Understading the Concept of Mahdi

8/15/2019 Understading the Concept of Mahdi

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6hy Is the Mahdi Afraid of Bein (illed

!oes 3ot od Ha0e the "o+er to "rotect the Imam

Is It 3ot Li7ely That the 9n%ust ulers 6ould Ha0e #u$mitted to Him

He #hould emain #ilent #o That He 6ould Be #afe

He Could Ha0e 3eotiated a Treaty of 3on-interference +ith the ulers

6hy !id He 3ot Appoint #pecial !eputies !urin the Complete &ccultation6hat Is the Benefit of Ha0in the Imam in &ccultation

The T+elfth Imam )ndea0ors to !efend Islam durin the &ccultation

Chapter @

The #unni Boo7s on the Characteristics of the Mahdi

The &ccultation of the 'Ala+id Leaders

?iolations of /ree )*pression under the Caliphs

The Implications of the #ituation

Ho+ Lon 6ill the Hidden Imam Li0e

Chapter

The esearch a$out Lone0ity

Is There Any /i*ed Term for Human Ae

The easons for Lone0ity

#enility and Its Causes

The Lon Life of the T+elfth Imam

The Article $y Justin lace

esearch into the Matter of Lone0ity

/urther esearch on Lone0ity3e+ esearch on Lone0ity

A #ummary of a ussian #tudy on the #u$%ect of &ld Ae

A Little (no+n Theory a$out the Cause of !eath

Those 6ho Li0ed a Lon Life in History

Chapter 1

The esidence of the T+elfth Imam

The #tory a$out the Countries that Belon to the #ons of the Imam

Jaira (hadra' DThe )0erreen IslandE

6hen 6ill He Appear

The #ins of His Appearance

The #tory of #ufyani

The #tory of !a%%al

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Chapter 11

The Minds of the "eople "repare for the Ad0ent of the Mahdi

The /inal ?ictory of the !o+ntrodden Dmustad'afinE

6hy !oes the Mahdi 3ot Appear

Another eason for the !elay in the Appearance of the Mahdi

Chapter 1.

Ho+ 6ill the Imam (no+ That the Time for the Appearance DZuhurEHas Come

The "reparation for the )merence 6ill Ta7e "lace &0erniht

A+aitin !eli0erance throuh the Appearance of the Imam

In0estiation into the Traditions aainst the ise DqiyamE

o0ernance +ithin eliion

The &$liation to Command the ood and /or$id the )0il

Concludin emar7s

The "rophet as the Leader of the Muslims

Islamic o0ernance after the "rophet

:Ali $4 A$i Tali$, the !esinated Caliph of the "rophet of od

Islamic o0ernance durin the "eriod of &ccultation

The &$liations of Muslims durin the &ccultation

Chapter 12

/urther In0estiation in the Hadith-eports

/irst roup of Traditions#econd roup of Traditions

Third roup of Traditions

/ourth roup of Traditions

Conclusions of the !iscussion

Chapter 18

The #ins of the Appearance DZuhurE of the Mahdi

The !estiny of the 9n$elie0ers

The !estiny of Je+s and Christians

6ill the Ma%ority of the "eoples on the )arth Be (illed

The Teachins of Islam 6ill Be "roclaimed to the 6orld from 5umm

F=our )nemies 6ill !estroy )ach &therF

6ar Is Ine0ita$le

The Mahdi's !efense

The 6orld under the Mahdi

The ?ictory of the "rophets

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The Mahdi and the 3e+ Constitution

The Conduct of the Mahdi

The /reshness of the )*planations &ffered $y the Mahdi

The Mahdi and A$roation of the &rdinances

Is It 3ot "ossi$le that the Mahdi Has Already Appeared

#ayyid 'Ali Muhammad #hirai, Fthe Ba$F#ayyid 'Ali Muhammad's Ac7no+ledement of the Hidden Imam's )*istence

#ayyid 'Ali Muhammad and the Traditions a$out /i*in of the Time

6hat !o the #ayyid's /ollo+ers #ay

The Bayan and Messianic Claim

/alse Claims and the )*istence of a /ollo+ership

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Al-Imam al-Mahdi, The Just Leader of HumanityTranslator's Introduction

In the 3ame of od, the Merciful, the Compassionate

As I +rite this preface to the translation of the $oo7 on our t+elfth Imam, al-5a'imal-Mahdi Dpeace $e upon himE, it i0es me enormous satisfaction for ha0inrealied the tas7 that I undertoo7 as a statement of my personal faith4 Initially thetas7 +as personally assined $y the author of the $oo7, Ayatollah I$rahim Amini,durin my 0isit to Tehran in the summer of 124 !ue to my teachin andadministrati0e responsi$ilities as the !irector of Middle )astern #tudies at the9ni0ersity of ?irinia, I had to +ait for a more opportune time to de0ote myeneries to this demandin responsi$ility4 3e0ertheless, Ayatollah I$rahim

Amini's reuest reflected not only his confidence in my a$ility to render this

serious +or7 on T+el0er #hi'i faith accurately into )nlish, it also con0eyed hisconfidence in my personal faith in the t+elfth Imam4

The summer of 12 +as also a time to $e rateful to od for a 0ery importantreason4 In the inter0ie+ +ith the editors of Kayhan-i Farhangi in 5umm, I had theopportunity to e*plain the academic study of reliion in the liht of my o+n studya$out the idea of the future leadership in Islam and ho+ it essentially differedfrom the method of conductin research in the traditional centers of Islamiclearnin4 The entire inter0ie+, no+ a0aila$le in )nlish and /rench translations,is a ood e*ample of the scholarly dialoue $et+een modern and traditionalinstitutions of hiher learnin4

GGGGGGG

The translation of this important $oo7 +ould ha0e $een impossi$le +ithout theneed on my part to respond to those +ho ha0e attri$uted to me false notions andideas +hich are neither part of my personal faith nor of my academic research4 Atno point ha0e I entertained, e0en in error, opinions that cannot $e ascertained inthe +ritten primary sources of the T+el0er #hi'ism4 )0ery piece of document usedto +rite my academic research is meticulously in0estiated and criticallye0aluated in the liht of the teachins of the 5ur'an and the authentic traditions of the ahl al-bayt 4 It is remar7a$le that Ayatollah Amini's Dadgustar-i jihan, +hich I

ha0e rendered in )nlish under the title of Al-Imam al-Mahdi: The Just eader !" Humanity , i0es the $elie0er a detailed description of the $elief in the t+elfthImam, +hose chronoloical de0elopment $ased on historical study of the sourcesI ha0e e*amined in Islami# Messianism: The Idea !" Mahdi in T$el%er &hi'ism4More remar7a$le is the fact that e0en +hen Ayatollah Amini and I ha0eapproached the su$%ect +ith stri7inly different method of in0estiation, +e ha0ereached the same conclusion reardin the $elief a$out the Imam +ho +ill comeforth from his in0isi$le e*istence to ta7e chare of the +orld as its %ust leader4


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The methodoloical difference $et+een the t+o endea0ors actually points to thedifferent readership the former is +ritten strictly for the educated 'insiders' Dthe$elie0ersE +hereas, the latter is +ritten for $oth the educated 'insiders' and the'outsiders' Dnon-$elie0ersE4 This is an important distinction to 7eep in mind, as thereaders in the community $ein to fathom the contri$ution made $y Ayatollah

Amini to reach a $elie0in audience in contrast to my o+n academic contri$utionto reach a non-$elie0in audience for the intellectual appreciation of the T+el0er#hi'ite school of thouht4

My endea0ors in Islami# Messianism +ere 0ery much uided $y the need topresent the #hi'ite school of thouht to a 6estern academic +orld dominated $yan ForientalistF scholarship that not only marinalies #hi'ism as a de0iant andcorrupt form of Islam, $ut also reards it as directly influenced $y Je+ish andChristian messianic ideas4 It +as important to challene lon held conclusions ofthe 6estern and #unni scholars reardin the oriins of #hi'i notion of thedi0inely uided Imam, and assert +ith confidence that the idea of the future

comin of the Mahdi arose from the 5ur'anic +orld 0ie+'s concern +ith $rininto fruition a %ust and ethical society4 &n the other hand, Ayatollah Amini'sendea0ors in Al-Imam al-Mahdi: The Just eader !" Humanity , are earedto+ards respondin to the dou$ts raised $y the s7eptic #hi'is and polemical#unnis4

This purpose of reachin out to the specific "ersian spea7in Muslim audiencealso e*plains the methodoloy employed $y him +hich endea0ors to esta$lishthe reliious truth strictly on the $asis of sources dealin +ith hadith4 )acharument is souht from the interpretation of the specific 5ur'anic 0erses andhadith-reports used to support that interpretation4 The hadith, then, $ecomes the

fundamental source of reliious proof4 Ho+e0er, follo+in the +ell esta$lishedmethods employed $y our prominent scholars, the hadith is not accepteduncritically4 It is scrutinied for its 0alidity and its use as e0idence in support of areliious $elief4 Moreo0er, Ayatollah Amini introduces rational arument todiscredit some of the stories a$out meetin +ith the t+elfth Imam that ha0e $eenaccepted uncritically $y some scholars of hadith4 Thus, for instance, the +ell7no+n story a$out the ')0erreen Island' $ein the residence of the t+elfth Imamis re%ected $y him not only as $ein contradictory in the details pro0ided $y thenarrator it is also rearded as a mere fa$rication4 /urthermore, modern researchon ain and lone0ity is cited e*tensi0ely from 6estern sources to esta$lish thefact that science does not reard it inconcei0a$le for the t+elfth Imam Dpeace $eupon himE to ha0e $een $lessed +ith a lon ae4

The most enlihtenin and eye openin section of the $oo7 deals +ith theuestion of the achie0ements of the t+elfth Imam +hen he appears DChapter 18of the translationE4 Here the information reardin the 'The /reshness of the)*planations offered $y the Mahdi,' co0ers a critical assessment of ho+ +e, asthe follo+ers of the t+elfth Imam, ha0e inored the true meanin of Islam in our


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li0es and ha0e attached importance to the rituals +ithout realiin the true moraland ethical content of these reliious de0otions4

Thus, Ayatollah Amini +rites

"eople, ha0in a$andoned the a$solute principles and fundamental teachins ofIslam, merely follo+ the out+ard forms of reliion, and reard those to $esufficient4 These are the people +ho, $esides the fi0e daily o$liatory prayers,the fastin of amadan, and the a0oidance of e*ternal pollution D najasat E, 7no+nothin of Islam4 Besides, some of them ha0e limited reliion to the mosue,and, hence, its reality has 0ery little impact upon their actions and $eha0ior4 Inthe life outside the mosue, that is, in the mar7et place or at +or7, there is notrace of their Islam4 They do not reard ethical $eha0ior and moral precepts to $epart of Islam4 They i0e no importance to esche+in immoral conduct and ma7ean e*cuse of not follo+in moral uidelines since there is dispute a$out theo$liatoriness and the prohi$itions of certain reuirements4 They o as far as

turnin the prohi$itions of the la+, throuh tric7ery, into somethin permissi$le4They also shun their responsi$ility for payin the dues that are imposed $y thela+ on them4 In other +ords, they are enaed in o$ser0in the reliionaccordin to their desires4

6hen it comes to the 5ur'an, they thin7 it sufficient to pay attention to its formalrecitation and to respect the con0entions in that connection4 Hence, +hen thet+elfth Imam appears it is o$0ious that he +ill as7 them as to +hy they ha0ea$andoned the essence of reliion and ha0e interpreted the 5ur'an and thehadith to fit their o+n preferred meanins4 6hy ha0e they left the truth of Islam+hile $ein satisfied +ith mere out+ard adherence to it 6hy ha0e they not

souht to conform their character and their actions +ith the true spirit of Islam6hy ha0e they t+isted the meanins of the reliion to accord +ith their o+npersonal a0arice #ince they pay so much attention to the proper recitation of the5ur'an, they should also put its directi0es into action4 The t+elfth Imam has theriht to as7 FMy randfather, Imam Husayn did not et 7illed for the sa7e ofmournin4 6hy ha0e you forsa7en my randfather's oal and destroyed itF

The Imam +ill as7 them to learn the Islamic social and moral teachins and applythem in their e0eryday li0es4 They should a0oid the for$idden acts, and ta7e careof their financial o$liations, +ithout ma7in flimsy e*cuses4 They should also7eep in mind that remem$erin the merits of the ahl al-bayt and +eepin for their sufferin can ne0er su$stitute for the payin of the (a)at and )hums and ta7incare of one's de$ts4 3or can they su$stitute for such sinful $eha0ior as ta7ininterest and $ri$es, cheatin others and treatin them +ith dishonesty4 Theyshould reconie that +eepin and sihin for Imam Husayn can ne0ersu$stitute for ha0in ill-treated orphans and +ido+s4 More importantly, theyshould not limit piety to the mosue rather, they should see7 participation in thesociety and carry out the duty of commandin the ood and for$iddin the e0iland fiht the inno0ations that ha0e crept into Islam4


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Certainly, such a reliion +ould seem ne+ and difficult to these people, and theymiht not e0en consider it to $e Islam, $ecause they ha0e imained Islam to $esomethin else4 These people used to thin7 that the proress and reatness ofIslam lay in decoratin the mosues and in constructin tall minarets4 If thet+elfth Imam says FThe reatness of Islam is in rihteous action, honesty,

trust+orthiness, 7eepin promises, a0oidin for$idden acts,F this +ould appear tothem altoether ne+ They used to assume that +hen the Imam appears he +illma7e amends for all the actions of the Muslims and +ill retire +ith them in thecorner of a mosue4 But if they +itness that $lood is drippin from the Imam'ss+ord and that he is callin people to jihad and to command the ood and for$idthe e0il, and that he is 7illin the un%ust +orshippers and returnin the oods theyha0e stolen to their rihtful o+ners, such actions of the Imam they +ill indeed findne+

This honest and fran7 assessment of the *mma and the responsi$ility that thefollo+ers ha0e to+ards the t+elfth Imam is rare in the literature on the su$%ect4 It

is time for us to ta7e stoc7 of our commitment to the oals of Islam and +or7sincerely to+ards self-reform in order to fulfill our o$liations to the Muslims andnon-Muslims around us4 It is +orth recallin the contents of the supplication thathas $een reported from the t+elfth Imam and +hich +e read at different times+ithout ponderin fully the admonishment that the Imam has con0eyed to hisfollo+ers4 The supplication is as follo+s

O God, pro0ide us +ith direction to follo+ the path of o$edience and 7eep usa+ay from diso$edience i0e sincerity in our intentions pro0ide us +ith the7no+lede of that +hich is $lessed4

[O God,] honor us +ith uidance and the +ay of truth direct our tonues to saythat +hich is riht and +ise fill our hearts +ith learnin and 7no+lede andpurify our $ellies of that +hich is unla+ful and of dou$t4

[O God,] pre0ent our hands from committin oppression and theft lo+er oureyes out of modesty from Kcommittin acts of immorality and disloyalty $loc7 our ears from hearin foolish tal7 and slander4

[O God,] o$lie our learned authorities +ith piety and sincere ad0ice and those+ho are learnin +ith a$ility and desire to educate themsel0es4

[O God,] confer on those +ho are listenin a desire to follo+ and pay attention tothe reliious e*hortation $esto+ reco0ery and rest on all the Muslims +ho aresufferin from illness and 7indness and mercy on those +ho are dead amonthem4

&n our old people, [O God,] $esto+ dinity and peace of mind upon our youthconfer repentance and turnin a+ay from sin on our +omen $esto+ modestyand chastity4


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[O God,] $esto+ on those +ho are rich hum$leness and a$undance on those+ho are poor patience and satisfaction on those +ho are fihtin in =our causehelp and 0ictory and on those +ho are imprisoned freedom and peace4

[O God,] $esto+ upon those +ho are rulin %ustice and 7indness and upon those

+ho are ruled %ust treatment and ood character4

[O God,] $less those +ho are on pilrimae +ith a$undant pro0ision andsupport, and help them to complete that +hich is o$liatory on them in theKperformance of the hajj and +umra, +ith =our race and 7indness, & the MostCompassionate4

In the end, I must ac7no+lede all the moral support and encouraement that Iha0e recei0ed from Ayatollah I$rahim Amini and his colleaues at the Majlis-iKhubragan, Hu%%atul Islam Hada0i Tihrani and his colleaues at the Jami'Mudarrisin Ha$(a 'Ilmiyya ,umm, and 0arious +ell-+ishers around the +orld to

+hom I ha0e dedicated the translation of this 0alua$le statement of our personalfaith4

A$dulai #achedinaLondon, )nland1@ !hul-Hi%%a, 181<May


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Chapter 1

The Beinnin of the Belief in the Mahdi

!r4 )mami 6hen did the $elief in Mahdi $ecome pre0alent in the Islamic

en0ironment 6as there any con0ersation a$out the Mahdi durin the time of the"rophet Dpeace $e upon him and his proenyE or +as it after his death that the$elief $ecame +idespread amon Muslims There are some +ho ha0e +rittenthat there +as no Mahdiism in the $einnin of Islam4 It +as only in the secondhalf of the first century D>th century C)E that the idea appeared amon theMuslims4 There +as a roup that rearded Muhammad $4 Hanafiyya as theMahdi and a0e the ood ne+s to the people a$out the ood fortune Islam +ouldacuire throuh him4 The same roup $elie0ed that Muhammad $4 Hanafiyya hadnot died $ut he +as li0in in Mt4 ad+a and one day +ould return4F

Mr4 Hoshyar The $elief in Mahdi +as +idespread durin the time of the "rophet4

The "rophet Dpeace $e upon him and his proenyE on more than one occasionhad announced the future comin of the Mahdi4 /rom time to time he +ouldinform the people a$out the o0ernment of the Mahdi and the sins of hisemerence, i0in his name and patronymic D)unyaE4 There are numeroushadith-reports that ha0e come do+n to us from $oth the #unni and the #hi'isources on this su$%ect4 Actually some of these reports ha0e $een related sofreuently, and +ithout interruption in all aes, that no$ody can dou$t theirauthenticity4 /or instance, +e read the follo+in hadith reported from 'A$d Allah$4 Mas'ud, +ho heard the "rophet say

The +orld +ill not come to an end until a man from my family Dahl al-bayt E, +ho

+ill $e called al-Mahdi, emeres to rule upon my community4K1

Another tradition reported $y A$u al-Hu%af uotes the "rophet sayin three times

Listen to the ood ne+s a$out the Mahdi He +ill rise at the time +hen people +ill$e faced +ith se0ere conflict and the earth +ill $e hit $y a 0iolent ua7e4 He +illfill the earth +ith %ustice and euity as it is filled +ith in%ustice and tyranny4 He +illfill the hearts of his follo+ers +ith de0otion and +ill spread %ustice e0ery+here4K.

The "rophet has declared

The !ay of esurrection +ill not ta7e place until the True 5a'im rises4 This +illhappen +hen od permits him to do so4 Anyone +ho follo+s him +ill $e sa0ed,and anyone +ho opposes him +ill perish4 & ser0ants of od, 7eep od in yourmind and o to+ards him e0en if it happens to $e on the ice, for indeed he is thecaliph of od, the )*alted and lorified, and my successor4K2

In another hadith the "rophet is reported to ha0e said FAny one +ho denies al-5a'im amon my children +ill ha0e denied me4FK8

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In still another hadith the "rophet assured his community $y statin

The +orld +ill not come to an end until a man from the descendants of Husaynta7es chare of the affairs of the +orld and fills it +ith %ustice and euity as it isfilled +ith in%ustice and tyranny4K;

The Mahdi from amon the !escendants of the "rophet

#uch hadith-reports are a$undant4 The main idea that runs throuh all of themsuests that the topic a$out the future comin of the Mahdi and 5a'im durinthe time of the "rophet Dpeace $e upon him and his proenyE +as +ell 7no+n4 Infact, the +ay these reports spea7 a$out the su$%ect indicates that it +as notsomethin ne+ +hich +as $ein presented to the people4 &n the contrary, theyrelate the sins and characteristics of the person +ho +ould emere as theMahdi, as in the statement Fthe promised Mahdi +ill $e amon my descendants4F

The follo+in traditions reflect such a pattern in their presentation4 It is reportedfrom 'Ali $4 A$i Tali$ +ho said

I as7ed the "rophet FIs Mahdi oin to $e amon our o+n family or from someotherF He replied FHe +ill $e amon us4 od +ill conclude His reliion throuhhim, %ust as He $ean it +ith us4 It +ill $e throuh us that people +ill find refuefrom sedition, %ust as it +as throuh us that they +ere sa0ed from polytheism4Moreo0er, it +ill $e throuh us that od +ill $rin their hearts toether in$rotherhood follo+in the animosity so+n $y the sedition, %ust as they +ere$rouht toether in $rotherhood in their reliion after the animosity so+n $ypolytheism4FK


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me, and anyone +ho falsifies him +ould ha0e falsified me4 Anyone +ho confirmshis e*istence +ould ha0e confirmed my e*istence4 As for those +ho are enaedin falsifyin +hat I ha0e said a$out him and there$y mislead my community, I +illcomplain aainst them to od4 FThose +ho do +ron shall surely 7no+ $y +hato0erturnin they +ill $e o0erturned4F K.@..@ K

A$u Ayyu$ Ansari says

I heard the "rophet Dpeace $e upon him and his proenyE say FI am the chief ofthe prophets and 'Ali is the chief of the leatees4 My t+o randsons are the $estamon the descendants4 The infalli$le Imams +ill come forth from amon usthrouh Husayn4 Moreo0er, the Mahdi of this community is amon us4F At thattime an Ara$ stood up and as7ed F& "rophet of od, ho+ many Imams arethere after youF He replied F)ual to the num$er of the apostles of Jesus andthe chiefs of the Children of Israel4F K1

A tradition +ith similar information has $een cited from Hudhayfa, anothercompanion of the "rophet, +ho heard the "rophet declare

The Imams after me +ill $e eual to the num$er of the tri$al chiefs amon theChildren of Israel4 3ine amon them +ill $e the descendants of Husayn4 TheMahdi of this community is amon us4 Be+are Truth is +ith them and they are+ith truth4 Thus $e careful of the +ay you treat them after me4 K11

In still another tradition #a'id $4 Musayyi$ reports from 'Amr $4 '9thman $4 'Affan,+ho said

6e heard from the "rophet sayin FThe Imams after me +ill $e t+el0e innum$er, of +hom nine +ill $e from the proeny of Husayn4 Moreo0er, the Mahdiof this community +ill $e amon us4 Anyone +ho holds on to them after me holdson to the rope of od and +hoe0er a$andons them has a$andoned od4F K1.

There are numerous hadith-reports of this 7ind in the sources +hich one canunderta7e to e*amine4

The #unni hadith on the #u$%ect of the Mahdi

!r4 /ahimi Mr4 Hoshyar &ur friends 7no+ it4 But let me tell you that I follo+ the

#unni school of thouht4 Hence, the positi0e e0aluation that you ha0e of the #hi'ihadith-reports, I do not share4 In all li7elihood, e*tremist #hi'is, for +hate0erreasons, after ha0in accepted the narrati0es a$out the Mahdiism, must ha0efa$ricated traditions in support of their 0ie+s and ascri$ed them to the "rophet4The e0idence for my contention is that the traditions a$out the Mahdi arerecorded only in your #hi'i $oo7s4 There is no trace of these in our authentic --&ihah -- compilations4 =es, I am a+are that there are some traditions on thesu$%ect in our less relia$le compilations4K12

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Mr4 Hoshyar In spite of the most unfa0ora$le conditions under the 9mayyadsand the :A$$asids, +hose politics and oppressi0e o0ernments did not allo+ thediscussion or the spread of hadith a$out $ilayat and imamat and the ahl al-bayt or their $ein recorded in the $oo7s of the hadith, your compilations of hadith arenot completely 0oid of any traditions on the su$%ect of the Mahdi4 If you are not

tired I may cite some of them for you4

)nineer Madani Mr4 Hoshyar "lease continue your con0ersation4

Mr4 Hoshyar !r4 /ahimi In your compilations, the &ihah, there are chaptersde0oted to the su$%ect of the Mahdi in +hich traditions from the "rophet ha0e$een recorded4 /or e*ample, the follo+in

'A$d Allah reports from the "rophet, +ho said FThe +orld +ill not come to passuntil a man from amon my family, +hose name +ill $e my name, rules o0er the

Ara$s4F

Tirmidhi has recorded this hadith in his &ahih K18 and comments FThis hadith onthe Mahdi is relia$le, and has $een related $y 'Ali $4 A$i Tali$, A$u #a'id, 9mm#alma and A$u HurayraF

'Ali $4 A$i Tali$ has narrated from the "rophet, +ho said F)0en if there remainsonly a day on earth, od +ill $rin forth a man from my proeny so that he +ill fillthe earth +ith %ustice and euity as it is filled +ith tyranny4FK1;

In another hadith 9mm #alma narrates that she heard the "rophet say FThepromised Mahdi +ill $e amon my proeny, amon the descendants of

/atima4FK1


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reater detail is pro0ided in another hadith reported $y A$u #a'id al-(hudari4 Inthis tradition the "rophet said

#e0ere calamity from the direction of their ruler +ill $efall my people durin theLast !ays4 It +ill $e a calamity +hich, in se0erity, shall $e unprecedented4 It +ill

$e so 0iolent that the earth +ith in%ustice and corruption +ill shri0el for itsinha$itants4 The $elie0ers +ill not find refue from oppression4 At that time od+ill send a man from my family to fill the earth +ith %ustice and euity %ust as it isfilled +ith in%ustice and tyranny4 The d+ellers of the hea0ens and the earth +ill $epleased +ith him4 The earth +ill $rin forth all that ro+s for him, and thehea0ens +ill pour do+n rains in a$undance4 He +ill li0e amon the people forse0en or nine years4 /rom all the ood that od +ill $esto+ on the inha$itants ofthe earth, the dead +ill +ish to come to life aain4 K.

There are numerous traditions that con0ey these meanins in your $oo7s4 I$elie0e +e ha0e cited enouh reports to ma7e our point4

The &$%ection aised $y &ne of the Authors

!r4 /ahimi The author of the $oo7 entitled Al-Mahdiyya "i al-islam +rites

Muhammad $4 Isma'il Bu7hari and Muslim $4 Ha%%a% 3isha$uri, the compilers ofthe t+o most authentic $oo7s of the #unni hadith, +ho recorded these traditionsmeticulously and +ith e*treme caution in 0erifyin their relia$ility, ha0e notincluded traditions a$out the Mahdi in their #ihah4 ather, these traditions arepart of the compilations of #unan of A$u !a+ud, I$n Ma%ah, Tirmidhi, 3asa'i andMusnad of Ahmad $4 Han$al4 These compilers +ere not careful in selectin

traditions and their hadith-reports +ere rearded $y scholars li7e I$n (haldun as+ea7 and unaccepta$le4K.1

I$n (haldun and the Traditions a$out the Mahdi

Mr4 Hoshyar To ela$orate on the topic of the relia$ility of the hadith on the Mahdi,let us cite I$n (haldun's opinion on the matter in full

It has $een +ell 7no+n Dand enerally acceptedE $y all Muslims in e0ery epoch,that at the end of time a man from the family Dof the "rophetE +ill +ithout failma7e his appearance, strenthen Islam and ma7e %ustice triumph4 Muslims +ill

follo+ him, and he +ill ain domination o0er the Muslim realm4 He +ill $e calledthe Mahdi4444#uch traditions ha0e $een found amon the traditions that reliiousleaders ha0e pu$lished4 They ha0e $een critically discussed $y those +hodisappro0e of them and ha0e $een often refuted $y means of certain traditions4K..

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This +as the summary of the opinions held $y I$n (haldun4 He then proceeds tomention the transmitters of these hadith and critically e0aluate their relia$ility orlac7 thereof, as held $y the scholars of transmitted sciences4

Let us respond to some points raised $y I$n (haldun

1 9ninterrupted Transmission Dta+aturE of the Traditions

3umerous #unni scholars ha0e reconied the traditions a$out the Mahdi toha0e $een uninterruptedly transmitted4 They ha0e in fact transmitted themuninterruptedly from other sources +ithout raisin o$%ections to them4 Amonthese scholars are I$n Ha%ar Haythami, in al-&a$a'iq al-muharriqa #ha$lan%i, inur al-absar I$n #a$$ah, in al-Fusul al-muhimma Muhammad al-#a$an in

As'a" al-raghibin (an%i #hafi'i in al-Bayan and so on4 #uch an uninterruptedtransmission of these traditions compensates for the +ea7ness found in theirchain of transmission4 Accordin to 'Asalani, a tradition that is reported in e0ery

eneration uninterruptedly leads to esta$lish its 0eracity, and an action ta7en$ased upon it is not su$%ect to dispute4K.2

A similar opinion is held $y #ayyid Ahmad, #hay7h al-Islam and the #hafi'iteMufti, +ho +rites that the traditions a$out the Mahdi are numerous andmuta$atir 4 Amon these some are 'sound' DsahihE, others are 'ood' DhasanE, andstill others are '+ea7' Dda'i" E4 Ho+e0er, he says, the ma%ority are +ea7 traditionsand, since they are numerous and their reporters are also in lare num$er, someo to+ards strenthenin the others, and lead to their acceptance as relia$le4K.8

Amon those +ho narrate the hadith a$out the Mahdi are a roup of prominent

companions of the "rophet4 These include 'A$d al-ahman $4 'A+f, A$u #a'id al-(hudari, 5ays $4 Ja$ir, I$n 'A$$as, Ja$ir, I$n Mas'ud, 'Ali $4 A$i Tali$, A$uHurayra, Tha+$an, #alman /arisi, Hudhayfa, Anas $4 Mali7, 9mm #alma, andothers4 Amon the #unni authors +ho ha0e included these traditions in their$oo7s are A$u !a+ud, Ahmad $4 Han$al, Tirmidhi, I$n Ma%ah, 3asa'i, Ta$rani,

A$u 3u'aym Isfahani and numerous other compilers of the hadith4

. 6ea7 Transmission Is 3ot an Issue in All "laces

It is important to state that most of the persons +ho are reconied as $ein+ea7 in their transmission and are mentioned $y I$n (haldun ha0e also $een

accredited $y others4 In fact, e0en I$n (haldun mentions some of them4Moreo0er, the +ea7enin of the transmission of a hadith does not ha0e a$solutepreponderance o0er its $ein appro0ed as relia$le $ecause specialcharacteriation is a su$%ecti0e matter4 6hereas a certain characteristic of atradition miht render it a +ea7 tradition in accord +ith one researcher, anotherin0estiator miht find uite the opposite4 Hence, the opinion of the former can$e accepted only if the reason for renderin a tradition +ea7 is made clear4

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In his isan al-mi(an 'Asalani says The +ea7enin of the tradition assumespreponderance o0er its accreditation +hen the reason for doin so is madee*plicit4 &ther+ise, the opinion of the person renderin the tradition +ea7 has no0alue4

A$u Ba7r Ahmad $4 'Ali al-Bahdadi +rites It must $e pointed out that as for thetraditions accepted and used as e0idence $y Bu7hari, Muslim and A$u !a+ud,althouh some of their transmitters ha0e $een criticied and ha0e $een declaredunrelia$le, the reason for their criticism and unrelia$ility has not $een +ellesta$lished and pro0en $y them4 Moreo0er, he says, if +ea7ness and relia$ility of a tradition are of eual +eiht, then its +ea7enin is preponderant4 Ho+e0er, if+ea7ness is less o$0ious than relia$ility, then there could $e 0aryin opinionsa$out that tradition4 The $est +ay to resol0e this pro$lem of authenticatin atradition is to say that if the reason for +ea7ness is mentioned and if that reasonis con0incin, then +ea7ness has preponderance o0er relia$ility4 But if thereason is not mentioned, then relia$ility has preponderance o0er +ea7ness4 K.;

To $e sure, +e can not eneralie and state +ith a$solute certainty that in allplaces of dispute o0er the relia$ility of a tradition, its $ein rearded as +ea7 haspreponderance o0er its $ein considered as relia$le4 If all points of +ea7ness aremade effecti0e, then there +ould $e 0ery fe+ traditions that +ould $e sparedfrom criticism4 It is, therefore, important that in such cases careful analysis andrational e0aluation are carried out to clarify the truth4

2 9nrelia$le #imply Because of Bein #hi'i

&ften a tradition is deemed +ea7 $ecause its transmitter is a #hi'i4 /or e*ample,

I$n (haldun, re%ected 5utn $4 (halifa, one of the transmitters of the Mahditraditions, $ecause he +as a #hi'i4 In this connection he uotes 'I%li sayin that5utn +as ood in hadith, $ut he +as some+hat inclined to+ards #hi'ism4 Aain,accordin to Ahmad $4 'A$d Allah $4 =unus and A$u Ba7r $4 'Ayyash, 5utn +asunrelia$le and his traditions +ere re%ected $ecause of his 'corrupt' $eliefs4 &n theother hand, there +ere others li7e Ahmad $4 Han$al, 3asa'i, and so on, +hoaccredited him and rearded his traditions relia$le4K.


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Another e*cuse used to discredit traditions reported $y some pious and truthfulindi0iduals +as the difference in creed4 /or e*ample one of the sensiti0e issuesthat enerated lots of de$ate and led to an inuisition at that time +as that of thecreatedness of the 5ur'an4 There +ere some in the community +ho $elie0ed thatthe 5ur'an +as not created in time, and hence, +as eternal4 &thers $elie0ed that

it had appeared at some point in time and, hence, +as created4 These t+oroups +ere enaed in not only heated aruments, $ut also mutualcondemnation4 A num$er of the narrators of the hadith $elie0ed that the 5ur'an+as either created in time or that indicated that they had dou$ts a$out the issue4These narrators +ere discredited and condemned4

The author of Ad$a' 'ala al-sunna al-muhammadiya +rites

The scholars had condemned a roup of narrators li7e I$n Lahi'a as un$elie0ers4Their sin +as their $elief that the 5ur'an +as created4 Moreo0er, it is said thatMuhasi$i did not accept the inheritance from his father $ecause, he said FThose

+ho are dualists do not inherit from each other4 I do not +ant my share ofinheritance from my father4F The reason for his refusal +as that his father +as a+aifi, that is, he +as dou$tful in e*pressin his opinion +hether the 5ur'an +ascreated or not4 K.@

Just as e*treme reliious pre%udices and differences $ecame the cause foro0erloo7in the trust+orthiness and truthfulness of the narrators Dthere$yre%ectin +hat they reportedE, shared $elief on a matter and $elonin to thesame school of thouht enerated un+arranted trust of the narrators, +hoseunrelia$ility and corrupt character +ere o0erloo7ed4 The situation +as so criticalthat instead of 0erifyin the credi$ility of the narrator they actually accredited

them4 Thus, for e*ample, accordin to 'I%li, '9mar $4 #a'd +as amon the relia$letransmitters of the second eneration of the companions of the "rophet, +hosetraditions people had recorded4 This e0aluation is contrary to the enerally heldfact that he +as responsi$le for the murder of Imam Husayn Dpeace $e uponhimE, +hom the "rophet had declared the chief of the youth in "aradise and his$elo0ed randson4K.

#uch +as the case +ith Bisr $4 Artat, +ho recei0ed an official assinment fromMu'a+iya4 He had massacred thousands of innocent #hi'is and used to pu$liclycurse 'Ali $4 A$i Tali$, the "rophet's caliph4 Ho+e0er, such a person of lo+character has $een e*cused for these heinous deeds and has $een rearded asan independent and learned authority in %urisprudence4K2

eardin '9t$a $4 #a'id, =ahya $4 Mu'in +rites

He is relia$le4 3asa'i, A$u !a+ud, and !arautni ha0e also rearded himtrust+orthy4 &n the other hand, '9t$a $4 #a'id +as a companion of the +ic7edHa%%a% $4 =usuf4

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It is not difficult to see the dou$le standards that +ere applied in accreditation ofthe traditions reported $y indi0iduals +hom they fa0ored4 Bu7hari accepted thetraditions reported from Mar+an $4 Ha7am in his &ahih, and relied upon them4

And yet Mar+an +as one of the ma%or causes of the Battle of the Camel, ha0inencouraed and instiated Talha to fiht aainst 'Ali4 Then, durin the $attle, the

same Mar+an 7illed Talha4K21

The author of Kitab ad$a' dra+s our attention to the fact that careful analysis of+hat these scholars did to authenticate Mar+an clearly sho+s an endea0or topromote a +ic7ed person li7e Mar+an, +ho fa0ored 7illin 'Ali, actually 7illedTalha, and +as responsi$le for the murder of Husayn $4 'Ali4 &n the other hand,hadith compilers li7e Bu7hari and Muslim discredited prominent scholars andmemoriers of the "rophetic traditions li7e Hammad $4 Maslama and the piousand od-fearin Ma7hul, simply $ecause of their disareement on some issuesrelated to the creed4K2.

All in all, if any person narrated traditions in praise of the family of the "rophetand 'Ali $4 A$i Tali$ or related traditions areein +ith the #hi'i $eliefs, somestaunchly #unni scholars suspected their hadith reports to $e unrelia$le ordeclared them uncon0incin4 If this +as the treatment of those suspected of #hi'ileanins, then hadith reported $y those +hose #hi:ism +as pu$lic 7no+lederecei0ed e0en more $lunt treatment4 Their traditions +ere re%ected outriht4 &neneed only read Ta$ari's $oo7s to fathom the pre%udicial treatment i0en to thenarrators +hose $eliefs +ere contrary to the mainstream #unni faith4 Accordinto Muslim, the compiler of the &ahih Muslim, Ta$ari says FI met Ja$ir Ju'fi4 But Idid not record any tradition from him $ecause he $elie0ed in raj'a Dreturn of thedead $efore the emerence of the MahdiE4FK22

; 9nfounded "re%udice

It is o$0ious that to pursue an aenda and to follo+ pre%udice is not conduci0e too$%ecti0e research4 Anyone +ho intends to do research a$out a su$%ect and toet to the truth of a matter must discard his unfounded pre%udices aainst andhatred to+ards it, and then $ein his in0estiation4 6hen, durin the process ofthe in0estiation, a piece of e0idence is found in a tradition, one shouldin0estiate its narrator in order to pro0e his relia$ility4 If the narrator's relia$ility isconfirmed then his tradition should $e accepted, reardless of +hether he is a#unni or a #hi:i4 It is aainst the rule of fairness and the method of in0estiation

that the traditions of a relia$le narrator $e re%ected simply $ecause he happens to$e a #hi'i or is accused of $ein one4 In fact, fair minded scholars amon the#unnis ha0e $een a+are of this pre%udice4

In this connection 'Asalani comments

&ne of the instances +hen one should pause in acceptin the opinion of theperson +ho is enaed in discreditin a narrator is to in0estiate +hether there



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e*ists a difference in the matter of creed $et+een the person +ho is enaed indiscreditin and the narrator +ho is $ein discredited4 /or e*ample, A$u IshaJa+%ani +as a #unni +ho hated the ahl al-$ayt Da nasi$iE +hile the people of(ufa +ere famous for their #hi:ism4 Hence, he discredited the (ufan narrators inthe most se0ere terms4 Accordinly, people li7e A'mash, A$u 3u'aym and 'A$d

Allah $4 Musa, althouh the leaders and pillars of narrators of hadith, +eredeclared unrelia$le $y him4 5ushayri says FThe moti0es of the people resem$lethe pits of fire4F Conseuently, in such instances, a statement a$out the narrator'srelia$ility has preponderance o0er a statement a$out his unrelia$ility4K28

#imilarly, Muhammad $4 Ahmad $4 '9thman !haha$i, follo+in his account a$out A$an $4 Tahli$'s life, +rites

If some one o$%ects to +hy +e declare him trust+orthy, in spite of the fact that A$an +as amon the people of inno0ation Di4e4, #hi'isE, I say thus Inno0ation is of t+o 7inds4 &ne is a lesser type li7e the e*tremism in #hi:ism, or #hi:ism +ithout

e*tremism and sinful de0iation4 This 7ind of inno0ation +as common amon anum$er from the second and third eneration of the companions of the "rophet,in spite of the fact that their piety and moral pro$ity +ere $eyond reproach4 If it isdecided that the traditions reported $y such narrators should $e re%ected, a larenum$er of "rophetic traditions +ould necessarily ha0e to $e re%ected4 The+ronness of such an opinion is self-e0ident4 The second type of inno0ation is ofa reater type, such as the complete re%ection Kof the first three caliphs and thecursin of A$u Ba7r and '9mar4 Indisputa$ly, the traditions reported $y this roupha0e no 0alue and should $e re%ected4

In short, anyone +ho underta7es research and +ants to disco0er truth, should

not accept such statements of the unrelia$ility of a narrator at face 0alue4 ather,he should try to unco0er the reason for discreditin a narrator and +hether thatperson truly deser0es such a %udement4


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his compilation, &unan, addin that if he included a +ea7 tradition he made thatclear4 FHence any tradition a$out +hich I ha0e not made any comment should $erearded as relia$le4F A similar positi0e opinion a$out A$u !a+ud's &unan has$een related from (hata$i in the introduction to the present edition $y #a'ati4K2


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7no+n a$out the e*istence of all these traditions, he +ould ha0e pro$a$lyrearded the $elief in the Mahdi as deeply rooted in the Islamic re0elation4

To conclude this discussion, +e can say that it is incorrect to maintain, as somescholars do, that I$n (haldun re%ected the tradition a$out the Mahdi4 &n the

contrary, it is these authors +ho ha0e read into I$n (haldun such an opinion4

&ther &pinions from I$n (haldun

I$n (haldun concludes this section on the traditions concernin the Mahdi thus

The truth one must 7no+ is that no reliious or political po+er's propaanda can$e successful, unless po+er or roup feelin e*ists to support the reliious andpolitical aspirations and to defend them aainst those +ho re%ect them, and untilod's +ill concernin them materialies4 6e ha0e esta$lished this $efore, +ithrational aruments +hich +e presented to the reader4 The roup feelin amon

the /atimids and Tali$ids, indeed, that amon all the 5uraysh, has e0ery+heredisappeared4 The only e*ception is a remnant of the Tali$ids -- Hasanids,Husaynids, and Ja'farites -- in the He%a, in Mecca, al-=an$u', and Medina4 Theyare spread o0er these reions and dominate them4 They are Bedouin roups4They are settled and rule in different places and hold di0erent opinions4 Theynum$er se0eral thousands4 If it is correct that a Mahdi is to appear, there is onlyone +ay for his propaanda to ma7e its appearance4 He must $e one of them,and od must unite them in the intention to follo+ him, until he athers enouhstrenth and roup feelin to ain success for his cause and to mo0e people tosupport him4 Any other +ay -- such as a /atimid +ho +ould ma7e propaanda for Dthe cause of the MahdiE amon people any+here at all, +ithout the support of

roup feelin and po+er, $y merely relyin on his relationship to the family ofMuhammad Dpeace $e upon himE -- +ill not $e feasi$le or successful, for thesound reasons that +e ha0e mentioned pre0iously4K2

In response to this assertion $y I$n (haldun it must $e pointed out that there isno dou$t that anyone +ho +ishes to re0olt and ain po+er so as to esta$lish ao0ernment must ha0e the unuestionin support of his follo+ers in order toreach that oal4 #imilar conditions must $e fulfilled in the case of the a+aitedMahdi and his uni0ersal re0olution4 Ho+e0er, it is not necessary to reuire thathis supporters $e amon the descendants of 'Ali and the 5uraysh4 The reason isthat if the o0ernment and leadership is $ased on ethnic and roup feelin then

the support has to come from that feelin4 Moreo0er, these should $e the ones tosupport him unuestioninly4 This +as certainly true in the case of ethnic roupsand dynasties that came to po+er $y means of this sense of loyalty andsolidarity4 In eneral, a o0ernment that comes to po+er throuh the specific andlimited sense of roup feelin is necessarily dependent upon a specific andlimited roup of supporters4 This is true in all such cases of nationalistic, ethnic,and ideoloical states4

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Ho+e0er, if a o0ernment is founded upon a specific proram, then it has to ainsupport of those +ho fa0or it4 And this order can succeed only if a roupreconies the 0alue of the proram and desires to implement it $y supportinthe leadership that is committed to it4 The re0olutionary proram of the Mahdi isof this 7ind4 The Mahdi's proram is profoundly uni0ersal4 It desires that

humanity, +hich is $ein dri0en into e*treme forms of materialism and oppositionto di0ine commands, respond to the di0inely ordained system +hich rests uponmoral and spiritual oals4 It +ishes to resol0e the pro$lems facin humanity $yclarifyin the $oundaries in such a +ay as to remo0e any cause of conflict insociety4 It +ants to $rin people toether under the $anner of the 9nity of odand uni0ersalie su$mission and ser0ice to od4 #uch a proram, ifimplemented, +ould end tyranny and in%ustice and spread peace throuh %usticeall o0er the +orld4

In order to achie0e this uni0ersal oal it is not sufficient to rely on the leadershipof the descendants of 'Ali, +ho are spread all o0er the He%a, and to e*pect that

the roup feelin +ould help the Mahdi to reach his uni0ersal oal4 To $e sure,there is a need for the peoples of the entire +orld to prepare themsel0es torespond to the call of the Mahdi4 Besides the di0ine endorsement of this proram,the Mahdi's 0ictory is dependant upon a reasona$ly lare and earnest roup ofpeople, +ho, $ein a+are of the merits of the di0inely ordained system, +ouldseriously aspire to see such an order implemented4 Moreo0er, they +ould $e+illin to sacrifice their li0es for that cause4 Conseuently, if the people see aninfalli$le and incontesta$le leader +ho has access to the di0ine plan for humanityand has di0ine endorsement of his proram, they +ould not hesitate to assist himin esta$lishin the ideal pu$lic order, e0en if this means that they +ould ha0e tosacrifice their li0es4

The )*istence of the Mahdi is Certain

There are numerous "rophetic traditions a$out the Mahdi, reported $y $oth the#unni and the #hi'i sources4 Close e*amination of the contents of these traditionspro0es that the su$%ect of the future comin of the Mahdi and the 5a'im +as a+ell esta$lished tenet durin the "rophet's life time4 "eople anticipated someone+ho +ould ta7e upon himself to esta$lish truth and spread the +orship of od4Moreo0er, they e*pected that person to ta7e chare of purifyin the earth andinstitutin %ustice4 The $elief +as so +ide spread amon the people that ha0in0erified it in principle they +ere enaed in discussin its details4 #ometimes

they +ould as7 F/rom +hich family +ould the a+aited Mahdi ariseF At othertimes they +anted to 7no+ his name and patronymic4 #till at other times they+anted to 7no+ the reason +hy he +as called the Mahdi4 They +anted to 7no+a$out his re0olution and as7ed a$out the sins of his appearance4 They also+anted to find out if the Mahdi and the 5a'im +ere one and the same person4They +ere told a$out the Mahdi's occultation and +anted to understand thereasons and the o$liations of his follo+ers +hile he +as in occultation4 The"rophet also, from time to time, used to inform people a$out the e*istence of the


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Mahdi4 He +ould inform them sayin FMahdi +ill $e amon my descendants4 He+ill $e amon the sons of /atima, amon the descendants of Husayn4F At othertimes he +ould announce his name and patronymic and i0e information a$outthe sins of his reappearance and other related matters4

The !iscussion amon the Companions and the #u$seuentenerations

After the "rophet's death the story of the comin of the Mahdi +as often heardamon the prominent companions of the "rophet and the follo+in eneration4The matter +as rearded amon the reliious truths and +as treated as one ofthe certain future e0ents4 The follo+in are some e*amples of this in the sources

A$u Hurayra says F"eople +ill pay alleiance to the Mahdi $et+een ru7n andmaam4FK8 I$n 'A$$as is reported to ha0e told Mu'a+iya that a person amonthe descendants of the "rophet +ill rule for forty years at the )nd of Time4 &n

another occasion a man as7ed I$n 'A$$as to inform him a$out the Mahdi4 Hesaid FI hope that in the near future a youn man from our family Dthe HashimiteE+ill arise to put an end to ci0il strife and sedition4F K81 I$n 'A$$as also specifiedthe descendant of the "rophet as $ein from the children of /atima4 Accordin toanother famous companion of the "rophet, 'Ammar =asir FAt the time +hen 3afsal-a7iyya is 7illed a caller from the hea0en +ill say '=our commander is so-and-so4' /ollo+in it the Mahdi +ill emere and fill the earth +ith %ustice andeuity4FK8.

'A$d Allah $4 '9mar mentioned the name of Mahdi in the presence of an Ara$+ho said Mahdi is Mu'a+iya $4 A$u #ufyan4 'A$d Allah said FIt is not as you say4

Mahdi is a person $ehind +hom Jesus +ill offer his prayers4F K82

'9mar $4 5ays as7ed Mu%ahid if he 7ne+ anythin a$out the Mahdi, since he didnot $elie0e in +hat the #hi'a +ere sayin a$out him4 Mu%ahid said F=es, I do4&ne of the "rophet's companions told me that the Mahdi +ill not appear until thattime +hen 3afs al-a7iyya +ill $e 7illed4 At that time he +ill ta7e the commandand +ill fill the earth +ith %ustice and euity4FK88

3ufayl's dauhter '9mayra narrates that she heard Hasan $4 'Ali's dauhtersayin FThis affair a$out +hich you are +aitin +ill not occur until amon yousome see7 to distance themsel0es from the others and curse each other4F K8;

The author of Maqatil al-talibiyin A$u al-/ara% Isfahani +rites that /atima, Husayn$4 'Ali's dauhter, used to enae in mid+ifery as a 0oluntary ser0ice to the+omen of Banu Hashim4 Her son used to o$%ect to her sayin F6e are afraidthat you +ill $e reconied as a professional mid+ife4F In reply she +ould say FIam a+aitin someone4 As soon as he is $orn I +ill stop assistin in deli0ery4F K8


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tradition is reported from the famous scholar uhri, +ho also related that theMahdi +ill $e amon the descendants of /atima4 A$u al-/ara% reports an e0ent+hen 6alid $4 Muhammad +as +ith uhri and a clamor transpired4 uhri as7ed6alid to find out +hat had caused it4 After findin out 6alid reported Fayd $4 'Alihas $een 7illed and his head has $een $rouht4F uhri +as upset and said F6hy

is this family in haste Haste has destroyed a num$er of them4F 6alid as7edF6ill they reach po+erF He replied, F=es, $ecause 'Ali $4 Husayn narrated to meon the authority of his father +ho heard this from /atima, the "rophet's dauhter,+ho, in turn, heard the "rophet tell her 'Mahdi +ill $e amon your descendants4'FIn another place A$u al-/ara% reported a tradition from Muslim $4 5utay$a, +hosaid F&ne day I +ent to 0isit Mansur, the 'A$$asid caliph4 He said 'Muhammad$4 'A$d Allah has re0olted and has announced that he is the Mahdi4 By od, he isnot the Mahdi4 Let me tell you somethin4 I ha0e not told nor +ill I tell this toanyone else $esides you4 My son Mahdi is not the one mentioned in thetraditions4 I ha0e %ust named him Mahdi as a ood omen4'F K8>

&ther sources that mention these traditions include the follo+in

I$n #irin used to say that the promised Mahdi +ill $e from this 9mma4 He +ill $ethe one +ho +ill lead Jesus in prayers4 In another place he reports a traditionfrom 'A$d Allah $4 Harith4 He said FThe Mahdi +ill arise at the ae of forty and+ill resem$le the Children of Israel4F A 0ariant of this tradition reported $y Artatsays that the Mahdi +ill arise at the ae of t+enty4 Another tradition in the samesection e*plains the reason Mahdi +as named thus4 (a'$ says FHe +as namedMahdi $ecause he +ill $e uided to the hidden matters4F 'A$d Allah $4 #huray7used to relate that the "rophet's standard +ill $e +ith the Mahdi4 K8

I$n #irin records se0eral other traditions that spea7 a$out the function of theMahdi4 &ne of these reported from Ha7am $4 '9yayna says that the reporteras7ed Muhammad $4 'Ali al-Bair

6e ha0e heard that one amon your ahl al-$ayt +ill arise and +ill esta$lish %ustice and euity4 Is this true He said F6e are also a+aitin his appearanceand li0in in hope4F

In another tradition #alma $4 afar reports

&ne day people +ere tal7in a$out the appearance of the Mahdi in the presence

of Hudhayfa4 Hudhayfa said FIf Mahdi has indeed appeared +hile you are li0inclose to the "rophet's period and +hile his companions are li0in amon you,then you are truly fortunate4 Ho+e0er, that is not the case4 Mahdi +ill not appearuntil people are de0oured $y oppression and tyranny and there is no one a$sentmore $elo0ed and more needed than him4FK;



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"eople +ere so familiar +ith the characteristics of the Mahdi that Jarir, the Ara$poet, read the follo+in lines of his poem for the 9mayyad caliph '9mar $4 'A$dal-'Ai in +hich he compares the caliph +ith the future Mahdi

=our presence is a $lessin4 =our conduct is the conduct of the Mahdi4 =ou are

fihtin your lo+er self, and you spend the niht in recitation of the 5ur'an4 K;1

Muhammad $4 Ja'far reports that he once told Mali7 $4 Anas his misfortunes4 Hesaid F6ait until the sinificance of the 0erse of the 5ur'an '=et 6e desired to $eracious to those that +ere a$ased in land, and to ma7e them leaders, and toma7e them the inheritors D.>;E,' $ecomes materialied4FK;.

"eople A+aited the Appearance of the Mahdi

/rom all the references to the Mahdi and his appearance in the sources, it iso$0ious that people +ere a+aitin the comin of the Mahdi from the early days of

Islam, and +ere actually countin the days for that to happen4 They rearded theesta$lishment of the leitimate o0ernment throuh his emerence a certainty4This anticipation used to et intense durin times of political turmoil andunfa0ora$le social conditions4 "eople e*pected that the emerence +ould ta7eplace imminently4 &n many occasions they +ould adhere to the false pretenderor +ould reard some person to $e truly the promised Mahdi4 Those +hompeople thouht +ere the promised Mahdi included the follo+in

./0 Muhammad b1 Hana"iyya:

#ince he had the name and patronymic of the "rophet, there +as a roup that

$elie0ed him to $e the Mahdi4 Accordin to Ta$ari, +hen Mu7htar $4 A$u '9$aydThaafi +anted to re0olt aainst the 9mayyads and e*act re0ene from those+ho had murdered the randson of the "rophet, Husayn, he ascri$ed Mahdiismto Muhammad $4 Hanafiyya4 And he claimed to $e his en0oy and his deputy andsho+ed the letters he had $rouht +ith him to the people4 K;2

I$n #a'd tells us that +hen people +anted to reet I$n Hanafiyya they +ouldaddress him thus F"eace $e to you, & MahdiF And he +ould reply F=es, I amthe Mahdi, and I shall uide you to+ards the straiht path and prosperity4 Myname is the same as the name of the "rophet, and my patronymic is also hispatronymic4 6hene0er you +ant to reet me say '"eace $e to you &

Muhammad peace $e to you & A$u al-5asim'FK;8

This and other similar reports indicate that one of the sins of the appearance ofthe promised Mahdi +as the com$ination of the "rophet's name and patronymicfor a person4 This is the reason I$n Hanafiyya made a reference to this fact forhimself4 Ho+e0er, careful in0estiation of historical sources re0eals that it +asnot I$n Hanafiyya +ho made such claims for himself4 It +as others, li7e Mu7htar,+ho introduced him thus4 &n his part, sometimes I$n Hanafiyya 7ept silent on the

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matter, confirmin the attri$ution to him4 This policy +as pro$a$ly follo+ed +iththe hope that the murderers of (ar$ala +ould $e a0ened and the Islamicleadership +ould re0ert to its rihtful holder4 This is supported $y another reportin +hich I$n Hanafiyya tells the people FBe a+are that the rihtful people ha0e ao0ernment, +hich +ill $e esta$lished +hen od desires it4 Anyone +ho

+itnesses it +ill $e fortunate and anyone +ho predeceases it +ill en%oy the$lessins of od in the hereafter4FK;;

Muhammad $4 Hanafiyya, in a sermon that he deli0ered in the presence of somese0en thousand people, said F=ou ha0e hastened in this matter4 =et, amon your descendants are people +ho, +ith the help of the family of the "rophet, +ill +ae+ar aainst the enemies of od4 The o0ernment of the family of the "rophet isnot concealed from anyone4 Ho+e0er, its materialiation +ill ta7e time4 I declaresolemnly in the name of the &ne in +hose hand is Muhammad's life, the rule +illreturn to the "rophet's family4FK;


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earth +ith %ustice and euity as it is filled +ith corruption4 And our hopes andaspirations +ill $e fulfilled4FK;@

The Jurists of Medina and the Mahdi Traditions

6hen Muhammad $4 'A$d Allah re0olted one of the %urists of Medina $y the nameof Muhammad $4 'A%lan also rose +ith him4 After he +as 7illed, Ja'far $4#ulayman, the o0ernor of Medina, summoned Muhammad $4 'A%lan and as7edhim F6hy did you rise +ith that liarF He then ordered his hands to $e cut4 &ther

%urists +ho +ere present in the court at that time interceded on his $ehalf,emphasiin that Muhammad $4 'A%lan +as a pious %urist of Medina and haderroneously rearded Muhammad $4 'A$d Allah as the Mahdi promised in thetraditions4K;

Another +ell-7no+n %urist and a prominent scholar of the hadith, 'A$d Allah $4Ja'far also rose +ith Muhammad $4 'A$d Allah4 6hen the latter +as 7illed he fled

from Medina and remained in hidin until he +as ranted amnesty4 &ne day theo0ernor of Medina passed $y him and as7ed him the reason +hy he arose +ithMuhammad $4 'A$d Allah, in spite of his learnin in the la+ and traditions4 Hereplied FThe reason I supported and cooperated +ith him +as that I +asconfident that he +as the promised Mahdi, a$out +hom +e ha0e $een informedin the traditions4 I did not dou$t Muhammad's Mahdiism until I sa+ him 7illed4 Atthat time I 7ne+ he +as not the Mahdi4 I +ill not fall into anyone else's hoa* fromno+ on4FK


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enealoy is the promised Mahdi4 ather, he +ill $e the son of a sla0e irl4F6hene0er the Imam Ja'far #adi +ould see Muhammad $4 'A$d Allah he +ouldcry and say FMay my life $e a sacrifice for him4 "eople are speculatin that he isthe promised Mahdi4 &n the contrary he +ill $e 7illed4 Indeed, his name is notmentioned amon the caliphs of this community in the $oo7 of 'Ali4FK


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14 The hadith is reported in the ma%ority of the #unni sources4 Ho+e0er, here+e cite Ma%lisi3 Bihar al-an$ar , ?ol4 ;1, p4 >;, +ho has actually compiledthese reports from all the sources in one place, ma7in it con0enient torefer to them4 #e also, Ithbat al-hudat , ?ol4 1, p4 4

.4 Bihar al-an$ar , ?ol4 ;1, p4 >8

24 Bihar al-an$ar , ?ol4 ;1, p4 >4 .14al-Mahdiyya "i al-islam, p4


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224&ahih muslim, ?ol4 1, p4 114 284isan al-mi(an, ?ol4 1, p4 14 84I$n Ta+us, Kitab al-malahim $a al-"itan, p4 4 824I$id4 884I$id4, p4 1>14 8;4Ma%lisi, Bihar al-an$ar , ?ol4 ;., p4 .114 8


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Chapter .

The "seudo-Mahdis

&n the appointed e0enin friends came toether at !r4 /ahimi's house4 After theusual formalities and enuiries the session $ean4 Mr4 Hoshyar $ean to spea74

Mr4 Hoshyar There is another matter +orth considerin as further e0idence andrelated to the topic a$out the oriins of Mahdiism4 These are the accounts ofindi0iduals claimin to $e the Mahdi in the past, +hose names ha0e $eenpreser0ed in the historical sources4 These reports suest that the su$%ect +asnot only +ide spread, $ut also +ell authenticated in the early days of Islam4 Toclarify my point for all those +ho are athered here I +ill mention some of thesepseudo-Mahdis4

Muhammad $4 Hanafiyya +as rearded as the Mahdi $y some Muslims4 He +as$elie0ed to $e ali0e and li0in an in0isi$le e*istence in Mount ad+a4 He +ouldappear in the future and +ould fill the earth +ith %ustice and euity4K1 A roupcalled Jarudis amon the aydis $elie0ed that Muhammad $4 'A$d Allah $4 Hasan+as the Mahdi, and that he +as in concealment4 They a+aited his return4 K. The3a+usi's $elie0ed that Imam Ja'far #adi +as the Mahdi, and that he +as ali0eand in occultation4 The 6aifis $elie0ed that Imam Musa $4 Ja'far had not diedand +as in occultation4 He +ould appear in the future and +ould fill the earth +ith

%ustice and euity4K2

A roup amon the Isma'ilis $elie0ed that Isma'il had not died4 ather, he had

$een declared dead out of fear DtaqiyyaE of persecution4 The Bairis reardedImam Muhammad Bair to $e ali0e and $elie0ed that he +as the promisedMahdi4 The Muhammadis $elie0ed that follo+in the death of Imam 'Ali 3ai, theImam +as his son Muhammad4 This they $elie0ed in spite of the fact that he dieddurin his father's life time4 They, furthermore, $elie0ed that he +as ali0e and thathe +as the promised Mahdi4K8 The Ja+aiyya $elie0ed that the t+elfth ImamHu%%at $4 al-Hasan had a son and that he +as the promised Mahdi4 The Hashimismaintained that 'A$d Allah $4 Har$ (indi +as the Imam4 Ali0e $ut in occultation,they e*pected that he +ould appear in the future4 The Mu$ara7is, amon theIsma'ilis, rearded Muhammad $4 Isma'il as a li0in Imam in occultation4 K;

The =aidi faction maintained that =aid has ascended to hea0en, and +ill returnin the future to fill the earth +ith %ustice and euity4 The Isma'ilis say that theMahdi mentioned in the traditions is the same as Muhammad $4 'A$d Allah,7no+n as Mahdi, +ho $ecame the ruler in )ypt and 3orth Africa4 To supporttheir $elief they cite the tradition of the "rophet in +hich he said that in the year2 the sun +ould rise from the +est4K


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A roup of the Imamis $elie0ed that Imam Hasan 'As7ari +as ali0e and that he+as the 5a'im4 He +as li0in an in0isi$le e*istence and +ould appear in thefuture and +ould fill the earth +ith %ustice and euity4 Another roup amon themheld that Imam Hasan 'As7ari has died $ut +ould come $ac7 to life later on and+ould rise $ecause the meanin of qa'im is 'to rise after death4'K>

The 5armatis rearded Muhammad $4 Isma'il to $e the promised Mahdi4 They$elie0ed that he +as ali0e and li0ed in Anatolia4 The follo+ers of A$u Muslim$elie0ed that A$u Muslim +as the li0in Imam +ho +as in concealment4 A roup$elie0ed that Imam Hasan 'As7ari +as the Mahdi and that he $ecame ali0e afterdeath4 He continues to li0e in this state until the time comes +hen he +ill fill theearth +ith %ustice and euity4K@

Manipulation of the Beliefs of the "eople

These are the names of the people +ho claimed to $e the Mahdi in the early

history of Islam4 A num$er of inorant people accepted their claim and reardedthem to $e the promised Mahdi4 Ho+e0er, the ma%ority of these roups ha0eperished and there remains nothin more than their mention in the $oo7s onhistory4 #ince that time a num$er of indi0iduals $elonin to Hashimite or non-Hashimite clans from different reions and countries of the +orld ha0e emeredclaimin to $e the promised Mahdi4 Historically, such claims ha0e led toinsurrections and re0olutions, +ith much $loodshed and destruction of humanlife4

It is possi$le to surmise from e0ents related to the appearances of the falsemessiahs that the su$%ect of Mahdiism and the emerence of the di0ine sa0ior

+ere amon the +ell esta$lished reliious truths amon Muslims, +ho an*iouslya+aited for the appearance of the Mahdi4 They also rearded his 0ictory and thedefeat of his enemy as imminent4 #uch e*pectations of the people $ecame thema%or source for some am$itious and crafty indi0iduals to manipulate their simpleand pure faith -- a faith +hich stemmed from the teachins of the Islamicre0elation -- and lay claim to the title of the Mahdi4 It is li7ely that some of theseindi0iduals had no e0il desin and merely +anted to redress the +ronscommitted aainst the people4 Indeed, some of them did not e0en claim to $e thepromised deli0erer4 ather, it +as the common people +ho, due to inorance,intolera$le li0in conditions, and an impatience reardin their e*pectationsa$out the appearance of the Mahdi, too7 these false messiahs to $e the a+aited

Mahdi4

/a$rication of the Traditions

It +as, unfortunately, these conditions that caused circulation of the traditionsdescri$in and praisin the Mahdi and foretellin the sins of his appearance4These traditions +ere uncritically accepted and reported in the $oo7s4 Anyimpartial scholar can disco0er these fa$ricated traditions $y underta7in to

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in0estiate the historical accounts of the appearance of these pseudo-Mahdisand then to e*amine the hadith compilations that deal +ith the characteristics ofthe Mahdi4 #uch, for instance, is the case +ith the tradition in +hich the "rophetsays

The +orld +ill not come to an end until od sends a man from my family, +hosename +ill $e the same as mine, and +hose father's name +ill $e the same as myfather's4 He +ill fill the earth +ith %ustice and euity as it is filled +ith in%ustice andtyranny4K

In this hadith the Mahdi's father is introduced as possessin the name of the"rophet's father, that is, 'A$d Allah4 This contradicts many traditions that mentionMahdi's father to $e Hasan4 Hence, it is possi$le to maintain that this hadith +ascirculated $y those +ho rearded Muhammad $4 'A$d Allah $4 Hasan to $e theMahdi4 They must ha0e added the sentence :+hose father's name +ill $e thesame as my father's' to the oriinal hadith4 This is supported $y the 0ie+ held $y

Muhammad $4 =usuf in his $oo7 entitled al-Bayan4 He +rites that Tirmidhi relatesthe same tradition in his compilation +ithout mentionin the additional sentence'+hose father's 4 4 4'4 A$u !a+ud also reports the same tradition +ithout theadditional sentence4

In another tradition recorded $y A$u al-/ara% in his Maqatil al-talibiyyin A$uHurayra is reported to ha0e heard the "rophet sayin FIndeed, the Mahdi's name+ill $e Muhammad $4 'A$d Allah and he +ill $e afflicted +ith a speech defect4FK1This tradition is also a forery of those +ho supported Muhammad $4 'A$d Allah$4 Hasan's claim to Mahdiism4 It is said that he had difficulty in spea7in andcould $arely utter certain +ords4 His follo+ers too7 this defect to $e a sin of the

Mahdi and fored a tradition to that effect4

The 'A$$asids also fa$ricated traditions to $olster their claim to this eminent rolepredicted a$out the Mahdi4 Accordin to one of these traditions, I$n 'A$$asreported from the "rophet +ho said to 'A$$as, his uncle FAt the )nd of Timethere +ill $e Mahdi amon you throuh +hom riht uidance +ill spread and thefires of misuidance +ill $e put out4 Indeed, od $ean this matter +ith us and+ill conclude it throuh your proeny4FK11 In another hadith I$n 'A$$as reportsthe "rophet sayin F/rom us, the ahl al-bayt , +ill arise al-#affah, al-Mundhir, al-Mansur and al-Mahdi4 The Mahdi +ill $e amon the descendants of my uncleal-'A$$as4FK1. There is little dou$t that these traditions +ere fored $y the'A$$asids4

A tradition is related from 'Ali $4 A$i Tali$ reardin the appearance of $lac7$anners from the direction of (hurasan4 FAmon these $anners is od's caliph,the Mahdi4FK12 This too appears to $e fa$ricated $y the 'A$$asids or $y thesupporters of A$u Muslim (hurasani $ecause the Mahdi +ill not come from(hurasan, and the $lac7 $anners +ere the em$lem of the 'A$$asids4 There are

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numerous other traditions that +ere e0idently fored $y the 'A$$asid pretendersto promote support for their cause4

In eneral, to pro0ide leitimacy to the claims of any pseudo-Mahdi, traditionstraced $ac7 to the "rophet himself +ere fored and circulated amon the

follo+ers4 Conseuently, there is hardly any prominent leader for +hom there+ere no traditions to promote his Mahdiism4 The pro$lem +as that many of theseindi0iduals had died4 But their follo+ers refused to accept their death as real4Hence, traditions +ere fa$ricated to relate that their re0olution +ould commenceafter their death and upon their return to life +hen od commanded them to doso4 Al-/adl $4 Musa reports a tradition in +hich Imam al-#adi +as as7ed $y A$u#a'id (hurasani F6hy +as he Di4e4, the MahdiE 7no+n as al-5a'imF The Imamsaid FBecause he +ill rise after his death4 He +ill rise for an important tas7, ascommanded $y od, the )*alted4FK18

Certainly, this hadith +as fa$ricated $y the 6aifiyya, +ho $elie0ed that Imam

Musa (aim had not died and +ould return as the promised Mahdi4 Moreo0er, itis li7ely that it +as fa$ricated $y those +ho $elie0ed that Imam Hasan 'As7ari haddied, $ut +ould rise later on to esta$lish a %ust society4 Actually, in terms of thescience of hadith, the chain of transmission is +ea7, since it includes a person+hose relia$ility is in uestion4 In a similar tradition +ith a sliht 0ariation A$u#a'id as7ed Imam al-#adi FAre al-Mahdi and al-5a'im one and the sameF TheImam replied F=es4F A$u #a'id +ent on to as7 F6hy is he 7no+n as the MahdiFThe Imam replied FBecause he +ill uide to the hidden matters4F F6hy is he7no+n as the 5a'imF The Imam said FBecause he +ill rise after he dies, that is,dies in the people's remem$erin that he +ill rise for the reat purpose4FK1; It ise0ident that the t+o traditions are actually one4 In the second tradition death is

interpreted as a death of the memory of his name4

The $elief that the Mahdi +ill die and then rise to launch his re0olution +asaccepted $y some people +ho +ere also responsi$le for fa$ricatin traditions tosupport their $elief4 Thus, Imam #adi +as as7ed FIs there an e*ample of qa'im Drisin after deathE in the 5ur'anF He said F=es4 A passae in the 5ur'an spea7sa$out the o+ner of the don7ey, +hose death +as caused $y od, and then od$rouht him $ac7 to life4FK1


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information in them cannot $e rearded as relia$le4 More importantly, incomparison to the numerous traditions a$out the Mahdi reported uninterruptedly,these traditions are not credi$le at all4

The /amily of the "rophet and the )le0en Imams' "redictions a$out the

Mahdi

!r4 /ahimi 6hat +as the $elief of the /amily of the "rophet and the Imamsreardin the Mahdi

Mr4 Hoshyar /ollo+in the "rophet's death the su$%ect of Mahdiism +as alsounder discussion amon the "rophet's companions and the Imams4 The /amilyof the "rophet, as the heirs to the "rophet's 7no+lede and to the intricatematters concernin faith, +as the most 7no+ledea$le a$out the "rophetictraditions4 They spo7e a$out the Mahdi and replied to the uestions that +ereposed to them on this su$%ect4 Let us cite some e*amples of these

communications $y them +ith some attention to the chronoloy4 Althouh thereare se0eral traditions cited from each one of the Imams and from /atima ahraDpeace $e upon herE +e +ill cite %ust one from each

D1E Tradition 3arrated $y Imam 'Ali a$out the /uture Comin of theMahdi

The follo+in tradition is related $y al-As$ah +ho heard 'Ali $4 A$i Tali$ say

The promised Mahdi +ill emere at the )nd of Time from amon us4 There is noMahdi in any nation other than him $ein a+aited4 K1@

There are more than fifty traditions narrated from 'Ali $4 A$i Tali$ in connection+ith the future appearance of the Mahdi and his $ein from amon the /amily ofthe "rophet4K1

D.E Tradition 3arrated $y /atima ahra Dpeace $e upon herE

/atima ahra told her son Husayn

6hen I a0e $irth to you, the "rophet came to see me4 He too7 you in his handsand said to me F& /atima, ta7e your Husayn, and 7no+ that he is the father of

nine Imams4 /rom his descendants +ill appear rihteous leaders amon +homthe ninth +ill $e the 5a'im4FK.

D2E Tradition 3arrated $y Imam Hasan $4 'Ali

Hasan $4 'Ali said



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There +ill $e t+el0e Imams follo+in the "rophet4 3ine of these Imams +ill $efrom the proeny of my $rother Husayn4 The Mahdi of this umma +ill $e amonthem4 K.1

D8E Tradition 3arrated $y Imam Husayn $4 'Ali

Husayn $4 'Ali said

T+el0e Imams +ill $e from amon us4 The first amon them +ill $e 'Ali $4 A$iTali$ and the last +ill $e my ninth descendant, the rihtful 5a'im4 Because of his$lessed e*istence od +ill $rin $ac7 the dead earth to life and prosperity4 od+ill i0e 0ictory to His reliion o0er all other reliions, e0en if this $e aainst theli7in of the dis$elie0ers4 The Mahdi +ill disappear from pu$lic for a +hile4 !urinhis occultation a num$er of people +ill a$andon reliion, +hereas others +illremain steadfast and +ill suffer $ecause of their faith4 This latter roup +ill $eas7ed tauntinly FIf your $elief is true, +hen +ould your promised Imam riseF

But, remem$er that +hoe0er perse0eres under those unfa0ora$le circumstances+hen enemies +ould falsify and harm them, their status +ill $e li7e those +hofouht $y the side of the "rophet in defendin the reliion of od4 K..

D;E Tradition 3arrated $y Imam 'Ali $4 Husayn

'Ali $4 Husayn said

The $irth of our 5a'im +ill $e hidden from the people in such a +ay that they +illassert FHe has not $een $orn at allF The reason for his concealment is that+hen he $eins his re0olution he +ill ha0e no one's alleiance on his nec74 K.2

D


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#omeone as7ed him FAmon +hose descendants is the MahdiF The Imamresponded

The fifth proeny of the se0enth Imam KMusa (aim +ill $e the Mahdi4 Ho+e0er,he +ill disappear4 It is not proper for you to name him4K.;

D@ETradition 3arrated $y Imam Musa (aim

=unus $4 'A$d al-ahman as7ed Imam Musa $4 Ja'far FAre you the rihtful5a'imF He replied

=es, I am the rihtful 5a'im4 But the 5a'im +ho +ill purify the earth from theenemies of od and +ill fill it +ith %ustice and euity, is my fifth descendant4 #incehe is afraid for his life, he +ill $e in occultation for a lon time4 !urin this periodof occultation, a roup +ill turn a+ay from reliion4 But some +ill remainsteadfast in their faith4

He +ent on to add

Blessed are those #hi'a +ho durin this period of occultation +ill continue to $efaithful to us and remain steadfast in their loyalty to us and their hostility to+ardour enemies4 Truly, they are from us and +e are from them4 They are con0inceda$out our Imamate and +e ac7no+lede their fealty to us4 By od, $lessed arethey They +ill $e +ith us in "aradise4K.


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&ur 5a'im is the same as the promised Mahdi +hom you should a+ait and +henhe appears you should o$ey4 He +ill $e my third descendant4 I s+ear $y the od+ho sent Muhammad as the "rophet and appointed us as the Imams that e0en if there remains a sinle day on earth, od +ill prolon it until the Mahdi emeresand fills the earth +ith %ustice and euity as it is filled +ith in%ustice and tyranny4

od ta7es care of His affairs o0erniht %ust as He manaed the affairs of Mosesin one niht4 Moses had one to fetch fire for his family and he returned ha0in$een fully desinated as od's prophet4

The Imam then added FA+aitin for the deli0erance to come is the $est act forour #hi'a4F K.@

D11E Tradition 3arrated $y Imam 'Ali 3ai

Imam 'Ali 3ai said F/ollo+in me my son Hasan is the Imam, and follo+inHasan it +ill $e the 5a'im +ho +ill fill the earth +ith %ustice and euity4F K.

D1.E Tradition 3arrated $y Imam Hasan 'As7ari

Imam Hasan 'As7ari told Musa $4 Ja'far Bahdadi

I see you disputin in the matter of the Imam after me4 Be a+are that anyone+ho ac7no+ledes the Imams after the "rophet, $ut re%ects the Imamate of myson is li7e the one +ho has accepted the prophethood of all the prophets e*ceptthe prophethood of Muhammad4 The one +ho denies the latter is li7e the one+ho has denied all other prophets4 The reason is that o$edience to the last Imamis li7e o$edience to the first Imam amon us4 Hence, +hoe0er re%ects the last

amon us is li7e the one +ho has re%ected the first Imam4 Let it $e 7no+n to youthat the occultation of my son +ill $e so much proloned that people +ill fall indou$t e*cept for those +hose faith od protects4 K2

Are these Traditions a$out the Mahdi Authentic

)nineer Madani =ou can follo+ these traditions only if they are sound andrelia$le4 !o you reard all these traditions a$out the Mahdi relia$le

Mr4 Hoshyar I do not claim that all the traditions, on the su$%ect of the Mahdi arehihly relia$le and that all its narrators are trust+orthy4 Ho+e0er, there are some

amon these that could $e rearded as unuestiona$ly authentic4 Thesetraditions, li7e all other traditions, include authentic, ood, relia$le, and +ea7cases4 It is not necessary to o throuh the in0estiation of each one of them$ecause, as you ha0e noticed, these traditions are so numerous that any fairminded and unpre%udiced person can refer to them +ith confidence4 Thisconfidence is $ased on the underlyin theme in all of them that the e*istence ofthe Mahdi +as amon the +ell 7no+n su$%ects of Islam +hose seeds +ere so+n$y the "rophet himself and +hose detailed information +as pro0ided $y the



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Imams4 It is possi$le to maintain +ith certainty that in Islam there are fe+ othersu$%ects +hich could muster so many related traditions as can $e summonedconcernin the e*istence of the Mahdi4

Let me ela$orate4 /rom the $einnin of his mission until the /are+ell

"ilrimae, the "rophet had mentioned the su$%ect of the Mahdi innumera$letimes4 /ollo+in the "rophet, Imam 'Ali, /atim

Understading the Concept of Mahdi

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Transcript of Understading the Concept of Mahdi