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Baffled television audiences in the west scramble to come
to terms with the notion of Jihad. It is hard to come to grip
with the notion of British born Muslims dropping bombs in the
tube. grimacing shopkeepers, They look with disbelief at shopkeepers
running in the streets of Karachi
in support of fundamentalist terrorists. With a stubbornness
that history made sadly predictable, Hate is keen to sow its
seeds and slowly hate crimes in countries affected by terrorism
are on the rise. Brain washed and emotionally manipulated, terrorists
are trying to pick up again the coveted mantle of self-appointed
doomsday makers. Since Attila and Gengis Khan many have lived
such fantasies but, in the context of Islam, where do they come
from?
It may be worth to review Islam’s expectations from history.
To make sure, Islam is not a monolithic religion and counts
about 72 main currents, branches or sects. Before breeding Bin
Laden’s crazy claims, the rigid Sunni Wahabites promoted expansionist
warfare and misogynic repression. Like the roman pope and his
crusaders, the caliph killed in the name of God. But wahabism
does not give the measure of Islam. According to many eminent
Muslim scholars, it represents only a dogmatic and limited understanding
of the Koran. Its main achievement may have been the manipulation
of religion for the purpose of political supremacy. The mystical
depth of Islam is more vested in the Sufis and its historical
consciousness in the lineage of the Imams.
The Mahdi (the name of the last of the twelve Imams, the first
being Ali; son in law of Muhammed,) according to Islam, and
in particular its Shiite branch, is the savior to come at the
time of the Last Judgement to save the world. His function is
similar to those attributed to the Kalki of the Hindus, the
Maitreya of the Buddhists or the Christ King of the Christians.
The return of the Mahdi constitutes the most frequent prediction
of the Imams. Al-Kultani and al-Nu'mani consecrated an entire
chapter and Ibn Babunye passed down in thirteen chapters the
predictions of the Prophet, Fatima and of the eleven Imams on
the subject of the Twelfth Imam.
The universal precursory Sign of the return of Mahdi, “He
who Guides”, consists of the general invasion of the earth by
Evil, the victory of the forces of Evil over those of Good.
This dire condition demands the manifestation of an ultimate
and final Savior. Without such a manifestation, the entirety
of humanity would be engulfed by darkness.
The following are some enlightening quotes, courtesy Majid
Golpur, a scholar of Islam.
We find extracts from the eulogies of Ali Abi Talib describing
various components of the "Sign"- announcing the return
of Mahdi : The "Sign" consists of the following traits:
the people will neglect prayer, squander the divinity which
is conferred on them, legalize untruths, practice usury, accept
bribes, construct huge edifices, sell religion to win this lower-world,
employ idiots, consult with women, break family ties, obey passion
and consider insignificant the letting of blood. Magnanimity
will be considered as weakness and injustice as glory, princes
will be debauched and ministers will be oppressors, intellectuals
will be traitors and the readers of the Koran vicious. False
witness will be brought openly and immorality proclaimed in
loud voices. A word of promise will be slander, sin and exaggeration.
“The sacred Books will be ornate, the mosques disguised,
the minarets extended. Criminals will be praised, the lines
of combat narrowed, hearts in disaccord and pacts broken. Women,
greedy for the riches of this lower world, will involve themselves
in the business of their husbands, the vicious voices of man
will be loud and will be listened to. The most ignoble of the
people will become leaders, the debauched will be believed for
fear of the Evil they will cause, the liar will be considered
as truthful and the traitor as trustworthy…
They will resort to singers and musical instruments...and
women will horse ride, they will resemble men and the men will
resemble women. The people will prefer the activities of this
lower-world to those of the Higher-World and wilt cover up with
lambskin the hearts of wolves." Kamal, bab
47, n° 1,II/525-28
The Qa'im (Mahdi) comes to re-establish the lost sense of
sanctity. Firstly he will re-establish Islam to it's original
purity and integrity. al-Nu 'mani, op cit pages 333-59"
The Qa 'im)
The obscure expectation for the return of the Madhi dominates
totally the religious conscience of Imamism during the period
of the disappearance of Ali until the return of the awaited
Saviour. But, here and there, throughout the prophetic texts,
there are hints of an esoteric knowledge.At the moment of birth
a light pierced the top of the child's head (a possible reference
to the opening of the seventh chakra) and reached into the depths
of the sky. This child is the Mahdi, he who will fill the earth
with equality and justice just as it is now filled with oppression
and injustice.*
(* "Guide divine" - Amir Moizzi - Paris - 1/E.P.H.E.
- Paris en Sorbonneal-Kulayni, UsGl K K. al-Hujjan, Bab MS JS
a fi 1-ithna' ashar, 11/468-485; al-Nu'Mani, K al-Ghayba,bablo,
pages 201-281Ibn-Babflyne, Kamal al-Din, Bab-5 24 - 38, pages
256 -385, see also Id, Hal, Bab 12; Nahj al-Balagha,pages 295,424-25,458,1158,1180
and 1222)
The Imam is described also as energy giving. The Imam says:
"As to the way of benefiting from my presence (literally
- "to benefit of me") during my disappearance, it
is similar to the profit we gain from the sun while it is hidden
from sight by the clouds."bab 45, n° 4, 11/485.
Ibn- Babunye
An Iranian scholar, Majid Golpur, who is also familiar with
sahaja yoga has thoroughly researched the subject. According
to him, some language seems to refer to new cognitive powers
that may be associated with the rise of the Kundalini and collective
consciousness. All the faithful joining the ranks of Mahdi will
be gifted with special miraculous powers, in particular those
of super sensitive communication with the Imam. At the time
of the Advent of our Qa'im, “says Ja'far,” God, may He
be exalted and glorified, will develop the hearing and sight
of our faithful in such a manner that, without there being a
messenger between the Qa'im and themselves. He will speak with
them, and they will hear and can see him without him having
left the place where he is.” Al-Kulyni, al-Rawda, 11149
More specifically, we can recognize a mention of the vibratory
consciousness of the chakras which correspond to specific location
in the hands. “For decisions which they have difficulty
in taking, they will receive instructions and direction from
the Imam who will write on the palms of their hands, they need
only look and then execute the orders.”al-Nu 'mdni, op.
cit, bob 214
The following language could possibly indicate succession
of Imams or the collectivity of realized souls, through the
reference to the wind. But, without the subtler spiritual experience,
it can also easily feed the delusion of self appointed elect
fanatics. “God speaks : "O Muhammad. These are My friends,
My pure elect, and My proof after you for mankind. They are
your legatees and your priests and the best of My creatures
after you. By My Glory and My Majesty I will manifest through
them My religion and I will raise through them My Word; by the
last of them (Mahdi) I will make the earth pure of My enemies.
I will establish him from the sunrise to the sunset throughout
the entire earth; I will confer to his power the wind and will
lower for him the stubborn clouds. I will help him with My Army
and aid him with My Angels until he raises My Name and the creatures
acknowledge My uniqueness, and then I will prolong his reign
and I will ensure the succession of My Friends over the time
until the Day of Resurrection.”Ibn Babunye, 'Ilal, bab
7, pages 6-7, Kamal, bab 23, n°4,I/256, 'Uyan, I/bob 26, n°
22, page 263
In this way the awaited Imam (al-Muntazar) Mad-hdi, Qa'im,
will prepare the earth for the Last Judgement and the Resurrection.
The battle of Qa'im will mark the ultimate victory of the "believers"
against their "enemies" and the universal and final
establishment of the "religion" of the Imams. The
community of the faithful is a familiar theme of all eschatologies.
Imam Ja'far recounting a vision he had about the coming of
Mahdi says that at one moment : "9000 angels descend
from the sky and then 313 more angels (the first), those who
accompanied Noah in the Ark, and 'Abraham when he was thrown
into the fire, and Moses when the seas of the ocean were parted
for him, and with Jesus when he was lifted up by God to be with
Him".
The number of Companions of Qa'im-Mahdi (ashab al-Qa'im),
"the men of sincerity" (ahl al-ikhlas), "the
sincere devotees" (al-khullas) is, as the number
of fighters de Badr, 313. Each one of these 313 companions carries
a sword on which are written "a thousand words each one
giving access to a thousand more". At the moment of the
Advent, these 313 men will be dispersed in different parts of
the world.The fifth Imam says : good works (al-kayrat)
represents the faithful love towards the Imam (al-walaya);
"where ever you may be God will gather you all together".
He describes the Companions of Qa'im, the 313 who will gather
together within one hour just as the clouds rush together in
Autumn. Al-Kulayni, al-Rawda, II/145
All or some of them (according to the different traditions)
will be sent by the Imam to different places on the earth where
they will dominate everything, even the birds and wild animals
will obey them.Ibn Babuye, op. cit, bab58, n° 25,11/673
...some amongst them will walk upon the clouds. Their names
as well as the names of their fathers, their qualities (hilya)
and their ancestry (nasab) are known to us. al-Nu'mani,
op. cit, bob 20, page 445sq; Ibn Babuyne, op. cit, bab 58, n°
24,11/672.
It is interesting to note that these texts imply a profound
criticism of Islam as some parts of the Arab world seem to know
it. The returned Mahdi will do as did the Prophet, destroying
that which was before, just as the Prophet destroyed the rituals
of the period of ignorance, and he will establish once again
Islam. Our Qa'im will repair the Mosque and will reconstruct
his Mecca. The Qa"im
will bring a new Order, a new Book, a new Legislation and a
new Tradition. (Yaqumu I-qa im bi-amrin jadid wa Qada’im
jadid wa sunnatus jadiida.) al-Numani - bab 13 page 336,
bab 14, pages 36 ad 378
Of course the primary ambiguity of these prophecies is that
they may refer to more spiritual and ethical realities or be
understood as a militant call for a violent upheaval. But there
are texts indicating that these prophecies do not invite the
fight of Islam against other religions but rather, the fight
of all religions for their inner renewal. Mahdi will equally
reestablish the other religions, also abandoned and disfigured,
in their original Truth and Purity. Ibn-Babuyne, bab 129,
1/161; Ibn-Ayyash, Mugtad-Ab 18159
Indeed the Mahdi will extract the Torah and the other Divine
Books from their caverns and will judge amongst the faithful
of the Torah according to the Torah, amongst the faithful of
the Evangiles according to the Evangiles, amongst the faithfuls
of al-Zabur (the book of David) according to the al-Zabur and
amongst the faithfuls of the Koran according to the Koran. It
is the universal initiation by the Imam for all men into the
secrets of existence and of their own religions, and this is
without doubt the meaning which must be understood by the term
"Mahdi" given by the fifth Imam al-Bagir : "Mahdi
("the Guide") is named as such because it is he who
will guide (Yahdi) us in the secret teachings". al~Nu
'mani op, cit, page 342
If so, the prediction of the Mahdi does not announce the victory
of zealot warriors who will wipe out non-believers understood
to be other folks, races or religions. Rather the prophecies
talk of the power of love, not the might of hate. They would
than refer to the fight against ignorance and stupidity, no
doubt the most formidable of all battles. But if Allah is indeed
the Merciful and the Compassionate, such is the most likely
meaning of the predictions of the Imams. The real jihad is an
internal fight for our own purification, so that our full spiritual
potential might finally manifest.
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