Who Are the True Awaiters of the Promised Savior, and What Are Their Duties?

We believe that with the advent of the Promised Savior and the establishment of a new global civilization, the world will be filled with peace, justice, and tranquility. However, we pay less attention to the conditions that must be met for the advent of the Savior and the formation of the Noble Rule of the Righteous. We consider ourselves eagerly waiting for that glorious event, but we do not pay attention to the duties of true awaiters in the era of occultation. We often talk about the rule of the righteous and their inheritance of the earth, but we talk less about the actions that must be taken by awaiters before the advent or the duties of those who are waiting for the promised Noble Rule of the Righteous.

If we are eager to be among the awaiters of Imam Mahdi and the inheritors of the earth in the new Islamic civilization, we must realize that this great and dreamlike goal cannot be achieved without continuous effort and struggle. We cannot adopt any lifestyle, or think and communicate with others however we want and then be among those who inherit the earth in the new Islamic civilization. Although most people in the Noble Rule of the Righteous receive divine education and spiritual growth from the Imam, not everyone can become agents in the Imam’s government. In the Noble Rule of the Righteous, the light and blessings of the Imam shine upon the whole world, and the path of bliss is open to all. However only the true awaiters who have surrendered themselves to the Imam before his advent become his agent and representative. The joy and blessing of serving at the forefront of his army is very different from being an ordinary citizen in society.

How can we become true awaiters of the Imam, the inheritors of the earth in the new Islamic civilization, and his beloved and trusted agents in the Noble Rule of the Righteous?

How Is the Earth Inherited?

We stated that other members of the Ahl al-Bayt (PBUT) also had the ability to manage and lead the divine government and could raise people to the status of Allah’s deputy, but why did this not happen? The Imams were abandoned because their friends and enemies were weak inside, lacking a sound heart. No infallible Imam rules the body and soul of people without their will and choice. No expert and infallible agent from God imposes himself on people and establishes divine rule by coercion and force.

There is an important code in the establishment of a new civilization and the Noble Rule of the Righteous. Without this fate-making code called free will, all the plans and programs of the divine civilization will be stopped or suspended. This is because this civilization is designed based on the structure of the human soul, the purpose of our creation, and the stages of our life, and its criteria are fully compatible with human creation. God has left the human being free to choose between Heaven and Hell and has given him the power of choice and free will. So for the establishment of a government that is supposed to raise us to bliss in this world and the eternal realm of the hereafter, He does not do anything with coercion.

The earth and its people must reach a state of longing and urgency and strive deeply for the coming of the Savior. Until this happens and people do not voluntarily engage in jihad and continuous effort, the prerequisites for the formation of this government will not be established. The world is a place where individuals possess the freedom to make choices, and the course of their lives is shaped by the decisions they make. In other words, the path of guidance must be presented to all the people of the earth. For the advent to occur, all individuals must align themselves with either the front of monotheism or that of disbelief. This highlights the responsibility of true awaiters in propagating Islamic culture. In a prayer for the safety of Imam Mahdi (PBUH), we read: “Until You [God] make him settle on earth, while people eagerly await his arrival.” Therefore, there is no compulsion in this, and people must willingly surrender themselves, their souls, and the earth to the Imam.

The Obligation to Fight Disbelievers and Inherit the Earth

Do you think the inheritors of the earth will easily and effortlessly come to power in the new Islamic civilization? Do you imagine that current rulers will submit the earth to the next owners without stubbornness? This a misconception, and many Quranic verses speak of a great conflict and power struggle. As previously mentioned, in order for the oppressed, righteous people to inherit the earth, they must destroy and kill its current owners. The majority of Quranic verses, in addition to the theme of inheriting the earth, inevitably refer to the concept of conflict and the end-time war. A noteworthy point is the commanding and authoritative tone of the Quran in this regard. Powerful statements such as “It was Our Will” [1] “even to the dismay of polytheists” [2] “even to the dismay of disbelievers”[3] are clear evidence of this. Through these statements, God says in an authoritative tone that He will do it, whether polytheists like it or not.

The relevant verses are as confident about the battle between the Front of Truth and that of Falsehood as they are about the rule of the righteous on earth. The righteous and true awaiters are those who struggle and strive; they fight with current rulers to establish the promised divine government. They will weaken the tyrannical rule to the extent that it will collapse.

It is clear that the current rulers of the earth, who are on the side of Satan, will not easily allow God’s religion to rule the world. Therefore, at the End Times, the righteous must become so powerful that they can destroy the current owners of the earth and become the inheritors of the earth in the new Islamic civilization. In this regard, Imam Baqir (PBUH) said, “The righteous are the companions of Imam Mahdi (PBUH) at the end times. They will destroy the tyrannical civilizations ruling the earth and pave the way for the coming of the Promised Savior.”[4] Also according to Sunni interpretations, the “righteous” mentioned in the Quran refers to the Imam and his true awaiters.[5]

So the duty of true awaiters is to progress and gain power in faith and various fields, including politics, science, and economics. Although the key to all these blessings is in the hands of the Imam himself, it is up to the true awaiters of Imam Mahdi (PBUH) to pave the way. The Front of Truth must make every effort to gain power to stand up to powerful oppressors in the world.

As stated before, from the time of Prophet Adam until today, no ruling system or civilization has been able to raise people to the level of being human and nurturing the supra-rational dimension of their existence to bring them to perfection. We have also mentioned the prerequisites for the advent of the Promised One and the formation of the Noble Rule of the Righteous. The only nation that has been able to prepare a part of these prerequisites through the establishment of an Islamic government whose criteria are based on the human dimension of existence is Iranians. This happened with the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. A revolution that, through the offering of thousands of martyrs, has proven its success in human growth and bringing humans to perfection. It has clearly expressed its main goal to the world many times: “The great ideal of the Revolution is establishing a new Islamic civilization and preparing for the rising of the sun of the greatest “Wilayat” (Guardianship) .”[6]

The Islamic Revolution of Iran does not have a nationalist or racist view towards individuals and considers all people in the world to be one single human being, a single human being who is in need of living and being trained in a divine and human civilization. It is a civilization that can grow the human being to be Allah’s deputy on earth.

The Iranian Revolution stands as the only revolution capable of building up a large end-time army of true awaiters, ready to confront the world’s tyrants and challenge the dominance of global superpowers. No other country other than Iran has been able to stand up to satanic powers like the U.S. and Israel and shatter their illusory hegemony.

Our Position in the Ideal of Building the Future of the World

The Islamic Revolution of Iran and the global movement towards the advent of the Savior and the establishment of the Noble Rule of the Righteous are like a caravan that is moving fast to move around the Kaaba. The infallible Imam is the Kaaba, and the Revolution is a path to reach his true circumambulation. Whether we like it or not, this caravan goes its own way, follows its own path, and reaches its destination. It is we who must be careful not to lag behind the caravan. We must know that our help has no effect on the fate of the revolution. Rather, the only thing it changes is our own destiny. We must grasp the opportunity by being among true awaiters and not let the opportunity for bliss and a good ending slip away from us.

Perhaps it is better to see the importance of this issue in the explicit words of the Supreme Leader of Iran. He clearly considers self-improvement and improvement of others to be our way of salvation, “I am not worried about this Revolution, you must not be worried either. Be concerned about yourselves and focus on yourselves. We must improve ourselves and align our motivations and life goals with the ideals and motivations of Imam Mahdi (PBUH). This is the time when we become similar to Imam Mahdi (PBUH) and rise to the level of the new Islamic civilization. In this way, our very act of breathing will be like being in the tent of Imam Mahdi.[7] The role of the Iranian Revolution in building a new civilization is so remarkable that it has trained thousands of individuals for waiting for the Imam of the Time and laying the groundwork for the formation of this government. If someone is a true awaiter of Imam Mahdi, he dies like someone who died in the Imam’s tent.

If we want to play a role in building the new civilization, we must invest in this important matter. If we aim to be one of the true awaiters of the Promised Savior, the single most critical responsibility we each have is to strive towards cultivating piety and working on self-improvement. Our hearts and deeds must gradually become so similar to the lifestyle of Imam Mahdi (PBUH) that we can participate in his global revolution and become soldiers of his army. The condition for being present in his promised revolution and later serving in the Noble Rule of the Imam is similarity and compatibility with him. In addition, we need to strengthen important factors such as unity, empathy, hope, and loyalty in ourselves. Anyone in any profession or area of activity can help achieve this goal. Even retired old people can have a share in this army by praying.

In this article, we examined that the characteristic of true awaiters is self-improvement and personal growth alongside their purposeful efforts to present the true religion to the people of the world. Someone who strives to bring the world to the point where everyone eagerly awaits the Imam’s arrival has truly grasped the necessity of the Imam’s presence for humanity to reach the purpose of their creation. Such a person defines his own identity and very humanity in relation to this goal. As a result, he cannot be indifferent to the fate of others and will do his utmost to connect others with their Imam.

This great and indescribable position is rooted in our state before the advent of the Promised Savior. Our lifestyle, relationships, thoughts, decisions, and the prioritization of our beloveds before his advent determine our position in the new civilization. In other words, whatever we sow before the advent, we will reap in the Noble Rule of the Righteous. Like the attraction of iron filings to a magnet, the more we can become similar to the Imam during our lifetime and acquire his qualities, the more we will be attracted to the Imam and his government after his advent. The defining characteristic of those who are the true awaiters of the Imam is that their level of piety and way of life closely resemble and conform to that of Imam Mahdi himself (PBUH).

[1]. 28:5

[2]. 9:33

[3]. 61:8

[4]. Nasser Makaram Shirazi. Tafsir Nemooneh, vol. 13, p. 564.

[5]. Mahmud al-Alusi. Tafsir al-Alusi, vol. 9, p. 97.

[6]. The “Second Phase of the Revolution” Statement (Feb 11, 2019)

[7]. Imam Khamenei speech, 2017/1/5