فصلنامه انتظار موعود
سال نوزدهم شماره 65 (تابستان 1398)

In religious researches, the “conceptology” of words are considered to be essential; because, entering the main topics is resulted from it. The conceptology of the word “awaiting” as the main issue of this research, is essential in analyzing and explaining the discussions related to Messianism; because, the incorrect and incomprehensible use of this word causes fallacy and confusion in the subject and digression from the discussion. With a descriptive-analytic method, this article is an attempt to identify and define the structure of awaiting, during which, in addition to conceptology, a detailed study of the applied and idiomatic purport and its place in the whole semantic system is carried out and at the end, we reach this result that the structure of awaiting in the principles of the Islamic thought includes a sensual state and a spiritual quality which indicates the attention, desire, and fulfillment of a good deed that is imminent. If the word “awaiting” in its high meaning is correctly interpreted and defined, it promotes the spiritual and ethical vitality and guarantees a bright future and eternal prosperity for human beings.

“Social vitality” is one of the most important concepts in the field of social psychology, which results in the prevention of social harms and the progress of individuals and society towards the desired perfection. Social theorists cite several factors in the social vitality, the most important of which are “social participation”, “the feeling of satisfaction”, and “the feeling of hope”. The main question of the present study is what the relationship is between the real awaiting and social vitality in the viewpoint of the Supreme Leader. In his view, the real awaiting will lead to the realization of the three factors of social vitality more than before. The tendency to create social changes, active participation in political community, and attention to the presence of Imam of the Time (A.S), the happiness feeling created as the result of moving in the direction of lofty goals and the feeling of hope in the waiting society in relation to the realization of a bright future for the human kind are the characteristics of a waiting society. These characteristics are effective in the realization of the three factors of social vitality. The present study, with a descriptive-analytic method, is carried out based on library sources. So far, the awaiting theory from the perspective of the Supreme Leader has not been studied from this aspect.

Deviated perceptions of the issue of “awaiting” lead to misbehaviors, including a sense of shirking and abandoning the duties. This paper seeks to answer this question what kind of deviated perceptions exist in the matter of awaiting and how one can criticize these perceptions. The method of collecting the contents of this research is library-based and their processing is based on the descriptive-analytic method. This paper points the deviations such as silence, being bound to the house, abandonment of religious and Mahdavi duties, abandonment of enjoining what is good and forbidding what is bad, preparation of the ground for sin for the appearance of Imam Mahdi (AS). Then, these views are offered to the viewpoints of the Supreme Leader and finally, these deviations are rejected. He deems self-improvement, getting ready and the feeling of being responsible necessary for the realization of Mahdavi government and the fight against oppression and tyranny, and believes we should prepare the ground for the appearance of Imam and the establishment of a global government.

In some of the Islamic narrations, there is a talk about the “maturity of the human society in the age of Appearance”. Analysis of the theories on the howness of realization of maturity, with a descriptive-analytic method, is the main purpose of this paper. The qualitative analysis and the aggregation of the findings are carried out in two ways: “the rational-logical” method, and “the narrative-revelatory” method. The two views of “individualism” and “socialism” are presented in relation to the quality of realization of social maturity. Individualism considers the evolution of human intellect as an individual matter and the achievement of non-human instruction. Socialism introduces the evolution as the product of human and sensory instruction and education. Individualism faces the challenge of lack of explanation of social changes, the acceptance of miracles of evolution, and the doubt of delay in the appearance (of Imam). Therefore, the consequences of the model acceptance, preparation of the ground (for the appearance of Imam), the formation of the religious government, the creation of Islamic civilization, dynamism and mobility, hope and constructive awaiting are related to the theory of socialism, none of which is achieved in individualism.

Orientalists and Western scholars have been interested in the subject of Mahdism and its place in the Islamic beliefs for over 150 years. They have been active in this field. A look at some of the scientific works of these Orientalists indicates such changes and evolution in the reports. Considering some of the indicators, the viewpoint of scholars and Western writers about Mahdism can be divided into four periods. Examining the process of evolution in their views in the fourth and the last period (2001-now) is the subject of the present paper. The current paper is prepared based on the descriptive-analytic method and is in the form of “exploratory” research. After categorizing and mentioning the most important views of the Orientalists in the field of Mahdism in this period, various analysis and statistics in relation to the type and volume of topics have been used and some of other statistics, including the nationality of Orientalists in this period are presented.

“Seyyed Kazem Rashti”, as the most important figure among the leaders of Sheikhieyeh (after Shaykh Ahmad Ehsaee) and the promoter of Shaykhism, believed that Imams (A.S) are the agent cause in the system of creation and the doer of all things, including the creation and provision in sustenance in the whole world. Rashti has stated this view based on the teachings and beliefs of his own teacher Ehsaee, and tried to document it, and considered some of the narrative reasons to support this theory. However; the evaluation and examination of these sources show that his documents are invalid and have not been taken from a credible source or their contents do not confirm his views. Muhammad Karim Khan Kermani, the other leader of Shaykhism and the student of Seyyed Kazem Rashti, has written a few things in his works to promote his teachers and Shaykhism thoughts to explain the view of considering the Imam as the agent cause. In order to prove this theory, he used the narrative and rational reasons and the examination of these reasons showed that Kermani’s documents cannot be cited. As the result, the arguments of Rashti and Kermani for considering the Imams as the agent cause is invalid and as the result, it is unacceptable. In some cases, their views prepare the ground for the exaggerating of the Sheykhism leaders.