b. A a-Baqr (as) shoud be rected at east once durng a
persons fetme.
Imam Muhammad b. A a-Baqr (as) has sad: Whosoever among our frends and
foowers reads ths suppcaton once n ther fe, t w be wrtten on the parchment of
worshp of Aah (that he rected ths prayer) and hs name w be mentoned n the book of
a-Oa`m (may Aah hasten hs gorous advent).
Then, when a-Oa`m (a|tf) makes hs advent, the name of the person who read ths
suppcaton and hs fathers name w be announced. In addton, the parchment whch
contans the names of the worshppers of Aah w be gven to hm and t w be sad that:
Take ths wrtng whch contans the transcrpt of the promse whch you made to us n the
word.
Imam Muhammad b. A a-Baqr (as) then sad: Ths s the truth whch Aah, the Nobe
and Grand stated when he sad the foowng:

...except the one who has taken a covenant with the Most Merciful.4
As we, whe n a state of rtua purty, the foowng suppcaton shoud be rected:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

.
O Aah: O the God of a gods! O the One! O the One and Ony! O the Last of the ast!
O the most Omnpotent one over the powerfu ones! O the Hgh! Othe A great. You are
very the Hgh, the Most Hgh. You have been Hgh over a zenths. Ths s, O master, my
pedge; and you sha certany fuf your promse to me.

So, O my Master, (pease do) admt my pedge and fuf your promse to me. I beeve n
you and I pray to you n the Name of Your Arab Ve, Your non-Arab Ve, Your Hebrew Ve,
Your Syrac Ve, Your Roman Ve, and Your Indan Ve. And I admt my recognton of You
on account of the earer care (of You over me), for You are very Aah Who cannot be seen
whe You are n the most eevated vew.

And I seek nearness to You through Your Messenger, the warner; and through A, the
Commander of the Fathfu, the gude, Aahs bessngs be upon hm and through a-Hasan,
the master, and a-Husayn, the martyr, the two grandsons of Your Prophet, and through
Fatmah, the mmacuate and through A b. a-Husayn the Adornment of the Worshppers
and the one wth a caus on hs forehead (due to ncessant worshppng) and through
Muhammad b. A, who spt (the profundtes of) Your knowedge.
And through |afar b. Muhammad, the truthfu who fufed hs covenant and promse to you
and through Musa b. |afar, the chaste one who undertook hs oath to You and through A
b. Musa, the one who was peased wth Your |udgement and through Muhammad b. A, the
we-versed and the vrtuous who s accepted by the beevers and through A b.
Muhammad, the honest, the trusted, and the gude of those who seek true gudance.
And through a-Hasan b. A, the pure, the nfabe, and the treasure of the successors.
And I seek nearness to You through the Imam (of the age), the drector of |ustce, the
awated, the we-guded, our eader and the son of our eader may Aahs bessngs be
upon a of them.

O He who s Most Eevated and Most Magnfcent, and He s deservng of ths and has thus
pardoned and treated mercfuy! O He Who ordans decrees wth compasson: I compan
before you about my weakness and about the nadequacy of my actons as regards to my
confesson of Your Oneness and the essence of my recognton of you.
And I turn my face towards you, (prayng to You) by the whte nomnaton and the great
monothesm that have not been reazed by those who fed and turned away from You. And
I beeve n your greatest ve and Your perfect, exated words from whch You have created
the abode of tra and through whch You sha aow hm whom You wsh to enter the abode
of Paradse.
I beeve n the foremost and the truthfu, the companons of the rght hand, among the
beevers and those who have mxed a rghteous act wth another ev one (for whch they
sought forgveness): (I pray to You by a of these) that You do not aow me to foow
anyone other than these ones (.e. the Imams) and that You do not excude me from ther
group tomorrow when You w stpuate (Your) peasure as the crteron of Your |udgement.
I beeve n ther secret and pubc teachngs, and the seang of ther deeds, for you decde
the seang of anyones deeds f you w. O You Who have honoured me by the confesson
of Your Oneness, bestowed upon me wth the recognton of Your Lordshp, and deprved
me of doubt and bnd-heartedness: I admt You as my Lord, and admt the Pure Ones as
the ntermedares to You, and admt the Veed Ones as Prophets, and admt the
Messengers as gudes (to You), and admt the Pous Ones as eaders, and pedge mysef as
aways stenng to and obeyng You.
2. Refer to responsbty Forty-Eght.
3. Sayyd bne Tawus, n hs book Msbah a-Zar and Aamah Ma|s n Bhar a-Anwar, vo.
102, pg. 110 have covered ths.
4. Surat Maram (19), Verse 87
Responsibility 55: The Wilayah of the
Imam
The true beevers must suppcate that Aah bestows the wayah (mastershp) of Imam a-
Zaman (a|tf) upon them and that they are granted the abty to gan true fath, ove and
obedence to the Imam and that these characters are ncreased wthn them. One must be
serous and earnest n ths suppcaton and must take ths as somethng mportant.
The happness of the true beever s contaned wthn the wayah, fath, ove and
obedence to the Imam and the more the wayah s made stronger and ncreases n the
heart, so too the status and rank of a true beever n the presence of Aah w aso
ncrease, and thus, coseness to Aah w aso ncrease.
Snce the way to acheve ths wayah s ony possbe through the power of Aah _ and s
out of the ream of a person to acqure on hs own, the ony way to acheve ths s to
request t from Aah. The attanment of the wayah and fath (n the Imam) and other
thngs such as these even thngs such as knowedge and sustenance are a ssues whch
are reated to the essence of Aah and are out of the power of peope to acqure wthout
the hep of Aah.
Responsibility 56: Protecting Ones
Spiritual Rank Part 1
The true beever needs to be vgant n regards to the sprtua statons, ranks and
coseness to the Imam. One must ensure that nothng s done to damage ths sprtua rank
that one s not dstanced from the Imam through ones acton, nor oses the attenton and
frendshp of the Imam.
A beever must be vgant so that n fufng ones responsbtes whch are the rght of
the Imam over hm, there s no neggence and that he performs them n the best possbe
way.
A beever must aso be attentve snce he s constanty n the presence of Imam a-Zaman
(a|tf) and must keep away from anythng whch woud ead the Imam to becomng upset.
In addton, one must ensure that n whatever state he s n, whatever movements he takes,
and even hs sence are a performed n accordance wth and for the ntenton of earnng
the ove of the Imam.
A Musm must not fa nto neggence for even one nstant n regards to earnng the
peasure of the Imam whch s equa to peasng Aah. Accordng to the tradtons from the
Ahu Bayt (as), the actons of the Sha are constanty beng presented to Imam a-Zaman
(a|tf) wth extra emphass gven on the days of Monday, Thursday and Frday when a report
of our actons s gven to hm.
Thus, t s mperatve that a true Sha remans attentve and vgant and does not do
anythng whch woud resut n beng embarrassed n the presence of the Imam or woud
resut n the Imam beng put nto an uncomfortabe stuaton when he sees our deeds.
It has been narrated from one of the nfabe A`mmah (as) that: The actons of the
Ummah are presented to the Prophet every Tuesday and Thursday and thus, he s
constanty nformed about them. In addton, the A`mmah are aso presented wth the
actons and they aso have knowedge of ths.1
Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) has sad: The actons (of the Ummah) are
presented to the Messenger of Aah and the A`mmah on Thursday.2
The meanng of showng vgance s that n a of our actons, deangs, movements and a
of our words, a true beever must be observant of hs Imam. He must know that the Imam
s wth hm and that he shoud not, even momentary, (sprtuay) separate hmsef, or fa
nto neggence.
Imam a-Mahd (a|tf) has stated:

Surey we have compete knowedge of your stuaton and there s nothng whch s hdden
from us concernng you.3
In another tradton, Imam a-Mahd (a|tf) has stated:

Very, we are not nattentve n takng care of you nor are we heedess n rememberng
you.4
A true beever must know where the peasure of Aah es and must know that Imam a-
Zaman (a|tf) hmsef s aso seekng the peasure of Aah. One must aso reaze that ths
peasure can ony be attaned by foowng the Imam n a affars, wth compete obedence
to the regon of Aah and by purfcaton of the sou.
It s cear that ths observance and vgance w sowy enabe a person to reach a desrabe
end and permt one to attan the hgher eves of proxmty to Aah, as the most mportant
thng n fe s to attan proxmty to Aah.
1. Na|m a-Thaqb, sec. 11, pg. 825; Ma|ma a-Bayan, vo. 5, pg. 69; In addton, verse 105
of Suratu Tawbah (9) aso mentons ths pont where Aah _ says: 9 9
9
_Say: then do what you want (but know that) Aah sees your actons and so does Hs
Messenger and the true beevers._Wthout doubt and accordng to the tradtons whch
have come to us, the meanng of the true beevers as mentoned n ths verse are the
Infabe Ammah _ and wthout doubt, the compete and defnte nterpretaton of the
word are the Infabe Ammah _.
2. Na|m a-Thaqb, pg. 825, sec. 11; BaSar a-Dara|at, pg. 426, no. 16
3. a-Iht|a|, pg. 497; Bharu Anwar, vo. 53, pg. 174, sec. 31, no. 7
4. a-Khara|, pg. 902; Bharu Anwar, vo. 53, pg. 174, sec. 31, no. 7
Responsibility 57: Protecting Ones
Spiritual Rank Part 2
The true beevers must suppcate to Aah that He makes them frm and resoute on the
wayah of the Imam and that they can move sprtuay coser to the Imam. They must aso
make dua that the bessng and approva of the Imam (over hs true foowers) s not
removed from a person and that one does not ose ths great sprtua rank once he has
attaned t!
For exampe, f a person s bessed to be among the companons, hepers and Sha of the
Imam (ether durng the perod of the occutaton or durng hs advent), then ths bessng
whch has been bestowed upon hm shoud be protected and there shoud be no change n
hs status (of coseness to the Imam) nor shoud he do anythng to have someone ese put
n hs pace. In actuaty, ths s the same thng whch we recte n the foowng dua:

And do not pace someone ese n our pace snce surey Your repacement of us wth
others s somethng easy for You to perform, however ths s somethng grave (and dffcut)
for us (to bear).1
1. MSbah a-Mutaha||d, pg. 409; Bhar a-Anwar, vo. 95, pg. 330, sec. 115, no. 4; Mafath
a-|nan, sec. 3, Part 10 after Dua a-Nudbah and Dua a-Ahd.
Responsibility 58: Protecting the Imam,
His Religion and Sunnah
Protectng the Imam and safeguardng the regon whch he sha perfect (n ts goba
mpementaton) and preservng the sunnah (tradton) of the Messenger of Aah s another
responsbty whch the true beevers must enact.
Ths protecton can be carred out very easy through propagatng and dssemnatng
knowedge of the fath among the peope and obvousy, a person who s an Am (regous
traned schoar) and s aware of the truths must fuf hs responsbty and spread hs
knowedge.
Thus, the command of defendng the regon and the truths s the schoars responsbty
and s somethng whch they must carry out n the best possbe way obvousy, accordng
to ther abty.
The Messenger of Aah (S) sad:

When nnovatons come up n my naton, t s obgatory upon the schoar to make hs
knowedge known to the peope (to gude them). If he does not do ths, then the curse of
Aah s upon hm.1
1. a-Kaf, vo. 1, pg. 45, sec. on Innovatons, no. 2
Responsibility 59: Serving the Imam
Servng the Imam to the best of ones abty s another responsbty of a true beever and
even the Anges and the Prophets take prde n assstng the Imam! In addton, we are tod
that one of the Prophets who hods a very hgh status namey Prophet Khr comes to the
assstance of the Imam when a need arses.

If I woud have met hm (a-Mahd), I woud serve hm for my entre fe.1
Hepng other beevers s a hghy recommended act n Isam whch carres a great reward.
In addton, t s one of the dstnct characterstcs of the true beevers and eaders of the
fath, that they can be easy recognzed through ther assstng the creatons of Aah.
Therefore, provdng assstance to the Imam who s the true eader of our tme and for a
the fathfu, s the best form of worshp and obedence (to Aah)
Prophet Isa b. Maram has sad:
.
) .
: ! : (

O assemby of dscpes! I have a desre whch I wsh you to fuf for me. They sad:
Consder t done O Sprt of Aah! So he (Isa) stood up and kssed ther feet |n some
narratons t s mentoned that he washed ther feet|. The companons sad: We were more
worthy to do ths for you, O Sprt of Aah!
He sad: Indeed the person who has the most rght to serve the peope s the schoar. I
have dspayed ths humty (to you) so that after me, you too w show ths form of
humbeness to the peope |ust as I have done for you.2
Indeed, Imam a-Mahd (a|tf) s the most worthy of peope who s deservng of our
assstance and there are many proofs for ths.
Thus, assstng Imam a-Hu||ah (a|tf) can be accompshed through hepng hs frends,
foowers and the Sha of the Imam fufng ther needs, aevatng the dffcutes and
sovng ssues whch may come up ther ves a of these are ways n whch one can assst
the Imam.
In addton, estabshng gatherngs for the remembrance of the Imam or to wrte and
spread the teachngs n reaton to hm strengthenng the theoogca semnares, etc f
these are done wth the ntenton that one wshes to assst the Imam, then they are
counted and recognzed (by Aah) as beng thngs done to hep the Imam.
Therefore, we see that there are many ways n whch one can assst the Imam, however
they must be performed wth the ntenton that they are beng dong wth the purpose of
assstng hm.
It must be mentoned that there s a dfference between servng and hepng. The word
servng s much more specfc n ts meanng than hepng, and thus, every form of
hepng does not necessary mean that one s servng someone.
Servng another person can be accompshed through overseeng and aso drecty actng
and performng a task, however hepng and assstng does not requre overseeng nor the
drect performance of a task.
Thus, assstng someone can be done wthout anyone overseeng the task and can aso be
done ndrecty and through the hep and assstance of other peope.
In other words, n regards to servng, the one who s servng another person must hmsef
be overseen and perform the actons hmsef. However the act of hepng can even be done
by hrng someone ese to do the |ob.
Another dfference s that wth servng, a person who s performng ths task s humbng
and owerng hmsef and expressng hs nsgnfcance to the one whom he s servng
however ths s not the case n regards to hepng someone ese.
It s aso mportant to menton that f the act of assstng s done wth the ntenton of
servng a person and there s some form of overseeng n ths ssue, then t woud be
counted as servng (that person) as we. _
2. a-Kaf, vo. 1, pg. 37, sec. The Characterstcs of the Uama, no. 6
Responsibility 60: Awaiting the Advent
Another responsbty s to awat the advent of Imam a-Mahd (a|tf) every day and nght
rather we must awat hs return every snge hour of our fe. In essence, the true beever
must aways be n a state of antcpaton of the return of the Imam.

Gad tdngs (of Paradse) to the Sha of our Oa`m (a|tf) those who are awatng hs advent
durng hs occutaton and those who are obedent to hm durng hs advent. Surey these
are the cose, ntmate frends of Aah for whom |There sha be no gref, nor sha they
have any sorrow.|1
Imam A b. Husan as-Sa||ad (as) has sad:

Surey the peope who are vng durng the perod of hs occutaton and who beeve n hs
(Dvney apponted) eadershp and are awatng hs advent are the best peope of a
tmes.2
Imam Muhammad b. A a-Taq (as) has sad:

The sncere ones w awat hs advent, whe the doubters sha deny t.3

Durng the occutaton, they w awat hs (Imam a-Mahds) advent every mornng and
evenng.4
In numerous tradtons t has been mentoned that to awat the advent of Imam a-Asr (a|tf)
s actuay a part of the regon of Aah and a peope must observe ths.
In addton, t has been mentoned that even the Musms who ved durng the ves of the
other nfaabe A`mmah (as) awated and expected the advent of Imam a-Mahd (a|tf) as
ths was aso obgatory upon them. Thus, ths s somethng whch s not ony mted to the
perod of hs occutaton!
The perod of watng for the Imams advent w not earn us a Dvne reward (thawab)
uness t couped wth the ntenton of seekng nearness to Aah and conformng to Hs
commandments, |ust as the performance of prayers, fastng and Ha|| a necesstate a
Dvne reward from Aah when performed wth the ntenton of seekng nearness to Hm.
Of course the ntenton of seekng nearness to Aah has mts and can be reazed n
dfferent forms and be acheved n varous ways the best form beng that a beever
performs these acts smpy to foow the commandments of Aah and n Hs obedence.
It goes wthout sayng that He s the most worthy of beng worshpped and obeyed and
therefore our worshppng of Hm shoud not be done for the ove whch one has for Hm,
nor for Paradse, nor to earn Hs peasure and defntey not due to the fear of the fre of He
and the punshment and chastsement!
A of these are smpy forms of seekng nearness to Hm and therefore, t s best that a true
beever stays away from these sorts of ntentons (n hs acts).
If what we have |ust stated s correct, then what woud be the state of a person f hs
ntenton for the advent of the Imam s hs own matera gans and peasures n ths word??
We must aso reaze that awatng the advent s not mted to a partcuar tme or pace or
ony n certan crcumstances. Rather, a true beever must aways be n a state of
antcpaton and awatng the Imam.
One must never go nto a state of hopeessness or despar snce ths s forbdden and most
defntey, a person who fas nto a state of despar w never be abe to patenty wat for
the advent of the Imam.
Havng even parta despar n hs advent s not correct, and ths too s forbdden! By a
parta despar we mean that one must not ose hope n the return of Imam a-Hu||ah (a|tf),
the mnor or ma|or occutaton, or other thngs reated to hm based on hs own feengs and
way of thnkng.
For exampe t shoud not be sad that: The Imam w not make hs advent for another ffty
years or that He w not make hs advent today snce t s a Saturday or that It s such
and such tme of the day or nght and thus, he w not make hs return snce the tradtons
te us somethng dfferent.
It s cear that no matter what eve of despar we fa nto, the sprtua state of antcpaton
for the advent of the Imam w be taken away from us n that same amount. In addton, we
woud have negected the performance of an obgatory act egsated by Aah.

Antcpate the advent of your patron (.e. the Imam) n your day and nght, for Amghty
Aah has a decson every moment and no affar may dstract Hm from another.5
It has been mentoned n the tradtons that we must not specfy a specfc tme or occason
as to when the advent of the Imam w take shape. Rather, the advent of the Imam can
take pace at any tme.
The perod of advent of the Imam s one of those events whch are sub|ect to ateraton, and
can ether be hastened or deayed and s reated to ts own causes and condtons whch
must be reazed (before t can be manfest). Due to ths, we are not abe to specfy a
specfc tme as to when t w occur.
As we, t has aso been mentoned that hs advent w occur unexpectedy, when peope
are n state of compete hopeessness.
It has been narrated from Imam A b. Muhammad a-Had (as) that:

Antcpate the advent from (the and) under your feet (meanng at any pace and tme).6
1. Kama ad-Dn wa Tamam an-Nmah, pg. 357, no. 54; Bharu Anwar, vo. 52, pg. 149;
sec. 22, no. 76
2. Kama ad-Dn wa Tamam an-Nmah, pg. 320, no. 2
3. Kama ad-Dn wa Tamam an-Nmah, pg. 378, sec. 36, no. 3
4. Bharu Anwar, vo. 52, pg. 94, sec. 20, no. 9; Kama ad-Dn wa Tamam an-Nmah, pg.
339, no. 17
5. a-Iqba, pg. 201
6. a-Kaf, vo. 1, pg. 341, sec. The Occcutaton, no. 24
Responsibility 61: Making Supplication
for an Early Advent
Thee beevers shoud suppcate for an eary return of Imam a-Zaman (a|tf) and ths shoud
be carred out every day and nght rather f possbe, t shoud be done every hour of the
day!
There are numerous suppcatons whch have been reated from the Infabes (as) and
have been preserved n the books of prayers and suppcatons n regards to prayng for an
eary advent, however n ths work, we reate the prayer1 gven to us from Imam A b.
Musa a-Ra (as):

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

O Aah! Defend Your cose servant, Your representatve and Your proof over your creaton,
Your mouthpece who speaks on Your behaf, the speaker wth Your wsdom, Your eye that
sees wth Your permsson, Your wtness on Your servants, the master and the strver (for
the sake of Aah) the seeker of Your protecton, Your sncere worshpper. Keep hm safe
from the ev of a that whch you have created and made, and that whch You fashoned
and formed.

And protect hm from hs front and from behnd, from hs rght and hs eft, from above hm
and from beneath; wth your protecton that preserves the one whom you protect! And
keep your messenger and hs (.e. Imam a-Mahd) forefathers, the pars of your regon,
safe through hm. Incude hm n your depost that never dmnshes, and wth your
proxmty that s never covered, and wth your protecton and power that are never
defeated!

Secure hm by your mpenetrabe securty n whch one who takes asyum s not forsaken,
put hm under Your guardanshp n whch one who s put under s not eft (unsecured) ad
hm wth Your mght hep assst hm wth Your undefeatabe army strengthen hm wth Your
strength and put Your Anges at hs dsposa, support the one who supports hm and oppose
the one who opposes hm, dress hm wth Your fortfed armor, and make the Anges
surround hm.

O Aah! Through hm, patch up the dfferences brng order out of confuson, eradcate
oppresson, manfest |ustce, and adorn the Earth by a engthy fe for hm. Support hm wth
(Dvne) assstance, ad hm by puttng terror n hs enemes hearts; strengthen hs
supporters, thwart hs enemes, destroy those who decare war on hm, annhate those
who doube-cross hm and through hm, k the chefs, pars and supports of nfdety.
Through hm, crush the heads of devaton, the nnovators of hereses, the eradcators of
the sunnah and the supporters of msgudance. Through hm, humate the haughty
tyrants, and termnate the nfdes and a the athests (wherever they are) n the east or the
west of the word, on the ands or n the oceans, n the pans or on the mountans, unt You
do not eave a snge one of them and no trace of them s eft.

O Aah! Purfy your ands from them (the dsbeevers) and hea your servants hearts from
them, honor the fathfu beevers through hm (the Imam), and through hm, revve the
norms of the messengers and the ways of the prophets.
Through hm, renew the sgns of Your regon that were erased and Your |udgments whch
were dstorted, unt You reknde Your regon through hm and by hs hands, as we-
defned, pure and sound as t was, free from dstortons and hereses, and unt You umne
the darkness of n|ustce (by means of hs |ustce).
Extngush the fres of dsbeef though hm, and eucdate the postons of truth and the
msunderstood ssues of |ustce, for he s Your servant whom You have chosen for Yoursef,
and whom You have seected, and whom You have protected aganst sns, and from whom
You have removed a defects, and whom You have purfed from fth saved from a
mpurty.

.

O Aah! We sha testfy for hm on the Day of Resurrecton and on the day when the
catastrophe w take pace that he: dd not commt a snge sn (that he dd not) practce
any unawfu thng nor perform any act of dsobedence, nor mss any act of obedence (to
Aah), nor voate any sanctfed thng; nor dstort any precept, nor dd he change any aw.
(We testfy that) he s the gude and the rghty guded, the pure and the pous, the
mmacuate, the approved and the rghteous. O Aah! Grant hm for hs own sef, hs famy,
hs chdren, hs offsprng, hs naton and a of hs sub|ects a that whch makes hm
deghted and a that whch peases hm, put a kngdoms under the sphere of hs
authorty, the near and the remote, the powerfu and the weak, unt You cause hs rue to
preva on every (fase) rue, and hs rght w overcome a the wrong.

O Aah! Lead us, through hm, to the course of gudance; the greatest path; the mdde
path to whch those who had gone too far w return to (repentant) and those who had
faen back w catch up wth. Strengthen us n carryng out the acts of obedence to hm
and make us stand frm n foowng hm.
Grant us the favor of adherence to hm and ncude us wth hs facton as those who act
upon hs commands wth steadfastness and are seekng hs peasure by exhortng (each
other) towards hm unt you gather us on the Resurrecton Day among hs supporters and
hepers and those who consodate hs authorty.

O Aah! Make us do a these thngs wthout any doubt, confuson, ostentaton or seekng
reputaton so that we do not rey upon hm except for You and we do not seek from hm
anythng other than Your proxmty and put us up n hs vcnty and pace us wth hm n
Paradse and protect us aganst wearness, azness and ethargy.
Incude us wth those whom You make hepers of Your regon and whom You make the
ader of Your cose servant and do not repace us wth others, for t s easy for You to put
others n our paces, but ths woud be extremey dffcut upon us (to bear).

O Aah! Send bessngs upon hs (the Nobe Prophets) representatves and on the eaders
after hm fuf ther wshes; ncrease ther ages, gve vaue to ther support; make perfect
for them that, whch heps them n carryng out your w, strengthen ther foundatons.
Make us ther hepers and the supporters of Your regon for they are the sources of Your
Words the treasures of Your knowedge, the supports of (the beef n) Your Oneness, the
pars of Your regon, the ones n authorty of Your command, the cosest of Your servants,
the we-chosen ones among Your creatures; the seected descendants of Your Prophet
peace and Aahs mercy and bessngs be upon hm and them.
As s seen n the tradtons from the Ahu Bayt (as), we have been tod that makng haste n
any acton goes aganst the prncpe of patence and submsson to the w of Aah.
However, suppcatng and askng Aah to hasten the advent of the Imam s not from the
negatve, despsed and prohbted forms of haste.
Suppcatng for the speedy advent of the Imam s the eptome of certanty, true fath and
compete submsson to the w of Aah _ and compyng wth predestnaton.
In reaty, these suppcatons are a manfestaton of the truth that the advent of Imam a-
Mahd (a|tf) and the gatherng of a of the causes needed for hm to make hs advent are
ony n the hands of Aah and that hs advent and dawn can ony be made possbe through
Hs permsson. Therefore n reaty, these prayers show our beef and convcton n the
exstence and fe of the Imam and that he w make hs advent.
The rectaton of these prayers s a manfestaton of the pure certanty and true fath n the
Imam, hs uprsng and revot, and s nothng other than exercsng patence and submsson
n the presence of the wshes of Aah.
1. MSbah a-Mu|taha||d, pg. 409; Bharu Anwar, vo. 95, pg. 330, sec. 115, no. 4; Mafath
a-|nan, sec. Three, Part Ten after Dua a-Nudbah, Dua a-Ahd and Dua a-Nur.
Responsibility 62: Preparing for the
Advent
Another responsbty s to prepare for the advent of the Imam and we must perform those
actons whch shoud be carred out durng the perod of awatng the Imam.
It s cear that f a person s awatng somethng to come about or watng for a frend to
arrve, one w prepare hmsef accordngy. Thus, one who s awatng Imam a-Mahd (a|tf)
must prepare hmsef to meet the Imam and be ready to accept the Imam and foow hs
commands and ths cannot be accompshed except through purfcaton of the sou, gudng
others and foowng the approprate peope (the schoars of the fath).
Durng ths perod, one must aso strve to attan the praseworthy ethca trats whch
cannot be acheved except through pety, reachng the eve of wara (a stage even hgher
than taqwa n whch even the mubah acts are not performed) and n strvng to foow a of
the commandments of Aah.1

A person who woud ke to be among the companons of a-Oa`m (a|tf) shoud be n a
state of watng and perform a of hs actons wth pety and wth the most beautfu
etquette and ony then, w one be counted as beng n a state of watng.2
1. Of course there are peope who, n regards to ths ssue, do not possess the correct
understandng and beef and thus have been msguded from the truth and have not
consdered that ths preparaton and purfcaton of the sou and seekng gudance and
enghtenment from others as beng somethng necessary and some have actuay outrght
dened ths requrement!
Responsibility 63: Not Making Haste in
the Advent of the Imam
The next responsbty s to submt entrey to Aah and not make haste n regards to the
return of the Imam. A true beever must not be n a state of hurredness or say: Why has
the Imam not made hs advent yet? I have had enough of the occutaton! I dont have the
abty to bear ths any onger! One must be extremey patent and content wth the wsh of
Aah and must not compan about the apparent deay of the Imam.
However, ths does not mean that a beever shoud not suppcate for the speedy advent of
the Imam, nor does t mean that one shoud not seek to ay the groundwork for the advent
of the Imam! Rather, these thngs are recommended to be performed durng hs
occutaton.
One of the companons sad to Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as):

: .

May Aah sacrfce me for your sake, when w ths defnte command (the advent of a-
Mahd) whch you are watng for (come about)? For t has taken very ong. The Imam (as)
reped: Those who desre hs advent (to appear soon) are ars, and those who want hs
advent to occur soon are the ones who sha be destroyed, and surey the Musms are
those who w be saved and w wnd up wth us.1
Wthout a doubt, beng n haste and showng mpatence has many harmfu effects. It s
possbe that a person who s n a hurry may run after those (fase) peope who cam the
status of Mahdawyyah (cam to be the Imam), n whch case they w take the wrong
person as beng a-Mahd (a|tf) and w actuay end up msgudng themseves and others.
In addton, t s possbe that a person who makes haste n ths affar woud aso become
despondent or may even competey deny the advent of the Imam as ever takng pace. He
may aso entertan doubts and uncertanty n regards to the words of the nfabe A`mmah
(as) and the promses whch they have gven us n regards to the return of the Imam.
Such a person may end up denyng the return of the Imam, re|ectng t entrey or may fa
prey to denyng Aah, the decree and decson of Aah and Hs |ustce. Through a of ths,
one w cease actvty n the state of antcpaton and rectaton of suppcatons for the
Imam or one may gve up performng the responsbtes whch one must fuf towards the
Imam. Such a person may aso go towards those actons whch the fath of Isam s not
peased wth!
Thus, the physca and menta state, words and deeds of a true beever must be exacty
that whch Imam a-Hu||ah (a|tf) hmsef has stated:

And You O Aah are the A-Knowng, wthout the ad of a teacher, about the tme whch s
best for your cose servant to get the permsson to make hs advent and to revea hs
secret! So grant me patence n ths ssue so that I do not wsh to make haste n what you
have decded to deay and that I do not wsh there to be deay n what you have decded to
hasten...2
1. a-Ghaybah of Numan, pg. 197, sec. That whch the Sha have been Commanded to
Foow, no. 8
2. Kama ad-Dn wa Tamam an-Nmah, pg. 512
Responsibility 64: Safeguarding Ones
Faith Part 1
Another responsbty for those vng durng the perod of occutaton of the Imam s to
suppcate for the protecton of ones fath and to show humty whe n the presence of
Aah.
We must seek assstance n the protecton of our regon from the devs whch are from
among the |nn and manknd, the dsbeevers and hypocrtes, the enemes of the Ahu Bayt
(as) and from the doubts and uncertantes whch may strke us and affect our fath.
In ths regards, rectng the suppcaton whch s mentoned n the next responsbty s
suffcent to protect ourseves.
Responsibility 65: Safeguarding Ones
Faith Part 2
Another responsbty of the peope of true fath s to recte the foowng suppcaton whch
has been mentoned n the tradton quoted beow.
Ths suppcaton has been narrated from Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as):

: .
:

You sha be pagued wth doubt (durng ths perod) when you w reman wthout any
vsbe fag (of eadershp), and no (apparent) Imam to gude you and there s none who w
be saved from ths state, except for the person who rectes the Dua of a-Gharq. The
narrator asked the Imam: What s the suppcaton of a-Gharq? The Imam (peace be upon
hm) reped: Say:

O Aah, O the Mercfu, O the Compassonate, O the Reformer of the Hearts! Make my
heart frm on your fath.1
1. Kama ad-Dn wa Tamam an-Nmah, pg. 351, no. 49
Responsibility 66: Praying for the
Imams Victory
Another responsbty s to suppcate for the vctory of the Imam over the dsbeevers,
hypocrtes, those who do not accept hm and a of hs adversares. In summary, ths
suppcaton shoud be targeted aganst a enemes of the regon of Aah.
One of the best suppcatons to use n these regards s Dua a-Nudbah1, however there are
many other ones mentoned n the books of suppcaton.
In Dua a-Nudbah, we come across many nes whch convey the vctory of the Imam:
...
O Aah! Through hm (the Imam), estabsh truth and destroy a fasehood.
In addton, we read:
...
Through hm (the Imam), humate a of your enemes.
1. Refer to footnote on responsbty Thrty-Nne for more nformaton.
Responsibility 67: Not Uprising
Another responsbty durng the perod of occutaton s that we must not rse up n revot
or wage war aganst the peope of fasehood, oppressve governments and super-powers of
our tme. Durng ths era, we must seek to safeguard our fath and regon and must work
for the betterment of ourseves n ths fe and the next and ths s somethng whch has
been mentoned n numerous tradtons.
Ths ssue has been emphaszed many tmes n the words of the Ahu Bayt (as), and from
the narratons we can deduce that to rse up and fght aganst the governments of our tme
s not correct and does not ead to the peasure of the Ahu Bayt (as).
In Sahfatu Sa||adyah, t has been narrated from Imam A b. a-Husan as-Sa||ad (as) that:

None of us, the Ahu Bayt (as), have rsen or w rse unt the advent of the Awated Imam
(a|tf), to repe oppresson or revve the truth except that he sha defntey be overcome by
msfortunes and hs revot sha resut n more adversty of us and our Shah.1
However supposng that ths tradton or other tradtons such as ths (whch are many) are
a correct, and f we suppose that the chan of narrators are correct and there s no ssue of
taqyyah (dssmuaton) and that there s no other mpedment n the tradtons (whch
woud prevent us from understandng them).
Then we understand that what has been prohbted n ths and other tradtons s not that
we are not permtted to rse up aganst an oppressor or oppressve government, rather, t
means that we are not permtted to fght aganst them wth force and weapons and ths s
what has been prohbted.
From another pont of vew, the task of understandng the meanng of ths tradton s not
the |ob of |ust anyone. Rather, the responsbty of anayzng ths (and other such)
tradtons and brngng forth ts correct understandng s the duty of the promnent Uama,
Fuqaha and the earned ones who possess the abty to carry out ths task.
In addton, t s possbe that after extractng and understandng the truth of ths type of
tradton accordng to hs understandng, a Mu|tahd woud act accordng to hs grasp of
knowedge of such a statement.
Indeed, we know that those who are not at the eve of |thad (the abty to pass ega
|udgment on the aws of Isam) woud be obged to foow (perform taqd of) the Mu|tahd
who fufs a of the condtons of beng foowed. Thus, the aymans obgaton s merey to
perform taqd and not to smpy foow the Ouranc verses and Prophetc tradtons.
Thus, f we agree wth these types of tradtons whch te us that t s not correct for us to
rse up and fght aganst a government, then we cannot say that f a Mu|tahd who fufs a
of the condtons of beng foowed was to rse up and fght aganst an oppressve
government that we woud eave hm aone and not support hm!
Rather, t s mperatve upon the foowers (muqadn) to refer to the schoars fatawa and
act accordng to what he has decreed! They must work together wth hm and provde the
support needed and thus, they too must rse up f he says to!
In summary, t s correct to state that: The true beevers must not rse up and fght aganst
the governments of ther tme except f the Mu|tahd who fufs a of the condtons2 for
beng foowed gves a hukm (rung) that t s obgatory to rse up and fght. In ths
nstance, accordng to the proofs of the performance of taqd, ths uprsng and revot
woud be permssbe and correct for the foowers rather, t woud be obgatory.
Therefore, from ths responsbty, we are better abe to understand that the peope must
not drft away from the path of taqd of ther Mara|a (sources of emuaton).
In the tradtons, |ursprudenta sources and references t has been mentoned that n
certan nstances, the act of |had (fghtng) can become obgatory and the rung of ths s
based on the rung (fatwa) and n|uncton (hukm) of a Mu|tahd and ths nformaton can be
seen n the Secton of |had whch s n the books of Isamc |ursprudence where a
compete and detaed dscusson has been gven.
1. as-Sahfat as-Sa||adyah (Comped by Fadhu Isam), pg. 22
2. Refer to the footnote n responsbty Thrteen.
Responsibility 68: Not To Specify a Time
for the Advent Part 1
The beevers must not set a specfc tme for the return of Imam a-Mahd (a|tf) and ths
responsbty can be proven from many tradtons. For exampe, Imam |afar b. Muhammad
as-Sadq (as) has sad:
!
( )
OMufaa! Do not specfy a tme (of advent of the Imam) snce anyone who specfes a
tme for the return of our Mahd (a|tf) has (camed to) become a partner wth Aah n Hs
knowedge and has decared that He (Aah, the Hgh) has gven hm knowedge of Hs
secret.1
A companon once asked Imam Muhammad b. A a-Baqr (as):
:

Is a tme set for ths event (the advent of a-Mahd)? The Imam (peace be upon hm)
reped: Those who specfy a tme are ars those who specfy a tme are ars those who
specfy a tme are ars!2
The meanng of not beng permtted to set a tme for the advent of the Imam s that the
date, year, month, week or even hour of hs advent must not be specfed or specuated
about. However, we know that the tme of hs advent has been auded to n the tradtons
through the varous sgns and events whch w occur. Therefore, t s not a probem to
expan hs return n ths manner.
Abu BaSr sad to Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as):
! :
!

May I be your ransom! When w a-Oa`m (a|tf) make hs advent? The Imam reped: O
Aba Muhammad! Surey we the Ahu Bayt (as) do not specfy a tme for hs advent as (the
Prophet) Muhammad (Peace be upon hm and hs progeny) has sad: Those who specfy a
tme for hs advent are ars!
O Aba Muhammad! Indeed before ths command comes to pass, there are fve sgns (whch
must occur): The frst s the ca (from the skes) durng the month of Ramaan the comng
of Sufyan the comng of Khurasan, the kng of the (one wth a) pure sou and the snkng
of the ground n Bayda` (nto the Earth).3
2. a-Ghaybah of Shaykh Tus, pg. 426, sec. Prohbton of Settng a Tme for hs Advent.
Responsibility 69: Not To Specify a Time
for the Advent Part 2
Another responsbty whch es on the shouders of the beevers s that f a person tres to
set a specfc tme for the return of the Imam, he must be caed a ar, he must be
ntroduced to the communty at arge as a ar and one who commts fraud and decet! In
ths regards, Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) has sad:

Whoever reports to you from us regardng a specfed tme (for the advent of the Imam),
do not hestate to bee hm, for we have never specfed the tme (of the advent) to
anyone!1
Responsibility 70: Purification of the
Soul
The purfcaton of the sou s another responsbty and whe traversng ths path, the
beevers must strve to acqure knowedge, marfah and compete fath. In addton, the
beevers must seek to cothe themseves wth the nobe humanstc trats.
They must strve to be the peope of taqwa and wara and keep away from a types of
sprtua poutants and through ths, emuate ther Imam and group themseves wth hm.
In reaty, ths s one of the most mportant responsbtes whch the true beevers have,
whereas everythng mentoned up to ths pont and those whch w be mentoned ater on,
a return back to ths responsbty.
Therefore, the frst responsbty s the purfcaton of the sou1 and to trave sprtuay
towards Aah.

A person who woud ke to be among the companons of a-Oa`m (a|tf) shoud be n a
state of watng and perform a of hs actons wth pety and wth the most beautfu
etquette and ony then, w one be counted as beng n a state of watng.2
...
...So then assst (us) through pety and strugge.3
Imam a-Mahd (a|tf) wrote the foowng:

Nothng prevents us from them (our foowers) but ther comng to us wth that (acton)
whch we detest, and we do not ke ths from them; and Aah s the ony one from whom
hep s sought and He s Suffcent for us! The most Exceent trustee! 4
In the etter whch was wrtten to Shaykh a-Mufd, Imam a-Mahd (a|tf) stated:

And f our foowers, may Aah make them successfu n obeyng Hm, were unted wth
ther hearts n fufng the promse that s upon them, there woud be no deay for them
from the good fortune of meetng us, and ther happness woud be hastened by wtnessng
our advent wth compete understandng.5
1. There are many books wrtten on the topc of the purfcaton of the sou of whch the
frst and foremost s the nobe Ouràn and prncpay, the man ob|ectve of the reveaton
of the Ouràn s for ths purfcaton of the sou and ths was aso the task of and the reason
for the deputaton of the prophets.
3. a-Kaf, vo. 2, pg. 187, no. 5
Responsibility 71: Being Cautious
Around Others
Observng taqyyah (dssmuaton)1 s another responsbty for those of true fath durng
the perod of occutaton.
A true beever must practce dssmuaton n the face of the enemes of the fath, the
deners, hypocrtes, dsbeevers - and n summary, n the presence of anyone who s not
worthy of hearng the truth!

Dssmuaton (taqyyah) s the shed of the beever, dssmuaton s the safeguard of the
beever, and the person who does not observe dssmuaton has no fath.2
|ust as was mentoned, we must observe dssmuaton (taqyyah) whe n the presence of
dsbeevers, hypocrtes, ob|ectors, deners of the truth and anyone who dspays any type
of anmosty and opposton to the truth.
In addton to these groups of peope, we must aso practce dssmuaton n the presence
of those whose understandng of the fath s weak. These may be peope who, even though
they possess true fath, are st not abe to hande or safeguard the secrets (of the Ahu
Bayt) and keep them hdden from others and thus, we must observe dssmuaton even
when around such peope.
In addton, we must aso observe taqyyah whe n the company of peope who do not have
ncnatons for the truth, woud not beneft from such nformaton or woud harm them
because they cannot bear to hear t.
However, what do we do n regards those whose menta state we are unaware of? What do
we do n regards to those about whom we are not aware f they can acknowedge and
accept such truths?
Snce we do not know f such peope woud safeguard the teachngs or f they woud expose
them to others not worthy of hearng such thngs, we are tod that there s no need to
practce taqyyah around them and can convey the teachngs to them.
However wth that sad, we must be carefu to expose the truths to them pece by pece,
and f we see that they are acceptng of them and are abe to safeguard the secrets, then
we can contnue.
Taqyyah s not to be used n regards to those who are: confused and fu of doubt,
msguded or have gone astray from the fath, those who have faen nto error n regards to
affars of the fe of ths word or the next fe, those who are gnorant of the truths of the
fath but have the abty to accept the truth (f tod to them) and are abe to keep secrets
from other peope who are not worthy of such knowedge.
Thus n regards to such ndvduas, we must not observe taqyyah and t makes no
dfference f they are gnorant or |ust msed or pagued wth confuson and doubt or
whether they are peope of fath, dsbeef, hypocrsy or wfu dsobedence.
Rather, t s suffcent that these peope are those who are not wfuy opposed to the
truths and that they have the abty wthn them to accept, bear, safeguard and hde the
truths from those who are not worthy of such truths beng tod to them and that there s a
possbty that knowng these thngs w be of sprtua beneft to them.
The compete dscusson concernng taqyyah, how t works and under what condtons t s
appcabe has been mentoned n ts own reevant pace n the sources of Isam and those
nterested n earnng more about ths ssue are advsed to refer to the varous Isamc
resources.

.
:
: .

To undertake our affar s not ony to beeve t and accept ony rather, t means to concea
and protect t aganst those who are not worthy of knowng about t. Thus, you must greet
them and say: May Aah have mercy upon the servant who tres to acqure the peopes
ove for hm.
Speak wth them about sub|ects whch they are famar wth, but concea from them the
matters whch they deny. The Imam then added: By Aah (I swear): He who wages war
aganst us s not worse than hm who reports from us matters that we detest (to
pubcze).3
In a tradton from the Commander of the Fathfu A b. Ab Tab (as) t has been stated
that:

:

Very, our tradtons are dffcut, hard to understand (propery), uneasy to pass, and
aarmng; therefore present a tte of t to the peope. If one reazes t, then you may gve
hm more; but f he denes t, then stop. None can bear t except three (groups of peope):
(1) An archange, (2) a Prophet who s sent wth a Dvne Message, or (3) a beevng man
whom Amghty Aah has tred hs hearts competence for fath.4
1. The defnton of taqyyah s to hde ones true beefs and teachngs whch one foows
due to a fear of the oppresson of others and the fear of them puttng extra pressure on a
person.
2. a-Kaf, vo. 2, pg. 221, sec. Taqyyah, no. 23
3. a-Kaf, vo. 2, pg. 222, sec. a-Ktman, no. 5
4. BaSar a-Dara|at, pg. 21, no. 5
Responsibility 72: Bearing Difficulties
with Patience
Another responsbty s to observe patence n the face of persecuton and harassment and
to wthstand the hatred of the enemes, hypocrsy of the hypocrtes; and to patenty bear
the dffcutes, osses, trbuatons, poverty, ab|ectness and sufferngs and a other types of
affctons whch come upon a true beever.
In addton, one must aso observe perseverance n reaton to the affars of the fath and
must be frm n regards to the Sharah.
One must observe patence n the face of the examnatons whch come from Aah _ and
must be abe to bear them and strve to become vctorous durng these tests. Durng ths
perod, one must be patent wth those who deny the Imam and mock the regon and must
show forbearance n the face of those who bee and seek to deny the Imam.
Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) has quoted the Messenger of Aah as sayng:

A tme w come upon the peope when they w not acqure power except by means of
murder and tyranny; they w not gan rches except by means of usurpaton and stngness
and they w not gan ove (and respect from the peope) except by abandonng the regon
and pursut of owy desres.
So whoever ves n such a perod and endures poverty athough he can acqure rches;
endures hate (and enemty of the peope) even though he can acqure ther ove; and
endures humty even though he s abe to acqure honour then the Amghty Aah sha
grant hm the reward of ffty entrey truthfu ndvduas who beeved n me.1
In another tradton, Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) has stated that:

Do you not know that a person who wats for our command to come and s patent upon
that whch he sees from the dffcutes and the fear w, tomorrow, be (wth us) n our
company?2
As we, Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) has sad:

I advse you to observe patence n a of your affars.3
Of course, the meanng of patence and wthstandng dffcutes does not go aganst the
prncpe of suppcatng and takng egtmate steps to remove any dffcutes or obstaces;
nor does t go aganst the prncpe of the rght of a person to defend hmsef.
Wthout doubt, a true beever must strugge to ensure that a of the dffcutes, chaenges
and probems are kept far away from hm and of course, ths must be done through the
egtmate means.
1. a-Kaf, vo. 2, pg. 91, sec. Patence, no. 12
2. a-Kaf, vo. 8, pg. 37, no. 7
3. a-Kaf, vo. 2, pg. 88, sec. Patence, no. 3
Responsibility 73: Encouraging Others to
Patience
Encouragng others to observe patence and stayng frm on ths path durng the perod of
the occutaton (as was mentoned n the prevous secton) s another responsbty that the
true beevers must perform.
One must command and encourage hs famy, frends, brothers and ssters to observe
patence and stay frm on the true fath.
: ] [
] [ :] [
[ ] [
]
Surat a-Asr was reveaed about A (as) and ts exegess s as foows: I swear by the
tme, I swear by the Lord of the Day of |udgement. Very a of manknd s at oss, the
enemes of the famy of Muhammad Except for those who beeve n ther (the Ahu Bayts)
wayah, And perform rghteous actons showng kndness to ther brothers n the fath, and
encourage others to observe the truth and encourage others to observe patence they
encourage the observng of patence durng the occutaton of the one who s n
occutaton.1
1. a-Iqba, pg. 457
Responsibility 74: Good Thoughts of the
Awaited Imam
Another responsbty of the peope s to have good thoughts about the twefth Imam (a|tf).
A true beever must aways perform good deeds whch w earn the peasure of the Imam
and ths cannot be acheved except through obedence to the commandments he has gven
us and through possessng taqwa of Aah.
In reaty, the foowers of each of the A`mmah (as) wanted the best for ther Imam and
obeyed them n a matters and tred to aways foow ther orders. Therefore, the true
beauty of a person s that he does those thngs whch are the best for hs Imam and refrans
from anythng whch woud hurt or annoy hm.
Imam Muhammad b. A a-Baqr (as) has stated that the Messenger of Aah sad:

Amghty Aah never ooks at a servant and fnds hm workng hard n obedence and
compance wth hs Imam, but that He ncudes hm wth us n the most exated rank. 1
Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) has stated that:

Be a beauty for us (the Ahu Bayt) and do not be a source of embarrassment for us.2
1. a-Kaf, vo. 1, pg. 404, sec. That whch the Prophet commanded, no. 3
Responsibility 75: Remaining Unknown
and Anonymous
Another responsbty of the true beever s to reman unknown and refran from ganng
popuarty wthn the socety because beng we-known may resut n probems n the
sprtua growth and may prevent the beever from ease and free tme.

If you are abe reman unknown to others, then do so.1
|abr b. Abduah a-AnSar sad to Imam Muhammad b. A a-Baqr (as):

:
Oson of the Messenger of Aah! What s the best acton whch a true beever can perform
n that perod (of the occutaton of the Imam)? The Imam reped: Protectng the tongue
and stayng at home (to reman unknown to the peope).2
The Commander of the Fathfu A b. Ab Tab (as) has sad:

Durng that tme (the occutaton), none w be saved except the anonymous beevers
who, when they are present, w not be recognzed and when they are absent, nobody w
mss them. They are surey the anterns of true gudance.3
1. a-Kaf, vo. 2, pg. 456; Bharu Anwar, vo. 77, pg. 216, sec. 8, no. 1 (wth sght
dfference)
2. Kama ad-Dn wa Tamam an-Nmah, vo. 2, pg. 330
3. Nah| a-Baagha (Fadhu Isam), pg. 305, Speech 102
Responsibility 76: Protecting Ones Self
A true beever must protect hmsef so that durng the advent of the Imam, one may be
abe to assst hm.
In regards to ths, Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) has sad:

:

In the regn of the un|ust regme, you must wak carefuy and receve those whom you
fear wth greetngs. Very, one who opposes such a regme w have ked hmsef and
brought about hs own perdton. Surey Aah says: And do not cast yourseves wth your
own hands to destructon.1
Imam Muhammad bne A a-Baqr (as) has sad:

It s as f I see mysef wth a peope who rose up from the east. They demand ther rght
but t w be wthhed from them. They w ask for t agan but t w not be gven. When
they see ths, they pace ther swords on ther shouders (ready to use them), so they are
gven whatever they ask for but they do not accept t.
They revot and dever ther vctory to your patron (a-Mahd). Ther ked ones w be
martyrs. Very, were I to ve unt that tme, I woud try to save mysef for the Patron of ths
Matter (so as to |on hm).2
Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) has narrated that f one wshes to have a ong fe
and be abe to assst the Imam, then one shoud recte the foowng prayer. The narrator of
ths suppcaton states that: When I contnuousy rected ths suppcaton, my fe
extended to such an amount that I was satsfed wth vng.
.
:

.

...( )
OAah! Bess Muhammad and the famy of Muhammad. O Aah! Your Messenger, the
truthfu, the trustworthy - may Your bessngs be upon hm and hs househod has sad that
You say I have not hestated n a matter that I decde to do more than My hestaton n
takng the sou of My beevng servant who hates to encounter death and I hate to perturb
hm.
O Aah! Bess Muhammad and the famy of Muhammad and hasten the reef of your
ntmate servant and gve hm webeng and succor, and do not perturb me or any of those
whom I ove, ncudng so and so.3
If one wshes, he can then take the names of each of hs frends and cose acquantances
whom he wshes ths suppcaton for and n pace of the word and the words whch
appear n the brackets, one can menton a of hs frends.
1. Tuhaf a-Uqu, pg. 309; Suratu Baqarah (2), Verse 195
2. a-Ghaybah of Numan, pg. 273, sec. 14: Sgns before the Avent, no. 50; Bharu
Anwar, vo. 52, pg. 243, sec. 25, no. 116
3. Bharu Anwar, vo. 86, pg. 7, sec. 38, no. 7; Makarm a-Akhaq, pg. 284
Responsibility 77: Emulating the Imam
in Manners
Another responsbty of the true beevers s that they must foow the manners and
etquettes of ther vng Imam and seek to emuate hm n a aspects of ther fe.
One must constanty be strvng to foow the commandments whch he has been gven to
hep hm mprove hs manners and act n the way that hs Imam s known to act n. There
are many manners and etquette of the Imam whch those who have a deep understandng
of ths ssue are aware of, some of whch ncude:
Performng the Saatu La and stayng awake a porton of the nght n worshp.
Contnuousy performng the suppcatons and whspered prayers (muna|at) to Aah.
Performng the day Nawaf or addtona recommended prayers (we must perform a
mnmum of 51 rakat of Saat every day whch are made up of the 17 obgatory Saat and
the 34 recommended prayers n a 24 hour perod).
We must cry and show our gref and sorrow every mornng and evenng upon the oss of
Imam Husan b. A (as).
We must perform the recommended actons and refran from the dscouraged act whch s
one of the specfc quates of the twefth Imam (a|tf). We must seek to stay aoof from the
matera word and deveop a desre and ongng for the next fe.
Responsibility 78: Offering a Gift to the
Imam
Another responsbty s to gve a gft1 to the Imam through our weath or whatever we
possess from the matera word. It goes wthout sayng that ths must be done accordng to
ones own abty wthout gong to extravagance and that ths shoud be carred out every
year, month, week and every day f possbe!

One drham whch reaches the Imam s better than two mon drhams (spent) n a other
good deeds.2
Durng the advent of the Imam, ths weath w be gven drecty to the Imam, however
durng the tme of the occutaton of the Imam the weath or whatever we have from ths
word whch we wsh to offer to hm can be spent n ways whch woud earn hs peasure. Of
course the ntenton for ths act woud be to offer the gft to the Imam (drecty).
Our money can be used to prnt much needed books to uphod the fath; or the money can
be spent n hodng gatherngs (ma|as) and programs n whch the Imam or hs cose
frends are remembered.
In addton, the feow Sha can be gven ths money so that they are abe to fuf ther own
needs and matera requrements especay f they are the chdren and offsprng of the
Nobe Prophet, or are schoars, propagators and mssonares of the fath!

A person who s not abe to present us wth a gft shoud gve t to the rghteous ones from
among our foowers and through ths, a reward w be wrtten for hm as f he had gven
ths gft to us.3
1. The meanng of gft n ths responsbty s any present or offerng whch a person woud
gve for the Imam to gan hs sprtua attenton; n other words, t s those gfts and
presents whch woud ead to our Imam (peace be upon hm) beng peased and happy
wth us whch are offered to hm.
2. a-Kaf, vo. 1, pg. 538, sec. Offerng a Gft to the Imam, no. 65
3. Kam a-Zyarat, pg. 319, no. 1
Responsibility 79: Pleasing Other True
Believers
Another responsbty s to pease and cheer up the true beevers, frends and Sha of the
Imam as ths actuay makes the Imam happy!
We can pease another beever through varous ways, ncudng: removng any dffcutes
from hs fe; hepng hm n hs probems or worres; fufng hs needs; hepng one n the
treatment of hs sckness; and suppcatng for the beever and showng respect and honour
to hm. One can aso hep hs frends and cose reatves such as hs mmedate famy
members, and chdren through matera gfts.
Hepng a true beever can be done through varous means; however n a of them, f the
person heps someone ese purey for the peasure of Imam a-Hu||ah (a|tf) then wthout
doubt, one has succeeded n attanng the peasure of another beever and the happness
of the Imam of the Tme!

None of you shoud thnk that f you brng happness to a beever that happness has been
brought to that person aone. Rather, by Aah, t has aso brought us (the Ahu Bayt)
happness, rather, by Aah, t has even brought happness to the Messenger of Aah!1
1. a-Kaf, vo. 2, pg. 189, sec. Brngng Happness to a True Beever, no. 6
Responsibility 80: Giving Gifts and
Presents to the Shia
Another responsbty s to gve gfts to the rghteous Sha and frends of the Imam from
ones weath and whatever ese one has n ths matera word and ths s somethng that
has been mentoned n the tradtons whch we w shorty revew.
Not ony does ths act earn the peasure of other beevers, rather t aso has an mpact on
the socety n genera and as a resut, the Sha and frends of the Imam, through the
exchange of gfts, actuay hep to aevate poverty amongst one another! Ths w, n turn,
hep them to ft themseves up from ther ab|ect state through whch, ther ves w
mprove and they w not fa vctm to dffcutes and trbuatons!

A person who s not abe to present us wth a gft shoud gve t to the rghteous ones from
among our foowers. It w be wrtten for hm as a reward for presentng a gft to us!1
1. Kam a-Zyarat, pg. 319, no. 1
Responsibility 81: Giving Precedence to
the Imam Part 1
The next responsbty s to gve precedence to the Imam and to gve hm prorty at a
tmes.
How can we dstngush ths mportant act and empoy t n our day ves? Ths s up to the
beever hmsef to reaze. For exampe, f we are abe to suppcate for ony two peope,
then we must frst make suppcaton for the Imam, f one wants to make tawassu to one of
two peope, then the Imam must be the one whom we make tawassu to f the peope are
caed to have a better understandng of somethng and to perform good deeds.
Then after the ca and nvtaton to Tawhd, before anythng ese, one shoud nvte others
to the Imam and hs wayah f a person decdes to gve a gft, then the frst person one
shoud gve ths gft to s the Imam and f a person wants to perform the Zyarat or send
sautatons upon another nfabe, then one must start by sendng greetngs and
sautatons to the Imam and send prayers upon hm frst.
And f t s decded that one w perform a task and send the reward of ths task to a person
for exampe f one was to perform Saat or ha|| and gve the reward to someone, then t
shoud be frst gven to the Imam (the Imam shoud be kept n mnd when ths act s beng
performed so that the reward s gven to hm).
If a person s abe to perform the varous prayers and suppcatons after every obgatory
Saat, then one must perform those whch are reated to the Imam as ths w estabsh a
coser reatonshp wth hm.
Responsibility 82: Giving Precedence to
the Imam Part 2
The true beevers must pace the Imam frst when performng any suppcaton.
Before one remembers hmsef, he must frst remember the Imam and pray for hm. After
ths, one may pray for hmsef and other peope and ths becomes a manfestaton of the
ove a true beever has for the Imam.
Wthout doubt, every suppcaton whch a true beever makes for the Imam w earn hm
many thngs one w obtan the Dvne reward from Aah, gan the specfc benefts reated
to that partcuar suppcaton and n addton, the contents of the suppcaton and what
was prayed for w be accepted and fufed both for the Imam and the beever.
It has been mentoned n the tradtons that whenever a person suppcates for another
person, whatever he prayed for w aso be appcabe to hm and hs peas w be
accepted. In ths regards, Imam Muhammad b. A a-Baqr (as) has sad:
:
:

He s a beever who prayers for hs brother (n fath) n hs absence, to whch the Ange
says: Ameen (May Aah accept your prayer). At ths tme, Aah, the Nobe and Grand
says: And for you s granted twce of that whch you have asked (for your brother n fath)
due to your ove for hm.1
:

Very when one suppcates for hs (beevng) brother n hs absence, a sound s heard
from the Nobe Throne: For you s one hundred thousand tmes (the reward for what you
suppcated for hm).2
1. a-Kaf, vo. 2, The Book of Dua, sec. Makng suppcaton for ones brother whe he s
not there; pg. 507, no. 3; Bharu Anwar, vo. 93, pg. 388, sec. 26, no. 19
2. a-Kaf, vo. 2, The Book of Dua, sec. Makng suppcaton for ones brother when he s
not there; pg. 508, no. 6; Bharu Anwar, vo. 93, pg. 384, sec. 26, no. 8
Responsibility 83: Not Hurting or
Upsetting the Imam
Another responsbty s to keep away from anythng whch woud ead to the Imam beng
upset or saddened wth us.
Wthout doubt, the prmary reason for the Imam beng upset wth hs foowers s due to us
not obeyng the orders of Aah _ and nstead, foowng our base desres. In other words
when we do not foow the regon and teachngs of the Imam (whch as we know, s the
same regon and set of teachngs whch hs nobe fore-fathers taught), t s at ths tme
that the Imam becomes upset wth us.
Indeed, the Ahu Bayt (as) sacrfced everythng ncudng ther own ves to mpement the
regon, |ust ke the sacred chan of prevous prophets had done.
Dsrespectng the sacred beefs of the fath, ob|ectng to and desecratng the fath and ts
teachngs and the method of the Prophet of Isam, exposng the secrets of Aah _ n paces
where they shoud not be mentoned, not observng taqyyah, not havng taqwa,
exaggeratng and over gorfyng the pure Ahu Bayt (as) are a thngs whch ead to the
Imam becomng dstraught and thus, we must keep away from a of these thngs.
Imam a-Mahd (a|tf) wrote the foowng to hs foowers:

Surey the gnorant and foosh Shas have upset us and the person whose fath s (as
weak as) the wng of a gnat s better than one of them (the gnorant Shas).1
1. Bharu Anwar, vo. 25, pg. 266, sec. 10, no. 9; a-Iht|a| (Tabrs), pg. 473
Responsibility 84: Respecting Those
Close To the Imam
Another responsbty s to show respect to those who are reated to and are cose to Imam
a-Zaman (a|tf).
The hgher a persons (sprtua) status s, the coser that person s to Imam a-Zaman (a|tf)
and the more mportant t s for the true beevers to show respect and honor to such a
person.
Those who are reated to the Imam ncude the nobe famy of the Sadat, especay the
chdren of the twefth Imam the schoars who act accordng to the Isamc n|unctons, and
the true beevers who possess taqwa. The fna categores of those who must be respected
ncude a of the true beevers and overs of Imam a-Mahd (a|tf) no matter what eve or
soceta cass they beong to.
The most deservng of peope who shoud be shown respect and those who are the cosest
to the Imam compared to a others are the schoars who act accordng to the Isamc
teachngs. More than a others, these are the peope of taqwa and wara and from among
these, the cosest are the great schoars and those who make up the chan of the
mu|tahdn (|ursts) from among the Mara|a Taqd (sources of emuaton). In any case, the
true beever must ove a of the frends of the Imam and respect them.
The Nobe Prophet has sad:

Gad tdngs to the one who meets the Oa`m (a|tf) of my Ahu Bayt (as) whe he has
foowed hm durng hs occutaton before hs advent and has been an ay to those who are
hs aes and an enemy to those who are an enemy to hm. These peope are my frends
and those who have my ove, and are the nobest of my naton to me on the Day of
|udgement.1
1. Kama ad-Dn wa Tamam an-Nmah, vo. 1, pg. 286, sec. 25, no. 2
Responsibility 85: Respecting Things
Related To the Imam Part 1
Showng respect to those thngs whch are assocated to the Imam s another responsbty
of the true beevers.
Some of these thngs whch we need to show respect to ncude the paces whch are
reated to the Imam such as Mas|d as-Sahah the ceer where hs occutaton began n the
cty of Samarrah the Grand Mas|d of Kufah; Mas|d |amkaran1 Mas|d a-Haram the paces
whch have been vsted by the Infabe A`mmah, the prophets and ther successors; and
the graves of the ntmate frends of Aah and the true beevers.
Showng respect to paces whch are assocated to the Imam s reated to the eve of
connecton whch that thng or pace has to the Imam and thus, the respect s of varous
degrees and eves - the more the connecton to the Imam, the more respect, honor and
esteem shoud be shown.
Showng respect to paces2 such as Mas|d as-Sahah, Mas|d |amkaran and other paces
such as these s possbe through varous ways, ncudng beautfyng them mprovng or re-
constructon work, ayng carpets, ceanng, deodorzng, umnatng, frequentng, enterng
the premses barefooted, enterng them wth humty, keepng busy wth the remembrance
of Aah whe vstng them.
Rectaton of prayers, Ouràn, suppcatons and other thngs, ensurng that these paces
are not made mpure (na|s) or drty, purfyng that area n the event that t becomes
mpure (na|s), sweepng and ceanng the area; not enterng whe n a state of rtua
mpurty (|anabat or for a woman, durng her monthy perod).
Ensurng that there s no mxng of the genders whe n these areas; keepng away from a
acts whch are reprehensbe and forbdden, keepng away from pontess |okng and
aughng and speakng and argung n a oud voce. These and a other such acts must be
observed whe n smar sacred paces.
1. Refer to the second footnote on responsbty Forty-Sx for more nformaton.
2. There are some paces that sha be mentoned separatey whose expanaton sha be
gven n the next responsbty.
Responsibility 86: Respecting Places
Related to the Imam Part 2
We are aso obged to show respect and reverence to Mas|d as-Sahah and to perform the
speca acts of worshp n that pace.1
As for the sanctty and greatness of ths Mas|d, t has numerous characterstcs whch other
Masa|d do not have - for exampe, t was the orgna house of Prophets Ibrahm and Idrs _,
and was aso a pace that the great man of Aah, a-Khr frequented. It s aso a pace
where Imam a-Mahd (a|tf) occasonay resdes.
Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) has stated that:
.
.

.

.
.

It s as f I see the descendng of a-Oa`m (a|tf) n Mas|d a-Sahah, accompaned by hs
famy and cose reatves famy. (The companon sad) I asked: May Aah accept me as
ransom for you! W t be hs dweng pace? The Imam stated: Yes, t w be. It was the
dweng pace of Prophet Idrs and Prophet Ibrahm, the ntmate frend of the a-Mercfu
and Aah dd not send any prophet but that he offered prayers n t (Mas|d a-Sahah).
It was aso the house of a-Khr. He who resdes n t s ke one who resdes n the tent of
Aahs Messenger. The hearts of true beevng men and women yearn for t (Mas|d a-
Sahah). In t there s a rock whch has the pctures of a the Prophets.
Nobody prays there and suppcates to Amghty Aah wth a sncere ntenton but that hs
needs are fufed by Amghty Aah; and nobody takes t as a sheter but that he s
protected by Amghty Aah aganst whatever he fears. I sad: Ths s ndeed an exceent
vrtue.
The Imam sad: Shoud I te you more? The companon reped: Yes. The Imam
contnued: It s one of the paces where Amghty Aah kes to be caed upon. There s no
day or nght when the Anges are not frequentng ths Mas|d to worshp to Amghty Aah.
Very, f I were to ve near you, I woud not offer a snge prayer anywhere ese. O Abu
Muhammad! There s more than what I have |ust sad.
I asked: May Aah ransom me for you! W a-Oa`m (a|tf) resde n that pace for a tme?
The Imam reped: Yes, he w. The companon then asked: W those who come after hm
resde n the same pace? The Imam reped to the man: Yes, they w up unt the end of
creaton.2
1. Mafath a-|nan, sec. 6: the greatness and actons to be performed n Mas|d a-Sahah.
2. Bharu Anwar, vo. 100, pg. 436, secton 7, no. 7
Responsibility 87: Visiting Masjid
Jamkaran
Another responsbty s to vst Mas|d |amkaran and to perform the recommended actons
n that sacred mas|d. Mas|d |amkaran was but under the drect order of Imam Wau Asr
(a|tf) and has specfc acts of worshp whch are recommended to be performed n t.
In addton, t s one of the paces whch the Imam frequents and where the egtmate
requests of the peope are fufed and the Imam hmsef has ordered the peope to vst
ths sacred ste!
In regards to the constructon of ths mas|d, the foowng has been narrated by Hasan
Muthaah |amkaran: I was seepng n my home n the vage of |amkaran on Tuesday
nght, the 17th of the month of Ramaan n the year 313 ah. It was |ust after mdnght that
out of nowhere, a group of peope came to my house, woke me up and sad: Wake up and
answer the ca of your Master, Imam Mahd Sahb a-Zaman (a|tf) who has summoned
you!
Hasan contnued: I woke up, coected mysef and prepared to get dressed and sad to the
peope: |ust et me put my shrt on.
At that tme, I heard a voce sayng: That s not your shrt!
After removng the shrt, I reached for my pants, and agan I heard a voce say: Those are
not your pants! Do not put them on!
I removed them too and was abe to fnd my own shrt and pants. I got dressed and then
started to ook for the key to unock the door when a voce sad: The door s aready
unocked and open!
I went towards the door, opened t, and saw a group of pous, nobe peope. I offered them
my greetngs, to whch they reped accordngy.
They took me to a pace where the present ocaton of Mas|d |amkaran s ocated and as I
was ookng around, I saw a couch surrounded by fne carpets and pows. A young man,
who ooked to be around 30 years od, was recnng on the couch, restng aganst the
pows. An od man was sttng besde hm readng a book out oud whe more than 60 men
were around them some of them dressed n whte and others n green offerng ther Saat.
The od man, whom I ater found out was Prophet Khr asked me to be seated. At that
tme, the Imam, who was sttng next to Prophet Khr, caed me by name and sad: You
must go to Hasan Musm and gve hm the foowng message.
Te hm that for the past fve years, you have been farmng on ths and, pantng and
growng many thngs, but whatever you grow s beng destroyed. Ths and s sacred, and
Aah the Amghty has chosen ths and above a others and bestowed dstncton and
honor to t.
Even ths year, you have ntended to pough and cutvate ths and, though you do not have
the authorzaton to do so! Thus, whatever fnanca earnngs you have earned from ths
and must be returned so that a Mas|d can be but on ths spot.
Snce you have taken ths and whch does not beong to you, Aah the Gorous and
Powerfu, has taken two of your young chdren away from you, but st you have not
reazed the wrong you are dong! If you contnue n ths way, the punshment of Aah whch
s beyond your magnaton, w strke you.
I sad: O my Master, I must have some convncng sgns, snce wthout ths, the peope w
not beeve me.
The Imam sad: I w show you the sgns at ths spot so that your statement w prove to
be truthfu. You smpy go and convey the message to the peope. Go and see Sayyd Abu
Hasan n Oum and te hm to come wth you to vst Hasan Musm and coect from hm the
earnngs of the farm and for the past few years, and wth ths money, ay the foundaton for
the Mas|d.
For the remanng expendture, you may coect t from the vage of Rhaq, n the Ardha
regon (near Kashan) whch beongs to me, to compete the budng of the Mas|d. Aso, haf
of the estate of the vage of Rhaq has been gven as Waqf (endowment) for the
mantenance of the Mas|d. Te the peope to vst ths pace, and to respect and honor t by
offerng four Rakat of Saat as foows:
The frst Saat of two Rakat shoud be prayed wth the ntenton of Sautaton to the Mas|d
( ) where n each Rakat, Suratu Fatha s rected once, foowed by Suratu IkhaS
seven tmes. In every Rakat, the dhkr:
in Ruku:
and in Sajdah:
Shoud be rected seven tmes, the second Rakat shoud be rected exacty as the frst one.
The second Saat s aso two Rakat and t shoud be prayed wth the ntenton of Saat for
Imam a-Zaman(a|tf) n whch Suratu Fatha s rected once, and the ne:

s rected one hundred tmes. The surah shoud then be competed, foowed by the
rectaton of Suratu IkhaS once.
In every Rakat, the dhkr:
in Ruku:
and in Sajdah:
Shoud aso be rected seven tmes each. The second Rakat s to be rected exacty ke the
frst one.
Once both of the Saat are fnshed, the foowng ne shoud be sad once:

Foowed by the Tasbh of Fatmah az-Zahra (sa):
34 tmes:
33 tmes:
33 tmes:
After ths, you shoud go nto sa|dah and recte Saawat on Prophet Muhammad (S) and hs
famy (as) one hundred tmes:

The Imam then sad:

Whoever performs ths Saat (w receve the same reward) as the one who prays nsde
the Ancent House (the Hoy Kabah).1
1. Na|m a-Thaqb (a-Tabrs), sec. 7, story 1
Another responsbty of the true beevers s to honor the specfc tmes, days and nghts
whch are reated to the Imam.
For exampe, on the days of Ed whch ncude: Ed a-Ourban; Ed a-Ghadr, Ed a-Ftr,
the 15th of Shaban (the brth annversary of the Imam), the days whch mark the brth or
the martyrdom of each of hs pure forefathers, the day of Nawruz whch marks the (soar)
new year; the Ha|| season; the Day of Ashura, the nght preceedng and the day of
|umuah, and the nghts of Oadr n the month of Ramahan, must a be respected and
honored.
In these tme perods, t s ncumbent upon a true beever to pay speca attenton to the
Imam and more than other peope, one shoud strve to fuf the rghts of the Imam whch
are reated to these specfc tmes.
As for how one can show honor and veneraton to some of these tme perods, ths sha be
mentoned n ater sectons. However generay speakng, respectng the tmes whch are
reated to the Imam can be carred out n varous ways such as performng the specfc acts
of worshp whch have been mentoned n the tradtons.
The etquette whch each of these tme perods have reated to them has been mentoned
n the books of tradtons and Dua, and these shoud be foowed by the true beevers.
Therefore, the suppcatons and Zyarat whch have been mentoned to be read at specfc
tmes shoud be performed n order to fuf ths responsbty.
The next responsbty s to show honour to the nght and day of the 15th of Shaban wth
extra emphass on the nght of the 15th. In addton, one must perform the specfc acts
whch have been recommended to be performed on ths nght.1
The 15th of Shaban s equa n greatness to the nght of Oadr (n the month of Ramahan),
s very mportant and s one of the tme perods reated drecty to the Imam.
In regards to the greatness of ths nght, Imam Muhammad b. A a-Baqr (as) has stated:

It (the 15th of Shaban) s the best of nghts after the nght of Oadr. In t Aah grants Hs
bessngs to Hs servants and through Hs generosty and nobty, He forgves them. So
strve and strugge to seek coseness to Aah, the Most Hgh, n t.
For t s a nght n whch Aah has ordaned upon Hmsef not to turn away anyone who
comes to Hm askng for somethng as ong as the request s not somethng mpermssbe.
It s the nght whch Aah the Hgh, has paced for us (the Ahu Bayt) |ust as the Nght of
Oadr (n the month of Ramahan) was paced for our Prophet.
Thus, strve to perform the suppcatons and prase Aah, the Hgh (n t).2
The reason for the greatness of ths nght over a the other nghts and tmes s the
fectous brth of Imam Wau Asr (a|tf) durng the eary mornng perod.
1. These acts are mentoned n Mafath a-|nan, sec. 2: The greatness and actons of the
Month of Shaban.
2. Iqba a-Ama, pg. 695; MSbah a-Mutaha||d, pg. 831
Another responsbty of the true beevers s to consder the Nghts of Oadr (n the month
of Ramahan) as nghts of reverence and respect and to perform the specfc actons for
these nghts.1
The Nghts of Oadr are drecty reated to the 12th Imam (a|tf) and therefore, the best act
whch can be done on these nghts s rememberng and focusng on hm and seekng
ntercesson from the Imam.
The Nght of Oadr s that nght whch the entre year cannot reach n greatness, and the
actons whch are performed on that nght are better than the actons performed durng the
span of one thousand months!
It s on ths nght that a of the commands for the next year are decreed and the Anges
and the Ruh who s the greatest of Anges descend to the Earth by the permsson of ther
Lord and arrve n the servce of Imam a-Zaman (a|tf). Whatever has been decreed for
every person for the entre year s then presented to the Imam.
Thus, we must perform those specfc actons reated to these nghts and seek coseness to
Aah through the Imam. We must aso hod frm to the Imam, take hm as our ntercessor
and ask our needs and wants through hm (and wth the permsson of Aah, these w be
granted).
1. Mafath a-|nan, sec. 3: The greatness and actons of the Bessed Month of Ramahan
and the actons for the Nghts of Oadr.
Another responsbty of the servants of Aah s to show honor to everythng whch s
reated to the Imam (ths s separate from the tmes and ocatons and the thngs whch we
have aready spoken about). Ths ncudes thngs such as: hs ttes and appeatons
whether these are spoken and mentoned out oud or f they are wrtten on paper, paques,
rocks or anythng ese.
In addton, the etters, speeches and tradtons whch have been narrated from the Imam
must aso be shown veneraton. Ths aso ncudes the books whch contan wrtngs n
regards to the Imam.
Works of art, cutura and regous artfacts whch are reated to the Imam or hs great
forefathers such as the hand wrtten copes of the Ouràn, must aso be respected.
At the forefront of a thngs whch are reated to the Imam s the Nobe Ouràn and one
must show honor and respect to ths. We are abe to deduce the necessty of showng honor
to the Ouràn from the tradtons whch have come to us from the Messenger of Isam and
the Infabe A`mmah (as) and ths s somethng whch a of the sects of Isam accept.
The Ouràn s, |ust as the Prophet descrbed t, the Greater of the two weghty thngs (a-
Thaqaayn) whch he advsed hs naton to foow when he sad, The Ahu Bayt (as) sha
never be separated from the Ouràn and thus, the Musm naton must foow both the
Ouràn and Ahu Bayt (as).
Guardng the Ouràn and showng t honor can be done through actng accordng to the
verses and as we know, even Imam a-Zaman (a|tf) hmsef has aso been ordered to foow
ts commandments.
Thus, to show honor and esteem to the Ouràn and to act accordng to ts verses s the
most mportant responsbty for us to perform and t s aso one of the dutes towards the
Imam.
Responsibility 92: Performing Good
Deeds on Behalf of the Imam
Another responsbty s to perform acts of worshp on behaf of the Imam such as gvng
Sadaqah, performng Ha|| and recommended Saat and gong for the Zyarat of the Infabe
A`mmah (as) or other rghteous beevers ether ave or dead. It shoud be noted that ths
s somethng other than performng the act and dedcatng the reward to the Imam.
Therefore, the meanng of performng acts of worshp and other rghteous acts whch can
be done by proxy do not ncude the obgatory act of worshp such as the fve day Saat or
the obgatory fastng of the month of Ramahan snce t s not permssbe to do these
thngs by way of proxy (for one who s ave).
The narrator of the foowng tradton sad that he asked Imam Musa b. |afar a-Kadhm
(as):

() :

Can I perform the Ha|| and the Saat and gve Sadaqah for the vng and deceased from
among my cose famy and frends? He reped: Yes, gve Sadaqah and perform the Saat
on ther behaf and due to you seekng to mantan the tes of coseness wth them, there s
an addtona reward for you.1
From ths tradton, we ceary understand that to perform actons by proxy for Imam a-
Zaman (a|tf) the eader and master of a the true beevers - accordng to the frst way
mentoned s permssbe.
A true beever must gve whatever amount of Sadaqah or perform the recommended Saat
on behaf of hs Imam. For exampe, one can perform the Saat of |afar a-Tayyar or the
Saat of the Commander of the Fathfu A b. Ab Tab (as) on behaf of hs vng Imam.
Through ths act, not ony w the beever ava hmsef of the reward for performng that
acton, but n addton he w aso receve a reward for mantang the tes and reatons wth
hs Imam!
Some of the acts of worshp whch a person s abe to perform by way of proxy for the Imam
ncude:
1. Dfferent Saat |the Saat of |afar a-Tayyar, Saat of the Commander of the Fathfu A b.
Ab Tab and the other Infabes and the other recommended Saat whch have been
mentoned n the detaed books of prayer and suppcaton|. A person s even abe to
perform a genera two Rakat Saat wth the ntenton that he s offerng the prayer as a gft
to the Imam.
2. The recommended Ha|| or Umrah
3. Tawaf of the Kabah
4. Gvng Sadaqah
5. Rectaton of the Ouràn
6. Sacrfcng an anma
7. Payng back the debts of a true beever
8. Performng the vstaton (Zyarat) of the graves of the Messenger of Aah and the other
Infabes (as) and ther rghteous companons. In addton, one can aso vst the graves of
other true beevers from ether far or near wth the ntenton that the reward s to be gven
to the Imam.
9. Freeng a captve, and n ths day and age, freeng a prsoner by payng hs debts, for
exampe.
|ust as has been mentoned, performng actons by proxy n reaton to the obgatory
actons such as the fve day prayers s not permssbe, except n certan crcumstances
such as n the performance of the Ha||. A person once asked Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-
Sadq (as): A person performs the Ha|| on behaf of another person how much of a reward
and recompense s he gven?
The Imam reped:

For a person who performs the Ha|| on behaf of another person there s a reward and
recompense equa to the performance of ten Ha||.2
In another tradton, Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as) sad:

If you were to make a thousand peope partners n the reward for your Ha||, then for each
and every one of them, there w be a reward for performng one Ha||, wth no reducton n
the reward of your Ha||!3
Imam Musa b. |afar a-Kadhm (as) sad:

:

:
When you come to the grave of the Prophet (saws), and after performng that whch s
obgatory upon you (the Zyarat rtes) then perform a two rakat Saat. Then, stand near
the head of the Prophet (saws) and say:

Peace be upon you, O Prophet of Aah, from my father, mother, wfe, chdren, a of my
frends and everyone n my cty the free and the ensaved the whte sknned and the back
sknned.
(If you act n ths way) then you w not say to a person I conveyed greetngs and
sautatons to the Messenger of Aah on your behaf except that you w be speakng the
truth.4
When t comes to the recommended deeds, a true beever can ether perform them hmsef
for the Imam or hre another person to do them on hs behaf.
For exampe, one can hre somebody ese to, on behaf of the Imam, perform the Ha|| or
perform a recommended Saat.
1. Wasa` ash-Sha, vo. 5, pg. 367, no. 9 (wth a sght dfference); Bharu Anwar, vo. 88,
pg. 310, no. 3
2. a-Kaf, vo. 4, pg. 312, no. 2
3. Ibd., vo. 4, pg. 317, no. 10
4. a-Kaf, vo. 4, pg. 316, no. 8
Responsibility 93: Donating the Reward
of Good Deeds
Another responsbty s to donate the reward of acts of worshp to the Imam whether
obgatory or recommended acts.
For exampe, after a person has fnshed performng hs Saat, he can donate the reward of
that prayer to the Imam one can perform the Ha|| and gve the rewards of the Ha|| to the
Imam.
A companon once sad to Imam Hasan b. A a-Askar (as):
:

I vsted your father and gave the reward of ths act to you. The Imam reped: Due to
ths act of yours, there s a great reward and recompense for you from Aah and a
commendaton from us.1
One of the Imams sad:

:

: .
:
A person who offers the reward of hs Saat to the Messenger of Aah, the Commander of
the Fathfu and the successors who come after hm, may the bessngs of Aah be upon a
of them Aah w ncrease the reward of hs Saat, a mut-fod ncrease, unt hs sou
departs and before hs sou eaves hs body, t w be sad to hm: O so-and-so!
Your gft, goodness and kndness has reached us therefore, today s the day for your reward
and repayment of your goodness. Thus, may your sou be peased and may your eyes be
brghtened due to that whch Aah has prepared for you and gad tdngs to you for what
you have reached.
The narrator of the tradton then asked them Imam: How does one send the reward of hs
Saat, and what does he say?
The Imam reped: one makes the ntenton that the reward of the Saat be gven to the
Messenger of Aah.2
2. |ama a-Usbu, pg. 15; Bharu Anwar, vo. 91, pg. 215, sec. 3, no. 1
Responsibility 94: Greeting the Imam
Every Day
The true beevers must perform the Zyarat and send greetngs to the Imam every week
rather f possbe, ths shoud be done every day!
Greetng the Imam can be done at any pace and tme however t s best to greet the Imam
durng those tmes and n those paces whch he has a speca affnty to, such as the nght
and day of |umuah, the Nghts of Oadr n the month of Ramahan, the 15th of Shaban and
speca paces such as Mas|d as-Sahah and Mas|d |amkaran.
It s recommended to read the Zyarat of Imam a-Mahd (a|tf) every day and the vstaton
rghts and sautaton to hm shoud be those whch have been taught to us by the Ahu Bayt
(as) and recorded n the books of prayers and suppcaton. These prayers ncude Zyarat
Aae Yasn1 whch can be read at any tme one wshes to greet Imam a-Asr (a|tf), and t
starts wth2:
...
Peace be upon the famy of Yasn. Peace be upon you O caer to Aah...
In addton, the other speca Zyarat3 for the 12th Imam on the day of |umuah shoud aso
be rected |ths Zyarat w be mentoned n the next responsbty.|
1. Bharu Anwar, vo. 53, pg. 171, sec. 31, no. 5; Mafath a-|nan, sec. 3, part 10: The
rtes when one vsts the ceer n Samarrah and how one must perform the Zyarat of the
representatve of Aah over Hs servants. the frst Zyarat.
2. The compete Zyarat s mentoned n responsbty Twenty-Seven of ths book (tr.).
3. Bharu Anwar, vo. 102, pg. 215, no. 1; |ama a-Usbu, pg. 37; Mafath a-|nan - |ust
before Dua a-Sabah and after Dua Kumay.
Responsibility 95: The Ziyarat of the
Imam for Friday
Another responsbty upon the servants of Aah s to perform the zyarat of the forefathers
and pure ancestors of Imam a-Zaman (a|tf) on the days when ther Zyarat has been
recommended to be rected.
Accordng to a tradton from Imam A b. Muhammad a-Had (as), each day of the week
has been reserved for one or more of the Infabes (as) and on those days, we shoud
perform ther Zyarat.1
Saturday: The Messenger of Aah (S)
Sunday: Amru Mo`mnn A b. Ab Tab (as) and Fatmah az-Zahra (sa)
Monday: Imam Hasan (as) and Hussan (as)
Tuesday: Imam A b. Husan as-Sa||ad (as), Imam Muhammad b. A a-Baqr (as) and
Imam |afar b. Muhammad as-Sadq (as)
Wednesday: Imam Musa b. |afar a-Kadhm (as), Imam A b. Musa a-Ra (as), Imam
Muhammad b. A a-Taq (as) and Imam A b. Muhammad an-Naq (as)
Thursday: Imam Hasan b. A a-Askar (as)
Friday: Sahb a-Asr wa Zaman, Imam a-Mahd (a|tf), may Aah hasten hs return.
The specfc Zyarat whch we have been recommended to recte s as foows:2


Peace be upon you O Proof of Aah on Hs Earth, peace be upon you O Representatve of
Aah wth Hs Creatons peace be upon you O Dvne Lght of Aah by whom those who
seek gudance are guded and through whch he grants savaton to the true beevers.

Peace be upon you O refned and awe-nsprng; peace be upon you O the ntmate
advsor; peace be upon you O shp of savaton peace be upon you O essence of fe!

Peace be upon you prayers of Aah be upon you, and upon your famy (the Ahu Bayt)
the pure and pous ones. Peace be upon you may Aah hasten for you that what He has
promsed you of (Hs) hep and appearance of the (unversa word) order.
.

Peace be upon you O master, I am your frend and foower, and I am we aware of your
am and utmate purpose. I seek nearness to Aah, the Most Hgh, through you and your
famy (the Ahu Bayt). And I awat your advent and the advent of the truth at your hands.

I ask Aah that He send bessngs upon Muhammad and the famy of Muhammad and that
He paces me among those who are awatng you and those who foow (you) and those who
w hep (you) aganst your enemes; and those who w acheve martyrdom (when fghtng)
wth you, n the ranks of a of your ntmate and cose frends.

.
O my master, O the Present Imam of our tme! Bessngs of Aah be upon you and your
famy (Ahu Bayt). Ths s the day of |umuah (Frday) and t s the day n whch your advent
s expected and the comng of reef for the beevers (from ther dffcutes) by your hands,
and (n whch w be the) executon of the dsbeevers wth your sword.
And I am, O my master, n t (ths day), your guest and neghbor, and you O my master are
generous, from the sons of the generous ones. And you have been commanded to receve
guests and wecome neghbors. So then receve me and wecome me, bessngs of Aah be
upon you and upon your famy (the Ahu Bayt), the purfed ones.
1. The Zyarat for each day of the week are not mentoned n ths work, however readers
who wsh to beneft from them can refer to Day Duas pubshed by Tayyba Pubshers
(tayyba@teus.net |8|) whch features the Zyarat n Arabc wth fu Engsh transaton.
(Tr.)
2. Bharu Anwar, vo. 102, pg. 210, sec. 9, no. 1; |ama a-Usbu, pg. 25
Responsibility 96: Visiting the Righteous
Lovers of the Imam
Another responsbty s to vst those rghteous peope who ove and have a strong affnty
for Imam a-Mahd (a|tf) as such a vst w gve a person the same reward as performng
the Zyarat of the Imam hmsef!
Ths responsbty can be fufed wth those who are ave or those who have eft ths word
especay the schoars n the regon who are amongst those wth the taqwa of Aah!

A person who s not abe to perform our Zyarat shoud nstead vst the rghteous peope
from among our foowers and the reward of vstng us w be wrtten for hm.1
1. Kama a-Zyarat, pg. 319, no. 1
Responsibility 97: Sending Prayers and
Salutations upon the Imam
Another responsbty s to send prayers and sautatons upon Imam a-Mahd (a|tf).
In order to fuf ths responsbty, a true beever may for exampe, say somethng ke the
foowng ne:

OAah! Send your bessngs upon our Master, the Master of the Tme.
In the books of Dua, many dfferent greetngs1 have been mentoned n regards to Imam
a-Asr (a|tf) and the other Infabes (as) and we must ony use these greetngs when
sautng hm snce these have been taught to us by the Ahu Bayt (as) and thus, what
better greetng can there be than these?
Sendng sautatons upon the Imam (a|tf) s a form of Dua a compete and comprehensve
suppcaton. In ths form of a petton and request from the true beever (the sautatons to
the Imam), we see the desre for the Imam to be protected and the prayer for the
protecton of hs hepers and frends a forms of gref and angush to be removed from the
Imams heart, prayer for hs advent to be hastened the desre that he s granted a vctory
and many other subte ponts.
In reaty, the greetngs and sautatons whch we send to the Imam are actuay us prayng
and seekng Hs mercy n a areas reated to the Imam, whether these are the affars of ths
word or the next fe.
Thus, we affrm that the key to the rectfcaton of a ssues s n the hands of Aah aone.
1. Such as those mentoned n Mafath a-|nan, sec. on Zyarat, rght after Zyarat |ama
under the headng of: Greetngs upon the Rghteous Proofs of Aah
Responsibility 98: Fulfilling the Financial
Rights of the Imam
Another responsbty of the beevers s to fuf the fnanca rghts of Imam a-Zaman (a|tf)
namey the Khums whch s one of the obgatory taxes n the Sharah.
As we know, Khums s consdered as one of the Furu ad-Dn (Branches of the Fath) of Isam
and we must fuf ths requrement. In addton, we must ensure that we do not spend any
money upon whch the Khums s due as ths s not permtted (for other detas regardng the
Khums, refer to your Mar|a Taqd or the reevant books on the topc).

! :
Surey the hardest of thng for a person to bear on the Day of Resurrecton s when the
person whom the Khums beonged to stands up to protest and says: O Lord! (What about)
My Khums!1
There s a etter whch s from one of the specfc representatves of Imam a-Hu||ah (a|tf)
wrtten to Abu Hasan Asad whch states:

.()
In the name of Aah, the Most Gracous, the Most Mercfu. May the curse of Aah and the
Anges and a of manknd be upon that person who consders (the use of) the porton of our
weath as beng permssbe for them.
Abu Hasan Asad stated: My heart trembed that such a curse woud be |ustfed for that
person who takes even one drham of the weath of the Imam and consders t s as beng
permssbe for hm...
He contnued and sad: I swear by the One who rased Muhammad wth the truth and
made hm as a gver of good tdngs, that after I saw ths etter and I ooked nto my heart
(and what I thought of ths ssue), I competey changed (my outook on the Khums).
The 12th Imam (a|tf) has stated:

.
In the name of Aah, the Most Gracous, the Most Mercfu. May the curse of Aah and the
Anges and a of manknd be upon that person who uses even one drham of our weath
wthout permsson.2
Imam a-Mahd (a|tf) aso tod us:

A person who consumes anythng from our weath has surey put fre n hs stomach and
soon he sha enter the famng fre.
Imam a-Mahd (a|tf) has sad the foowng n reaton to that person who consders the
usng of the weath of the Imam (Khums) as beng permssbe:

A person who does so (napproprate our weath whch we are entted to) s cursed and we
w be hs enemes on the Day of Resurrecton and surey the Prophet (Muhammad) has
sad: The person who consders t permssbe to use that whch beongs to my progeny,
whch Aah has made mpermssbe, s cursed by my tongue and the tongue of a the
prophets whose suppcatons are accepted.3
1. Awa a-Laya, vo. 3, pg. 127, sec. on Khums; a-Muqnah, pg. 280, sec. on the Zyarat.
2. Bharu Anwar, vo. 53, pg. 183, sec. 31, no. 12; Kama ad-Dn, pg. 522
3. Bharu Anwar, vo. 53, pg. 182, sec. 31, no. 11; a-Iht|a|, pg. 479
Responsibility 99: Belie2ng the
Claimants of Mahdawiyyah
The fna responsbty of a beever (whch we w cover n ths book) s to keep away from
and aso to procam those who cam to be the Mahd (a|tf) as beng ars.
Ths responsbty cannot be reazed except through a compete understandng of the
rghtfu Imam and successor of the Messenger of Aah (S) as t s ony through ths correct
understandng that one can recognze those who fasey cam to be a-Mahd (a|tf).
It s possbe for a person to fasey cam the status of Mahdawyyah, and to ntroduce
hmsef to others as beng the Mahd (a|tf) and those who ack ntegence or are gnorant
and do not recognze the true Imam or a group of peope who are ony ookng out for ther
own nterests or are pagued wth foowng Satan and who are on the path of confuson and
sprtua darkness, and dsbeef and hypocrsy, may take ths (fase) cam of Mahdawyyah
and fa nto error and aso ead others to the wrong path and thus, they w have strayed
away from the path of Aah and the regon of Hs Messenger and hs rghtfu Successors.
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Pubshed on Books on Islam and Muslims | Al-Islam.org (http://www.a-sam.

When a person s approached by hs beevng brother n need of assstance, ths s

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