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HOW TO WRITE LETTER TO OUR MASTER,

THE LEADER OF THE TIME (peace be upon him)

Previously, we have mentioned some of the incidents and benefits of writing letter of request to Imam Mahdi (A.S.), now we will mention the method and format of letters in the following text:

Write all that you ought to mention and drop it in any of the tomb of the Imams (peace be on them) or wrap it and cover it with pure soil and drop it there, or you throw it into a river or deep well or into a pond of water, surely it shall reach the leader of the time peace be on him, he shall personally take control of your demands.

Write the following:

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحيمِ

    كَتَبْتُ يا مَوْلايَ صَلَواتُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكَ مُسْتَغيثاً ، وَشَكَوْتُ ما نَزَلَ بي مُسْتَجيراً بِاللَّهِ عَزَّوَجَلَّ ، ثُمَّ بِكَ مِنْ أَمْرٍ قَدْ دَهَمَني ، وَأَشْغَلَ قَلْبي ، وَأَطالَ فِكْري ، وَسَلَبَني بَعْضَ لُبّي ، وَغَيَّرَ خَطيرَ نِعْمَةِ اللَّهِ عِنْدي ، أَسْلَمَني عِنْدَ تَخَيُّلِ وُرُودِهِ الْخَليلُ ، وَتَبَرَّأَ مِنّي عِنْدَ تَرائي إِقْبالِهِ إِلَيَّ الْحَميمُ ، وَعَجَزَتْ عَنْ دِفاعِهِ حيلَتي ، وَخانَني في تَحَمُّلِهِ صَبْري وَقُوَّتي .

    فَلَجَأْتُ فيهِ إِلَيْكَ ، وَتَوَكَّلْتُ فِي الْمَسْأَلَةِ للَّهِِ جَلَّ ثَناؤُهُ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَيْكَ في دِفاعِهِ عَنّي ، عِلْماً بِمَكانِكَ مِنَ اللَّهِ رَبِّ الْعالَمينَ ، وَلِيِّ التَّدْبيرِ وَمالِكِ الْاُمُورِ ، وَاثِقاً بِكَ فِي الْمُسارَعَةِ فِي الشَّفاعَةِ إِلَيْهِ جَلَّ ثَناؤُهُ في أَمْري ، مُتَيَقِّناً لِإِجابَتِهِ تَبارَكَ وَتَعالى إِيَّاكَ بِإِعْطائي سُؤْلي .

    وَأَنْتَ يا مَوْلايَ جَديرٌ بِتَحْقيقِ ظَنّي ، وَتَصْديقِ أَمَلي فيكَ ، في أَمْرِ كَذا وَكَذا

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

O' my master, I write to you peace be upon you seeking for assistance and complaining of what has befell on me by seeking refuge from Allah, I am also seeking from you, for the issues that has befell on me and disturb my mind and make my thinking so deep which has seize part of my mind and has change important blessing of You (Allah) on me, my intimate friends abstain from me when the imagination appears before me and also my cherished ones denounce me when it approach me while my deceit is not able to defend me, for me not possessing patient and my powerlessness has prevent me from having endurance. 

Then I have recourse this issues to you, and have depended on Allah whose praise is more exalted and unto you the turning away all the problems from me, knowing your exalted rank before Almighty Allah, the Lord of the worlds. He who direct every thing and the Owner of every affairs, having trust in you for your quick intervention to Allah for my affairs, having the certainty of its acceptance from you and granting of my request.

O' my master, it is you who can put my assumption in to reality and make true all my hope in the following issues.

(Mention your needs)

فيما لا طاقَةَ لي بِحَمْلِهِ ، وَلا صَبْرَ لي عَلَيْهِ ، وَ إِنْ كُنْتُ مُسْتَحِقّاً لَهُ وَلِأَضْعافِهِ بِقَبيحِ أَفْعالي ، وَتَفْريطي فِي الْواجِباتِ الَّتي للَّهِِ عَزَّوَجَلَّ ، فَأَغِثْني يا مَوْلايَ صَلَواتُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكَ عِنْدَ اللَّهْفِ ، وَقَدِّمِ الْمَسْأَلَةَ للَّهِِ عَزَّوَجَلَّ في أَمْري ، قَبْلَ حُلُولِ التَّلَفِ ، وَشَماتَةِ الْأَعْداءِ ، فَبِكَ بُسِطَتِ النِّعْمَةُ عَلَيَّ .

    وَاسْأَلِ اللَّهَ جَلَّ جَلالُهُ لي نَصْراً عَزيزاً ، وَفَتْحاً قَريباً ، فيهِ بُلُوغُ الْآمالِ ، وَخَيْرُ الْمَبادي ، وَخَواتيمُ الْأَعْمالِ ، وَالْأَمْنُ مِنَ الْمَخاوِفِ كُلِّها في كُلِّ حالٍ ، إِنَّهُ جَلَّ ثَناؤُهُ لِما يَشاءُ فَعَّالٌ ، وَهُوَ حَسْبي وَنِعْمَ الْوَكيلُ فِي الْمَبْدَءِ وَالْمَآلِ .

Hence I don't obtain the power and patient to attain it, even though I might be entitle to it and even more of it but due to my evil deeds and negligence in my duties to Almighty Allah, I was debar of it.

So, O' my master may Allah's blessing be on you, assist me for I have regretted my previous bad acts and tender my affairs to Almighty Allah before it is too late and before my enemy commence rejoicing upon me.

By your grace may Almighty Allah spread His blessing on me! I requested from Almighty Allah a precious assistance and near victory that contain reaching my ambition, good fundamentals, good ending and security from every fearful things all the time, verily His praise is exalted and He act according to His wish. He suffices me and excellent authority in commencement and in consequences.

Then you intend going to the river or any deep valley and rely on some of the doors, like the door of Uthman son of Sayyid Al-Amri, or the door of his son, Muhammad bn Uthman, or Al-Husein bn Ruh or Ali bn Muhammad Assamari (may Allah be pleased with them). Those are the doors of Imam Al-Mahdi (may Allah's blessing be upon him) you mention one of them when intending throwing the letter and say the following

O' [You mention the name of one of the deputy of Imam]

يا فُلانَ بْنَ فُلانٍ سَلامٌ عَلَيْكَ ، أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ وَفاتَكَ في سَبيلِ اللَّهِ ، وَأَنَّكَ حَيٌّ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مَرْزُوقٌ ، وَقَدْ خاطَبْتُكَ في حَياتِكَ الَّتي لَكَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ جَلَّ وَعَزَّ ، وَهذِهِ رُقْعَتي وَحاجَتي إِلى مَوْلانا عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ ، فَسَلِّمْها إِلَيْهِ ، فَأَنْتَ الثِّقَةُ الْأَمينُ .

 peace be unto you, I bear witness that you died for the sake of Allah though you are alive and obtain your provisions from Allah, I addressed you base on your live before Almighty Allah as a trustworthy one, you should deliver this my letter and request to our master peace be on him and his holy family.

Then you throw it into a river or a deep well or pond, your request will be granted by Allah's wishes.^[1]

Allamah Majlisi included after his saying "then throw it in to a river …" you imagine as if you are delivering it to him, it shall reach him and your request shall be granted by Allah's wish.^[2]

Mohaddis e Nuri (R.A.) said: it can be deduced from this noble tradition that these four great noble men who are the intermediaries between him and his followers during the lesser occultation do take people's request to him and deliver their answers back to them, they also maintain the same position during the longer occultation.

From this direction we can understand that Imam's table of goodness, openhandedness, generosity, favour and benefaction (peace be upon him) is spread to every spot of this Earth for those that are weak, those that are in difficulties and for those that are roaming about without getting the right path and so on.

When an ignorant person requested from him, he shall drink from his noble knowledge, if one loses his ways, he shall guide him to his way, when one is sick, he shall wear him the cloth of healthiness as it was clearly stated from the beginning.

The out come in this respect is that the leader of the time (may our souls be sacrifice for him) is present between the servants and overlook his followers, and he is able to detect afflictions and he is acquainted with all hidden and secrets, he did not secluded himself from his position due to his occultation. ^[3]

Whenever he wishes to solve a problem, he instills its solution in the hearts, such that no eye has witnessed it and no ear has ever heard of it before. Often he deviates our hearts towards a book or a religious cleric who/which has the cure for our problem. At times, his holiness teaches a supplication or makes him aware of his medicine in his dream.

What has been heard and witnessed is that the distressed and troubled people, in their states of helplessness, sorrow and depression, express their grievance before his holiness and request him to dispel their problems, but sometimes do not see any outcome of their supplication from his side. The reason behind it is that sometimes an obstacle occurs in the path of his supplication, most of these obstacles are related to the condition of the one who has supplicated. On the other hand, it is also possible that the person might be mistaken in considering himself as distressed whereas he might not be in such a condition; because sometimes a person considers himself as devastated while he has a bright path ahead of him and has been made specified for him.

            Just like a person who confesses that he doesn’t know of Allah’s command regarding a particular case whereas Imam (A.S.) has already commanded him to visit the clerics who are aware of the rulings. An example of the above case has been mentioned in the letter written in reply of the questions asked by Ishaq bin Yaqoob:

            “In the upcoming incidents, refer to the narrators of our Hadith; because they are our Proof for you and we are the Divine Proof.”

            In this way, it is evident that one who is unaware of the commands, until he has access to a divine cleric, should compulsorily go on a journey or refer to a book and will not remain distressed anymore.

            Similarly, till the time a religious cleric can solve the problems and dispel all the skepticisms by utilizing the sources of rulings like the Qur’an, the traditions and the consensus, the distressed person will not be considered a helpless and powerless one.

            Another issue is that those who trespass the boundaries of divine commandments and commit extravagance in utilizing the different means of livelihood, and are not content with the extent defined in the Islamic Sharia, such individuals will also not be considered as distressed because that which they have demanded, is not of those things on which the pillars of one’s life is established and such things are not regarded distress.

            Sometimes an individual considers himself distressed whereas if he focuses on his life, it will become clear for him that he is not distressed or helpless; and even if there lies a helplessness in his life, it is something which is for his personal betterment and for the welfare of the society, which prevents the supplication from being accepted. Moreover, all the distressed and helpless haven’t been promised deliverance and rescue.

            At the time of the Imams (A.S.), in cities like Medina, Mecca, Kufah and other Shiite cities, there lived a large number of distressed and deprived people, and many of them requested for the deliverance of their problems but their request wasn’t accepted. This is because it is not such that whenever a distressed person request for anything, his request will be fulfilled and his distress will come to an end.

            If this was the case, it would have resulted in disorientation and mismanagement in the system; and on the other hand, the reward and remuneration allotted for enduring difficulties and hardships, would have become meaningless. Indeed, when the distressed and deprived people of this world will be rewarded with great remunerations in return for their endurance of difficulties in the Hereafter, they would say: If only our body’s meat would have cut into several pieces in that world.

       From these points, we comprehend that Allah (S.W.T.), with His absolute Power and complete Sublimity, and with His awareness of all the minute particles of this world, does not behave with His creations in this manner (He does not grant His servants with all that they wish for and demand).^[4]