"Certainly Allah conferred a favour upon the believers when He raised among them a Messenger from among themselves, reciting to them His communications and purifying them, and teaching them the Book and the wisdom, although before that they were surely in manifest error."Surah Ale Imran:164

The Bethat (arousing) of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s) is amongst the greatest events of Universe. Though the day of Bethat  (arousing) is celebrated every year in a customary form on the 27th day of the Islamic month of Rajab but in reality more attention and significance should be given to this day and event as compared to other subjects. This is because the Bethat (arousing) of Prophets and specifically the Bethat (arousing) of the Last Prophet (s.a.w.s) is the greatest event of universe.

In reality Bethat (arousing) is the rise of Islam, it is the birth and Wilayat (guardianship) of Islam, it is rise of the school of salvation for mankind and the completion of the series of guidance by Prophets. And even beyond this if we ponder than Bethat (arousing) is the connection between the world of unseen and the materialistic world.

Allah (s) has created the universe in two parts; one is the materialistic universe in which we are living and second part of universe is the one above this which has been referred to as the Unseen world in the Holy Quran by Allah (s). The world of unseen does not mean a hidden world; something which is concealed from our eyes is not the world of unseen. It means the non materialistic world, non bodily world which implies that part of existence which is near to the source of existence and is the basis of this materialistic world. Bethat (arousing) is the name of establishing connection between these two worlds after their creation. And for this connection certain elements are required which is the Holy existence of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s) and the existence of a perfect man.

The arousing of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s) is amongst the astonishing events of the world. If a person can understand the reality of the arousing of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s) which means how Allah (s) elevates a human being to the position of Prophethood than it could be considered that man has reached the stage of guidance.

Thus it is necessary to understand this subject with appropriate time that how Allah (s) elevates a person to the position of Prophethood.

Bethat (arousing) by itself is not a subject but in fact a title for Human beings guidance. The day of Bethat (arousing) means that day on which Allah (s) made the arrangements for guidance of humanity. And specifically the Bethat (arousing) of the Last Prophet (s.a.w.s) which means the day on which Allah (s) completely this series of guidance for humanity. Thus Bethat (arousing) is the title for the comprehensive system of guidance and its methodology. What should be the method of guidance for humanity and what should be its practical trends and practical image? What should be its objectives and purpose? If we gather the answer for these questions in one place and give it a title than that title becomes Bethat (arousing). This title is specifically associated with those who are practically active in reformatory attempts in a society. But if those active in reformation of society do not have a map or a charter of reformation for society than they themselves become the cause of people's astonishment; similar to the way the Holy Quran has said about some persons:

"When it is told to them do not cause corruption in land, they reply that we are doing reformation." Surah Baqrah: 11

Allah (s) has recognized this reformation as corruption. If the system of guidance is not clearly manifested to us  and if we are ourselves not familiar with the practical methods of guidance than not just that we would lack authority on guidance but instead we will become the basis of misguidance of people. This is the reason that those who are busy in reformation of society under any banner and are taking pains as well, or those propagators of Islam and respected scholars who are are not getting any expected success even after years of propagation and preaching is because when we desire to become the trustees of guidance and that too religious guidance than everything of ours should be Islamic which means the process and methodology of guidance should also be Islamic.

Imam Khomeini (r.a) used to strictly emphasize on this point that adulterated guidance is misguidance.

Adulteration of guidance means presenting Islam mixed with non Islamic things. There were some educated person whose methodology was to mix several things aggressively forming a paste and than present it. Imam (r.a) was against them and these persons did not just proved later to be non reformatory or one's aiming for guidance in fact they became leaders of misguidance and even today they are big bottlenecks and obstacles. Thus all our work should be pure and its basis should be purity. It is essential for the propagator of religion to be well acquainted with these things; if he is propagating religion then he should propagate pure religion  which in terminology is "Naab" religion; and also the means utilized for this should also be religious because with non religious means propagation of religion cannot be done.

Religion is a complete and comprehensive system of guidance and carries everything inside it. Everything has been ordained by Allah (s) from the beginning. Guidance, purpose of guidance, ,methods of guidance, means of guidance should all be religious and divine. This means if a Prophet would be appointed today for the reformation of our society than what would he do? Definitely he would have used the means of guidance provided by Allah  (s) for the guidance of humanity. Thus Bethat (arousing) is a title of guidance for humanity and not a subject on its own.

Meaning of Bethat (arousing)

Bethat (arousing) means guidance, the trends and methods of guidance, the purpose and objectives of guidance, the practical ways of guidance and the means for guidance. All these are present under the title of Bethat. Why is guidance given the title of Bethat (arousing)? Why is the appointment of a Prophet for the guidance of humanity given the name of Bethat (arousing)?

Human being has two states inside him which means either man is in the state of growth or in the state of downfall. This is because the creation of man by Allah (s) is such that he is not created in perfection but in fact he is created in need for perfection. The need for perfection means we are are created incomplete and deficient; and than we have been given the choice to do the journey of perfection on our own feet and with our own will. This type of creation is known as creation in need for perfection. There are many creations present in our world who are not in need for perfection or we can say that intentional perfection has not been ordained for them like the Angels; who are not in need of perfection but instead created with perfection. Allah has granted them perfection at the time of creation. Many of us believe the same about Prophets that they are also created perfect. Though for Allah (s) these personalities should themselves be in need for perfection because they are coming as guides for that creation which is in need for perfection; whereas we have in our minds that they are born perfect.

Allah (s) says that such type of creation (means born perfect) cannot guide the creation in need for perfection. This is the reason that they used to place objections on Prophet (s.a.w.s)

Their expectation was that since he is a Prophet he should not be walking on ground, he should be flying in air, there should be a crowd of angels around him, food should come for him from Paradise and he should not get married; first of all he should not get married and even if he does than this should be with Houries. These days in Pakistan there are some statements that they were not born (Wiladat) but appeared (Zuhoor) or descended (Nuzool). These kind of thoughts were of the polytheists in the era of ignorance and the Quran has already condemned them that your thoughts are wrong. It is there in Allah's power to send a perfect creation on earth but than he would not have the authority to guide you thus it was said that even if we would have appointed Angels for the guidance of man than we would have created them also in the form of man in need for perfection. The role of guide for a creation in need for perfection can only be delivered by a need for perfection creation. This means one who has himself done this journey of perfection out of his own will reaching its pinnacle is the one capable of taking this caravan of humanity to this position. But one who has not done this journey himself cannot guide; like Gabriel has not done this journey hence Gabriel is not enough for guidance of man. An existence greater than Gabriel is required for the guidance of man and that great existence is one who himself walks towards that stage of perfection. This is the reason Allah (s) aroused the Prophets.

Allah (s) in this verse is showing off that I have done a favour on the believers. But for us He has said that whenever we do any goodness we should not talk about it.

This means if you do any goodness than don't speak about it for the sake of letting others know else your goodness will get void. Even though Allah has said this to creation that they should not express and talk about their goodness but Allah (s) himself has done this by saying that I have done a favour on the believers. Allah has done a favour and then He is expressing also that we have done big favour on the believers.

What is this favour done by Allah (s)?

that Allah has aroused a Messenger amongst them..

Allah (s) aroused a Messenger from amongst the believers because it is essential for the Messenger to be from their clan so that he can guide the believers.

Allah (s) says that when we appoint a person for guidance of people than we arouse him, we pass him through a proper process and it is not that by just sitting in one place he becomes a Prophet and a Messenger.

Human being, Society and Need for perfection

The one who passes through a process becomes a Messenger and the name of that process is Bethat (arousing). After going through the process man is authorized to go and guide human beings.

Human society is in need for perfection, both man and woman are created by Allah (s) in need for perfection and one in need for perfection is in two states. He is like a plant. Allah (s) has not grown any perfect plant or tree like something with branches, leaves, fruits and flowers came out at once. It is not like this instead a seed is planted, its splits, turns into sapling and then after passing through a process it becomes a tree. Trees are not grown in a splash. Thus a tree also has two states; one state is either it will grow or for some reason its growth will stop in the second state. The law of Allah (s) is such that those in need for perfection are always in two states; either growing upwards or reducing. They don't stop at one place. This means he is either in the state of going upwards or the state of falling down or descending. Man is in need for perfection with respect to his body, soul and even society.

We are like this in our body also. Our height keep on increasing and then stops at one stage. We think it has stopped but it has not stopped in reality; the stage where it stopped growing it starts to reduce. But this affair of growing and reducing is so slow and gradual that we can't see it. When our beard turns while and the old age starts then we realize that we have started to reduce. We are either growing or reducing but not stopping anywhere. The soul is also like this , it is also either growing or reducing. All the creation in need for perfection are similar to this.

The difference between man and plant is that though both are in need of perfection but one is by force. The plants don't have the rights to traverse the journey of perfection on their own. But man has to do this entire journey with choice and intention. Thus human being is different from others in the sense that he is in need for perfection and his acquisition of perfection is based on his choice and intentions. And hence he is in more danger because if he is not progressing upwards than he is a victim of downfall which is a big danger.

Where does the need for Bethat (arousing) comes up? Why is a Prophet aroused in a human society? The Holy Quran says:

كَانَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً فَبَعَثَ اللّهُ النَّبِيِّينَ مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِينَ
"(All) people are a single nation; so Allah raised prophets as bearers of good news and as warners," Surah Baqarah: 213

This means the human society was progressing but then it experienced a difficulty, and that difficulty was:

وَمَا كَانَ النَّاسُ إِلاَّ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً فَاخْتَلَفُواْ
"And people are naught but a single nation, so they disagree" Surah Yunus : verse 19

They developed dissension amongst them which means they were treading on the right path. This creation in pursuit of perfection was travelling on the way of perfection but then he faced one difficulty and disturbance on this highway of perfection and in order to eliminate this difficulty he was in need of a guide who would hold his hand making him reach his desired destination.

 فَبَعَثَ اللّهُ النَّبِيِّينَ مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِين

When a human society leaves the journey of growth and progress then in order to get this society back into movement Allah (s) aroused Prophets to take this descending society out from downfall putting them back on the path of progress and perfection.

There are certain signs of dead societies and dead communities just like the realization of death for everything is present in Islamic teachings and Quran. There is death for body, death for soul, death of heart, death of mind and death of every organ and limb. Similarly there is death for society and community. The sign of a dead society or a society in downfall is that it looses Values specifically those Values that are human or natural values and those which are Divine Values. Values in Islamic teachings are termed and commonly referred to as "Maroof" just like Amr Bil Maroof and against it is Nahi Anal Munkar.

"Munkar" means Anti Values or those things in opposition to values. Values are those attributes of man's actions and existence which elevates the weight and price of his actions. This is the reason they are termed as values. And against this evils (Munkar) are those things which reduces the weight and values. Ameerul Momineen (a.s) says:

" It is enough for Man's ignorance that he is unaware about his own value."

He is aware about the price of everything present in the shop, he knows the value of every garbage brought from China but he is not aware about his own price and value. Such a shopkeeper who knows the price of everything in the shop but is unaware about his own value is the biggest ignorant in the eyes of Ameerul Momineen (a.s). There are certain things which raise the value whereas certain things degrade the values. The affairs of man and his society are also similar due to the results of which the value of man either rises and the value of his society also rises whereas against this are some factors due to which the value goes down. Thus when a society looses its value it starts its downfall and then the death of this society is certain. In order to get this society back to life and to give life to humanity Allah (s) has aroused the Holy Prophet (s).  This means he has aroused a personality from within this society.

The aroused man and society

Allah (s) aroused the Prophets and in Arabic language "Mab'oos" means arousing someone which implies awakening, inspiring, provoking and charging someone. This is the reason waking someone from sleep in Arabic is also called Bethat. Even raising a dead person is called Bethat and this is the reason the day of Judgement is called the Day of Resurrection "Yawm ul Ba'ath". Since Izrael has seized the souls of everyone and everyone had gone into a state of sleep forever thus when Izrael blows the trumpet they will again wake up; which means they will be aroused again. This kind of act is known as Bethat.

There are several examples for this; like a person is sitting in an absolutely normal state than someone speaks ill or insults him; all of sudden he becomes annoyed. That faculty of anger which was lying cool all of a sudden sparked off and then rubbish starts to come out of this mouth. There are certain human being who are already aroused, charged and inspired persons but there are some persons who have stagnancy and stillness in them. When a society becomes a victim of stagnancy, stillness and calmness than this society is a victim of downfall. A society, group, organization have the same characteristics that is either they are in the state of growth or else in the state of downfall. Allama Iqbal has narrated a ode from a Persian poet

This is a beautiful ode. He says that I was walking with the Caravan and a splinter pinched my feet. I took a corner and sat down to remove this splinter from my feet but during this little time which I wasted for removing the splinter I lost the caravan from my eyes. I became negligent for a moment and I was left behind the Caravan by hundred years. This is the danger for caravans that is those nations (Ummat) who intend to reach somewhere; those community and groups who have a target destination and a goal they do not even have this much rights to sit down for a moment in order to remove splinter from their feet. So what is to be done with this splinter pinches the feet? This is the difficulty that you have to bear these boils, burns and wounds in the feet. These splinters are intentionally laid in the way of the Caravan; they could have been easily wiped off the way but they have been kept intentionally in the way to see if he is going to sit down with the excuse of splinter.

Why are we lagging hundred years behind? Because we get splinters pinching our feet and we immediately sit down to remove them. Let them remain in the feet for it to be removed after reaching the destination. There is a poem by Faiz which is interpreted as; Let this caravan move ahead , the camps will be laid at the destination and we will sit there to remove the splinters.

Do not waste time in removing these splinters because they are intentionally laid in your path. Who are those people when splinters bite them they do not remove them? They are the ones who are aroused . The ones who are aroused when they get a wound; others tell him to wait for the wound to be bandaged but they do not stop, they do not feel the pain of this wound. Now we know when arrows would hit Ameerul Momineen (a.s) and arrows would hit the people of Karbala, why they would not remove them? Because they had no feelings about the pains from these arrows since they were aroused. They were charged; they were brought out from their beds and brought into Karbala in fact they were aroused and charged.

Arousing someone is a process. See the splinters which pinched Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s). His shoes were soaked in blood in Taif after being pelted with stones from all over and the day he won't get a splinter in his feet the Prophet (s.a.w.s) would look around to say Where is that Lady? (the one who used to throw garbage on him). Why she did not trouble me today? Why she did not torment me today? The day he does not suffer wounds from tongues he says where are my sympathizers? Why did they not speak anything against me? If there are no splinters on the way than be assured that the path is not correct. This is not the path of flowers in fact this is rough road and for these rough terrains Allah (s) has aroused Prophets. It is the duty of the Prophet to arouse the nation (Ummat) whereas it is the duty of the nation (Ummah) to become aroused. The dead societies which have become a victim of downfall cannot get salvation through simple means.

The era before and after Bethat in the vision of Ameerul Momineen (a.s)

In Nahjul Balagha Ameerul Momineen (a.s) has discussed about the era before Bethat and has divided the society in two parts; the era prior to Bethat and the era after Bethat. It is similar to the division done today i.e. an educated society and less educated society, prosperous society and poor society; also the way the world is divided based on capital like first order world, second world and third world where we are counted amongst third world countries. Similarly the Quran has also saggregated societies; society before Victory of Mecca (Fathe Mecca) and the society after the Victory Mecca. Who were these people?

Those people who look at the Islamic Treasure house (Baitul Maal) and then come towards Islamic Revolution and religion; when they know that they are going to get a lot of benefits, now the treasure house is full so there is no harm in becoming Muslims. When they see that now the situation is good, now Police is not going to catch us, there are no suicide bombings happening so now there is no harm in attending religious gatherings (Majalis). Who are these people? These are the people after Victory of Mecca (Fathe Mecca).

Who are the Muslims of before Victory of Mecca (Fath-e-Mecca)? Those who know here there is only death, tortures, martyrdom, hunger, poverty, starvation and nothing else other than this. Those who earn from their homes and spend on religion are the Muslims prior to Victory of Mecca (Fath-e-Mecca) whereas those who earn from Religion and spend on their homes are the Muslims after Victory of Mecca (Fath-e-Mecca). This is the Quranic terminology.

In the same way the society is divided in Nahjul Balagha into era prior to Bethat and period after Bethat.  When Ali (a.s) took hold of the reigns of governance in his hand and delivered his first presidential sermon he said that the society which I have with me now is the society prior to Bethat though forty eight years from Bethat had already passed. Ameerul Momineen (a.s) took the reigns of the nation (Ummat) after half a century of Bethat when almost everyone were maintaining their prayers, they were all Hajj Pilgrims, they were big time Muslims and even the companions of Prophet (s) were present which means the first generation of Islam was still present; to these He (a.s) said what I am going to do with this nation (Ummat)? This nation (Ummah) is the nation prior to Bethat; Imam (a.s) divided the society into society pre Bethat and post Bethat. That dead community in which the values had died is the pre Bethat society. There would be no doubt about good actions performed by them but actions without values; those who were big claimants and boasters had no Values present in them; for them Ameerul Momineen (a.s) says that this is a society prior to Bethat  and I cannot fight a Holy war through a pre Bethat society. There is need to bring them back to life because they are dead. This was the difficulty of Ameerul Momineen (a.s) whom we consider as the resolver of all our problems; his difficult was that he got a community, nation, group and army which was the post Bethat army.

The nation whom the Messenger (s.a.w.s) aroused for twenty three years were all cooled down and put to sleep by others in twenty years and then the responsibility of this nation was put on the shoulders of Ameerul Momineen (a.s) hence Ali (a.s) said what am I going to do with this? What should I do with this sleeping nation? This was the reason Ameerul Momineen (a.s) awakened them but they did not wake up. There was not a single battle in which Ali (a.s) was pleased with them. They could not come out successful from any encounter and hence Ali (a.s) is seen remembering the Martyrs in Nahjul Balagha with utmost desire; He says Where is Ammar? Where is Hamza? Where is Jafar ibn Tayyar? It is a big desire in the heart of a leader that he has thousands of people present in front of him but still he is remembering the Martyrs; Where are those Martyrs? But when we look at the Doyen of Martyrs (a.s) he is saying these are the seventy two and there could not be anyone better than these seventy two because they were the best aroused ones.