What is the reason behind the delay in Imam Mahdi's reappearance? (question)

What is the reason behind the delay in Imam Mahdi's reappearance?
Upper entry	Mahdism / Preconditions for the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (a) / Signs for Imam Mahdi's reappearance
Main entry	Reason behind delay in Imam Mahdi’s reappearance
Number of answers	Four

As the uprising and world revolution of Imam Mahdi (a) is on a global scale, its conditions should also be met accordingly. Therefore, Firstly, the presence of loyal, capable and considerable number of companions who are able to carry out the responsibility at this level is required. Secondly, providing the platform and preparing the world for his reappearance is necessary. If this preparation takes time his reappearance will be delayed. On the other hand, these factors can be realized if the world is familiarized with his personality, his revolution and a spirit of longing for justice and rising against oppression and injustice is cultivated in the masses.

Answer

Revolution and the Provision of Prerequisite Conditions

The victory of any revolution, like the success of any other social activity, depends upon the availability of a series of prerequisite conditions, without which the said activity or movement cannot reach its desired objectives. Even though some of the preconditions and requirements related to the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (a) are entirely dependent upon divine and celestial intervention, the implementation of the Imam’s mission in general is nevertheless heavily reliant upon a practical provision of prerequisites through voluntary human action. God’s unchangeable divine code of conduct and His immutable deific precedent dictates that Imam Mahdi’s Islamic revolution must rely upon the prior realization of suitable circumstances that allow this revolution to enjoy a popular degree of acceptance and acknowledgment. However, this does not contradict or negate the possibility of divine intervention through supernatural means for the fulfilment of certain particular and peripheral details. This is because such details do not play an essential role when it comes to the creation of an overall conducive environment.

The Uprising of the Imam of the Age and the Conducive Environment Required for this Revolution

The existence of a worthy leader alone is not sufficient for the implementation of Imam Mahdi’s uprising and revolution. This worldwide revolution also requires the presence of a conducive global environment alongside an overall air of popular acceptability. From a human point of view, the creation of such an environment necessitates that a feeling of perpetual annihilation grow within the hearts and minds of civilized human-beings thereby motivating them to seek massive and essential social change. This feeling will prepare them to welcome and accept Imam Mahdi’s mission of universal justice. The only way for such a strong emotion to emerge within the souls of human-beings is that they undergo a wide variety of social, civil and political experiences. In other words, it is absolutely necessary and incommutable that conducive circumstances for global reformation be provided ahead of Imam Mahdi’s uprising. Indeed, the existence of a leader alone, even alongside a comprehensive plan for reform, does not fulfill all the prerequisites needed for the success of such a revolution. Indeed, the right geo-political context must exist in order for truth and verity to vanquish falsehood. Similarly, from a resource oriented point of view, the global nature of the mission of Imam Mahdi (a) demands that there must exist an advanced logistic capability within human society, effectively shrinking the distances that separate parts of the human family from one another and bringing them into close-knit connectivity. The central leadership of Imam Mahdi’s revolution will require this enhanced global integration in order to better educate and develop humanity in accordance to its divinely appointed mission.

Loyal Followers and Helpers; An Essential Precondition for Imam Mahdi's Reappearance

One of the fundamental prerequisites for Imam Mahdi’s Reappearance is the existence of loyal followers and steadfast helpers dedicated to the Imam’s cause and willing to shoulder the weight of his uprising until the very end. If a lack of such people is the cause for the delay in Imam Mahdi’s return, then we have no choice but to act in order to prepare and equip human-beings, through the enjoinment of righteousness and the prohibition of evil, so that they may rise to establish truth on Earth and by doing so, hasten their own salvation by way of the reappearance of the Imam of the Age. In his holy epistle to Shaykh Mufid, Imam Mahdi (a) is recorded to have said : “If our Shi'as, may God grant them divine aid in the path of His pious obedience, were to unite their hearts in the service of fulfilling the pledge that they carry upon their shoulders, their meeting with us would not be delayed and they would see us much sooner. This would be a meeting rooted in their honest and genuine understanding and appreciation of our position and status. They only reason causing us to hide from them is what we know of their character, and indeed we do not expect such actions from them”.

Other Factors

It has to be emphasized that the reason behind any delay in Imam Mahdi’s reappearance must be traced back to humanity itself. This is because the establishment of a just and monotheistic global government depends heavily upon prerequisite conditions and preparations that people themselves must create and provide. These preconditions include the following elements:

1. A correct comprehension of what true justice entails amongst people in general, alongside a genuine thirst for its implementation.
2. Developments within the material, spiritual and other dimensions of human life
3. The existence of intellectual preparation amongst world nations and a consensus amongst them regarding the management of world affairs by a Perfect Universal Man (or Anthropos Teleios)
4. An accurate and genuine understanding of the status and standing of Imam Mahdi (a), its effective propagation amongst the masses and the fulfillment of all individual and social responsibilities that such knowledge entails.

Conclusion

In short, people themselves must demand the manifestation of justice within human society. They must introduce the masses of the world to the beauty and bounty that constitutes life within the era of Imam Mahdi’s reappearance. As such, they must cultivate and universalize the spirit of demanding justice and fighting tyranny within the hearts of all human-beings. It must be remembered that the failures and shortcomings found within people form the key cause for Imam Mahdi’s occultation. It is indeed the people’s actions that have produced the occultation and unless they turn back from their erroneous path, the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (a) will not take place.