In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate__Salaam everybody and heartiest congratulations to you on a very auspicious day. Today is the blessed 15th of Sha’ban, the day that is celebrated in the Islamic Republic as the Day of the Hopes of the Oppressed, since it was on this day that Promised Saviour of mankind was born. His birth took place in Samarra in Iraq, in the year 255 AH – corresponding to 869 AD. He is none other than the 12th and Last Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). He is the namesake of the Prophet, and is presently, by the Will of God, in the state of Ghaybat al-Kobra or Major Occultation, and will reappear in end times as Mahdi al-Qa’em to establish the global government of peace, prosperity and justice.
“O Allah, for the sake of this night and for the sake of him who was born on it, Your testament and the Promised Saviour (by virtue of whose birth) You have added to its merit, thus fulfilling Your word, truly and justly: there is none who can change Your words or repeal Your signs. He is Your brilliant light, Your shining radiance, the banner of light in the pitch dark night, who is concealed and in occultation. Exalted is his birthday and honoured is his lineage.”
“The angels are his assistants, and God is his Supporter and Protector, when the promised time comes the angels will be among his assistants. He is the sword of Allah that never misses its aim, and His light that never grows dim. He is the gentle one who never deviates. (The Imams are) the axis of the age, the spirits of the Time, the guardians of Divine sovereignty, the destinations of that which comes down in the Night of Ordainment, the superiors at Resurrection, the interpreters of His revelations, and the guardians of His commands and prohibitions. O Allah, bless their Seal and their Qa’em, who is concealed from their realms.
“O Allah, enable us to witness his days, his appearance and his rising, and appoint us to be among his helpers, avenging the martyrs alongside him. Write us among his supporters and dedicated friends; bring us to life in his reign, prosperous, enriched by his company, defending his cause, and secure from all ills, O Most Merciful of the merciful. All praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds, and may His blessings be on our master, Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets and Envoys, and on his Progeny and Kindred, the truthful ones. (O God), may Your curse be on all oppressors! Judge between us and them, O fairest of all judges.”
Last night, on the blessed eve of mid Sha’ban, the faithful throughout the world recited this supplication in the Divine Court with fervent entreaties to the Lord Most High to hasten the reappearance of the Promised Saviour who was born on the 15th of this month. As is evident by the wording of this passage, he is in the state of occultation (ghaybah) and awaiting God’s commandment to make his advent. The identity of the Saviour is crystal clear. He is the Awaited One, whose tidings were given by Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), who said in unambiguous words that the Mahdi will be from his progeny, the offspring of his Immaculate Daughter, Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA), and in the lineal descent of his younger grandson, Imam Husain (AS) – the Martyr of Karbala. The words of the Seal of Messengers (found in the authentic hadith books of the Sunnis and Shi’as alike) are a firm refutation of the claims of those who deny the coming of the Mahdi and of those who allege that he has not yet been born and would be born in the end times.
For instance, in the book “Fara’ed as-Samtayn”, a famous hadith through Sunni sources reads:
The Prophet said: "My Caliphs are my legatees and the proofs of Allah upon the creatures, after me they are Twelve. The first of them is my brother and the last of them is my (grand)son."
He was asked:"0 Prophet of Allah, which brother of yours"
He replied: “Ali Ibn Abi Talib"
Again he was asked: "And which (grand)son?"
He said: "Al-Mahdi is the one who will fill the earth with justice and equity just like it had been filled with injustice and tyranny. I swear by the one who has sent me as the giver of good tidings, even is a single day remains for the world (to end), Allah shall prolong that day till he sends (to it) my son Mahdi. Then Ruhullah Jesus son of Mary will descend and perform prayers behind him. The earth shall be illuminated by his radiance and his authority shall stretch from the east to the west."
Every year, the 15th of Sha’ban makes the seekers of truth become better aware of the identity of the eagerly awaited Saviour of mankind, the Promised Mahdi. He was born in Samarra in the year 255 AH to Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS) – the Prophet’s 11th Infallible Heir – and his mother was Narjis, a noble Byzantine Lady who from her mother’s side was a direct descendent of Simeon, the loyal disciple of Prophet Jesus (AS). Now we understand why God will make Prophet Jesus (AS) reappear along with Prophet Muhammad’s (SAWA) 12th and Last Heir to disown all those who had made him a Godson. Today, when cannibalistic terrorists of all hue and colour are masquerading as Jihadis on the orders of their Zionist, American, and Wahhabi masters, by indulging in the most heinous crimes against humanity on the pretext of setting up what they call a caliphate, it is only belief in Imam Mahdi (AS) and his global government of peace, prosperity, and justice that keeps alive the hopes of Muslims in these tyrannical times. The triumph of the Islamic Revolution in Iran was indeed a sign of the coming of the Promised Saviour, and so are the tragic events in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, and elsewhere, definite indications that it is only Imam Mahdi who will shatter these plots by cleansing Hijaz of the filth of Salafi heretics, and peacefully inviting all humanity towards the straight and unwavering path of God with love and affection.
Let us raise our hands and beseech God tonight to hasten his reappearance by reciting the following supplication:
“O my Lord! The calamity has aggravated; the absence prolonged; The curtain of modesty has been lifted; hope has been curtailed; The earth has become narrow; and sky has been straitened. And You are the One from whom help is sought and complaints are made And in You we trust in the times of difficulty.
“O Allah! Send blessings upon Muhammad (SAWA) and the progeny of Muhammad (SAWA), the possessors of authority whose obedience you have enjoined upon us and by that made us aware of their position. Then make open for us, by their truth, an immediate opening, immediate as a wink or sooner.
“O Muhammad! O ‘Ali! O ‘Ali! O Muhammad! Suffice me both of you as both of you are sufficient. Help me—both of you—for you are my helpers.
“O our Master, O Master of the Time! Help! Help! Help! Rescue me! Rescue me! Rescue me! This moment! This moment! This moment! Hasten! Hasten! Hasten! O Most Merciful of the Merciful, for the sake of Muhammad (SAWA) and his holy progeny.
Here we present you a tribute in verse to the Imam of the Age by Iran’s English language poet, Dr. Hassan Najafi
What some can’t understand they deny
Why...? Easy for them the facts to deny,
Into the fire was thrown Abraham Khalil
Safe he was amidst the flames - didn’t even feel.
How could this happen?
Because God decreed it to happen!
The staff of Moses becomes a dreadful snake
A piece of wood becomes a snake; was it fake?
Jesus cured lepers, brought the dead back to life,
Wasn’t this the Will of God, the Giver of life?
Such extraordinary things time to time
Do happen to keep alive God’s trace in every clime.
In spite of these things we still deny
The signs - a necessity to Faith and thereon to rely;
What holds God from keeping Mahdi alive?
He the Giver of life; short, medium, or for centuries alive!
In ancient times ages were longer
For example: Adam, Noah, and Khizr.
Fragrance is proof of existence, even if flower unseen,
The sun gives light, even if by cloud hidden.
Therefore to deny the Mahdi’s existence
Doesn’t hold water in view of his presence,
Such weary lengths went past
When will you, O’ Imam, appear at last?
The closed doors of mercy you will open on mankind
Virtues will grow as vices will be confined.
Before you bow down all mankind
To want, to toil, to the fatigue shall be consigned.
Peace shall rule the day, Reason rule the mind
Nobody will be tempted by evil, no grief they find.
On his appearance corruption and oppression will be no more,
Justice for all, the global government shall galore,
Evening dews enrich the glittering glade
Trees shall cast longer shade,
Radiance shall rule a cloudless sky
Each night the moon shall be brilliantly high
The sun of Ghadeer will enlighten the world
The darkness of Saqifa will forever be blurred,
The 12th Infallible Imam of Prophet Muhammad’s Household,
Behind whom Jesus will pray, as prophets have foretold.
