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The Return Of The Imam Mahdi
“The Mahdi, (the name of the last of the twelve imams, the first
being Ali, son-in-law of Mohammed) according to Islam, and in
particular its Shiite branch, is the Savior to come at the time
of the Last Judgment to save the world. It is interesting to
recall that Mahdi, in Sanskrit, is the contraction of Ma Adi
(Primordial Mother) in the same way that the returning Savior
according to Buddha, Maitreya, is a contraction of Ma Treya
(Mother threefold, trimorphic protonnoia or trigunatmika).
The function of the Mahdi 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 obscure presence of the Mahdi dominates totally the
religious conscience of imamism during the period of the
disappearance of Ali until the return of the awaited Savior. 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 depth 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." 2
The universal precursory Sign of the return of the Mahdi, "He
who Guides," consists of the general invasion of the earth by
Evil and the victory of the forces of Evil over those of Good.
Without such a manifestation, the entirety of humanity would be
engulfed by darkness.
Here we find extracts from the eulogies of Ali Talib describing
various components of the sign announcing the return of the
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, princesses will be debauched and ministers will be
oppressors, intellectuals will be traitors and the reader 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 the 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 will cover with lambskin the
hearts of wolves." 3
The Qaim (Mahdi) comes to re-establish the lost sense of
sanctity. Firstly He will re-establish Islam to its original
purity and integrity. 4 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." 5
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"Fundamental Principles of
Qiyamat by
Jamshid
Qiyamat is the spiritual resurrection.
It is to resurrection before dying. The world is a world of birth and
death, it is samsara. To resurrect in this life is a gnostic event. It
is nirvana in this life. Though the body goes on to die, one's
consciousness does not go on to rebirth.
All beings have a spark of the Real inside of them. This is what goes
on from birth, death and rebirth. It is pure consciousness.
This spark of the real within is the imam-of-one's-own-being. When the
internal imam comes into contact with the Imam of the Time and puts
into practice his teachings, then the spark within lights up. This is
a gnostic awakening and is the Qiyamat.
The Imam brings beings to Qiyamat and no one is exluded, save those
who exclude themselves. Even those given time will come to Qiyamat.
When one awakens one realizes the fundamental unity between the Imam
of the Time and the imam-of-one's-own-being.
Qiyamat is practiced in the life of the momin [follower] by
faith in the Imam's word and guidance. It is not based upon external
laws or ritual. Though many who are brought into Qiyamat do so to
provide moral examples for the community. The person of Qiyamat
recognizes that liberty is not license.
People of Qiyamat do not put down other faiths and ways. They know
that the Real can bring others to into union with Reality by other
ways. Since all gnosis is one, people of Qiyamat learn from the
gnostic ways of other peoples and teach others about their faith.
People of Qiyamat do not expose themselves to those who are of little
understanding. People who delight in the laws and rites are like those
who mistake the finger pointing towards the moon with the moon. They
mistake the outer forms of faith [laws and rites] with the object of
faith. These people feel that gnostics are heretics and oppress them.
Therefore, people of Qiyamat conceal themselves from situations which
could lead to oppression and create their own free spaces to
practice. As a means of compassion for others, gnositics carefully
bring in others who they feel are ready. And when one is ready the
Real brings them into contact with teacher who will teach them
according to their level (ultimately leading to Qiyamat)."
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Fundamental Principles of
Qiyamat
by Jamshid
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According to Majid Golpur, a scholar who reviewed the
relationship between ancient Muslim writings and new
revelations, some language seem to refer to new cognitive powers
that may be associated with the rise of the Kundalini. All the
faithful joining the ranks of the Mahdi will be gifted with
special miraculous powers, in particular those of super
sensitive communication with the imam. "At the time of Advent of
our Qur'an," 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 hear Him and
see Him without Him having left the place where He is." 6
This text probably refers to the dawn of collective
consciousness, whose property is the connectivity described in
the previous chapters. More specifically, we can recognize a
mention
of the vibratory consciousness of
the chakras, which correspond to specific locations 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 palm of their hands, they need only look and then
execute the orders." 7
The following language could possibly indicate a succession of
imams or the collectivity of realized souls, through the
reference of the wind. But, without subtler the subtler
spiritual experience, it can easily feed the delusion of
self-appointed elect fanatics. God speaks: "O Mohammad. 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." 8
In this way the awaited Imam (al-Muntazar) Mad-dhi, Qaim, will
prepare the earth for the Last Judgment 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 eschatology.
It is interesting to know 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. 9
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
re-establish the other religions, also abandoned and disfigured,
in their original Truth and Purity.
Indeed: "The Mahdi will extract the Torah and the other Divine
Books from their caverns and will judge amongst the faithful of
the Evangiles according to the Evangiles, amongst the faithful
of al-Zabur (The Book of David) according to the al-Zabur
and amongst the faithful of the Koran according to
the Koran." 10
It is the universal initiation by the imam of 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." 11
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 races or religions. Rather, the prophecies talk of
the power of love, not the might of hate. They would then refer
to the fight against ignorance, no doubt the most formidable of
all battles. But if Allah is indeed the Merciful and
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 out full spiritual potential
might finally manifest. Consequently, even in the stern Muslim
prophecies we can read the hopeful and promising light of
mankind's renewal. This may or may not combine with events of
massive destruction that can still manifest. But let us focus on
the hopeful dimension of this momentous period.”
Gregoire de Kalbermatten, The Third Advent,
King Printing
2003, pg. 205-8
2. Amir Moizzi, Guide Divine, Paris, 1/E.P.H.E., Paris en
Sorbonne
3. al-Kulayi, Us G1 K.K al-Hujjan, Bab MS JS a fi l-ithna' ashar,
11/468-485; al-Nu'Mani, K al-Ghayba,bab., p. 201, 281. Ibn-Babuye, Kamal al-Din,
Bab-5 24-38, p. 256, 385, see also Id, Hal, Bab 12; Nahj-al-Balagha, p. 295,
424, 425, 458, 1158. 1180, 1222. Kamal, bab 47, l,11/525-28
4. al-Nu'mani, op cit pages 333-59 "The Qa'im"
5. bab 45, n'Ibn-Babunye
6. al-Kulyni, al-Rawda, 11149
7. Al-Nu'mdni, op. cit, bab 214
8. Ibn Babunye, 'Ilal, bab 7, pages 6-7, Kamal, bab 23, n 4, 1/256, 'Uyan 1/bab
26, n 22, page 263
9. al-Numani – bab 13 page 336, bab 14, pages 36 and 378
10. Ibn Babunye, bab 129, 1/161; Ibn-Ayyash, Mugrad-Ab, 18159
11. al-Nu'mani, op, cit, p. 342
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