Alwaght- People are celebrating birthday of Imam Mahdi under Mid-Sha'ban holiday in Iran and a number of Shiite-majority countries.
Public gatherings are being held in various cities across the country and will culminate in Nimeh Sha'aban (Mid-Sha'ban) holiday Sunday.
Imam Mahdi is the last of 12 Shiite Imams decending from first Shiite Imam Ali bin Abu Talib and Fatemeh, the daughter of Prophet Muhammad.
The center of celebrations is Jamkaran Holy Mosque, where a Shiite preacher named Sheikh Hassan ibn Muthlih Jamkarani is said to have met the 12th Imam about 1,000 years ago. Imam Mahdi, according to Jamkarani, demanded construction of the mosque at the time.
Half of Sha'aban is a culmination of birthdays of a number of Shiite Imams.
From the early hours of Saturday, people held marches from the religious city of Qom to the Jamkaran Mosque in a 10-kilometer road.
About 500 mowkebs (roadside service stations) are providing services to those marching to the holy mosque, a statement by the office of Qom mayor said.
In the capital Tehran similar march and festivals is to be held in the city. Fireworks were also set off in several points of the city in the night of the birthday.
Residents had colorfully decorated the the celebration sites for the traditional annual ceremony. They also used the occasion to reaffirm their allegiance to the last Imam and to call for unity and solidarity among Muslims globally.
Promised savior
For Muslims, especially the Shiites, Imam Mahdi is a savior and server of justice and one day he will appear. He is still alive but hidden, according to Shiite teachings and one day will appear and clear the world from injustice and form a global government that will prepare humanity for judgment day.
Imam Mahdi is also known as the 'Imam of the age' and the 'expected one' and is a source of a what is called the culture of anticipation (expectation).
For Shiites, Imam Mahdi is a source of hope and a " green future" of peace and prosperity.
His lovers and believers are always hopeful that good days will come and dark age of aggression, injustice, and oppression will come to an end with his advent. This is why they always pray for him to emerge and fight tyranny.
The age of absence of Imam Mahdi, according to Shiite teachings, is the age of gaining preparation for the Imam's advent.
The culture of anticipation has been an inspiration for the Islamic Revolution of the 1979 in Iran that abolished the corrupt pro-Western monarchy and installed the Islamic Republic.
The Islamic Republic of Iran's struggle against the Western imperialism is one of the tangible examples of the influence of culture of anticipation in the model of governance.
Iran since 1979 has been an unwavering supporter of oppressed nations, mainly Palestine. It still refuses to recognize Israeli occupation regime, arguing that Palestine should return to its own people.
Imam Mahdi is a driving force for unity of Shiites and helps them in critical conditions. This a general belief in the Shiite world.
