The first condition for the people who are waiting for Imam Mahdi is to get to know him. People do not wait for someone unless they know him and are aware of his good features. People wait for those whom they know well. Even if they know that someone is coming and they do not know him, they do not care and they do not wait for him. The same is true about those who are waiting for Imam Mahdi to come. Those who do not know him, like pagans and followers of other religions, never wait for him. But those do, who know him and are aware of his virtues and good characteristics.
Therefore, the first condition for those who are waiting for Imam Mahdi is that they get to know him.
Of course people get to know the value and greatness of Imam Mahdi more, when they get to know him more and this will cause their thirst for seeing him to increase, while people, who are not aware of the value of Imam Mahdi, never feel the passion for meeting him. Therefore, they cannot be considered among those who are truly waiting for the return of Imam Mahdi.
People could get to know Imam Mahdi in two ways:
1. The historical knowledge about the existence of Imam Mahdi, information like he being the twelfth Imam, his birthday, etc.
2. Getting to know the spiritual position of Imam Mahdi. Not everyone could have this knowledge and it takes much capability. As a matter of fact, Imam Mahdi’s special companions are those who know about the spiritual position he has.
We could read Ziarat Jame’e prayers in order to get to know the greatness of the position of Imams.
More than that, reading authentic books written about Imam Mahdi could make one familiar with the position and greatness of Imam Mahdi to some extent.
Waiting for Imam Mahdi to return is the best thing every Muslim could do, and it is said to be the best prayer. Those who are waiting for Imam Mahdi have a high position and even if they die, they will be rewarded like those who fight for Imam Mahdi after his return.
People who do not know Imam Mahdi, when they die, they die in ignorance, even if they are Muslims. According to Prophet Muhammad, “If someone dies and he does not know the Imam of his time, he is dead with ignorance.”