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).
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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."
