God’s Messenger

Sometimes a single sentence, a single glance, or a brief reminder can change the course of a person’s life forever. The experience you are about to read is one of those moments-simple yet profoundly awakening.

Years ago, when I was still younger, I was visiting the holy shrine of Imam al-Ridā (peace be upon him). I felt spiritually uplifted, grateful for the honour of wearing the clerical robe and counting myself among the soldiers of the Imam of our time (may God hasten his reappearance). Immersed in the sacred atmosphere of the shrine, I suddenly felt someone sit beside me. A stranger, with a gentle tone, asked:

“How many years have you been a student of the seminary?”

With ease I replied, “For about twenty years. It has been an honour.”

He looked at me carefully, with a gaze both calm and piercing, and then asked a question that struck me to my core: “Amīr al-Mu’minīn (peace be upon him) used to feel joy whenever he saw Mālik al-Ashtar. You, who call yourself a soldier of the Imam of our time-does your Imam feel joy when he looks at you?”

His words were like a bucket of cold water suddenly poured over my head. I was shaken. Until that moment, I had never looked at my claim of “being a soldier of the Imam” from this perspective. All I could say at the time was, “I don’t know.” But that “I don’t know” became the beginning of a lifelong awakening-a question that has stayed with me and continues to challenge my heart.

As a cleric, as someone who claims to serve the Imam, have I truly brought joy to his heart?
Do my actions, manners, sincerity, compassion, perseverance, and purity resemble the qualities of the true companions of the Imam?

From that day on, every step I take in preaching and serving people has been measured by one simple but decisive question:

If the Imam of our time were to look at me right now, would he be pleased?

Some lessons from this experience:

1. Continuous self-assessment is essential for every preacher: No one is immune to heedlessness or error; we must always evaluate ourselves under the imagined gaze of the Imam.
2. Being a soldier of the Imam is not an honorary title: it is a continuous responsibility, a constant self-examination, and a moment-to-moment vigilance.
3. God awakens His servants through many means. We should learn to recognise and appreciate these divine messages whenever they appear.