We Shi’a have been anticipating the advent of the Awaited Savior Imam Mahdi (atfs) since it was promised to us centuries ago. Part of complete faith is to believe in his coming and his establishment of justice through the authority given to him by Allah (swt). The best spiritual state is to be in constant anticipation of his reappearance, and to pray for his time to be near. When we behave as if he can witness our actions — indeed, he not only witnesses but is affected by them as well — we live our lives to its highest and best potential.
What can we as women do in anticipation of Imam Mahdi’s (atfs) arrival? During his occultation, our roles don’t differ that much from men’s: we are all believers and servants of Allah (swt), and when we live life morally, modestly, humanely, and courageously, we make both our Lord and our Imam proud of us and pleased. When we fail to do so, we disappoint them both.
When Imam Mahdi (atfs) establishes justice in the world, the oppression of women and the regression of their status in the modern world will be set aright. His (atfs) revolution will overturn global corruption and unify the believers under the banner of true Islam, where true peace and mercy can be practiced. The elevated status of women will be returned to the oppressed, belittled, objectified women of today, who have been mistreated even by Muslims and those who claim to be religious. Under the merciful guardianship of Imam Mahdi (atfs), hearts are revealed for what they truly are, so no oppressor who claims to be a believer can have authority over the powerless.
Cultivating our hearts to be pure and earnest is the most important thing we can do, both for our own spiritual wellbeing and for the future service to our Imam. We women have strong intuition and firm humanity. We have been gifted the unique perception that the male-dominated world can really benefit from, and our compassion and mercy is analogous to Al-Rahman’s. There’s nothing that we cannot do in service for Allah swt, as long as it doesn’t compromise our faith, dignity, family, and modesty. We can work together with our brothers in building a community of righteous believers ready to serve the Imam of our Time (atfs).
The following Hadiths concern the role of women after the advent Imam Mahdi (atfs): Ja’far al-Ju’afi narrates from Imam Muhammad b. ‘Ali al-Baqir (ع): “The Mahdi will rise up … along with 313 men and fifty women without any previous arrangement among themselves, like separate clouds clustering in the sky, one after another. This is the meaning of the verse where Allah says, ‘Wherever you may be, Allah will gather you together. Allah is capable of all things.’ (Surat al-Baqarah (2), Verse 148)
“They will pledge their allegiance to the Mahdi between the Black Stone (of the Ka’bah) and the Station of Ibrahim, and the Mahdi will rise up with them from Mecca.” (Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 52, pg. 223)
‘Abd Allah bin Bukayr narrates from Humran bin A’yan who narrates from Imam Muhammad b. ‘Ali al-Baqir (ع): “In the Age of the Mahdi, knowledge will be so pervasive that even a woman in her house will judge according to the Book of Allah and the sunnah of the Prophet.” (Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 52 pg. 352)
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