DR. KIRMANI’S CORNER

This section is developed through the weekly reflections of Dr. Sayed Shabbir Kirmani, our respected resident scholar. Each week, Dr. Kirmani will share his thoughts on faith, current affairs, and community matters, offering valuable insights on how Islamic teachings relate to both global and local events.

In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

Imam Mahdi and Universal Human Justice

In his magnum opus, Tafsir al-Mizan, Allamah Tabatabai approaches the concept of Imam Mahdi not merely as a historical inevitability, but as the ontological fulfillment of human potential. To Tabatabai, the “Universal Promise” is the moment when the esoteric truths of the Quran manifest into the exoteric reality of human governance.

The Primordial Necessity of Leadership
Allamah Tabatabai argues that the existence of a “Guide” (Hadi) is a cosmic necessity. Drawing from Surah Ar-Ra’d (13:7), “And for every people there is a guide,” he posits that humanity can never be left without a living link to Divine Command. In Al-Mizan, this guidance is twofold: it provides the legislative path (tashri’) and the creative guidance (takwini). Imam Mahdi, therefore, represents the preservation of the “Perfect Man” (Al-Insan al Kamil), ensuring that the bridge between the metaphysical and the physical remains intact.

Humanity and the Perfection of Intellect
A central theme in Tabatabai’s exegesis is that the Mahdi’s arrival is synchronized with the maturation of the human collective intellect (‘Aql). He interprets the Quranic promise of the “Inheritance of the Earth” (Surah Al-Anbiya, 21:105) as a stage where humanity outgrows its infancy of conflict.
In the Mahdist era, harmony is achieved because the Imam “places his hand upon the heads of the servants,” a metaphor Tabatabai connects to the perfection of moral character. This is not a forced peace, but a voluntary harmonization where individuals recognize that their private interests are inextricably linked to the universal good.

Universality: The End of Hegemony
Tabatabai emphasizes that the Quranic vision is inherently global. He critiques the idea that the Mahdi is a parochial figure. In his commentary on Surah An-Nur (24:55), Allamah explains that God’s promise to establish “the religion which He has chosen for them” implies a state where fear is replaced by security.

This universality means the dismantling of artificial borders—be they geographical, racial, or class-based. The Mahdi’s governance restores the Mizan (The Scale), ensuring that the earth’s resources are shared. This reflects the Quranic principle that the Earth belongs to Allah and His righteous servants, not to tyrants or corporate hegemonies.

Harmony: The Confluence of Science and Spirit
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Tabatabai’s perspective is the harmony between the seen and the unseen. In the era of the Mahdi, science and spirituality are no longer at odds. The Allamah suggests that the “opening of the gates of knowledge” allows humanity to interact with the laws of nature in a way that is sustainable and sanctified. Harmony extends to the environment itself; the Quranic “peace until the rising of the dawn” becomes a living reality where the natural world and the human world exist in a state of mutual flourishing.

Conclusion
The Mahdi, in Tafsir al-Mizan, is the signature of God’s Mercy upon history. He is the guarantee that the human experiment will not end in self-destruction, but in a “Great Peace.” This promise calls us to a “Waiting” (Intizar) that is active—a preparation of the intellect and the soul to receive a world governed by absolute Truth.

May we have the ability to receive the Divine Mercy and extend it to others!

With Duas,

Dr. Kirmani