The Spiritual Journey of Those Who Await

Glimpses of the Duties of the Faithful during the Occultation and the Responsibilities of the Devoted in the Era Near the Advent

Contents

Chapter One: Entering the Way of Love and a Lament Beyond All Lament

• Opening words on the duties of those devoted to the most beloved person on earth
• A mystically inspired, impassioned interpretation of passages from the noble Prayer of Lament
• Unravelling the meaning of “عزيز عليّ ان ارى الخلق و لا تري”
• The connection between longing for the Advent and the noble Surah Yusuf (AS)

Chapter Two: Acquiring Knowledge and the Imam’s Quranic Profile

• Why knowing the Imam of the Age (AJ) is essential to human fulfilment
• An explanation of the transmitted supplication: “اللهم عرفني حجتک…”
• The consequences of ignorance of the Imam and remaining unripe in the world of existence
• Harnessing all branches of knowledge and modern tools to promote the teachings of the Mahdi

Chapter Three: Personal Responsibilities and Taking Stock of the Spirit of Awaiting

• Daily practices for examining and measuring the spirit of awaiting in one’s heart
• How sins and missteps can stand in the way of the Advent’s hastening
• Collective repentance as a way to remove the obstacles to the Occultation
• Fulfilling one’s filial duties and deepening the emotional bond with the compassionate Imam

Chapter Four: Practical Observances during the Occultation: Prayer, Charity and Allegiance

• Why we are urged to pray frequently for the deliverance, and how it is linked to the resolution of personal difficulties
• The etiquette and rulings of giving charity for the health of the Imam of the Age (AJ)
• A special supplication to recite when setting aside charity for the Imam
• Renewing one’s daily pledge and covenant through the Covenant Supplication at dawn

Chapter Five: Special Duties in the Era Near the Advent and Recognising the Trials

• Familiarity with the Mahdi’s names and titles in the narrations (الفرج الاعظم، مفرج الکرب)
• The severe trials of the end times and ways to safeguard the jewel of faith
• The duties of the faithful towards the general deputies and qualified jurists
• Preparing the cultural, social and educational ground for the advent of the promised Deliverer

Golden passages from the book

A Lament Beyond All Lament: the ache of longing and the cry over the hidden sun’s exile
“«عَزِيزٌ عَلَيَّ أَنْ أَرَى الْخَلْقَ وَلَا تُرى، وَلَا أَسْمَعَ‌ُ لَكَ حَسِيساً وَلَا نَجْوى…» How unbearably painful it is for me to see everyone, yet not behold your moonlike face! May my soul be sacrificed for the one who is hidden, yet never far from among us: you are the one concealed who has never left our company! May your pain fall upon me; I am your shield. May the thorns of life’s hardships never pierce your blessed feet, while my cries of anguish fail to rise to heaven in your defence. Separation from you is separation from all beauty, and the beginning of a soul-parching desert of thirst.” (p. 11)

Knowing the Imam of the Age: Essential to Human Maturity and Fulfilment
“Anyone who does not know the Imam of their age is poor and destitute in knowledge and insight, uneducated, and left as an unripe fruit upon the branches of existence. The teacher of knowledge of the Imam is God, blessed and exalted is He; so we must fervently beseech Him in our prostrations: “اللَّهُمَّ عَرِّفْنِي حُجَّتَكَ فَإِنَّكَ إِنْ لَمْ تُعَرِّفْنِي حُجَّتَكَ ضَلَلْتُ عَنْ دِينِي”. We must know the Imam as he is described in the Book of God and the tradition of the Infallibles, not according to our own imaginings or selfish expectations!” (p. 27)

Assessing Our Impact: Do We Help Hasten the Advent or Delay It?
“Each of us must have the courage, in private, to answer this question: Is my presence in this world helping to hasten the Advent, or am I an obstacle, delaying the community’s reunion with its Master? We seek refuge in God from hindering the Deliverer of humankind through rash actions, false judgements and personal sins. Through continual repentance and seeking forgiveness, let us clear the rocky obstacles from the path of the Advent and smooth the road for the caravan of well-being to arrive.” (p. 30)

Daily self-examination of our sense of expectation: a test of the heart’s longing and restlessness
“Let us take stock of our sense of expectation each day. If a beloved member of our family had travelled far away, would not our days and nights be filled with thoughts of them and the hope of their return? Why, then, does such longing and fervour not burn in our souls for the most absent and most beloved being in all existence? To await his coming is to yearn wholeheartedly for the reign of divine justice—an expectation adorned with active patience and readiness to serve at every moment, day and night.” (p. 48)

Honouring the Imam of the Age’s rights as a father: upholding “الامام الوالد الشفیق”
“In the words of Imam Reza (AS), the Imam is a compassionate father and a faithful brother: «الْإِمَامُ الْأَنِيسُ الرَّفِيقُ، وَ الْوَالِدُ الشَّفِيقُ». The Imam of our time is a father who bears the heavy burden of every one of his spiritual children’s sorrows. Have we fulfilled our duties as children towards a father who rejoices at our smiles and weeps tears of blood over our missteps? Showing kindness and respect to this father, so far from home, is the highest moral duty of a believer.” (p. 62)

Praying for the hastening of the reappearance: the master key to life’s most intractable difficulties
“The unequivocal command of the Master of the Age (AJ) is: «أَكْثِرُوا الدُّعَاءَ بِتَعْجِيلِ الْفَرَجِ فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ فَرَجُكُمْ». An increase in provision, recovery from chronic illness, and deliverance from crushing spiritual and social crises all depend on sincere prayer for his reappearance. When you pray for your master’s deliverance, you are, in truth, praying to save your own ship on this storm-tossed sea—for when he reaches the shore, all humanity’s suffering will come to an end.” (p. 84)

Giving alms for the Master’s well-being, and a special invocation when setting money aside
“Before setting aside alms for yourself and your household, open your hand and give in charity with the intention of safeguarding the blessed person of the Imam of the Age (AJ) and warding afflictions from his sacred presence. As you set the money aside, whisper: ‘O God, accept this small offering as a ransom for the well-being of the dearest servant in Your presence.’ This blessed practice ensures lasting protection for your life and your children’s, and lets the fragrance of the Imam’s memory permeate every fibre of your home.” (p. 108)

Standing firm through the great trials of the Occultation and the duties of the era near the Reappearance
“Amid the turmoil of the end-time trials, faith is battered by the fierce winds of doubt until holding fast to religion is like holding a burning ember in one’s hand. In this era ‘near the Reappearance’, believers must strengthen their ranks through piety, bonds of brotherhood in faith, support for the oppressed, and adherence to the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt. Only those who begin each day by renewing their pledge and allegiance to the Mahdi of Fatima will pass through this historic trial with honour—and never relinquish hope for deliverance.” (p. 138)

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