Is the reappearance of the Imam of the Time close? Why or why not?
Dear youth; the Basij members (Mobilized Forces)! One of those glowing Suns—by the Grace, Assistance and Will of God—is on the Earth today, at our time, as ‘What remains from Allah on the Earth’; as ‘the Argument of God for his servants’; as the Master of our Time, and the Absolute Wali of God. The blessings resulting from his presence, and the rays of light emitting from his existence reach out to the mankind today. Even today, humanity with all its weaknesses, errors, and entanglements, uses the gleaming light of this divine and spiritual sun who is the remainder of Ahlulbayt. Today, the sacred existence of Imam Mahdi-- may our souls be sacrificed for him-- among human beings on earth, is the source of blessings, knowledge, splendor, beauty and all that is good. Our weak and humble eyes cannot see that divine face from close by. But he is like a glowing sun, bonded with the hearts, and connected to the spirits and the inner selves. And for those with knowledge, there is no greater reward than feeling that the Wali of Allah-- the rightful Imam, the righteous one, the chosen worshiper among all worshipers in the universe, and God's address when he calls for his Caliph on Earth-- is with them and beside them. He sees them and is connected to them. The ultimate aspiration of every man is the existence of such a great element. Mankind’s unfulfilled wishes throughout history look on to this horizon, waiting for the great man, and a chosen man among the chosen men of God, to come and tear apart the fabric of cruelty and oppression, woven by the wicked throughout history. Today, mankind is also affected by cruelty and oppression, more than many other periods of time in history; but mankind has also progressed, and human wisdom has advanced. We have approached the reappearance of Imam Mahdi, the real love of human hearts (may our spirits be sacrificed for him) for wisdoms have developed and progressed.