On the evening of Thursday, one of the largest Quranic gatherings in the world took place at the Imam Reza (AS) Holy Shrine in Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi Province, with more than 200,000 attendees who gathered to express their devotion to the Holy Quran.

Organized by the Quranic program “Mahfel” (literary meaning assembly), the event was held on the eve of the Islamic Unity Week and in celebration of the Imamate of Imam al-Mahdi (AS), the last of the Twelve Imams of Shia Muslims, Mehr reported on Friday.

The 12th Imam’s name is that of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). He is referred to by many titles, such as al-Hujjah (the proof), al-Qa’im (the one who rises), and Sahib al-Zaman (guardian of the age). However, the most famous of his titles is al-Mahdi (the guided one). Imam al-Mahdi is the savior whom Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) spoke of on numerous occasions. Scholars from both the Shia and Sunni schools of thought agree that the Messenger of God foretold of Imam al-Mahdi’s advent. “Even if no (period) remained left in time except for a single day, God would (still) send forth a man from my family to fill it with justice, just as it had been filled with injustice.” Imam al-Mahdi is said to be in occultation (ghayba) by divine will and will appear at the End of Times to rid the world of evil and injustice.

A significant portion of the event was dedicated to religious reflections. Hojatoleslam Qasemian emphasized the significance of Imamate through the “Hadith of the Golden Chain” (Hadith al-Silsilah al-Dhahab) narrated by Imam Reza (AS) and elaborated on verses of the Quran that highlight God's promises to righteous believers.

The event also underscored solidarity with the Palestinian people. Pilgrims chanted slogans like “Death to Israel” as a show of support for Palestine, with several Palestinian war victims taking the stage. Among them was Sheikh Talal Abdulrahman, a former prisoner in Israeli jails, who conveyed a message of gratitude from the Palestinian people to the Iranian audience. 

He spoke about the significance of unity among Muslims and the role of the Quran in raising an aware and resilient generation. “The Zionists have been occupying Al-Quds for years to tell the world that there is no name left of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and Islam, but we, the Islamic Ummah, stand up and tell them that the Holy Prophet trained us in a way to clear the earth from the Zionists,” he added.