The 6th Imam As-Sadiq (peace be upon him) has narrated that the 4th Imam Ali ibn Husain (peace be upon him) used to gather his companions on coming of Sha’ban, and used to tell them that " this month (Sha’ban) is the month of the Holy Prophet (saww), so fast for the love of your Prophet (saww) and Qurbat of your Lord."
EVE OF THE 15TH SHA’BAN DUA AL - `ARIDA.
On the eve of 15th Sha’ban, this is the eve of the birth of the 12th Imam, al-Mahdi (peace be upon him). Write a supplication addressed to the Imam of the Time in which after renewing your allegiance to him, put down any legitimate need you want fulfilled. Then, after perfuming this letter, wrap it in cotton or cover it with clean clay and throw it in flowing water, like that of a river, sea, canal, lake or well. You make the Imam’s chief deputy, al-Husayn ibn Ruh, your intercede. God willing your wish will be fulfilled. The content of this supplication, known as the dua al- `arida, is given below:
"O Husayn ibn Ruh, peace be on you. I bear witness that you died in the way of God and surely you are living and getting your sustenance from God. I have surely addressed you as if you are living a life which has been endowed to you by God, the Most Glorious and Majestic, and this is my letter and my need which I have expressed to our Master, peace be on him, hence, convey it to him; you are trustworthy and honest."
Believers to actively prepare for a global change.
According to Muslim historians, 15th Sha’ban of 255 AH corresponds to the date when the Unlimited Wisdom of the Almighty willed the birth of the future Saviour of mankind to take place.
He belongs to the noble lineage of the Prophet Abraham through his son Ishmael and is the 9th grandson of the Holy Prophet of Islam through his beloved daughter Fatimah (peace be on them all).
Due to this noble heritage he possess all the saintly virtues of the Prophets (e.g. burning desire to save mankind from loss, absolute submission and obedience to the Almighty, bravery, wisdom etc…). In addition, his prolonged life apparently gives him the advantage of closely witnessing events in history ( e.g. how governments came to power and then fall in disgrace, how different attempts by human minds to devise systems of government fail to achieve complete social justice, which is the demand of all mankind), which will enable him to successfully plan and mastermind the final global revolution for spreading truth and justice.
Though he is in occultation (whereby he lives like an ordinary human but whose real identity remains hidden), he actively continues to perform duties of guidance, helping the needy, supporting the oppressed, being concerned about the welfare of the masses and recruiting faithful supporters for his mission.
Thus it behooves a believer to actively prepare for such a global change by:
We strongly urge the believers to get actively involved in co-mmemmoration of this momen-tous event. Some of the sugges-ted activities may be:-SELF IMPROVEMENT - a weak faith, undisciplined soul and ignorance will be of no positive benefit to the global mission.
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT- in all spheres – education, culture, welfare, economic strength etc.. otherwise a corrupt society will be wiped out by the invincible forces of TRUTH.
Children should be encouraged to participate in activities to raise awareness about the Saviour (The Imam of the Present Age).
The smaller ones may celebrate the occasion by:
Exchanging gifts in the name of the Saviour .
Sing poems.
Read stories about how the Saviour met some faithful to help and guide etc….
Older ones may be encouraged to:
Enter essay/quiz competitions on topics concerning the Saviour.
Carry out community work in the name of the beloved Saviour e.g. visit the sick, needy and to help distribute food, clothings, help handicapped, blind, etc.…
Youths should organise welfare projects to:
Dig shallow well
Renovate/ repair welfare institutions.
Provide government schools with necessary equipments and texts.
Shelter to homeless.
Provide medical facilities.
Sunni brretheren could be invited to commemorative gatherings because all muslim scholars unanimously agree on the Prophetic tradition that the Mahdi will arise from my progeny to spread justice after tyranny has endulged the planet.
Christian bretheren could be invited to participate in this auspicious occasion in the advent of the Saviour – they believe in the coming of Christ from heaven to establish the kingdom of God, but we additionally believe he will be a follower of the MAHDI.
Servants and workers at home, shop, factory, etc… could be given a `bonus’ in cash or a grant for their economic improvement in the long run, in the name of the Saviour.
Neighbours, relatives, friends could arrange programmes/ activities to educate themselves about this global mission and their duties.
Learned members of the community could hold lectures, group discussions, question answer sessions etc… to raise awareness of the less learned about the MAHDI.
LADIES play a very important role as far as creating awareness is concerned to our children at home. They could decorate their houses, make the kids wear good clothes, also make a birthday cake for our Imam. Ask their kids to make cards for their Imam, give gifts/ presents to their kids, give sadqa/ charity.
The list is endless but the purpose is to make yourself and your children aware of the presence of our Holy Imam (A.F.)
