Holy Ahl al-Bayt's Predictions about the Mahdi

Dr. Fahimi: What was the belief of the Family of the Prophet and the Imams regarding the Mahdi?

Mr. Hoshyar: Following the Prophet's death the subject of Mahdiism was also under discussion among the Prophet's companions and the Imams. The Family of the Prophet, as the heirs to the Prophet's knowledge and to the intricate matters concerning faith, was the most knowledgeable about the Prophetic traditions. They spoke about the Mahdi and replied to the questions that were posed to them on this subject. Let us cite some examples of these communications by them with some attention to the chronology. Although there are several traditions cited from each one of the Imams and from Fatima Zahra (peace be upon her) we will cite just one from each

(1) Tradition Narrated by Imam 'Ali about the Future Coming of the Mahdi:

The following tradition is related by al-Asbagh who heard 'Ali b. Abi Talib say:

The promised Mahdi will emerge at the End of Time from among us. There is no Mahdi in any nation other than him being awaited.[1]

There are more than fifty traditions narrated from 'Ali b. Abi Talib in connection with the future appearance of the Mahdi and his being from among the Family of the Prophet.[2]

(2) Tradition Narrated by Fatima Zahra (peace be upon her):

Fatima Zahra told her son Husayn:

When I gave birth to you, the Prophet came to see me. He took you in his hands and said to me: "O Fatima, take your Husayn, and know that he is the father of nine Imams. From his descendants will appear righteous leaders among whom the ninth will be the Qa'im."[3]

(3) Tradition Narrated by Imam Hasan b. 'Ali:

Hasan b. 'Ali said: There will be twelve Imams following the Prophet. Nine of these Imams will be from the progeny of my brother Husayn. The Mahdi of this umma will be among them. [4]

(4) Tradition Narrated by Imam Husayn b. 'Ali:

Husayn b. 'Ali said:

Twelve Imams will be from among us. The first among them will be 'Ali b. Abi Talib and the last will be my ninth descendant, the rightful Qa'im. Because of his blessed existence God will bring back the dead earth to life and prosperity. God will give victory to His religion over all other religions, even if this be against the liking of the disbelievers. The Mahdi will disappear from public for a while. During his occultation a number of people will abandon religion, whereas others will remain steadfast and will suffer because of their faith. This latter group will be asked tauntingly: "If your belief is true, when would your promised Imam rise?" But, remember that whoever perseveres under those unfavorable cir*****stances when enemies would falsify and harm them, their status will be like those who fought by the side of the Prophet in defending the religion of God.[5]

(5) Tradition Narrated by Imam 'Ali b. Husayn:

'Ali b. Husayn said:

The birth of our Qa'im will be hidden from the people in such a way that they will assert: "He has not been born at all!" The reason for his concealment is that when he begins his revolution he will have no one's allegiance on his neck.[6]

(6) Tradition Narrated by Imam Muhammad Baqir:

Muhammad b. 'Ali Baqir told Aban b. Taghlib:

I solemnly declare that the Imamate is the divine covenant that has reached us from the Prophet. The Imams after the Prophet are twelve in number of whom nine are the descendants of Husayn. At the End of Time the Mahdi will also emerge from among us who will protect the religion of God.[7]

(7) Tradition Narrated by Imam Ja'far Sadiq:

Ja'far b. Muhammad Sadiq said:

Whoever acknowledges all the Imams, but denies the existence of the Mahdi, is like the one who acknowledges all the prophets but denies the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Someone asked him: "Among whose descendants is the Mahdi?" The Imam responded:

The fifth progeny of the seventh Imam [Musa Kazim] will be the Mahdi. However, he will disappear. It is not proper for you to name him.[8]

(8)Tradition Narrated by Imam Musa Kazim:

Yunus b. 'Abd al-Rahman asked Imam Musa b. Ja'far: "Are you the rightful Qa'im?" He replied:

Yes, I am the rightful Qa'im. But the Qa'im who will purify the earth from the enemies of God and will fill it with justice and equity, is my fifth descendant. Since he is afraid for his life, he will be in occultation for a long time. During this period of occultation, a group will turn away from religion. But some will remain steadfast in their faith.

He went on to add:

Blessed are those Shi'a who during this period of occultation will continue to be faithful to us and remain steadfast in their loyalty to us and their hostility toward our enemies. Truly, they are from us and we are from them. They are convinced about our Imamate and we acknowledge their fealty to us. By God, blessed are they! They will be with us in Paradise.[9]

(9) Tradition Reported by Imam 'Ali b. Musa Reza:

Rayya b. Salt once asked Imam Reza: "Are you sahib al-'amr (Master of the Undertaking)?" The Imam said:

Yes, I am the Master of the Undertaking. However, I am not that Master of the Undertaking who will fill the earth with justice and equity. How can I be that Master of the Undertaking when you are witness to the prevalent weakness and helplessness? The promised Qa'im will be old in age but young in appearance when he emerges. He will be so powerful and strong that if he extended his hand to the most huge tree it would fall uprooted. And if he screamed among the mountains the rocks would be crushed into pieces. The rod of Moses and the seal of Solomon are with him. That person will be my fourth descendant. God will keep him in occultation for as long as He deems necessary. Then, He will cause him to appear, and through him God will fill the earth with justice and equity as it is filled with tyranny and oppression.[10]

(10) Tradition Reported by Imam Muhammad b. 'Ali Jawad:

Imam Muhammad Taqi Jawad told 'Abd al-'Azim Hasani:

Our Qa'im is the same as the promised Mahdi whom you should await and when he appears you should obey. He will be my third descendant. I swear by the God who sent Muhammad as the Prophet and appointed us as the Imams that even if there remains a single day on earth, God will prolong it until the Mahdi emerges and fills the earth with justice and equity as it is filled with injustice and tyranny. God takes care of His affairs overnight just as He managed the affairs of Moses in one night. Moses had gone to fetch fire for his family and he returned having been fully designated as God's prophet.

The Imam then added: "Awaiting for the deliverance to come is the best act for our Shi'a." [11]

11) Tradition Narrated by Imam 'Ali Naqi:

Imam 'Ali Naqi said: "Following me my son Hasan is the Imam, and following Hasan it will be the Qa'im who will fill the earth with justice and equity." [12]

(12) Tradition Narrated by Imam Hasan 'Askari:

Imam Hasan 'Askari told Musa b. Ja'far Baghdadi:

I see you disputing in the matter of the Imam after me. Be aware that anyone who acknowledges the Imams after the Prophet, but rejects the Imamate of my son is like the one who has accepted the prophethood of all the prophets except the prophethood of Muhammad. The one who denies the latter is like the one who has denied all other prophets. The reason is that obedience to the last Imam is like obedience to the first Imam among us. Hence, whoever rejects the last among us is like the one who has rejected the first Imam. Let it be known to you that the occultation of my son will be so much prolonged that people will fall in doubt except for those whose faith God protects. [13]

Are these Traditions about the Mahdi Authentic?

Engineer Madani: You can follow these traditions only if they are sound and reliable. Do you regard all these traditions about the Mahdi reliable?

Mr. Hoshyar: I do not claim that all the traditions, on the subject of the Mahdi are highly reliable and that all its narrators are trustworthy. However, there are some among these that could be regarded as unquestionably authentic. These traditions, like all other traditions, include authentic, good, reliable, and weak cases. It is not necessary to go through the investigation of each one of them because, as you have noticed, these traditions are so numerous that any fair minded and unprejudiced person can refer to them with confidence. This confidence is based on the underlying theme in all of them that the existence of the Mahdi was among the well known subjects of Islam whose seeds were sown by the Prophet himself and whose detailed information was provided by the Imams. It is possible to maintain with certainty that in Islam there are few other subjects which could muster so many related traditions as can be summoned concerning the existence of the Mahdi.

Let me elaborate. From the beginning of his mission until the Farewell Pilgrimage, the Prophet had mentioned the subject of the Mahdi innumerable times. Following the Prophet, Imam 'Ali, Fatima Zahra and other prominent members of the Family, had carried on the tradition of reporting about the future coming of the Mahdi. After all they were the carriers of the Prophetic knowledge. After the death of the Prophet in the year 632 CE, Muslims were counting the days for the Mahdi to appear. This led them to recognize the false pretenders who appeared from time to time in history. These traditions were reported by all schools of Islamic thought, such as the Sunnis, the Shi'is, the Ash'ari and Mu'tazili theologians, as related by the Arab, Persian, Meccan and Medinese narrators as well as those from Kufa, Basra, Baghdad, and so on. With all these traditions, which actually number more than a thousand, is it possible for any fair minded person to cast doubt in the matter of the future coming of the Mahdi by claiming that these traditions were fabricated by the extremist Shi'is and ascribed to the Prophet?

It was getting late at night and there was no time to continue the discussion any further. Hence, the decision was made to take up more discussion in the future session to be held at Dr. Fahimi's residence.

Notes:

1.This number is derived from the hadith collected in Safi Gulpaygani's Muntakhab al-athar which deals with the subject under consideration here. We shall limit ourselves to only a few examples from this compilation. Readers interested in more of these traditions should consult this important work.
2.Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 2, p. 552. There are three more traditions here reported from Fatima Zahra.
3.Ibid., Vol. 2, p. 555. There are four other traditions reported from Imam Hasan.
4.Ibid., Vol. 2, pp. 333, 399; Majlisi, Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 133. There are thirteen more traditions reported from Imam Husayn.
5.Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 135. There are additionally ten traditions reported on the authority of Imam 'Ali b. al-Husayn.
6.Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 2, p. 559. Additionally, there are sixty-six traditions related on the authority of al-Baqir.
7.Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 143; Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 2, p. 404. There are one hundred and twenty-three additional traditions reported on the authority of al-Sadiq.
8.Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 151; Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 6, p. 417.
9.Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 52, p. 322; Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 6, p. 420. There are additionally eighteen traditions reported on the authority of Imam 'Ali al-Reza.
10.Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 156; Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 6, p. 419. There are five other traditions reported on the authority of Imam Muhammad Taqi.
11.Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 6, p. 275. There are additionally five traditions related by Imam 'Ali Naqi.
12.Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 160; Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 6, p. 427.
13.In addition, there are twenty one traditions reported on the authority of Imam Hasan 'Askari.


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Ref: Imam Al-Mahdi, The Just Leader of Humanity, Ayatollah Ibrahim Amini
www.ahlulbaytportal.com

Mahdi and Qaim

"Mahdi" and "Qaim" seem different but depict interconnected truths, the word "Mahdi" makes manifest the truth that reforming the world cannot be done through a selfmade or worldly reformer, for this such a person is needed whose guidance is arranged by Providence, and Allah has made him Mahdi and responsible for guidance, and "Qaim" points to this truth that, the task of reforming cannot be discharged sitting at home but advent, troubles, tribulations and storms have to be encountered, and combat with the universal commotion of injustice and oppression.

The point worth noting is that, the Infallible Imams have faced storms, tolerated calamities and combat with the Pharaonic and violent forces of Bani Umaiyyah and Bani Abbas, but despite all this they were not remembered by the title of Qaim.

The advent of Imam Husain (a.s.) in Karbala, Imam Sajjad's (a.s.) stand against Yazid and Yazidiyyat, Imam Baqir (a.s) and Imam Sadiq's (a.s) advent against the tyranny of Bani Umaiyyah and Bani Abbas, Imam Kazim (a.s) and Imam Reza's (a.s) advent against the tyranny and oppression of Haroon and Mamoon, Imam Jawad (a.s), Imam Naqi (a.s) and Imam Askari's (a.s) advent against the contemporary rulers was not a hidden thing. Among these most of the advents are not with weapons, but despite this neither it can be imagined that the noble Imams submitted themselves to the (despotic) rules, nor it could be thought that they kept themselves separated from the situations, and watched the scene of destruction of the community. They always made the advent as per their visible possibilities, and informed the rulers on their oppression and injustice, whereas forewarned the people too of government's tyrannies. And had advised Safwan-e-Jammal to this extent that, giving animals to these rulers is equal to desiring for their lives, and desiring (secured) life for a tyrant is like sharing his oppression, which is in no way permissible. Despite all the struggles these infallibles were not remembered with the word `Qaim' and they themselves used to say that, Qaim will be coming afterwards. This means that the task before the last "Qaim" is important and weighty of all and his revolution will be last and permanent. His duty is not to oppose or destroy tyranny, but his duty is to uproot injustice and tyranny. His (Qaim's) rule will not be opposing a single ruling tyrant, but will have to face all the forces of deviators from Kufr (the deniers) and Islam, he will combat at a time, along with Muslims, the Jews, Christians, the deniers (Kafirs), idolators and the irreligious, and as a matter of fact such a big combat will need great strength and such a big struggle needs great endurance.

For example it could be said that, during the critical period of Islam, Imam Husain (a.s) alone with his handful colleagues, made an advent against the forces of injustice and tyranny, in the same manner this inheritor of Husain (a.s) will make an advent against the tyrants and oppressors of the world with some of his special companions. The greatness of this advent will be recognised by those persons who are acquainted with the advent of Karbala, and the courage and bravery of this Qaim will be valued by those persons who are related to the meaning of reformation and revolution, and struggle and advent. As providence has made His last proof (Hujjat) responsible of a great Karbala, so to keep up the occurrences and to declare the greatness of Holy struggle (jihad), the responsibility of the last duties too has been submitted to Imam Husain (a.s).

As it is found in the narrations that, at the starting of Raj' at (The return), Imam Husain (a.s) will reappear first, and will discharge the duties of the funeral of Imam-e-Asr (Atfs), so that the funeral rites of an Infallible is attended by an Infallible, and it be clear to the world that this is the last Karbala whose victor is the last inheritor of Husain ibne Ali (a.s).

It could be seen in the narrations that Imam-e-Asr (Atfs), has been introduced as son of Husain (a.s). And after Imam Husain (a.s) the holy Imams were also called sons of Husain (a.s) of whom Imam-e-Zamana (Atfs) is called the Last Son.

Well, the presence of a "Mahdi" and a "Qaim" is very important for reformation of the world, depicting the truth of Holy Prophet (s.a.) and for the fulfillment of the system of guidance of Nature. Now if Mahdi is denied then the whole system of guidance is faulty and the exclamation of the Holy Prophet (s.a.) is false, and this is against the nature of Islam.

Thus it is made dear in the narrations that whoever denied Mahdi (Atfs), then he has denied all the commandments descended on the Holy Prophet (s.a.). As in the first stage at Ghadeer-e- Khum it was declared, and now in the last stage it is being done at the Reappearance of ImameAsr (Atfs), First is connected to the Last, the History of Aale Mohammad (a.s.) is continously connected, as here,

"First is Mohammad,

Last is Mohammad and

all of them are Mohammad"

is a truth.

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Ref: Friday Journal : 18th December 1998
www.ahlulbaytportal.com

The Title “Al-Qa’im” (The Riser)

QUESTION

As everyone knows, one of the titles of the Mahdi (may Allah hasten his return) is “Al-Qa’im” (The Riser). A tradition has been related regarding the reason for his being given this title that requires contemplation, since it apparently indicates that this title was given because that personage will reappear after death. Yet we have over approximately one thousand traditions regarding that personage, his occultation, and long life, in view of which that tradition cannot be relied upon. However, if some clarifications about its narrators, text, and meaning can be given, it would be useful.

ANSWER

The great scholar Shaykh al-Tusi narrates an unreliable tradition that apparently indicates that the “Qa’im” was given this title because he will arise after death. Shaykh al-Tusi has provided a bit of explanation about this tradition, but before we enter this topic, we consider it necessary to mention the basics of Imamah in Shiaism, which verses of the Noble Qur’an, traditions, and rational proofs affirm. These principles are as follows:

1. Imamah is a Divine covenant, and individuals—who are worthy of bearing it—are specified and appointed by Allah, and this Divine selection and appointment is announced to the people by the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family).

2. The most important conditions of the Imam are sinlessness and being more knowledgeable than all other people, such that all be in need of his knowledge, guidance, and direction, which he be free of need of all, as has been related about Khalil ibn Ahmad that he said about the Imamah of Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him) “The dependence of all others on him and his independence from all others are proof that he is the Imam of all.”[66]

3. The earth will never be without a Divine Proof and Imam, and whoever dies without having recognized the Imam of his time dies the death of ignorance.

4. The Imams, as per the text of mutawatir traditions from the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), are twelve personages.

5. They are twelve and all are from the Ahl al-Bait (peace be upon them) of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), and according to the meaning of the mutawatir traditions of Thaqalayn (The Two Weighty Things), they are equals of the Qur’an and shall never part from the Qur’an.

6. The Imams possess all of the religious and administrative stations except prophethood, which was sealed with the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). And as Imam ‘Ali (peace be upon him) has said in Nahj al-Balagha, they are ÞæÇã Çááå, or the Divine Guardians[67] over the creation, and on the basis of another tradition, they are the ship of salvation. “None shall enter Paradise except one who recognizes them and whom they recognize, and none shall enter Hell except one who denies them; they are the ships of salvation and refuge of the ummat from deviation and discord.”[68]

7. The name, qualities, and order of the Imamah of the Imams (peace be upon them) was specified by the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), and in addition, each Imam specified the following Imam. These are among the important foundations of belief in the principle of Imamah, and for every Muslim who believes in the unseen world and in Allah, messengership, and the messengership of the Seal of the Prophets (peace be upon him and his family), the criterion of truth of these fundamentals is a rational proof, Qur’anic verse, or definite and mutawatir tradition. And most of these fundamentals can be proven by all three means. Th e fact that Imamah is a Divine covenant and Allah specifies it has been argued by rational and Qur’anic proofs and the consecutively-narrated sunnat. ‘Allamah Hilli has established one thousand proofs of this issue in Alfain, and in fact this issue has its roots in the unity of Allah, and like the principle of Divine Unity, it comprises unity of rulership and authority over creation “His is the command and rule, He is the King and the Ruler and the One in authority, He is the one who is cognizant of the interests of His servants. Commanding and Forbidding is for none save Him.” In the issue of the necessity of sinlessness and being the most knowledgeable as well, abundant rational, Qur’anic, and narrational proofs exist, among which is this verse “Then is one who guides to the truth more worthy to be followed, or one who does not find guidance except by being guided”[69]

The late ‘Allamah has also established one thousand proofs about the issue of the necessity of sinlessness. Regarding the principle that the earth shall not remain without a Proof and Imam, in addition to verses such as: “And every people has a guide.”[70]

“And certainly we conveyed them the verses of Qur’an continuously.”[71]

“The day when We will call every people with their leader.”[72]

Mutawatir traditions are also found, among which is the well-known tradition of Kumail ibn Ziyad from Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him) which has been mentioned in Nahj al-Balagha and all other books of Zaydi and Twelver Shi‘a and even in the reliable books of the Sunnis, such as Tadhkirat ul-Huffaz. From this it is known that all are agreed that the earth will never be empty of a Proof; of course, it makes no difference whether the Proof is apparent or hidden.

And in Sawa`iq and other books of the Sunnis, a discourse has been related from Imam Zain al-`Abidin (peace be upon him) in which it has been explicitly mentioned that the world is not without an Imam from the Ahl al-Bait (peace be upon them). These principles have even been explicated in the supplications of the Imams from Ahl al-Bait (peace be upon them). In this regard, we will suffice with only a portion of the supplication of the day of `Arafah from Imam Zain al-‘Abidin (peace be upon him). That personage says “Allah! You have supported your religion in every age with an Imam whom You established as a standard for Your servants and a beacon in Your lands, after You linked his covenant with Yours and made him the means of Your pleasure, made obligatory his obedience and cautioned against his disobedience, commanded to execute his commands and shun what he forbids and that none should precede him nor stay back from him. Thus he is the guard of those seeking refuge and the recourse of the believers, handle of those who grasp (guidance) and the glory of the inhabitants of the universe.”[73]

Anyone who looks carefully at this portion of the supplication will both come to recognize the Shi‘a viewpoint regarding the principle of Imamah and will also understand that this station and these affairs were established for the Imam from the beginning and no one has added anything to them.

As for the issue that “Whoever dies without recognizing the Imam of his time dies the death of ignorance,” this is also a principle which reliable traditions have conveyed explicitly. The reliable traditions of Thaqalain (the two weighty things), Safina (the ship of salvation), and Aman (safety) all indicate this point.

And it has been explicitly mentioned in mutawatir traditions that the Imams are twelve personages, all of whom are from the Ahl al-Bait of the Prophet, and eleven of them are from the progeny of ‘Ali and Fatimah (peace be upon them), the first of them being Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him), and after him Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba (peace be upon him), followed by the Prince of Martyrs Imam Husayn (peace be upon him), and after him nine people from his progeny, of whom the ninth—who is the twelfth Imam—is Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his return).

Thus, since these principles have been established with firm proofs, eminent scholars such as Shaykh al-Tusi, Shaykh al-Mufid, Ibn Babawayh, ‘Allamah Majlisi (Allah’s mercy upon them all) have refuted by relying on these principles the statement of anyone who, previous to their time or subsequent to it, has said something to the contrary or given attention to a rare and unaccepted tradition. This is because the buttress of the proofs of these principles is reliable to an extent that it can even be claimed that after the principle of Divine unity and prophecy, no principle is so reliable.

In view of all this, no Shi‘a scholar has held that the rising of the Qa’im (may Allah hasten his return) will occur after his death. And if anyone has brought up baseless possibilities, taking into account the points mentioned and since they are completely against objective realities, they must not be given any attention, since they have no scientific value.

After this preface and explanation of this point, the life and long occultation of the Imam has been established on the basis of these principles. There remains no room for this tradition that says the Qa’im (may Allah hasten his return) will rise after death, since this notion would result in the severing of the thread of Imamah, the earth’s remaining without the existence of a sinless Imam, and the refutation of many traditions which indicate the life and long occultation of that personage.

Aside from all of these objections, the above-mentioned tradition’s chain of narrators is not reliable, and none of the `Ulama’ or Fuqaha’ (jurists) has relied on such traditions in even a single secondary issue. This is because one of the narrators is Musa ibn Sa`dan al-Hannat, whom scholars of rijal (the science of the study of narrators) have described as weak and whose narration they consider unreliable. He has narrated this tradition from ‘Abdullah ibn Qasim, whom they have titled “The Ever-Lying Hero.” He in turn narrates from Abu Sa`id al-Khurasani, and if we don’t consider his existence unknown according to reference books of rijal, then his position—in terms of being truthful or dishonest—is unclear.

Now, contemplate; how can this tradition—whose narrator is the champion of fabrication—be relied upon in opposition to those firm fundamentals and hundreds of reliable traditions. As for the reason for employing the title “Al-Qa’im” for the Imam of the Age (may Allah hasten his return) “Al-Qa’im” means “the one who rises.” The Imam shall rise against political conditions and religious and social deviations and fill the world with justice and equity after it had become filled with injustice and oppression. Additionally, the issue of rising with the sword and armed struggle is also understood from that title.

Nevertheless, since “rising” has weak and strong degrees, it can be understood from traditions that all of the Imams were ÞÇÆã ÈÇáÃãÑ“Qa’im bi ’l-amr” (upholders of the affair), and it is proper and befitting to employ this title for all of them, in accordance with the positions they had. But since the rising of Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his return) is a world uprising that subsumes all social, individual, political, and economical conditions of humanity and brings to fruition Allah’s promises to His prophets and the prophets’ prophecies to their people, this title is used without qualification for that personage. Thus, anytime they say “al-Qa’im” and their is not context that another one of the Imams is intended, Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his return) is understood from that.

In a tradition that Shaykh Saduq narrates in the book Kamal al-Din from Imam Muhammad at-Taqi (peace be upon him), the ninth Imam, it has come “The Imam after me is my son ‘Ali - Imam ‘Ali al-Naqi (peace be upon him) - whose command is my command, whose speech is my speech, and obedience to whom is obedience to me. And the Imamah after him has been placed in his son Hasan - Imam Hasan al-‘Askari (peace be upon him). His command is his father’s command, his word is his father’s word, and obedience to him is obedience to his father. The narrator says, After that the Imam fell silent. I asked, O’ son of the Messenger of Allah, then who is the Imam after Hasan (peace be upon him) The Imam at first wept to a great extent and then said, After Hasan, his son is the Establisher of Truth, the Awaited. I said, O’ son of the Messenger, why has that personage been named “Qa’im” (The Riser) The Imam replied, because after his name and remembrance is forgotten and most of the believers in his Imamah turn back from their creed, he shall rise. I said, Why has he been named “Muntazar” (The Awaited) He replied, because he has an occultation with a very long duration, such true believers will wait for his advent and appearance, but people of doubt and uncertainty will deny and rejecters will ridicule him. Those who specify a time for it will become many and those who are hasty during that occultation will be destroyed, but the Muslims—those who submit—will achieve salvation.”[74]

‘Allamah Majlisi has said, the meaning of “death” that has come in that weak tradition is that that personage will arise after his name and memory has been forgotten. And Shaykh Mufid relates a tradition from Imam as-Sadiq (peace be upon him) in al-Irshad in which he says,Óãí ÇáÞÇÆã áÞíÇãå ÈÇáÍÞ “He was named the ‘Qa’im’ because he shall arise with truth.”[75]

And from some narrations another reason that is understood is that the Imam was given this title by Allah because, in the worlds before this world, he used to stand and pray.

Regarding the entitling of that personage with the title “Al-Mahdi” as well, appropriate reasons have been mentioned. Of course, it is not the case that “Al-Qa’im” is the original title and “Al-Mahdi” is a secondary title. Both are titles and the usage of each name has a separate reason. Rather, it can be said that since the concept of the “Mahdi” is “the one whom Allah has guided” (ãä åÏÇå Çááå), according to rank, a person must be “Qa’im” whom Allah has guided.

That is, the “Qa’im” must be “one whom Allah has guided,” but it is not necessary that “one whom Allah has guided” must always be “Qa’im.” However, the actions, reforms, movement, uprising, and stand that will take place by the Mahdi (may Allah hasten his return), such as establishment of a world government, are dependent on rising and the becoming actualized of the title “Qa’im.”

These titles are not classified into primary and secondary, and all have been heard from the blessed tongues of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and pure Imams (peace be upon them); nor do they have “old” and “new.” Each has its own particular concept and each has been used with attention to a particular aspect. In texts, sometimes all of these titles are mentioned, sometimes one, and another time one title is mentioned before another. In any case, application of these titles is on the basis of essential and actualized titles, all of which that personage possesses.

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Ref: Grand Ayatullah Lutfullah as-Safi al-Gulpaygani
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The Benefits of Occultation of Imam Mahdi (A.S.)

Engineer Madani If the Imam is the leader of the people he should be present among them. What is the benefit of having an Imam who lives an invisible life What is the use of having an Imam who lives in the state of occultation for centuries without fulfilling any of the functions that he normally undertakes such as propagating religion, solving the problems of society, responding to the attacks of his opponents, commanding the good and forbidding the evil, helping the poor and redressing the wrongs committed against the downtrodden, upholding the ordinances of God by instituting proper penalties and explaining the lawful and the unlawful to the people, and so on.

Mr. Hoshyar The people are surely deprived of the benefits that you have enumerated during the occultation. However, the benefits of the Imam's presence are not limited to these. In fact, there are other benefits that are available during the occultation. The following two are among those many other benefits that you have not enumerated
First, in accord with all that we have said previously and the proofs that were derived from the writings of Muslim scholars, including the hadith-reports that spoke about the necessity of the Imamate, the existence of the Imam as a perfect and unique embodiment of humanity serves as a link between the material and the spiritual world. If the Imam is absent the human species will be extinct. If there is no Imam then God cannot be known or worshipped perfectly. Without the Imam the link between the material and the spiritual become severed. The heart of the Imam is like the source of electricity that distributes light to numerous lamps. The illumination and energization of the hidden universe first mirrors on the heart of the Imam and then from there it reflects on the hearts of humankind. The Imam is the heart of the created universe and the leader and guide of humankind. It is evident that his presence and absence have an impact upon these actualities. After all these, can one ask what benefit accrues from the invisible existence of the Imam I think that you are raising this objection on behalf of someone else who does not have a real understanding of the meaning of wilayat and the Imamate and who does not see the Imam as more than a legal expert and an administrator of justice, whereas the responsibilities of the wilayat and the Imamate are much more than these external functions.

In a long tradition reported from Imam Sadiq it is related that Imam Sajjad said
We are the leaders of the Muslims, God's proofs for His creatures, masters of the believers, guides for the godfearing, and those invested with discretionary authority over the affairs of Muslims. We are the security for the dwellers of the earth, just as the stars are the security of the dwellers of the heavens. It is because of us that the heavens descend on the earth whenever God permits. It is because of us that the rain descends and blessings of earth come out of it. If we had not been on earth its dwellers would have been consumed in it.

He then went on to say

From the day God created Adam until today He has not left the earth without a competent authority (=proof=hujjat). But this authority is sometimes manifest and well known; at other times he is in occultation and in concealment. The earth will not be void of such an authority until the Day of Judgement. If there is no Imam, God will not be worshipped.
Sulayman, the narrator, asked Imam Sadiq How can people benefit from the existence of an Imam who is in occultation The Imam said In the same way as they benefit from the sun behind the clouds.[1]

In this and other traditions of this kind the existence of the twelfth Imam and the benefit derived from him are compared to the benefit derived from the sun hidden behind the clouds. To elaborate on this imagery let us remind ourselves of the way natural science explains the phenomenon. It is established in natural science and in astronomy that the sun is the center of our solar system. The laws of gravity protect the earth from falling into an abyss, and permit the earth to revolve around the sun, generating the distinction between day and night and different seasons according to its position in relation to the sun. The thermal energy produced by the sun is the source of life on earth and its light illuminates the otherwise dark earth. This benefit accrues to the earth regardless of the fact of whether the sun is shining directly or from behind the clouds. In other words, all its functions (illumination, providing energy, growth, etc.) are intact even when it shines from behind the clouds. In fact, whether it is from behind the dark clouds or at night when we think the sun is not present, we are still recipients of the sun's thermal energy and all other benefits that are critical for our survival on earth.
The existence of the Imam is like the sun behind the clouds that benefits the dwellers of the earth. He is the heart of humankind and its existential guide. In order for his benefits to reach humanity it does not matter whether he is manifest or in concealment. Let us recall our previous discussions about the necessity of the Prophethood and Imamate and review all their aspects so that we can appreciate the true meaning of wilayat. This review will help us to understand the most important benefit of having an Imam from the progeny of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny), whether manifest or in concealment. As we ponder this matter, we are actually enjoying the blessings of this Imam's invisible existence.
As for other benefits enumerated by you, Engineer Madani, of which people are deprived, actually, both from the direction of God and from the existence of the Imam, there is no obstacle to these benefits reaching the people. The problem is with the people themselves. If these obstructions could be removed and if the people worked towards creating the just order and toward preparing to launch God's government by spreading the right information and strengthening the character of the people to receive the Imam's leadership, then the Imam would appear to lead humanity towards the creation of the divine order on earth.
It is possible that someone might say Under the circumstances when the overall situation is not favorable to the appearance of the Imam, why should we put ourselves in the dangerous situation of trying to prepare for his return In response to this it must be pointed out that a Muslim's actions in this connection should not be motivated by the personal gain of some individuals; rather, it should become the goal of each and every person to endeavor for the social reforms affecting all people. Seriousness of purpose in improving the conditions of the people and in removing causes of injustice and tyranny in society are regarded as the most meritorious act of worship in Islam.

Again, it is possible that someone might say The endeavors of one or a few individuals trying to change the conditions in society may come to nothing. Hence, one should not even try to do anything. Moreover, in principle, it might be asked what wrong have I done to be deprived of meeting my Imam In response to this one can point out the benefit that accrues to an individual and to the society in general when we endeavor to raise the standard of thinking and moral awareness among people, informing them about the lofty goals of Islam and bringing them closer to the goals of the Imam (peace be upon him). By doing so we have actually fulfilled our obligation as a follower of the Imam. In return, we have attained the highest reward of having furthered the realization of an ideal society, even if merely by a step. Any rational person can attest to this benefit of striving to further the divine purposes for human society. It is for this reason that there are numerous traditions that speak about the merits of awaiting deliverance through the appearance of the twelfth Imam, and which regard this awaiting as a form of serving God.[2]

Second, faith in the Hidden Imam and awaiting deliverance through his return is a source of hope and peace for the hearts of the believers. Such a hope is one of the major causes of the success and advancement of the Islamic ideal. Any group of people that becomes bogged down by pessimism and despair also suffers from self-imposed negativism that leads to the defeat of the purpose.

There is no doubt that the social and political turmoil in many parts of the world, the decline of moral and ethical vision, the deprivation and poverty suffered by the downtrodden, the spread of tools of various forms of imperialistic intervention in the affairs of the weaker societies, the arms race among the powerful countries --all these -- have led sensitive and conscientious thinkers around the globe to become concerned and even, to a certain extent, pessimistic about the ability of human society to deliver itself from its self-cultivated gradual destruction.

The only door that has remained open for humanity is the door of hope in the darkness of despair. That hope lies in the divine intervention in human affairs by the sending of a divinely guided leader, the Mahdi, to establish a godly society founded upon the divinely ordained laws. Indeed, it is this hope that gives solace to the disturbed hearts of those who have suffered injustices. It is the hope of seeing that government based on the acknowledgement of the Unity of God which has safeguarded the faith of the people, and has made them firm in their commitments to God. It is faith in the ultimate victory of truth that has made these people seek an active role in working towards social reforms and other related matters. Seeking the help of God under these circumstances helps human beings to avoid becoming hopeless in the face of continued atrocities and wrongs committed against the innocent. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) laid the foundation of this positive attitude by introducing the universal program of reform under the divinely guided leadership that will undertake to unite human resources in creating the ethical order proclaimed in the Qur'an.

Imam Zayn al-'Abidin has conveyed this positive aspect of the hope of deliverance in the tradition in which he says To hope for deliverance and release in itself functions as the most profound form of deliverance.[3]

To conclude our discussion at this point, faith in the promised Mahdi has made it possible for the Shi'a community to hope and work for the ideal. It has eliminated the negative spirit of pessimism, engendering in it the positive spirit of confidence in the human ability to work for its betterment. The belief has, furthermore, required the followers of the twelfth Imam to fight against the forces of disbelief, materialism, corruption, and injustice, and to work for the government of God, the perfection of the human intellect and the establishment of true peace through justice on earth, and to further human knowledge and technology. It is for this reason that the hope for deliverance during the occultation has been regarded as the best form of divine worship and martyrdom in the path of truth in the numerous traditions reported from the ahl al-bayt.[4]

The Twelfth Imam Endeavors to Defend Islam during the Occultation

One of the orations of the Nahj al-balagha points to the fact that the Imam of the Age during the occultation also is engaged in furthering the cause of Islam and solving the problems faced by the Muslims as much as he can. Imam 'Ali b. Abi Talib said
They (i.e., Muslims) took to the right and the left piercing through to the ways of evil and leaving the paths of guidance. Do not make haste for a matter which is to happen and is awaited, and do not wish for delay in what the morrow is to bring for you. For, how many people make haste for a matter, but when they get it they begin to wish they had not got it. How near is today to the dawning of tomorrow. O people, this is the time for the occurrence of every promised event and the approach of things which you do not know. Whoever from us (i.e., ahl al-bayt) will exist during these days will move through them with a burning lamp and will tread on the footsteps of the virtuous, in order to unfasten knots, to free slates, to divide the united and unite the divided. He will be in concealment (sitra) from people. The stalker will not find his footprints even though he pursues with his eye. Then a group of people will be sharpened like the sharpening of swords by the blacksmith. Their sight will be brightened by the revelation (tanzil, i.e., the Qur'an), the interpretation will be put in their ears and they will be given drinks of wisdom, morning and evening. [5]

The apparent sense of this oration suggests that during the time of 'Ali b. Abi Talib, people were awaiting events about which the Prophet had informed them. In all probability, it was information related to the occultation. The presumable sense of the oration suggests the Imam during the period of concealment would live an extremely veiled life. But he will endeavor to solve the problems facing the community with deep insight and will vindicate the sanctity of Islam. He will remove the difficulties and will come to the aid of the wronged ones. He will disperse the group that would have come together to destroy the Islamic foundations. He will eliminate all the organizations that he would identify as being detrimental to the purposes of God. He will provide the necessary preliminaries needed for bringing about a beneficial society. With the blessed presence of the Imam of the Age a group of people will be trained to defend the religion, and will be inspired by the Qur'anic sciences in their resolutions about the ideal Muslim society.

Dr. Fahimi I wanted you to explain to me the reason as to why in our traditions, that is the Sunni hadith, the existence of the Mahdi, especially his other names like Qa'im and Sahib al-'amr (the Master of the Command = the one entrusted with the command), is not mentioned. However, since it is getting very late in the night, I should keep this question for our next session.

To be sure, it was quite late at night. The meeting was adjourned with the next date announced. It was decided that we should meet at Dr. Fahimi's house.

Notes

1. Yanabi' al-mawadda, Vol. 2, p. 317.
2. Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 52, p. 122-150.
3. Ibid., p. 122
4. Ibid., p. 122-150.
5. Nahj al-balagha, Vol. 2, Sermon No. 146.



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Ref: Al-Imam Al-Mahdi- by Ibrahim Amini p. 154-161
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Mahdi (A.S.) in the View of the Ahl ul-Bait (A.S.)

The basic faith in the coming of a redeemer is a general human thought and is not limited to a certain religion or sect. Based on this we can answer obscurities like Shiism being the only sect believing in this truth, considering it a myth or referring it to the Jews.

Religion is actually the more complete term for human truths and Islam is a more complete term for religious truths and the Ahlul-Bait’s (P.B.) school of thought is the more complete term for Islamic truths. Therefore, the difference between the Khulafa school of thought and the Ahlul-Bait (P.B.) school of thought on the concept of Mahdi is that the Khulafa school of thought has an incomplete belief in it and the school of thought of the Ahlul-Bait (P.B.) has the most complete form belief in this concept.

One of the features of the concept of Mahdi in the thought of the Ahlul-Bait (P.B.) is that it is not considered a simple concept, but it is connected to the belief in the twelve Imams that is a continuous movement from the demise of the Holy Prophet (P.B.) until the coming of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) and is interlinked with the true life of man. In this article we will discuss the concept of Mahdi in the Ahlul-Bait’s view from three angles belief, its features and advantages in the Ahlul-Bait school of thought, and its effects and results in the individual and social levels.

I. Proving the Concept of Mahdi from the Ahlul-Bait’s Viewpoint

There are hundreds of traditions from the Holy Prophet (P.B.) that specify the Mahdi and declare him to be from the Ahlul-Bait (P.B.), a son of Fatima (P.B.), a progeny of Imam Husain Ibn Ali (P.B.), and one of the twelve successor. Other than the quantity of the traditions (some authors have gathered up to two hundred and seventy traditions from Shiite and Sunni sources), there are other evidences that prove the legitimacy of this belief. The fact that Bukhari, one of the greatest Sunni narrators, has narrated traditions on this subject is itself a proof. He lived at the time of Imam Jawad (P.B.) and Imam Hadi (P.B.), which shows that even before all the twelve Imams had came to, it had been known through the traditions from the Holy Prophet (P.B.) that he will be the twelfth Imam. It is interesting that in Sahih Muslim alone, this matter has been narrated through seven trends of narration.

Now we must see what the Sunnis have interpreted these twelve predecessors. There are two possibilities why the Holy Prophet (P.B.) has mentioned his face. It is either that he wanted to merely foretell the future events (foretelling interpretation), or the Holy Prophet (P.B.) actually meant to specify his predecessors (ideological interpretation). The Khulafa school of thought legitimatised the system of caliphate and falsified appointment from the start, and interpreted all the evidence differently. We ask that if the Holy Prophet (P.B.) only wanted to predict the future, why did he only pointed out twelve If by these twelve he only meant the legitimate caliphs, they were only four and if he meant all of them they were more than that number. This is why many Sunni scholars have tried to specify twelve individuals out of all the caliphs, but they haven’t been able to reach an agreement as of now. In his book Al-Hawi, Soyuti writes “There has not yet been an agreement among the entire Islamic nation on any twelve figures.”

In addition, it is noted in the traditions that these twelve Imams will cover the time span between time of the Prophet’s (P.B.) demise and the end of the world. For instance, a narration in one of the Sunni sources says “This religion will not parish as long as it’s supported by twelve men from Koreish. Then when they die the earth will ripple its people.”[1] And of course, such an event did not take place after Umar Ibn Abdul-Aziz.

Another of the proofs for the ideological interpretation is the fact that statements like “they are all from Bani Hashim” can be found even in the Sunni sources. Of course, there are traditions that are stated differently “they are all from Koreish,” but these statements seem to be alterations. The reason for this is that at the end of the narration it has been stated that some people started shouting loudly in order to create a diversion so others won’t be able to here the Holy Prophet (P.B.).

II. The Features of The Concept of Mahdi from The Ahlul-Bait’s Viewpoint

The first of these features is the birth of His Eminence (may God hasten his reappearance) in secret, which was to enable him to go into occultation and live a secret life until his coming. As we saw that according to the traditions from the Holy Prophet (P.B.), there will only be twelve Imams until the end of time.

Hence, historical facts are insufficient for proving the birth and existence of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance). We need to take into consideration the mentioned ideological reasons as well. This is because his birth and life have all been in secret, therefore, it cannot be expected that every one knows about it. Of course, some have been able to see him in his childhood and during the minor and major occultations, which also proves the legitimacy of this belief.[2] Furthermore, the conduct of the Abbasid government in treating Imam Askari’s (P.B.) family after his demise is a proof that they knew that this event (the birth of the Imam) had taken place in the Imam’s (P.B.) house. Many of the Sunni scholars have admitted to the birth of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) as well.

The second feature is that His Eminence (may God hasten his reappearance) reached the level of Imamah (leadership) in his childhood. Of course, reaching Imamah during childhood is not a distinctive feature of the twelfth Imam (may God hasten his reappearance), for Imam Jawad (P.B.) and Imam Hadi (P.B.) were Imams at ages eight and nine. So it can be concluded that childhood Imamah is not a theory, but has happened in the history of the Ahlul-Bait which is a solid historical fact. Not even the enemies of the Ahlul-Bait were able to deny this fact, for they had tested the Imams’ knowledge over and over in their childhood.

Some of the Sunni scholars have raised the question that since a chil cannot be anyone or anything’s legal guardian in Islam, how could one become guardians of the entire Islamic nation In answering this we must say that divine guardianship is an ideological matter not a legal one. In legal matters the individuals are responsible for their deeds, whereas in the matter of Imamah, it is God that is responsible for giving the child the knowledge and power to be able to guide the nation. This has been confirmed by the Holy Quran for Prophet Yahya (John) (P.B.) and Prophet Jesus (P.B.).

The third feature of the Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) is his long lasting occultation. There are usually two problems mentioned about this matter. The first is the possibility of such extended life and the other is proving it for Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance).

Answer to The First Problem logically, living such prolonged life is absolutely probable. The new scientific technologies also show that extending human life is not too far out of reach. Of course, it is not certain yet that it can be done to any one, but this does not interfere with believing in Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) having a prolonged life, which has been granted to him by God’s will. We should ask, isn’t the Holy Prophet’s (P.B.) quick travel from Masjid-ol-Haram to Masji-ol-Aqsa that has been mentioned in the Holy Quran one of those seemingly impossibles made possible Even if it is accepted that the extension of human life is against the laws of nature and that it’s scientifically impossible, it can still be said that as the examples in the Holy Quran, like the fire not burning Ibrahim (P.B.) or the parting of the Nile for Moses (P.B.), this has been made possible by miracle as well.

Prophet Noah (P.B.), who cleared the human civilization of its corrupt context and established an innovated civilization, lived a prolonged life.

Answer to The Second Problem ideologically, Imam Mahdi’s (may God hasten his reappearance) prolonged life is an essential part of the concept of Mahdi in the Alul-Bait’s (P.B.) viewpoint; because, the accompaniment of the Quran and the Ahlul-Bait (P.B.) will not be possible otherwise. Furthermore, there is mention of the Mahdi’s (may God hasten his reappearance) occultation in the Sunni sources as well, which is not possible without a prolonged life. In addition, there are at least three ways to historically prove the Imam’s prolonged life. The first is that there are witnesses of his birth but no witnesses of his martyrdom. Secondly, many people have seen him during his minor and major occultation most of which are great scholars and righteous people including some Sunni scholars and mystics like Mohye-Din Ibn Arabi, Sheik Abdol-Wahhab Sha’rani and Sheik Sa’edo-Din Hamawi. Also, other Sunni scholars have approved of this. The third is that throughout the minor and major occultations there have been continuous verbal and written communications with His Eminence (may God hasten his reappearance) and a great amount of people have lived with this truth and have witnessed its effects on their lives. So, such a matter with this background and scope cannot be made up and false.

III. The Ideological Value and the Humanitarian Outcomes of the Concept of Mahdi in the Ahlul-Bait (P.B.) School of Thought

Other than the reasoning prospective, ideological issues can be studied from their practical effects’ perspective and evaluated accordingly. Nevertheless, if a belief is theoretically proved correct but faces humanistic doubts, the core of the belief will be questionable. Although the entity and effects of the Islamic beliefs cannot be fully understood because of their divineness, we can at least present some evidences of the importance and superiority of the concept of Mahdi according to the school of thought of the Ahlul-Bait (P.B.) compared to school of thought of the Khulafa.

The promised Mahdi has great and exceptional missions, one of which is reviving the humanistic civilization. He has to convert a world full of oppression and tyranny to a world of justice in the last phase of man’s life on earth. A leader with such great burden must undoubtedly possess a great spirit, a knowledge that spans history and a value far beyond all other values found in one civilization or certain environment. He must sense these disorders himself, and be fully prepared for managing the great change. Closely observing the developing phases of false civilizations and the establishment of the bases of oppression and knowing their weak points and points of deviation is itself an experience that has a great effect on his awareness and will in making this historical change.

In addition, the presence of an infallible Imam that is perfect in knowledge and action and is aware of the human destiny will cause the community of the believers to always keep in mind the Imam and the favorable community of his time as a role model for themselves as individuals and as a community. This will also cause the believers to always realize the spiritual and intellectual relation between the heavens and the earth. This effect can only be felt when the relation between the Imam and the believers materializes through the general or specified deputies in a social form, and a small presentation of this political leadership is felt and seen in practice. These sorts of effects, which are the outcome of the positive anticipation, are all products of the concept of Mahdi in the Ahlul-Bait’s (P.B.) school of thought.

[1] Ali Ibn Hisam-o-Din Mottaqi Hindi, Kanz-ol-‘Amal, Vol. 12, P. 34
[2] The author has mentioned some of the many historical evidences in his writing.

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Ref: Ali Islami
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Signs of the Reappearance of Imam Mahdi (Part 3)

3- Sun comes to a halt

The written notes of Seyed Ismail Aqili can be a further confirmation in supporting the words of Imam Sadiq (A.S) on change in the direction of Sun’s rotation, , which we explained earlier as backward rotation of the earth. He has written about the signs of the reappearance of Imam Mahdi: Among the signs is the halt of the Sun in the middle of the sky from high noon until late afternoon without having any movement. This is a confirmation to the change in the movements of the cosmic bodies (1) and there are comments by the historians about the following verse of the Qur’an:

”If We please, We should send down upon them a sign from the heaven so that they would bend their necks in humility.”‌ [The Holy Qur’an, 26:4]

Abu Bsir says: ”Commenting on the said verse, Imam Sadiq (A.S) said: ”Very soon God will do so about them,”‌ I said: Who are they? He said: ”they are Bani Umayyad and their companions;”‌ I asked what are those signs?

Imam Sadeq (A.S) said: ”The halt of the Sun between noontime till late afternoon and the appearance of a person-whose lineage is known and whose face up to his chest could be seen in the Sun. This event shall happen in period of Sefyani, when Sefyani and his companion shall be killed.”‌

Imam Sadiq (A.S) said: ”there are five signs which will appear before the reappearance of Imam Mahdi: ”

1- A heavenly call: ”his Holiness will enter Mecca and appear on the side of Kaba, and prior to sunrise the caller shall make an announcement that can be heard by everyone on the earth and heavens,”‌ he says:

”O people! Bear in mind that this is Mahdi of the Household of Muhammad (PBUH).”‌ He shall be called with his name and the title of his forefather Prophet (PBUH) of Islam.
2- Sefyani: He shall rise in a desert which is located between Mecca and Al-Sham (Damascus). Sefyani is an ugly man, broad-shouldered, blue-eyed and has a face with scars of smallpox; his name is ”Usman ibn Anbasa”‌ who is one of the children of Yazid bin Muawiyah; he shall capture Damascus, Homs, Palestine, Jordan and Qansarin cities.

3- The Sefyani army shall disintegrate in a desert between Mecca and Medina. He has an army of about 300,000 men. Eventually Sefyani shall be killed by the army of Imam Mahdi in Bait-ul-Muqaddas (Jerusalem).

4- Zakyah is a boy from the dynasty of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who will be martyred between Roknm and Magham.

5- Yamani: The uprising of Yamani shall happen in Yemen. Some records show that Yamani, Khorasani and Sefyani shall rise at the same time (in a certain day of a month and a certain year). Among them, Yamani shall lead the people to God. (2)

 

Tebyan Department of Religious Studies and Thought

Ali Zamani Ghomshei: The journal of Lessons from the school of Islam, volume 9 (78).

(1) Sayed Ismail Noori Aqili, Kefayat al-Movahedin, Rabea article; Mohaddes Qomi, the explanation of some of the signs of Reappearance, Montahaal-Amal, Chapter 7, in some of the signs of Reappearcen - Nur al-Saqalayn Interpretation under the verse Al-Shoara.

(2) Ibid

Ali Zamani Ghomshei: The journal of Lessons from the school of Islam, volume 9 (78).
Translated by: Sadroddin Musawi
www.tebyan.net

Signs of the Reappearance of Imam Mahdi (Part 2)

Modern science supports these ideas

1- The prolongation of days and years during the time of reappearance of Imam Mahdi does not contradict modern science, and in fact it is supported by modern science.

Given the fact that gravity can affect all heavenly and cosmic bodies as well as the earth substances, it also affects the gravity of the moon, water of the seas, soil and land, and halting of the earth.

Since long time back people have known that there is a relationship between the moonrise, moonset, and high tide and low tide of the waters of seas. However they did not know how it happens and what makes these things happen until Isaac Newton, the great genius of the world of science solved this mystery for the first time and explained perfectly how these phenomena happen. The phenomenon of pulling (high tide and low tide of the water) is principally produced by the force of gravity of the moon. Obviously sea waters are more flexible compared to the terrain of the earth. So, naturally waters can have lesser resistance against the pulling force of the moon. Due to this reason, certain amount of water is collected under the moon (on the earth) and will form the phenomenon of ”high tide”‌ which means pulling up.

At the time of creation of the ”high tide”‌ facing the moon, another ”high tide”‌ shall be created on the other side of the earth, so the waters of the other side of the earth that are far from the moon are lesser affected and they lag behind and form a huge volume of water, thus, every part of the surface of the sea gets affected twice a day by the ”high tide”‌ and twice a day by the ”low tide”‌ which means pulling inward. So, the average time between two consecutive tides is 12 hours and 25.5 minutes. Exactly half the time it takes to complete one orbit around the earth which is 24 hours and 51 minutes.

The high tide and low tide follow the apparent motion of the moon from the eastern horizon of the observer towards the western horizon. The effect of the gravity of the Sun on the tide comparing to that of the moon is of the second degree in importance, since its distance from the earth is more (about one hundred and fifty million kilometers); because of this fact the power of the Sun for creating tide is only about seven percent of the moon’s power.

When these forces act in coordination, the tides are in their maximum force, like when the crescent is new and both are on one side of the earth, and they are called spring tides, the other is when the Sun and the moon together make an angle of 90° (quadrature), at this time the tides are at their minimum force, which are called Iveap tides.

The proximity of the moon has also an effect on the height of the tides. When the moon is close to the earth, the force of gravity is 20% higher than normal situation.

The gravity of the moon not only creates swelling on earth waters but it also creates swelling on the lands, which are intangible compared to the swelling of waters.
The force resulting from moon’s gravity and the turbulence resulting from the accumulation of waters cause the earth’s axial spin (rotation axis) to be stopped slowly. Thus, this process results in the lengthening of days and nights.

The study of the growth of coral fossils shows that 350 million years ago the length of day and night was shorter by about 3 hours compared to today’s normal day and night, and the length of solar year was about 400 days.

Study of the records of the past solar and lunar eclipses indicates that the increasing trend of the earth day’s length has been about 0016% of second per century. (1)

2- Probably the following verse of the Holy Qur’an has pointed to One Who has created this fundamental and foundational force which is called gravity that prevails throughout the universe (in all things, bodies and the cosmic bodies): ”Allah is He Who raised the heavens without any pillars that you see, and He is firm in power and He made the Sun and the moon subservient (to you); each one pursues its course to an appointed time; He regulates the affair, making clear the signs that you may be certain of meeting your Lord.”‌ [The Holy Qur’an,13:2]

The Almighty God has the power to reduce the duration of days and years (the time of revolution and rotation of the earth), make the Earth’s rotation ten times faster to reach 240 hours and increase the speed of the earth revolution ten times faster. In other words, He can reduce the speed of the earth which is about 30 kilometers per second to about 3 kilometers per second.

In order to dismiss the astonishment of Abu Basir, Imam Sadiq (A.S) stated: ”As the moon was split for the Prophet (PBUH) [there are a lot of Hadithes from Sunni and Shia sources about its authenticity], and also prior to that God opened the Sun for Yusha bin Noon [most probably for few hours the earth changed its original rotation from right to left (from west towards east).

Today, astronomers who are expert in the Venus planet believe that unlike that of the earth, the rotation of the Venus is from east towards west. Thus, in Venus the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east. So it is very much possible to create such condition for the earth for a few hours as it was created for Venus during the time of Yusha bin Noon. And above all, it is about the Day of Judgment about which the Holy Qur’an states: ”And they ask you to hasten on the punishment, and Allah will by no means fail in His promise, and surely a day with your Lord is as a thousand years of what you number.”‌[The Holy Qur’an, 22:47]
The holy Qur’an also states: ”He regulates the affair from the heaven to the earth; then shall it ascend to Him in a day the measure of which is a thousand years of what you count.”‌ [The Holy Qur’an, 32:5]

(1) Patrick Moore, Gary Hunt, Atlas of the Solar System, translated by Abbas Jafari, p. 94, Gitashenasi Publishers, summer 1995

Translated by: Sadroddin Musawi
www.tebyan.net

Signs of the Reappearance of Imam Mahdi (Part 1)

”The Hour has come near, and the moon has split [in two]. The Day the Caller calls to something forbidding," (the Moon: 1; 6) According to a Hadith, it is believed that the said hour will be when Imam Mahdi will end his occultation and then he shall call on people for a faith which shall be unknown to them [because of malpractices by Muslims], while they deny it and they will not believe that it is the religion of Islam.

Imam Sadiq (A.S) describes some features of the Islamic faith at the time as such: When Imam Mahdi reappears he shall go to Kufa and destroy four mosques there, [because they are not consistent with the principles of Islam], and on the earth, those mosques which are with overlook and have balcony shall be destroyed and shall be rebuilt without balcony and overlook; large roads will be expanded, the remaining walls on the streets and everything that exists on them such as balconies, gutters and ... shall be removed; all heresies shall be eliminated and all traditions shall be revived; the Constantinople states and their cities and China shall be under his governance and the mountains of Deilam shall get open up; and these shall last for 7 years each of which shall be as long as 10 normal years, then he shall do what God has ordained him to do. The narrator asked: how do years become longer, he said: ”The Almighty God shall command the heavens and time to move slower, thus the days and years will become longer.”‌

Abu Basir, the narrator of this tradition, asked again: They say if the heavens’ movements change (heavens stop their normal movements or they become slower) they will be destroyed. He said: ”these are the words of atheists. However, Muslims do not follow those sayings, because the Almighty God split the moon for Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and even earlier God turned the Sun to the other side and this was for the sake of Yusha bin Noon, and more importantly, he even said that each day might be as long as the resurrection day which is as long as 1,000 normal years. (1)

1) Nur al-Saqalayn Interpretation, the Moon section, 1, 6 – Bihar, Vol. 52, p. 333-337 and 339.

Translated by: Sadroddin Musawi
www.tebyan.net

Sunni Documentation on Imam al-Mahdi (AS)

For the Sunni brothers, there are six major collections of traditions based on the Sunni standards for verifying the authenticity of a tradition.

These six books are: Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sahih al-Tirmidhi, Sunan Ibn Majah, Sunan Abu Dawud, and Sahih al-Nisa'i.

I just quote few traditions from these six books to prove that a knowledgeable Sunni brother/sister can NOT deny that:

al-Mahdi (AS) will come in the last days to make a universal Government,

al-Mahdi (AS) is from the Ahlul-Bayt of the Prophet (PBUH&HF),

al-Mahdi (AS) is from the progeny of Fatimah (AS), the daughter of the Prophet (PBUH&HF),

al-Mahdi (AS) is different than Prophet Jesus (the Messiah),

Prophet Jesus (AS) will come as one of the followers of Imam al-Mahdi and will pray behind him in congressional prayer.

 

Another undeniable fact is that many leading Sunni scholars have written books after books exclusively about Imam al-Mahdi (AS) which I included some of their names at the end of this article.

Moreover, Insha Allah in the next article, I will give a list of Sunni scholars who believe that Imam al-Mahdi (AS) is son of Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS), and is alive and went into occultation.

In that article will also discuss the special specifications of Imam al-Mahdi which are the points of disagreement between the Shia and the Sunni.

The following are only some of the traditions about Imam al-Mahdi which Sunnis admit to their authenticity and existence:

The Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: "Even if the entire duration of the world's existence has already been exhausted and only one day is left (before the day of judgment), Allah will expand that day to such a length of time, as to accommodate the kingdom of a person from my Ahlul-Bayt who will be called by my name.

He will fill out the earth with peace and justice as it will have been full of injustice and tyranny (by then).

"

Sunni References:

Sahih al-Tirmidhi, v2, p86, v9, pp 74-75

Sunan Abu Dawud, v2, p7

Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v1, pp 84,376; V3, p63

al-Mustadrak ala al-Sahihayn, by al-Hakim, v4, p557

Jami' al-Saghir, by al-Suyuti, pp 2,160

al-Urful Wardi, by al-Suyuti, p2

al-Majma', by al-Tabarani, p217

Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, v9, p144

Fat'h al-Bari fi Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari, by Ibn Hajar Asqalani, v7, p305

al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch.

11, section 1, p249

al-Tathkirah, by al-Qurtubi, p617

al-Hawi, by al-Suyuti, v2, pp 165-166

Sharh al-Mawahib al-Ladunniyyah, by al-Zurqani, v5, p348

Fat'h al-Mugheeth, by al-Sakhawi, v3, p41

Kanz al-Ummal, v7 P186

Iqd al-Durar Fi Akhbar al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, v12, Ch.

1,

al-Bayan fi Akhbar Sahib al-Zaman, By Ganji al-Shafi'i, Ch.

12

al-Fusool al-Muhimmah, by Ibn Sabbagh al-Maliki, Ch.

12

Arjahul Matalib, by Ubaidallah Hindi al-Hanafi, p380

Muqaddimah, by Ibn Khaldoon, p266

and also in the works of Ibn Habban, Abu Nua'ym, Ibn Asakir, etc.

 

Also:

The Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: "al-Mahdi is one of us, the members of the household (Ahlul-Bayt).

"

Sunni reference: Sunan Ibn Majah, v2, Tradition #4085

It is evident from the above traditions that Imam al-Mahdi (AS) is from the Ahlul-Bayt of Prophet Muhammad, so he can not be Jesus (the Messiah; al-Maseeh).

Thus, al-Mahdi and Messiah are two different personalities but they come at the same time, al-Mahdi as Imam and Jesus as his follower.

The following tradition clearly mentions that Imam al-Mahdi is one of descendants of the daughter of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF):

The Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: The Mahdi will be of my family, of the descendants of Fatimah (the Prophet's daughter).

 

Sunni references:

Sunan Abu Dawud, English version, Ch.

36, Tradition #4271 (narrated by Umm Salama, the wife of the Prophet)

Sunan Ibn Majah, v2, Tradition #4086

al-Nisa'i and al-Bayhaqi, and others as quoted in:

al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch.

11, section 1, p249

Also:

The Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: "We the children of Abd al-Muttalib are the Masters of the inhabitants of the heaven: Myself, Hamza (RA), Ali (AS), Ja'far Ibn Abi Talib (RA), al-Hasan (AS), al-Husain (AS), and al-Mahdi (AS).

"

Sunni references:

Sunan Ibn Majah, v2, Tradition #4087

al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, on the authority of Anas Ibn Malik

al-Daylami

al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch.

11, section 1, p245

The Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: "The Mahdi will appear in my Ummah.

He will appear for a minimum of 7 or a maximum of 9 years; at that time, my Ummah will experience a bountiful favor like never before.

It shall have a great abundance of food, of which it need not save anything, and the wealth at that time is in great quantities, such that if a man asks the Mahdi to give him some, and the Mahdi (AS) will say: Here! Take!"

Sunni reference: Sunan Ibn Majah, v2, Tradition #5083

Remark: According to Shi'i sources, the Government of Peace and equality that Imam al-Mahdi will establish will last hundreds of years with no rival, and then the day of Judgment will commence.

What is mentioned in the above tradition as 7 or 9 years is the length of time that Imam al-Mahdi (AS) will fight to conquer the world when he starts his mission.

The Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: "We (I and my family) are members of a household that Allah (SWT) has chosen for them the life of the Hereafter over the life of this world; and the members of my household (Ahlul-Bayt) shall suffer a great affliction and they shall be forcefully expelled from their homes after my death; then there will come people from the East carrying black flags, and they will ask for some good to be given to them, but they shall be refused service; as such, they will wage war and emerge victorious, and will be offered that which they desired in the first place, but they will refuse to accept it till they pass it to a man from my family (Ahlul-Bayt) appears to fill the Earth with justice as it has been filled with corruption.

So whoever reaches that (time) ought to come to them even if crawling on the ice/snow since among them is the Vice-regent of Allah (Khalifatullah) al-Mahdi.

"

Sunni references:

Sunan Ibn Majah, v2, Tradition #4082,

The History Tabari

al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch.

11, section 1, pp 250-251

Also:

The Messenger of Allah said: "The world will not perish until a man among the Arabs appears whose name matches my name.

"

Sunni reference: Sahih al-Tirmidhi, v9, p74

In Sahih Muslim, in the Chapter of al-Fitan, there are some interesting traditions on what will happen in the last days of the world.

I would like to quote two of them here:

Abu Nadra reported: We were with the company of Jabir Ibn Abdillah.

.

.

Jabir Ibn Abdillah kept quite for a while and then reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) having said: "There would be a Caliph in the last (period) of my Ummah who would freely give handfuls of wealth to the people without counting it.

" I said to Abu Nadra and Abu al-Ala: Do you mean Umar Ibn Abd al-Aziz? They said: NO, (he would be Imam Mahdi).

 

Sunni references:

Sahih Muslim, English version, v4, chapter MCCV, p1508, Tradition #6961

Sahih Muslim, Arabic version, Kitab al-Fitan, v4, p2234, Tradition #67

 

[ NOTE: What are inside the parentheses in the above tradition are NOT my comments.

They are the words of the translator of Sahih Muslim (Abdul Hamid Siddiqui).

]

Similarly, we read in Sahih Muslim:

Abu Sa'id and Jabir Ibn Abdullah reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: "There would be in the last (phase) of the time a Caliph who would distribute wealth but would not count.

"

Sunni references:

Sahih Muslim, English version, v4, chapter MCCV, p1508, Tradition #6964

Sahih Muslim, Arabic version, Kitab al-Fitan, v4, p2235, Tradition #69

It is also narrated:

In the end of the time, my Ummah will undergo very hard affliction like never before, so that man can not find any way out.

Then Allah will appear a person from my progeny, that is my Ahlul-Bayt, who will fill the earth with justice as it was filled with injustice.

The inhabitants of the earth and the inhabitants of the heaven love him.

The sky will bring down its water everywhere and the earth will bring all what it can offer and will become green all over.

 

Sunni references:

al-Sahih fi al-Hadith, by al-Hakim, as quoted in:

al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch.

11, section 1, p250

Ibn Majah in his Sunan quotes Muhammad Ibn Hanafiyyah and Imam Ali saying that the Holy Prophet (PBUH&HF) said:

"al-Mahdi is from our Ahlul-Bayt, no doubt Allah will enforce his appearance within a night (i.

e.

, his coming is very unpredictable and is very sudden).

"

Sunni references:

Sunan Ibn Majah, v2, p269

Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, as quoted in:

al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch.

11, section 1, p250

Moreover, it is narrated that:

Ali Ibn Abi Talib (AS) said: "When the 'Support' of the family of Muhammad (al-Qa'im Aale Muhammad) rises Allah will unite the people of east and the people of west.

"

Sunni references:

Ibn Asakir, as quoted in:

al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch.

11, section 1, p252

Ibn Hajar wrote that:

Muqatil Ibn Sulayman and those who followed him among the (Sunni) commentators of Quran said that the verse: "And he shall be a Sign for (the coming of) the Hour" (Quran 43:61) was revealed about al-Mahdi.

 

Sunni reference: al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch.

11, section 1, p247

Also Ahmad Ibn Hanbal recorded:

The Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: "Allah will bring out from concealment al-Mahdi from my Family and just before the Day of Judgment; even if only one day were to remain in the life of the world, and he will spread on this earth justice and equity and will eradicate tyranny and oppression.

"

Sunni references:

Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v1, p99

A close version has also been narrated in Sunan Abu Dawud, English version, Ch.

36, Tradition #4270 narrated from Ali Ibn Abi Talib (AS).

 

It is narrated in Sahih Muslim that:

Jabir Ibn Abdillah al-Ansari (RA) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying: "A group of my Ummah will fight for the truth until near the day of judgment when Jesus, the son of Marry, will descend, and the leader of them will ask him to lead the prayer, but Jesus declines, saying: "No, Verily, among you Allah has made leaders for others and He has bestowed his bounty upon them.

"

Sunni reference:

Sahih Muslim, Arabic, part 2, p193

Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v3, pp 45,384

al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch.

11, section 1, p251

Nuzool Isa Ibn Maryam Akhir al-Zaman, by Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, p57

Musnad, by Abu Ya'ala which provides another version of the tradition with more clear words on the authority of Jabir that the Messenger of Allah said: "A group among my Ummah will continue to fight for the truth until Jesus, the son of Marry, will descend, and the Imam of them will ask him to lead the prayer, but Jesus replies: "You have more right to it, and verily Allah has honored some of you over others in this Ummah.

"

Sahih Ibn Habban, whose tradition reads: "their leader al-Mahdi" and the rest of tradition is the same.

 

Ibn Abu Shaybah, another Sunni traditionist, and the mentor of al-Bukhari and Muslim, has reported several traditions about Imam al-Mahdi (AS).

He has also reported that the Imam of the Muslims who will lead Prophet Jesus in prayer is Imam al-Mahdi himself.

Jalaluddin al-Suyuti mentioned that: "I have heard some of the deniers of (truth) deny what has been conveyed about Jesus that when he descends will pray the Fajr prayer behind al-Mahdi.

They say, Jesus has higher status than to pray behind a non-Prophet.

This is a bizarre opinion since the issue of prayer of Jesus behind al-Mahdi has been proven strongly via numerous authentic traditions from the Messenger of Allah, who is the most truthful.

" And then al-Suyuti goes on narrating some of the traditions in this regard.

(See Nuzool Isa Ibn Maryam Akhir al-Zaman, by Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, p56).

Also al-Hafidh Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani mentioned that:

"The Mahdi is of this Ummah, and that Jesus (PBUH&HF) will come down and pray behind him.

"

Sunni reference: Fat'h al-Bari, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, v5, p362

This is also mentioned by another Sunni scholar, Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, who wrote:

"The Ahlul-Bayt are like the stars through whom we are guided in the right direction, and if the starts are taken away (or hidden) we would come face to face with the signs of the Almighty as promised (i.

e.

, the Day of Resurrection).

This will happen when the Mahdi will come, as mentioned in the traditions, and the Prophet Jesus will say his prayers behind him, the Dajjal will be slain, and then the signs of the Almighty will appear one after another.

"

Sunni reference: al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch.

11, section 1, p234

Also Ibn Hajar quoted Abu al-Husain al-Ajiri saying:

The traditions of al-Mustafa (PBUH&HF) on the rising of al-Mahdi has been transmitted via numerous authorities and is more than the level of (being sufficient for) Mutawatir, describing that he is of his Ahlul-Bayt, and will fill the earth with justice, and that Jesus (AS) will come at the same time and he will assist Jesus for killing al-Dajjal in the land of Palestine, and that he will lead this nation and Jesus will pray behind him.

 

Sunni reference:

Abu al-Husain al-Ajiri as quoted in al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch.

11, section 1, p254

So if al-Mahdi and Jesus are to be the same person as some ignorants claim, then how can one prays behind himself?! Moreover this shows that Imam al-Mahdi and Jesus (the Messiah) will come at the same time so that they could pray the morning prayer together in Jerusalem.

In fact, the equivalent word of "Messiah" in Arabic is "al-Maseeh" which means "Wiped Clean; Purified".

This word has been used in Quran as the title of Prophet Jesus (AS).

As such, the "Messiah" is the Prophet Jesus (AS) and not the Imam al-Mahdi (AS).

However, the word "Messiah" in English has another meaning, that is "savior".

As a result, there have been some English translators who used the word "Messiah" for Imam al-Mahdi (AS) with the meaning of "Savior" which does NOT have anything to do with Arabic word "al-Maseeh".

I should point out that, there exists a fabricated tradition which is mainly used by Ahmadis and Qadianis to prove that al-Mahdi and Jesus are the same.

The tradition states: "And no Mahdi except Jesus.

" This tradition has been rated by al-Hakim as unknown and strange and he said there are discrepancy in its chain of authorities.

al-Bayhaqi said Muhammad Ibn Khalid said this tradition is single (Mufrad).

al-Nisa'i has mentioned that this tradition is unfamiliar and is denied, and that the memorizers of traditions confirm that the traditions which state that al-Mahdi is the descendants of Fatimah are authentic and reliable.

(See al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, Ch.

11, section 1, p252 for details).

Prophet Jesus is not the Imam of Muslims, and when he comes back, he will be the follower of the Imam of Muslims who is known as Imam al-Mahdi (AS).

In Sahih al-Bukhari, it is narrated that:

The Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: "What would be your situation if the Son of Marry (i.

e.

Jesus) descends upon you and your Imam is among you?"

Sunni reference:

Sahih al-Bukhari, Arabic-English, v4, Tradition #658

NOTE: The above is my own translation.

The Saudi-paid translator of Sahih al-Bukhari (Muhammad Muhsin Khan) has shown pure dishonesty in translating the above tradition.

His translation of the last portion of the tradition does not bear any similarity what so ever with the Arabic text of the tradition which is as follows:

Now let us look at the false translation of Mr.

Muhammad Muhsin Khan:

Muhammad Muhsin Khan> Sahih Bukhari Hadith: 4.

658

Muhammad Muhsin Khan> Narrated Abu Huraira:

Muhammad Muhsin Khan>

Muhammad Muhsin Khan> Allah's Apostle said "How will you be when the son

Muhammad Muhsin Khan> of Mary (i.

e.

Jesus) descends amongst you and he

Muhammad Muhsin Khan> will judge people by the Law of the Quran

Muhammad Muhsin Khan> and not by the law of Gospel.

Mr.

Muhsin Khan has trimmed the last part of the tradition which states that the Imam of Muslims (i.

e.

, Imam al-Mahdi) is among Muslims when the son of marry descends.

Instead, the translator has added another sentence which does not exists in the Arabic text.

I should mention that this is not the only place that he has altered the text, and there are much more examples in this regard which proves his bias and his dishonesty.

Al-Hafidh Muhammad Ibn Ali al-Shawkani (d.

1250/1834) wrote in a book called "al-Tawdhih fi twawatur ma jaa'a fil muntadar wad-djjal wal masih" (the explanation about the frequent reports concerning the Awaited one, the Dajjal, and the messiah) in which he wrote about Imam al-Mahdi (AS) that: "The traditions about al-Mahdi have been related by numerous authorities and are therefor reliable beyond doubt or confusion, because in jurisprudence the qualification of Mutawatir is valid even for (traditions) with less than this number of narrations.

There are also many sayings of the companions (of the Prophet) which explicitly mention the Mahdi, which have the status of narrations from the Prophet since there is no question of establishing such saying through Ijtihad (one's opinion and research)".

The author gives the same opinion in his other book "al-Fat'h al-Rabbani".

(In this connection see also Mawsu'atil Imam al-Mahdi, v1, pp 391-392,413-414,434, and also Tuhfatul Ahwadhi, v6, p485).

The author of the book, "Ghayah al-Ma'amool," mentioned that: "It is a famous narration among the Scholars of the past and the present that there has to appear a man from the family of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) named al-Mahdi.

In addition, the traditions about the Mahdi have been narrated by the most renowned companions of the Prophet (PBUH&HF), as well as by the most renowned scholars such as Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, al-Tabarani, Abu Ya'ala, al-Bazzar, Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, and al-Hakim (May Allah be pleased with them all); furthermore, those who claim that the traditions narrated with regard to the appearance of the Mahdi are weak, are themselves in error.

"

Al-Saban in his book, "Is'af al-Raghibeen," mentioned that: "The news about the appearance of the Mahdi are traceable back to the Prophet (PBUH&HF), and that he is one of the members of the family of the Prophet (PBUH&HF); and that he will fill the Earth with justice.

"

Al-Suwaydi in his book, "Saba'iq al-Dhahab," reported that: "The scholars have a consensus that the Mahdi (AS) will appear at the end of time and fill the Earth with justice; and the traditions supporting his appearance are indeed numerous.

"

al-Hafidh Abul-Hasan Muhammad Ibn al-Husain al-Sijistani al-Aburi al-Shafi'i (d.

363/974) said: "The traditions were related by numerous authorities and were spread far and wide by many narrators, from al-Mustafa (PBUH&HF) concerning al-Mahdi who is from the household (of the Prophet) and who will fill the world with justice.

.

" This statement was accepted by the subsequent scholars as testified by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (See Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, v9, p144; Fat'h al-Bari, v7, p305), al-Qurtubi (al-Tathkirah, p617), al-Suyuti (al-Hawi, v2, pp 165-166), al-Muttaqi al-Hindi (al-Burhan fi Alamat Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman, pp 175-176), Ibn Hajar al-Haythami (al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, Ch.

11, section 1, p249), al-Zurqani (Sharh al-Mawahib al-Ladunniyyah, v5, p348), al-Sakhawi (Fat'h al-Mugheeth, v3, p41), etc.

The best formulation of the belief of all Muslims about al-Mahdi (AS) has been given by a person who himself did not believe in his coming and who denied the validity of the traditions concerning this matter.

He was Ibn Khaldoon (d.

808/1406), a famous historian, in whose book, "al-Muqaddamah," wrote:

"Let it be known that it is a narrated event by ALL Muslims in EVERY era, that at the end of time a man from the family of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) will, without fail, make his appearance and will strengthen Islam and spread justice; Muslims will follow him and he will gain domination over the Muslim realm.

He will be called al-Mahdi.

" (An Introduction to History, by Ibn Khaldoon, English version, London, 1967 Edition, pp 257-258)

The above quote proves that even Ibn Khaldoon was in the opinion that the belief in Imam al-Mahdi was not a characteristics of a special sect of Islam, but was a common belief to ALL Muslims.

Sunni scholars openly criticized those elements (like Ibn Khaldoon) who tried to cast doubt the traditions about al-Mahdi (AS), and have strongly asserted that the belief in Mahdi is well-established for ALL Muslims.

See for instance: "Awnul Ma'bud" (which is the commentary of Sunan Abu Dawud), by al-Azimabadi, v11, pp 361-362, Tuhfatul Ahwadhi (which is the commentary of Sahih al-Tirmidhi), by al-Mubarakfuri, v6, p484, al-Tajul Jami' lil Usul, by Shaikh Mansoor Ali Nasif, v5, p341.

Shaikh Ahmad Muhammad Shakir (d.

1377/1958), one of the greatest contemporary scholar of Hadith and Tafsir, whose major work was his commentary on Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal (for a biography of Ahmad Shakir, see al-Aalam, v1, p253; Mu'jam al-Mu'allifeen, v13, p368) wrote in his commentary: "Belief in al-Mahdi is not particular to the Shia because it is from the narration of many companions of the Prophet in such way that NO one can cast doubt the truth (of this belief).

" After this, he proceeds to a strong refutation of Ibn Khaldoon's weakening the traditions regarding al-Mahdi.

(see Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal with commentary of Ahmad Muhammad Shakir, Pub.

by Dar al-Ma'arif, Egypt, v5, pp 196-198, v14, p288).

Al-Sayid Sabiq, the Mufti for the "Muslim Brotherhood," in his book, "al- 'Aqa'id al-Islamiyyah," that: "The idea about the Mahdi is indeed valid, and is one of the Islamic tenets that one must believe in.

" Mr.

Sabiq also narrated a variety of traditions relating to the appearance of al-Mahdi (AS) in the above book.

The recent Fatwa in this issue was given in Mecca by "The Muslim World League" (Rabitatul 'Alamil Islami) on Oct.

11, 1976 (23 Shawwal 1396).

This Fatwa states that more than twenty companions narrated traditions concerning al-Mahdi, and gives a list of those scholars of Hadith who have transmitted these narrations, and those who have written books on al-Mahdi.

The Fatwa states:

"The memorizers (Huffadh) and scholars of Hadith have verified that there are authentic (Sahih) and acceptable (Hasan) reports among the traditions related to al-Mahdi.

The majority of these traditions are related through numerous authorities (Mutawatir).

There is no doubt that the status of those reports are Sahih and Mutawatir.

(They have also verified) that the belief in Mahdi is obligatory, and that it is one of the beliefs of Ahlussunnah wal Jama'a.

Only those ignorant of the Sunnah and innovators in doctrine deny it.

 

For the transcription and reproduction of this Fatwa, see, among others, the Introduction of al-Ganji al-Shafi'i, in the book named "al-Bayan," Beirut, 1399/1979, pp 76-79 and in Appendix.

Two Shafi'i scholars, Ganji in his book "al-Bayan", and Shablanji in his book "Noor al-Absar", on the verse 48:28 of Quran: "He is the One who sent his Messenger (Muhammad) with the guidance and the true religion that in order to prevail over all the religions" narrated from Sa'id Ibn Jubair that "this promise to Prophet Muhammad will be fulfilled by al-Mahdi who is in the progeny of Fatimah (AS).

"

Even Ibn Taymiyyah (d.

728/1328), who is acclaimed by the Wahhabis, wrote in his book "Minhaj al-Sunnah" (v4, pp 211-212) that the traditions concerning the Mahdi are certainly reliable, and his student, al-Dhahabi, conformed with him in his summary of his teacher's book.

(See Mukhtasar Minhaj al-Sunnah, pp 533-534).

Among the Shia scholars, I would like to mention the masterpiece of Lutfullah al-Safi al-Golpaygani, who compiled an encyclopedia named "Muntakhab al-Athar".

In this book, there is a comprehensive narration of the traditions regarding to the appearance of Imam al-Mahdi (AS) and the description of the world before and after his appearance.

He has used over 60 Sunni sources, including their six major book of Hadith; and over 90 Shi'ite sources to illuminate the fact that al-Mahdi is NOT a fabricated event.

As far as we have been able to discover, at least 35 prominent Sunni scholars have written 46 of books EXCLUSIVELY about Imam al-Mahdi (AS), the leader of our time.

Here are some of the name of some of these books:

(1)

"Kitab al-Mahdi," by Abu Dawud.

(2)

"Alamat al-Mahdi," by Jalaluddin al-Suyuti.

(3)

"al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar," by Ibn Hajar.

(4)

"Al-Bayan fi Akhbar Sahib al-Zaman," by Allamah Abu Abdillah Ibn Muhammad Yusuf al-Ganji al-Shafi'i.

(5)

"Iqd al-Durar fi Akbar al-Imam al-Muntadhar," by Shaikh Jamaluddin Yusuf al-Damishqi.

(6)

"Mahdi Aale Rasool," by Ali Ibn Sultan Muhammad al-Harawi al-Hanafi.

(7)

"Manaqib al-Mahdi," by al-Hafidh Abu Nu'aym al-Isbahani.

(8)

"Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman," by al-Muttaqi al-Hindi.

(9)

"Arba'in Hadith fi al-Mahdi," by Abdul Ala al-Hamadani.

(10)

"Akhbar al-Mahdi," by al-Hafidh Abu Nu'aym.

 

In conclusion, the belief in the coming Mahdi (AS) who is a person other than Jesus (AS), is an undeniable fact for the Sunnis.

As we discussed above, the Sunni scholars affirm that belief in "Mahdi of the House of the Prophet" is one of the Islamic tenets for "Ahlussunnah wal Jama'a".

In the next part, however, we will discuss the points of differences between the Shia and most Sunnis on the issue of Imam al-Mahdi.

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Why all this desire to prolong Imam Mahdi's life?

In this article, you read the answers of the below questions:
1. How was this long life granted to Al-Mehdi?
2. Why all this desire to prolong Imam Mahdi's life?
3. How can we believe in the existence of Al-Mehdi?


How was this long life granted to Al-Mehdi?
In other words, is it possible for a man to live for many centuries, as is the case with the Expected Leader, for the change of the world, whose age must be actually one thousand one hundred and forty years, or fourteen times the average age of an ordinary person who would pass through the phases of life from childhood to old age normally.

The word possibility here has one of the three following meanings, namely: Practical possibility, scientific possibility and philosophical or logical possibility.

I mean by practical possibility that a task is feasible in a manner that enables me, you or a third person to perform it, such as a journey across the ocean, reaching the depth of the sea or going to the moon, all of which are practically possible since they have actually been performed by people in one way or another.

By scientific possibility I mean that there are some tasks that neither I nor you nor a third per-son can practically perform with the means that are accessible to present civilisation. However there is nothing in the alterable trends of science which can indicate a justification for the rejection of the possibility of these tasks and their occurrence conforming to certain special circumstances and means. For example, there is nothing in science that could deny the possibility of travelling to Venus, because all its existing trends indicate the possibility of such a task, although that is still not possible for me or you since the difference between going to the moon and travelling to Venus is only one of degree. The latter representing a stage of overcoming some relative difficulties stemming from the fact that the distance is longer. From this we deduce that it is scientifically possible to travel to Venus even if it is still not feasible from a practical angle.

Contrary to that is the idea of travelling to the sun in distant space since it is scientifically impossible, meaning that science would never entertain the possibility of this task, for one can-not assume scientifically or empirically the possibility of inventing that preventive armour that could protect the body against the heat of the sun which is like an enormous kiln constantly burning with a degree impossible to imagine.

By logical or philosophical possibility I mean that there is nothing in the intellect, conforming to what it knows of previous laws - (preceding the experiment) that could justify the rejection of a task nor decide that it could not occur.

Say, for example, the grouping of three oranges into two equal parts, this is logically impossible, since the intellect knows - before carrying out such an experiment - that three is an odd number, thus it is impossible to divide it into two equal parts, first it would turn into an even number, which would be a contradiction, which is impossible in logic.

But if a man were to be exposed to fire, or if he were to go to the sun without burning, that would not be impossible from a logical point of view, since there is no contradiction in the assumption that heat does not penetrate into a body of Lower temperature from one of higher temperature. That would only run contrary to the experiment which proved that heat actually penetrates into a body of lower temperature from one of higher temperature until both bodies get an equal temperature.

Therefore, we come to realise that logical possibility has a wider scope than scientific possibility and that the latter is wider than practical possibility.

There is no doubt about the logical possibility of the prolongation of human life for some thousands of years, because that is not impossible from an abstract intellectual point of view, also there is no contradiction in an assumption of this sort, since life as it is understood does not fathom sudden death and no one can dispute this fact.

Also, there is no doubt or controversy that this prolonged life is not possible from the practical aspect, as is the case in going down to the depths of the ocean or ascending to the moon. That is because science with what it owns of mod-em means and instruments, that were made avail-able by concomitant human experiments, cannot prolong human life for hundreds of years, this is why we find that even those among people who are more eager about life and more able to utilise scientific possibilities can only live to the extent of what is usual.

As far as scientific possibility is concerned, there is nothing in science, nowadays which could justify the denial of that fact from a theoretical point of view. This inquiry is in reality related to the nature of the physiological interpretation of the phenomenon of old-age and decrepitude among people. Does this phenomenon indicate a natural law that compels the tissues of the human body and its cells to harden gradually and become less efficient in the performance of their task once they have reached the summit of theft growth, until they die at a particular moment, even if we were to isolate them from the influence of some external failure? Or is this hardening of the bodily tissues and cells and the lack of efficiency in the performance of their physiological tasks a result of their struggle against certain external factors, such as microbes or poison that penetrate the body from an excess in food or from the heavy work that the person might perform or any other factor.

Now this is the question that science has to find an answer to, yet many answers present them-selves on a scientific level in this respect.

If we are to consider the scientific point of view that tends to interpret old-age and the weakness that goes with it, as a result of reactions against some external factors, it means that it is theoretically possible, once we have isolated the tissues that compose the body from these influences, to prolong life to the extent of surpassing the phenomenon of old-age and even overcoming it.

On the other hand, if we consider the other point of view which sees old-age as a natural process with regards to the living tissues and cells, it will mean that they hear within themselves the seed of their own ultimate death, once the phase of old-age has been completed.

I say: If we take this point of view into consideration it should not mean that there is no flexibility in this natural law, rather the assumption of its existence shows that it is in fact flexible, since we find in our everyday life, in addition to what has been found by scientists through the experiments that they carry out in their laboratories, that old-age as a physiological phenomenon has no fixed time, since a man can be very old and yet possess tender limbs, with no trace of old-age appearing on him as has been mentioned by some doctors. Moreover some scientists take advantage of this flexibility and prolong the life of some animals by a hundred times their natural age, by creating certain circumstances and factors that delay the process of old-age.

Thus it has been proved scientifically that this process can be postponed, by creating specific circumstances and factors, even if this experiment has not been carried out by science on a particular complicated creature such as the human being, owing to the difference in the difficulty of carrying it out on the human being and other organisms.

This means that, from a theoretical point of view, science, with all its alterable orientations, has never had any objection to the prolongation of human life, whether old-age has been interpreted as the product of a struggle and close con-tact with some external influences, or as a result of a natural process of the cells and tissues that leads them towards their death.

Thus we deduce that the prolongation of human life and its survival over many centuries is possible logically as well as scientifically but it is still impossible from a practical angle, and that nevertheless scientific progress has a long way to go before realising this possibility.

In light of what has been discussed we shall deal with the age of al-Mehdi (peace be upon him) and what has been surrounding it of wonder and surprise.

Thus we notice that since the possibility of this prolonged life has been confirmed both logically and scientifically, science is in the process of gradually transforming the theoretical possibility into a practical one. There is no room left for wonder except the remoteness of the probability that al-Mehdi might have preceded science in this transformation, before that the latter could have, in its evolutionary course, reached the standard of actual capacity for such a transformation, which would make him equal to that person who had pre-ceded science in discovering the cure for cancer.

The question now is How could Islam - which determined the age of the Expected Leader - have preceded science in the field of this transformation?

The answer is that this is not the only field in which Islam preceded science. Has the Islamic shari‘ah (revealed law) as a whole not come before science and the evolution of human thought by many centuries? Did it not promulgate certain symbols that submitted plans to be put into practice, which man could achieve only after hundreds of years of his independent activity? Did it not formulate certain regulations perfect in wisdom, the secrets of which were realised by man only after a certain length of time? Did the Divine message not reveal mysteries about the universe, that could never have occurred to people’s minds, which science came later to confirm and support?

So, if we are convinced by these facts why then should we regard as too much that the sender of this message - the Exalted - anticipates science in determining the age of al-Mehdi?

Here I mentioned only those aspects of precedence that we can notice in a direct manner, we can also include the aspects of precedence mentioned in the Divine message, for example, when it informs us about the night journey which the Prophet undertook from al-Haram Mosque to al-Aqsa Mosque. If we are to understand this journey within the frame of natural laws, we will find that it shows that these laws were utilised in a way that science could achieve only after hundreds of years.

Therefore, the same Divine knowledge which enabled the Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him and his progeny) to undertake this fast motion before science could achieve it, has also enabled his designated successors to have a prolonged life before science could realise such a project.

Certainly, this prolonged age that Allah, the Exalted, has bestowed on the Expected Saviour may seem rather strange, if it is considered within the limits of the everyday in people’s lives and what has been achieved by the experiments of scientists. But is the decisive and transformative role which has been prepared for this Saviour not strange within the limits of the ordinary in people’s lives and what they have experienced of historical evolution? Has he not been entrusted with the task of changing the world and rebuilding its civilisation on the basis of justice and truth? Why should we disapprove if the preparation of this great role is characterised by strange and unusual aspects, such as the prolongation of the Expected Leader’s age?

For this remoteness of those aspects and their unusual aspects, however great they are, cannot surpass the remoteness of the great role that has to be achieved on the appointed day? Therefore, if we approve the validity of that unique role from a historical angle in spite of the fact that there has never been in the history of humanity a role similar to it, why should not we also approve that pro-longed age which is still unique in our ordinary life?

I wonder if it is a coincidence that only two individuals should carry out the task of emptying human civilisation of its corrupt elements and re-building it, which means that they must have been of an excessive age many times superior to our the applicability of a natural law under a certain circumstances, in order to preserve the life of a particular individual whose role is to cherish Divine message.

Yet this is not the only miracle of its kind, nor is it remote from a Muslim’s faith, which derives from the Qur’an and the Sunnah. More over the process of old-age is no more rigid than is the process of the passage of heat from a body of’ higher temperature to another of lower temperature until both of them become equal. This had occurred in the case of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) when the only way to preserve his life was by hindering that process, when it was said to the fire in which he was thrown:

We said, "O fire be cool on Ibrahim and keep him safe." (Qur'an, 21:69)

So, he emerged from it safe and unharmed. There are also other cases where natural laws were hindered to protect some of the prophets or Proofs of Allah on earth. When the sea was split for Musa (Moses), when the Romans were misled in thinking they had caught ‘Isa (Jesus) or when Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him and his progeny) left his house while it was surrounded by the troops of Quraysh who were waiting for hours to attack him but Allah, the Exalted, hid him from their eyes while he was walking in their midst. All of these cases show a hindrance of the laws of nature to protect an individual, whom the Divine wisdom wished to preserve. Therefore, why not include here the process of old age and decrepitude?

From this we can deduce a general notion, which is that whenever the preservation of the Prophet’s life (the Proof of Allah on earth) depends on the hindrance of a natural law, and the prolongation of his life comes to be necessary for the performance of his task, Divine care then intervenes by delaying the process so that the task of that individual can be accomplished., On the other hand, once the Divine mission of that individual has been fulfilled he either dies naturally or as a martyr depending on what is determined by natural laws.

Thus we find ourselves confronted with the present question in connection with this general notion: How can the process be obstructed? How can the necessary correlation that exists between natural phenomena, be sundered? Does it not contradict science, which discovered the existence of that natural law or process and defined that necessary correlation on experimental and deductive bases?

The answer is that science has already solved the problem by giving up the idea of necessity as far as natural laws are concerned. To clarify this we can say that science discovers natural laws through systematic observations and experiments. For example, when the occurrence of a natural phenomenon is followed another one, we deduce from this a natural law which is: that whenever the first phenomenon comes into existence it is automatically followed by another phenomenon.

However, science does not propose a necessary correlation between the two phenomena stemming from their nature, since necessity is an invisible condition that experimentation and the instruments of scientific and inductive inquiry cannot demonstrate. Therefore, the logic of mod-em science emphasises that natural law as it is defined by science does not indicate a necessary correlation, but an uninterrupted connection, between two phenomena. But when the miracle occurs and separates one from the other, it does not mean that their correlation was sundered.

The truth of the matter is that the miracle, in its religious sense, has become, in the light of modern scientific logic, more understandable than before, under the classical view of causal correlation. This old view assumed that every two phenomena, in which one is followed automatically by the other, must have a necessary correlation, which means that it is impossible to separate one from the other. However, this correlation has been transformed thanks to modern scientific logic into a law of correlation or of consecutive succession between two phenomena without the hypothesis of invisible necessity.

Thereby the miracle becomes an exceptional condition with regard to this connective succession without running against a necessity or leading to impossibility.

So, in the light of the logical foundation of induction we agree with the modern point of view which says that induction does not demonstrate the existence of a necessary correlation between two phenomena. We find that it shows that there is a common interpretation for the consecutive connection between the two - Since this common interpretation can be formed on the basis of the assumption of subjective necessity, it can also be formed on the assumption of a wisdom that made the Creator of the universe to continuously combine some particular phenomena with others. The same wisdom sometimes calls for exception; thus a miracle occurs.

Why all this desire to prolong Imam Mahdi's life?

Now we should deal with the second question which is: Why should Allah, the Exalted, show all, this desire for this person in particular? Why should the natural laws be hindered just to pro-long his life? Why should the leadership of the appointed day not be left to a person born in the future, who will appear then and assume his expected role?

In other words: What is the use of this long absence and what is the motive behind it? Indeed many people ask these questions, yet at the same time none of them is prepared to accept the Divine answer for them. However we believe that the twelve Imams form a unique group of individuals, none of whom could be substituted. But these people require a social interpretation of the situation, in the light of tangible realities, for the great operation of change and the understandable requirements for the appointed day.

On these bases, we will temporarily disregard the characteristics that we believe should be fulfilled in the infallible Imams and ask the following questions:

As far as the expected operation of change, of the appointed day, is concerned and as far as it is understandable in the light of the norms and the experiences of life, can we consider the prolonged age of its preserved leader as one of the factors for its success? And of his ability to lead it in a better way?

We can give an affirmative answer to this question because of many reasons among which are the following:

First, that the great operation of change requires from its leader a unique psychological attitude, filled with a sense of success and a sense of the insignificance of the mighty existence which he has been prepared to struggle against and transform into a new civilised world.

Thus the more the leader’s heart is filled with the triviality of the civilisation he is fighting, and the clearer is his sense that it is no more than a speck of dust on the long path of human civilisation, the more he is ready from a psychological angle, to oppose, resist and persevere in his efforts against it until victory is achieved.

It is clear, therefore, that the scope required from this psychological attitude ought to be proportionate to the size of change to be brought about and what needs to be rooted out of civilisation and existence. So, whenever the opposition is to a mightier existence and a loftier and deeply rooted civilisation, the greater is the thrust required from this psychological attitude.

Since the message of the appointed day is to change, in a comprehensive way, a world filled with injustice and tyranny, it is therefore natural that it is looking for an individual whose psycho-logical attitude is superior to that whole world; a person whose age exceeds those who were born in that world and who were brought up in the shade of its civilisation which he is to destroy and replace with one based on justice and truth. For whoever is brought up in a deeply-rooted civilisation, that dominates the world with its values and modes of thinking, would be overwhelmed by it, since he would have been born while it had been in existence, and opened his eyes just to see its different aspects, and would have been brought up under its power and influence.

Unlike that is a person who has deeply penetrated history, who has come to life long before that civilisation which completes the cycle of the story of humanity before the appointed day saw the light - He sees it as little seeds, hardly visible, then gradually growing and taking roots within human societies, waiting for the right moment to blossom and appear.

Then he witnesses it, as it starts to grow and advance, sometimes relapsing, sometimes meeting with success, then when it begins to prosper and become gigantic, gradually dominating the destinies of the world, such a man who has lived through all these stages with sagacity and caution, watching this giant (against which he has to struggle) under that long historical perspective which he has lived in reality, and not just read about in books of history, such an individual would consider it as a definite destiny, unlike Jean Jacques Rousseau’s consideration of the monarchy in France, when he was terrified at the mere imagining of France without a king, in spite of the fact that he was one of the heralds, both intellectually and philosophically, of the evolution of the political situation that existed in those times.

That was because Rousseau lived in the shade and under the influence of the monarchy.

On the other hand this individual who has thoroughly penetrated history, would have the dignity and strength of history and a powerful sense that all that surrounds him of civilisation and existence was born at a certain time in history, when the way was paved for its existence, that it would disappear to the extent that nothing of it would remain as when there was nothing of it before it came into existence in the distant or near past, that the historical life spans of any civilisation, however long they may be, are only limited days in the long era of history.

Have you not read the chapter of the cave in the Qur'an (Surah-al-Kahf ) Have you not read of those youths who believed in their Lord, whom Allah increased in guidance, who opposed a ruling pagan existence that was ruthless and did not hesitate to suppress every single seed of at-tawhid (Unity of Allah), so that it might not rise above the level of idolatry. So these youths became depressed to the point of despair, once the windows of hope had been closed before their eyes; so they sought refuge in the cave, where they begged Allah for a solution to their problem after having exhausted all the possibilities. For they could not tolerate the fact that falsehood was ruling, transgressing and subjugating the truth and suppressing anyone whose heart showed an inclination towards the truth.

Do you know what Allah did to them? He made them sleep for three hundred and nine years in that cave and caused them to rise up from their long sleep and sent them to the outside world, after that the existence which had bewildered them with its power and transgression had collapsed and became a chapter in history that could frighten no one nor activate anything. They were brought out so that they could see all this with their own eyes and learn

that falsehood is insignificant.

Indeed if this clear vision had been true in the case of the people of the cave, with all that it bore of psychological loftiness and thrust out of that unique event which prolonged their age by three hundred years, then the same event could occur in the case of al-Mahdi, the Expected Leader, whose extended age would make him see the giant as a dwarf, the tall tree as a seed and the hurricane as a breeze.

Add to this that the experience that is granted by the concomitants of those consecutive civilisations and the direct confrontation with all their movements and changes, has a great influence on the intellectual preparation and the deepening of experience of the Expected Leader, since it puts him face to face with the many various practices of others, with all they contain of weakness and strength, and the different aspects of their errors and accuracy and this enables him to classify the social symptoms with a complete awareness of their causes and their historical circumstances.

Moreover the preserved operation of changer which is the task of the Expected Leader, is founded on a particular message1 namely the message of Islam. Therefore, it is natural that in this case, the required leadership should be more proximate with the original sources of Islam, that his personality be fully shaped in an independent way, free from the influence of that civilisation which is subject to his struggle on the appointed day, unlike that individual who would have been born and brought up in its atmosphere, whose intellect and feelings would have blossomed within its frame. Quite often such a person cannot free him-self from the effects and residues of that civilisation, even if he were to lead a movement of change against it.

Thus, in order that the preserved leader be not influenced by the civilisation he has been prepared to transform, it is necessary that his personality should be fully shaped during a previous stage of civilisation, as near as possible to the universal spirit, and in terms of the principles of that civilised condition, which the appointed day is aiming at realising under his leadership.

How can we believe in the existence of Al-Mehdi?

Now we have reached the fourth question which is: Supposing that the hypothesis of the Expected Leader and all that it comprehends of prolonged life, early leadership and a silent absence, is possible, that would not be enough proof for his existence, thus, how can we indeed believe in the existence of al-Mahdi? Would some narratives related in books on the Great Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him and his progeny) be enough for perfect conviction in the existence of the Twelfth Imam, in spite of what this supposition bears of peculiarity and deviation from the norms? Or rather, how can we prove that al-Mahdi had a true historical existence and that he is not only an assumption, for which psychological circumstances have been combined to confirm his existence in many people’s minds?

The answer is: That the idea of al-Mahdi, as the Expected Leader, who will change the world for the best, has been already mentioned in several OF the narratives (ahadith) related from the Great Messenger in general, and the Imams of Ahlul-Bayt in particular. Moreover, it has been reconfirmed, with a degree beyond doubt, in many texts. I could count up to four hundred narratives of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) which reach-ed us through our brothers, the Sunnis, (e.g., the book al-Mahdi written by my uncle as-Sayyid Sadru’d-Din as-Sadr, may Allah bless his noble soul), as well as a great number of reports about al-Imam al-Mahdi through both the Shi’ites and the Sunnis - nearly more than six thousand narratives, [Selection of traditions concerning the Twelfth Imam] by ash-Shaykh Lutfullah Safi), which is very high statistical number, not found in many of the self-evident Islamic issues.

As regards the materialisation of this idea in the Twelfth Imam (peace be upon him) we do possess enough justifications to be convinced that he is the one. They can be summed up into two groups of evidence; the first Islamic, and the other scientific,

By the Islamic evidence we confirm the existence of the Expected Leader.

By the scientific evidence, we can prove that al-Mahdi is not just a myth or a supposition but a reality which has been confirmed by historical experience. The Islamic evidence appears in the hundreds of narratives related from Allah's Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him and his progeny) and the Imams of Ahlul-bayt (peace be upon them), which prove that al-Mahdi will be appointed as Imam, that he is from the descendants of the Prophet and Fatimah and the ninth descendants from al-Husayn, that the caliphs (Prophet’s successors) are twelve.

All of these narratives limited that universal idea by personifying it in al-Mahdi, the Twelfth Imam of Ahlul-Bayt. Moreover they reached a great number and diffusion, although the Imams took a great precaution and care, fearing their exposure on a general level, in order to protect the righteous descendants against assassination or an unpredicted assault on his life.

However, the numerical abundance of these narratives is not the only reason for their validity, for in addition to this, there are certain virtues and coherence to be taken into account for proving their validity.

The Prophet’s narratives (ahadith) about the fact that the Imams. caliphs, depending on the style of the narrative in its different ways -are twelve. Some writers counted up to more than two hundred and seventy narratives taken from the most well-known books of Sunni and Shi’ah traditions such as al-Bukhari al-Muslim, at-Tirmidhi Abi Dawud and the collection of Ahmad ibn Han-bal and the Rectification of the Judge on the Two Saths (al- Hikim, Mustadrak ‘ala s-sahihayn). We should bear in mind here that al-Bukhiri who had compiled these narratives, was a contemporary to both al-Imam al-Hadi and al-Imam al-’Askari which means quite a lot, since it proves that the narratives were recorded from the Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him and his progeny) before that the realisation of their contents and the idea of the Twelfth Imam had materialised.

This means, therefore, that there is no room left for doubt, that the recording of the narratives was not influenced by the fact of the Twelfth Imam or that it might have been a reflection of it, because the false narratives (ahadith) that are related from the Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him and his progeny) are either a reflection or a justification for a fact occurring later in time. Now, they did not precede in their appearance and recording in the books, that fact which they came to reflect, therefore, as long as we possess the material evidence, which is that the mentioned narrative had already preceded the historical sequence of the twelve Imams, and that it had been recorded in the books of ahadith (books of traditions) before that the event took place, we can be sure that this narrative is not a reflection of an event but an expression to a truth from Allah, uttered by the one who did not speak out of fancy (the Holy Prophet) when he said: "Surely the caliphs after me are twelve". So, the event of the twelve Imams was fulfilled, starting with al- Imam, Ali and ending in al-Mahdi, this way being the only rational interpretation to that noble narrative of the Prophet.

As far as the scientific evidence is concerned it is formed out an experience, lived by a community of people, lasting nearly seventy years, which we call the period of the minor occultation (ghaybah as-sughra) To elucidate this point, we will pave the way by giving a brief description.

This minor occultation marks the first phase in the Imamate of the Expected Leader (peace be upon him). From the time that had been predestined, from the time he assumed the role, he remained hidden from the outside world, distant from all the events that were taking place although being at the same time proximate to them in his mind and heart.

We should bear in mind that had this occultation occurred suddenly, the result would have been a great shock among the popular masses, who believed in the Imamate since they were used to contacting their Imam in every period, to consulting him for solutions to their various problems. Thus, had he suddenly vanished, his supporters would have felt cut off from spiritual and intellectual leadership. Such an event would have created an enormous gap which would have thoroughly shaken the whole structure and under-mined its unity. Therefore, it proved necessary that the way should be paved to this occultation, so that these bases might get used to it and gradually adapt themselves to the new situation.

So the plan was this minor occultation, during which al-Imam al-Mahdi vanished from the universal scene, while keeping in touch with his popu-lar bases and supporters through his delegates or representatives and the most reliable among his companions, who acted as a link between the Imam and those who believed in his line.

The position of representative of the Imam was held in those times, by four personalities, whom the popular bases agreed as to their fear of Allah, piety and integrity. They were:

1) ‘Uthman ibn Sa'id al-’Amri;

2) Muhammad ibn ‘Uthman ibn Said al-’Amri;

3) Abu'l-Qasim al-Husayn ibn Rfih; and

4) Abul-Hasan ‘All ibn Muhammad as-Samuri.

These four individuals assumed the role of representative of the Imam (al- Mahdi) according to the above classification. So whenever one of them died, the other succeeded him, after being designated by al-Imam al-Mahdi (peace be upon him).

The representative of the Imam used to get in touch with the Shi’ ahs and submit their questions and problems to the Imam and return to them with his answers. Sometimes orally and very often in a written form. So these masses who lacked the vision of their Imam, found some comfort and consolation in these indirect communications.

Moreover they could notice that the signatures and the letters were all written in the same way, during the time of the four representatives that lasted nearly seventy years. The last representative, as-Samuri, declared that the period of the minor occultation, which was characterised by the designated delegates, was over; that the period of the major occultation, in which there would be no designated individuals to mediate between the Imam and the Shi’ites, had began. This transition meant that the minor occultation had already accomplished its mission and achieved its goal, since it immunised the Shi’ites against the great shock and the feeling of the profound gap caused by the Imam's occultation. In that way, it enabled them to adapt themselves to the situation and gradually prepared them to accept the idea of general representation on behalf of the Imam. By this token the latter changed from a representation by a designated individual to a more general line manifested in the just Mujtahid (a legalist who arrives at an independent judgement), who has a keen insight into the religious and worldly issues of the Muslims, in view of the transition from the minor to the major occultation.

Now you can have an idea about the situation, in the light of what has been discussed up to now, so you can clearly realise that al-Mahdi is a reality that a community of people has lived and which has been expressed for seventy years, by the representatives and the mediators of the Imam, whom no one could suspect of cheating nor of playing on words.

For can you imagine - by your Lord - that a lie could survive for nearly seventy years, which four individuals would successively assume and agree upon and continue to interact with others on its basis as if it were a reality that they lived; that nothing would escape their control, which would cause a doubt in people’s minds; that there would be no particular relation between the four through which they could gain the trust of everyone and their belief in the truth of the matter, which they pretend to live and feel?

An old proverb said, "The rope of lies is short"; also logic in life confirms the fact that it is impossible that a lie could survive in this way and for all time through these relations and still wins everyone’s confidence.

Thus, the phenomenon of the minor occultation can be considered as a scientific experiment which has confirmed the factual objectivity of the Imams existence, his birth, life and occultation, on account of which he has been hidden from the world and has not revealed himself to anyone ever since.

Ref: Imam al-Mehdi, Resaleh team
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