The Appropriate Way to Await

Title: The Appropriate Way to Await the Twelfth Imam
Author: Ayatullah Muhammad Mahdi al -Asifi
Project supervisor: Translation Unit, Cultural Affairs Department, the Ahl al-Bayt (¡®a) World Assembly (ABWA)
Translator: Seyed Shiraz Husain Agha
Editor: Sayyideh Iffat shah
Proofreader: Sayyid Baqir Husayni
Publisher: ABWA Publishing and Printing Center
First Printing: 2016
All rights reserved.

A Psychological Explanation for the Awaiting of the Savior - 17
A Criticism of the Abovementioned Explanation - 17
Awaiting the Savior in the Secular Schools of Thought - 18
Awaiting the Savior in the Eyes of Religions that Preceded Islam - 18
Awaiting the Savior According to Sunni Muslims - 19
Traditions about Awaiting the Mahdi According to the Shia - 21
What is the Essence of Awaiting the Mahdi and what Value does it Hold for us in the Present? - 22
The Various Ways of Awaiting the Savior - 23
The First Type of Waiting - 23
The Second Type of Waiting - 24
The Instrument that is Change - 25
Waiting for the Mahdi is a Revolutionary Movement not a Silent Vigil - 26
What is the Cause of Delay in the Mahdi’s Reappearance? - 27
The First Cause - 27
The Second Cause - 27
A Criticism of the First Cause - 28
The Second Cause of Delay in the Imam’s Reappearance - 32
The Role that Divine Norms and Unseen Help will play in the Revolution of the Imam - 33
The Group of People who will prepare the way for the Coming of the Imam - 35
The People who will lay the Groundwork for the Imam from “the East” - 36
The People who will lay the Groundwork for the Imam from Khorasan - 37
The People who will lay the Groundwork for the Imam from Qom - 37
The People who will Prepare for the Imam from Yemen - 38
Meanings of these Traditions - 38
The Strong Assemblage - 38
The Group of People that Challenge - 39
The International Reaction to this Group of People - 41
The Means by Which the Believers will prepare the earth for the Advent of the Imam - 42
The First Dimension - 42
The Second Dimension - 43
The Allies of the Imam as mentioned in Traditions - 43
The Youths from the “Taliqan” - 44
The Companions of the Imam are Young - 45
The Number of Chiefs among the Imam’s Companions - 46
Some Reflections on the Meanings of these Traditions - 46
Treasures that are not Gold or Silver - 47
Power and Insight - 47
Insight and Comprehension - 48
A Piercing Resolve - 49
Power - 49
Seeking out Death and the Love of Martyrdom 50
Balanced Personalities - 52
Monks in the Night and Lions in the Day - 54
Two Stages or Two Groups? - 56
The Obligations of the Preparation Stage and its Responsibilities - 57
Wisdom - 57
The Wisdom of God’s Unity - 57
The Comprehension in the Midst of Difficult Political Situations that God’s Promise [to Assist the Believers is True] - 57
Understanding the Role a Muslim must play on the Face of this earth - 58
Understand the Part that Religion Plays in the Life of Man - 59
Understanding the Divine Norms that Control History and Society - 59
Hope - 60
Struggle [on God’s Path] - 60
Movement - 60
Praying for the Re-Emergence of the Imam - 60
Grief and Prayer - 61
The Appropriate Way of Awaiting the Savior - 61
A Rectification of the Meaning of Awaiting the Savior - 63
Who is Waiting for Whom? Are we waiting for the Imam or is he waiting for us? - 66
The Value of Awaiting the Imam - 66
There is a Relationship between Awaiting the Savior and the Revolutionary Movement - 67
The Revolutionary Movement - 67
The Counter-Reaction to the Revolutionary Movement - 68
The Responsibility to Begin the Revolutionary Movement - 68
The Weakness of Man - 70
How can we Protect Ourselves from Straying away from the Straight Path - 71
Taking Help from Patience and Prayer - 71
The Guardianship [that the believers exercise over one another] - 73
Inheritance - 74
Awaiting the Mahdi and the Hope [that it begets] - 76