Moment by Moment Expectation of the Advent of al-Qa'im
(AS)

Vahid Majd

September 2002

Abstract: A number of
narrations in the Shi'ite collections of traditions inform us of some signs
that will take place before the reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (AS). On the
other hand, other traditions convey that the advent of Imam Mahdi (AS) is very
sudden and unpredictable, and that Allah may cancel some or even all the signs
before his reappearance and may let the Imam (AS) reappear at any moment. In
this work, we will discuss the significance and the predictability of the
signs, and the way they should affect our expectation for the arrival of Imam
al-Mahdi (AS). We will also discuss the things we can do so that Allah may
expedite the reappearance of the Imam (AS) and may lessen the hardship that we
face prior to and after his advent. They are the duties of the expectants of
al-Qa'im (AS) as instructed by Ahl al-Bait (AS).

1 Introduction

During their missions, all the Prophets and Apostles have
emphasized the fact that a savior will arrive at the end of time who will
implement the government of justice over the globe. This news has been heard
since the human being appeared on the earth. Allah has indicated this promise
in all the early scriptures and commanded humans throughout ages to wait for
the manifestation of the kingdom of Allah. The Holy Quran also gives glad
tidings of the day for which all the believers of the world are
enthusiastically awaiting, and confirms that the righteous and virtuous
servants of Allah shall finally inherit the earth:

إِنَّ اَلأ'َر'ضَ
لِلَّهِ يُورِثُها مَن' يَشاءُ مِن' عِبادِهِ وَ اَل'عاقِبَةُ لِل'مُتَّقِينَ

"The earth
is Allah's. He gives it as a heritage to whom He wills, and the end is for the
watchful. (7:128)"

The Most Glorious also said:

وَ لَقَد' كَتَب'نا
فِي اَلزَّبُورِ مِن' بَع'دِ اَلذِّك'رِ أَنَّ اَلأ'َر'ضَ يَرِثُها عِبادِيَ
اَلصَّالِحُونَ

"And
indeed We wrote in the Psalm (Zabur) after the reminder that My righteous
servants shall inherit the earth." (21:105)

Allah confirmed that He will revive the earth and will give
it a true life after it has become dead as a result of corruption by mankind:

اِع'لَمُوا أَنَّ
اَللَّهَ يُح'يِ اَلأ'َر'ضَ بَع'دَ مَو'تِها

"Know that
Allah shall give life to the earth after its death!" (57:17)

Allah has guaranteed to manifest the kingdom for the
righteous believers on the earth in the following verse of Quran:

وَعَدَ اَللَّهُ
اَلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِن'كُم' وَ عَمِلُوا اَلصَّالِحاتِ لَيَس'تَخ'لِفَنَّهُم' فِي
اَلأ'َر'ضِ كَمَا اِس'تَخ'لَفَ اَلَّذِينَ مِن' قَب'لِهِم' وَ لَيُمَكِّنَنَّ
لَهُم' دِينَهُمُ اَلَّذِي اِر'تَضى لَهُم' وَ لَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُم' مِن' بَع'دِ
خَو'فِهِم' أَم'ناً يَع'بُدُونَنِي لا يُش'رِكُونَ بِي شَي'ئاً وَ مَن' كَفَرَ
بَع'دَ ذلِكَ فَأُولئِكَ هُمُ اَل'فاسِقُونَ

"Allah has
promised to those of you who believe and do good that He will most certainly
make them rulers on the earth as He made rulers before them, that He will most
certainly establish for them their religion that He has chosen for them, and
that He will most certainly, after their fear, give them security in exchange.
They worship Me and they do not associate anything with Me. (24:55)"

In a number of verses in Quran Allah has emphasized that
what He has promised will certainly take place. For instance:

إِنَّما
تُوعَدُونَ لَصادِقٌ

"Verily
that which you are promised is true. (51:5)"

وَ لَن' يُخ'لِفَ
اَللَّهُ وَع'دَهُ

"And Allah
shall never break His Promise. (22:47)"

إِنَّ اَللَّهَ لا
يُخ'لِفُ اَل'مِيعادَ

"Surely,
Allah shall never fail to keep the promised event. (3:9)"

سُب'حانَ رَبِّنا
إِن' كانَ وَع'دُ رَبِّنا لَمَف'عُولاً

"Glory to
our Lord! Truly the promise of our Lord is a fulfilled one! (17:108)"

Besides the indications in the Quran and the early
scriptures, the testimonies of the last Apostle of Allah (PBUH&HF) that
have been narrated by all Islamic schools in numerous traditions leave no doubt
that this promise will be fulfilled by the hand of a man from his progeny. The
Sunnis have narrated:

عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال:
"لو لم يبق من الدنيا إلا يوم لطول الله ذلك اليوم حتى يبعث فيه رجل من أهل
بيتي يواطئ اسمه اسمي ... يملأ الأرض قسطا وعدلا كما ملئت ظلما وجورا

The Apostle of Allah
(PBUH&HF) said, "Even if only one day has remained for the duration of
the world's existence, Allah shall prolong that day to send a person from my
Ahl al-Bait whose name is the same as my name He shall fill out the earth with
peace and justice just as it has been filled with injustice and tyranny."name="_ftnref1">[1]

The above tradition shows that although Allah may delay this
divine promise even as much as the last days of the world's duration,
nevertheless it will certainly take place. As such, all the true believers
should expect its happening through the hands of the Mahdi of the family of
Muhammad (PBUH&HF).

2 The
signs before reappearance of al-Mahdi (AS)

There are many traditions narrated by all Islamic schools
where the Apostle of Allah (PBUH&HF) has portrayed the events just prior to
the uprising of al-Mahdi (AS). The Shi'ite traditions that have been narrated
from the Prophet (PBUH&HF) and the Imams of Ahl al-Bait (AS) provide much
more details for the events that are supposed to take place before the
reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (AS). Some of these signs are about the hard
condition of people in the world before his reappearance. For instance, Abu
Hamza al-Thumali and Abu Basir both narrated:

و قال ع لا يقوم القائم إلا على خوف
شديد من الناس و زلازل و فتنة و بلاء يصيب الناس و طاعون قبل ذلك و سيف قاطع بين
العرب و اختلاف شديد بين الناس و تشتيت في دينهم و تغيير في حالهم حتى يتمنى
المتمني الموت صباحا و مساء من عظم ما يرى من كلب الناس و أكل بعضهم بعضا فخروجه ع
إذا خرج يكون عند اليأس و القنوط من أن يروا فرجا

Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (AS) said,
"The Qa'im shall not rise until after a great fear from people, the
earthquake, afflictions, trials, and the disease have inflicted people, the war
between Arabs, great disagreement between people, break ups in their religion,
changing their state such that the wishers wish death every morning and night
due to the greatness of what is observed, and the eating of people by people.
The rising of (al-Qa'im) shall be at the time of despair and hopelessness of
people for finding any opening/relief."href="9l#_ftn2" title=">[2]

On the other hand, some signs are about the miraculous
events that will happen just prior to the rising of al-Qa'im. For instance,
there will be a lunar eclipse at the end of the month of Ramadhan. The eclipse
at the end of the month is a supernatural phenomenon that has never happened
before. Badr Ibn Khalil al-Azdi narrated:

عَن' بَد'رِ ب'نِ ال'خَلِيلِ
الأ'َز'دِيِّ قَالَ كُن'تُ جَالِساً عِن'دَ أَبِي جَع'فَرٍ ع فَقَالَ آيَتَانِ
تَكُونَانِ قَب'لَ قِيَامِ ال'قَائِمِ ع لَم' تَكُونَا مُن'ذُ هَبَطَ آدَمُ إِلَى
الأ'َر'ضِ تَن'كَسِفُ الشَّم'سُ فِي النِّص'فِ مِن' شَه'رِ رَمَضَانَ وَ ال'قَمَرُ
فِي آخِرِهِ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ يَا اب'نَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ تَن'كَسِفُ الشَّم'سُ فِي
آخِرِ الشَّه'رِ وَ ال'قَمَرُ فِي النِّص'فِ فَقَالَ أَبُو جَع'فَرٍ ع إِنِّي
أَع'لَمُ مَا تَقُولُ وَ لَكِنَّهُمَا آيَتَانِ لَم' تَكُونَا مُن'ذُ هَبَطَ آدَمُ
ع

I was sitting with Imam Muhammad
al-Baqir (AS) when he (AS) said, "There shall be two signs before the
rising of al-Mahdi (AS) that have not occurred since Adam (AS) descended on the
earth. The sun shall be eclipsed in the middle of the month of Ramadhan and the
moon (shall be eclipsed) in the end of that month." A man in the presence
said, "O Son of the Apostle of Allah (PBUH&HF)! The sun shall be eclipsed
in the end of the month and the moon in the middle." The Imam replied,
"I know what you say. But these are the signs that have never happened
since Adam descended."[3]

3 The possibility
of canceling the signs of the reappearance

The reported signs were the information that Allah willed
about their occurrence in future and were in effect at the time that the Imams
(AS) spoke about them. In other words, with their vision in the knowledge of
what had been willed to happen, the Imams (AS) mentioned some of the signs that
Allah had willed and planed at that time. However, Allah has not promised the
occurrence of the planned signs, and thus all such signs are subject to change
due to Allah's new decision (al-Badaa).