The Nature of Al-Qa'im and his Army of Anger
Of all of the issues pertaining to Islamic eschatology, none is more popularly discussed than that of the Rise of the Imam al-Mahdi. Shi'a and non-Shi'a alike are in agreement on the issue that at the end of the Age the Mahdi will emerge and fill the Earth with Justice just as it has previously been filled with oppression. Where the two do not meet is on the issue of the lineage of Al-Imam Al-Qa'im and of regarding the specificity with which Shi'a Ahadith detail the actions of Al-Mahdi before, during and after his rise.
A point of explanation is in order regarding the term "Shi'a" and "Sunni." First of all, the term "Sunni" is not Qur'anic. Conversely, the Qur'an refers to the "Partisans" of the Anbiyah as "Shi'a."
According to Ibn Manzur in the infamous "Lisan Al-`Arabi," (vol. 8, p189) the term "Shi'a," means "those people who love what the Prophet's Progeny loves, and they are loyal to such Progeny." Hamid'ullah Khan states "Shiat `Ali means specifically that party which, after the death of the Prophet Muhammad attached itself to Hazrat `Ali...considering him the successor of the Prophet both in temporal and religious matters."
Schools of Islamic Jurisprudence, by Hameedullah Khan p121
The term Shi'a in fact derives its actual origin from the Qur'an, in which Allah calls Ibrahim an-Nabi ? of the Shi'a of Nuh an-Nabi
"And verily, among the Shi'a was Ibrahim." Al-Qur'an, Sura 37:83
In another verse Allah informs us of a fight between two men, one was a Shi'a of Musa an-Nabi and the other was an enemy of Musa
"And he entered the city at a time of carelessness of its folk, and he found therein two men fighting, one of his own Shi'a, and the other of his enemies; and he who was of his Shi'a asked him for help against him who was of his enemies. So Musa struck him with his fist and killed him. He said: This is of the Shaiytan's doing. Lo! he is an enemy, a mere misleader." Al-Qur'an, Sura 28:15
So, again, the term "Shi'a" has Islamic precedence in both the Qur'an and non-Shi'a ahadith. The point is that even before Muhammad there were Shi'a of the Anbiyah The term "Shi'a" later came to mean those who were partisans of Imam `Ali
At that time those who were partisans of Abu Bakr, `Umar and `Uthman DID NOT call themselves "Sunni." The term "Sunni" merely means "of the Sunnah." ALL Muslimin, regardless of what Madhab they follow, profess to be Ahl'us-Sunnah; Shi'a and non-Shi'a alike. So when i put the term "sunni" in quotation marks, or say "so-called Sunni's" it is because the term "Sunni" itself originates with the arrogant and inaccurate claims that the Shi'a of `Ali do not follow the Sunnah. On the contrary, the term "Sunnah" occurs many times throughout the volumes of Usul al-Kafi, the famous Shi'a collection of Ahadith from the A'immah by Kulayni.
Abu Hamzah said, "I heard Abu Ja'far say that Rasul'ullah said: Allah said, 'My proof has been terminated for the wretched of your community, those who have abandoned the Wilayyah of `Ali and the successors after you. Indeed, in these is your Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Nabiyyin before you. They are the treasurers of My Knowledge after you.' Then Rasul'ullah said: Jibra'il has informed me of their names and the names of their fathers.
Usul al-Kafi, 508-4
So to be clear, we follow the Shi'a of all the Anbiyah and we follow the Sunnah or example consistent with the Anbiyah and A'immah We simply maintain that the Ahl'ul-Bayt the Family, the Household of Muhammad most closely followed that Sunnah. Therefore we turn to them for guidance towards the TRUE Sunnah, and not to Abu Bakr, `Umar, `Uthman, Mu'awiyah (who instituted cursing `Ali in the masajid), and his son Yazid (who waged war against the Grandson of Muhammad and called for his murder). With that in mind, i will continue.
Ideas About the Mahdi in Shi'a and "Sunni" Islam
The belief in the Imam al-Mahdi was widespread during the time of Rasul'ullah Muhammad, Al-Khatam al-Anbiyah on more than one occasion had announced the future coming of the Imam al-Mahdi From time to time he would inform the people about the Islamic government of the Mahdi ad the signs of his emergence.
There are numerous Ahadith that have come down to us from both the Sunni and the Shi'i sources on this subject. Some of these reports have been related so frequently, and without interruption in all eras, that nobody can doubt their authenticity. For instance, we read the following hadith reported from `Abd'ullah ibn Mas'ud, who heard Rasul'ullah say:
"The world will not come to an end until a man from my family who will be called al-Mahdi, emerges to rule upon my community."
Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 75, Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 1, p. 9.
Another tradition reported by Abu al-Hujaf quotes Muhammad saying three times:
"Listen to the Bashar (Good news) about the Mahdi! He will rise at the time when people will be faced with severe conflict and the earth will be hit by a violent quake. He will fill the earth with justice and equity as it is filled with injustice and tyranny. He will fill the hearts of his followers with devotion and will spread justice everywhere."
Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 51, p. 74
Muhammad, al-Khatam al-Anbiyah has declared:
"The Yawm al-Qiyyamah (Day of Resurrection) will not take place until the True Qa'im rises. This will happen when Allah permits him to do so. Anyone who follows him will be saved, and anyone who opposes him will perish. O servants of Allah, keep Allah in your mind and go towards him even if it happens to be on the ice, for indeed he is the khalifat'ullah, the Exalted and Glorified, and my successor."
Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 51, p. 65; Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 6, p. 382
In another hadith Rasul'ullah is reported to have said: "Any one who denies al-Qa'im among my children will have denied me."
al-hudat, Vol. 6, p. 382
In still another hadith he assured his community by stating:
"The world will not come to an end until a man from the descendants of Husayn takes charge of the affairs of the world and fills it with justice and equity as it is filled with injustice and tyranny."
Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 51, p. 66.
To be sure, the "Sahihayn" of Muslim and Bukhari, whose authority is accepted by all the Sunnis, are not completely devoid of ahadith about the Mahdi, although the term "Mahdi" has not been used therein. Following is one such hadith:
It is reported from Abu Hurayra that the Prophet said: "What will be your reaction when the son of Maryam descends and your Imam is among yourselves?'"
Sahih muslim, bab nuzul 'isa, volume 2; Sahih bukhari, kitab bad' al-khalq wa nuzul 'isa, volume 4.
"Sahih al-Bukhari" is the foremost book of hadith for the non-Shi'a and is considered by "Sunni's" to be the most reliable book after the Qur'an. Its English translation was undertaken by Muhammad Muhsin Khan in 9 volumes and has been published in many editions.
The hadith under discussion appears in the apparently recent Dar al-Fikr edition as follows:
Rasul'ullah said, "How will you be when the son of Maryam (i.e. Jesus descends amongst you, and he will judge people by the law of the Qur'an and not by the law of Gospel).
Fated al-Bari page No.659 Vol.8
Those with even a rudimentary knowledge of the `Arabic language will be able to see that "wa Imamukum minkum" does not equate with "and he will judge people by the law of the Qur'an and not by the law of Gospel."
An accurate translation would be:
"How will you do when the son of Maryam descends and your IMAM is one of your number?"
This translation can be seen in James Robson's translation of Khatib al-Tabrizi's "Mishkat al-Masabih," which quotes the hadith from "Sahih al-Bukhari."
Now, one should ask themselves, why exactly would non-Shi'a conceal and mistranslate this Hadith, even to the extent that they falsify and invent and entire sentence to say what it does not say, and to replace what is clearly there?
Quite obviously, this Hadith could not be talking about a mere "prayer leader" of a "Sunni" Jammat. Otherwise the Hadith would be pointless to ask about a future time when "your Imam is one of your number." If "Imam" is taken in any other than the Shi'i sense of the word, then this Hadith makes no sense. Obviously this Hadith is referring to a specific, prophesied Imam that was to come.
Nevertheless, the opinions of the partisans of those other than the Ahl'ul-Bayt , is not the issue at hand. While we strive for unite of ALL who profess the Shahadah, we realize that the majority cannot help but go astray.
Allah, the Supreme Intelligence of the Universe, has said that being in the majority is not an indication of the truth. Much to the contrary, the opposite is the case. "And if you obey most of those in the Earth, they will lead you astray from Allah's Way; they follow but conjecture and they only lie." Qur'an, Sura 6:116
Hu also said: "Most of the people will not have faith, however hard you try." Qur'an, Sura 12:103 ?Beyond that, we recognize that even among those who profess with their mouths to be Shi'a of the Ahl'ul-Bayt they are in fact most often not. Muhammad al-Khatam al-Anbiyah foretold that "there will come a time for my people when there will remain nothing of the Qur'an except its outward from and nothing of Islam except its name and they will call themselves by this name even though they are the people furthest from it. Their masajid will be full of people but they will be empty of right guidance. The religious leaders (furqaha) of that day will be the most evil religious leaders under the heavens; sedition and dissension will go out from them and to them will it return."
Ibn Babuya, Thaqab al-Amal, quoted in Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar (old ed.), Vol. 13. p. 152
So with that said, this text and all of the efforts of the Taliy'ah al-Mahdi are not concerned with attracting quantities of useless and hypocritical numbers, but rather with QUANTITY of those small, isolated Mu'minin that Ahadith foretell the training, gathering and assembling of for Al-Qayim.
Rejection by the Masses
"And certainly We have created for Jahannam (Hell) many of the jinn and the men; they have hearts with which they do not understand, and they have eyes with which they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear. They are as cattle. No! Further astray! These are the heedless ones." Al-Qur'an, Sura 7:179
We are admonished by the Qur'an NOT to follow the masses, not to concur with the "consensus" of the majority. We are told that many are "like cattle. No! Further astray!" Yet, strangely there is this unIslamic notion prevalent throughout "Sunnism" and even to some extent Shi'a Islam, that the majority (at least of the individual's party), simply cannot, or would not agree on error.
There are hundreds of millions of Shi'a, yet we are told in numerous Ahadith (as we will see), that the Companions of the Mahdi are a mere three hundred and thirteen! Contrary to mainstream belief, PURE ISLAM is not a popular concept. `Isa al-Masih has said:
"Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads unto destruction, and many are those who are entering it. But the gate is narrow and the way is straitened and compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it." Mattityahu (Matthew) 7:13-14

So while masses of "Sunni's" believe that the "consensus" of Sunnism will happily embrace the Imam al-Mahdi and while the hundreds of millions of mainstream Shi'a believe that the masses will instantly recognize their Imam and the `ulama will praise and support him, NOTHING could be further from the truth.
Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Sa?id narrated from `Ali ibn Al-Hassan at-Taymali from Muhammad ibn `Umar ibn Yazid and Muhammad ibn al-Walid ibn Khalid al-Khazzaz from Hammad ibn `Uthman from Abd?ullah ibn Sinan from Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Abu-l-Bilad from his father from his grandfather that Al-Asbugh ibn Nabata had heard Imam `Ali saying:
?Before the appearance of al-Qa?im there will be deceitful years in which a truthful one will be considered as a liar, a liar will be considered as truthful and a cheater will be respected.?
Ithbat al-Hudat, vol.3 p.738, Bihar al-Anwar, vol.52 p245, Mu?jam Ahadith al-Imam Al-Mahdi, vol.5 p.187
"Al-Qa'im will appear after when twelve men will have agreed upon that they have seen him but they will be considered as liars."
Ithbat al-Hudat, vol.3 p.738, Bihar al-Anwar, vol.52 p.244, Bisharat'ul-Islam p. 122, Mu'jam Ahadith al-Imam al-Mahdi, vol.3 p.488
Yet we are told that Rasul'ullah said: "Happiness is for the one who will attend the Qa'im of my Ahl'ul-Bayt and will follow him before his rise. This person will love his (Qa'im's) lovers and hate his enemies, and will accept the leadership of the A'immah from before his advent. These ones are my friends, and are the most sincere members of my Ummah whom I honor very much."
Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 52, p. 129
However, the aforementioned ahadith make it clear that those "who will attend the Qa'im of my Ahl'ul-Bayt and will follow him before his rise" will in fact be considered as liars! Again, who will consider them as liars? The MAJORITY will consider them as liars. Once again we are reminded of the significance of the fact that only 313 will be among the Jaysh who follow our Imam initially. It is not without significance that the term "Jaysh" has a gematric value of 313 (? = 3, ? = 10, ? = 300).
Sahl ibn al-Hasan al-Khurasani who was one of the followers of Ahl'ul-bayt in Khurasan (a province in Iran) came to Medina to meet imam Ja'far As-Sadiq Sahl al-Khurasani said: ?O son of the Rasul'ullah! You are of the A?immah of Ahl?ul-Bayt. What prevents you from getting your right (i.e. the rule) while you find more than one hundred thousand Shi'a who are ready to fight for you??
The Imam asked him to sit down, and then ordered to turn on the oven that was in the house. After the oven became very hot and turned red, the Imam said: ?O Khurasani step into the oven and sit in it.?
he Khurasani said: ?My master, o son of the Rasul'ullah! Do not punish me by fire and make it easy for me.?
At this time, Harun al-Makki entered the room, and after the greetings exchanged, the Imam told him to put down his shoes and to sit down inside the oven. He did so and the Imam started talking to Sahl about Khurasan as if nothing had happened. After some time, the Imam said: ?O Khurasani stand up and look inside the oven.?
Sahl looked into the oven and saw Harun sitting cross-legged inside the fire. Then Imam As-Sadiq asked Harun to come out of oven and he came out healthy with no burn or injury. At this time, the Imam asked Sahl: ?How many individuals do you know in Khurasan like this man??
Sahl replied: ?By Allah, not even one.?
The Imam confirmed his saying and said, ?We do not rise at this time when we do not even have five helpers (like him). We know better about the proper time.?
Notes: al-bihar, v47, p123, hadith #172; also in manaqib by ibn shahr ashub
It is clear from this Hadith that it is not we who are waiting on the Imam to be ready to rise, but rather he who is waiting on us.
In a Hadith attributed to Imam al-Mahdi it is written: ?If our Shi?a would be firm on their promises wholeheartedly, our meeting would not be delayed.?
It may seem far-fetched to imagine that the Companions of the Imam will attain such abilities so as to be saved even from fire like Shadrakh, Meshakh and `Abed Nego. Nevertheless, this is what Ahadith records. Imam al-Baqir has said:
?Are you not pleased that your enemies are busy with each other , while you are safe in your homes? When our Qa'im arises each one of you will gain the energy of forty men. Your heart will become like pieces of iron, which, if hurled against mountains, will break them through. You will be the leaders of the world and its keepers.?
In preparation for the advent of the return of Al-Qaim we should ask ourselves some very serious questions. Firstly, are we personally ready for his return, or are we secretly longing for his return at sometime in the hypothetical future, so the burden of being among his Taliy'ah (Vanguard) is not set upon us? Are we ready for the hard life that he will call us to?
The Corruption of Nominal Islam
As we have seen, the Ma'sumin told us that both the majority professing Islam and the majority professing to be of the Shi'a will reject the Imam at first and will consider his sufara to be liars.
`Abd'ul-Wahib ibn `Abd'ullah ibn Yunus narrated from Muhammad ibn Ja'far Al-Qarashi from Muhammad ibn Al-Husayn ibn Abul Khattab from Muhammad ibn Sinan from Al-Husayn ibn Mukhtar from Abu Hamza ath-Thim`Ali that Abu Ja'far al-Baqir (???? ????) had said:
"When the man of this matter (Al-Qa'im) appears, he will receive (harm) from people worse than what the Prophet has received."
Kitab al-Ghayba, Nu'mani p.421, Hilyat'ul-Abrar, vol.2 p.631, Bihar al-Anwar, vol.52 p.362, Mu'jam Ahadith Al-Imam al-Mahdi, vol.3 p.297
Why will he receive such harm from the people? In a Hadith, Fadl ibn Yasar heard Imam Baqir saying: "When our Qa'im rises he will face so much difficulty from the people, that even An-Nabi during the period of Jahiliyah (Ignorance) did not face."
Fadl asked: "Why should that be so?"
The Imam said: ?When An-Nabi was appointed people worshipped stones and wood. However, when our Qa'im arises people will interpret the ordinances of Allah against his interpretation, and will argue with him and dispute by means of the Qur'an. By Allah, the justice of the Qa'im will enter inside their homes, just as the heat and the cold enter them.?
Notes: Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 7, p. 86.
Contrary to popular, (and Islamically baseless), opinion the masses will NOT accept Al-Imam al-Qa'im , and in fact they will turn away his sufara as liars and heretics. While at the same time, these munafiqin will praise those who tell them "what their itching ears long to hear." Imam `Ali has said:
"O people! A time will come to you when Islam would be capsized as a pot is capsized will all its contents. O people, Allah has protected from that Hu might be hard on you but Hu has not spared you from being put on trial. Allah the Most Sublime of all speakers has said: 'Verily in this are signs and We do only try (the people).' "
Nahj'ul-Balagha, Sermon 102, part 2
According to Imam `Ali in this age of Al-Qayim, Islam has been "capsized as a pot is capsized with all its contents." People do not follow the laws and precepts of Shariah, and those who do tend to set mere fallible men amongst the `ulama up as idols of aggrandizement. According to prophecy, the Muslimin are destined to rely on the the directives and whims of their leaders and follow them as their masters as opposed to Allah and the Ma'sumin as the Ahl'ul-Kitab did.
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported Rasul'ullah as saying: "You would tread the same path as was trodden by those before you inch by inch and step by step so much so that if they had entered into the hole of the lizard, you would follow them in this also. We said: Rasul'ullah, do you mean Jews and Christians (by your words) "those before you"? He said: Who else?"
Sahih Muslim, Hadith 6448
Still we are told that the Ummah will deny the signs of our Rabb, and will reject the Imam al-Mahdi until such Great Tribulation arises that they are left with no alternative but to follow him.
Islam Began Strange and Returns Strange
Currently, there are between one and two Billion Muslimin in the world. Christianity lies dormant, barely above us, estimated at roughly 2 Billion. As things stand currently, Islam is by far the fastest growing religion on the planet. None of this should come as a surprise to Muslimin, considering the ample prophecies that Islam will one day sweep the entire Globe. Even the Tanakh foretells an era of enlightenment and SUBMISSION to the Most High.
"They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My Holy Mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of YHWH, as the waters cover the sea." Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 11:9
And where is this "Holy Mountain" of Sinai? According to the Bible, in the so-called "Epistles" of Paul, it is in `Arabia:
"These things contain an allegory, for these are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children to bondage, which is Hagar. For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to the Jerusalem that exists now, for she is in bondage with her children." Galations 4:24-25
atina estin allhgoroumena: autai gar eisin duo diaqhkai, mia men apo orouV sina, eiV douleian gennwsa, htiV estin agar. to de agar sina oroV estin en th arabia, sustoicei de th nun ierousalhm, douleuei gar meta twn teknwn authV.
Now, leaving all of the blasphemies of Paul aside, according to the Bible itself, there will come an age based out of `Arabia, where Knowledge of YHWH will pour out until it fills the Earth, covering it "as waters cover the sea."
All of this Islamic conversion is done without any substantial missionary effort on the part of the Muslimin. We have no door to door missionaries. We have no young men in white shirts, black pants and backpacks riding bikes, offering people copies of the Qur'an. We do not come to the door of people we do not know and shove a religious pamphlet down their throats. We do not employ scare tactics, telling people that if they do not convert they will certainly burn the Fires of Hell. Judgment is reserved for Allah alone. Imam `Ali (???? ????) said said that Allah admits any to Paradise based upon their sincerity of Iman (Faith).

Yet still, the din of Islam is steadily growing as people awaken to `Aql (Reason) over the slumber of Jahl (Ignorance). As the Qur'an states, "Verily Truth is manifest from falsehood." Yet we must ask ourselves, of all these people, how many actually turn to the true source, to the Din al-Fitrah, the Religion of Nature, the Natural Religion of Islam? Certainly the majority of those who come into the Din of Islam, come into it from the inspiration of the Qur'an and not from any allegiance to `ulama or the like. It is only later, once they go to a masjid, that they are told what to believe next. If it is a "Sunni" masjid, then they become Sunni. More often than not this will be, and is, the case.

Yet some do break away from the momentum of indoctrination and see from their own "Sunni" Ahadith that the Ahl'ul-Bayt were the designated and purified ones whom we must follow if we wish to obtain the pure Islam practiced by Muhammad and his spiritual brother, cousin, son-in-law and virtual son that he raised from childhood, Imam `Ali

However, once one comes to the Shi'a, they are surrounded with a hierarchy that they are told they must obey and never question. Questioning the `ulama becomes tantamount to questioning the hidden Imam The irony of this pitiful situation is that the A'immah ?themselves encouraged thoughtful questions and critical analysis from their disciples. They did not teach "blind adherence." This hierarchy is baseless and has no foundation in the din taught by the Ahl'ul-Bayt ( Nonetheless, the salik who comes into the Shi'a as a "stranger" as a "westerner," finds them self saturated largely with Persian culture, and the cultural baggage of years of separation of the `ulama from the Imam
They are told things without dalil being provided as evidence for their claims. They are told the one must pay taqlid to a non-Ma'sum. They are told that anyone who challenges the status quo, like `Abd'ul-Aziz Sachedina, are to be virtually "excommunicated" and blacklisted.
"Surely the vilest of animals, in Allah's sight, are the deaf, the dumb, who do not understand." Al-Qur'an, Sura 8:22
The spiritually blind are those who are deemed the most unworthy of Allah's creation. This is because they are not only blindly following "like cattle," but they are also blind to the call of the "Good Shepherd" who calls them towards right guidance.
"The parable of those who reject Faith is as if one were to shout Like a goat-herd, to things that listen to nothing but calls and cries: Deaf, dumb, and blind, they are void of wisdom." Al-Qur'an, Sura 2.171
???????? ????????? ????????? ???????? ??????? ???????? ????? ??? ???????? ?????? ?????? ???????? ????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ??? ???????????
It is not a tenant of Shi'a Islam that one must hand over their Reasoning to pay some fallible man "blind allegiance," which is exactly what taqlid means. The Qur'an tells us that the lowest of creatures are the blind. Those who teach blind adherence, and unquestioning acceptance of their fatawat are in fact teaching a new religion, a man-made religion, the "lowest" form of religion.
We are told by the A'immah that: "The proof between Allah and Hu's Servants is the Nabiyyin and A'immah and the proof between the servants and Allah is `Aql."
Al-Kulayni, Usul al-Kafi vol. 1 p 29
Yet, just as the Soferim and P'rushim (Scribes and Pharisees), of `Isa al-Masih's day had overrun Islam like "the offspring of vipers" (Matthew 3:7), so too have the corrupt so-called "`ulama" spread through our Ummah like a cancer. While they claim to be the link between the Imam and the masses, this is nothing but self-justification. They claim that 50% of our Khums goes to the poor Saddat, but who are the TRUE Saddat?
We know that blood ties are haraam and that Muhammad is not exempt from Shariah, neither are Saddat. For if the family of Muhammad refers only to his blood relatives, then how was it that Salman al-Farsi was considered of the Ahl?ul-Bayt? It is clear that genetics was not, is not and never will be the issue of ?lineage and affinity.?
"The Ways of Jahilliyah" By: `Isa Adam Naziri
Millions of Muslimin live in poverty. Of khums, there is 50% that is supposed to go to the poor "Saddat" (literally "Noble Ones"). Instead to people who are generally rich and claim descent from Muhammah (often with no such unbroken family tree to verify such claims). Moreover, the other 50% is considered the Imam's share, yet in the absence of the `ulama having any tangible connection with the Imam ?? they take the liberty of using this money as they see fit. And rest assured, they DO NOT see it fit to spend such money on the preparation for the Rise that we are told to prepare for even if all we have is a mere arrow! As it is written:
Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Sa'id narrated from Ahmad ibn Yusuf ibn Ya'qub al-Ju'fi from Isma'il ibn Mihran from Al-Hassan ibn `Ali ibn Abu Hamza from his father and Wuhayb from Abu Basir that Abu `Abd'ullah as-Sadiq had said:
"Every one of you is to prepare himself for the appearance of Al-Qa'im even with one arrow because if Allah knows that one intends that sincerely, Hu may prolong his life that he may live until the appearance of Al-Qa'im and then he becomes one of his assistance and supporters."
Bihar al-Anwar, vol.52 p.366, Mu'jam Ahadith Al-Imam al-Mahdi, vol.4 p.6
Interestingly... rather, non-coincidentally, the word "raj'a" ? indicating the return of the Imam is etymologically connected to the word for a husband returning to a wife he has divorced; raj'ah (At the end of the previous Zaman, the Ummah, the majority of the Shi'a and the `ulama have been "divorced" from the Imam and the Ahl'ul-Bayt The contextual meaning of "raj'a" is the "remarriage" of the Imam al-Qa'im with the TRUE Mu'minin, who ahadith tells us will initially number no more than 313.
Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Sa?id narrated from `Ali ibn Al-Hsan at-Taymali from his brothers Muhammad and Ahmad from their father from Tha?laba ibn Maymun and Jami? al-Kinasi from Abu Basir from Kamil that Abu Ja?far al-Baqir had said:
?When al-Qa?im appears, he will invite the people to a new mission as the Prophet has invited the people to new mission. Islam has begun strange and it will return strange as it has begun. Blessed are the strangers!?
Bihar al-Anwar, vol.52 p.366, Mu?jam Ahadith Al-Imam Al-Mahdi, vol.3 p.319
Who are these strangers? `Abd'ul Wahid ibn `Abd'ullah ibn Yunus narrated from Muhammad ibn Ja?far al-Qarashi from Muhammad ibn Al-Husayn ibn Abul Khattab from Muhammad ibn Sinan from ibn Miskan from Abu Basir that Abu `Abd'ullah as-Sadiq had said:
?Islam has begun strange and it will return strange as it has begun. Blessed are the strangers!?
Abu Basir said to him: ?Please, explain to me what this means!?
He said: ?Al-Qa?im will invite to a new mission as the Prophet has done.?
The same was narrated by `Abd'ul Wahid ibn `Abd'ullah from the previous narrators from Muhammad ibn Sinan from Al-Husayn ibn Al-Mukhtar from Abu Basir from Abu `Abd'ullah as-Sadiq
Bihar Al-Anwar, vol 52 p.336
The previous narrators narrated from Muhammad ibn Sinan from `Abd'ullah ibn Miskan that Malik al-Juhani had said:
I said to Abu Ja?far al-Baqir ?We describe the man of this matter (al-Qa?im) with the aspects that no one of the people has ever had.?
He said: ?No, By Allah, it is not so. It is he himself, who will argue with you about that and will invite you to it.?
Bihar al-Anwar, vol.52 p.366
Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Sa?id narrated from Muhammad ibn Al-Mufadhdhal ibn Ibrahim from Muhammad ibn `Abd'ullah ibn Zurara from Sa?d ibn Abu Amr al-Jallab that Abu `Abd'ullah as-Sadiq had said:
?Islam has begun strange and it will return strange as it has begun. Blessed are the strangers!?
Kamal Ad-Din p.308, Bihar al-Anwar, vol.52 p.191
`Abd'ul Wahid ibn `Abd'ullah ibn Yunus narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Ali ibn Rabah az-Zuhri from Muhammad ibn Al-Abbas ibn `Isa al-Hassani from Al-Hassan ibn `Ali al-Bata?ini from Shu?ayb al-Haddad that Abu Basir had said:
I asked Abu `Abd'ullah as-Sadiq to explain to me the saying of `Amir al-Mu'minin ?Islam has begun strange and it will return strange as it began. Blessed are the strangers!?
He said to me: ?O Abu Muhammad, when Al-Qa?im appears, he will invite to a new mission as the Prophet has done.?
I got up, kissed his head and said to him: ?I witness that you are my Imam in this life and in the afterlife. I support your guardians and resist your enemies. I witness that you are the Wali of Allah.?
He said: ?May Allah have mercy upon you!?
Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 52 p.367, Mu?jam Ahadith Al-Imam Al-Mahdi, vol.4 p.52
The word that is commonly translated as ?Strange? in these ahadith is ?Ghariban,? while the word that is commonly translated, as ?Strangers? is ?Ghurabaa.? The word "Gharib" means literally "strange" but also means, ?foreigner,? and "gharrab" means ?exile.?
It should be evident to those with even the most rudimentary knowledge of the `Arabic language that ?Gharib,? is linguistically similar, and consonantally rooted to the word ?Maghrib? The reason is because the word ?Gharib? is from "Gharbiyy" meaning literally "West," just as ?Maghrib? denotes the Salah that is offered immediately after the Sun has set in the West.
As has been noted previously, Muhammad al-Khatam al-Anbiyah has said; ?The Sun will Rise from the place of its Setting.?
Mishkat-ul-Masibih vol 4, p. 53
Additionally, the 8th Imam `Ali Ar-Ridha was known as ?Al-Gharib wa-l-Ghurabaa.? This is because he was born in Medina, but lived most of his life and died in Mashad, which is on the border of Turkmenistan, and nearly 2,000 miles from his birthplace in the ?western? city of Medina. So just as someone in New York City, would refer to Los Angeles as being the West, the people of Turkmenistan recognized the 8th Imam as ?The Westerner from the West.?
At this time there was no concept of the so-called "New World," as the Western Continent of North America was yet uncharted territory to those in the Middle East. So when you are admonished that Islam began as a strange thing, so give glad tidings to the "Strangers." This notion is exactly what you are being told be bear in mind.
And to leave no doubt as to the "Western" origins of this prophesied Movement, `Abd'ullah ibn Mas'ud reported that Muhammad said:

"Islam began as something strange, and it will revert to being strange as it was in the beginning; so happy news for the strangers.' Someone asked, 'Who are the strangers?' He said, 'The ones who break away from their tribes for the sake of Islam."
Sunan Ibn Majah
The last Hadith makes it clear that not only are these "strangers" from the West, but they are also those raised in non-Muslim lands. By replying that these Companions of the Mahdi are "The ones who break away from their tribes for the sake of Islam," Muhammad made it absolutely clear to us that these are not primarily those from any Muslim, and Eastern lands. While this does not exclude SOME from some traditionally Muslim lands (as we will see later, there are actually 8 `Arabs who are to be amongst the Shi'a of the Mahdi), it does limit them to the peripheral of the Shi'a of the Mahdi
The Sun Is Rising From the West
?Allah has placed his trust (i.e. believers) in the groins of disbeliever and hypocrite men. Our Qa'im shall not reappear, until all these believers are born from their apostate fathers. This is because, once Mahdi reappears, all disbelievers and hypocrites shall be decimated.?
Notes: Ad Durrul Mansoor, 6/158 Al Musnif (Ibne Abi Sheebah) 15/199, tradition 19,499

`Abd'ullah ibn Amr reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah say: ?The first of the signs that will come out will be the rising of the sun in its place of setting and the coming out of the Beast to the people at forenoon and whichever of these two comes to pass before its companion, the other will be near its footsteps.?
Notes: Muslim, Mishkat-ul -Masibih, Book IV, p. 53.
The rising of the sun from the place of its setting means that the sun of Truth (Haqq), the sun of Reality (Haqiqah), will arise form the west to the people of the world.
"But unto you that fear My Name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in its wings; and you shall go forth, and gambol as calves of the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I do make, says YHWH Ha'Tzabbaot." Sefer Malakhi (Malachi) 3:20-21
As the sun illumines the entire physical world, the spiritual sun of truth illumines the intellect of man and gives him great understanding and spiritual growth. Traditionally, religion has been established in the East and has made its way west, but now, in these last days before the Hour, the truth is prophesied by Allah to rise from the West. This means that the new Shariat?ul-Mahdi will Rise not from the East, but rather from the West, exactly as the term ?Ghariban" implies.
The A'immah of Ahl'ul-Bayt have said; ?At the time of his Uprising Al-Qaim, Imam Mahdi will begin his Call anew, exactly as Rasul'ullah did?.
Numani, Kitab al-Ghayba pg 455-457
The Imam al-Qa'im will restore Islam to its original pure and natural state and will repair the evil, which has been caused by religious degeneration. The reason why Islam must Rise from the West is because it?s light has long been extinguished in the East.
In the same way, once the Bani Isra'il had turned away again and again, Allah raised up Mu'minin from another nation.
"Behold! you are those who are called upon to spend in Allah's way, but among you are those who hoard, and whoever hoards hoards against his own soul; and Allah is Self-sufficient and you are the dependent (poor), and if you turn back He will bring in your place another people, then they will not be like you." Al-Qur'an, Sura 47:38
"But no! I swear by the Lord of the regions in the East and the West that We can certainly replace them with those better than them. And We cannot be defeated." Al-Qur'an, Sura 70:40-41
Just as the majority of the Bani Isra'il virtually extinguished the light of the Anbiyah the Muslimin have sought to extinguish the light of the A'immah from Muhammad's Ahl'ul-Bayt Thus, it is evident that Imam al-Mahdi?s mission must begin in a land, where the people?s hearts are untainted by the devilish corruption that has contaminated the Islam of the East. As we are told in Ahadith, Islam will be revived as it began. The slate is being wiped clean, and the Shi'a are being rebuilt from the ground up.
In short, the blind have been leading the blind, and entire generations have lived and died without ever recognizing the Imam of their Time As Rasul'ullah said: ?Whoever dies without recognizing the Imam of their Time, dies the death of jahiliyyah.?
Quiescence or Quietness?
One of the areas of greatest confusion and misunderstanding regarding the A'immah and the Imam Al-Qa'im is the issue of political quiescence. First of all, it must be understood that while the A'immah APPEARED to be quiescent, Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq said:
"Verily taqiyyah is of my Din (religion) and the Din of my fathers, and one who does not keep taqiyyah has no din."
Taqiyyah, while often exaggerated or misrepresented by nawasib, means only to lie or conceal one's beliefs to preserve one's safety (or that of others). This is evidenced in the Qur'an where it is said that there is no sin on someone if they eat something haraam or do something haraam to preserve their lives. Taqiyyah itself, is not merely lying for the sake of deception, but rather deception as a strategy of war.
"But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, 'Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, the men left. I don't know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.' (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof)." Sefer Yashua (Joshua) 2:4-6
This is later confirmed as a good deed by Ya'qub akh `Isa when he wrote (in a rebuttal to Paul):
"You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?" Sefer Ya'qov (James) 2:24-25 So clearly we can see that Taqiyyah not only has a precedence with the Ahl'ul-Bayt but it is also a concept found within the Tanakh, and defended by Al-Masih's own brother.
The A'immah were the architects behind a global Revolution that spanned from their lives, to this very present day. The actions the Al-Qa'im and his Taliy'ah are carrying out, are in direct conjunction with the strategies and planning employed and implemented by the earlier A'immah
What we, as a Movement and we as the Shi'a are up against, is not as simple as drawing a line, pitting two enemies on either side and going to war. Ours is a GLOBAL Revolution, designed to liberate mankind from the shackles of mental slavery, and to demolish all of the systems put in place to murder and oppress the innocent for the perceived gain of a few.
Such a monumental task, such a monumental Revolution was not one where the A'immah could call their small numbers of Shi'a to rise up against a more powerful and more numerous adversary. First and foremost, this has ALWAYS been an ideological war for the hearts and minds of humanity.
While waiting for the numbers of DEDICATED and SKILLED Shi'a to rise, the A'immah urged their Shi'a to wait until the Rise before they took any type of offensive military action. This strategy should not be confused with quiescence or apathy in the face of oppression. Thus, while the rest of the "Sunni" world was off fighting wars and gaining many adherents by way of cultural assimilation of their defeated enemies, the Shi'a were waiting, training, funding and planning for a Rise that they had no idea the time frame of. To many knee jerk reactionaries this may have seemed like cowardice and passivity in the face of oppression. But the A'immah made it clear that this was simply prudent planning.
Several Ahadith suggest that the seemingly quiescent policy of the A'immah was established after their followers caused two abortive rebellions. According to al-Kulayni in Usul al-Kafi, Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq once said: "This matter (al-Amr), that is, the endeavor to reach power, was hidden until it reached the hands of the Kaysaniyya. They revealed it on the roads and circulated it among the villagers of as-Sawad."
al-Kafi, II, 223.
According to al-Nu'mani in Kitab al-Ghayba, the Shi'a endeavored to rise in arms twice. The first of these occasions was in the year 70/689 and second in the year 140/758. However, their followers spoiled their plans by revealing the name of their leader to their foes, an act which resulted in the arrest or the assassination of the A'immah For this reason, it has been considered haraam to relay the name of the Imam In this connection a conversation between al-Baqir and his partisan `Abd'ullah by 'Ata al-Wasiti is revealing. Al-Wasiti said to the Imam:
Nu'mani, Kitab al-Ghayba, p. 158
"You have many followers in Iraq and there is no one among your family who has the merit for leadership but you. So why do you not rise in arms?
Al-Baqir replied: "O `Abd'ullah, do not listen to the masses, because none of us has his name mentioned by the people nor a hand pointing at him as the Imam, without soon facing inevitable death. So search for him whose birth is concealed from the people, because he will be the one who will manage such an affair."
Usul al-Kafi, I, 342; Kamal, 325.
Moreover Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq was reported to have said:
"This matter (the rising in arms) was vested in me, but Allah delayed it; Hu shall do with my progeny whatever Hu wants."
Tusi, al-Ghayba, 278
These sayings indicate that the A'immah had suffered the consequences of revealing the fixed dates of their militant endeavors to reach power. Hence the later A'immah did not reveal explicitly to their followers which Imam would be al-Qa'im the one who with the sword. At the same time they encouraged their followers to follow their instructions, for this would pave the way for one of the A'immah to reach power under the title of "al-Qa'im."
Usul al-Kafi, I, 368-9; Bihar, LII, 212
Nevertheless, the A'immah did publicly deny the claim of any `Alid who claimed that he was Al-Qa'im al-Mahdi promised by Rasul'ullah However they sympathized with some `Alid rebels who were loyal to them. The primary methods designed to help the A'immah reach power were the scholarly, cultural and religious activities which they fostered amongst the people without openly involving themselves in any political activities.
Obviously, the major exception to this rule was found at Karbala on Ashura with Imam al-Husayn who understood going in that he was not bound to win a military victory, but through his martyrdom and that of those with him, a far greater statement would be made that would result in the temporary suspension of the Sufyanic Islam of Yazid.
"Ashura: A Time for Direct Action" By `Isa Adam Naziri
In accordance with Taqiyyah the A'immah secretly supported some Shi'a rebels who were loyal to them, hoping that they would hand the power over to them after their success. The military activities of the various Shi'a groups confused the `Abbasids and led them to believe that the Imamite A'immah were behind them or at least that the result of their intellectual activities would be militant action. Therefore the `Abbasid authorities forced the A'immah to reside in the capital from the year 202/817 under house arrest. This policy was imposed upon the A'immah ar-Rida, Al-Jawad, al-Hadi, and Al-`Askari, and led them to develop the underground system of their organization called "al-Wikala" so that it could function under these difficult conditions. To the `Abbasid regime, the collection of khums was considered directly correlated with fundraising for "terrorist" activities. Thus, the sufara of various A'immah found themselves having to sneak khums in to the city under the guise of butter and cotton merchants.
This critical situation forced the eleventh Imam al-Askari to search for a method by which he could prevent `Abbasid surveillance being imposed upon his son the twelfth Imam so as to enable him to disguise his identity and carry on his activities beyond the careful watch of the authorities.
As noted, the `Abbasid authorities wanted to restrict the activities of the A'immah To cleveerly facilitate this they included them amongst their courtiers and placed them under house arrest, so that they could no longer practice their activities amongst their followers. Restrictions were placed upon the A'immah from the time of Imam `Ali Ar-Ridha and were greatly increased during the Imamate of the eleventh Imam al-`Askari
This can be noted in the Hadith attributed to the ninth Imam al-Jawad who said, "If my son, `Ali died, a light from him will appear and when this light went off, another light will be concealed. I warn those who doubt what will happen."
As a result, the A'immah devised a policy to save their last successor from a similar situation. They realized that any son born to the eleventh Imam would be hidden from the eyes of the `Abbasids so that he could carry out his activities incognito. To this end they transmitted ahadith predicting an Imam who would be hidden from sight and would implement his policies in secret amongst his followers. Such steps were taken so as to prepare the Shi'a to accept the sufara as the Imam's intermediaries.
Rasul'ullah is reported to have said, "I and eleven of my descendants and you, O `Ali , are the axis of the Earth, its pegs and its mountains... When my eleven descendants pass away, then chaos and disorder will occur among the people."
Rasul'ullah is reported to have said, "(There will be) from my descendants eleven leaders (who will) be noble and receive and understand. The last of them will be Al-Qa'im, who will fill the world with justice after it has been filled with tyranny"
for all these traditions see al-'Asfari, op. cit., f. 1-2 (Appendix); Kamal, 349.
It is clear from the Imamite Shi'a presentation of these signs that they considered them a refutation of the claims of the Isma'ili leader who called himself al-Mahdi after his rising in 296/908.
Tabari, vol. 3, p. 2225
The emphasis which was given to these signs served to prevent the ordinary Imamites from involving themselves in Shi'a activities with which the Imamite organizations (al-Wikala) was not involved. This view is confirmed by the fact that around this period many Ahadith were being related and attributed to the previous A'immah warning the Shi'a not to participate in any offensive revolution before the rise of Al-Qa'im.
Al-Nu'mani devotes a section of his work "al-Ghayba" to the refutation of the claims of the Isma'ilis; al-Kulayni reports a narration on the authority of Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq forbidding his follower `Umar ibn Hanzala from taking part in any `Alid revolution before the outcry in the sky; al-Kaf, VIII, 310. See also Ikhtiyar, 262-3.
Nu'mani, al-Ghayba, p. 53-7, 176-80
The circulation of these Ahadith led people to feel that they should live peaceably and not involve themselves in any activities which might lead to revolution. This conclusion encouraged some Shi'a to put forward the idea that the establishment of the state of the Ahl'ul-Bayt is the responsibility of Al-Qa'im himself and that any militant decision must be delayed until Al-Qayim. In fact these Ahadith were intended as warnings against taking part in militant activities led by false claimants. However, because of the way people interpreted them, very little attention was given to the Ahadith which encouraged the people to prepare for the rise of the twelfth Imam after his occultation. It is reported that the tenth Imam said, "If your Imam goes into occultation, expect freedom from grief (to come from) beneath your feet."
Bihar al-Anwar, LI, p. 161.
It is clear that the above statement of Imam Al-Hadi (???? ????) meant that it is the responsibility of every follower of the Imam Al-Mahdi to prepare for the rise of their Imam by their own efforts.
It is most likely that the aforementioned quiescent approach was encouraged by the Shi'a `ulama, whose role increased during the time of the second safir. These people trained the ordinary Shi'a to follow the instructions of the narrators during the occultation of the Imam. They were aided in achieving this aim by a statement attributed to the twelfth Imam "Concerning the occurrence which will happen, consult the narrators of our traditions, because they are my proof towards you, and I am the Proof of Allah."
Kamal, 484.

More to come inshaAllah.......