Shafaqna English- Waiting for Imam Mahdi (AJ): Resistance, Not Submission – An Essay by the Late Allamah Muhammad-Reza Hakimi.
Preserving hope for the return of Imam Mahdi (AJ), the promised Savior, is central to Shia Islam. While the concept of a messianic figure resonates across Abrahamic faiths, and firmly finds traditional and rational bases inside the shared heritage of all Muslim schools, the Shia Islam understanding of this anticipation is unique. What distinguishes the Shia Islam perspective? How does Shia Islam identity shape the way believers await the Imam’s return? In his book renowned Scholar Allamah Muhammad-Reza Hakimi argues that this expectation is not a passive resignation, but rather a call to active resistance. The following excerpt, translated by Shafaqna, illuminates Hakimi’s view on the inherent link between waiting for the Mahdi (AJ) and the imperative to resist injustice.
The Doctrinal of Resistance
The ultimate objective of sending prophets and revealing divine scriptures is the establishment of justice (Qist) amongst humanity. Establishing justice within human society is the wellspring of all goodness and virtue. Without justice, no good or virtue can exist, and even if present, they cannot endure.
Genuine justice dictates that governance belongs to God alone, not to humankind. Humans are neither capable of nor entitled to rule over their fellow beings, and humans should not submit to human rule. Did Ali (AS) not declare:
ولا تکن عبد غیرک وقد جعلک الله حرا.[1]
“Do not be enslaved to other than Allah (SWT), for God has created you free.”
Did Imam Ḥussain (AS) not proclaim:
هیهات منا الذله.
Humiliation is far removed from us!”
And did Imam Ṣadiq (AS) not teach:
خمس خصال، من لم تکن فیه، لم یکن فیه کثیر مستمتع: الدین، والعقل، والادب، والحریه، وحسن الخلق.[2]
“Five qualities are essential; whoever lacks them offers little of value to society: faith, intellect, etiquette, freedom, and noble character.”
In this profound teaching, Imam Ṣadiq (AS) connects an individual’s worth and social contribution, fundamentally, to their freedom. This elucidates the exalted image of humanity within the sublime philosophy of Shiism.
Indeed, governance belongs to God. Just as God is the true Proprietor:
ولله ما فی السماوات وما فی الارض[3]
“To God belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth,” God is also the ultimate sovereign:
ان الحکم الا لله[4]
“Indeed, judgment belongs to none but God.” Because God, the Exalted, transcends the physical realm, is beyond any resemblance to creation, and remains distant from direct interaction yet supremely exalted, eternal, subtle, and glorious, God dispatches a perfect and deserving human being as God’s prophet to humankind. This prophet is tasked with disseminating God’s religion and establishing God’s Governance on earth.
God reveals decrees to the prophet through Divine Revelation, empowering the prophet to establish a divinely ordained society and implement God’s rule according to these decrees. Thus, as God’s designated representative and successor (Khalifa), the prophet governs the Islamic community. After the prophet, the Imam assumes this mantle of governance.
Consequently, the pure prophets and infallible Imams govern human society as God’s vicegerents, implementing His decrees. This signifies that the governance of the prophet and the Imam is, in essence, the governance of God.
Throughout history, we witness the recurring emergence of tyrants and oppressors who inflict the scourge of injustice upon humanity, degrading human dignity and suppressing God’s religion—the very barrier to their transgressions. They martyr the prophets and silence the voices of the Imams. Because of this perpetual struggle, resistance against such tyranny remains a paramount duty, a sacred endeavor, a fundamental religious obligation, and a divinely mandated imperative.
Note:
[1] Nahjul-balāghah, Letter 31 (testament to Imam Ḥassan (AS)).
[2] Khiṣāl by Sheikh Ṣadūq, P. 142, old edition.
[3] Sūrah Āl-e-Imrān (3), Verse 109, etc.
[4] Sūrah Al-An‘ām (6), Verse 57, etc.