Head of the Porch of Wisdom Cultural Institute said that fixing the time of the practical reappearance of the Imam of Time (atf) is prohibited. "The application of the effects and signs to the manifestations is not within the ability of every individual. To apply the ambiguous concepts to the current-day manifestations may lead to further uncertainty," he was quoted as saying.
Speaking in an interview with Mehr reporter about the necessity of using reliable and authentic sources for explaining religious concepts such as 'waiting' and 'reappearance', Ayatollah Hadavi Tehrani said, "The first point to note is that 'reappearance' is considered to be one of the complex religious and ideological concepts. The belief that a human being has been born at a time and that he is protected by God, the Almighty, until he can establish a global government, is one of the obscure and inconspicuous ideological issues which one needs to understand clearly."
The Necessity of Referring to Reliable Sources
Head of the Porch of Wisdom Cultural Institute further added that the Shiite belief in regards to the reappearance of the Imam of Time which is a true belief, should be documented and based on reliable and acceptable evidence extracted from Shiite textual sources. "It is only by providing references that we can create and consolidate such a belief," he said.
"It is an indisputable belief in the Shiite religion that Mahdi, the Imam of Time (atf) is the son of Imam Askari and is presently in concealment and that he will reappear at the end of time and will fill the world with justice and equity. However, in regards to the signs heralding his reappearance, the narrators have transmitted narrations some of which are not reliable and some of which that are considered to be reliable do not convey a clear-cut meaning because they present such concepts that are vague and not precisely perceivable," he added.
"To apply these vague concepts to the current-day manifestations may lead to further uncertainty among the people. As a result the people will face crisis about the concept of 'reappearance' which is part of our firm beliefs, "Ayatollah Hadavi Tehrani said.
The application of the effects and signs to the manifestations is not the task of every individual
Ayatollah Hadavi Tehrani stressed that a part of our beliefs concerning 'reappearance' is firm and unquestionable. "As for the other part, it has to do with the narrations and reports which deal with the signs and effects of 'reappearance'. However, to apply the effects and signs to the manifestations is not the task of every individual. It is not within every individual's ability to relate the sings to their manifestations because, over the history, those who have done this, mostly for political purposes, have made a mistake. The application of the signs to their manifestations is not a practice restricted to our time; it was also being done during the Safavid period for political purposes," he said.
The reality of 'reappearance' is clear and obvious
Ayatollah Hadavi Tehrani stressed that according to Shiite beliefs, the time of reappearance is not known to anyone. Even the Imam of Time also does not know when he will be given the order to come out of occultation and to establish a just global government.
Fixing the time of reappearance is prohibited
Ayatollah Hadavi Tehrani stated that fixing time is a prohibited act. "To fix the time of the reappearance and to tell that the Imam (atf) will reappear at a certain time is absolutely against our firm religious beliefs. Even the infallible Imams and the Imam of Time himself did not specify a time," he reiterated.
The Spread of Superstitions
"The truth is that what we are faced today with are superstitions spreading concerning the belief in reappearance. The object of these superstitions like superstitions in other religious areas is to weaken people's main beliefs. When these superstitious turn out to be invalid, then people begin to entertain doubt about the firm religious beliefs," Dr. Mahdi Hadavi Tehrani said.
He stressed that the people should pay careful attention to such matters and that they should derive their genuine and correct Islamic beliefs from authentic Islamic sources and from reliable Muslim scholars. They should not refer to all kinds of sources. It is important to note that belief in the principle of reappearance is a part of our firm and solid religious beliefs supported by profuse evidence and proofs which leave no room for any doubt and uncertainty.
The Authorities' Approach
Speaking about government authorities' approach to confront the individuals who engage in arbitrary discussions concerning the subject of 'reappearance and thus spread superstitions, he said, "Those who do such tasks and are not aware of the consequences of their actions thinking that they are doing good deeds should be guided but if there are people taking such actions with evil intentions, they have to be dealt with. Ideological security of people in society should be protected and action should be taken against those who endanger people's ideological security."
Office of Ayatollah Mahdi Hadavi Tehrani
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