The Present Era The present era, the period of the occultation of our Last Imam (a.s.) is quite different from all other periods in the journey of human excellence. Man has made more progress in the last four hundred years than the entire human history. And this progress has not been limited to any one [...]

Preface Our infallible Imams (a.s.) are the fountainhead of all material, religious and divine knowledge. Their words and deeds are a source of salvation or us. Following and submitting to them is incumbent upon us and acquiring this religious knowledge has been greatly emphasized. If for a moment, we disregard the teachings of the Imams [...]

(Continued from the previous Shabaan issue of 1431 A.H.) “Peace be upon you O my Master. I’m your Slave. I acknowledge all of you [Ahle Bait (a.s.)], from your first one till the last one.” The above sentence of the ziarat can be discussed on the basis of 4 words – Master (Maula), Acknowledge (Aarif), [...]

Introduction Right from the beginning of creation, mankind has been divided into three groups, which were found in every era and every society. Terminologically, they are referred to as (a)  those who have been undermined and weakened, (b)  those who were arrogant (rich and haughty) and (c)  the laymen. If the arrogant group would not [...]

The cries of help raised by Imam Husain (a.s.) on the day of Ashura didn’t die away in Karbala itself. Indeed, it reverberated with greater intensity with the passage of time. Those who weren’t present in this physical world but were yet to come too had said labbaik on hearing his (a.s.) plea. There’s a [...]

A plea: What can one say? There is an upsurge in the rebellion of the worshippers of carnal desires. Axes are being sharpened to sever the little saplings in the garden. Enclosures and cages of myriad shapes are being prepared to confine and imprison the chirping birds. The incessant progress of the modern man has [...]

Let’s deliberate on a few things about our Imam (a.s.). But before we discuss as to what our ‎Imam (a.s.) expects from us, let us understand and comprehend the status of our Imam. Who is ‎he and what is his position? What is the magnitude of his lofty position? Though he is staying on ‎the earth, what is his relation with the skies? What are his powers? Here, our discussion will ‎centre on his authority and power in the sphere of religion rather than his powers in the ‎domain of the universe. We shall initiate our discussion on Imam (a.s.) from the general ‎conversations that people have in their daily lives about him (a.s.).‎
Imam
Literally, Imam means “leader”. Here, Imams imply the twelve infallible guides (a.s.) who ‎are the protectors of the religion of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) after him. The first among them is ‎Ameerul Momeneen Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a.s.) and the last is Imam Mahdi (a.s.), who ascended to ‎the seat of Imamate in the year 260 AH after the martyrdom of his venerable father, Imam ‎Hasan Askari (a.s.). Presently, he is the divine guardian of Islam and the master of all affairs. He ‎is the Proof of Allah on the earth. He is the Wali and Caliph appointed by Allah. He is infallible ‎and possessor of authority. He is the living Imam and our leader, who loves his followers. He is ‎the sign and manifestation of the power, perfection and glory of Allah, the Most High. ‎Enumerating his authority is beyond human intellect, imagination and thinking. Our duty is just ‎to ponder over his perfections and glory as narrated by our great scholars and the prophecies ‎of our Imams (a.s.) about him. We must recite the various supplications and salutations that ‎bring us closer to him and this is a path through which his recognition can be acquired. By ‎reciting them regularly, we seek refuge in him (a.s.) from the scorching heat of deviation. We ‎present a salutation for our readers through which we can comprehend the greatness, grace ‎and glory of our Imam (a.s.) and his holy existence which has authority over the entire universe. ‎His existence is the cause of the continuation of the worlds and the axis of order in the universe. ‎The salutation is available in Mafaatihul Jinan and is as follows:‎

Allah – The One sans partner – is the Creator of all creatures. His Being is Unique and Needless. He is the ‎One before whom every particle of the universe is subservient and indigent. From eternity, He is Generous ‎upon the world of creation. He showers His bounties upon His creatures, morning and evening. He does not ‎withhold the flood of His bounties. His is the creation, His are the bounties. He is the fountainhead of all ‎endowments. He is the One Who adorns the dawn. He is the Provider of light to the day and the shade in the ‎blistering afternoon heat. He owns everything. Then why is He displeased with His servants? Why does He – ‎the Blessed and Merciful One – repeatedly warn His servants about the refutation of His bounties?‎
There is reason for this. The moot cause is that the Creator bestowed intellect and reasoning upon his ‎creation, the children of Adam (a.s.). Then He sent His apostles, prophets and their successors for the ‎propagation of knowledge and shariah. He thus illuminated the paths of guidance among mankind. ‎Subsequently, He gave them a choice – Be among the thankful ones or be among those who deny the bounties. ‎His anger is directed to the second group, to those who refute His bounties. Hence the tone of the verses ‎reflects Majesty and Dominion. The verse thunders: Which then of the bounties of your Lord will you deny? ‎
‎(Surah Rahman)‎

Introduction
The belief of Raj’at is one of the hotly debated topics in Islam and religious scholars as well ‎as Quranic commentators have put forth their views and opinions concerning it. They consider ‎Raj’at to be an extension of the “theory of reincarnation” or the “theory of the cycle of human ‎life”. They have pushed the limits of their intellect and have exhausted all their arguments and ‎reasoning in order to justify and explain the belief of ‘Raj’at’. ‎
After being submerged in the whirlpool of views and counter views, the belief in Imam ‎Mahdi (a.s.) has emerged as a universal principle. It has soothed the heart of a distressed world ‎and is proving to be a beacon for the survival of human race. It is proving to be the source of ‎strength for facing insurmountable challenges and for making things possible. The honest and ‎conscientious ones are inching towards this light. ‎

Peace be upon you. May Allah hasten the covenant He has made with you concerning ‎‎(His) help and the establishment of the affairs!‎
‎(Ziarat of Imam Zamana (a.s.) on Friday)‎
Even though the word “ajjil” over here is used in the past tense, yet its meaning is similar to ‎the word “swalle” which has been used in the preceding sentence in the form of a supplication. ‎
The word “ajjil” is derived from the root “A-j-l”, which means ‘to hasten,’ or ‘to hurry.’ ‎Further, “ajjil” is the first seegah of the past tense in ‘Bab-e-Taf’eel’. Raaghib Isfahani mentions ‎in his book Al-Mufradaat that its meaning is ‘to intend or seek resolutely for a thing before its ‎fixed time.’ ‎