ali jahani fard

With the beginning of Sughra's absence and serious limitations in the communication between Imam Mahdi and the Shiites, correspondence was the most dominant way of seeking advice, meeting needs, and obtaining duties in various fields from the Imam. The acceptability and validity of the correspondence and acting on its content required the confidence of the Shiites in the correspondence. The factors and roots of people's confidence in correspondences were relying on clear signs and clear evidences that the passage of time and distance from them made the audience face questions. It seems that various factors such as: familiarity of scientists with the line of correspondence; Submission of many correspondences by primary and secondary attorneys; Confirmation and acknowledgment of elders regarding correspondence; Possession of correspondence with special knowledge and their realization; Non-contradiction of the content with the text of religion; It has caused the Shiites to believe in the correspondences and confirm that they were issued by Imam Mahdi (peace be upon him)

The analysis of Islam and its teachings has a scientific appeal for Orientalists, and especially after the Islamic Revolution of Iran, attention to the teachings of Islam and Imamia grew to the point where some researchers equate the term "Oriental Studies" with "Islamic studies". Of course, the examination of religious teachings requires a method and a style that is called "methodology of religious studies". Eastern scholars seek to use these methods in the analysis of Mahdiism teachings, but in studies of the religion and especially the attitude towards the religious teachings of others, it is necessary to observe their accepted style and principles. In other words, a researcher is obliged to observe minimum standards in researching the teachings of others. The present paper aims to answer these questions with a descriptive-analytical data processing method first, what is the method of Islamic studies in the West? Second, what harm is there in the theories of Orientalists in some teachings of Mahdiism? The authors believe that due to the increase of Islamic studies and Imamiyah in the West, it is necessary to know the method of their studies, and by knowing the harms of the method in Western Islamic studies, it is easy to criticize the views of the Orientalists and then determine that what are the basic problems in analyzing the teachings of Imamiyah from their side? The findings suggest that most of the Orientalists have used the historiography method and their research suffers from damages such as "generalizing an event", "ignoring the validity of texts", " Taking teachings from other people's books", "not mastering the Arabic language", "confusion between Islam and the Muslim community" and "ignoring the rules of taking teachings from religious sources".

Hazrat Ayatollah Sheikh Lotfollah Safi Golpayegani" is one of the first-rate Shia legal authorities of the contemporary era. The book of "Montakhab al-Athar fi al-Imam al-Thani Ashar(a.s)"4 is one of his prominent works in which his hadith opinions are reflected. The present paper seeks to explain his methods of analysis of hadiths in the book of "Montakhab al-Athar fi al-Imam al-Thani Ashar(a.s)". The main goal in the mentioned book is to scientifically prove the frequency of verses and the independence of these hadiths in the view of documents. Investigating his methods in relation to Madavi hadiths can be applicable to other hadiths as well. His most important methods of analysis of hadiths have been explained in three axes: “correction of the copies”, “validation of hadiths in terms of their documentation and content”, and “jurisprudence of hadiths”. The most significant and eye-catching results of this research are the presentation of methods of hadith analysis by Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani which can be applied to the analysis of other narrations as well. These methods include: considering the alternate version in the explanation as well as the criticism of hadiths, which includes the methods of examination of documentation of hadiths and their contents. Another method he would benefit from in the analysis of hadiths in the book of "Montakhab al-Athar" is the methods he would apply in perceiving the main aim of hadiths.

Reflecting on the minor absence, we find that the Shiites had complete confidence in the four lawyers, the only link between the Shiites and Imam Mahdi (as) in the minor absence. The constructs of this confidence were based on clear signs and evidence that, over time and distance from them, confused the audience. It seems that various evidences such as: confirmation and authentication of Imam Askari; Introduction of the next deputy by the previous deputy; Issuing writings with the same script of the time of Imam Hassan Askari and familiarizing the elders with them; The writings have the knowledge of the unseen and their realization; Behavioral health of four deputies; Falsification of false claimants by slipping into ideas and property; Imam's supervision over the deputies and confronting the claimants and the approval of the writings by the elders, has caused the Shiites to believe in the four deputies and confirm the relationship of the deputies with Imam Mahdi.

The issue of identifying and distinguishing Imam Mahdi real referent from false pretenders has existed since the presence of the infallible Imams. Having the rules and criteria that have been narrated from the infallible Imams for the recognition of Imam Mahdi (aj)real referent, among the pretenders of Mahdaviat can bring us to Imam Mahdi(aj) faster. Before the advent, criteria such as "Imam Mahdi physical characteristics, his genealogy, Imam's special knowledge and, most importantly, miracles" were mentioned to distinguish Imam Mahdi (aj) and to identify his real  referent after the advent, criteria such as "the  advent of Jesus Christ with him,  being  the legacies of earlier  prophets and executors with him, the appearing  actual signs of the advent and ultimately the internationality of Islam" have been presented.  Analyzing and documenting these criteria is what has been done in this paper.