Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Realization of the prophecies

In this chapter, we shall discuss whether the prophecies of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and the infallible Imams (a.s.) concerning Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) have occurred or not. For example, it has been prophesied that Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) is the ninth son of Imam Husain (a.s.). Now we shall see whether this prediction has been actualised or Allah forbid, there was an element of falsehood in this statement. Here, we should refer to history.

Our subject of historical investigation is whether the birth of this promised person has taken place or not? If yes, when? Who was his father? Where was he born? In other words, we will try to find out the details of Imam-e-Zaman’s (a.t.f.s.) birth certificate. Of course, this is a partial discussion that should not be searched for in the general Islamic history. This discussion should be pursued in the life history of the Imams (a.s.), and that too, the twelfth Imam (a.t.f.s.).

Anyway, it should also be known that books of traditions compiled on this subject prove that a detailed knowledge of the birth of Prophets (a.s.) and Imams (a.s.) are not an essential part of our creed. For, it is possible that somebody believes in the basic principle of Imam-e-Zaman’s (a.t.f.s.) Imamat and also accepts his existence, but does not accept that he was born on the 15th Sha’baan. It does not weaken his belief in Imamat in any way.

The characteristics of birth are not an important subject that belief in it necessitates a series of historical references. Even for other Imams (a.s.) too, we do not have traditions dwelling in detail about the birth of all of them.

Perhaps in this regard, the least controversial and most informative is the discussion concerning Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.). Of course, for some other Imams (a.s.) too, a lot of traditions have been narrated e.g. regarding the birth of Imam Husain (a.s.) {3rd Sha’baan}, numerous quotes are available. But concerning the Holy Prophet’s (s.a.w.s.) birthday, considerable differences are found. Anyhow, regardless of such differences, it does not create any contrariety in the basic principle. Hence, we can see quite a few contrasts regarding the birth dates in the books of traditions and history. But the 15th Sha’baan is the most famous and most authentic date narrated.

The year of Imam-e-Zaman’s (a.t.f.s.) birth has been given as 255 or 256 A.H. The cause of this difference may be because in the past, history was jotted on the basis ofAbjad (arithmatcal arrangement of Arabic alphabet). In Hazrat Mahdi’s (a.t.f.s.) case, the contrariety arose due to the word “Noor ” (light) and “Nahr ” (river), the differing handwriting of historians gave birth to such variances.[25] Hence, if we read “Noor”, it will be 256 and in “Nahr”, it will be 255 A.H.

The special characteristics of Imam-e-Zaman’s (a.t.f.s.) birth gain more significance because from the time of the ninth Imam, Muhammad Taqi (a.s.), the reigning Caliphs became very sensitive on the issue of Imamat. After the martyrdom of Imam Reza (a.s.), there were uprisings by the Hashimites and other children of Imam Moosa al-Kaazim (a.s.) in different nooks and corners of Iran and other parts of the Islamic world. Splinter groups raised the banner of rebellion against the government and all were coming under one umbrella i.e. the children of Imams (a.s.). All this led to the ruling Caliphate becoming very tense, thereby causing the disintegration of Madina as the capital of the Islamic world.

It should be known that the infallible Imams (a.s.) always strove to retain Madina as the city of their residence and never desired to abandon it. For, Madina was the focal point of travel of all Muslims and was considered to be the religious and spiritual capital of the Islamic world. Notwithstanding the transfer of the political capital of the ruling caliphate, the twin holy cities of Mecca and Madina held their own as the focus (of the Muslims). Today, we don’t have any focal point like Mecca and Madina. The Shia scholars ceased to lend significance to such a centre, maybe out of grave misjudgment, or gross negligence or sheer inability of preservation.

Anyway, to the best of their ability, the Imams (a.s.) did not forsake Madina. When the Haj or Umrah pilgrims visited Madina, the Imams (a.s.) or their companions went among the pilgrims and tried to maintain contact with them.

Basically, the Abbasides were cunning hypocrites and ostentatious. From this aspect, they were far ahead of the Ummayyid Caliphs and the Ottoman rulers. Their deportation of Imam Reza (a.s.) from Madina to Khorasan under the ruse of appointing him as the crown prince was a clear poof of their deceit and trickery.

After the martyrdom of Imam Reza (a.s.), they saw to it that Imam Jawad (a.s.) also was kept away from the holy city of Madina. In this instance, the apparent excuse was to get him married to the Caliph’s daughter and hence, force him to reside in Baghdad.

Therefore, in the face of such trickery and machinations, a very formidable strategy was required to counter them, defeat their purpose and expose the designs of the Caliphs for the public. Thus, despite having a beautiful and learned wife (the Caliph’s daughter), Imam (a.s.) married a slave girl and fathered her child, an honour not granted to the daughter of Mamoon. Of course, this was a well-executed plan to defeat Mamoon’s designs and consequently, anybody who became aware of the entire scenario, realised that Imam Jawad (a.s.) did not migrate to Baghdad because of Mamoon’s daughter.

In the reign of Mutawakkil or Mo’tasim Abbasi, Imam Hadi’s (a.s.) entry in Madina was prevented outright. Initially, he (a.s.) was kept in Baghdad under surveillance; but when they noticed that he was coming into contact with his Shias even in Baghdad, he was shifted to Saamarra. Here too, the strict vigil of the government could not prevent him coming into contact with his followers. Finally, out of sheer desperation, the government shifted him to the military cantonment (which is called asAskar ) where Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) was born and lived, and hence got the title of“Askari” .

Briefly, the Caliphs with all the power at their disposal, tried their best to prove as wrong the prediction of the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) regarding the Promised One, the ninth descendant of Imam Husain (a.s.). They planned to eliminate the progeny of the Imams (a.s.) and then announce that the eighth descendant of Imam Husain (a.s.) did not bear any offspring, thereby proving the prophecies to be false and fabricated. With this purpose in mind, they attempted to impose as many controls as possible on the house and family of Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.).

One day, Mo’tamid, the Abbaside Caliph, said to Imam Askari (a.s.), “Dear cousin, I feel sorry for you. Permit me to dispatch two slave girls to your house as domestic help.” Imam (a.s.) retorted, “We the progeny of Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), discharge our responsibilities ourselves. And I don’t have so much work that I will need your slave girls.” Despite constant pressures from the Caliph, Imam Askari (a.s.) firmly turned down his offer in order to prevent spies from entering the holy household.

Birth of Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.)

Hakeemah Khatoon, the aunt of Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) narrates the incident of Imam Mahdi’s (a.t.f.s.) birth as follows:

“One day, I went to Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.). He (a.s.) requested me, ‘Aunt, Stay with us tonight because my successor will appear.’ I asked, ‘From whom?’ He (a.s.) answered, ‘Narjis’. I reasoned, ‘But I don’t see any signs of pregnancy in her!’ He retorted, ‘Her likeness is of the mother of Hazrat Moosa (a.s.) who did not have any signs of motherhood till the actual hour of delivery.’

I and Narjis slept in one room. At midnight, I became busy in performing the midnight prayers. I said to myself, ‘Dawn is near but whatever Imam Askari (a.s.) had said has not yet come to pass.’ Suddenly from the next room, Imam Askari (a.s.) called out, ‘Aunt! Don’t be in haste.’ Being ashamed (of my thought), I returned to my room. Narjis came forward to receive me, restless and shivering. I held her close to my chest and recited Surah Tauheed, Surah Qadr and Ayat al-Kursi for her. As I was reciting the above verses, the child in the womb was reading along with me. At that very moment, the room shone with light. The sight of Allah’s newborn representative in prostration towards the Holy Ka’bah delighted me. I picked him up in my arms. Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) called out, ‘Bring my son to me.’

I took the infant to his father. He put his tongue in his mouth and laying him in his lap, he ordered, ‘Son, talk, by the permission of Allah.’ At once, the infant began reciting,

« أعوذ بِاللّه السميع العُليم مِن الشّيطان الرّجيم. بِسم اللّه الرُّحمن الرُّحيم. و نُريد أن نَمْنُّ علي الّذين استُضعِفوا فِي الاَرض و نَجعلهم أئمه و نجعلهم الوارثين. و نُمكِنُّ لَهْم فِي الارض و نُريُ فرعون و هامان و جنودهما مِنهم ما كانوا يحذَرون و صلي اللّه علي محمد المصطفي و عليٍّ المرتضي و فاطمه الزهرا و الحسن و الحسين و علي بن الحسين و محمد بن علي و جعفر بن محمد و موسي بن جعفر و علي بن موسي و محمد بن علي و علي بن محمد و الحسن بن علي أبي ».

‘I seek refuge in Allah, the All-Hearing, and the All-Seeing from the accursed Shaitan. In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. And We intend to oblige those who have been rendered weak in the land and that We will make them the Imams and We will make them the heirs. And We will establish them in the earth and We showed Firaon and Haamaan and their armies from them what they were warned. And blessings of Allah be upon Muhammad al-Mustafa, Ali al-Murtaza, Fatema al-Zahra, al-Hasan, al-Husain, Ali Ibn Husain, Muhammad Ibn Ali, Ja’far Ibn Muhammad, Moosa Ibn Ja’far, Ali Ibn Moosa, Muhammad Ibn Ali, Ali Ibn Muhammad and, my father Hasan Ibn Ali.

Hakeemah says, ‘We were surrounded by green birds’. Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) looked at one of them and cried, ‘Take care of him (the new infant) till Allah grants him permission. Allah will take His affair to completion.’ I enquired, ‘Who is this bird and who are the other birds that are accompanying him?’ He (a.s.) replied, ‘He is Jibraeel and the others are the angels of divine mercy.’ Thereafter, he (a.s.) said, ‘Aunt! Kindly return the child to his mother so that she becomes happy and joyous. Know that Allah’s Promise is true but most of the people know not.’

I returned the child to his mother. He was very clean, pure and unblemished. On his right shoulder, it was inscribed,

« جاءَ الحق و زَهق الباطِل إنُّ الباطِل كانُ زهوقاً ».

‘Truth has come and falsehood vanished. Surely, falsehood was bound to vanish. [26] ’

This was the incident of Imam-e-Zaman’s (a.t.f.s.) birth which we have supported from the books of traditions. In the past, whenever this occurrence was narrated, some skeptics objected that all the traditions about Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) terminated at one woman and that the validity of a woman’s narration is unacceptable because her testimony is disallowed under Islamic laws. These skeptics have not realised the fact that the tradition concerning Hazrat Mahdi’s (a.t.f.s.) birth does not end at Hakeemah Khatoon. It is just the narration of the actual process of his birth that has been narrated by the mid-wife who happened to be Hakeemah Khatoon. The same applies for every newborn baby whose news is given by the mid-wife or the nurse. The question of witnesses or testimony does not arise. Moreover, traditions other than that of Hakeemah Khatoon have been narrated regarding the birth of Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.). For details, one can refer to the 51st volume of Behaar al-Anwaar and other related books on the subject.

Imam Hasan al-Askari’s (a.s.) marriage to Narjis Khatoon

The story of Narjis Khatoon and her marriage to Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) has been related in the traditions thus: One day Imam Hadi (a.s.), the tenth Imam, said to one of his companions, Bishr Ibn Sulaiman, a descendant of Abu Ayyub Ansari[27] , “Considering the reputation and status you and your ancestors enjoy in Islam, I want to entrust a very important but confidential task to you.” Thereafter, Imam Hadi (a.s.) proceeded to explain to him the details of the mission, “Go to the bridge of Baghdad and await the arrival of a man who has numerous maid-slaves with him for sale. When he puts them up for sale, take this pouch of money and buy a maid with the following characteristics. If the maid refuses, hand over this letter to her and bring her along with you.” Bishr Ibn Sulaiman proceeded to the bridge of Baghdad to implement the order of his Imam. At that moment, a man passed by with a good number of slave girls, among them being the one described by Imam Hadi (a.s.). Bishr Ibn Sulaiman went ahead and offered to buy that slave girl. The man replied, ‘I give the freedom of choice to the slave girl herself if she wants to accept your offer. Go and talk to her. If she agrees, I have no objection.

Bishr Ibn Sulaiman went to the slave girl who refused the offer. On this, he handed over the letter of Imam Hadi (a.s.) to her. After reading the letter, she accepted the offer. After the amount was finalized, Bishr handed over the agreed remuneration to the seller and brought the slave girl along to Saamarra.

On the way, he asked the slave girl, ‘Do you recognise the owner of the letter? Because I think you are not an Arab but a Roman. Did you have any prior contact with the owner of the letter?’ The girl replied, ‘Had I not recognised him, I would not have agreed to this deal.’ Bishr inquired, ‘Have you seen him?’ She replied, ‘apparently no. But I am acquainted with him.’

A perplexed Bishr asked, ‘From where? How?’ The girl retorted, ‘Are you not among his Shias? Then, why are you asking such questions? Is he not an Imam? Is not your recognition about Imam Hadi (a.s.) like mine?’ Bishr queried, ‘What is your story?’ The slave girl commenced her story, ‘I am the daughter of Yashooa, the Caesar of Rome[28] . I saw Hazrat Mariam (a.s.) in a dream and through her, I became a Muslim. In my country, I was supposed to marry my cousin. But my wedding congregation was disrupted due to which I had become slightly disgruntled. That very night, the Messenger of Islam (s.a.w.a.) and Hazrat Eesa (a.s.) appeared in my dream and I became engrossed in the thought of coming to the Islamic capital. In the same dream, I saw Imam Hadi (a.s.) that he was saying, ‘In the war raging between the Muslims and your father’s army, the latter will face defeat. You make use of this opportunity, line up yourself in the queue of slave girls, and come over to Baghdad. Near the bridge of Baghdad, my representative shall come to you and hand over my letter.”

Books of traditions and history have narrated this incident[29] .

So, among the accepted facts of Imam-e-Zaman’s (a.t.f.s.) life history is that his mother was a Roman slave girl, whose name was Narjis or Sosan or Reyhana, or other names. She was given different names because of the various qualities that she possessed. Even today, if a foreign girl comes to an Islamic country in marriage, she is given an Islamic name along with her previous name.

This was the story of Narjis, the mother of Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.). During the 15th Sha’baan celebrations, the orators narrate this very narration of Bishr Ibn Sulaiman in detail. As stated earlier, even the inability to prove this tradition, will not harm the basic belief of Mahdaviyyat.

The Imamat of Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) And the Minor Occultation

As stated in the previous chapter, Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) was born on 15th Sha’baan. Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) requested those involved to keep this event as a secret. From the year 255 A.H., Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) was being nourished and nurtured in the house of his father but in a way that the ordinary folks were unaware about it.

The Introduction of Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) to the elite among the Shias

Numerous traditions have cited that some of the companions of the Imams (a.s.) were coming to Saamarra. They used to come with various types of questions, many of them concerning Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.). Like they asked Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) as to who would be the Imam after him.

To the tried and true, Imam (a.s.) gave clear and detailed explanations. Among those who referred was a person by the name Ahmed Ibn Ishaaq. Shaykh Sadooq (a.r.) in his book, “Kamaaluddin” has narrated his incident in the chapter of traditions narrated from Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) in the discussion concerning Hazrat Mahdi’s (a.t.f.s.) occultation.

Ahmed Ibn Ishaaq says, “I went to Abu Muhammad Hasan Ibn Ali (a.s.) to ask him about his successor and the Imam after him. Before I could pose my query, Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) said, ‘O Ahmed Ibn Ishaaq! Allah the Almighty has not left His earth without a proof since the creation of Adam (a.s.). Nor will it remain without His representative till the day of judgement.’ I said, ‘O son of Allah’s Messenger! Who is the Imam and successor after you?’ Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) stood up quickly and went into a room. Later, he emerged with a three year old boy in his arms whose face shone like a full moon. Then he said, ‘Had you not enjoyed such a status and rank in front of Allah the Almighty and His Proofs (a.s.), I would not have shown my son to you.”

Sometimes, in these five years, the companions of Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) attended to him and were narrating a few things to him. On these occasions, they were also inquiring from him about his successor, to which Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) was replying in general. One such person was Abu al-Adyaan, whose incident is reported as under:

“I was a servant of Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.), and carried his letters to different cities and environs. I had the honour to attend to his service in his last illness. He (a.s.) gave the letters to me and said, ‘Go to Madaaen. Your journey will last for fifteen days. On the fifteenth day, you will return to Saamarra. Here, wails and cries from my house will greet you. You will see me in the room where corpses are given the ritual bath.’

I asked, ‘Master! In such a case, who will be the Imam after you?’ Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) responded, ‘One who will ask you about the replies to my letters will be my successor.’ I requested, ‘Please provide me more details.’ Imam (a.s.) replied, ‘He will lead my funeral prayers.’ I pleaded again, ‘Please furnish more information.’ He (a.s.) retorted, ‘He will inform you about what is in the bag.’

The awe-inspiring personality of Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) prevented me from further inquiry about the bag. Anyway, I took the letters to Madaaen and procured the ripostes. On the 15th day, just as Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) had predicted, I entered Saamarra. Loud voices of wailing and crying echoed from the house of Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.). I saw Ja’far, the brother of Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.), standing on the door and receiving condolences and consolation from the local Shias.

I said to myself, ‘If this man is the Imam, then it will be clear that the position of Imamat has undergone change. For, I have seen him drink wine, gamble and play musical instruments.’ I went near him and offered my condolences. He did not ask me anything. Afterwards ‘Aqeed’ emerged from the house and said, ‘Master! Your brother has been shrouded. Come and lead his funeral prayers.’

Ja’far went ahead to lead the prayers. As he was about to announce theTakbeer, a young boy with a wheatish complexion, curly hair, broad teeth, shining like a brilliant moon, came out of the house. He caught hold of Ja’far’s robe and threw him aside, saying, ‘Uncle! Move aside. I am more worthy of leading the funeral prayers of my father.’

Ja’far withdrew in a corner as his face went colourless. The child went ahead to recite the prayers on his father’s dead body and buried him next to his father’s (10th Imam’s) grave. Thereafter, he turned towards me and said, ‘O Basri! Give me the replies of the letters that are with you.’ I handed the letters to him and said to myself, ‘Two prophecies are already fulfilled. Now only the third one about the contents of the bag remains.’

We were sitting when some residents of Qum arrived and asked about the condition of Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.). When they were informed about his demise, they inquired about the Imam after him.

People guided them towards Ja’far Ibn Ali. They saluted him and offered their condolences. They wanted to know from him about the money that they had brought along with themselves, to whom did it belong and how much? Ja’far stood up from his place, and while gathering his clothes, he said, ‘They expect me to know the unseen.’

Afterwards, a servant emerged from the house of Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) and announced, ‘The letters of so and so are in your possession. You also have a bag containing a thousand dinars. Of which, only ten dinars are pure. They gave the letters and money to this servant saying, ‘The one who has sent you must be an Imam.[30] ’

The story of this man has also been recorded in books of traditions. It should be borne in mind, as stated earlier, these are the particulars of an individual and one should not expect to search for these in general books of history or even Islamic history. For, these are personal matters and if a few traditions are available in this regard, we simply accept them.

Anyway, we repeatedly emphasize that our basic belief vis-à-vis the existence of Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) is not related to these traditions. If someone refuses to accept these traditions as true and correct, we will reply, ‘Well, what is the basis of your rejection? For, the onus is on you to prove the falsity of these traditions. Even if we assume the above tradition to be false and unacceptable, yet the basic belief remains unharmed and unaffected on account of the numerous consecutive traditions narrated concerning the twelfth Imam (a.t.f.s.). Now, when the basic belief remains unharmed, and the discussion is from the aspect of belief itself, and moreover, there is no proof to refute a tradition or to establish its absence, we shall narrate traditions while maintaining our stand that this is just a narration and only a part of the general history.

Steps taken by the Caliph to Arrest Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.)

Due to the funeral prayers led by Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) and the instigation of Ja’far, the government became very sensitive. The Caliph Mo’tamid used all possible steps to gain access to and arrest Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.). The commanders of the Caliph swooped on the house of Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.). They searched it in and out but to no avail. Instead, they began plundering the house. Perhaps, while they were busy pillaging, Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) took the opportunity and fled, to escape captivity.

After this episode, the Abbaside government became busy with its internal problems. The incidents of Yaqoob al-Laith, Saaheb al-Zanj, etc. took place, which occupied their attention to such an extent that they really could not bother about Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.). During the reign of Mo’tazid, another event occurred that is worth reading.

Mo’tazid dispatched three officers to Imam al-Askari’s (a.s.) house. The orders were clear- behead anybody you find among the males and get their heads to the court as souvenirs. Rasheeq Maarzaani, one of the three selected officers, narrates the incident thus:

As per the orders, we attacked the house…We saw a room so huge as if it was an ocean. At the end of the room, there was a straw mat spread on water. On the mat, a man with a handsome visage and awe-inspiring dignity sat performing namaz and did not pay any heed to our presence. Ahmed Ibn Abdullah (one of us) went ahead with the intention of entering the room but was drowned. He struggled to survive inside the water and waved at us vigorously so that we may extend our hands to pull him out, but to no avail. The second one among us also attempted to enter the room and met with the same fate. I was left standing alone, perplexed and confused. I pleaded with the owner of house,‘I seek pardon from Allah and from you. By Allah! I don’t know what’s happening and whom I have approached. I seek repentance from Allah. ’ He did not pay heed to my talks at all and was engrossed in his own work. I got scared and returned.

After the failure of this attempt, Mo’tazid sent more officers with the same orders. When they reached the house, they heard somebody reciting the Holy Quran in the cellar (sardaab ). They surrounded the cellar to prevent anybody from escaping. Thereafter, Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) emerged from the cellar right in front of all those present. Miraculously, with Allah’s permission, the commander could not see him and hence behaved as if nothing had happened. For others, the silence and non-objection of the commander was a tacit approval and consequently, they too did not protest or demur. It was too late when they realised as to what had actually occurred[31] .

The Cellar (Sardaab)

This is an issue about which there are a lot of misconceptions. A few Sunni biased scholars in order to denounce the Shias have also misused these misinterpretations. Therefore, it is essential that we throw more light on this issue.

It should be known that the cellar was the residence of three Imams (a.s.) viz. Imam Hadi (a.s.), Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) and Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) himself. Incidentally, this house was the personal residence of Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.). For, it is unanimously accepted by the historians that none of the Imams (a.s.) had an underground residence in Saamarra. Even for the house of Ameerul Momineen Ali Ibn Abi Taalib (a.s.), we cannot state its precise location with certainty, either in Madina or Kufa. Some say it’s inBaab-e-Jibraeel but its very general place. But for the cellar of Samarra, it was believed in the long duration of one thousand four hundred years, that it was the abode of Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.t.f.s.). Due to this reason alone, the cellar at Saamarra is a holy place for us.

It is an established fact that Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) did not sink in the cellar’s wall nor did its earth swallow him. He did not disappear like the Jinn from the human eyes nor did he fly to the skies in the form of angels. Just as the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) had become invisible for the Meccan polytheists at the time of emigration, similarly Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) emerged from the cellar but the Caliph’s men were unable to see him (of course with Allah’s permission).

From the time of Imam Hadi (a.s.) and Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.), a person was appointed in Baghdad who acted as the representative of the two Imams (a.s.). Later, on the command of Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) and Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.), he also became the special deputy of the latter in Baghdad. The general Shias were unaware and uninformed of the exact location of Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.). The special representative was a narrator of traditions and a majestic scholar, at the same time being an ordinary businessman involved in selling oils.

Of course being a narrator of traditions is an important position from the aspect of knowledge and relation of traditions. But this special deputy did not possess the customary appearance of a religious scholar. He was a businessman selling oils that answered by the name of “Usman Ibn Saeed Amri” and knew the exact residence of Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.). Quite often, Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) was either in his house, some other close companions, or his proximate relatives. In reality, Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) became invisible from the eyes of the people in this very meaning.

In the compound of Imam-e-Zaman’s (a.t.f.s.) house, there was a well from which he drew water. Apart from its function of providing water, the aforementioned well does not have any significance in our traditions. Thus, those who visit Saamarra, take the mud of this well (astabarruk ), throw a letter in it, or think that an Arab is still sitting on the edge of the well with his sword hidden inside his robe, so that whenever Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) emerges, he would kill him. All these are talks of stupidity, emanating from the foolishness of a Sunni. Worse is the one who believes that the Arab is still sitting over there waiting to kill Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) or that he is living inside the well or that he was swallowed by the wall of the cellar.

We don’t believe in the Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) who is living inside the well or is swallowed by the cellar’s wall. But we respect the cellar only and only because it was the place of worship for three Imams (a.s.) and because in the length of one thousand four hundred years, Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) has visited it a number of times and was his personal residence for a considerable period of time. Thus, even today when a person visits the cellar, he feels that he is the guest of Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.). Finally, if the Shias revere the cellar, it is because of theowner of the house and not because of the story of the well or any other such absurdity.

Commencement of the Minor Occultation (Ghaibat-e-Sughra)

The minor occultation commenced from the year 260 A.H. Why the minor occultation? Perhaps because its duration is shorter or maybe because there was a link between Imam (a.s.) and the people. During this era, Usman Ibn Saeed Amri (r.a.) took many people to the service of Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) and brought the replies of numerous letters from Imam (a.s.) to them. Therefore, those Shias, who were inclined to get some information from Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) and desired to forward their queries to him, almost had a direct contact with him (a.t.f.s.). That is, they got their religious queries answered through minimum links and on numerous occasions through Imam’s letters and signatures.

In this period, it was prohibited to utter the name of Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.). Why? Because it created some problems and difficulties for the Shias and hence, they remembered him by the title of “Saahebuz Zamaan”.

Thus, for the Shias, it was forbidden to take the name of Imam (a.s.), which was the same as the name of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.). Quite a few jurists considered this edict to be applicable till date. The reason they cite is that when something is declared to be illegal, it continues to be so, till the promulgator who has issued the legislation, lifts the restriction. And in this case, its illegality has not yet been removed.

Some other jurists are of the view that this restriction was confined to the era of the minor occultation, when Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) was subject to danger. But presently, it has been revised and they don’t regard uttering the name of Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) in this time asharaam (forbidden). This restriction was applicable only in olden times when even in the books his name was written asM-H-M-D .

The Special Deputies of Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.)

Usman Ibn Saeed was the special deputy for duration of two and a half years. After his demise, as per the advice of Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.), his son Muhammad Ibn Usman was raised to the state of deputyship. A reliable narrator of Imamite traditions, he remained in this coveted position for a period of thirty-five years and executed his responsibilities.

After him, an Iranian from the renowned family of Nawbakht, Husain Ibn Rauh Nawbakhti, became the special deputy and continued to be so for duration of twenty years.

Ali Ibn Muhammad Samori or Seymouri, an inhabitant of Saamarra, followed Husain Ibn Ruh on the advice of Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) and the recommendation of Husain Ibn Ruh.

The era of special deputyship of these four lasted till the year 329 A.H. Of course, apart from these four special deputies, Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) did have deputies and representatives in far-flung Islamic cities and towns but these formed the core of representation. These representatives were either appointed by Husain Ibn Ruh and his ilk or some times by Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) directly but ultimately, had to act through any of these four special representatives.

From among this second line of deputies, there was one in Qum who abused his position after being in it for some time. Although he was a directly appointed representative of Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.), yet this appointment did not render him an infallible. Finally, he misused his status and attributed lies and falsity to Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.). He put the people’s wealth and property to personal use. Consequently, Husain Ibn Ruh received a signed letter from Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) cursing this deputy. His name was “Muhammad Ibn Ali Shalmaghani”, who was based in Qum and was conferred with special deputyship. Apart from him, there were a couple of other people who were rejected by Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) after being appointed as deputies.

In the preface of the book “Kalemah al-Imam al-Mahdi”[32] , a brief history of the deputies has been jotted and a list of fifteen people has been mentioned, who were appointed by Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) directly. Of course, these fifteen did not bear the same position as the four special representatives and hence, in common understanding, it is famous that the special deputies were only four in number.

Six days prior to his death, the fourth special deputy, Ali Ibn Muhammad Seymouri (a.r.) received a signed letter (tawqee) from Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.), reminding him of a few things. This letter is quite well known and has been recorded in quite a few books with explanations.

«بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم. يا علي بن محمد السُّمري, أعظم الله أجر إخوانك فيك فانّك ميت ما بينك و بين أيام, فاجمع أمرك و لا توص إلي أحد فيقوم مقامك بعد وفاتك, فقد وقعت الغيبه التّامه فلا ظهور إلا بعد إذن الله تعالي ذكره. و ذلك بعد طول الأمد و قسوه القلوب و امتلاء الأرض جورا. و سيأتي من شيعتي من يدعي المشاهده. ألا فمن ادعي المشاهده قبل خروج السفياني و الصيحه فهو كذّاب مفتر. و لا حول و لا قوه إلّا بالله العلي العظيم »

“O Ali Ibn Muhammad Seymouri! May Allah increase the reward of your brothers concerning you? You will die after six days. Now, you don’t appoint anybody as your successor for special deputyship because the door of representation now stands closed and the major occultation shall begin. The reappearance will not occur except by the order and permission of Allah. This reappearance will take place only after the earth becomes replete with injustice, oppression, and the hardening of hearts. Beware! Soon there will be a number of my Shias who will claim to meet me. Anybody who makes such a claim before the emergence of Sufyani and the heavenly shriek is a liar and a deceiver. There is no power and strength except that of Allah. [33] ”

In this letter, mention has been made of the prolongation of the major occultation, the shutting of the door of representation, and the fact that anybody claiming to meet Imam (a.s.) at will, is a liar and a cheat. Six days after the receipt of this letter, Ali Ibn Muhammad (a.r.) completed his pending tasks, made his will and expired.

This was the brief history of the minor occultation till the commencement of the major one, which began when Imam-e-Zaman’s (a.t.f.s.) age was seventy-four.

The Future from the Islamic View

The Quranic View:

We have stated before that Islam, like all other religions, portrays an optimistic picture of the future. This portrayal has been done in the manner most beautiful in the Holy Quran. Therefore, right in the beginning of creation, it is stated that the first creature on earth would be Allah’s Caliph; it was the wish of Allah to appoint His caliph on the earth.

« و إذ قال ربْك لِلملائكَه إنّي جاعلٌ في الأرض خليفه ».

“And when your Lord said to the angels, ‘Surely I am going to appoint a Caliph in the earth.” [6]

At this juncture, the angels expressed their amazement and Allah replied to their query, which is known to one and all. One of my teachers, a highly respectable and knowledgeable person,[7] explains this incident in a very interesting manner. He says that on that day, the angels saw the bridge of Tajrish (in Iran) and the promenades of Paris and said, « أجعل فيها من يفسد فيها؟! » “Will you appoint somebody who will create mischief in it?” and then they saw the first and second World Wars and said, «ويسفك الدماء؟! » “and shed blood?” But Allah the Almighty saw Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a.s.) and said,

« إني أعلم ما لا تعلمون»

“Surely I know what you do not know.”

According to the Holy Quran, the aim of creation of mankind on the earth is based on the very appointment of Allah’s Caliph. Thus, in the beginning of creation, Allah says, “Surely I am going to appoint a Caliph in the earth.” After his advent on the earth, Allah has provided a model for him so that all may strive to emulate him.

For further understanding of this concept, let me cite an example. Suppose that a person builds a school and expresses his desire to educate students to become engineers, doctors, specialists, etc in it. After the passage of some time, when one student passes out of this institution, the builder of these schools brings him forward and says, ‘For him only have we built this institution? All our efforts were directed towards this very individual.’

Some of the traditions that explain the virtues of the Holy Prophet (s.a.) and his pure progeny (a.s.) carry a similar meaning. For instance, Allah the Almighty says to the Holy Prophet (s.a.):

« لَولاك ما خَلقتُ الأفلاك ».

“If you were not there, I would not have created the universe.”[8]

Allah the Almighty created Hazrat Adam (a.s.), the father of humanity, as a role model from all aspects and ordered the others to emulate him and strive to be like him. But as time passed, and other human beings tread on the face of the earth, they failed to emulate their role model, as was expected of them for the fulfillment of the divine promise, and much to the disappointment of the righteous. Yet, Allah the Benevolent, by sending the other Prophets (peace be on them) to them, indicates that the appointment of His Caliph on the earth is not rendered null and void. Rather, He would send more such people on the earth, who would not only be like His first Caliph, but more perfect.

Some are of the opinion that such verses are only for the gradual finalization of Allah’s Promise. Hence, in the Holy Quran, first He says,

« إني جاعل في الأرض خليفه ».

“Surely I am going to appoint a Caliph in the earth” and thereafter the Prophets (peace be on them) reminded the people. And when the series of Prophethood reached to Hazrat Dawood (a.s.) and Hazrat Sulayman (a.s.), Allah says,

« وُ لَقد كَتبنا في الزّبورِ من بعدِ الذّكر أنُّ الأرض يُرِثُها عِباديُ الصّالحونُ».

“Surely I have written in the Psalms after the Old Testament that surely the earth, My righteous servants shall inherit it.”[9]

To understand the above verses in their right context and comprehend their relevance, let me cite an example. You loosen the nuts and bolts of this tape-recorder, dismantle it completely, mix it with some additional screws that do not belong to it and tell somebody to assemble it once again in the desired order. Now, if somebody like me, who is totally ignorant about its technicalities, takes it in his hand, he will never manage to sort out its nuts and bolts with the additional screws or assemble it. But if it is given to somebody who is an expert in this field, immediately, he will get on with the task of separating its nuts and bolts with the additional screws and within no time, he will assemble it and hand it over back to you.

Similarly, the Quranic verses concerning Imamat and Qaemiyyat are as scattered as the parts of the tape recorder in the above example. As we are unacquainted with Allah’s Book, we do not know as to which verse talks about Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.). But if we hand over these verses to the one who is well familiar with them, he will bring one verse from the beginning, another from the middle and yet another one from the end. He will place about twenty to thirty verses next to each other in such a manner that they will not be applicable for anybody except the Promised Mahdi (a.t.f.s.).

From such verses, we can select a few. For instance,

« إني جاعل في الأرض خليفه ». Surely I am going to appoint a Caliph in the earth” being one of them. If you ask what this verse means, it will be answered, ‘It means that there must be a divine caliph in the earth.’

The second verse is that very one which has been discussed above and which states that divine promise is definite. For, Allah the Almighty assures,

« وُ لَقد كَتبنا في الزّبورِ مِن بعد الذّكرِ أنُّ الأرض يُرثُها عِباديُ الصّالحون».

“And indeed We have written in the Psalms after the Old Testament (in the various exegesis, the word zikr implies both the Old Testament as well as remembrance-its literal meaning) that the earth, it shall be inherited by My righteous servants.”

So how much of the earth will they inherit? Is it about three hundred or four hundred meters of a land? No, definitely not. It is not talking about just a piece of land but about the whole earth. The definitive article used in the word ‘the earth’ is used to connote the whole in Arabic. Thus, the righteous servants of Allah will inherit the entire earth.

In yet another verse, Allah the Almighty prophesies,

« إنُّ الأرض للّه يورثُها مُن يُشاءُ مِن عباده و العاقبه للمْتّقين ».

“…Surely the earth is for Allah, He causes it to be inherited by anyone of His servants, as He pleases and the hereafter is for the pious ones.”[10]

Here too the servants have been categorized as the righteous and pious servants. The last part of the verse is a pledge where Allah says that this is My promise to you.

It is better to clarify this point over here that some times we speak in general that I will do this work. But at other times, we say it in the form of a vow. We practice this in our daily lives. For instance, one of our friends usually comes to us and says that ‘I intend to invite you’; but this is a general statement. But when? Where? Will he not regret? Thus, it is still not a promise. One day he comes and says, ‘Sir, please note and remember that I intend to invite you.’ Fine, we remember but still he has not taken any commitment from us. But one fine day he comes and takes a promise from us. That is, he says, ‘I want to officially invite you all on such and such day, at such and such time, and in so and so place for dinner.’ These are the three stages of glad tidings.

Of course, it should be known that there are two kinds of prophecies, one is a promise(wa’d) and another is a threat (waeed ). It is certainly better if a threat is not carried out. But if a promise is not fulfilled, it is wrong and evil. In the case of Allah, He has threatened a lot, ‘I will throw you in hell, I will punish you…’ but later, He forgives. On account of His being a Forgiver, maybe He does not carry out His threat. But if He does not fulfill His promise, then it is indeed wrong and evil.

Now, when this is clear, Allah the Almighty, promises,

« وعد الله الذين آمنوا منكم و عملوا الصّالحات ».

“Allah has promised those of you who believe and perform good deeds.” [11]

In the beginning, He said,

« إني جاعل في الأرض خليفه ».

‘Surely I am going to appoint a Caliph in the earth’

But now He says,

« وعد الله الّذين آمنوا منكم و عملوا الصّالحات ليستخلفنهم في الأرض كما استخلف الّذين من قبلهم ».

“Allah has promised those of you who believe and perform good deeds that He will certainly appoint them as heirs in the earth as He has appointed as heirs those before them (one type of such caliphs were Prophets Dawood and Sulayman (a.s.))

« و ليْمكنن لهم دينهم الّذي ارتضي لهم ».

And certainly He will establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them.”

Where in the Holy Quran has this chosen religion been mentioned? It is mentioned in the following verse,

« اليوم اكملت لكم دينكم و اتممت عليكم نعمتي و رضيت لكم الاسلام دينا ».

“Today, I have perfected for you your religion, completed My bounties upon you and chosen for you Islam as a religion.” [12]

So in this verse, it has been explained in clear terms as to which are the religion chosen by Allah for His servants.

Thereafter, He says,“And He will surely convert their fear into security”. What does fear and security imply in this verse? Fear is a general term e.g. fears of hunger, fear of insecurity, fear of world war, fear of an atomic war, etc. All these are fears and hence Allah promises that He will convert their fear into security. In other words, We will change the atmosphere of fear and insecurity into one of security and comfort.

The verse continues,“(as) they worship only Me, do not associate anything with Me. Then whoever disbelieves after that, and then indeed these are the transgressors.”

Therefore, all the above are promises of Allah. Now let us see, whether these statements are definite promises of Allah, tantamount to His Intention, or they are just general statements made by Him. In this regard, there is another verse that pledges,

« وُ نُريد أَن نَمْنُّ علي الّذين استُضعِفوا في الأرضِ و نَجعُلَهْم أئمُّه و نجعلهم الوارثين و نُمكّنُ لهم في الأرض و نُري فِرعون و هامانُ و جْنودُ هْما مِنهْم ما كانوا يُحذرون».

“And We intend to oblige those who have been rendered weak in the earth and that We make them the Imams and We make them the heirs. And We will establish them in the earth and We will show Firaon, Hamaan and their armies what they were dreading from them.” [13]

It should be known that the word “mustaz’af ” does not mean weak. Rather, its true connotation would be those who have become weak willingly and voluntarily or have been rendered weak. For, it is possible that those who have preferred to remain weak willingly could be strong and powerful. (They have preferred being the oppressed one rather than the oppressor.)

The View of Traditions

Traditions narrated from the Holy Prophet (s.a.) in this regard can be classified into three broad categories. The first group of traditions is those that talk about the immediate successor of the Holy Prophet (s.a.). The second group talks about all his successors while the third discusses about his last successor, the reformer of Islam and the promised one of humanity. Under the last category, various topics can be initiated and traditions can be further classified under them.

Initially, it is necessary for us to know that for which type of discussions should we refer to the traditions and on what topics we can rely on them and for what kind of people should these traditions be quoted. For example, can we use traditions as an argument for a youth who cannot digest the concept of longevity of Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) or somebody who thinks that what sort of social problems could be solved by believing in Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.)? Certainly not, because such persons are absolutely unwilling to enter the field of traditions. Their question or skepticism is not related to traditions. Even if we quote two thousand traditions for them to prove longevity, they will raise yet another question: Why have the traditions supported a concept that is contradictory to science and intellect?

Then in what circumstances or on what occasions should we rely on traditions? If we consider the appointment of the Imam to be from Allah’s side and that of His messenger (s.a.), then there is no other way to know who the twelfth Imam except through traditions is. If we consider the Prophet (s.a.) as the final authority in the appointment of his successor and Imam, then the appropriate and scientific way would be to refer to his sayings. And if we desire to know about a person and his biography, then the only way would be to refer to the books of traditions and history. Any other approach would be unscientific and incorrect.

It was necessary to present the above preface because in the past we have encountered such people who have demanded that we prove the existence of Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) through scientific ways and means. And when somebody forwards traditions and quotes from the Prophet (s.a.), they refute it by countering, ‘Mister, tradition is not science. Prove to me scientifically.’ Maybe somebody might attempt to prove the same scientifically for him. But we prefer to avoid this approach and say, ‘Well, you please prove scientifically that you are the son of your father or that Shah Abbas was a Safavi king!’

Of course, the scientific and correct method to prove this would be the books of history and for every subject; the appropriate approach to solve its intricacies and difficulties would be through its own ways, means and references. If we want to establish the geographical location of a particular place, it certainly would not be through physics, chemistry or mathematics but geography. That too, the geography of Iran under the subject of divisions of states and provinces. Therefore, if somebody refers to the geography books, then indeed he has adopted a scientific approach. Similarly, if somebody refers to the books of traditions regarding the appointment of an Imam, then surely his method is right. Principally, this is the only correct procedure in this discussion.

Hence, today if I have brought books of traditions to present before you some of these, it is with the sole purpose of executing a job in a scientific manner and not to show that I am amullah . Why I’m using the wordmullah orsheikh is that because some people have the habit of driving the opponent away by using such terms like ‘don’t be a mullah or don’t be a sheikh’, and say, if you are right, go to the laboratory and prove your theory. But, a laboratory is a place for a different kind of science. Recently, each science has developed its own form of a laboratory and the laboratory for historical discussions is the history books. This only will be the right approach to solve its problems and there is nothing unscientific about it.

After discussing this preface, let us come to the main topic. We said that numerous books have been written about Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) and plenty of traditions have been narrated about him from both Shia as well as Sunni sources. Among the books that have compiled the traditions concerning Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.), is the book of“Muntakhabul Athar fil Imam al-Thaani Ashar ” by Ayatullah Lutfullah Safi Gulpaygani. Firstly, I would state the sources of this book and then present the list of topics, albeit briefly.

Among the references of this book are Saheeh-e-Bukhari, Sunan-e-Abi Dawood, etc. It is worth mentioning that in this book more than 60 sources of the Ahle Sunnat have been used.

This book comprises of ten chapters, altogether and each chapter is further divided into sub-chapters. At the beginning of each chapter and sub-chapter, the author mentions the subject of its discussion.

The first two chapters of this book are as follows:

First Chapter : Contains traditions that state that the Imams (a.s.) are twelve in number.

It is further divided into eight sub-chapters.

Sub-chapter 1: The Imams are twelve in number and the sources used are Saheeh-e-Bukhari, Saheeh-e-Tirmidhi, Saheeh-e-Muslim, Saheeh-e-Abi Dawood, and many other books of Shias and Sunnis.

Sub-chapter 2: The number of Imams (a.s.) is equal to the number of theasbaat (grandsons) andnuqaba (chosen ones) of Bani Israel and thehawariyyoon (companions) of Hazrat Eesa (a.s.). There were twelve grandsons in the Israelites, twelve companions of Hazrat Eesa (a.s.) and twelve Imams (a.s.) in the Islamic nation. Forty traditions have been narrated in this sub-chapter from the narrators of both the major sects.

Sub-chapter 3: The Imams (a.s.) are twelve in number of whom, the first is Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a.s.). It contains 133 traditions along with their references. The references in this sub-chapter are from the likes of Yanaabiul Mawaddah of Qundoozi.

The Holy Prophet (s.a.) said,

« يا علي أنت وصيي, حُربْكُ حُربي و سِلمْكُ سِلمي و أنتَ الامامْ و أبو الأئمهِ الاِحدي عشر الذينُ هْمْ الطَهُّرونُ المُعصومون, و مِنهم المُهديْ الّذي يملأ الأرض قِسطاً و عدلاً ».

“O Ali! You are my successor. Your war is my war and your peace is my peace. You are an Imam and the father of eleven Imams those that are purified and infallible. Among them is Mahdi, one who will fill the earth with justice and equity.”

Sub-chapter 4: The Imams (a.s.) are twelve in number, of whom the first is Ali (a.s.) and the last is Mahdi (a.s.). It is comprised of 91 traditions.

Sub-chapter 5: The Imams (a.s.) are twelve in number, of whom the last is Mahdi (a.s.). It contains 94 traditions like the following one,

The Messenger of Allah (s.a.) said,

« إن اللّه تعالي أخَذ ميثاقي و ميثاقُ اثني عُشرُ إماما بُعدي و هْم حْججْ اللّهِ علي خَلقِه. الثّاني عشر منهم القائمْ الّذي يملأ بهِ الأرضَ قسطاً و عدلا».

“Surely Allah the Almighty took my covenant and the covenant of twelve Imams after me. They are Allah’s proofs upon His creatures. The twelfth among them is the Qaem who will fill the earth with justice and equity.”

Sub-chapter 6: The Imams (a.s.) are twelve in number, of whom nine are the descendants of Imam Husain (a.s.). It is comprised of 139 traditions.

Sub-chapter 7: The Imams (a.s.) are twelve in number, of whom nine are the descendants of Imam Husain (a.s.), with special emphasis on,

« و تاسِعْهْم قائمْهْم و مُهديْهْم». “…the ninth among them is their Mahdi or their Qaem” . It contains 107 traditions.

Sub-chapter 8: It comprises of traditions that prove the existence of the twelve Imams (a.s.) along with their names. That is, we have traditions wherein the Holy Prophet (s.a.) has given the number of Imams (a.s.) to be twelve and also mentioned their names. It’s a very interesting tradition and contains all of their peculiarities and characteristics. It comprises of fifty traditions, the renowned‘Hadith-e-Lauh’ from Jabir Ibn Abdullah being among them and which will be included in our discussion. It is a very reliable tradition and its references are very authentic.

Second Chapter : It comprises traditions that discuss about the reappearance of Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.), his names, attributes, characteristics and glad-tidings. Forty-nine sub-chapters have been discussed in this chapter.

Sub-chapter 1: Regarding the reappearance and uprising of Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) and glad-tidings concerning him. Contains 657 traditions, among the traditions is the one quoted from Saheeh-e-Tirmidhi which says,

« لا تذهبْ الدْنيا حتّي يُملك العرب رجْل‏َُ مِن أهلِ بيتي , يْواطِي ‎ُ اسمْهْ اسمي ».

“The Holy Prophet (s.a.) says, ‘The world will not come to an end till an Arab from my progeny will rule over it. His name will be like my name.”

Thereafter, a similar tradition with resembling wordings is narrated from Saheeh-e-Tirmidhi and Ahmad Ibn Hanbal.

Sub-chapter 2: Regarding the fact that Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) is from the progeny of the Holy Prophet (s.a.) and from his Ahle Bait (a.s.) and off-spring, containing 389 traditions.

Sub-chapter 3: Concerning the fact that the name and agnomen of Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) is akin to that of the Holy Prophet (s.a.) and that he is the most similar of men to the latter. Also, that when he reappears he will act on thesunnah of the Holy Prophet (s.a.). It contains 48 traditions.

Sub-chapter 4: Regarding the qualities of Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) and are comprised of 21 traditions.

Sub-chapter 5: Concerning the fact that Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) is from the children of Ameerul Momineen (a.s.). It contains 214 traditions.

Sub-chapter 6: Pertaining to the reality that Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) is from the children of Hazrat Fatema Zahra (s.a.) and not from any other wife of Ameerul Momineen (a.s.). It is comprised of 192 traditions. Here, the first tradition is from Mustadrakus Saheehain, followed by quotes from Yanaabeeul Mawaddah and Muntakhabo Kanzil Ummal. Thereafter, quotes from Shia books and a few Shia exegesis of Quran are also mentioned.

Sub-chapter 7: Regarding the truth that Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) is from the progeny of Imam Hasan (a.s.) and Imam Husain (a.s.) and it contains 107 traditions.

Sub-chapter 8: That Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) is a descendant of Imam Husain (a.s.). It is comprised of 185 traditions.

Sub-chapter 9: Pertaining to the fact that he is one of the nine Imams (a.s.) from the progeny of Imam Husain (a.s.) and it contains 160 traditions.

Sub-chapter 10: That Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) is the ninth son of Imam Husain (a.s.) and it contains 148 traditions.

Sub-chapter 11: That Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) is the descendant of Ali Ibn Husain (a.s.) and is comprised of 185 traditions.

Sub-chapter 12: That he is the descendant of Imam Baqer (a.s.) and it contains 103 traditions.

Sub-chapter 13: That Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) is the descendant of Imam Sadeq (a.s.) and it consists 103 traditions.

Sub-chapter 14: Regarding the fact that Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) is the sixth descendant of Imam Sadeq (a.s.), comprising 99 traditions.

Sub-chapter 15: That Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) is the descendant of Imam Musa Ibn Jafar (a.s.). It consist 101 traditions.

Sub-chapter 16: Concerning the truth that he is from the progeny of Imam Musa Ibn Jafar (a.s.) and is his fifth descendant. It comprises of 98 traditions.

Sub-chapter 17: That he is the fourth descendant of Imam Reza (a.s.) and it consists 95 traditions.

Sub-chapter 18: Pertaining to the fact that Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) is the descendant of Imam Muhammad Taqi (a.s.) and is his third offspring. It consists of 90 traditions.

Sub-chapter 19: Concerning the truth that Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) is the descendant of Abul Hasan Ali Ibn Muhammad Ibn Ali al-Hadi (a.s.) and comprises of 90 traditions.

Sub-chapter 20: That Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) is the son of Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) and consists 146 traditions.

Sub-chapter 21: Regarding the fact that the name of his father is Hasan (a.s.) and comprises 147 traditions.

Sub-chapter 22: That the mother of Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) is the chief of the maids and the best of them. It consist 9 traditions.

Sub-chapter 23: Contains two traditions stating that wherever there are three names, Muhammad, Ali and Hasan, in sequence, the fourth has to be Hazrat Qaem (a.t.f.s.). That is, Imam Muhammad Taqi (a.s.), Imam Ali Naqi (a.s.) and Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.). This is a tradition from the Holy Prophet (s.a.) wherein he prophesies,

« إذا تَوالَت أربعه أسماء مِنُ الأئمهِ مِن وْلدي, محمد و علي و الحسنْ فُرابِعْها هْوُ القائمْ المأمولُ المنتظَر».

“Whenever the names Muhammad, Ali and Hasan from the Imams from my progeny, are in sequence, then the fourth of them is al-Qaem (a.s.), the Expected, the Awaited.”

Thus, it will not suffice if somebody’s name is Muhammad Ibn Al-Hasan (to claim to be Mahdi). It is essential that his grandfather should be Ali and his great grandfather, Muhammad.

Sub-chapter 24: That Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) is the twelfth and the last Imam. That is, after him there will not be any other Imam. We do not have a thirteenth Imam and he is the seal of the Imams (a.s.). It consists of 137 traditions.

Sub-chapter 25: Regarding the prophesy that he will fill the earth with justice and equity and it comprises 123 traditions.

Sub-chapter 26: That Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) has two occultations. This sub-chapter contains 10 traditions.

Sub-chapter 27: Concerning the fact that Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) will have a long and major occultation till Allah the Almighty permits him to reappear. It comprises 91 traditions.

Sub-chapter 28: Regarding the causes of his occultation and it consists of 7 traditions.

Sub-chapter 29: Pertaining to the benefits of his existence, the method by which people can derive benefits from him in occultation and the modus operandi of Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) in his works. It comprises 7 traditions.

Sub-chapter 30: Concerning longevity and contains 318 traditions.

Sub-chapter 31: That Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) will possess a youthful visage and it comprises 8 traditions.

Sub-chapter 32: Regarding the concealed birth of Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) and it contains 14 traditions.

Sub-chapter 33: Concerning the fact that Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) will not carry the allegiance of anybody on his neck. It consists of 33 traditions.

Sub-chapter 34: That Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) will eliminate the enemies of Allah the Almighty, purify the earth of polytheism, etc. It contains 19 traditions.

All the remaining sub-chapters of this chapter are related to the details of Imam-e-Zaman’s (a.t.f.s.) plan, which is irrelevant to our present discussion.

HADITH-E-LAUH

As stated earlier, among the traditions of this book is the Hadith-e-Lauh of Jaabir or Lauh-e-Hazrat-e-Fatemah (s.a.). It is a tradition that has been relied upon in various Shia books and addresses quite a few problems.

Jaabir Ibn Abdullah Ansari is one of the reliable companions of the Holy Prophet (s.a.), and Shias as well as Sunnis accept his traditions. Incidentally, he lived till the time of Imam Baqer (a.s.) and Imam Sadeq (a.s.). When Imam Baqer (a.s.) questioned him regarding the incident of Lauh, Jaabir explained him thus:

“I hold Allah as Witness that during the life of the Holy Prophet (s.a.), I went to your mother, Hazrat Fatemah (s.a.), to congratulate her on the birth of her son, Imam Husain (a.s.). I saw a green tablet in her hand….I asked, “May my parents be sacrificed for you, O daughter of Allah’s Messenger (s.a.), what is this tablet?” She replied, “Allah the Almighty has gifted His Prophet (s.a.) with this tablet. It bears the names of my father, my husband, my two sons and the names of the Imams (a.s.) from my sons. The Holy Prophet (s.a.) gave me this tablet to give me glad tidings through it.”

Jaabir says, “Your mother gave me this tablet, I read it and copied it down.” Imam Sadeq (a.s.) who was along with his father in this meeting and is the narrator of this tradition, says, “Can you show me your copy?” Jaabir replied in the affirmative. Thereafter, they both went to the house of Jaabir who removed the copy from a leather bag. My father said, ‘O Jaabir, you look in your copy and I will read from mine (in order to tally the two versions).’ Jaabir was checking his copy while my father was reading it and they matched word to word.”

The incident of Jaabir acquiring the Hadith-e-Lauh from Janab-e-Fatemah (s.a.) belongs to 3 A.H. In 10 A.H., the Holy Prophet (s.a.) expired. Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) expired in 40 A.H. Imam Hasan (a.s.) departed from this world in 50 A.H. Imam Husain (a.s.) was martyred in 60/61 A.H. But Jaabir is still alive and on the fortieth day(arbaeen) of his martyrdom, he goes forziyarat-e-arbaeen .

Thereafter, in 85 A.H. (approx.), Imam Sajjad (a.s.) expired and Jaabir who was still alive witnesses the period of Imam Baqer’s (a.s.) Imamate. The aforementioned meeting takes place between them and the authenticity of Jaabir’s copy of Hadith-e-Lauh is established. This tablet has become famous as “Lauh-e-Hazrat-e-Fatemah (s.a.)” because it was gifted to her or as “Lauh-e-Jaabir” because he is the main narrator of this tradition.

From the Shia viewpoint, the oldest book in which this tradition has been narrated is ‘Usul al-Kafi”. And as everyone is aware, this book was written more than eleven hundred years ago.

A person from abroad wrote to one of the scholars from Mashhad, “The present manuscript of al-Kafi that we are having is belonging to the Safavide era. Do you have any idea whether any manuscript of this book that has been written prior to the Safavide era is available? For, if such a manuscript is indeed available then it will dispel the doubt that it was compiled by the scholars of the Safavide reign.” The respected scholar says, “I went and searched in the library of Madrasa-e-Nawwaab of Mashhad and found a copy that was eight hundred years old. Probably, this copy was the oldest available one of al-Kafi in Iran. Perhaps, an older version is available outside Iran.” Anyhow, this tradition has been narrated in Usul al-Kafi as well as in other books.

Now let us see as to what are the contents of this tradition. This tablet was from Allah’s side for His Prophet (s.a.). Initially, some reminders regarding divine recognition are given and thereafter Allah the Almighty says,

« إني لَم أَبعُث نبياً إلّا جُعُلتُ لَهْ وُصيا ».

“Surely I did not raise a Prophet but that I appointed for him a successor.. I have selected your cousin, Ali Ibn Abi Talib as your heir apparent. After him, I will honour you with your two grandsons, Hasan and Husain. The latter will be followed by his son, Ali, the adornment of the worshippers. Then, Muhammad Baqir al-Uloom, the splitter of My knowledge and the treasure chest of My wisdom will follow him. After him, his son Jafar and after him, in a period of utter darkness and deviation, his son, Musa will attain the position of Imamat. He will be followed by his son Ali, who will be martyred by an arrogant demon. He will be buried in a city built by My righteous servant, next to the worst of My creatures (implying Haroon al-Rashid, the Abbaside Caliph because Imam Reza (a.s.) is buried next to his grave).”

Then the Imams (a.s.) after him are mentioned till Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) and then Allah the Almighty says,

« و أكملُ ذلك بِابنِهِ م ح م د ».

“And I will complete this (chain of Imamate) with his son, Meem-Ha-Meem-Daal.”

The alphabets(huruf-e-muqatteaat ) are used because in that period it was prohibited to take the name of Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.). Now, the tablet continues,

« عليه كَمالُ موسي و بُها عيسي و صَبرْ إيوب فَيْذَلُّ أوليائي في زمانِهِ فَيْقتلون و يْحرقون و يُكونون خائِفين مُرعوبينُ وجِلينُ, تُصبُغُ الأرضُ بِدمائِهم و يُفشو الوُيلُ و الرنه في نِسائهِم, اولئكُ أَوليائي حقّا. بِهم أدفَعْ كلَّ فِتنُه عَمياء حِندسٍ و بهِم أكشِفْ الزّلازِلَ و أدفعْ الآصارُ و الأغلال, اُولئكُ عَليهم صَلوات مِن ربهم و رُحمه و اولئك همْ المْهتدون».

“He possesses the perfection of Musa, the brightness of Eesa and the patience of Ayyub. My friends will be degraded in his time (of occultation). They will be killed and burnt and will be in a constant state of fear, apprehension and dread. The earth will be coloured with their blood. Wailing and crying will be aloud among their women. They are My true friends. Through them, I will dispel every dark mischief, remove all tremors because of them, and do away with all doubts, skepticism and chains on account of their blessings. They are those on whom are the blessings and mercy of their Lord and they are the guided ones.”[14]

This tradition is an instance in which the name of Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) and his occultation have been talked about in such an explicit manner. Of course, as stated earlier, there are plenty of traditions in this regard. For example, apart from this Hadith-e-Lauh, Jaabir himself has narrated numerous traditions, of which we explained the aforementioned tradition just as an example.

Thus, we saw in the traditions of the Holy Prophet (s.a.) that while inviting the people towards Prophethood, divine justice, resurrection, and the principle of Imamat, he (s.a.) also introduces a principle in the minds of the Muslims and that is the existence of an unseen reformer. Moreover, he (s.a.) has repeated this concept on various occasions to let the people understand that the belief in Hazrat Mahdi’s (a.t.f.s.) existence is a part of our religious creed.

Aside from the Holy Prophet (s.a.), we see that all the other infallibles (a.s.) have also lend significance to this issue and spoke about it on numerous occasions. Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) says,“Verily, O Allah, the earth cannot be void of a divine proof ”[15] and on another occasion he says, “The Mahdi of this nation is from my descendant .”[16]

When people objected at him for signing the peace treaty with Muaviyah, Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba (a.s.) justified his action in the following words,

« أما علِمتُم أنّه ما مِنّا أحدّ إلّا و يُقَعْ في عْنقِه بُيعهّ لِطاغيهِ زَمانهِ, اِلّا القائمْ الّذي يْصلّي روح اللّه عيسي بنْ مريم خَلفهْ ».

“Do you not know that each one of us (Imams) has to wear the allegiance of the tyrant of his time around his neck, except the Qaem, behind whom Allah’s Spirit, Isa Bin Maryam, will perform namaz?” [17]

Imam Husain (a.s.) has talked about Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) in various places. In the sermon that he delivered in the Umayyide Mosque, Imam Sajjad (a.s.), while enumerating the virtues of the Ahle Bait (a.s.), said,

“…Allah’s Messenger (s.a.), Jafar Tayyar in the heaven, the two grandsons (sibtain) of this nation and the Mahdi, the one who will slay Dajjal, are all from us.”[18]

Evidently, when someone talks about his virtues and merits in front of the opponents, he will make a mention of only those qualities that are accepted by the people. Therefore, it becomes known that just as people were aware of the names, position and status of Jafar-e-Tayyar and Hasanain (a.s.), the principle of Mahdaviyyat was also firmly entrenched in their minds and hence Imam Sajjad (a.s.) has mentioned his name in his speech from the pulpit.

Then, we reach to the times of Imam Muhammad Baqer (a.s.) and Imam Sadeq (a.s.), a period when this discussion truly blossomed. More traditions have been narrated from the former than by the latter. Among the traditions quoted from him is the one by Umme Haani-e-Saqafiyyah. Umme Haani is a lady whose equal can be rarely found today. Of course, even in the times of Imams (a.s.), women like her were few and far between. She narrates: I went to Imam Baqer (a.s.) and said, “O son of Allah’s Messenger! I read a verse from the Holy Quran, which amazed me, no end and has indeed made me restless because I could not follow its meaning?” Imam Baqer (a.s.) asked, “Which is that verse?” Umme Haani responded,

« فلا أقسمْ بِالخُنّس الجُوارِ الكُنّس و اللَّيلِ اِذا عُسعسُ و الصُّبحِ اِذا تَنفّسُ ».

But nay! I swear by the stars, That run their course (and) hide themselves, And the night when it departs, And the morning when it brightens. [19]

What are these stars that will hide themselves and what is this night that will depart?”

Of course, it should be borne in mind that Umme Haani is an Arab lady and is well-versed with the literal meaning of these verses. But what she was not aware and was interested to know was its exposition. Umme Haani says, “I reflected a lot but in vain. In fact, I deliberated upon it the entire night.” Rarely do we find someone who reflects and deliberates upon a verse of Quran for a whole night.

Imam Baqer (a.s.) replied her query thus, “O Umme Haani! You have asked a very good question. (These verses refer to) a child who will be born in the last era.”[20]

Thereafter, Imam (a.s.) begins to enumerate the characteristics of Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.), his advent in the world, illuminating the universe with divine light, occultation, the dark periods of the two occultations, and then once again, his reappearance and its infusion of a new life in the world.

In the times of Imams (a.s.), this matter was discussed under various headings. Both Imam Baqer (a.s.) and Imam Sadeq (a.s.) were asked about it. Sometimes the narrator came in the service of the Imams (a.s.) and asked, ‘Sir, are you Mahdi? Are you Qaem?’ Imam (a.s.) used to reply, ‘All of us will establish Allah’s command’ or ‘All of us guide towards Allah.’[21]

In this regard, we have an interesting tradition from Imam Baqer (a.s.). The story of this tradition runs as follows that Kumait Ibn Zaid Asadi, the famous poet came to Imam Baqer (a.s.) and Imam Sadeq (a.s.) during ayyaam al-beedh[22] .After seeking permission from the Imams (a.s.), he began reciting his poems depicting the oppression inflicted on the Ahle Bait (a.s.) till he reached the following verse:

مُتي يقوم الحق فيكم متي يقوم مهديكم الثاني

“When will the truth rise among you, when

Will the second Mahdi from you, rise.”

Hearing this couplet, Imam (a.s.) retorted, “Soon, if Allah wishes, soon.” Imam (a.s.) continued, “Our Qaem is the ninth descendant of Imam Husain (a.s.). As the Imams (a.s.) after the Holy Prophet (s.a.) are twelve in number, the twelfth is Qaem.”

Kumait asked, “Who are these twelve illustrious personalities?” Imam (a.s.) replied, “The first among them is Ali, followed by Hasan and Husain….”Imam (a.s.) named each Imam till he reached Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) and then, he explained his reappearance and uprising.[23]

Imam Reza (a.s.) too has posted numerous reminders on this subject. Among these is the invocation that he has recommended to be read in the qunootof every Friday prayer. [24] It is as follows:

« اللّهم أصلِح عُبدك و خَليفَتك‏ بِما أصلَحت بِهِ أنبيائكُ و رسلك وُ حفّه بملائكتكُ و أيدهْ بروح القدس من عندك و رْسلكه مِن بينِ يديهِ و مِن خلفِهِ رصداً يحفظونهْ مِن كلِّ سوْءٍ و أبدِلهْ مِن بعد خوفِهِ أمناً يعبْدْك لا يْشركْ بِك شيئاً و لا تجعل لِأحدٍ مِن خلقِك علي وليك سْلطاناً و أذَن لَهْ في جِهاد عدوك و عدوهِ وِ اجعلني مِن إنصارِهِ, إنَّك علي كلِّ شي ءٍ قديرّ ».

“As we reach to the eras of the last Imams (a.s.), viz. Hazrat Jawaad (a.s.), Hazrat Hadi (a.s.) and Hazrat Askari (a.s.), we observe that they have talked at length on this topic. Thus, if we intend to derive an accepted concept and belief from the history of Imams (a.s.), we do not have any topic that has been talked unanimously by all of them more than the subject under discussion. This fact should be borne in mind that these conclusions have been derived only from the available quotes of the Imams (a.s.) and the present books of traditions, notwithstanding the reality that many traditions have not reached unto us.