How to appoint the representatives of Imam Mahdi (aj)

The period of short Absence is one of the important parts of the history of Islam that for some reasons it was not possible for the Shiites to have access to the Infallible Imam and their affairs were organized and managed through representatives appointed by the Imam. How to appoint these representatives by the Imam and the most important criteria for eligibility for their appointment is the subject of this article. The need to discuss this issue becomes clear when we know that the sociopolitical conditions of the Islamic society in that period were very difficult for the Shiites and the ruling political system and its affiliates tried hard to disintegrate the Shiites and cut and restrict their relations with each other and with their leaders. Appointments were made by the direct order of Imam of the Time and the introduction of a new representative by the special representative of the Imam. Appointments were made secretly, often in the form of recommendation letters issued by the Imam For this purpose, conditions had to be provided in advance. Arranging deputies before the death of the former representative, announcing the death of the former representative, informing other representatives and elders of the regions, and the praises that were issued, were among the preparations for the appointment. The most important criteria in the appointments, were secrecy and keeping secrets , scientific and epistemological position and occult knowledge that was given to the representatives through Imam (as). In some cases, the unlikely possibility of representing the person in question was the criterion for appointment. The method of data collection in this research is library and historical reports have been described and analyzed.