Please note the following points:

1. The quantity of a sufficient number of Muslims for the advent of the Mahdi, peace be upon him, is subject to certain variables. However, it appears from some of the statements of Mansoor, may Allah Almighty protect him, that the gathering of ten thousand of them with him can be sufficient; as he said to a group of young people who love the Mahdi: “Who is he that guarantees me ten thousand men so that I guarantee him the Mahdi’s advent?!”[1] This is a number that Allah has considered a “great number” in His Book, where He has said: ﴿لَقَدْ نَصَرَكُمُ اللَّهُ فِي مَوَاطِنَ كَثِيرَةٍ ۙ وَيَوْمَ حُنَيْنٍ ۙ إِذْ أَعْجَبَتْكُمْ كَثْرَتُكُمْ﴾[2]; “Indeed, Allah helped you in many places and on the day of Hunayn, when your great number amazed you”; considering that the helpers of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, on the day of Hunayn were ten thousand men. Therefore, it has been narrated from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, that he said: «لَا يُهْزَمُ جَيْشُ عَشَرَةِ آلَافٍ مِنْ قِلَّةٍ»[3]; “An army of ten thousand will not be defeated due to its small number.” Abu Basir has also narrated and said: «سَأَلَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكُوفَةِ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ -يَعْنِي جَعْفَرَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ الصَّادِقَ- عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: كَمْ يَخْرُجُ مَعَ الْقَائِمِ -يَعْنِي الْمَهْدِيَّ- عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ؟ فَإِنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ: إِنَّهُ يَخْرُجُ مَعَهُ مِثْلُ عِدَّةِ أَهْلِ بَدْرٍ ثَلَاثُمِائَةٍ وَثَلَاثَةُ عَشَرَ رَجُلًا، قَالَ: وَمَا يَخْرُجُ إِلَّا فِي أُولِي قُوَّةٍ، وَمَا تَكُونُ أُولُوا الْقُوَّةِ أَقَلَّ مِنْ عَشَرَةِ آلَافٍ»[4]; “A man from the people of Kufa asked Abu Abdullah -i.e., Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq- peace be upon him: ‘How many will rise with Qa’im -i.e., the Mahdi- peace be upon him? They say that He will rise with the same number as that of the people of Badr, three hundred and thirteen men.’ He replied: ‘He will not rise except among the possessors of power, and the possessors of power are not less than ten thousand.’” However, more important than the quantity of this number is their quality, meaning their state and characteristics; because ten thousand men, if they are weak in faith and action, accomplish nothing. They are only considered sufficient if they are at a high level of faith and piety; because if they are like this, Allah will bless them and send help to them, and then they will never be overcome. Therefore, what Mansoor, may Allah Almighty protect him, means is the sufficiency of the gathering of ten thousand men who know the truth with certainty, have been educated and purified in his school, and have been prepared spiritually and physically to help the Mahdi, peace be upon him, not ten thousand men however they may be; as one of his companions informed us, he said:

«شَكَوْتُ إِلَى الْمَنْصُورِ قِلَّةَ عَدَدِنَا، فَقَالَ: قَدْ كُتِبَ هَذَا مِنْ قَبْلُ، أَنْتُمْ جَيْشُ الْغَضَبِ، تَجْتَمِعُونَ قَزَعًا كَقَزَعِ الْخَرِيفِ مِنَ الْمُدُنِ مَا بَيْنَ الْوَاحِدِ وَالْإِثْنَيْنِ وَالثَّلَاثَةِ وَالْأَرْبَعَةِ وَالْخَمْسَةِ وَالسِّتَّةِ وَالسَّبْعَةِ وَالثَّمَانِيَةِ وَالتِّسْعَةِ وَالْعَشَرَةِ حَتَّى تَكْمُلَ الْحَلْقَةُ! قُلْتُ: وَمَا الْحَلْقَةُ؟ قَالَ: عَشَرَةُ آلَافِ رَجُلٍ قُلُوبُهُمْ كَزُبَرِ الْحَدِيدِ، لَا يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَا أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ! فَإِذَا اجْتَمَعُوا وَقَامَتْ رَايَاتُهُمْ نَزَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ جَبْرَئِيلُ وَمِيكَائِيلُ فِي جُنْدٍ مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ مُسَوِّمِينَ»; “I complained to Mansoor about the small number of us. So he said: ‘This has been written beforehand. You are the forces of anger. Dispersed like dispersed cloudlets, you gather from various lands, one by one, two by two, three by three, four by four, five by five, six by six, seven by seven, eight by eight, nine by nine, and ten by ten, until the circle is complete!’ I said: ‘What is the circle?’ He said: ‘Ten thousand men whose hearts are like pieces of iron. They do not disobey Allah in what He commands them, and they carry out whatever they are commanded! Then, when they gather and their flags are raised, Jabra’il and Mika’il descend upon them among an army of the Angels.’”

Therefore, he wrote to his helpers:

Do you suffice with calling yourselves my helpers while you do not follow me in action? How can I rise with you while you are so slippery?! Where are my true helpers? Where are those who, like Christ, left the world behind and were freed of every attachment to it? Where are those who were companions of death and saw Allah present before them? They wept out of fear of the fire as if they were bereaved parents! They looked around the heaven as if they saw the Angels throughout it! They worshiped Allah and avoided worshiping taghut. They obeyed their Imam and competed with each other to help him. If you saw them, you would think that they were steel boards or soaring mountains! When they attacked the enemy in their ranks, you would think they launched tornadoes and sandstorms. They watched their behavior and knew the proper time for any word. They were adorned with moral virtues and pure from great vices. They were unknown on the earth and well-known in the heaven. Dust was sitting on them, and their faces were pale. They were like honey beehives during the night! They spent nights performing prayer, asking for forgiveness, and reciting the Quran and spent days acquiring knowledge, performing jihad, and serving people. They neither got tired nor hesitated. May Allah have mercy on them. They fulfilled their vows and left, and now you are left for us. So strive to be righteous successors to them, follow their footsteps, and know that you will not see the Faraj[5] unless you are like this.[6]

His statement, “You will not see the Faraj unless you are like this,” is explicit that this quality is required in addition to that quantity. Therefore, he has made it his goal to educate and purify a sufficient number of people, not just to gather them; as he explicitly said in one of his letters:

I have come to confirm Allah’s Caliph on the earth and pave the way for him, so I gather a group for him and take them under my wing with books, words of wisdom, pieces of advice, and good manners, like a candle that is lit in darkness, to bring close what you have pushed far away and make easy what you have made difficult, and to be a bearer of glad tiding for the oppressed from among you and a warner for the oppressors from among you.[7]

He also said in one of his sayings:

«أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ! إِنَّكُمْ تُرِيدُونَ أَنْ تَقْتُلُونِي كَمَا قَتَلْتُمُ الصَّالِحِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِي، فَلَا تَفْعَلُوا، فَإِنِّي وَاللَّهِ لَوْ بَقِيتُ فِيكُمْ لَأَشْحَذَنَّ رِجَالًا مِنْكُمْ شَحْذَ الْقَيْنِ النَّصْلَ، أَجْلِي بِالتَّنْزِيلِ أَبْصَارَهُمْ، وَأَرْمِي بِالتَّفْسِيرِ فِي مَسَامِعِهِمْ، وَأَسْقِيهِمْ كَأْسَ الْحِكْمَةِ حَتَّى يَمْتَلِئُوا! أَلَا إِنِّي أَخْتَارُ خِيَارَكُمْ لِلْمَهْدِيِّ كَمَا يَخْتَارُ النَّحْلُ لِيَعْسُوبِهَا خِيَارَ الْأَزَاهِيرِ»[8]; “O people! Indeed, you want to kill me as you kill the righteous before me, so do not do so; because, By Allah, if I stay among you, I will sharpen some of your men as a blacksmith sharpens a blade, brighten their eyes with the revelation (of the Quran), cast (its) interpretation into their ears, and have them drink from the cup of wisdom until they are full! Know that I will choose the best of you for the Mahdi as a honeybee chooses the best flowers for its queen!”

He also wrote to his helpers:

Listen to my word to acquire knowledge and ponder on it to gain wisdom; because I train you with it, as a gardener grows fruit trees, in order to make you a sufficient group for Allah’s Caliph on the earth.[9]

This is the preparation of the ground for the Mahdi’s advent, and this is the mission of Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani.

2. From here, it is understood that the necessary quantity and quality were not combined in the time of any of the previous caliphs; meaning that their companions were always either few in number or weak in faith and piety, never combining both the sufficient number and the sufficient readiness. This is what prevented the caliphs of Allah from achieving their goals; as the complaints of Ali ibn Abi Talib about the weakness and negligence of his companions have been widely transmitted. Among them is his saying: «يَا أَشْبَاهَ الرِّجَالِ وَلَا رِجَالَ! حُلُومُ الْأَطْفَالِ وَعُقُولُ رَبَّاتِ الْحِجَالِ! لَوَدِدْتُ أَنِّي لَمْ أَرَكُمْ وَلَمْ أَعْرِفْكُمْ مَعْرِفَةً، وَاللَّهِ جَرَّتْ نَدَمًا وَأَعْقَبَتْ سَدَمًا، قَاتَلَكُمُ اللَّهُ، لَقَدْ مَلَأْتُمْ قَلْبِي قَيْحًا، وَشَحَنْتُمْ صَدْرِي غَيْظًا، وَجَرَّعْتُمُونِي نُغَبَ التَّهْمَامِ أَنْفَاسًا، وَأَفْسَدْتُمْ عَلَيَّ رَأْيِي بِالْعِصْيَانِ وَالْخِذْلَانِ، حَتَّى لَقَدْ قَالَتْ قُرَيْشٌ: إِنَّ ابْنَ أَبِي طَالِبٍ رَجُلٌ شُجَاعٌ، وَلَكِنْ لَا عِلْمَ لَهُ بِالْحَرْبِ! لِلَّهِ أَبُوهُمْ، وَهَلْ أَحَدٌ مِنْهُمْ أَشَدُّ لَهَا مِرَاسًا وَأَقْدَمُ فِيهَا مَقَامًا مِنِّي؟! لَقَدْ نَهَضْتُ فِيهَا وَمَا بَلَغْتُ الْعِشْرِينَ، وَهَا أَنَا ذَا قَدْ ذَرَّفْتُ عَلَى السِّتِّينَ، وَلَكِنْ لَا رَأْيَ لِمَنْ لَا يُطَاعُ»[10]; “O you who resemble men, yet are not men! your intelligence is that of children, and your wit is that of women kept in bridechambers! I wish I had not seen you nor known you. By Allah, this acquaintance has brought about shame and resulted in repentance. May Allah kill you! You have filled my heart with pus and loaded my bosom with rage. You made me drink mouthfuls of grief, one after the other. You shattered my counsel by disobeying and leaving me so much so that the Quraysh started saying: ‘The son of Abu Talib is brave but does not know (tactics of) war!’ May Allah bless their fathers! Has any one of them been fiercer and older in war than me? I rose for it before I reached twenty, and now I am past sixty, but one who is not obeyed can have no opinion.” Another one is his saying: «أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ الْمُجْتَمِعَةُ أَبْدَانُهُمُ الْمُخْتَلِفَةُ أَهْوَاؤُهُمْ! كَلَامُكُمْ يُوهِي الصُّمَّ الصِّلَابَ وَفِعْلُكُمْ يُطْمِعُ فِيكُمُ الْأَعْدَاءَ! تَقُولُونَ فِي الْمَجَالِسِ كَيْتَ وَكَيْتَ، فَإِذَا جَاءَ الْقِتَالُ قُلْتُمْ حِيدِي حَيَادِ! مَا عَزَّتْ دَعْوَةُ مَنْ دَعَاكُمْ، وَلَا اسْتَرَاحَ قَلْبُ مَنْ قَاسَاكُمْ! أَعَالِيلُ بِأَضَالِيلَ! وَسَأَلْتُمُونِي التَّطْوِيلَ دِفَاعَ ذِي الدَّيْنِ الْمَطُولِ! لَا يَمْنَعُ الضَّيْمَ الذَّلِيلُ، وَلَا يُدْرَكُ الْحَقُّ إِلَّا بِالْجِدِّ. أَيَّ دَارٍ بَعْدَ دَارِكُمْ تَمْنَعُونَ؟! وَمَعَ أَيِّ إِمَامٍ بَعْدِي تُقَاتِلُونَ؟! الْمَغْرُورُ وَاللَّهِ مَنْ غَرَرْتُمُوهُ، وَمَنْ فَازَ بِكُمْ فَقَدْ فَازَ وَاللَّهِ بِالسَّهْمِ الْأَخْيَبِ، وَمَنْ رَمَى بِكُمْ فَقَدْ رَمَى بِأَفْوَقَ نَاصِلٍ! أَصْبَحْتُ وَاللَّهِ لَا أُصَدِّقُ قَوْلَكُمْ، وَلَا أَطْمَعُ فِي نَصْرِكُمْ، وَلَا أُوعِدُ الْعَدُوَّ بِكُمْ. مَا بَالُكُمْ؟! مَا دَوَاؤُكُمْ؟! مَا طِبُّكُمْ؟! الْقَوْمُ رِجَالٌ أَمْثَالُكُمْ، أَقَوْلًا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَغَفْلَةً مِنْ غَيْرِ وَرَعٍ وَطَمَعًا فِي غَيْرِ حَقٍّ؟!»[11]; “O people! Your bodies are together, but your desires are divergent! Your talk softens the hard stones, but your actions attract your enemy toward you! You claim in your gatherings that you would do this and that, but when fighting approaches, you say (to war), ‘Turn thou away’ (i.e., flee away)! If one calls you (for help), the call receives no heed. And he who deals hardly with you, his heart has no solace! The excuses are amiss like that of a debtor unwilling to pay. The ignoble cannot ward off oppression. The truth cannot be achieved without effort. Which is the house beside this one to protect?! And with which Imam would you go for fighting after me?! By Allah, deceived is he whom you have deceived, while, by Allah, he who is successful with you receives only useless arrows. You are like broken arrows thrown over the enemy! By Allah, I am now in the position that I neither confirm your views nor hope for your support, nor challenge the enemy through you. What is the matter with you?! What is your ailment?! What is your cure?! The other group (from Sham) are also men of your shape (but are different in character). Speaking without knowledge, heedlessness without piety, and desire to win unfairly?!” Another one is his saying: «أَمَا وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَيَظْهَرَنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ الْقَوْمُ عَلَيْكُمْ، لَيْسَ لِأَنَّهُمْ أَوْلَى بِالْحَقِّ مِنْكُمْ، وَلَكِنْ لِإِسْرَاعِهِمْ إِلَى بَاطِلِ صَاحِبِهِمْ وَإِبْطَائِكُمْ عَنْ حَقِّي، وَلَقَدْ أَصْبَحَتِ الْأُمَمُ تَخَافُ ظُلْمَ رُعَاتِهَا وَأَصْبَحْتُ أَخَافُ ظُلْمَ رَعِيَّتِي! اسْتَنْفَرْتُكُمْ لِلْجِهَادِ فَلَمْ تَنْفِرُوا، وَأَسْمَعْتُكُمْ فَلَمْ تَسْمَعُوا، وَدَعَوْتُكُمْ سِرًّا وَجَهْرًا فَلَمْ تَسْتَجِيبُوا، وَنَصَحْتُ لَكُمْ فَلَمْ تَقْبَلُوا! أَشُهُودٌ كَغُيَّابٍ وَعَبِيدٌ كَأَرْبَابٍ؟! أَتْلُو عَلَيْكُمُ الْحِكَمَ فَتَنْفِرُونَ مِنْهَا، وَأَعِظُكُمْ بِالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْبَالِغَةِ فَتَتَفَرَّقُونَ عَنْهَا، وَأَحُثُّكُمْ عَلَى جِهَادِ أَهْلِ الْبَغْيِ فَمَا آتِي عَلَى آخِرِ قَوْلِي حَتَّى أَرَاكُمْ مُتَفَرِّقِينَ! أَيَادِيَ سَبَا تَرْجِعُونَ إِلَى مَجَالِسِكُمْ وَتَتَخَادَعُونَ عَنْ مَوَاعِظِكُمْ! أُقَوِّمُكُمْ غُدْوَةً وَتَرْجِعُونَ إِلَيَّ عَشِيَّةً كَظَهْرِ الْحَنِيَّةِ! عَجَزَ الْمُقَوِّمُ وَأَعْضَلَ الْمُقَوَّمُ! أَيُّهَا الْقَوْمُ الشَّاهِدَةُ أَبْدَانُهُمُ الْغَائِبَةُ عَنْهُمْ عُقُولُهُمُ الْمُخْتَلِفَةُ أَهْوَاؤُهُمُ الْمُبْتَلَى بِهِمْ أُمَرَاؤُهُمْ! صَاحِبُكُمْ يُطِيعُ اللَّهَ وَأَنْتُمْ تَعْصُونَهُ، وَصَاحِبُ أَهْلِ الشَّامِ يَعْصِي اللَّهَ وَهُمْ يُطِيعُونَهُ! لَوَدِدْتُ وَاللَّهِ أَنَّ مُعَاوِيَةَ صَارَفَنِي بِكُمْ صَرْفَ الدِّينَارِ بِالدِّرْهَمِ، فَأَخَذَ مِنِّي عَشَرَةَ مِنْكُمْ وَأَعْطَانِي رَجُلًا مِنْهُمْ! يَا أَهْلَ الْكُوفَةِ! مُنِيتُ مِنْكُمْ بِثَلَاثٍ وَاثْنَتَيْنِ: صُمٌّ ذَوُو أَسْمَاعٍ، وَبُكْمٌ ذَوُو كَلَامٍ، وَعُمْيٌ ذَوُو أَبْصَارٍ، لَا أَحْرَارُ صِدْقٍ عِنْدَ اللِّقَاءِ، وَلَا إِخْوَانُ ثِقَةٍ عِنْدَ الْبَلَاءِ! تَرِبَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ! يَا أَشْبَاهَ الْإِبِلِ غَابَ عَنْهَا رُعَاتُهَا! كُلَّمَا جُمِعَتْ مِنْ جَانِبٍ تَفَرَّقَتْ مِنْ آخَرَ! وَاللَّهِ لَكَأَنِّي بِكُمْ فِيمَا إِخَالُكُمْ أَنْ لَوْ حَمِسَ الْوَغَى وَحَمِيَ الضِّرَابُ قَدِ انْفَرَجْتُمْ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ انْفِرَاجَ الْمَرْأَةِ عَنْ قُبُلِهَا»[12]; “By Allah in Whose hand is my life, these people (Mu‘awiyah and his men) will overcome you not because they have a better right than you but because of their hastening toward falsehood with their leader and your slowness about my right (to be followed). People are afraid of the oppression of their rulers, while I fear the oppression of my subjects! I called you for war but you did not come. I warned you but you did not listen. I called you both secretly and openly, but you did not respond. I gave you sincere counsel, but you did not accept it. Are you present like the absent, and slaves like masters?! I recite to you words of wisdom, but you turn away from them, and I advise you with far-reaching advice, but you disperse away from it. I rouse you for jihad against the people of revolt, but before I come to the end of my speech, I see you disperse like the sons of Saba. You return to your places and deceive one another by your counsel. I straighten you in the morning, but you are back to me in the evening as curved as the back of a bow. The straightener has become weary, while those to be straightened have become incorrigible. O those whose bodies are present but wits are absent, and whose wishes are scattered, and whose rulers are afflicted with them! Your leader obeys Allah, but you disobey him, while the leader of the people of Sham disobeys Allah, but they obey him! By Allah, I wish Mu‘awiyah exchanges with me like Dinars with Dirhams, so that he takes from me ten of you and gives me one from them! O people of Kufa! I have experienced in you three things and two others: you are deaf despite having ears, dumb despite having tongues, and blind despite having eyes. You are neither true supporters in combat nor dependable brothers in distress! May your hands be soiled with earth! O examples of those camels whose herdsman has disappeared! If they are gathered from one side, they scatter from another side! By Allah, I see you in my imagination that if war becomes intense and action is in full swing, you would run away from the son of Abu Talib like women who become naked in the front!” This was the state of Ali’s companions, and the companions of the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt after him were not in a better state than them; as the betrayal of the companions of Hasan ibn Ali is well-known, and the fact that only seventy-two men remained with Husain ibn Ali is well-known. Abu Muslim al-Khorasani was also one of those who invited toward the Abbasids. Perhaps his request from Ja‘far ibn Muhammad was a way to test his intentions, to kill him or imprison him if he had a desire for the caliphate before he could gain power to oppose the Abbasids. Therefore, Ja‘far refused his request and did not show any desire. The Safavid era was also not suitable for the Mahdi’s advent, contrary to your strange perception. Rather, all the tribulations were in the Safavid era; because they introduced various innovations and superstitions into Shiism. The belief of some Shia scholars about them was nothing but ignorance; just as they believe the same about the current government in Iran, while it is the worst government that has appeared among Muslims after the governments of the Umayyads and Abbasids, and the most hostile government toward Mansoor, may Allah Almighty protect him, the preparer of the ground for the advent of the Mahdi, peace be upon him!

3. There are numerous narrations from the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt that if they had found a sufficient number of righteous helpers, they would have hastened to rise up. These narrations are undoubtedly true; because the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt never deviate from the Book of Allah until the Day of Judgment, according to the mutawatir Hadith al-Thaqalayn, and the Book of Allah has made it obligatory to enjoin right, forbid wrong, and strive in the way of Allah. It does not provide an excuse for anyone to abandon these obligations unless he does not find the necessary means and resources for them. Therefore, there is no doubt that the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt did not refrain from them throughout the past centuries unless they were excused. Whoever claims that the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt ever abandoned enjoining right, forbidding wrong, and striving in the way of Allah for a single day while having the necessary means and resources, has thought poorly of them and fabricated lies against them. There is no disagreement that the Mahdi is an Imam from the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt. Therefore, there should be no doubt about the inevitability of his advent on a day when he finds the necessary means and resources, and this means that they have not yet been available to him; because a sufficient number of righteous helpers have not yet gathered for him; as Mansoor, may Allah Almighty protect him, has pointed out in his noble book Return to Islam and said:

Now Muslims overall demand rulers other than Mahdi and protect, assist, and obey them instead of him, and there is not a sufficient number among them to protect, assist, and obey Mahdi, and if there is a sufficient number among them to do so, they are scattered around the earth, separated from each other, and it is clear that each of them alone and apart from the others is not able to protect Mahdi, and therefore, their gathering together for it is essential, while there is no one to bring them together for it, and this has caused the non-advent of Mahdi, even to the extent of having access to him. This is why you see me traveling around the earth for some time, searching for righteous men to bring a sufficient number of them together and prepare them to protect, assist, and obey Mahdi so that Allah, when He knows about their gathering together and readiness, will facilitate their access to Mahdi and pave the way for his government after it in order to be a preparation for his advent; considering that if it takes place today, he will undoubtedly appear tomorrow, but rather it will be possible to have access to him tonight; because Allah does not do injustice even for an hour, and that puts the words of Allah into practice, where He has said: ﴿فَإِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهُمْ لَا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ سَاعَةً ۖ وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ﴾[13]; “So when their time arrives, they will not postpone it for an hour, nor will they advance it,” but so far, the more I have searched, the less I have found, to the extent that I have got exhausted and frustrated; because it sounds as though the earth is empty of the righteous![14]

This complaint of Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani resembles the complaint of Ali ibn Abi Talib, Hasan, Husain, and all the other Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them. Rather, it is an extension of that complaint. Therefore, it can be said that there is no distinctive feature for the people of our time except that they are alive, unlike the people of the past. They have the opportunity and the ability to learn from the experiences of the people of the past, turn away from their dark path, and remedy their continued errors. This is enough for us to hold onto hope and strive; especially considering that our obligation is to strive to make the Mahdi, peace be upon him, appear, regardless of the outcome; because the outcome is not in our hands but rather depends on the will and actions of the people of our time. If there is a sufficient number of them who answer our invitation and cooperate with us, then our efforts will lead to the advent of the Mahdi, peace be upon him. However, this does not mean that it is the sole reason; because ten thousand men, no matter how strong in faith and piety, cannot overcome the armies of disbelief, hypocrisy, and oppression, who have filled the Earth, unless Allah supports them with His help. Rather, it means that their gathering is a condition for the descent of Allah’s help, and this divine help is the direct cause of their victory; as Allah Almighty has said: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنْ تَنْصُرُوا اللَّهَ يَنْصُرْكُمْ﴾[15]; “O you who believe! If you help Allah, He will help you,” and said: ﴿إِنْ يَنْصُرْكُمُ اللَّهُ فَلَا غَالِبَ لَكُمْ﴾[16]; “If Allah helps you, none can overcome you,” and said: ﴿كَمْ مِنْ فِئَةٍ قَلِيلَةٍ غَلَبَتْ فِئَةً كَثِيرَةً بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ﴾[17]; “How often a small group overcame a large group by the permission of Allah. And Allah is with the patient,” and said: ﴿بَلَى ۚ إِنْ تَصْبِرُوا وَتَتَّقُوا وَيَأْتُوكُمْ مِنْ فَوْرِهِمْ هَذَا يُمْدِدْكُمْ رَبُّكُمْ بِخَمْسَةِ آلَافٍ مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ مُسَوِّمِينَ﴾[18]; “Yes. If you are patient and pious, and they should fall upon you in their fury, your Lord will help you with five thousand marked Angels,” and said: ﴿فَأَيَّدْنَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا عَلَى عَدُوِّهِمْ فَأَصْبَحُوا ظَاهِرِينَ﴾[19]; “Then We supported those who believed against their enemies, so they became victorious.” This is an extremely important point that Mansoor, may Allah Almighty protect him, has pointed out in many of his sayings; as one of his companions informed us, he said:

«سَمِعْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ يَقُولُ: إِنَّ صَاحِبَكُمْ لَا يَخْرُجُ حَتَّى يَرَى الَّذِي يُحِبُّ، وَلَوْ صَارَ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ أَغْصَانَ الشَّجَرِ! قُلْتُ: وَمَا الَّذِي يُحِبُّ؟ قَالَ: اجْتِمَاعُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَى نُصْرَتِهِ، قُلْتُ: وَمَا فِي اجْتِمَاعِهِمْ، وَهُمُ الضُّعَفَاءُ وَالْفُقَرَاءُ؟! قَالَ: إِنَّكَ لَا تَدْرِي مَا فِيهِ، فِيهِ مِفْتَاحُ أَبْوَابِ السَّمَاءِ!»[20]; “I heard Mansoor say: ‘Indeed, your master will not rise until he sees what pleases him, even if his matter gets to the point where he eats from the branches of the trees!’ I said: ‘What is it that pleases him?’ He said: ‘The gathering of believers for helping him.’ I said: ‘What is in their gathering while they are weak and poor?!’ He said: ‘You do not know what is in it. In it, there is the key to the doors of the heaven!’”

Also, one of his companions informed us, he said:

«سَأَلْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ عَنِ الْمَهْدِيِّ كَيْفَ يَغْلِبُ الظَّالِمِينَ، وَلَهُمْ مَا تَرَى مِنَ الْقُوَّةِ؟ قَالَ: يَنْصُرُهُ اللَّهُ بِجُنْدٍ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ، وَجُنْدٍ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ، فَوَاللَّهِ لَوْ أَطَاقُوا جُنْدَ الْأَرْضِ لَا طَاقَةَ لَهُمْ بِجُنْدِ السَّمَاءِ! قُلْتُ: مَتَى يَنْزِلُ عَلَيْهِ جُنْدُ السَّمَاءِ؟ قَالَ: إِذَا حُشِرَ لَهُ جُنْدُ الْأَرْضِ»[21]; “I asked Mansoor about the Mahdi, how can he defeat oppressors while there is a power for them that you see? He said: ‘Allah will help him with an army from the earth and an army from the heaven, so I swear to Allah, if they endure the army of the earth, they will not endure the army of the heaven!’ I said: ‘When will the army of the heaven be sent down to him?’ He said: ‘When the army of the earth is assembled for him.’”

Also, one of his companions informed us, he said:

«سَمِعْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ يَقُولُ: لَا يَخْرُجُ الْمَهْدِيُّ حَتَّى يَنْزِلَ الْمَلَائِكَةُ، وَلَا يَنْزِلُونَ حَتَّى يَجْتَمِعَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ بِخُرَاسَانَ، وَالْمُنَافِقُونَ بِالشَّامِ»[22]; “I heard Mansoor say: ‘The Mahdi will not rise until the Angels are sent down, and they will not be sent down until the believers gather in Khorasan and the hypocrites in the Levant.’”

Also, one of his companions informed us, he said:

«كُنْتُ عِنْدَ الْمَنْصُورِ، فَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ رَجُلٌ وَسَأَلَهُ عَنِ الْقِيَامِ، فَقَالَ: وَيْحَكَ أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ لَا يَقُومُ أَحَدٌ يَدْفَعُ شَرًّا وَلَا يَدْعُو إِلَى خَيْرٍ إِلَّا صَرَعَتْهُ الْبَلِيَّةُ، حَتَّى تَقُومَ عِصَابَةٌ شَهِدُوا بَدْرًا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ، لَا يُوَارَى قَتِيلُهُمْ، وَلَا يُدَاوَى جَرِيحُهُمْ؟ قَالَ: مَنْ هُمْ؟ قَالَ: الْمَلَائِكَةُ، قَالَ: مَتَى يَقُومُونَ؟ قَالَ: إِذَا اجْتَمَعَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِلَى يَعْسُوبِهِمْ، كَمَا يَجْتَمِعُ قَزَعُ الْخَرِيفِ»[23]; “I was with Masnoor, then a man came to him and asked him about the uprising, so he said: ‘Woe to you! Do you not know that no one rises to repel evil or invite toward good unless he is struck by afflictions until a group rises who were present in Badr with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, and their dead are not laid to rest, nor are their wounded healed?’ He said: ‘Who are they?’ He said: ‘The Angels.’ He said: ‘When do they rise?’ He said: ‘When believers gather around their leader as the cloudlets of autumn gather.’”