INTRODUCTION:

The present book is a collection of the articles presented at the international conference on " Imam Mahdi , Justice and Globalisation " on 26 September 2004 , which was sponsored by Institute of Islamic Studies affiliated to Islamic Center of England.

The eleven papers presented in this edition , despite their different themes , all are written with one important objective in mind; that is to analyse the possible correlation between the three concepts in the title of the conference.

Although globalization is a modern concept brought out by the new settings and amenities of our globe, the concept of globalised justice has been hanging around for many centuries. Many old and ancient nations cherished the idea in their myths , honoured it in their religion and held it out in their ambition. However, one may justifiably as; that with accomplished in many aspects , is the world any nearer to the old ambition of the global justice?

Justice in itself Is nation as old as human being; it is the ultimate yardstick of all human values , the final measure of whatever is respected in the domain of human interaction and the most exquisite ambition of all nations. It is therefore not surprising that the concept of al_Mahdi in Islam is so much interlocked with that of justice and equity. When he comes , we are told , " He will saturate the earth with justice and equity after it is over whelmed by justice and oppression. "

The idea of al_Mahdi is not restricted ti Islam , although the name is. Indeed the idea of " the final saviour " is an idea as  old as religion itself . Yet , strongly , it is this very primordial and universal nature of the idea that leaves one to wonder. Is not this ubiquity of the idea that a proof of its fictitious nature ; a reflection of the unfulfilled ambitions and aspirations of human kind echoed in such a language? Or , on the other hand, is it not a good testimony for its truth and genuineness? The answer to such a puzzling question that has persisted throughout the history of religion. Unfaithful sociologists and psychologists have expressed the same doubts about all religious concepts including God , Prophet , afterlife and the final judgment. Although the theories they put forward to explain the universal existence and persistence of such ideas vary , yet they are all based on some core assumptions , that is unfulfilled needs , unanswered quests or unaddressed worries. ON THE OTHER HAND THE faithful   have  never lent any attention to such fanciful theorizations. For them God is more real than the world . Prophets talk more sense than others and the afterlife makes more logic than this life; and the very universality and commonality of these beliefs would corroborate their truth and certainty. It is in this latter context that the idea of the final saviour and specifically Imam al_Mahdi is discussed in the present book.