May this auspicious festivity be a blessed one for all Muslims of the world and downtrodden people of the world, and especially for our nation. What I would like to relay to you today is the different versions of the concept of expectation for reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi. I will touch on a few of them. Some people hold: that they should sit and pray in the mosque, at the husayniyyah and at home and beg God for reappearance of the Imam of the Time (may God's peace be upon him). They are righteous people as they have such a belief. In fact, among them whom I used to know was a very righteous man; he had bought a horse and a sword waiting for the Promised Mahdi (may God's peace be upon him). They used to perform their religious duties as well, enjoining what is good and forbidding what is wrong. However, this was the only thing they did. Apart from this, they did not do any other things; they did not even reflect on such an important dogma.
Another group maintains that expectation means that we should not be concerned with what befalls the world, the nations including ours. We should not be concerned with these things. We are doing our duty. For preventing these affairs, His Holiness himself would come and set them right; we have no other duty. Our duty is to pray for him to come and not to mind whatever befalls the world or our own country. They were also righteous people.
Another group contends that" the world must be filled with sin so as for His Holiness to come; we should not forbid what is evil; neither should we enjoin what is good so that the people would do whatever they wish. The more the sins, the nearer the reappearance.
Yet another group and a more extreme one believes that" Sins must be committed; people should be urged to commit sins so that the world would be filled with tyranny and oppression, and His Holiness (may God's peace be upon him) would come. This was the most misguided among others. They were narrow-minded and misguided individuals who committed those acts to attain their objectives.
The last group argues that, “Any government that is established at the period of occultation is illegitimate and contrary to Islam." They were arrogant people. Those who were not actors were arrogant on account of some narrations to the effect that,” Any banner hoisted prior to the reappearance of the Imam of the Time, that banner is illegitimate. “They imagined any government. However, the narrations means that anyone government hoisting the banner along al-Mahdi and in the name of Mahdism”.
Now, let us assume that there is really such a tradition. Does it mean that we have no more duties to perform? That is, is it not against the expediency of Islam and the Qur'an that we have to indulge in sin in order for the Prophet and the promised savior to come? For what does the Imam who would reappear? He comes to spread justice; to consolidate the governments and to eliminate corruption. It is contrary to the noble verses of the Qur'an if we refrain from forbidding evil and enjoining good. Should we spread sins so that the Imam's reappearance would speed up? For what the Imam would come? He comes to do the same things. Now, what else is our duty? Does it mean that man has no duty but to call on people to indulge in corruption? According to the opinion of this group some of whom are actors while others ignorant, we have to sit idly and pray for Saddam. Whoever curse Saddam acts in contrast to the expectation and thus delaying the Savior's reappearance! Everybody should pray for Saddam so as to increase this corruption. We should pray for America; we should pray for Soviet Union and we should pray for their puppets such as Saddam and the like so that they would fill the world with tyranny and injustice, paving the ground for the Imam's reappearance. What would the promised Mahdi do after reappearing? He would come to eliminate tyranny and oppression, the same thing that we are doing. Do we pray for the prevalence of tyranny and oppression? The promised savior comes to eliminate the same injustice. In case we have power, we must act and eliminate all the tyrannies and oppressions in the world. It is our religious duty, but we are incapable of doing so. What is certain is that His Holiness will fill the world with justice; it is not that you have to waive your duty; it is not that you have no more duty to perform.
We do have a duty. One who says that government is not necessary means that there should be chaos. If there would be no government in a certain country for a year; if there would be no system in a country, corruption would fill that country in an unprecedented manner. One who says that there should be no government means that there should be chaos. People should kill and oppress one another so that His Holiness would come. For what would he come? In order to eliminate corruption!
This man, making such arguments is clever, if not a fool. If he is not spiteful or if he has not done it for political purpose to deceive us so that we would not mind him anymore so that he would do whatever he wished, then he must be a stupid person!
Sahifeh, vol.21, Page: 12-14
Speech, April 3, 1988