What can we do when the sun is behind the clouds and all the creatures are drowned in darkness? We shall wait. How about the time when the essence of goodness and God’s last is out of reach and hidden?
Surely awaiting is the only way. We are waiting eagerly to see him and our zealous hearts are beating fast to feel his presence; in this awaiting we fell our hearts restless and in this being restless the word “awaiting” gets its exact meaning. Surely awaiting for the beloved is as sweet as honey if we know who he is and why we are waiting.

The Truth of Awaiting:
Awaiting includes a range of meanings. To wait for someone to come or something to happen is of various values with different effects on our lives. It is not just a feeling but a reaction to our inside feelings; a reaction which initiates a new movement. That is why in Hadiths, awaiting is referred to as the best deed of his faithful. To wait for something to happen makes one walk in a straight way with specific purpose and toward his goal. So that he shall reach it at the end.
Awaiting is not sitting idle and waiting for something to happen without making any effort and regretfully thinking. About is the awaiting for Imam Mahdi (p.b.u.h.) and his global government. This unique event which had not happened before is so perfect and wonderful that awaiting for that is the best deed of Muslims; as the holy prophet (p.b.u.h.) says:
“The Best deed of my people [= Muslims] is the awaiting for [his] deliverance.”
According to this Hadith and many other Hadiths, awaiting is the one proof by which all other deeds shall be accepted by Allah.
Imam Sadeq (p.b.u.h.) said to his apostles:
“Do you want me to inform you of something without which God does not accept any of your deeds? “Tell us, our Lord!” they said. “To testify that Allah is one and Unique, the holy prophet, Mohammad (p.b.u.h.) is His messenger; and to accept His orders, our velayat (guardianship), and to deny our foes, and obey us [=Imam], and to be pious and virtuous and awaiting for our Upholder’s deliverance.”
Therefore, awaiting holds specific features, which should be completely understood to reveal its importance. Here we mention some of those specific features.

Specific features of Awaiting for Imam Mahdi (p.b.u.h.):
Waiting is something natural which happens in most of our lives, but that is a usual phenomenon which is of less importance in comparison with Awaiting for a promised Savior. Waiting for someone to come is something and Awaiting for Mahdi (p.b.u.h.) is something else.
Awaiting for Imam Mahdi (p.b.u.h.) is as old as the universe. For thousands of years all prophets promised he will come one day and shall make the world full of justice, and later, our Imams (p.b.u.t) have mentioned they wished to be at his time and see his government Sadeq (p.b.u.h.) says:
“If I could see him, I would serve him the rest of my life.”
Awaiting for Imam Mahdi (p.b.u.h.) is waiting for the savior of the world, who establishes the government of justice in the world and fulfils all the goodness. Since we have not seen such a time and history does not remember this happy time and besides, we naturally wait for our Utopia, awaiting for Mahdi (p.b.u.h.) is the path we all take. Imam Mahdi (p.b.u.h.) is the one who brings justice, spirituality, brother hood, equality, safety, peace and development to humanity and cleans the earth of slavery, cruelty and corruption.
The Awaiting for Imam Mahdi shall be finished just when the conditions for his reappearance are prepared. It means all humanity should get prepared for its savior and we seek the ways to make his deliverance closer. However, when he comes we should help him conquer the evil and he does not miraculous ways or just divine power to overcome the foes. When we consider our role in his revolution and wait for the day to follow our great leader, our lives will be more purposeful and our hearts will be filled with eagerness to be waiting for his deliverance. All these are just tip of ice burg and awaiting for Imam Mahdi (p.b.u.h.) holds more important features which comes from the depth of our hearts and during centuries of occultation have followed us toward his deliverance. Therefore, it is our duty to recognize the importance of awaiting and explore the duties of his true followers as they await for him.

Different Aspects of Awaiting:
Human being has various dimensions which can be studied particularly as theoretical or experimental, social or individual, physical or mental. In all these dimensions we need a framework which specifies best way for us and helps us avoid the wrong ways. This framework is the “Awaiting”.
Awaiting for the savior of the world affects us in all dimensions. It saves our basic beliefs which are the foundation of our deeds. In other words, to keep the basis of our beliefs, we should have strong faith in coming of Imam Mahdi (p.b.u.h.), for the length of his occultation ends in disbelief of some Shiites and just the real believers hold their belief about Imam Mahdi (p.b.u.h.)
Imam Baqer says:
“There shall be a time when Imam (of the time) will be hidden and good for those who sustain on our word [velayat]
Therefore, when the foes try to deceive Shiites of we stay as faithful servants of God and true Shiites, we can hold our beliefs.
Practically, awaiting directs our deeds toward the find destination. The expectant ones should so their best in order to prepare the world for Imam Mahdi (p.b.u.h.)’s deliverance: i.e. to be ready and make the society ready for the promised day. Every individual improves his morality his morality and tries to gain more virtues, and besides practices to improve his strength and physical conditions to be a useful soldier in the war against the Evil. Imam Sadeq (p.b.u.h.) says:
“Those eager to be followers and apostles of Imam Mahdi (p.b.u.h.) should await for him and be pious and virtuous.”
Awaiting moves one forward and connects him to all members of the society. It is not only effective in one’s individual life, but also in one’s social life. In other words it makes individuals to be effective in their society and since one condition for Imam Mahdi (p.b.u.h.)’s deliverance is readiness of the whole society for the rule of Allah; every one tries to reform the society and remove the corruptions. The expectants do not keep silent when there is a corruption in the society and theoretically and practically try to walk in the right path.
Finally, awaiting is like “holy water” which flows over the expectant and the society and baptizes his life. In fact what can be better than to be baptized by Allah? As we see in Koran, 2/138:
“This is indeed God’s Baptism and who is surely better than God to Baptize?”
Therefore, if we try to be baptized by Allah and gain virtues during our lives and wait for Imam Mahdi (p.b.u.h.), the sweet responsibilities of the expectants shall be so easy. In this case we should consider how much our responsibility is and if we are good soldiers for our Imam. Do we really obey whatever he orders? Do we really know our duties?


Duties of Expectants:
There are many duties mentioned in Hadiths. Here are some of them.

I. To know Imam
If you want to take the road of awaiting, you should know who wait at the end of the rood for you. You keep your way toward Imam Mahdi (p.b.u.h.) if you know exactly who he really is. You should know his name and his fathers and besides his position and place.
“Abu Naser, one of Imam Hassan Askari (p.b.u.h.)’s servants went to Imam Mahdi (p.b.u.h.) – before his Occultation – Imam Mahdi (p.b.u.h.) asked him: “Do you know me?” “Yes”, He answered: “you are my lord and my lord’s son.” Imam said: “No, not like this.” So what do you mean?” He said. “I am the last successor the holy prophet (p.b.u.h.) and God saves my family and my Shiites from disasters for my sake.” Imam responded.
When you know your Imam completely, you are one of his true followers ready for his reappearance.
Imam Baqer (p.b.u.h.) says:
“If one dies while he knows his Imam, does not lose anything. He is like a soldier in Imam’s army and the matter – reappearance – being close or far does not make any difference for him.
The matter of knowing Imam is so important that our Imams have ordered us to ask cod for help to know him. Imam Sadeq (p.b.u.h.) said:
“At the time of long occultation of Imam Mahdi (p.b.u.h.), those who follow the wrong path [in religion and faith] doubt about him. Zarare, one of his best apostles, said: “what should I do if I see that day?”
Imam Sadeq (p.b.u.h.) said:
“pray to Allah like this: “Oh God! Show me your truth and make me know your truth, for if you don’t show me your truth, I won’t know your holy prophet; God! Let me know your holy prophet, for if you don’t make me know your proof, for if you don’t make me know your proof I will go astray in my faith.”
All these – which were previously explained in chapter one – are about the position Imam in universe and knowing his place. He is God’s proof and true successor of the holy prophet and leader of the whole world who we should all obey, for he orders God’s rules.
Another aspect in knowing Imam is knowing his characteristics which are so important that affects all behavior and deeds of the expectants, and we will discuss it in the following chapter. The more we know our Imam, the more he affects all parts of our lives.

II. To follow Imam as a model:
When you know your Imam, you will follow him as your model. The holy prophet (p.b.u.h.) says:
“How lucky are those who meet our Upholder while they have followed his fathers and denied their foes. They are my friends and followers and the best of my people”.
Those who follow Imam Mahdi (p.b.u.h.) in piety, worship, patience, charity and simplicity and all virtues are the best of his people and they will meet him proudly, those who wait for the best event in the universe will surely try to do their best in avoiding evil and being careful about their deeds.
Otherwise, if we stuck in evil and destruction, we will lose the chance to get closer to our Imam. Imam Mahdi (p.b.u.h.) says:
“Nothing separates our Shiites from us except those deeds which we don’t like and don’t expect them to do such things.”
All expectants like to participate in the revolution Imam Mahdi (p.b.u.h.) is going to make and to follow him. This is possible just by being pious and virtuous.
Imam Sadeq (p.b.u.h.) says:
“Those who like to be of Upholder (p.b.u.h.)’s followers should await for him and in the meantime be pious and virtuous.”
However, no one is better than Imam Mahdi (p.b.u.h.) as a model to be followed.

III. To Remember Imam:
What helps us know him better and follow him and remain loyal to him is to remember him all the time and keep in touch with him all the moments of our lives.
On the other hand, when our Imam never forgets us and observes us all the time, is it fare that we forget him and claim to love him. If we claim to be loyal to him and to love him more than any body else, we should consider him prior to everything, even ourselves, when praying, we should pray for his health and deliverance, for he said:
“pray for my Deliverance, for that is your relief.”
We should always pray:
“Oh, God! Be Lord and Guardian, Leader and supporter, and Guide and observer to your proof, Mahdi: Ibn Al – Hassan, peace be upon him and his fathers, now in this very moment and all the time, until the time that you deliver him to earth willingly and let us benefit from him for a long time.”
A real expectant gives charity and at first considers his Imam’s health and all moments of his life cries:
“It is so difficult for me to see others but not to see you”
He joins meetings which are in his remembrance and visits places attributed to him as sahleh and Jamkaran mosques and the holy cellar in Samerah. And at last as the best relation between the expectant and his Imam, he renews his vow to his Imam to be loyal and faithful and says:
“Oh, Lord! I renew my vow to him this morning and all the days and swear not to break the vow and remain loyal to him. Oh, Lord! Let me be one of his supporters and defender and one of those who hurry to help him and obey him and follow him and those who get killed by his side.”
If you say these words all the time and believe in this vow deeply, you will never fail pave his path and prepare the conditions for his deliverance and finally become appropriate to be one of his supporters. Imam Sadeq (p.b.u.h.) says:
“Those who say this pledge for forty mornings shall be of our Upholder’s supporters and if they die before the time of his deliverance, God takes them out of the grave to support him…”

IV. To Demonstrate Unity and Solidarity:
After considering the individual duties, we should prepare the world and make a unanimous society for his deliverance. In other words, real expectants fulfill their duties to pave the path for his deliverance.
Imam Mahdi (p.b.u.h.) says:
“If our Shiites – that God may help them in their way to obey Him – remain loyal to their vow and stay solid and unanimous, they won’t wait for so long to visit me and will surely visit me with complete knowledge about me.”
This vow is mentioned in Koran and Hadiths and now we explain it a little more:
1. They make all efforts to follow Imams and they love their friends and hate their foes.
Imam Baqer (p.b.u.h.) narrates from the holy prophet (p.b.u.h.):
“How lucky are those who meet our Upholder while they have followed his fathers and denied their foes. They are my friends and followers and the best of my people”
2. They are not ignorant to heresies and wrong beliefs and corruptions in the society and react to the neglect of God’s traditions and moralities. The holy prophet (p.b.u.h.) says:
“There shall be some among people [at the end of days] who will be reworded like pioneers of my time. They order to good and admonish from evil, and fight with followers of evil deeds.”
3. All members of an expectant society should cooperate with each other and during difficult times help each other to keep the society unanimous. They avoid self – centeredness and dogmatism and help the poor. Some Shiites went to Imam Baqer (p.b.u.h.) and asked him to advise them. He said:
“If you are strong, help the weak ones, and if rich, help the poor, and be benevolent to each other.”
This cooperation and helping each other shall not be limited to your neighborhood, but you should help all the people in your city and other cities. In this case no one feels separated from others.
4. Those who await for Imam Mahdi (p.b.u.h.) should expand all aspects of life according to his words and orders and recall his name in order to be remembered all the time in the society.
Abdol Hamid Vaseti, one of Imam Baqer (p.b.u.h.)’s disciples said to him: “My lord! We have donated all our lives for waiting for the deliverance and relief so it has caused some difficulties for some of us.” Imam said to him: “Abdol Hamid! Do you think that those who donate their lives to God, He leaves them alone and does not help them in difficulties? No, it is not this way! I swear to God that He shows him a solution and may God bless those who keep our word.”
As the last word let us mention that people who wait for their Imam should try to be a good model for other societies in all aspects of life and prepare everything for deliverance of Imam Mahdi (p.b.u.h.)

Results of Awaiting:
Some suppose awaiting for the savior of the world makes people indifferent to circumstances and since they expect a reformer to come and change the situation and remove all evil and corruptions, they remain silent and do not react to crimes and impurities. But this is a naive analysis. Awaiting is the reason to move forward and based on previous chapters about specific features of awaiting and high position Imam Mahdi holds, we should consider that awaiting creates a purposeful movement which pushes the expectants ahead. As the expectants move forward to the truth of awaiting, they move faster to their final destination.
People who wait for Imam Mahdi (p.b.u.h.) are not self centered and count themselves as a part of Islamic society. So they do their best to reform the society and remove all evil. A society which includes such faithful members moves toward promoting virtues and hope. There, all people who expect the bright future, and have not been affected by the widespread evil and corruption in the society, with their strong faith wait for their savior and Imam and so not follow the army of evil. They so not get disappointed nor surrender and they remain patient.
Now, what school or religion can you find which draws such a bright road ahead; the road to be taken for God’s sake and He shall reward them.

Rewards for Expectants:
How can we count the high rewards which expectants of Imam Mahdi (p.b.u.h.) are going to receive? They are the saved ones and how lucky are the true expectants! In many Hadiths we see the high position and rewards that true expectants, shall receive. Imam Sadeq (p.b.u.h.) says:
“How lucky are Shiites of our Upholder who wait for his deliverance and when he reappears, they obey him. They are God’s friends and inherit no fear or sorrow.”
They should be so proud that are called “God’s friends” and shall never “inherit fear or sorrow”.
Imam Sajad (p.b.u.h.) says:
“One who sustains on our velayat (guardianship) at the time of Occultation, shall be rewarded a thousand times more than martyrs of Badr and Ohod”
Surely such true faithful are like pioneers of Islam who fought by the holy prophet’s side and got killed for God’s sake.
Imam Sadeq (p.b.u.h.) says:
“If one of you [= Shiites], who waits for deliverance of Imam Mahdi (p.b.u.h.) dies, is like a member of his army! Then he paused for some moments and continued: “No! He is like a member of the holy prophet’s army who fought for Islam.”
Then he said: “No! I swear to God he is like martyrs who got killed by the holy prophet’s side.”
We all know that pioneers of Islam who helped the holy prophet (p.b.u.h.) during his difficult times possess a high place and the holy prophet (p.b.u.h.) called them his brothers and true friends.
Imam Baqer (p.b.u.h.) says:
“One day the holy prophet (p.b.u.h.) in the presence of his apostles said: “Oh Lord! Show me my brother!” And then he repeated this sentence. They said: “Oh! Our lord! Aren’t we your brothers?” “No” He responded. “You are my apostles, but my brothers are those at the end of days who believe in me while have never seen me. God has informed me of their names and their fathers’ names…
They are so strong and firm in their belief that forcing them to reject their faith is more difficult than holding a flame of fire in your hand or taking out a bush of locoweed in the darkness of night. They are torches of guidance and God saves them from evil.”
And the holy prophet (p.b.u.h.) says:
“How lucky are those who meet our Upholder while they have followed his fathers and denied their foes. They are my friends and followers and the best of my people.”
They shall be rewarded more and God himself calls them the best servants and it shows their high position.
Imam Baqer (p.b.u.h.) says:
“A time shall come when [your] Imam will be hidden; so how lucky are those who stay steadfast in their loyalty to us. Surely the least reward that they receive is God’s call on them saying: “oh! My servants! You have believed in my secret [and my hidden proof] and approved him so I thereby announce that you shall receive my good rewards, for you are my true servants. I accept your deeds and forgive your sins. I send my rain to earth just because of you and remove all catastrophes and I indeed would have sent my divine retribution to the sinful if you were not among others.”
Certainly, real expectants wait for their Imam’s deliverance for God’s sake and shall be satisfied only with visiting their Lord. They wait for the day when all their troubles are finished and they join Allah and He gives them his promised grace. How adorable is that moment!
Imam Kazem (p.b.u.h.) says:
“How lucky are our Shiites who stay steadfast on our velayat [guardianship] and deny our foes when our Upholder is hidden. They are of us and we are of them. The accepted our Imamate and it pleased them, so we accept their friendship and we are pleased.
How lucky are they! I swear to God that on the Judgment Day, they are with us and sit by our sides.”