It is clear that if people are receptive to this manifestation of divine grace, they would benefit from all the blessings inherent in his being; but, in the absence of this receptivity, they would be deprived of this blessing, the cause of this deprivation emanating from the people themselves, not from God or the Imam.
The Imam of the Age, having seen the light of day in the year 255 ah, is now over eleven centuries old. In the light of the vast power of God, accepting such a proposition is not difficult; for, in truth, those who find this idea hard to accept forget that the divine power is infinite: And they rate not God at His true worth.
In addition, one should recall that in past communities there were many persons of exceeding old age, such as the Prophet Noah, whose prophetic mission lasted for some 950 years. Indeed, if God, who is omnipotent, can keep the Prophet Jonah alive in the belly of a whale until the Day of Resurrection can He not bestow a long life on the Imam who is His ‘proof’ on earth, sustaining him through His blessings.
and His grace? The answer is clearly in the affirmative. In the words of a poem: Almighty God who does with ease the whole wide world sustain, Can with His Might, should He so please, His proof on earth maintain.
Nobody knows the time when the Imam will appear; this, like the time appointed for the Day of Resurrection, is known only to God. Therefore, one cannot believe anyone who claims to have this knowledge, or who specifies a given period within which the Imam will appear. Leaving aside the question of the precise moment of his appearance, we should note that in certain hadiths, mention is made of general signs indicating his appearance; these are divided into two categories, those that are deemed ‘definite’ and those that are ‘indefinite’. Detailed elaboration on these signs will be found in books of theology and Hadith.
Reasons of Occultation of Shia Twelfth Imam Al Mahdi
