The Beacon of the Ten Days of Mahdawiyya

All praise is due to the Almighty God for sending us the finest prophets to guide us. We thank our Lord for making the Holy Qur’an the interpreter and final book of all the divine books preceding it. After offering our greetings to Prophet Mohammad (s) and his immaculate progeny, we give our salutations to all the prophets and messengers, including Jesus the Messiah.

We offer our sincerest congratulations on the auspicious occasion of the birth of the prince of all princes, and the flower of all hearts, the awaited savior Imam Al-Mahdi (a). We congratulate him first, then all the Muslims and Shia of the world, including you respected attendance.

We must all know and inform peoples of all nations that genuine success can be achieved through the fundamentals of Islam. Therefore, all nations must make the effort to investigate and understand Islam to achieve this felicity.

In accordance with holy word of God, “There is no coercion in faith,” we have made this verse our slogan and a standard for our everyday actions. After seeking guidance from Allah, the Holy Qur’an, and the infallible interpreters of it, the Ahlul Bayt (a), we have come to realize that the charity of knowledge is sharing it with others. We must educate thirsty people, who are desperate for guidance, that the criterion for success and eternal bliss is the belief in all of the divinely appointed representatives of God, especially the belief in the awaited savior Imam Al-Mahdi (a).

After careful study and extensive research, we have come to understand that the wage for the message of Prophet Mohammad (s) is the love for his close ones. This obligation, which all Muslims seek to fulfill, has been ordained by Allah. Once we made a more careful examination, drawing mainly from the Holy Qur’an, we found that the love for the family of the Prophet (s) means following the path of Allah and adhering to the straight path. Thus, after contemplating the meaning of the verses, “Guide us to the straight path,” and “In houses which Allah has permitted to be exalted and that his name be raised,” the significance of the family of the Prophet (s) becomes evident more than ever. The Holy Qur’an has portrayed the greatness of these homes and their dwellers—such homes that the greatness of the free cannot reach. Seeking closeness to Allah is coupled with the love for the family of the Prophet (s). Therefore, the word of Allah, “Indeed the believers have succeeded,” brings to life and illustrates this firm connection.

Since knowing God cannot be achieved, as we have demonstrated, except through the belief in and acquaintance with his representatives, we must know the Imam of our time in order to complete our faith in God. The issue of believing in Imam Al-Mahdi is one that we have been commanded to uphold, and it is an obligation that Allah has established for us and Prophet Mohammad (s) confirmed for us. The hadeeth “He who dies without knowing the Imam of his time shall die the death of pagans,” is a narration that has overwhelmed the books of Sunnis and Shias, coming in various forms. This narration serves to encourage and motivate all Muslims to make the effort to know this Imam, and to make them always prepared for their Imam.

Let us come to know him as the reviver of the Shariah, and the one who enlivens the hearts, just as Allah the Almighty has stated, “Know that Allah gives life to the earth after its death.” We also read a similar passage in the Dua of Nudba, “Where is the reviver of the tents of faith and its adherents?…” Let us realize that this reviver carries with him the fountain of life, which is the pure water for all humanity. Allah has referred to this pure water in the Holy Qur’an where He says, “And we send down from the sky pure water to give life thereby to a dead land.” This pure water purifies the individuals and societies first, then it confers upon them the meaning of life. As the saying goes, “When the angels enter, the devils leave.”

His great grandfather Imam Ali (a) and his chaste mother Fatima (a) were two vast oceans who irrigated the farms of humanity. They raised great individuals in history such as Maytham and Fiddha. In this regard, Allah states, “He has let free the two seas, so the meet together.” Indeed the pure water for our bliss, the fountain of life for our reality, and the deserted well of our time is the awaited Imam Al-Mahdi (a). We therefore believe in the importance of believing in the representative of Allah, that he is the symbol of success and bliss, and the significance of spreading this belief to the world.

Our Imam who is alive, who is in occultation and a stranger amongst many, will flap the banner of justice and freedom. He will reappear with pious and virtuous supporters, such as the Messiah Jesus son of Mary, who will put an end to oppression.

The purpose of the Ten Days of Mahdawiyya is to direct the course of those who desire justice and seek peace in a unified tent of belief. These Ten Days of Mahdawiyya resemble the Ten Days of Ashura, which unifies the hearts with the one who will avenge the martyrdom of Imam Al-Hussain (a). Thus, the Ten Days of Ashura are surrounded with sorrow and tears, and we take it as a divine path to reach our Imam who will avenge the corruption that inflicted the dive laws of God.

However, the Ten Days of Mahdawiyya shines with its luminous rays of joy. Concomitant with these ten blessed days are great conferences and research programs, simply to come to know the savior and rectifier who will alleviate the wounded hearts of the Islamic nation. We receive the hope of the oppressed and deprived by the hope of the future which carries with it the banner of the oneness of God.

The period of the Ten Days of Mahdawiyya is only a limited time to celebrate the birth of the twelfth Imam—the awaited and promised Imam. However, these Ten Days of Mahdawiyya may serve to disseminate the message of peace and the promised savior throughout the world. It is only a limited time to renew our pledge with those whom we are ordered to love, the family of the Prophet (s), and our master and Imam, and to instill the meaning of waiting for the Imam for the entire world.

The Ten Days of Mahdawiyya serve to prepare the ground for the teachings and signs of Mahdawiyya, and to study the verses and narrations that speak of the end of time and the obligations of all people towards the Wilaya and the Imam of our time, may Allah hasten his reappearance. This way, the believers leap with joy at studying the topic and concept of Imam Al-Mahdi together.

Therefore, we invite you to become amongst those who spread peace, justice and joy by conducting research and scholarly studies on this radiant light and pure water.

Respected brothers and sisters!

Through these ten blessed days let us tell all nations that our strength lies in the strength of our Imam, and that he is the one who will lead the Prophet of Allah, Jesus son of Mary, upon his reappearance.

Through our participation in these blessed gatherings let us teach the seekers of global peace and those who are oppressed and exploited about the real savior and the axis of peace and justice.

The unity of our nation rests on our waiting for the one and only savior who comes from the line of the great Prophet Mohammad (s). The concern and application of the verse which says, “And hold fast, all together, by the rope of Allah, and be not divided among yourselves,” is, in essence, the concern for and implementation of the Wilaya, which entails that we follow Imam Al-Mahdi (a). This is because the love for this Imam is the core and axis for real unity amongst all Muslims.

We hope that the love of Imam Al-Mahdi will aid us in selecting and treading the straight path. We also hope that it will change all of our differences and disputes to unity, love, friendship, justice, and peace.

Wassalamu Alaikom Wa Rahmatollahi Wa Barakatuh