The figure more legendary then that of the Mahdi, the Awaited Saviour, has not been seen in the history of mankind. The thread of the world events have woven many a fine design in the human life but the pattern of the Mahdi stands high above even other pattern. He has been the vision of the visionaries in history. He has been the dream of all the dreamers of the world for the ultimate salvation of mankind he is the pole star of hope on which the gaze of Humanity is fixed.
The Quranic prophecy of the inevitable victory of Islam will be realised following the advent of the Mahdi who will fight the wrong, remedy the evils and establish world order based on the Islamic teachings of Justice and virtue. Therefore there will be only one religon and one government in the world.
It may be mentioned here that the movement for the establishment of a world government is already afoot and this point is engaging the attention of many promient intellectuals. The setting up of the United Nations is a step in this very direction. Inspite of the growing consciousness of its desirablity, unification of the World is still a distant dream. The vested intrests and the mutual rivalries of the regimes in the various countries and the mutual animosties of the divergent blocs consitute a big hurdle in the way of its materialization. Hence, its consumation cannot be expected to come off automatically. It will need the active struggle of a world reformer in the person of Mahdi. Anyhow , start has been made and the things are gradually turning out exactly as predicted by Islam 1400 years ago.
The belief in an expected reformer and a Saviour of humanity is not peculiar to the Shia School of Islam. It is common not only to all the Muslim sects, but is also shared by all the great religons such as Chirstainty, Buddhists, Judaism and Zoroastrianism.
In this quest for the truth about the Mahdi there is no distinction of any caste, creed, or country. The quest is universal, exactly in the same way as the Mahdi himself is universal. He stands resplendent high above the narrow walls in which humanity is cutup and divided. He belongs to everybody. For all that and much more. What exactly is the Mahdi? Surely that is a big question which the thinking people all over the world would like to ask.
It is only Islam that has given this concrete shape to an abstract idea. The Mahdi is not to be born in the distant future. He is already living amongst and shares our joys and sorrows. His apperance will mean not only the mateiralization of an Islamic aspiration, but will also be the realization of a hope cherished by the entire humanity.
Prof. Henry Corbin of Sorbonne University, says: " To my mind the Shi'ite is the only sect which has preserved and prepatuated the link of Divine guidance between man and God through its belief in the Imammate. According to the Jews the Prophethood , a real link between man and God, came to an end with Moses. They do not believe in the Prophethood of Jesus and Muhammed. The Christians too, do not go beyond Jesus. The Sun'ite sect has also stopped at the Prophet Muhammed and believes that the man and God has been severed with the end of the Prophethood."
It is only the twelever Shias who believe that the link still exists through the Mahdi and will continue to exist forever.
It is hardly necessary to give an explaination as to why the Mahdidisappeared immediately after assuming the Imamate. Let it suffice to say that Allah in His Divine Wisdom ordained so.
In the meantime it is duty of all the Muslims , espically the Shia'h, to strive steadfastly for the creation of the proper atmosphere and the right climate for the establishment of a world order based on justice , virtue and piet. They should not only mould their individual lives according to the teachings and high ideals of Islam, but they should also bend their efforts to set up an Islamic order on the collective and communal level. They should devote themselves to the service of the faith and be prepared to recieve the AWAITED SAVIOUR. That is what was meant by the Imams when they exhorated the muslims to keep waiting for the Mahdi.
An authentic and universally accepted Hadith(tradition)reports the Holy Prophet (SAWS) of Islam to have said explictily on several occasions that he would followed by twelve AMIRS.(1).(according to another version , tweleve caliphs) the first being Ali and the last Mahdi.(2)
According to another reliable tradition he pinpointed the personality to ImamMahdi when he said that the Mahdi would be desecendant of Imam Hussain(A.S) in his ninth generation.(3)
In certain other traditions the Holy Prophet (SAWS) refferred in clear terms, to the last Imam's mission and narrated the events connected with his occulation and reappearance.
In this connection it is intresting to note, as pointed out by the famous historian Tabari, that the reports about the occulation of the Mahdi were recorded in their books by the Shiah traditioalists during the lifetime of Imam Muhammed Baqir (A.S)(5th Imam) and Imam Jaffer Sadiq(A.S)(6th Imam) i.e. long before Imam Mahdi was born. This fact alone is enough to vouch for their genuineness.
(1)Sahih Bukhari, p175 ,Egypt; Sahih Trimizi, Vol II, p. 45,Dehli.
(2)Sahih Muslim, Vol II, p191,Egypt; Sahih Abd Daud, Vol II, p207 Egypt; Masnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Vol V,p.106, Egypt
(3)Kifayat al-Athar,[Allamah Abu Abdullah bin Muhammed Yusuf al-Kanji al-Shafi'i]; Bihar al-Anwar[ Allamah Muhammed Baqir al-Majlisi];Yanabi al-Mawwadah[Shaykh Sulayman bin Ibrahim al-Qandozi].
The Sunnite scholars have also mentioned and recorded hundreds of traditions about the Mahdi in more than seventy books by their own valued and dependable authorities of which we shall mention a few examples.
Masnad- Ahmad bin Hanbal (d.241 A.H)
Sahih Bukhari- Muhammed bin Ismail Bukhari(d.261 A.H)
Sahih Muslim- Muslim bin Hajjaj Nishapuri(d.261 A.H)
Sunan Abi Dawud- Sulayman bin Ash'ath Silijistani(d.275 A.H)
Sahih Trimizi- Muhammed bin Isa Tirmizi(d.279 A.H)
The authors of the above books, each one of them, died either before or shortly after Mahdi's birth.(1)
See Also
(1) Masahib al-Sunnah, al-Baghawi(d.516 A.H);Jame' al-Usul, Ibn Athir(d.606 A.H);al-Futubat al-Makkiyah, Muhyuddin ibn al-Arabi(d.638 A.H); Taskirah al-Khawas, Sibt ibn al-Jawazi(d.654 A.H);Fara'id al-Simtaya, al-Hamawi(d.716 A.H);Yanabi al-Mawaddah, Sulayman al-Qandozi(d.1293 A.H).
Some Sunnite Scholars have written books especially about the Imam of the Age:(i)Al-Bayan fi Akhbar al-Sahib al-Zaman, Allmah Abu Abdullah bin Muhammed Yusuf al-Kanji al-Shafi'i;(ii) Iqd al Durar fi Akhbar al-Imam al-Muntasar, Shiekh Jamaluddin Yusuf al-Damishqi;(iii)Mahdi Ale Rasul, Ali bin Sultan Muhammed al-Harawi al-Hanafi;(iv)Kitab al-Mahdi, Abu Daud;(v) Alamat al-Mahdi, Jalaluddin Suyuti;(vi)Manaqib al-Mahdi, Hafiz Abu Nai'm al-Isfihani.
(1)Sahih Bukhari, p175 ,Egypt; Sahih Trimizi, Vol II, p. 45,Dehli.
(2)Sahih Muslim, Vol II, p191,Egypt; Sahih Abd Daud, Vol II, p207 Egypt; Masnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Vol V,p.106, Egypt
(3)Kifayat al-Athar,[Allamah Abu Abdullah bin Muhammed Yusuf al-Kanji al-Shafi'i]; Bihar al-Anwar[ Allamah Muhammed Baqir al-Majlisi];Yanabi al-Mawwadah[Shaykh Sulayman bin Ibrahim al-Qandozi].
The Sunnite scholars have also mentioned and recorded hundreds of traditions about the Mahdi in more than seventy books by their own valued and dependable authorities of which we shall mention a few examples.
Masnad- Ahmad bin Hanbal (d.241 A.H)
Sahih Bukhari- Muhammed bin Ismail Bukhari(d.261 A.H)
Sahih Muslim- Muslim bin Hajjaj Nishapuri(d.261 A.H)
Sunan Abi Dawud- Sulayman bin Ash'ath Silijistani(d.275 A.H)
Sahih Trimizi- Muhammed bin Isa Tirmizi(d.279 A.H)
The authors of the above books, each one of them, died either before or shortly after Mahdi's birth.(1)
See Also
(1) Masahib al-Sunnah, al-Baghawi(d.516 A.H);Jame' al-Usul, Ibn Athir(d.606 A.H);al-Futubat al-Makkiyah, Muhyuddin ibn al-Arabi(d.638 A.H); Taskirah al-Khawas, Sibt ibn al-Jawazi(d.654 A.H);Fara'id al-Simtaya, al-Hamawi(d.716 A.H);Yanabi al-Mawaddah, Sulayman al-Qandozi(d.1293 A.H).
Some Sunnite Scholars have written books especially about the Imam of the Age:(i)Al-Bayan fi Akhbar al-Sahib al-Zaman, Allmah Abu Abdullah bin Muhammed Yusuf al-Kanji al-Shafi'i;(ii) Iqd al Durar fi Akhbar al-Imam al-Muntasar, Shiekh Jamaluddin Yusuf al-Damishqi;(iii)Mahdi Ale Rasul, Ali bin Sultan Muhammed al-Harawi al-Hanafi;(iv)Kitab al-Mahdi, Abu Daud;(v) Alamat al-Mahdi, Jalaluddin Suyuti;(vi)Manaqib al-Mahdi, Hafiz Abu Nai'm al-Isfihani.
The other facts which can be gleaned from the prophecies of the Holy Prophet (SAWS) about the Mahdi are briefly stated below:
He will bear the same nomenclature as the Holy Prophet (SAWS).
He will not be bearing allegiance to any tyrant
He will fill the earth with justice and fair play after its having been filled with injustice and tyranny.
At the time of his advent he will be found leaning against the wall of the Kabah. He will call together his 313 supporters who will respond to his call and gather around him. Then he will lead the congregational prayers.
He will establish Islamic law in the whole world
On his second advent Jesus will offer prayers behind him
According to the Islamic traditions Jesus will descend from heaven and espouse the cause of the Mahdi. The Christians and the Jews will see him and recognize his true status. The Chirstians will abandon their faith in his god-head. The Holy Quran says:
"There shall be none among the people of the Scripture, but will believe in him (Jesus) before his death; and on the Day of Resurrection he will be a witness against them".(Surah al-Nisa, 4:159)
Evidently at that time Jesus will not be following the Christian law which has already been repealed. He will be following the Mahdi, the master of the time,and that is why he will be offering prayers behind him.
According to a tradition recorded in the celebrated books of the tradition, including Sahih Bukhari and the Sahih Muslim, the Prophet (SAWS) is reported to have said:
"How about you, when Mary's son will descend into your midst, while your Imam will be from among you?".
Here the word Imam refers to Imam Mahdi. This tradition clearly shows that Jesus at the time of his second advent, will be a follower of the Mahdi.
According to these and many other prophecies handed down by the Holy Prophet (SAWS) and the great Imams to the succeeding generations, Imam Mahdi was born in the city of Samarrah (IRAQ) in the middle of Shaban(According to Islamic Calender) in 255 A.H. His mother's name was Narjis.
He succeeded to the Imamate at the early age of five on the death of his father, Imam Hassan Al-Askari (A.S), the eleventh Imam.
Soon afterwards he(The Mahdi)went into occulation from the scene of life but retained contact with his followers through his vicegerants. This period which spreads over 70 years is known as al-Gaybat al-Sughra, the period of minor occulation.
During this period the people could refer their problems to him(i.e.Mahdi and recieve his replies through his vicegerents. The minor occulation was followed by al-Ghaybat al-Kubra, the major occulation which still continues. During this period direct contact with him had been severed.
Anyhow, those who are aware of the historical conditions prevailing at the time of his occulation know well that Abbasid rulers regarded the Mahdi as the biggest potential threat to themselves and their dynasty and were determined to remove him from their way at any cost. Hence, to foil an attempt on his (i.e.Mahdi life, it was advisable for him to go into occulation. Several sayings of the Imams expressely refer to this situation. All this material has been taken from a Book ("The Awaited Saviour") published by the Islamic Seminary and printed by Al-Abbass Printers.
The Book has been written by Ayatullah Baqir-As-Sadr and Ayatullah Murtaza Mutaheri.
It is translated in English by M.A.Ansari.
To know more about the Holy Imams and the religous beliefs of the Shiahs about them, refer to books published by Pir Ebhrahim trust and other such books written by Allamah Tabatabi and (Man and Universe) written by Ayatullah Murtaza Muthaeri
