Does believing in such waiting moves the person into dreams in the way that he/she becomes unaware of what is going on around him/her and surrender himself/herself to any condition?

Or, indeed, this belief is a kind of invitation to rise and individual and social construction?

Does it produce movement or inaction?

Does it make responsibilities or the cause of escaping from responsibilities?

And finally, is it stupefying or awakener?

***

Before explaining and studying these questions, noticing to a point is very necessary and that is, whenever the most constructive orders and the most excellent concepts are utilized by inexperienced, incompetent or exploiter persons then they may transform them in the way that they have results completely against the main goal and move in opposite direction; and this matter has many of examples and as we will se the issue of “waiting” is like them.

Anyhow, for getting rid of any mistake in calculation in these discussions, water should be taken from the headspring in order not to have the contaminations of streams and canals in the way.

Accordingly, in the discussion of waiting, we refer to main Islamic texts and study different tones of narratives which affirm the issue of “waiting” in order to find the main goal.

***

Now, pay careful attention to some narrative!

Someone asked Imam Sadiq (pbuh) that what do you say about a person who has the guardianship of the Imams and is waiting for the appearance of the government of

truth and dies in this state?

Imam (pbuh) answered:

هو بمنزلة من کان مع القائم فی فسطاطه - ثمّ سکت هنیئه - ثمّ قال هو کمن مع رسول الله(ص)

(He is like the person who has been with the leader of this revolution in his tent (headquarters) - then stayed silent for a while - and said he is like the one who has been with prophet of Islam (in his battles)).

This meaning has been quoted in many narratives with different expressions:

In some narratives “بمنزلة الضّارب بسیفه فی سبیل الله”; like a swordsman in the way of God.

And in some other narratives “کمن قارع مع رسول الله بسیفه”; like the one who strikes the head of the enemy with sword beside prophet.

In some others “بمنزلة من کان قاعداً تحت لواء القائم”; like the one who has been under the flag of He Who Arises.

And in some other narratives “بمنزلة المجاهد بین یدی رسول الله(ص)”; like the person who performs jihad before prophet (pbuh).

And in some others “بمنزلة من استشهد مع رسول الله”; like a person who becomes martyr with prophet.

***

These metaphors which have been mentioned in these narratives about the advent of his holiness Mahdi (pbuh) are very meaningful and clear the fact that there is a kind of relation between the issues of “waiting” and “jihad” and fighting against the enemy, in its latest form. (Attention!)

Also, in several narratives, waiting for such government has been introduced as the best form of worship.

This meaning has been quoted in some ahadith from Prophet (pbuh) and in some other ahadith from his holiness Ali (pbuh); we read in a hadith from Prophet (pbuh) that he said:

افضل اعمال امّتی انتظار الفرج من الله عزّ و جلّ

(The best act of my nation is waiting for an opening from the side of God).

And we read in another hadith from Prophet (pbuh) that:

افضل العبادة انتظار الفرج

This hadith clears the importance of waiting about our discussion, whether we consider the meaning of opening as in general meaning or its exclusive meaning which is the advent of universal peacemaker.

These expressions say that waiting for such revolution is always accompanied by an expanded and continued jihad.

And if belief and waiting of universal government of Mahdi penetrates to the roots then will be the source of two series of continued acts (because the effects of superficial beliefs may not go further than expressions and dialog but deep beliefs always have expanded practical effects); these two series of acts are:

Renouncing any kind of cooperation and harmony with the factors of oppression and corruption and even fighting and conflict with them, on the one hand; and self-improvement, self-help and attracting physical, mental, material and spiritual preparations for that universal united government to be formed, on the other hand.

And if carefully notice then we will se that both sides of that are completely constructive and the cause of motivation, awareness and awakening.

***

By considering the main definition of “waiting”, the meaning of narratives about the reward and the result of the act of those who are waiting will be understood well.

Now, we understand that why those who are really waiting have been considered as those who are in the tent or under the flag of his holiness Mahdi (pbuh), or the one who is fighting with sword in the way of god or is inside his blood or has become martyr.

Aren’t these different levels and stages of jihad in the way of truth and justice which is appropriate with the amount of readiness and level waiting of individuals!

It means that as the amount of self-sacrifice of Mujahids in the way of God and their role are different, waiting, self-improvement and preparation have also completely different levels that each of them is similar to one of those about “preliminaries” and “results”; both of them are jihad and both of them need preparation and self-improvement. A person who is in the tent of the leader of such government means that is standing in the headquarters of a universal government; such person cannot be a negligent, uninformed and ignorant person; that place is not a pace for everyone; there is the place of those who are truthfully competent for such important situation.

Also, a person, who has weapon in his hands and fights beside the leader of this revolution against the oppositions of his government of peace and justice, should have enough spiritual, mental and martial readiness.