The news on Friday, January 24

1. The challenges of working in construction labor

⏰ 8 minutes

2. Special podcast for newcomers

3. Special article for newcomers

4. The Friday that was enjoyable.

⏰ 1 minute

5. Indicators for hiring sales and trade personnel

⏰ 55 minutes

6. Indicators for determining wealthy countries

⏰ 29 minutes

7. Arad Branding in 60 seconds

⏰ 1 minute

8. Business meeting between the representative of Pakistan and Aradi traders, Promotion 9 and above

⏰ 6 minutes

9. When he arrives.

With your permission, dear friends, for the past few weeks, my intention has been to speak on Fridays about Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance) and the relationship we, as traders, have with him and our responsibilities towards him.

When you recite the Dua of Ahd with Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance), there is a part in it where you ask Allah for his appearance. In that part, you express your purpose behind this appearance.

What is your goal for his return?

What do you expect to happen when he comes?

Is it that people will suddenly live in peace without any effort or striving, or is it clear what will occur upon his arrival?

When you start saying these words:

O Allah, hasten the appearance of Your Wali, the son of Your Prophet’s daughter, whose name is the same as Your Messenger’s.”

When you reach this point, you say “Hatta”, meaning “until.”

It signifies that these events will happen after that.

And since the chain of narration of this dua reaches Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) through a continuous and authentic source, there is no doubt that these events will indeed occur.

There is no talk of miracles here, because, as the late Abdul Azim Hasani (may Allah have mercy on him) explained in response to a skeptic who questioned why, when the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mutawakkil destroyed the shrine of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him), Allah didn’t send birds like those in the story of The Elephant & The Army of Ababeel (Quranic Story) to punish him, he said:

“Did Allah send Ababil (flocks of birds) to punish Shimr, Hurmala, and Sinan (may Allah curse them), who killed Imam Hussain (peace be upon him)? Now why would He send Ababil to destroy Mutawakkil, who destroyed the shrine of Hussain (peace be upon him)?”

Then he said something profound: “Miracles ended with the noble life of the Prophet (peace be upon him).

Ali and the family of Ali, if they were to assist the religion of Allah through miracles, they would have no honor or virtue.”

Exactly, this is the issue. Many people imagine Imam Mahdi as some kind of magical genie who will come, and each person will get to make three wishes. Imam Mahdi will simply say, “Okay,” and in the blink of an eye, those wishes will be fulfilled.

But the Prophet, who received divine revelation, did not do such things for the people, so how could the successor of the Prophet (Imam Mahdi) do something like that?

These illusions stem from not truly understanding the Imam.

So, what exactly will Imam Mahdi do when he comes?

Let’s continue with the part of the Dua that references the period after the reappearance.

1. “Until no falsehood will prevail, except that he will tear it apart.”

So, let’s think about this.

Will people not be aware of the falsehoods in their lives?

Isn’t wasting hours watching meaningless TV shows and movies falsehood?

When Imam Mahdi comes, goodbye to all that wasted time.

Aren’t the countless hours people waste scrolling through pointless Instagram clips a form of falsehood?

When Imam Mahdi comes, goodbye to these fake influencers.

So, when you realize which parts of your life are based on falsehood, you should tear them apart yourselves before the responsibility of fixing them falls on your Imam, especially if you claim to love him.

2. “And he will make the truth prevail and establish it.”

Now, on the other hand, which parts of your life are based on truth?

Isn’t seeking knowledge to increase wealth the truth?

It is.

When Imam Mahdi comes, he will establish this truth, and the time that was once wasted on falsehood will be spent on the truth.

Which aspects of your life do you know are based on truth, yet you ignore them, spend little time on them, or neglect them altogether?

When Imam Mahdi comes, all these aspects will be firmly established and brought to fruition.

This is the real change we should expect: a shift from the superficial and misleading to the deep and truthful, a transformation of how we view our lives and what we prioritize. Imam Mahdi will guide us back to those truths we have ignored.

3. “And make him, O Allah, a refuge for Your oppressed servants.”

The reign of every oppressor will come to an end.

All the media outlets that keep people in ignorance, making them unaware of the benefits of wealth and presenting poverty as something sacred, will be shut down, because their oppression against the people and their lives is one of the greatest forms of injustice.

All the speakers who, through promoting Sufi-like ideologies, keep people in poverty and do injustice to them will be removed from their podiums.

The oppressed servants of Allah will be freed from the clutches of every oppressor.

Now that you understand who has wronged the people, and that when Imam Mahdi comes, he will bring them down, start following the right path today. Unfollow those who deceive and misguide.

Prepare yourself before his reappearance, because if this preparation were not necessary, Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) wouldn’t have taught us these lessons. He would have waited for Imam Mahdi to come and take care of everything. But because we’ve been instructed to prepare, it means these changes are inevitable.

4. “And he will assist those who have no one to help them but You.”

Look at the people of Iran.

Don’t you feel like they have no one concerned about their economic welfare and livelihood?

Which media, which official, which company can you name that says, “These people are without help, and my only concern is to assist them”?

Anyone who does this is a true ally of Imam Mahdi.

You know that when the Imam comes, he will assist those who are without help.

Think about the laborer who works at a factory. If the factory halts production, the first thing they do is fire the workers.

Don’t focus on the shameful attitude of the employer; focus on the helplessness and desperation of the worker.

Will the Imam not help this worker when he comes?

Certainly, he will.

So, act ahead of time, and through expanding your exports, lighten the burden for your Imam so that the factory keeps running, and this worker doesn’t lose his job.

5. “And he will restore the rulings of Your Book that have been neglected.”

Take a moment to reflect.

Wasn’t commerce a ruling in the Quran?

Don’t you see it as something neglected in the lives of the people of Iran today?

When Imam Mahdi comes, he will re-establish this neglected ruling.

So, act ahead and ease your Imam’s burden.

Through the prosperity of your businesses and encouraging others to embrace commerce, help awaken them to its true value.

6. “And he will revive what has been forgotten of the signs of Your religion and the traditions of Your Prophet (peace be upon him and his family).”

Wasn’t trade part of the Prophet’s tradition?

Hasn’t this tradition been forgotten?

When Imam Mahdi comes, he will revive all the practices of the Prophet, and one of those is trade.

Isn’t eradicating poverty part of the Prophet’s tradition?

How unfortunate are those who sat with others and said, “Since Imam Ali (peace be upon him) lived in poverty, we should live in poverty too.”

Didn’t they hear this famous narration? Someone came to Imam Ali (peace be upon him) and mentioned his brother’s lifestyle, saying:

“My brother follows you, eating only bread and salt, wearing woolen clothes, and hopes for your intercession on the Day of Judgment.”

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) was disturbed and said: “Our followers are not those who live like us, but those who obey our commands.

Where did I command anyone to live like me?

On the pretext of following me, he has made life difficult for his wife and children, blaming this undesirable behavior on me and turning his acquaintances against me, and then he expects intercession from me?!!!

If I live this way, it is only because I am the ruler of the Muslims, and it is obligatory for a ruler to live at the level of the poorest people, so that the poor of the community can be at ease knowing their leader is like them, and that bearing poverty does not become too difficult for them. However, your brother is not a ruler and lives like me.

Tell him that if he continues to live in this manner and passes away, I will order him to be buried in a cemetery other than that of the Muslims.”

So, woe to those who promote poverty in the name of our noble Imam and distance the youth from their faith and the Ahlul Bayt.

Blessed are those who stand in the frontlines of wealth and dignity through the tradition of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and truly, you are the real waiters for the Imam’s reappearance. You are not sitting idle; rather, you are actively preparing for his arrival, and your lips speak the words: O Allah, hasten the reappearance of Your Wali.

As Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) beautifully said to Zurarah ibn A'yan:

The noble companions who are familiar with the name Zurarah bin A’yan—one of the reliable narrators of hadith from Imam Baqir and Imam Sadiq (peace be upon them)—should know that he himself was a trader. Despite the great significance of his role as a scholar, Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) advised him not to stop his trade, even if it was announced that the Imam (may Allah hasten his return) would rise the following day.

Some reports mention that Zurarah was involved in the trade of slaves. However, given the background of his grandfather, Sunsun, who was a prominent Christian monk originally from Rome (modern-day Italy), and later taken as a captive during the war with Banu Shayban, it seems unlikely that Zurarah, born to a family with such a history, would be involved in the trade of slaves. Instead, other narrations suggest he was involved in the trade of goods needed for slaves—helping to sell them at affordable prices, so the owners could pay for their freedom. This second account is more consistent with Zurarah’s noble character.

Now, to summarize today’s discussion, I want to ask you a question, dear friends:

Do you think that when Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his return) arrives, he will leave the six conditions mentioned in the Dua of Ahd up to the people to decide whether to implement them or not? Or will he forcefully implement them?

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This question was once asked to Imam Hadi (peace be upon him) about the reappearance of the Mahdi (may Allah hasten his return). In response, the Imam recited the following verse from the Quran:

“And to Him has submitted whoever is in the heavens and on the earth, willingly or unwillingly.” Surah Al-Imran, 3:83

Then, Imam Hadi (peace be upon him) explained:

“He will convey His laws to the people in a clear and beautiful way so that they may choose to follow them willingly.

If they do not comply, He will compel them to do so. And if they still refuse, He will enforce Allah’s punishment upon them, making them follow His commands.”

This approach reminded me of the way a parent deals with their child. A loving parent encourages their child to do good deeds.

If the child is wise and obedient, they follow the advice with love and care.

But if the child does not listen to the advice or admonition, the parent may resort to discipline to guide them back to the right path.

Both the encouragement and the discipline stem from the parent’s love for the child.

Now, just as Allah has shown His special favor and grace upon us, the Aradis, we should choose to align ourselves with the truth willingly and make the right decisions. Otherwise, we may become a real-life example of the saying:

“Spare the rod and spoil the child.”

And I’m sure you all know how the rest of this goes.