Introduction

In the Name of God,
the Merciful, the Compassionate

The month of Sha'ban in the Muslim calendar
is a time of celebrations. It is marked with the birth of the
third Imam, Husayn b. 'Ali, his half brother, 'Abbas b. 'Ali,
his son 'Ali b. Husayn Zayn al-'Abidin, and finally, his renowned
descendant, the Qa'im of the ahl al-bayt, the twelfth Imam
Mahdi (peace be upon him). I attended a function organized to
celebrate the birthday of the twelfth Imam (peace be upon him)
on the 15th Night of Shaban at one of the high schools in Tehran.
It was a well organized affair attended by all classes of people.
However, the majority of the participants were educated people,
including young, upper class high school students. The function
was sponsored by the Islamic Association of that school.

The occasion opened with the recitation of
the Qur'an by a young student, who, through his beautiful recitation
captured the spiritual dimension of the event. Following him another
student recited a poem he had composed about the Hidden Imam (peace
be upon him), and a third presented a well-written and very relevant
paper about the subject. At the end of the program, Mr. Hoshyar,
one of the outstanding teachers of the school, gave a pertinent
talk on the topic of the Imam of the Age (peace be upon him),
and this brought the evening to a close.

That function left a deep impression upon me.
It was not so much its ceremonial side that caught my attention,
but rather the experience of being overwhelmed by the spirit of
sincerity and piety which flowed from the young people. They had
brought together religion and knowledge, and were engaged in spreading
religious truth and understanding among the people, enlightening
their thoughts with faith. The atmosphere at the gathering was
dominated by purity of intention and sincerity in the actions
of these youths, whose interaction with the audience radiated
warmth and consideration.

This enthusiasm among the youth and their religious
fervor, guided by clear thinking, made me hopeful about the future
of the Muslim community. I almost saw the future leadership of
the civilization and the responsibility for the progression of
humanity on their shoulders. My eyes were filled with tears of
hope and I prayed to God, the Almighty, with all sincerity for
the success of the Islamic Association of the students and the
schools that had pioneered this sacred mission among the young
people.

At that very moment, Engineer Madani, who was
seated next to Mr. Hoshyar, raised a question: "Do you really
believe in the existence of the Hidden Imam? Is your opinion based
on research or do you merely defend such a belief on the basis
of your bias?" Mr. Hoshyar replied: "My belief is neither
founded upon blind faith nor upon blind imitation. Rather, I have
accepted it through careful study and research. In any case, I
am still open to do more research and adjust my opinion accordingly."

Mr. Madani continued: "Since the subject
of the Imam of the Age is not sufficiently clear for me, and so
far I have not been able to convince myself of its veracity, I
would very much like to discuss the subject and benefit from your
study and research on the topic."