Although belief in the existence of a living imam who is the intermediary of divine favor and guidance creates a more beautiful and dynamic perspective and relationship towards spiritual matters, but considering the consensus of all Muslims about the appearance and rising of the promised Mahdi (aj), and even considering the identical perspective of followers of Abrahamic, divine, and spiritual religions regarding the coming of a savior, it seems that debate and dispute about the differences and details of this subject brings no benefit and in practice produces no change in our life today.
Whether they are Twelver Shias or followers of any of the Sunni schools, and even those who consider themselves followers of religions other than Islam, anyone who believes in God’s promise about the final victory of truth over falsehood and the appearance of humanity’s savior, if they truly think about peace, justice, and morality and consider the main reason for their waiting to be achieving such values, must manifest the tangible effect and result of this belief in their life and behavior, and their effort and pursuit in the field of peace, morality, and justice will not be very different from followers of other schools.
Therefore, the first step in the path of waiting for the savior’s appearance is that those who await him should be kind to one another and, while remaining faithful to their own beliefs, respect the beliefs of others and instead of engaging in fruitless debates and disputes about controversial details, focus their attention on human and spiritual commonalities. Then each person, based on the beliefs they have in this field, should strive to prepare for the coming of the promised one whom all truth-seekers in the world await and prepare themselves to help him. In this context, certainly those who consider their imam alive and aware of their condition will make more effort and benefit from the spiritual connection with him.
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The above content was published on 20/3/2025 on Imam Ali (AS) Foundation Library