Hence, some have misconstrued this tradition like one says,...

Hence, some have misconstrued this tradition like one says, ‘the dining cloth will not be spread unless the room is full of people.” Now, if he does not spread the dining cloth, we ask, ‘Mister! Why have you not spread the dining cloth?’ He replies, ‘I said that I will not spread it till the room is packed with people.’ So, if you really have few people and intend to spread the dining cloth, then you must go on the road, get a few people for dinner and then spread it!

They have misinterpreted the above tradition in this very manner when they say that the world should be ‘full’ of injustice and tyranny for Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) to reappear. If it is 101Muntakhab al-Asar by Lutfullah Safi Gulpaygani, p. 247 asked as to why he has not yet reappeared? They answer because the earth lacks in inequity and oppression!

The discussion I want to present for you today is the same that I did eighteen years ago and the method of analysis that I will adopt today is exactly the same too. In order to draw complete attention of the audience, I told them that if you intend to truly await Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.), then what should you do? Fill the earth with oppression and tyranny. We are in a class and say that the teacher will not come till the class is full of students.

Now, what should the students do, who are truly awaiting their teacher? Obviously, they will stand at the door of the school and bring all those students who are playing in the nooks and corners of the school, in the classroom, to facilitate the arrival of the teacher.

Similarly, if we want to become true awaiters, we must fill the earth with injustice and oppression because our religion has ordered us, “The best action is to await the reappearance.102” That is, awaiting the reappearance is better than all other acts like prayer, fasting, etc. Awaiting salvation implies striving for it and in this context, the best thing to do would be to fill the earth with injustice and oppression!!

In all the gatherings in which I raised this issue, I first asked: This is the doubt. Do you have any answer for it? In more than a hundred speeches, I raised this question. Of these, I received only one response and that too was quite an interesting refutation from an eleven-year-old boy. He replied, “Our duty is to fight against oppression and tyranny.” I retorted, “It is not so.