Do you know why do we pray for them?

We pray for them because they love us and take care for us and we also love them. For example our parents educate us, teach us good manners. Our friends help us in studies and play with us.

Do you know there is someone who loves us more than our parents?
Do you know who he is?

He is none other than our 12th Imam, Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.).

Imam Sadiq (a.s.) says:
“An Imam is a kind friend, a loving father, an affectionate brother and like a kind mother to her infant.”

So when Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) loves us so much, then we should also love him and pray for his well being, safety and his Zuhoor as much as we can.

Also, praying for Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) is one our duties towards him during his Ghaibat.

Praying for Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) has lot of benefits for us. There is one interesting incident of Abdul Rahman Isfahani.

Abdul Rahman Isfahani lived during the time of our 10th Imam, Imam Ali Naqi (a.s.). He lived in Isfahan, a city in Iran. He was a non-Shia but later on, became a Shiah. One of his friends asked him the reason for becoming a Shia. He said, ‘It is a very interesting story’ and it goes as follows:

I was very poor and had taken a lot of debt from people. I could also not provide food to my family. The people who had given me their money were asking me to return the same. Since I was not able to do so they were angry with me.

In this condition, I did not know what to do. I decided that I should go to the king of the time i.e. Mutawakkil and ask him to help me. With this intention I set out for Baghdad.

On reaching Baghdad, I straight away went to meet Mutawakkil and reached the gate of his palace.

On reaching there, I found that a lot of people had gathered outside his palace. I also stood there to see what is happening. After some time, the soldiers of Mutawakkil brought one person to take him to the king’s court.

I asked one person standing next to me. Who is the person whom the soldiers are taking to the court and why are they doing so?

The person replied: “He is the Imam of the Shias. Mutawakkil has called him to order his soldiers to punish him”.

I looked at the person very carefully. He looked like a very righteous and a kind person and his face was shining. I felt in my heart such a person will not do any sin or harm anyone. I also felt love for him in my heart.

Without saying anything to anyone I prayed to Allah:
“O Allah! Save this person from Mutawakkil.”

After sometime, the soldiers brought him to the place where I was standing. The person was walking quietly. However, when he reached near me and looked at me, he told me something which completely surprised me.

He told me: “Allah has accepted your prayer. He has granted you long life, lot of wealth and children.”

On hearing this, I was shocked and fell unconscious. I could not understand as to how the person knew that I prayed for him.
When he entered the court, Mutawakkil did not do him any harm. Instead he honoured him very much and requested him to proceed to his home. Imam Ali Naqi (a.s.) then returned to his home.

After sometime I returned to Isfahan. Since I prayed for the safety of Imam Ali Naqi (a.s.), Allah solved all my problems. I repaid the debt of the people and today I have 10 Lakh dirham in my home and I also have 10 children. All this is because I had prayed for Imam Ali Naqi (a.s.). I also became a Shiah and lover of Ahlebait (a.s.).”

Dear children, we learn from this incident that we receive innumerable benefits when we pray for our Imam. Abdul Rahman Isfahani was a Sunni but because of praying for Imam Ali Naqi (a.s.) he was able to repay his debt, became wealthy and also got children. Moreover he also was guided and became a Shiah.

Let us also pray for the safety, well being and reappearance of our present Imam, Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.). Some of the benefits of praying for Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s) are: Allah forgives our sins, increases our sustenance and keeps our anger in control.

At the break of dawn, the cock’s cry used to wake up everyone and then everyone began working. There lived a family of pigeons in that city. In that family there were several baby pigeons. These baby pigeons were very beautiful. They were milk white and there were brown lines along their necks, which added to their beauty. They used to wake up with the rising Sun and used to do salaam to the Sun with a lot of love and respect.

The Sun replied to their salaam and used to converse with them. The Sun loved them more than the other birds. Everyday the Sun used to wake them up and encouraged them to work.

The days passed in this manner, until it was winter. The birds, which could not tolerate the extreme cold, flew to another warmer city. Slowly many birds left the city and the place became very lonely.

One day, the cock crowed as usual. The pigeons and other birds began rising slowly. But today they did not see the Sun. The Sun was hidden behind a very dark cloud. With this, the birds felt very cold and uncomfortable. The baby pigeons asked their mother, ‘Why did the Sun not come out today?’

The mother pigeon took her little ones under the shelter of her wings and said, ‘Dear
children, be patient, surely one day the Sun will come out.’

Many days passed, however there were still no signs of the Sun. Without the Sun,
the birds felt more and more uncomfortable. And as the dark clouds surrounded them,
the whole place was very dull and gloomy.

The birds used to sit alongside each other and consoled one another, ‘Don’t
worry, surely one day the Sun will come out and drive the dark clouds away. It will fill our lives with light and happiness like before.’

But the dark clouds continued to surround the ‘City of Birds’. The thunder of the clouds frightened everyone, and the lightening made the birds feel very uneasy. The whole atmosphere was very tense. In this atmosphere, there were some who continued to do their work and were not affected by the thunder and lightening around them.

But there were some who were very afraid and even became hopeless of the Sun ever coming out again. They started telling the other birds, ‘O those who await the rising of the Sun, don’t be so hopeful of the Sun, because it will never come out again! You will never see it again. So don’t have any hopes on seeing the Sun, otherwise you will be disappointed.’

Such talks saddened the birds. They began thinking, ‘Will the Sun ever come out again?’ viagra the dark cloud also began frightening the birds with its talks. The cloud said, ‘If you all don’t do as I say, then there will be so much snow, that all of you will be covered in it.’

Now while the cloud was saying this, suddenly it became very cold and it began raining heavily. Then some of the weak birds began believing the cloud and said, ‘O cloud, we believe you and will do as you command.’

However, the pigeons were not afraid of the cloud’s threat. They spoke to the other birds thus, ‘Dear brothers, what are you saying. Don’t be fooled with the dark cloud’s talks. Surely the Sun is present behind the dark cloud. One day the Sun will de? nitely come out from behind the dark cloud.’

However the situation was such that no one was listening to anyone and everyone had his own opinion.

Some were saying. ‘Surely the Sun has died’, while some were saying, ‘The Sun is unhappy with us and will never return’, while some others were saying, ‘The Sun has gone on a long journey and no one knows when it will return.’

There was a lot of confusion among the birds. Finally the birds decided that they would ask the Hoopoe’s advice about the Sun. So they all went to the Hoopoe’s nest and explained the matter to him. The Hoopoe listened to them very carefully. Then it said, ‘The pigeons are absolutely right. The Sun has neither died, nor has it gone away on some journey. Right now, the Sun is present above our heads.’

Then all those birds, which did not believe the pigeon earlier, were very surprised at the Hoopoe’s talks. They asked, ‘Is the Sun really present over our heads. But we cannot see
anything. If the Sun had been there..’

The Hoopoe interrupted them and said, ‘Just think a little and you will understand that whatever life is there on this earth, it is only because of the Sun. If there was no Sun we would all have died. Very often we don’t see the Sun with our eyes, but its effects are very clear to everyone. For example, at night we don’t see the Sun, but the Sun is very much there. It provides us with enough heat so that we remain alive.

Even when the weather is very cold, we get our heat from the Sun.’ ‘Don’t be so sad and disheartened. Be patient and pray so that the dark clouds go away and the Sun becomes visible once again. Pray so that our eyes can be comforted with a glance at the Sun.’

All the birds, especially the baby pigeons, prayed that night for the Sun. In the morning the Hoopoe, the birds and the pigeons woke up. The baby pigeons were very happy, and why not, their prayers had been answered. They all looked towards the sky very happily and said with love and affection, ‘O generous Sun. Peace be upon you!’

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) said: “In occultation (Ghaibat) Imam is like a sun hidden behind the clouds.”

Today, our Imam (a.s.) is in occultation but one day surely he will reappear. Our prayers can be the cause of his early arrival.

Did you offer namaz?

Did you thank Allah for His bounties?

Did you pray for Imam’s (a.s.) reappearance (zuhoor)?

Did you recite Quran?

Did you obey your parents?

Did you help your believer brother?

Did you do your homework on time?

Did you avoid bad language?

Did you avoid najis food?

Did you avoid films and music?

Hazrat Ali (a.s.) said,
‘If your two days are similar, then you are in loss.’

As you aware, we regularly write incidents about the past Prophets (a.s.) from the book of Kamaluddin. This book is written by Shaikh Sadooq (r.a.) on the command of Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) himself. In this book Shaikh Sadooq (r.a.) has recorded several incidents of the past Prophets (a.s.) and their similarities with Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.). In the past, we have written about the Ghaibat of many Prophets (a.s.) like Prophet Yusuf (a.s.), Prophet
Ibrahim (a.s.) and Prophet Moosa (a.s.). This year we will learn of an incident involving another great prophet of Allah, viz. Hazrat Dawood (a.s.).

Hazrat Dawood (a.s.) was a prophet of Allah. He behaved very nicely with people and was a very brave man. One day he took his flock of sheep for grazing. Suddenly one lion came and took away one of the sheep. Hazrat Dawood (a.s.) chased that lion and captured him. He opened the mouth of the lion and recovered the sheep.

Allah revealed a book to Hazrat Dawood (a.s.) called ‘Zaboor’. It contains many duas (supplications). When Hazrat Dawood (a.s.) used to pray and glorify Allah, mountains and birds would join him. He was so strong that Allah made iron melt in his hands.

At the time of Hazrat Dawood (a.s.) there was an evil king named Jalut. Hazrat Dawood (a.s.) used to live in another city which was ruled by Talut. Once there was a war between Talut and Jalut. The army of Talut was very afraid of Jalut and his forces. The brothers and father of Hazrat Dawood (a.s.) once went to fight against Jalut. He (a.s.) said, ‘‘I will not go to fight Jalut because he cannot fight against me.’’ His father and brothers laughed at him and went to the battlefield.

After some time, the food in Talut’s army was over. Hazrat Dawood (a.s.) was asked by his father to carry some food for the army. On his way to the battlefield, Hazrat Dawood (a.s.) passed by a stone. Suddenly the stone started speaking with Allah’s permission,

‘O Dawood, pick me up and kill Jalut with me. Allah has created me so that you can kill Jalut with me.’ Hazrat Dawood (a.s.) picked up the stone and went to the battlefield.

On reaching the battlefield Hazrat Dawood (a.s.) was surprised to see that Talut’s army was afraid of Jalut and were trying their best to kill him.

Hazrat Dawood (a.s.) said, ‘Why are you so afraid of Jalut? By Allah, if I see Jalut I will kill him.’

The people reported this to the king Talut. Talut called Hazrat Dawood (a.s.) and asked him, ‘Why do you think that you are so brave that you can kill Jalut?’ Hazrat Dawood (a.s.) said, ‘One day a lion came and took away one of my sheep in his mouth. I chased the lion, caught him, opened his mouth and recovered the sheep. I have done this many times.’ Allah revealed to Talut that the person on whom your armour fits will kill Jalut.

When Hazrat Dawood (a.s.) wore that armor it fitted him perfectly. The king and the people were surprised. Talut said, ‘I hope Allah kills Jalut through Hazrat Dawood (a.s.).’
Next day the war started. Hazrat Dawood (a.s.) saw Jalut in the battlefield. He removed the stone from his pocket and aimed it at Jalut. The stone hit Jalut between the eyes. It cut his head and pierced the brain. He died instantly.

People started shouting joyously, ‘Dawood has killed Jalut’. Soon they made Hazrat Dawood (a.s.) their king.

Dear Children, our beloved Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) has some similarities with Hazrat Dawood (a.s.). Our Imam (a.t.f.s.) will have a standard (Alam).

He (a.t.f.s.) will carry this standard everywhere. Just like the stone spoke to Hazrat Dawood (a.s.), the standard will announce, ‘O friends of Allah, kill the enemies of Allah!’

Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) will also carry a sword. When the time of his reappearance will draw near, Imam Mahdi’s (a.t.f.s.) sword will begin speaking by Allah’s permission. It will urge Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.), ‘O Allah’s Caliph, rise and fight against the enemies of Allah.’ Then Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) will reappear and fill the world with justice and equity.

We should always pray to Allah to hasten the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.). We should pray that Imam (a.t.f.s.) comes soon and establishes a divine government just like Hazrat Dawood (a.s.) became the just ruler over the people.

“Surely We have not forgotten you…”

Allamah Shaikh Hurr-e-Amili (r.a.) is one of those fortunate people who were cured by Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.). He was a very great scholar and Marjae’e Taqleed of his time. He is the author of very famous book ‘Wasailush Shia’. He is buried in the courtyard of our eighth Imam, Imam Ali Ibn Musa Reza (a.s.).

When Allamah Shaikh Hurr-e-Amili (r.a.) was 10 years old he fell ill very severely. His illness was so severe that his family and relatives lost all hopes of him getting cured and were weeping profusely over him.

Meanwhile, Allamah Shaikh Hurr-e-Amili went to sleep and dreamt that Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and A’immah (a.s.) are standing near him. He saluted and shook hands with all of them. While saluting and shaking hands with Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) he started weeping uncontrollably and complained to Imam (a.t.f.s.) in the following words:
“O my Master, I am afraid that I will die due to this disease and will be unable to seek knowledge and do good deeds”.
Imam (a.s.) replied: “Don’t be afraid, Allah will cure you and grant you a long life”. Imam (a.s.) handed over a cup of water to Shaikh Hurr-e-Amili (r.a.). As soon as he drank from the cup his illness was cured and he was well once again.

In this way Allamah Shaikh Hurr-e-Amili (r.a.) was cured by our kind and affectionate, Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.).

Morals:
1. We should seek help from Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) whenever we face any problem.
2. Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) helps his Shias when they call him for help.
3. We should always seek religious knowledge like Allamah Shaikh Hurr-e-Amili (r.a.).

But dear children, Janabe Salman (r.a.) did not get this position easily. He had to face lot of difficulties. His story is very interesting. It goes like this:

Janabe Salman (r.a.) was a son of a farmer and was born in Shiraz, a city in Iran. His parents loved him very much and named him ‘Rozba’. One day he was going to a festival with his father. On the way they passed through a temple where one priest was saying loudly: “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, Isa is the spirit of Allah and Muhammad (s.a.w.a.) is the beloved of Allah”. As soon as Janabe Salman (r.a.) heard the name of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) his heart was filled with love for Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.). For many days he felt neither thirsty nor hungry because he wanted to meet Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) as soon as possible, but our Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) was not yet born.

One day Janabe Salman (r.a.) entered his room and saw a letter hanging on the roof. He asked his mother about it. She said: “O Rozba, when we returned from the festival we found this letter hanging there. Do not go near it otherwise your father will kill you”.
When his parents went to sleep in the night Janabe Salman (r.a.) took that letter and opened it. It was written in it: “In the name of Allah the Beneficent the Merciful. Allah has promised Hazrat Adam (a.s.) that He will send one Prophet from his children whose name will be Muhammad (s.a.w.a.). He will teach best morals to people and will stop them from worshipping idols. O Rozba, go to the successor of Hazrat Isa (a.s.), believe in him and leave the religion of those who worship fire (Majusi)”.

After reading the letter Janabe Salman (r.a.) cried and became unconscious. When his parents came to know of this, they threw him into a very deep well and said: “If you do not return to our religion we will kill you”. Janabe Salman (r.a.) said: “You can do whatever you want but the love for Muhammad (s.a.w.a.) will not go from my heart”.

Janabe Salman (r.a.) says that before reading the letter he did not know Arabic language but he learnt it as soon as he read it. His parents used to throw little pieces of bread for him in the well. Janabe Salman (r.a.) spent a long time in the well and when he could not bear the troubles of the well any more he prayed to Allah in these words: “O Lord You put the love of Muhammad (s.a.w.a.) and his Successor in my heart. I pray to you in the name of Muhammad (s.a.w.a.) and his Successor that you solve my problems and take me out of this well”.

As soon as he finished the prayer he saw that a person wearing a white dress came inside the well and said: “O Rozba stand up”. The man took Janabe Salman (r.a.) to a temple. On reaching the temple Janabe Salman (r.a.) said: “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, Isa is the spirit of Allah and Muhammad is the beloved of Allah”. A priest came out of the temple and said: “Are you Rozba?” Janabe Salman (r.a.) said “Yes”. He told Janabe Salman (r.a.) to come inside and Janabe Salman (r.a.) stayed with him for two years. When he was about to die he told Janabe Salman (r.a.): “I do not know anyone who has the same belief as I have except a priest in Antakia (Antioch). You go to him, convey to him my salaam and also give him this tablet (Slate)”.

Janabe Salman (r.a.) went to Antakia and stayed with that priest for two years. When he was about to die he told Janabe Salman (r.a.): “You go to a priest in Sikandria (Alexandria) convey my salaam to him and also give him this tablet”. Janabe Salman (r.a.) went to Sikandria and stayed with that priest for two years. When the was priest about to die he said: “I am going to die and I do not know any person in this world who has the same belief as me, but Muhammad ibn Abdullah (s.a.w.a.) will be born very soon. If you meet him convey my salaam to him and give him this tablet”.

Janabe Salman (r.a.) left that place and met some travelers on the way. He told them that he will do their work if they give him food. They agreed. After some time they tied one sheep with ropes and beat it to death. After that they cooked it and started eating it. When they told Janabe Salman (r.a.) to eat it he refused and said that I am a priest, I stay in temple. I do not eat meat. They started beating him. When he was about to die one of them said: “Let our wine come, If he refuses to drink wine also then we will kill him”. When wine was brought they told Janabe Salman (r.a.) to drink but he refused saying I am a priest, I stay in temple. I do not drink wine. They again tied him with ropes and were about to kill him. Janabe Salman (r.a.) in order to save his life said to one of them: “I will agree to be your slave and you can sell me to anyone”.

The person saved Janabe Salman (r.a.) and sold him to a Jew for three hundred Dirhams. The Jew asked Janabe Salman (r.a.) about what happened to him “Janabe Salman (r.a.) told him that I have done no sin or mistake except that I love Muhammad (s.a.w.a.) and his successor.

The Jew said: “I also hate Muhammad and you as well”. He took Janabe Salman (r.a.) outside his house and pointing his hand towards a large heap of soil said that if you do not take all this soil to other place before morning I will surely kill you. Janabe Salman (r.a.) started moving the soil and worked for many hours. When he was tired and could not work any more he raised his hands and prayed: “O my lord you put the love of Muhammad (s.a.w.a.) and his Successor in my heart. I pray to you in the name of Muhammad (s.a.w.a.) and his Successor that you solve my problem”.

Suddenly a wind came and moved all the soil to another place. Next morning when the Jew saw that the soil has been moved he was very surprised and said: “O Rozba, You are a magician. I will send you out of this village so that you do not harm anyone here”.

He sold Janabe Salman (r.a.) to a woman who was very kind. She treated Janabe Salman (r.a.) very kindly and also gave him one garden.

Janabe Salman (r.a.) stayed in that garden for several years. One day he saw that some people are coming towards his tent. A cloud was covering them. They were; Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), Imam Ali (a.s.), Janabe Abu Zar (r.a.), Janabe Miqdad (r.a.), Janabe Aqeel ibn Abu Talib (a.s.), Hazrat Hamzah (a.s.) and Zayd ibn Harith. Janabe Salman (r.a.) understood that one of them is a Prophet but he wanted to make be sure about it.

Janabe Salman (r.a.) knew that Prophets do not take charity. He took some dates and told them while offering, “This is a charity”. Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) did not eat them.

Janabe Salman (r.a.) thought that this is one sign of prophethood. Janabe Salman (r.a.) then took some more dates and said “Please accept them, it is a gift. Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) said ‘Bismillah’ and started eating it and others also ate from it. Janabe Salman (r.a.) thought that this is another sign of prophethood.

Then Janabe Salman (r.a.) went towards the back of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and was trying to look between his shoulders. Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) understood what Janabe Salman (r.a.) wanted to see and said: “O Rozba are you searching the seal of prophethood?” Janabe Salman (r.a.) said: “Yes”. Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) showed him the seal of prophethhod between his shoulders.

When Janabe Salman (r.a.) saw the seal he fell on the feet of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and kissed them. Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) said: “O Rozba go to that woman and tell her that Muhammad ibn Abdullah wants to buy this slave from her. Janabe Salman (r.a.) went to that lady and told her the same. She replied that I will not sell you except for four hundred date trees. Janabe Salman (r.a.) told Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) that she wants four hundred date trees. Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) said that she has asked a very small price for a person like you.

Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) ordered Imam Ali (a.s.) to collect the date seeds. After gathering the date seeds they sowed them and Imam Ali (a.s.) watered them. Before Imam Ali (a.s.) watered the last seed the trees had grown big and their branches were touching each other.
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) handed over the date trees to that lady, took Rozba with him and gave him his new name “Salman”. Janabe Salman (r.a.) stayed with Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) till he was alive.

Morals:
1. Janabe Salman (r.a.) waited for Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) for many years even before Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) was born.
2. Janabe Salman (r.a.) loved Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and believed in him without seeing him.
3. We also have not seen our Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.), but we must love him, believe in him and wait for his reappearance just like Janabe Salman (r.a.) did for Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.).

Muntazir goes to Kumail’s room where he is sleeping.

Muntazir : Salamun Alaikum
Kumail : Wa…..……Alaikumus……….Salaam.
Muntazir : It is already 9 o’clock Kumail, and you are still sleeping. Get ready fast or else we will be late for class again today. Why do you sleep so much?
Kumail : I don’t know. I feel very sleepy all the time.
Muntazir : Your sleep reminds me of an interesting story of Ashab-e-Kahf.
Kumail : Ashab-e-Kahf! Who are they? What is their story?
Muntazir : I will but on the condition that you will sleep less after that.
Kumail : Hmm….I will try.
Muntazir : Insha Allah. You should say Insha Allah whenever you want to do a good thing.
Kumail : Insha Allah I will try to sleep less…but first the story.
Muntazir : Several hundred years ago there was an oppressive king named Daqyanoos. Daqyanoos called himself God and forced people to accept it. Those who accepted were rewarded by him and those who did not were punished.

He had put two statues inside and outside the main gate of his city. Anyone who entered or left the city had to prostrate (sajdah) before them.

One day it so happened that the king of the neighbouring city attacked Daqyanoos’ city.

On hearing this, Daqyanoos was so scared that he urinated in his clothes.

Four of his ministers who were present were surprised. They thought, ‘How can Daqyanoos be God when he is so scared? God is All-powerful. All fear him but he is afraid of none.’

They decided that they should leave the city and live in some other place because if they stayed there, Daqyanoos will force them to worship him.

So at night they left the city, but the soldiers of the king saw them and chased them.

Kumail : Did the soldiers catch them?
Muntazir : No. They managed to escape. Thereafter, they walked for some days and one dog also joined them on the way. Finally, they came before one cave. They went inside the cave. Since they were very tired, they quickly went to sleep. Do you know how long did they sleep?
Kumail : Not more than me. Maybe 6 hours?
Muntazir : No, they slept more than that. They slept for 309 years.
Kumail : 309 years! Incredible!
Muntazir : Yes, 309 years without eating and drinking. And when they woke up, they thought they had slept for a few hours.

They sent one of the persons outside the cave to get some food. When he went out, he was very surprised to see that the whole city had changed. The roads, the buildings etc. nothing was same. He did not even recognise the people outside.

He went to a shop keeper, gave him some coins and asked for some food.

The shopkeeper was very surprised to see the coins because they were 300 years old. He thought that the person had found a treasure.

The person was taken to the king of the time who was a successor of Hazrat Isa (a.s.)
Kumail : Yes, I know Hazrat Isa (a.s) is still alive just like our Imam Mahdi (a.s).
Muntazir : Yes. The person told them their incident, about Daqyanoos, how they left the city and hid into the cave.

The king told them that they should not worry because Daqyanoos had died long ago. After that the king, his soldiers and the person went to the cave.

When they reached the cave the person went inside and told his friends about what had happened outside. They were worried that the new king like Daqyanoos would force them to worship him.

One of them suggested that they should pray to Allah to put them to sleep like before.

They all prayed together. Allah accepted their prayers and put them to sleep. They are still sleeping.

Kumail : Still Sleeping… did they never wake up after that?
Muntazir : Well they were once awakened by our First Imam, Hazrat Ameerul Momeneen Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s.) to inform them about Islam and the advent of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.). They all became Muslims and went back to sleep again.
Kumail : This is a very interesting story.
Muntazir : There is lot we can learn from this story about our Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.).
Kumail : About Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.)? How?
Muntazir : Yes. Just think how long did they sleep for the first time?
Kumail : 309 Years.
Muntazir : And that too without food and water.
Kumail : And they are sleeping now also after hundreds of years and that also without food and water
Muntazir : When Allah can keep Ashab-e-Kahf alive for thousands of years without food and water, then why can’t He keep our beloved Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s) alive?
Kumail : So will they never wake up?
Muntazir : Yes they will. When Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s) reappears, he shall wake them up and they will be his companions.
Kumail : This is a very interesting story you have told me. Where can one find this story?
Muntazir : In the Holy Quran. Don’t you know there is a Surah in the Holy Quran named after this incident – it’s called Surah Kahf, Chapter No. 17.
Kumail : The next time I read Surah Kahf, I will keep this in mind.
Muntazir : Again you forgot to say Insha Allah. Surah Kahf has another interesting point for you and others like you who love sleeping but can’t wake up on time.
Kumail : What is that?
Muntazir : If you recite the last ayat of Surah Kahf, Insha Allah, you will be able to wake up at a time of your choice.
Kumail : Wow. That sounds like a Quranic Clock! Insha Allah I will recite it every night and pray that I wake up for Namaze Subh.
Muntazir : Insha Allah. May Allah hasten the reappearance of our beloved master, Imam-e-Zamaana (a.t.f.s.). Now get ready quickly. We have to go to the Islamic Class.

When someone sincerely loves Imam (a.t.f.s.), then Imam (a.t.f.s.) also loves him and takes care of him. If one requests Allah to grant him Ziarat of Imam (a.t.f.s.), Allah answers his prayers and allows him a meeting with Imam (a.t.f.s.).

This is a very important point that we must keep in mind. We can meet Imam (a.t.f.s.) only if he wants to meet us, we cannot meet him on our own without his permission. Therefore, whoever claims that he can meet Imam (a.t.f.s.) on his own; he is a liar and should no be trusted.

Ali b. Ibrahim Mahziyaar (r.a.) was among the fortunate Shias who loved Imam (a.t.f.s.) sincerely. He was always sad and depressed at being away from his Imam (a.t.f.s.). That is why
his most important prayer was to be granted a chance to meet his Master (a.t.f.s.).

With this intention he would go for Hajj every year. This is because according to a tradition of Imam Sadiq (a.s.) – Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) goes for Hajj every year while in Ghaibat. He recognises all the people over there, but they do not recognise him.

Ali b. Mahziyar (r.a.) went for Hajj with the intention of meeting Imam (a.t.f.s.) over there. But was not able to meet Imam (a.t.f.s.). He went for Hajj 20 times, but to no avail. However, he did not get disappointed.

Dear children, this proves that one who has faith in Imam (a.t.f.s.) is neither disappointed nor does he despair.

Then one day a thought came to his mind – Maybe it is not in my destiny to meet Imam (a.t.f.s.). Maybe my actions are not good enough to meet Imam (a.t.f.s.). I should not go for Hajj any more, because Imam (a.t.f.s.) does not want to meet me.

But suddenly another thought came to him – You should go for Hajj this year as well. It is possible that your wish gets fulfilled this year and you get to meet Imam (a.t.f.s.).

This thought encouraged Ali b. Mahziyar (r.a.) to go for Hajj. He prepared for the journey of Hajj.
Love for Imam (a.t.f.s.) and the expectation to meet him made the difficult journey easy for him. He went to Medina and did the Ziarat of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) in Masjidun Nabawi. He did the Ziarat of Janabe Fatima Zahra (s.a.).He did the Ziarat of the respected Imams (a.s.) in Jannatul Baqi. But every moment his heart was awaiting the meeting with Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.). He was constantly searching for Imam (a.t.f.s.) amongst the people.

He remained in Medina for some days and was eagerly awaiting the meeting with Imam (a.t.f.s.). But when he could not meet Imam (a.t.f.s.) he became disappointed. With every passing day, this disappointment grew. He began thinking – what if I do not meet Imam (a.t.f.s.) this year also?

Then Ali b. Mahziyar proceeded towards Mecca. He performed the Umra. The days of the Hajj rituals drew nearer. In his Ehraam (loincloth worn in Hajj) he went to Arafaat, Masjidul Haraam and Mena. Then he went to the Holy Ka’bah and performed the Tawaaf. But his eyes were constantly searching for Imam (a.t.f.s.). He was constantly praying to Allah to grant him a meeting with Imam (a.t.f.s.).

Ali b. Mahziyar narrates, ‘I completed all the rituals of Hajj. I performed a few Umrah. I remained in Mecca for some days. One day I was near the Holy Ka’bah thinking about all this, when suddenly I came right in front of the door of the Holy Ka’bah.’ ‘I saw a very handsome man standing near the Ka’bah in the Ehraam. He had one cloth of Ehraam tied at his waist and another wrapped around on his shoulder. The Ehraam cloth had slipped off his shoulder, which was shining very brightly. I was in a strange condition at this beautiful sight and my state was such that it could not be described. I wanted to meet this handsome man and in my eagerness I started moving towards him. Suddenly, he looked at me and asked:

‘Where are you from? Which part of Iraq do you live in?’

Ali b. Mahziyaar – ‘I am from the city of Ahwaaz.’ ‘Do you know Husaini?’
Ali b. Mahziyaar – ‘Yes.’
‘May Allah have mercy on him. He used to worship Allah throughout the night. His eyes were always shedding tears out of fear for Allah. Do you know Ali b.Mahziyaar?’

Ali b. Mahziyaar – ‘I am Ali b. Mahziyaar.’ ‘O Abul Hasan, (Abul Hasan was the Kunniyat of Ali b. Mahziyaar and Arabs usually address each other with the Kuniyat and not the name), salutations of Allah be upon you! What you want? Why have you come over here?’

Ali b. Mahziyaar – ‘I have come to search for my beloved Imam who is in Ghaibat.’ ‘Your Imam is not hidden from you. Your bad actions have become an obstacle between you and your Imam (a.t.f.s.). Go to your group and await the meeting with Imam (a.t.f.s.). When the stars shine brightly in the sky, I will wait for you between Hajare Aswad and Safaa.’

‘I was delighted at the thought of meeting Imam (a.t.f.s.). I cannot explain my condition on being told about this. But I had to wait for that moment. It seemed like a very long wait. Every second seemed like ages. Finally the moment arrived. I took my belongings and proceeded towards the meeting place.’ ‘The same handsome man who had met me earlier was there. He called out – O
Abul Hasan, come here. He saluted me and said, ‘Come with me.’

‘I started walking with him. We traveled across many valleys until we reached Taif. Then he said, ‘O Abul Hasan, stop, let us pray Namaz-e-Shab. We stopped at that place, prayed Namaz-e-Shab and Namaz-e-Subh after that.’

‘Then he said – Let us proceed. We continued walking from one valley to another. Finally we reached a beautiful valley. When I saw carefully I noticed a tent that was shining brightly.’ ‘I said – I see a bright tent.’

‘My companion replied – Yes, you are right.’

‘He went down the valley and I followed him. He said – Leave the horse and walk along with me.’

‘I got off the horse. He said – Leave the horse and lets go.’
‘I said – But this horse will run away. How will I proceed without the horse?’

‘He said – Only believers (momineen) can enter this valley. And those who leave the valley are also believers.’

‘Then he ordered – Stay here, I will be back in some time. He went towards the shining tent.’

‘In that tent was my beloved Imam – the master of the earth and everything in it. I was thinking of this when a thought struck me – What if Imam (a.t.f.s.) does not give me permission to enter the tent!?. After coming so far what if I do not get a chance to meet my beloved Imam (a.t.f.s.).!?’

‘Finally, that man returned from the tent. He said – You are blessed, Imam (a.t.f.s.) has given you permission to meet him. I started moving towards the tent with the hope of meeting Imam (a.t.f.s.). I cannot explain how I felt at that moment. Finally I entered the tent, which was filled with the brightest light.’

‘I looked at Imam (a.t.f.s.) and did salaam to him.’

‘Imam (a.t.f.s.) replied to my salaam and said – We were waiting for you day and night. Why did you come so late?’

‘O my master! I could not find anyone to lead me towards you. I wanted to meet you for so many years.’

‘You could not find anyone to guide you towards me?!’

‘Then Imam (a.t.f.s.) wrote something on the ground and he said – No, it is not as you say that there was no one to guide you towards me:

1. You were busy gathering money and wealth.
2. You behaved proudly with the poor and weak believers.
3. You broke relations with your near ones.

Now, you tell me, after all these actions, is it possible for you to give an excuse that there was no one to guide you towards me?

‘I said – O my master! I am extremely sorry for the sins I have committed. Please forgive me and excuse my faults and sins.’

Imam (a.t.f.s.) said, ‘O Ali b. Mahziyaar, if some of you had not sought forgiveness for the others, all the people of this world would have been destroyed except for some special Shias. The special Shias are those whose actions are just like their words.’

(Dalaaelul Imamat by Muhammad b. Harir Tabari, pg. 539-542)

This year once again we shall discuss about the Ghaibat of the past prophets (a.s.) from the book of Kamaaluddin. As you must be aware, this book was written by the great scholar Shaikh Sadooq (r.a.) on the orders of Imam (a.t.f.s.) himself. Imam (a.t.f.s.) commanded Shaikh Sadooq (r.a.) to record the Ghaibat of the previous prophets (a.s.) in the book. In this way Imam (a.t.f.s.) wanted the people to know that Ghaibat was a common trait of the previous prophets (a.s.).

In the past we have already learnt about the Ghaibat of Hazrat Idris (a.s.) and Hazrat Saleh (a.s.). This year we shall discuss the Ghaibat of one of Allah’s greatest prophets. This prophet is among the five Ulul Azm prophets. He even has a Surah of the Quran named after him. Can you guess his name?

He is Hazrat Ibrahim (a.s.), for whom the fire was made cool by Allah. He was Khaleelullah as he was always seeking help only and only from Allah. However, before Hazrat Ibrahim (a.s.) could reach that stage he had to remain in Ghaibat for a long period of time due to the evil king – Namrood.

Namrood was a wicked king who claimed to be God. He was very powerful and ruled over the entire world. Everyone was afraid of him and did not dare oppose him. Namrood led a very comfortable life without anyone to challenge him. This was until he was informed by a learned person in his kingdom about the birth of a child who would challenge him and finally overcome him. This made Namrood very nervous and he made immediate plans to prevent the birth of the child.

Namrood ordered his men to hunt down infants and small children in his kingdom and kill them all. His men did as they were commanded and began killing all the infants and children in Namrood’s kingdom. Thousands of infants were killed because of Namrood’s fear of that one infant who would finally overcome him.

Yet, Allah the Almighty protects whosoever He wants and as a result, Hazrat Ibrahim (a.s.) was born despite such difficulties. But it was dangerous for his mother to keep Hazrat Ibrahim (a.s.) in the house as Namrood’s men could come anytime to check upon her. So she took him to a cave at some distance from the city and left him there. In this way Hazrat Ibrahim (a.s.) was all alone in the cave with no one to care for him.

Although apparently Hazrat Ibrahim (a.s.) was lonely and helpless in the cave, he wasn’t exactly abandoned. Allah, the Almighty, is not One to desert His special friends in difficulty. So while Hazrat Ibrahim (a.s.) was in the cave hungry and thirsty, Allah arranged food for him in a most amazing manner. The food came in the form of milk from Hazrat Ibrahim’s (a.s.) thumb. Yes! Allah caused milk to flow from Hazrat Ibrahim’s (a.s.) thumb. When a servant relies only on Allah for help, then He never disappoints him.

In the cave, Allah caused Hazrat Ibrahim (a.s.) to grow very fast. So much so that he grew in a day how much other children would grow in a week and he grew in a week how much other children grew in a month and he grew in a month how much other children grew in a year! One day, his mother visited the cave, expecting to see him dead. When she saw a big, handsome, healthy boy she was very surprised and embraced him. She then visited him regularly in the cave. Hazrat Ibrahim (a.s.) remained in Ghaibat inside the cave, away from the people, for quite some time. His Ghaibat ended when he was big enough for people to consider him as a youth than a boy.

Dear children, this was the interesting incident of Hazrat Ibrahim’s (a.s.) Ghaibat. We learn some very important lessons from it:
1. Ghaibat was common among the previous prophets and Allah kept even the Ulul Azm prophets in Ghaibat to protect them from evil kings. So if Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) is in Ghaibat it is not something strange and unbelievable.

2. Allah, the Almighty, never abandons His servants in difficulty. First He helped Hazrat Ibrahim’s (a.s.) mother from Namrood’s men and then He helped Hazrat Ibrahim (a.s.) himself while he was all alone inside the cave.

3. Allah, the Almighty, is aware of His servants’ needs, like He was aware of Hazrat Ibrahim’s (a.s.) hunger. Therefore, whenever we have any need we should turn only to Allah and He will help us, no matter how great our problem may be.

4. The evil kings try their best to harm Allah’s Hujjat, but Allah protects them from all evil, while the kings are unaware of it.

5. Ghaibat is a great difficulty for Imam (a.t.f.s.) and for us and we should pray for Imam’s (a.t.f.s.) earliest reappearance.