Ryan Lubell
Profressor Stacey Knapp
English 1A
March 12, 2013
Prophecy of
the Twelfth Imam
To understand the context of the
Twelve Imams, one must first know what the phrase “The Twelve Imams” translates
to. The Twelve Imams in Arabic translates to: twelve spiritual leaders who
generally lead others in prayer. In the Islamic world the Imam of a community
is known to enforce the laws of the Shariah. The Shariah is the religious laws
and the basic fundamentals of principle set to Islam. The two primary sources
of Shariah law derive from the Quran and the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The
Twelfth imam, also known as the guided one, was said to be the son of the 11th imam and is thought by certain followers of Islam
to still lie in recluse, waiting to reemerge the spearhead of an apparently
upcoming religious judgment day.
Muhammad
al-Mahdi, son of al-Hasan al-‘Askari, and Nagris, was born in Samarra’ on
Friday, 15th in Sha’ban
(August) 255 AH. Muhammad al-Mahdi is said to be the living prophet of the
Iranian culture. He is believed to still be alive and it is held by the
faithful that he will bring the world justice once he returns on judgment day.
Muhammad al-Mahdi is viewed to be the son of the 11th prophet and is held in the same esteem as the holy
prophet himself. It is perceived among Muslims that when al-Mahdi returns he,
with direct insight from Muhammad would enforce the laws of Islam and: “through his deputy the Imam would answer the demands and
questions of the Shi'ah” (Islam Guidance). To the Muslims of Iran Muhammad al-Mahdi is the future
savior to the Iranian Islamic culture and they believe one day he will return
and be their messiah. Upon his return, it is believed that “the future will see
a day when human society will be replete with justice and when all will live in
peace and tranquility, when human beings will be fully possessed of virtue and
perfection” (Islam Guidance).
Ever since Muhammad became of this earth, man has thrived for perfection and
peace, and if this were never possible it would not have been imprinted in the
backbone of human nature. Just like if there were no water there would not be
any thirst, if there were no pleasure there would not be any pain, Iranians
believe that because the will of peace and tranquility lives on, there is a
possibility that one day their savior will come down and bring justice and
peace to everyone. To the religious Iranian There is only one savior, al-Mahdi
Muhammad, and that after him: ”there will be no one in the future”(Islam Guidance) The
return of al-Mahdi, to the religious Iranian, is an establishment of an
everlasting society that firmly rests upon a strong moral, lawful, and peaceful
social pillar that will be enforced by al-Mahdi’s benevolent Islamic hegemony.
Islamic
belief is very similar to Catholic belief in that its members both believe in a
sort of “judgment day.” It is believed in both religions that one day in the
future the prophet of their religion will arise from a location removed from
earth, and bring justice and tranquility to the world. To support Imam Mahdi's claim, Twelver Shi'as along with some other
Muslim sects quote the following Hadith: "I and `Ali are the fathers of this nation; whoever knows us very
well also knows Allah, and whoever denies us also denies Allah, the Unique, the
Mighty. And from `Ali's descendants are my grandsons al-Hasan and al-Husayn,
who are the masters of the youths of Paradise, and from al-Husayn's descendants
shall be nine: whoever obeys them obeys me, and whoever disobeys them also
disobeys me; the ninth among them is their Qa'im and Mahdi."[Al-Islam, 10]. It is more common
than not to meet a person who believes that one day a savior will come and
judge those who have sinned and reward those with faith. For many people,
al-Mahdi represents more than just a religious man of great wisdom, power and
drive, but also an idea that for many Iranians conveys a notion of striving for
all that is just, moral and positive. With such attractive attributes, it is no
wonder that Iran, with its relatively turbulent and fractured history embraces
this apparent bringer of peace and united utopia.
WORKS CITED:
"12th Imam." Popular Issues -
AllAboutPopularIssues.org. N.p., n.d. Web.
11 Mar. 2013. <http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/12th-imam.htm>.
"Al-Muraja'at." Al-Islam.org
by the Ahlul Bayt DILP - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.al-islam.org/murajaat/62.htm>.
Bakash,
Shaul “Iran” American Historical Review (1991):
1479-496. Web.
"Biography of Imam Mohammad al-Mahdi - Islam
Guidance." Sibtayn. N.p., n.d. Web. 11
Mar. 2013. < http://www.sibtayn.com/en/?Itemid=467>.
"The Panjtan Society Youth Group."Panjtan.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar.
2013. <http://www.panjtan.org.au/psyg/node/110>.
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