Widespread Fears before Appearance of Savior
This is according to Shahid Beheshti University’s faculty member Meysam Amani discussing the sings of the Appearance (Zuhur) of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his glad advent). Following are excerpts from what he said:
Fear is said to be a passive reaction about risky and dangerous issues which has become a widespread view in today’s world. Our view of the world we live in and of the phenomena, issues and incidents is based on fear. It is as if everything and everyone is potentially dangerous and can harm us. Mankind’s destruction power that was limited in the past has grown much more today. Fear is a human phenomenon.
Some scholars of social sciences believe that the best description of today’s society is one that involves the “culture of fear”.
For having fear, there is no need for a society. One can only have himself and a threatening world to have fear. Fear is the first human feeling and can be very powerful, resulting in anger, envy and hate.
With this description, fear can be said to be a view that sees the world as potentially, not actually, dangerous and also is based on the idea that the world is not that frightening but has been made frightening by some.
The media are the reason for creation of fear and portraying the world as dangerous and so are politicians.
What was said about the culture of fear is in line with what has been said in religious narrations about widespread fears before the advent of the savior.
Imam Baqir (AS) said the Savior will not rise up before there is severe fear among people as well as earthquakes, seditions and calamities.
It has been narrated from Imam Sadiq (AS) that before the Advent of the Savior, there will be an era filled with severe fear of murder and loss of belongings.
The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said that before the reappearance of the Savior, the earth will be filled with oppression and injustice so much that fear and war will enter every home.
As the Hadiths show, fear during the Major Occultation is a means for testing human beings. The widespread fear is a sign of the era before the advent of the Savior. In the era after the Zuhur, it will be replaced with a feeling of security and peace. The question is how to recognize these widespread fears before the Zuhur.
The Hadith of the Holy Prophet shows that the reason for the fear before the Zuhur is the spread of oppression and injustice. The oppression and injustice are both from the oppressors and from the Nafs (self) of human beings that leads to spread of sins.
The outside world is frightening because of the oppression of oppressors and the inner world is frightening because of insecurity and sins.
