تجليات المكونات البصرية
لحكومة الإمام المهدي (عجل الله تعالى فرجه الشريف)
ودور عيسى (عليه السلام) فيها
Manifestation
of Visual Components of the Government of Imam Mahdi
(May God Hasten His Reappearance)
and the
Role of Jesus
(PBUH) In It
د. مرضية عليبور
التاريخ الفني الإسلامي التحليلي المقارن
Dr.
Marzieh Alipour
Comparative
Analytical Islamic Art History
الملخص:
الفن الشيعي هو نوع من الفن التوحيدي الذي يعبر عن ويعرض
ويوصل بشكل جمالي المعتقدات والأفكار والقيم والشخصيات والأحداث من التاريخ الشيعي
والتركيز على مبدأين هما الإمامة والعدل، من الأسس المهمة للشيعة الإمامية الإيمان
باستمرارية تقليد الإمامة حتى الإمام الثاني عشر الذي هو بأمر من الله محجوب عن
الأنظار وسيظهر في آخر الزمان، الإيمان بظهور الإمام المهدي (عجل الله تعالى فرجه
الشريف) والأحداث التي تليه هو مثال على الإيمان بالغيب الذي لا يمكن قبوله وتحديد
خصائصه إلا بطاعة الله واستخدام الروايات الصحيحة، وتتميز حكومته العالمية بصنع
السلام وإرساء الأمن والعدل في جميع أنحاء الكون والقضاء على الظلم والجور، و يجب
أن يكون جميع المسؤولين والتنفيذيين في مثل هذه الحكومة التي يقودها الإمام
المهدي(عجل الله تعالى فرجه الشريف) من صالحي وأشراف الأمم وبالتالي فإن حكومته
وفقاً للروايات ستتكون من الأنبياء والصالحين ومن بينهم عيسى A الذي سيساعد
الإمام المهدي (عجل الله تعالى فرجه الشريف) في عولمة القيم القرآنية وسيكون
عاملاً مؤثراً في تقدم ثورة وحكومة الإمام المهدي (عجل الله تعالى فرجه الشريف).
لذلك يدرس هذا البحث الصور التي تصور هذا المحتوى وهدفه الرئيسي هو دراسة ومقارنة
تلك التصورات مع الآيات القرآنية والروايات الإسلامية فيما يتعلق بحكومة الإمام
المهدي (عجل الله تعالى فرجه الشريف) وحضور عيسىA، وتحدد هذه الدراسة لهذه الغاية المكونات
الرمزية والبصرية في تلك التصورات بحيث يمكن العثور على ما تؤكد عليه الروايات
الشيعية، ان منهج البحث له مقاربة رمزية تستند إلى طبيعته الوصفية-التحليلية ويتم
جمع البيانات من خلال الدراسات المكتبية. و سيقود الله سبحانه و تعالى حسب ما تظهر
النتائج أنه بواسطة الإمام المهدي(عجل الله تعالى فرجه الشريف) سيقود الله مسار
تقدم مجتمعات العالم نحو نهاية مجتمع موحد واحد (حضور وتعاون أنبياء الديانات
السماوية الأخرى في حكومته) وسيادة الحق والعدل وسيجعل جيش الله يهزم جيش الشيطان
(مثل قتال عيسىA كقائد لتلك
الحكومة مع الدجال) وسيجعل الصالحين والمؤمنين خلفاء بقيادة الإمام المهدي(عجل
الله تعالى فرجه الشريف).
الكلمات المفتاحية:
سهو النبي، رسالة جواب أهل الحائر، نقض اعتقادات الصدوق،
رسائل الشيخ المفيد، سهو النبي عند الشيعة.
Abstract:
Shi'a art is a
monotheistic type of art that expresses, exhibits, or tastefully communicates
beliefs, thoughts, values, figures, and events of Shi'a history with an
emphasis on two principles of imamate and justice. One of the important
fundamentals of Imamiyyah Shi'ism is the belief in the continuation of the
tradition of Imamate up to the twelfth Imam who is by God's order hidden from
eyes and will reappear in the End Time. Believing in the reappearance of Imam
Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) and the events follow-ing it is an
example of the belief in the Unseen that accepting it and identifying its
charac-teristics is not possible but by obeying God and using valid narrations.
His worldwide gov-ernment is characterized by peacemaking, establishing
security and justice all around the universe, and eradicating injustice and
oppression. In such a government which is led by Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his
reappearance), all the officeholders and executives must be of the righteous
and nobles of nations, hence his government, according to narra-tions, will
consist of prophets and the righteous among whom is Jesus (PBUH) who will help
Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) in the globalization of Qur'anic
val-ues and an influential factor in the progression of the revolution and
government of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) will be the presence
of that prophet of God by his side. Therefore, this research examines images
depicting this content, and its main purpose is studying and comparing those
depictions with Qur'anic verses and Islamic nar-rations with regard to the
government of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) and the presence of
Jesus (PBUH). To this end, this study identifies symbolic and visual components
in those depictions so that what Shi'a narrations insist upon be found. The
research method has a symbolist approach based on its descriptive-analytic
nature, and the data is gathered through library studies. The findings show
that by means of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance), God will lead
the progression path of the world's societies towards the end of a single
unitary society (presence and cooperation of the prophets of other divine
religions in his government) and domination of truth and jus-tice, will make
the army of Allah defeat the army of Satan (like the fight of Jesus (PBUH), as
a commander of that government, with Dajjal), and will let the righteous and
believers be the successors with the leadership of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten
his reappear-ance).
key words: The Prophet's
Inadvertent Act, reply letter of the People of Al-Haair, Refutation of
Al-Saduq's Beliefs, Treatises of Sheikh Al-Mufid, The Prophet's Inadvertent Act
According to the Shias
Introduction
To build a unified nation and ummah, one thing
is necessary and that is a common worldview, a collective belief. In the era of
Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance), the days based onjustice, a
single worldview will rule the world, the method and plan will be just one,
real integrity and unity in beliefs and tenets will form, and all the people
will harmoniously move towards prosperity, bliss, and happiness. Imam Mahdi
(PBUH), who is a true peacemaker and reformer whose method is based on the eternal
law of truth and justice compatible with human nature, will establish a unity
based on Islamic principles and monotheism, bringing all mankind together under
one single religion and faith[1].
Since Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) will come out to raise the
flag of Islam and makethe Qur’an rule all over the world, the officeholders and
executives in such a government must be of the righteous and nobles of nations,
hence his government, according to narrations, will consist of prophets and the
righteous among whom is Jesus (PBUH) who will help Imam Mahdi (may God hasten
his reappearance) in the globalization of Qur’anic values and an influential
factor in the progression of the revolution and government of Imam Mahdi (may
God hasten his reappearance) will be the presence of that prophet of God by his
side.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him
and his pure progeny) says: “By He who appointed me the true bearer of glad
tidings, if there is nothing left of the world’s life but a single day, God
will make that day so long until my son, Mahdi, rises up. After his uprising,
Jesus, the Spirit of God, will be sent down and perform a Prayer behind him.
Then, the earth will become bright with the light of the Lord and his
sovereignty and government will reach the east and the west of the world.[2]
The art of illustrating the scripts with Shi’a
content has always been under the influence of the religious thoughts of the
artists and their supporters throughout different eras. The majority of them
manifest the narrations with relation to the Holy Prophet and his pure progeny
(peace be upon them all). The approach of the artists to that content has
resulted in displaying abstract, symbolic, and allegorical image processing in
a special manner for narrating other issues in Persian paintings so that they could
reflect Shi’a content with the visual language. What makes Persian painting
perfectly distinguished, besides its content, subject, and specific aesthetic
system, is the symbol-like aspect. Symbolization and symbolism, which are among
the fundamentals and basic principles of the aesthetics of Iranian art in all
ages, continued after Islam to be there on the basis of religious teachings and
the prohibition of naturalist illustration while the rich ground of national
and religious literature guaranteed its continuity and development. Since
religious Persian paintings always portray religion and faith, this deep
relationship has been reflected in a variety of methods in different periods.
Sometimes symbolically, allegorically, semiotically, and in abstract forms, and
sometimes simply and explicitly, every time aiming at being the connection
between the higher world and the earthly world. Hence, the inseparability of
the beliefs and traditions of the past and cultural and social circumstances
and backgrounds creates a special condition for analyzing Persian paintings.
Therefore, this research examines images
depicting this content, and its main purpose is studying and comparing those
depictions with Qur’anic verses and Islamic narrations with regard to the
government of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) and the presence of
Jesus (PBUH). To this end, this study identifies symbolic and visual components
in those depictions so that what Shi’a narrations insist upon be found. The
research method has a symbolist approach based on its descriptive-analytic
nature, and the data is gathered through library studies.
The Government of Imam Mahdi (may
God hasten his reappearance)
One of the important fundamentals of Imamiyyah
Shi’ism is the belief in the continuation of the tradition of Imamate up to the
twelfth Imam who is by God’s order hidden from eyes and will reappear in the
End Time. Believing in the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his
reappearance) and the events following it is an example of the belief in the
Unseen that accepting it and identifying its characteristics is not possible
but by obeying God and using valid narrations.
His worldwide government is characterized by
peacemaking, establishing security and justice all around the universe, and
eradicating corruption, injustice, wrongdoing, oppression, and crime, as it has
been the main goal of all prophets. However, the success of those noble
prophets in their time and that of their successors after them has not been
that conspicuous. Yet, establishing worldwide security and justice has been a
part of their promises while the pure nature of all mankind has been looking
forward throughout history to such days that have the said splendid quality.
«We wish to show favor
unto the suppressed ones in the land and to make
them leaders and the in heritorson earth[3]»
So, since God, the Almighty, the prophets, and the heirs are infallible
and they will never break a promise or give false hope to people letting them
wait, that promise will undoubtedly be fulfilled with that astonishing
transcendent feature. Indeed, the fulfillment of those days of liberty can be
considered the goal of creating man. A day on which, by God’s mercy, all will
be a unified nation, all will come under the flag of monotheism, and disbelief,
polytheism (ascribing partners unto God), and hypocrisy will be rooted out.
Imam
Baqir (PBUH) quotes his great grandfather, Imam Ali (PBUH), as saying with
regard to that Qur’anic verse: “Those who are suppressed in the land are the
progeny of Muhammad (PBUH and his pure progeny). God, the Almighty, will raise
Mahdi of that progeny. Then, He will hold them (ahlulbait) in high esteem and
debase their enemies.[4]”
The
prophet (PBUH and his pure progeny) says: “God will demolish falsehood and
remove adversity of time by means of Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance),
the discredit of slavery will be lifted from your necks by the medium of him”
(ibid). Mahdism or messianism refers to the belief in a savior who will come in
the end time to rescue and save human beings and establish peace and justice.
The belief in a savior exists in a variety of religions, nations, and ethnic
groups with completely different cultures and traditions. For them, the savior
and messiah has been introduced in various forms. Among those groups, Shi’a
people believe in the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (PBUH).
The meaningful presence of Jesus (PBUH) in Imam
Mahdi’s government and the appearance of the government of justice and
salvation is so strong that sometimes it has been assumed that Mahdi is no one
but Jesus himself. But, the superabundance of such content in the Islamic
narrations regarding Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) or the
interpretation of those narrations has another message, which is the
influential presence of Jesus (PBUH) in Imam Mahdi’s government. In those
narrations, Jesus Christ (PBUH) is a member of the widespread world government
of Imam Mahdi, not its leader. Probably, one of the reasons for sending Jesus
down at the time of Imam Mahdi’s rising is to strengthen his world government
as well as acknowledge and approve his truthfulness and Imamate, especially the
fact that Jesus (PBUH) will follow (stand behind him as performing a Prayer)
Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) and will acknowledge his divine
world leadership and approve it.
The position and role of Jesus
(PBUH) in the government of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance)
*Following the lead of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) in
Prayer
According to Islamic narrations, Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his
reappearance) will perform a magnificent group Prayer in Jerusalem in the
beginning of his rise. Jesus (PBUH) will come down from heavens[5]
and will participate in Muslims’ group Prayer. Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his
reappearance) will ask him to lead the Prayer but he will decline, considering
the respect of the Imam among the people as its reason, and will clearly and
explicitly mention the position of the Imam as the leader (Imam) and the king.
«Especially when Jesus (PBUH) will follow Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his
reappearance), perform a Prayer behind him as the leader, and acknowledge his
divine world leadership[6]». The messenger of God (PBUH and his pure
progeny) said: "Jesus, son of Mary, will
descend while acknowledging Muhammad and following his religion…»[7]. When Jesus (PBUH) follows the lead of Imam
Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) in performing a group Prayer, it has
some consequences:
- It proves the universal truth of Imam Mahdi
(PBUH)
- It silences the rebellious Christians and
Jews and makes them surrender
- The People of the Book will followImam Mahdi
(may God hasten his reappearance)[8]
- The world will be conquered with the least
amount of war and bloodshed. Those who do not know Imam Mahdi (may God hasten
his reappearance) will stop fighting because Jesus Christ (PBUH) follows him
and will begin to be among his followers[9].
- The followers of religions and schools of
thought will help Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) because of Jesus
(PBUH) to achieve his divine goals
- A peace treaty and ceasefire agreement will
be signed between the followers of Jesus Christ (PBUH) and the followers of
Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance)
*Ministry in the government of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his
reappearance)
The ministers of the world government of Imam
Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) are prophets and their successors,
pious ones, the righteous of the time and of the past, and some of the chiefs
and nobles of the Prophet’s companions. According to Islamic narrations, Jesus
(PBUH) will be chosen as a minister to Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his
reappearance), and he is referred to as minister, advisor, hajib (curtain
carrier), commander of the army, and treasurer in his government. Other persons
are also named in the narrations as ministers, but those ministers are at lower
political and governmental levels. Among them all, Jesus (PBUH) will be the
prime minister, supreme judge, and the commander-in-chief of Imam Mahdi (may
God hasten his reappearance), the head of the important affairs of his global
government (Ibid.).
* The commander-in-chief in the government ofImam Mahdi (may God
hasten his reappearance)
The Prophet (PBUH and his pure progeny) says:
“Jesus is the right-hand man, curtain carrier, and deputy of Qa’im (i.e., Imam
Mahdi) and he will spread security to the west and the east by the favour of
Hujjah son of Hasan”[10].
Furthermore, Jesus Christ (PBUH) as the commander-in-chief of the government of
Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) will eradicate colonization with
its deceiving techniques as well as the instances of corruption and error, such
as breaking the Christian cross, killing pigs, annihilating Gog and Magog, and
slaying the Dajjal (Antichrist). In Islamic narrations, it is mentioned that
the Dajjal will be slain by Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance). In
view of the fact that Jesus (PBUH) is appointed by Imam Mahdi (may God hasten
his reappearance) and obeys him, the slaying of the Dajjal by Jesus (PBUH) is
identical to the slaying of the Dajjal by Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his
reappearance). And that is an end to the general movement of the Dajjals[11].
*Judging in the government ofImam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance)
According to some Islamic narrations, Imam
Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) will leave the judicial affairs to
Jesus (PBUH) in order to expedite the administration of his government, and
Jesus (PBUH), as the supreme judge of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his
reappearance), will handle it well, just like other affairs. The judging method
of Jesus (PBUH) is the same as that of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his
reappearance), which is with no need of witnesses. Of the most important things
that Jesus Christ (PBUH) will do after his coming are judging fairly and
recovering people’s rights, and he will reward everyone in accordance with
their actions. The holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his pure
progeny) with regard to Jesus’ judging method said: “I swear by Him in Whose
hands is my life, verily the son of Mary will soon be sent down among you as a
just judge …”[12].
Examining some Persian paintings
depicting “the government of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance)and
the role of Jesus (PBUH) in it”
1) The Persian painting “Imam
Mahdi Enthroned (may God hasten his reappearance) “
In this Persian painting, Imam Mahdi (may God
hasten his reappearance) is with a mask on and a flame-like halo around his
head, sitting cross-legged on a royal throne under a sunshade, conversing with
the people gathered around him. In the foreground, a person with no turban is
sitting sorrowfully full-kneeling in front of someone who is probably a
governor of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance). Behind the Imam,
there is a person standing who seems to have a sword that is not unsheathed
(because it is not the time of the reappearance) or a furled flag - there are
similar examples of it in the Persian paintings of the Safavid era (Nasr Flag)
- which is furled for now.
This image depicts one of the judging sessions
of the government of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance). The court of
his justice is taking place on a hillside from which a stream flows and goes
across a plain full of flowers. That flower plain symbolizes the fair and just
government of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) because the earth
will wear a spring face by his reappearance when justice will be established
all around the world. Three horizontal epigraphs and four vertical epigraphs
are seen in this Persian painting. The first horizontal epigraph is embellished
with the Qur’anic verse[13]
which speaks about the prophet Idris (Enoch) (PBUH). The second and third
horizontal epigraphs and the four vertical ones display some poems about the
government of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance). The artist has
perhaps written the said Qur’anic verse because of the similarity between the
government of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) and Idris (PBUH).
Imam Sadiq (PBUH) says: “Sahlah Mosque is the place of residence for Qa’im (may
God hasten his reappearance) and his household. Sahlah Mosque was the place of
residence of Idris (PBUH)”[14].
Idris (PBUH) became hidden from his people when they wished to murder him -just
as Imam Baqir (PBUH) says: “Qa’im (may God hasten his reappearance)is the same.
He will disappear when the enemies want to kill him. The disappearance ofIdris
(PBUH) took so long that his followers were in adversity and hardship and under
pressure. The disappearance of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) is
likewise so long that his followers will be in extreme adversity, hardship, and
under much pressure.”When the disappearance of Idris (PBUH) took too long, the
people collectively repented and turned to God. Then, God, the Almighty, made
him appear and pushed evil and adversity away from them. The same is the case
of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance), that if people agree to repent
all together and decide firmly to assist him, God, the Almighty, will make him
reappear[15]
. Therefore, it is likely that the person who has a light halo around his head
and is sitting on the right side of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his
reappearance) is Idris (PBUH).
In case we consider this person to be Idris
(PBUH) who has come back to earth, all the four living prophets should have
been depicted. However, there is another possibility which is the person
depicted on the right of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) is Jesus
(PBUH) who is depicted with a flame-like halo and has clothing of the same kind
of colors as that of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) which
probably signifies that he follows Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his
reappearance).
The Prophet (PBUH and his pure progeny) says:
“Jesus is the right-hand man, curtain carrier, and deputy of Qa’im (i.e., Imam
Mahdi) and he will spread security to the west and the east by the favor of
Hujjah son of Hasan”[16]
. Moreover, according to Islamic narrations, he will descend at the time of the
reappearance of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance), perform Prayers
behind him with him, which means the Imam is the last successor and heir, and
assist the Imamin his government as a minister. According to a narration, Jesus
(PBUH) will say to Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance): “Verily, I am
sent down as a minister, not a ruler or king.[17]”
Since Jesus (PBUH) is the right-hand man of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his
reappearance), it is possible that the person depicted on the right side is
Jesus (PBUH). Also, some of the divine prophets who will be present in the
government of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) have been named in
Islamic narrations, of whom the most important is Jesus (PBUH). According to
Sunni and Shi’a narrations, Jesus (PBUH) will descend at the time of the
reappearance of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance), perform Prayers
behind Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance), and aid Imam Mahdi (may
God hasten his reappearance) in his government. The holy Prophet (PBUH and his
pure progeny) says: “I swear by Him in Whose hands is my life, Jesus, son of
Mary, will soon be sent down unto you as a just judge and a fair ruler…”[18].
That might be why a judging session with the presence of Imam Mahdi (may God
hasten his reappearance) and Jesus (PBUH) is depicted, just as the poem on the
second epigraph on the top speaks about the justice-spreading government of
Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance). The holy Prophet (PBUH and his
pure progeny) says: “Your condition will constantly remain the same until in
the midst of oppression and trials will be born one whom people do not know,
then the earth will be full of oppression so much so that no one will be able
to say ‘Allah’ (and mention the name of the truth). Then, God, the Almighty,
will raise a man from my descent and my progeny that he will fill the earth
with justice as they have filled it with oppression before him”[19]
. In the clear blue sky above the hill, there is a cloud on which a sun is
shining. It probably symbolizes the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten
his reappearance) from behind the curtain of occultation because, according to
Islamic narrations, Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) at the time of
his occultation is like the sun behind clouds, and here the artist has situated
the sun in front of the clouds due to the Imam’s reappearance.
2) The Persian painting “ Jesus
kills Antichrist”
This
Persian painting has been painted using the positional perspective. On top of
the painting is Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) with a mask on his
face and a flame-like halo, riding on a horse with the army of Islam, watching
the battle of Jesus Christ (PBUH) with Dajjal (Antichrist), and the lower part
of the image displays it in the foreground. In this painting, Jesus (PBUH) is
depicted with a flame-like halo around his face, wearing clothing of the same
color as the clothing of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) -which
probably signifies that he follows the Imam-, and fighting on a piebald horse
with Dajjal. While he has plunged a lance into Dajjal’s arm Dajjal, wearing a
ceremonial quiver and sword on the waist, has raised the right hand with an
angry and worried face. It seems that, by showing the size of Dajjal bigger
than Jesus (PBUH) and his great fighting equipment and clothing, the artist has
wanted to add to the significance of what Jesus (PBUH) is doing. The tower displayed
behind Jesus (PBUH) can be a reference to the place of his battle with Dajjal
(Lod Gate). Lod (also known as Lydda) is a place near Jerusalem in Palestine
that has been introduced as the descending place of Jesus (PBUH)[20].
However, the city of Lod is known mainly
due to the hadiths that have introduced it as the place where Jesus (PBUH) will
slay Dajjal[21].
For instance, during the night of his ascent (Mi’raj), the Prophet (PBUH and
his pure progeny) saw Dajjal, who had one eye, on the way to Jerusalem[22].
In this depiction, some signs of End Timesuch
as the appearance of Dajjal (Antichrist), the rising of Imam Mahdi (may God
hasten his reappearance), and the battle of Jesus (PBUH) with Dajjal are
observable. According to some Islamic narrations, “Jesus (PBUH) will perform
Prayers behind Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance), strive before him,
and slay dajjalat the presence of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance)
…”[23].
Therefore, Jesus Christ (PBUH) plays a role too in killing Dajjal, making the
religion of Islam superior, and creating the ideal society of the end time.
Twelver Shi’a people count Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) one of
the infallible Imams, the twelfth and the last one, indeed. After quoting the
hadiths about Jesus (PBUH) following Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his
reappearance) in Prayer and after mentioning the discussion of the superiority
of an Imam or a prophet, Allameh Majlesi writes: “Jesus and Mahdi (peace be
upon them) are both leaders. One, a prophet, and the other, an Imam. However,
if they both gather together in one place and the Imam takes the position of
leadership, he is inevitably the leader and the head to the other who is a prophet…”
(Ibid.). On that account, those two statements are not contrary to each other
because Jesus (PBUH) will be among the retinue of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten
his reappearance) and what a soldier does (Jesus (PBUH) slays Dajjal) can also
be attributed to the commander. The Prophet (PBUH and his pure progeny) said:
“… once he appears, he will spread disturbance and riot all over the world,
there will be a war between him and the army of Qa’im (Imam Mahdi (may God
hasten his reappearance», and the cursed he will eventually be killed by the
holy Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) or Jesus, son of Mary (peace
be upon them both)”[24]
. Likewise, an Islamic narration mentioned in Bihar al-Anwaar relates that
Dajjal will eventually be slayed by Jesus[25]
(PBUH)[26].
Conclusion
One of the important fundamentals of Imamiyyah
Shi’ism is the belief in the continuation of the tradition of Imamate up to the
twelfth Imam who is by God’s order hidden from eyes and will reappear in the
End Time. Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) will create a unified
nation and ummah under the rule of the Qur’an all over the world. In such a
government, its officeholders and executives must also be of the righteous and
nobles of nations, hence his government consists of prophets and the righteous
among whom is Jesus (PBUH).And one of the influential factors in the
progression of Imam Mahdi’s revolution and world government is the presence of
that Ulul’azm (stout of heart) prophet by the side of Imam Mahdi (may God
hasten his reappearance). In this regard, the Persian paintings produced by
painting artists have depicted an output of cultural and religious thoughts
held by the affiliated groups in addition to expressing the beliefs of the
artists and their supporters. Among them all, the government of Imam Mahdi (may
God hasten his reappearance) has a central role in Persian paintings and the
role of Jesus (PBUH) in that government is noticeable. The painters of these
Persian paintings have used visual and symbolic elements blended with Qur’anic
verses, Islamic narrations, and Shi’a beliefs.
In
the Persian painting “the government of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his
reappearance)”, the painter has portrayed a judging session of Jesus (PBUH) in
the presence of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance), based on Shi’a
beliefs. Shi’a visual elements are seen in these paintings in the form of
portraying a distinguished special place for Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his
reappearance) in comparison to others, his bigger size, and using a positional
perspective. Symbols like a white turban with twelve lines, a white mask, and a
spread flame-like halo display another symbolic aspect in the depiction. A
flame-like halo is also used around the face of Jesus (PBUH) In this painting
because he is a prophet and due to his distinctness against other agents and
officials of the government of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance).
Portraying nature in springtime and displaying the event and the subject in
such a situation is a symbolic sign of the happiness, bliss, and prosperity of
the earth and the time in the era of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his
reappearance). Similarly, showing the sun that has come out from behind clouds
is another symbolic reference to Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance).
In
the Persian painting “Dajjal (Antichrist)”, some signs of End Time, such as the
rising ofImam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance), the appearance of
Dajjal, and the battle of Jesus (PBUH) with Dajjal, are seen. In this painting,
to show that Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) is superior and the
leader of the prophet Jesus (PBUH), a positional perspective is used, Imam
Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) is portrayed bigger at the top of the
painting while having a white mask in addition to having symbols like a white
turban with twelve lines, and a spread flame-like halo (the same as Jesus
(PBUH». Also, Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) is watching the
fight of Jesus (PBUH), the commander of his army, with Dajjal, and that is
another symbolic reference to the position of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his
reappearance) as the leader of Jesus (PBUH).
The
artists of Iran’s Falnameh and Golconda’s Falnameh have utilized visual
elements and symbolic processing skillfully and in an easy method in order to
express deep spiritual concepts full of divine might. Ergo, reflecting the
truth of some Shi’a narrations must be considered one of the most noticeable
characteristics of Shi’a Persian paintings in those two.
References of Persian Painting
Fig 1. Imam Mahdi Enthroned, Probably Iran,
1570s, (Farhad, 2009, 59).
Fig 2. Jesus kills Antichrist, Falnama, India,
Golconda, 1610 -30s, (Farhad, 2009, 45).
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