This earth is rotating on its axis and the creator of the universe pours out His blessings every moment on the earth. Holy infallibles (a.s.) have said: “Yaa Baasetal Yadain (O the Open Handed)”, the One who is generous in His favours every moment. Man is inquisitive, inclined to research and pursuit. His intellect draws him to his Creator and the answer to his quest is Allah, Who has set up bright beacons of guidance in his endeavours and in the end, sent His last Prophet Hazrat Mohammad Mustafa (s.a.w.a.) as a guide and leader with the book and the scale.
Allah, the Almighty declares in the Holy Quran:
“Certainly, We sent Our apostles with clear arguments, and sent down with them the book and the balance that men may conduct themselves with equity…”[1]
If, in the light of this verse, we want to traverse the journey of life with equity, we realise that after the demise of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), his twelfth successor is favouring this earth with his blessed existence. Hence, we prostrate and thank Allah for including us in this nation and favouring us with such parents. This necessitates that we thank Allah as much as possible, every breath we take is a means of our survival.
The devilish onslaughts and machinations are so rampant and frequent everywhere that the world appears engulfed by it. It seems that the whole universe is racing against ticking time bomb. Violent winds are all around us and sky is sending down flames of fire. A large number of nuclear warheads is piled up. Despite all these destructive elements, it is only our nation that is moving towards the reappearance of our Imams (a.s.) with great tranquillity. All destructive elements fear to approach us because our Imam (a.s.) controls the strings of the time. For this reason, after every prayer, when we bow our heads and recite “Ya Saahebaz Zamaan yabnal Hasan al-Askari Ajjil Alaa Zuhoorek”, we feel we are ready to welcome him.
Don’t know what the effect in this name is that when it is heard, the heads bow down in honour and the hand is placed on the head in his respect as if the whole being witnesses him except the eyes and is respecting him.
A pure and clean wave of love and affection enters the heart. One becomes anxious that the one being searched for, is near. If not convinced, introspect yourself to find out due to whose holy being is the existence of this creation.
If a person standing under a densely shaded tree is asked about the scorching heat of the sun, he will be clueless as to why should he be concerned about it. Our existence is akin to such a person. Our Imam (a.s.), is the holy tree of love and mercy that gives shade to our existence and protects us from the hot winds of troubles. Were it not for his grace, we would have been unable to distinguish between shade and scorching heat.
Many incidents continue to surface around us every day. The effects of scarcity of wealth and rising inflation are known to all. But all this is for those whose rulers are transient. We are in the sanctuary of that blessed holy being, who can save us from the storm whose magnitude is as big as that of Hazrat Nuh (a.s.). It is the prayers of our Imam (a.s.) that we are safe from unknown calamities that await us when we leave our homes.
It is an established fact that parents protect and pamper their children in all circumstances. They pray for the safety of their children as they leave home and are concerned if they don’t return in their expected time. They struggle to provide for the basic needs and comfort of their children. When our biological parents are like this, then what can be said about the one for whom Ali Raza (a.s.) says:
“Imam is a caring friend, a compassionate father, a kind brother and a loving mother towards her infant child.”[2]
Just as these biological parents are so kind to their children, the spiritual father too is always concerned about his children and does not deprive them of his affection. I wish I could smell his fragrance and refresh my faith by witnessing his noble visage. If only I could touch the dust of the feet of, he who holds the highest level of morality so that the reflection of his love can be seen in my demeanour. I wish I had the fortune to look at your divine countenance on my birth and be refreshed in the way as the flowers by the first rays of the morning sun. If only I could eat from your blessed hands and be raised under your care. I wish I had learned the first lesson of my life from you. When you teach the Holy Quran, supports the tone of your immaculate forefathers. The way a flower is recognized by its fragrance, water by thirst and the sun by heat, I wish I was recognized with you.
This was my search, my pursuit, but when I looked at myself, I felt that the one I was longing for is right here, so proximate that none other is so close, else the ups and downs of life would always have worried me. When, notwithstanding the insinuations of the devil and the open enemy, I mention him, I learn that he is protecting me from his traps and is present even though not visible to my eyes. Someone surely is making it easy for me to traverse through the vicissitudes of life. People say that he is unseen, but just as the existence of a breathing human being is the proof of the existence of oxygen, so does my existence prove the existence of my Imam (a.s.).
These things are witnessed by the heart, but the well-known incidents of his kindness in Ghaibat-e-Sughra (minor occultation) and Ghaibat-e-Kubra (major occultation) prove that he comes to rescue as and when called for. We narrate an incident from the book “Mikyaalul Makaarim”.
This incident is about the author of the book, Allama Mohammad Taqi Isfahani (a.r.). He says that before authoring this book I had incurred huge debt. Hence in one of the nights of the month of Ramazaan, I pleaded before Imam Mahdi (a.s.) and his ancestors. After sunrise, I went to the mosque and slept there. Imam (a.s.), in a dream, said to me, “Be patient, I will gather wealth from my special friends and give it to you.” I was happy and thanked Allah. After a while, a man arrived and gave me some money and said that it is the share of Imam (a.s.). I was delighted to know that this is the realization of my dream which Allah has made come true.
We cannot see him, but we are certain that he sees us. Our kind Imam (a.s.), due to whom sweetness exists in the honey, so does the fragrance in the flower. Was it not for his blessed existence, the stars would have stopped rotating on their axis. There is one holy being who has encompassed the entire universe. He (a.s.) is the sincere servant of Allah on this earth who guides and takes care of His creation.
Today, everywhere, the enemies of religion have lined up, but is there not a feeling that says that there is someone, who is not letting this heart die out of fear and moreover, the following tradition gives conviction to our minds and hearts:
“We are not negligent of your affairs, nor have we forgotten you.”[3]
These words are inseparable from our lives. It is the fountain of the grace of Allah that pours down mercy on our existence.
Occultation is for us, otherwise Imam (a.s.) is always present like an affectionate father caring for his children. It is unfortunate that his children are unable to recognize him.
The son of Janab Narjis (s.a.), we always feel his proximity. While our eyes cannot see him, our hearts always perceive and testify his presence. He is the son of Ameerul Momineen (a.s), the one who rescues all the grief-stricken in twinkling of an eye. At present, we have just felt his existence what would be our state when he reappears with all his greatness and splendour.
O Allah, we beseech you to purify our eyes so that we can behold the noble visage of our Imam, our saviour.
[1] Surah Hadid (57), verse 25
[2] Al-Kaafi, vol. 1, pg. 200
[3] Behaarul Anwaar, vol. 53, pg. 175
