Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi (aj) says, "God is with us, so we do not need anyone besides Him. The truth is with us, so those who leave us [unsupported] will not make us lonely. We are the makings of God and creation after [us] are our makings.."

Mikyāl al-Makārem, v.1, p.54

The explanation of the narration will not discuss the last sentence because that would require too much time and cannot be explained without introductions. Let us focus on the first part and try to understand what is being said and implied by the Imam of the time (aj).

In Arabic, the word used is "qa'ada", which means to sit. That is, the Imam (aj) says he will not be made lonely by those who 'sit'. We all know the Imam of the time (aj) is known as the Qā'im, or 'Riser'. This shows that the narration has deep theological roots and implications.

What does it mean for the Imam (aj) to say he is not affected by those who sit while he rises? What does it mean for him to say he only needs God and does not need anyone else because he is accompanied by the truth? What is our job as believers with regards to such narrations?

No Shi'a Muslim denies that the Imam (aj) has a mission he will seek to fulfill when he emerges. Some ask the question: during the period of the occultation, is his mission in progress? The answer is: yes. The Imam's (aj) mission is that of the Qur'an and his forefathers (a).

This means that people sitting out is a phenomenon that begins today and remains until the emergence of the Imam (aj). Therefore, to know who will rise with the Imam (aj), see who rises for his sake today. Likewise, to know who will sit out, see who is sitting out today.

Those who oppose the religious establishment; those who oppose the only government implementing Islamic laws and protecting Muslims around the world; those who attack the mainstream body of Shi'ism - how could they possibly find the Imam (aj) appropriate for leadership?

Those who rebel and fall in such margins today have scattered opinions politically, intellectually, spiritually, etc. Such chaos cannot match with the Imam's (aj) order. One who sits today will sit tomorrow - because it is the mission they reject, not the Imam (aj) as a person.

As Grand Ayat. Sheikh Jawādi Āmoli says in his book, Al-Imām al-Mahdi al-Mawjoud al-Maw'oud, p.199, the secret in these people is that "the one they call for is the "Ghā'ib" (absentee) of the progeny of Muhammad (s), not the "Qā'im" (Riser) of the progeny of Muhammad (s).."