Mouood Mouood English Edition
I asked Imam how is the method of way of Mahdi (as)?
Imam answered:
He will perform the same act which prophet of God performed; destroys previous (incorrect) programs, as prophet of God destroyed the acts of ignorance, and rejuvenates Islam.
We read in the same book (Ithbat al-Hudat) that Prophet (S) said:
Al-Qa’im is one of my children; his name is my name and his Kunya (honorific) is my Kunya and his face is my face; his method is my method; encourages people to follow me and my religion and invites them to the book of my God. 19
And it is mentioned in the book “Muntakhab al-Athar” from the Prophet of God (S):
(My twelfth son will be occulted and won’t be seen; and he comes to my followers when nothing has remained from Islam but its name and nothing has remained from Qur’an but its shape; at this time great God permits him to exit, and appears and rejuvenates Islam by him.20
Explicitness of this news is so much that there is no need for any explanation.
Unity of Religion
There is no doubt that religious disagreements are not compatible with a monotheistic system in all aspects; because these agreements are enough for disordering any unity.
Contrariwise, one of the factors of unity is unity of religion which can be beyond all disagreements, and can gather different races, languages, nationalities and cultures in it, and make a united society from them that people live in that like brothers and sisters that“انّما المؤمنون اخوه”.
Accordingly, one of the essential programs of that great peacemaker and revolutionary man is unity of the rows under the shadow of unity of religion.
But, it shouldn’t be doubted that this unity neither is possible to be obligatory nor if it was possible to be obligatory then it was not logical to be obligatory.
Religion communicates with the heart and the soul of the human and we know that the heart and the soul are outside of the territory of force and obligation; and nobody can transgress their boundaries.
Moreover, method and tradition of Prophet (S) – as Qur’an also confirms – was not based upon force that: “لا اکراه فی الدّین”
Therefore, Islam has always accepted Ahl al-Kitab as a healthy minority and has supported them until they don’t start motivation.
By considering that in the time of he government of that great peacemaker, all the advanced equipments of communication will be used by him and his truthful followers and by considering that genuine Islam, by removing the extras, has extraordinary attraction, it is clearly predictable that Islam will be accepted by most of the people of the world through logical and continuous propagation, and unity of religions will become practical by pioneer Islam.
This truth, which we understand from the above rational reason, can also be clearly seen in Islamic narratives.
“Mufazzal” quotes in a long hadith from Imam Sadiq (as) that:
… O Mufazzal! I swear to God that disagreements of religions will be removed and all become one religion; as almighty God says: religion is only Islam before God…21
We previously read the same matter in interpretation of some of the verse of Qur’an which points to the rise of Mahdi (as).
And in this way, religion of Tawhid and Islam enters all homes, all livings of all humans and in to all hearts.
But, it is not possible to say that few minorities of the followers of other divine religion won’t be absolutely available because humans has free-will and there is no force and obligation is such system of government; and it is possible for some person to remain on previous belief because of mistake or bias, although majority of the people will accept monotheistic system of Islam and it is natural.
But anyway, if such minority will be available, will be supported by that government as a healthy minority and by observing the conditions of “Ahl al-Dhimmah”.
Notes:
1. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 52, page 336.
2. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 52, page 328.
3. Refer to the second hadith of previous chapter.
4. Refer to the first hadith of previous chapter.
5. Refer to the third hadith of previous chapter.
6. Rawdat al-Kafi (according to the quotation of Muntakhab al-Athar, page 483).
7. Muntakhab al-Athar, page 483.
8. As’aaf ar-Raghibeen, chapter two, pages 140 & 141.
9. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 13.
10. Noor al-Absar fi Managhib Aal Bayt al-Nabi al-Mukhtar, pages 156 & 157, printed in Egypt.
11. Amali of Al-Shaykh al-Saduq (according to the quotation of Muntakhab al-Athar, page 168).
12. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 52, page 330.
13. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 52, page 333.
14. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 53, page 12.
15. Muntakhab al-Athar, pages 472, 473 & 474.
16. Muntakhab al-Athar, page 307.
17. It should be considered that this book has been written some months before Islamic Revolution in Iran.
18. Ithbat al-Hudat, vol. 7, page 83.
19. Ithbat al-Hudat.
20. Muntakhab al-Athar, page 98.
21. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 53, page 4.
