Imam Jafar Sadiq (AS) said that in the end of time, Allah will take away knowledge from the world.

It was asked: “O son of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), how will Allah take away knowledge from the world?”

He replied:
“In the end of time, the death of scholars will be in abundance. And the departure of a scholar is not only the departure of the scholar, but also the departure of knowledge. To be hostile toward a scholar is not merely enmity with a person, but enmity with knowledge itself.”

If we observe today, what greater misfortune can there be than the conspiracies being made against the Marja‘yah, and the youth of today who are opposing it?

Today’s youth, who do not even understand the basics, have become so “intelligent” that they no longer understand the faith of their elders. The same faith upon which their elders left this world has now become a burden to them. Instead, they accuse the Marja‘s of misleading them away from the true faith.

Allahu Akbar! By God, the pride and honor of this nation are the Marja‘s. The nation that has such a deputy of the Imam — where other nations do not even have such an Imam — today that very deputy of the Imam is being insulted.

The truth is that if the Shia religion remains recognized today, or if it stands tall with dignity, it is solely because of these Marja‘s. Otherwise, the enemies of Islam have always strived to completely erase Shia Islam. Yet, in every era, our scholars have played an excellent role in protecting this religion.

It was not long ago that Imam Khomeini (may Allah have mercy on him) launched a revolution in Iran. He not only saved Shia Islam but also elevated it to a position of great honor.

Looking at the present, every child of our nation bears witness to the fact that if anyone can stand against the greatest powers of the world — the United States and Israel — and speak to them eye to eye, it is our Marja‘s and our scholars. They are the ones who have forced oppressive governments to bow down.

Then why is it that some people from within our own community have turned against the Marja‘s and do not hesitate to insult them? Surely, it is due to a lack of knowledge and the greed of this world that their faith has been weakened.

These very two defects were also present in the Jewish nation. Their intentions were good, and their actions were correct, but they lacked knowledge of the Messenger. Moreover, their lust for power led them away from the true religion.

In the same way, if the deeds of those awaiting the Imam (AS) are correct and their intentions are pure, yet they fail to understand the authority of Marja‘yah, it only proves that their knowledge is lacking.

If they truly recognize the Imam (AS), then they must reflect: the Imam is in occultation, so in this period of occultation, to whom has Allah entrusted His religion?

Surely, no one other than the Marja‘s is capable of protecting the divine religion and keeping the followers of the Imam (AS) steadfast upon the true path.