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Islamic Revolution in Iran the Harbinger of the Reappearance of Imam Mahdi
By: Zainab Javier
Parallel to the stries made in advancing the scientific and technological gains of the 2nd millennium is a burgeoning of spiritual movements across the globe, in all their hues and shades from the wide spectrum of religion. This is borne out of man’s search for the Universal Truth and quest for the attainment of the actualization of his human potential; and an unassailable proof of the existence of a sublime essence inherent in man that makes the society’s proclivity to religion an expected phenomenon.
Man labors hard to find happiness in life. This is the manifestation of an inherent longing for the actualization of his “human-ness,” a longing for the attainment of the ultimate perfection, independence and obtaining a good grasp of reality. Thus, it is not surprising that since time immemorial, man awaits an era thriving with peace, justice and equality.
Lamentably, the contemporary time is permeated with just their opposites. The current world political set-up which is suffering under the colonialist yoke of U.S. global hegemony is pervaded with aggression, injustice and oppression. All these are antithetical to justice, peace and harmony which are the necessary features for the materialization of the awaited golden era.
Logic dictates that a link from this era replete with injustice and human destruction to that era of peace and justice has to be found. For despite a critical mass visualizing and deeply anticipating this blissful state in concurrence with the principles of the Laws of Attraction and Vibration, without the strategic planning and restructuring of prevalent systems, this would never materialize and all visualizations done towards attaining this would amount to nothing but mere daydreaming.
The reinventions during the last millennium made on conventions like reason, the basis of man’s putting meaning to things within and outside his reality, manifest the constancy of movement that brings change. As Charles Handy declared: “we humans have entered an Age of Unreason- an era of rapid and highly ‘discontinuous change’ that calls for new approaches in all spheres and even new ideas about being in this world,”.
Among the many changes that came with the numerous achievements, discoveries and inventions during the last millennium, one significant movement brought changes in concepts that signify a move toward the actualization of man’s highest aspiration. This is Imam Khomeini’s movement, otherwise known as the Islamic Revolution.
The success of the Islamic Revolution in Iran made available to the rest of the world an alternative to consider that could be applied so as to bring into fruition the cherished era of justice since this can counter the designs of the divisive, anti-peace, anti-justice neo-colonialists,. The Islamic movement spearheaded by Imam Khomeini (r.a) reintroduced to the world a system with its own modality and conventions that was proven to thwart the strategies of imperialists and thereby destroy the daunting impregnability they project.
Otherwise buried deep in the dustbin of history, religion got a shot in the arm with the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. The success of this movement brought to the fore two points: the rationality of Islam and its workability in this contemporary time, plus the re-introduction of the Link between the millennia, Imam Mahdi (a.s), as the Savior of Mankind who will rid the earth of injustice and oppression.
With this revolution came a new vision, a new worldview and a precise description of the nature of man, with special emphasis on the significant role of women as the transmitter of values and beliefs, directing the course of society.
Man
Man is a complex being. A multifaceted being that may vary according to different life situations, but somehow two factors remain constant in him.
First, no matter what religious garb he may don or no matter what his pronouncements may be about his stance in life, man when put in a life-threatening situation automatically, without second thoughts, calls on a Power to pull him out. At that very instance a strong and propelling conviction springs out from deep within his very core that a Force far greater than what he is confronted with is existent and potent enough to neutralize the imminent danger he now faces. This is proof of man’s instinctive belief in the Divine Source, in His Maker, in a Benevolent, Merciful and Caring God.
Second, man is always longing for something. “This fact that when human spirit is developed highly through intellect and conscience cannot pause in certain points of recognitions and acts of its life and, as Dostoevsky says, whenever it reaches its destination would face a new perplexity, is caused by this reality that the human spirit is endowed with a grandeur which constantly makes it ascend from low to high and from high to higher. Even for some people a goal surrounded with a ghost of ambiguity in such as way that some space is left for improvement is more joyful. I think this motion and ascent has a direct relation with mental development: the more developed a human mind is, the more active he would be in passing limited, transient affairs so nothing would satisfy him but to achieve an infinite perfection- which is nothing but God.
Thus, the unadulterated nature of man instinctively draws him to God. He by nature loves justice, beauty, equality and peace and thereby abhors aggression, oppression and all forms of injustice.
Unfortunately, in the course of time, the first factor which is the innate feeling for a connection to his Maker got hazy when religion became alienated and was reduced to a set of rituals performed during specific occasions. As history attests, religion lost its spirit when it got estranged due to the separation of the secular and the divine, of religion and science, of religion and politics.
With the scientific movements in science, the predictions of Quantum Theory that no volume of space can be perfectly empty is further fortified. This may likewise be said on the issue of man’s innate longing for the ideal. For in the absence of answers provided for by religion, man inevitably fills this in with answers acquired outside the ambit of religion, albeit unfortunately, to his detriment. Thus, the abounding of numerous “escapes routes” for man: alcohol, drugs, sex, and even those seeming “safe” addictions to shopping, chatting, texting, television, work, etc. Superficially, these may provide enjoyment for a time but eventually, leave him in a bind that the full range motion of his growth and development is hindered.
True to the second factor but devoid of the traces of religion, the love for knowledge which started from the Prophets (p.b.u.t.) became one-dimensional. Consequently, devoid of the parameters set by religion that taper man’s instinctive hunger for power, history is decked with harrowing pictures conveying the travails of man due to man. Just in recent history, the U.S. war crimes masked with the cover of promoting democracy, is but about ‘capturing hydrocarbon resources that are oil and gas .” That is pure and unadulterated greed.
Ever searching for that cherished just and peaceful setting, while immersed deep in a reality permeated with a bankruptcy in morals that foments mayhem at the backdrop, the man of the 2nd millennium went full speed ahead in the inquiry and study on the essence of man, thus the mushrooming of spiritual movements the world over.
Waylaid along the way
According to religious traditions and the history of religions, man has never lived without a prophet and, at all times, religions and cultures left by Prophets have provided a model or program for people’s lives. The Prophets taught man the process of thinking about his reality, the world, and the relation between man and the world and its amazing phenomena. The Prophets not only formed human thought, but also taught them the lessons of ethics and law in social relationships.
Through the course of history and after so many tumultuous events, the immense scientific and political treasures resulting from this Prophets-inspired thinking process fell into the Europeans hands after the Christians conquered Spain. All these were translated into Latin. Accordingly, a widespread scientific movement started in law, philosophy, logic, mathematics, physics, chemistry, astronomy, medicine and even in literature, music, architecture and art, and provided the foundations for the Renaissance.
With the adherence to the Christian code bent on asserting the separation of the Church and State, and its stance on the irreconcilability of science with religion, thus the Inquisition that put Galileo Galilei in house arrest for the rest of his life, the fruits of the thinking process introduced by the Prophets was not only divested of the dimension of the spirit, but more tragically, a picture of religion as against progression and which is antithetical to the development of man became deeply imbedded in the psyche of man. Islam, although its Holy Book remained preserved, was not spared of this fate.
Thus, from the center where it is rightfully situated, religion, including the complete and final religion which is Islam, was relegated into the sidelines.
With the imbalance wrought forth by this schism, the inventions, discoveries and introductions made during the 2nd millennium, from the printing press to the satellite and the Internet, from Calculus to the DNA and Quantum Physics and mechanics, from canned food to the food processor, from the bicycle to the space station and GPS navigation, were offset by the killings perpetrated by man using inventions created by the ingenuity of man, which were more massive than those caused by natural forces.
As according to Patrick Hannon, Irish writer, researcher and commentator, “If you look at the overall picture in the 20th century, 120 million people have died in wars and not from famines, not from cancer, not from AIDS but wars instigated mainly by the USA over a hundred years, that is about 3,400 people die every day from wars because of the quest for power.”
Advancements gained with the scientific movements in the other fields and even in literature, music, architecture and art, were likewise utilized by the Western powers who work against the establishment of the sovereignty of God in this plane to lure, hoodwink, manipulate and control the people. Media, as television networks, radio networks, the cinema, newspapers, magazines, and even the Internet, are likewise utilized to control the masses, therefore referred to by the founder and director of Alternative Radio in the U.S. as “Weapons of Mass Distraction.”
All these keep maintain the world order established, with its distinctive view on the nature of man and a worldview emphasizing the invincibility of the superpowers and the perception that only with the reliance on the superpowers can nations become successful.
Verse 36 of Chapter 8 of the Holy Qur’an states that: “Indeed the faithless spend their wealth to bar from the way of Allah. Soon they will have spent it, then it will be a cause of regret to them, then they will be overcome, and the faithless will be gathered toward Hell,…”
So far, the American system of domination is mostly unchallenged to the degree that the Islamic Revolution in Iran has reached when it ousted the Americans from their land. In most cases elsewhere, superficial make over lead the hoi polloi to believe that change has been had, but beneath the surface repressive configurations are left very much in place, with the educational system, the government system, and all other systems still very much in the hands of the U.S.
Finding the Way Back
The subjects in the Holy Qur’an are arranged in such a way that any reader who randomly flips through it and chooses any page to read does not at all find himself lost and disconnected, nor does this leave him in a state of confusion. Rather, despite the random selection, he finds its phrases talking to him at a level he understands, giving answers to his questions and helping him find his ground, enabling him to find his rooting, and safe from being tossed by the gushing winds of confusion due to the prevailing ignorance. So, whatever one’s circumstances may be, at whatever juncture he may be in his life, one finds in the Holy Qur’an a credible source of solace and a reliable rope to hold on to, to pull him out of the rubble, so to speak.
As the written Word of the Beneficent and Merciful Lord of the Worlds teaching man how to get connected to the Divine Source and, thus, get the best of this world and the world to come, nowhere in the entire archive of men’s literary works can one find a book as credible and effective as the Holy Qurán is. This is exactly what Imam Ruhollah Al-Musavi Al-Khomeini re-introduced to the world.
Imam Khomeini, by piloting the Islamic Revolution in Iran, re-introduced to a world steeped in ignorance the Holy Book, its Author, its Messenger and its Implementers. Thus, despite the full-blast media blitz carried out to demonize Islam through the demonization of Imam Khomeini, the world was reminded about the pristine version of Islam and was thereby made aware about the truth regarding the Holy Qur’an, Allah (S.W.T.), Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) and the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.), and showed the world, with the founding of the Islamic Republic of Iran, that this way of life, as introduced by Allah’s Messenger (S.A.W.) and Imams (a.s), is feasible even in this so-called Space Age and is never a hindrance to the full actualization of the human being.
Through this re-introduction, the people were made aware about the Greatness of God at a time when the majority was stupefied and awed with the mighty and stupendous wares churned out by the developments in science and technology in the West. Imam Khomeini (r.a.) also reminded them that infused with an essence from a Divine realm, as is stated in verse 29 of Chapter 15 of the Holy Qur’an …“So when I have made him and have breathed into him of My Spirit…” man holds a power within which was far greater than what was apparent; and that this can only be maximized once connected to the right Source. Imam Khomeini (r.a.) then reminded the people that that power, once active and charged can propel one to transcend and leap through blockades, freeing man to soar to higher dimensions.
With these reminders the Imam therefore fortified the belief in the Power of Belief in Allah (S.W.T.). This is exactly what made him gain the ire of the strategists in Washington, London, Paris and Tel-Aviv. As best said by Michael Opperskalaski, the editor and publisher of the magazine Top Secret and adviser to former South African President Nelson Mandela, “The CIA and the Israeli Mossad fear us. They can’t believe that people are struggling because of their beliefs.”
Armed with a deep belief in the Power and Greatness of the Lord of the Worlds, this man from the holy city of Qom, was then successful in leading the Muslims to find their way back to fidelity to the Qur’an, fidelity to the Last Messenger of God, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) and fidelity to the Rightfully Guided Imams (a.s.), and thereby gain self-confidence.
Thus, the inevitable happened. After years of disgrace in the hands of the proxy regime of the enemies of humanity, the secularist monarchy of the Shah Pahlavi, the Muslim nation of Iran was able to rise up and attained its dignity. Now, thirty years after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the Islamic Republic of Iran finds itself directing its course as it navigates through the political landscape of the contemporary world.
The success of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, thereby, serves as the most significant change in the 2nd millennium as it infused back the spirit in religion, which has lost its luster and viability in the perception of the people. Thanks to Imam Khomeini (r.a.) and all the fortunate individuals who were blessed with the gift of martyrdom, Islam, as the completion of the Message from God, was thus reinvented and is viewed as how it should be, a way of life where God is at the center, enabling man to reach the apex of his perfection.
Linking the Gap
Eschatology is not exclusive to any religion. People with diverse religious outlook commonly share an inclination towards attaining perfection, both in the personal realm and the world at large.. Most take steps towards actualizing their potential at the same time await a Savior to save humanity from injustice and oppression, and simultaneously awaiting the golden era this just leader will rule.
Considering the present makeup of the contemporary world, for this to come into fruition would require a systematic change that necessitates constructs that are attainable and doable. A link from the era of injustice to the era of justice must be established.
Of all the liberation movements undertaken, only the Islamic Revolution has the theoretical and practical implements that encompass all facets of man’s life and is equipped with safety nets to foil the attacks of the aggressors in all spheres.
As far as the actualization of the ultimate human potential is concerned, a focal point to which energy is directed is a must. This Ultimate Point must be free of any incongruity and inconsistency. As Islam introduces an unlimited, unbounded, all-powerful Perfect Being who is beyond the comprehension and imagination of man as the Deity towards whom man must strive for, it opens wide an unlimited range for progression to make him reach the sommum bonum. Since there are no limiting boundaries in his scope, man is thereby uninhibited in discovering and realizing his potential.
On the socio-political realm, practical guidelines are needed to neutralize the negativities pervading the world over, manifested in the injustices carried out against humankind and the abounding social maladies that proliferate. As the coordinator of SOS Iraq and member of the Executive Committee of the Brussels Tribunal Dirk Adriaensens aptly said, “peace can only be achieved if imperialism is defeated in this region .” Of course, if we want world peace then this would necessitate the defeat of imperialism worldwide.
Through the years imperialism has taken its hold over most regions through the implementation of strategies that have evolved with time. In this Information Age, the process of thinking is the main target. All efforts are concentrated on manipulating the mind through the use of inventions made in the second millennium.
This is where the movement of Imam Khomeini comes into the picture, for the Imam introduced a “way of thinking” (backed by practical rules and regulations that reinforce this) that acknowledges only the Power and Sovereignty of the Divine Being. This belief system makes ineffective the projection of power and impregnability long touted by the superpowers that has kept most pseudo-states powerless and immobilized in the face of their subjugation.
The emphasis of Islam on reliance on God alone, solidarity and truthfulness, all pursued for attaining the pleasure of a Merciful, Beneficent, Unlimited, Perfect and All-Powerful God alone, offers a solid defense against all these machinations.
Imperialists gain a stronghold over people’s lives and lands when the majority is distracted and divided among them. This leaves the people distracted making them vulnerable to the cunning of those who are after nothing but power and control over the resources of the world.
As imperialism divides, Islam unites. The Holy Qur’an in Chapter 49 verse 13 says… “O Mankind! Indeed We created you from a male and a female, and made you nations and tribes that you may identify yourselves with one another, Indeed the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most Godwary among you…”
The emphasis laid by Islam on piety as the only criterion that elevates man in the eyes of God foments unity based on the commonality of being human and counters the thrust of imperialism to divide peoples through the highlighting of differences as to religion, race, financial status, educational level, etc.
Another concept introduced by the Islamic Revolution that has a great impact on the success and progress of society is the role of women, especially their noble profession of being mothers or human builders can never be underestimated. As caregivers in charge of the molding of character of the children who will be the adults participating in the affairs of the state in the future, mothers play a crucial role in transmitting values and the culture to future generations.
Their role in the success of the Islamic Revolution in Iran can never be understated. If not for the women encouraging their husbands and their sons to go out and face the forces of the Shah, reminding them about the lofty station of martyrs in the Eyes of God, the Islamic Republic wouldn’t have been established.
Importance of a Leader
Having the right leader is a crucial factor for the success of any movement. This is true especially for the Islamic Revolution which involves transformation and development in all the spheres of human life. The leader must not only be an astute strategist in the realms of the social sciences but must also be an embodiment of total service and submission to God alone, in other words an upright moral and just man. The leader of the Islamic Revolution must therefore be the embodiment of all that is good, as the bona fide Representative of Allah (S.W.T.) in this time and age.
Imam Mahdi (a.s.) is the 12th Imam of the Household of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.). According to the Prophet (s.a.w.) himself, “The world will not come to an end until a man from the descendants of Husayn takes charge of the affairs of the world and fills it with justice and equity as it is filled with injustice and tyranny.”
“Follow the leader,” the saying goes. To anticipate and believe in Imam Mahdi a.s. as the leader of the movement inevitably motivates one to the utmost of his ability to emulate the Imam a.s. Since the Imam is the embodiment of all that is good and just, this act as a motivating force behind initiatives working against injustices, consequently generating moves to neutralize existing oppressive systems.
To believe in the leadership of Imam Mahdi (a.s.) does not only provide a link for the two millennia but also offers a concrete reminder that fortifies the link between man and the Supreme Creator. The person of Imam Mahdi (a.s.), as a Representative of Allah (S.W.T.) in this material plane, serves as a tangible proof for the Infinite Power of the Creator, providing a glimpse of His Infinite Power which is beyond the scope of man’s imagination and beyond the scope of science.
Conclusion
The most significant effect of the movement of Imam Khomeini (r.a.) is the change in the perception of things. The Islamic Revolution presented man with a different worldview. It gave man a new vision of who and what he is, of what the world is, of what death is, and of what Reality really is. It gave man a new vision of what he can become.
The Islamic Revolution brought with it the system introduced by the Prophets (s.a.w.) that includes strategies and courses of action that push forward the development and progress of man; and is likewise incorporated with safety nets to reinforce the results, at the same time protecting them against factors that may jeopardize them.
The Islamic Revolution presents a clearer picture of reality and offers a clearer vision for the future by elucidating several points:
1. That all humans are of the same essence. This presents a unifying factor, focusing on the commonality in all human beings despite the geographical, economical and ideological divide, and thereby gives a setback to the divide and rule policy of imperialists that capitalize on man’s differences.
2. That all the Prophets (peace be upon them), numbering to 124,000, were sent by One God. This brings under one umbrella all the Prophets and thereby reveals the unity of all the unadulterated messages presented by them. Again, this concept can neutralize the divisions created out of the manipulations of neo-colonialists that try to pit followers of different religions against each other.
3. That religion calls for action. That faith without action is useless. That to have faith in God is to work for His Cause which is to uphold justice. That belief in God makes it incumbent upon the believers to enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong. That to believe in God gives one the responsibility to help the oppressed and fight the oppressors. In effect, this calls on sincere followers of all religions to fight against oppression, where ever and to whomever it is committed against.
4. That with the reality of Imam Mahdi (a.s.), man is presented with a reliable and credible link to the Absolute Power, and that with him at the fore this present era permeated with falsehood and injustice will be transformed into the era of prosperity and bliss.
5. That the woman, not just a body but a dignified personality, bears the noble responsibility of transmitting this subservience to God alone to the generations to come, thus freeing man to steer society’s course towards perfection.
For the first time, in the halls of the United Nations, the name of Imam Mahdi (a.s.) reverberated when the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, announced and reminded everyone about his reality. This could not have happened if not for the success of the Islamic Revolution that established the Islamic Republic of Iran.
This proves beyond doubt that there is a power more potent than what science and technology can ever create, and this is the power that lies within the very core of man - the power of his belief. With a firm belief that “If God helps you, none can overcome you,” man is able to release his dormant power and is able to face all the challenges, weathering any storm, enabling him to reach his goal.
Armed with a belief in a God who is Unlimited, Unbounded, Perfect and Absolute, what can stop man from actualizing his human potential, soaring higher than the angels and finally, attaining that longed for era of bliss?
References:
1. The Holy Qur’an
2. Charles Handy, The Age of Unreason, Harvard Business School Press, 1989.
3. Allameh M. T. Jafari, The Conscience, Allameh Jafari Institute, Tehran, Iran
4. Prof. S. M. Khamenei, Mulla Sadra’s Transcendent Philosophy, Sadra Islamic Philosophy Research Institute Publication, Islamic Republic of Iran. 2004
5. Zeinab al Saffar, In Their Eyes, Al-Hadi Printing Press, Beirut, Lebanon. 2006
6. Ayatollah Ibrahim Amini, Al-Imam Al-Mahdi The Just Leader of Humanity, Ansariyan Publications, Qom, Iran. 2004
7. 0en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2nd_millennium
http://www.edgarcayce.org/are/edgarcayce.aspx
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Attraction
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