Who Is the True Awaiter? An Active Architect, Not Just a Simple Spectator
Awaiting is beyond a mere attribute; it is a dynamic and conscious state of human existence. This word is rooted in a profound insight that links the desire for perfection to daily action. Being a true awaiter is not stagnation, but rather focusing of inner energy on achieving a great and valuable goal, a point where the rejection of the status quo is replaced by creating the desired state. This readiness is not solely about the advent of the promised savior; it is a heartfelt inclination. The true awaiter is not someone who sits idly by and does nothing.
Who is the true awaiter? Someone who strives in their daily life to make their world similar to the ideal world they are awaiting. They do not just wait for a just government to be established; rather, by reforming their heart and changing their behavior, increasing awareness, and fighting against global arrogance, they pave the way for that future. To put it simply, the true awaiter is someone who helps the advent of Imam Mahdi (Peace be upon him) occur by living righteously and striving to build a better society and world. This readiness is a continuous process, meaning that every step we take to acquire a sound heart and every light we shed on the darkness of ignorance and oppression makes our role in realizing the ultimate promise more prominent.
Based on what we said, we can better understand who is the true awaiter? The true awaiter is not merely an observer, but an active individual who takes action to build the promised era and whose presence is a manifestation of their eternal hope. The true awaiter believes that justice is not merely a heavenly decree, but a decision we make on this very earth and remind ourselves of it every day. This true awaiting transforms the awaiter into a bridge between what is and what should be, a bridge that requires daily repair and reinforcement through faith and action. Ultimately, the answer to the question “Who is the true awaiter?” is that the true awaiter is someone who, by imagining a small version of Heaven and building it in a society, prepares the world for the realization of that larger picture. The method of building this small version of Heaven by the true awaiter is carried out through a revolution in their inner and outer worlds. To attain the esteemed rank of a true awaiter, an individual must actively cultivate qualities such as struggling against the ego, self-improvement, striving in the way of God, transforming their lifestyle, and offering urgent prayer. Through constant practice, these traits become a deeply ingrained disposition (malakah) within their soul.
Self-improvement and the Transformation of the Heart
The most important and valuable characteristic of the true awaiter, which acts as the supporting pillar for their other traits and solidifies their personality, is self-improvement and guarding the soul. Without this characteristic, which leads to acquiring a sound heart and purifying the soul, all their other traits are meaningless and ineffective, so much so that sooner or later it will throw them out of the circle of true awaiters. Self-improvement and creating individual heartfelt readiness play the most important role in removing the obstacles to the advent of the Promised Savior and establishing the new global civilization. This issue is so serious and vital that divine and global civilization-building is impossible without individual self-improvement. Those who have a desire to achieve the status of a true awaiter must know the specific characteristics of Islamic civilization and, through willpower, effort, practice, endurance, and persistence, reach this standard character trait in the new global civilization. Otherwise, they will never be able to push aside the inefficient, obsolete, and corrupt civilizations of the world and replace them with a divine and humane civilization because the promised new civilization has a specific social order, and this society is formed by each and every one of us individually.
The reason the advent of Imam Mahdi (May Allah hasten his advent) has been delayed for centuries is that Shiites and those who claim they are the true awaiters have not engaged in self-improvement and guarding the soul in a serious and principled manner, and have not met the standards of the Islamic civilization. If we are eager to know who the true awaiter is and how we can become true awaiters, we must first acquire sufficient knowledge for self-improvement, such as self-knowledge, knowing God, knowing the Imam, knowing Satan, and knowing the Straight Path. After learning these important subjects from the proper sources and in the right way, it is time to put them into practice. This means a true awaiter must cultivate divine and noble human traits within themselves until those traits become an ingrained part of their character. If they continue this process consistently, over time, their life becomes more similar to that of the infallible Imam. The effort to emulate the Imam must continue until it qualifies the individual to pave the way for his advent, and ultimately, to serve within the Noble Rule of the Righteous. Who is the true awaiter? The true awaiter is someone who has well understood that they must choose a lifestyle that is in accordance with the End-Times lifestyle; they improve their eating habits and get enough exercise to maintain a healthy body and soul. This is because they need to have a healthy body and soul in the breathtaking battle at the End Times to prepare the ground for the advent of the Savior.
Striving for the Awakening of the People and Global Revolution
So far, we have addressed the answer to the question, “Who is the true awaiter?” From a specific perspective, however, these statements are not enough. The multidimensional personality of the true awaiter has other aspects as well. A true awaiter is someone who, alongside working on self-improvement and personal growth, engages in purposeful efforts to introduce the true religion to the people of the world. A person who realizes that the Imam’s presence is essential to fulfilling the purpose of creation truly defines themselves as human; thus, they possess a profound desire to guide the people of the world toward yearning for the Imam. Such a person cannot be indifferent to the fate of others. So they strive seriously to make people connect with their Imam. The true awaiter first develops divine attributes within themselves, and then, to the best of their ability, strives to instill these attributes in other members of society.
Therefore, the true awaiter is constantly engaged in a struggle. The first step in this struggle is self-improvement. The next step is helping to awaken others by introducing the Imam. Since the most leaders and politicians of today’s world are the commanders of Satan’s front and they can impose power on many arenas, they will struggle with all their might to prevent the religion of God from ruling over the world. The righteous and pure ones of the End Times have no choice but to become highly powerful in most arenas. Unlike the party of Satan, they make progress in various fields of science with the intention of establishing a divine government.
Thus, the true awaiter is someone who constantly strives to succeed in various fields—belief and faith, science, economics, politics, military, etc. Of course, the true awaiter is always certain that the key to all success lies in the blessed hands of Imam Mahdi (Peace be upon him). They also believe that without the will of God, none of these achievements will be realized; however, they are obligated to strive and struggle in this direction.
Sense of Urgency and Urgent Prayer
The true awaiter has reached such a profound level of self-knowledge that they know full well they never achieve perfection without the infallible Imam. They have realized that they were not born merely to get married, become a parent, get a job, upgrade their education, and spend their entire life chasing these matters. The true awaiter is aware of the spirit that God has breathed into them and seeks a way to realize their full potential. The true awaiter has managed to preserve the humanity within themselves through piety and self-improvement. This understanding has caused them to feel an intense need for an infallible divine mentor and expert to reach the status of God’s deputy on earth.
Since the true awaiter, through self-improvement and purifying the soul, has achieved great similarity to God and the Imam, they have fallen in love with them and feel a sense of urgency to join them, just like someone who has lost their child or a loved one. So the true awaiter also begs God from the bottom of their heart to hasten the advent of the Savior. They have freed themselves from their ego, insignificant earthly beloveds, sins, and have overcome spiritual diseases. It is because of this purity of the soul that they love the Imam and feel sad for his griefs. They find themselves absolutely poor before God and desperately ask Him for their own Savior and the Savior of the world. This very fact is the source of their compassion and insight to find a way to save the world.
The true awaiter is a person who is compassionate, sympathetic, and kind toward all the people of the world, not just a specific group. Their heart beats for all who suffer—the poor, the defenseless, and the oppressed of the world. So they see the only way of salvation for themselves and all the people of the world in urgent prayer, individually or globally.