Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Section Thirty-Seven: The traditions that indicate he will return the people to guidance, the Quran, and the sunna

Comprised of many traditions

682. Nahj al-balāgha1 : One of his sermons, peace be on him, in which he mentioned the bloody battles:

He will direct desires towards guidance while people will have turned guidance towards desires, and he will turn their views to the direction of the Quran while the people will have turned the Quran to their views. [Before this enjoiner of good, matters will deteriorate] until war will rage among you with full force, showing forth its teeth, with udders full of sweet milk but with sour tip.

Beware! It will be tomorrow and the morrow will come soon with things which you do not know. The man in power, not from this crowd, will take to task all those who were formerly appointed for their ill deeds and the earth will pour forth its internal treasures and fling before him easily her keys. He will show you the just way of behavior and revive the Quran and the sunna which have become lifeless [among people].

The topic of this section has been mentioned in numerous narrations. This is because returning the people to the Book [of Allah] and the Sunna is one of the greatest feats of the Mahdī, peace be on him, and one of his main tasks. One can rarely find a tradition that doesn’t directly or indirectly establish this fact.

Thus, only the person who fulfills this promises can be the Mahdī. He will not rise except to establish the Truth and he will not make the people rise but to return them to the Book of Allah and the Sunna of His Prophet. The world will not be filled with justice and fairness except through him. Allah’s affairs will not be manifested and Islam will not defeat the other religions except by the return of the people to Allah’s Book and the Sunna of His Prophet. Reformative actions will not be accomplished but through him and he will not appear, rise, and emerge except for the establishment of the sharia and for the implementation of the laws of Allah and His religion.

Reference

1. Nahj al-balāgha, trans. Sayed Ali Reza (Iran: Sayed Mujtaba Musavi Lari Foundation), sermon 138; Yanābī` al-mawadda, chap. 72, p. 437, which says: “The Mahdī will direct desires...”; Shaykh Muḥammad `Abduh-the Egyptian jurist-and ibn Abī l-Ḥadīd have both stated that this section of Nahj al-balāgha refers to the Mahdī.

Section Thirty-Eight: The traditions that indicate he will take revenge on the enemies of Allah, the enemies of His Messenger, and the enemies of the Imams, peace be on them

Comprised of thirteen traditions

683. Dalā’il al-imāma1 : `Alī b. Hibat-Allah informed me, from Abū Ja`far Muḥammad b. `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn b. Mūsā al-Qummī, from `Alī b. Aḥmad b. Mūsā b. Muḥammad al-Daqqāq and Muḥammad b. Muḥammad b. `Iṣām, from Muḥammad b. Ya`qūb, from al-Qāsim b. al-`Alā, from Ismā’īl al-Fazārī, from Muḥammad b. Jumhūr al-`Ammī, from ibn Abī Najrān, from someone he mentioned, from Abū Ḥamza Thābit b. Dīnār al-Thumālī who said:

I asked Abū Ja`far Muḥammad al-Bāqir, peace be on him,“O Son of Allah’s Messenger! Why was `Alī, peace be on him, given the title of Amīr al-Mu’minīn (the Leader of the Believers) while no one before him had this title and it is not permissible for anyone to have this title after him?” He answered,“Because he is the source of knowledge and from him knowledge must be taken and not from anyone except him.”

I asked,“Why is his sword called Dhū l-Faqār?” He said,“Because he didn’t strike anyone from the people of the world with it but that his family and children lost him [in this world] and he lost Paradise in the hereafter.” I said,“O Son of Allah’s Messenger! Are not all of you the risers with the truth?” He answered,“When my grandfather al-Ḥusayn, peace be on him, was martyred, the angels cried and wailed and said, ‘Our God! Are you going to pardon the one who has killed Your chosen one and the son of Your chosen one and the best one from Your creation?’

So Allah revealed to them, ‘Calm down, O My angels! [I swear] by My Might and My Majesty, I will certainly take revenge on them even after some time passes.’ Then, the Imams from the descendants of al-Ḥusayn were revealed for them. The angels rejoiced because of this and saw one of them standing (qā’iman) and praying. Allah, Glorified be He, said, ‘I will take revenge on them through [the one] that is standing (al-Qā’im).’”

684. Al-Amālī2 : Informed us Muḥammad b. Muḥammad, from Abū l-Ḥasan Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan b. al-Walīd, from his father, from Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-Ṣaffār, from Muḥammad b. `Ubaid, from `Alī b. Asbāṭ, from Saif b. `Umaira, from Muḥammad b. Ḥumrān, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said:

When the events about Imam al-Ḥusayn, peace be on him, occurred, the angels cried to Allah, the Exalted,“O Lord! [You stand aside] and they do this with al-Ḥusayn, Your chosen one and the son of Your Prophet?” So Allah showed them the figure of the Qā’im, peace be on him, and said,“Through him I will take revenge on those who oppressed him.”

685. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī3 : Muḥammad b. Hammām, from Ja`far b. Muḥammad b. Mālik, from Isḥāq b. Sinān, from `Ubaid b. Khārija, from `Alī b. `Uthmān, from furāt b. Aḥnaf, from Abū `Abd-Allah Ja`far b. Muḥammad, from his forefathers, peace be on them, who said:

The (river) Euphrates overflowed during the reign of Amīr al-Mu’minīn, peace be on him. He and his two sons-al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn, peace be on them-mounted and passed by a village. The [villagers] said,“`Alī has come to drive away the water.” `Alī, peace be on him, answered,“By Allah, I and these two sons of mine will be martyred. Then, Allah will send a person from my descendants in the end of times who will avenge our blood (yuṭālibu dimā’anā). He will go in occultation so that the people of deviation will be separated [from the real believers]. [It will continue for so long] until an ignorant will say, ‘The family of Muḥammad are unimportant for Allah.’”

The following traditions also establish the above concept: 109, 255, 258, 266, 270, 293, 305, 424, 432, and 515.

References

1. Dalā’il al-imāma, chap. “Ma`rifat wujūb al-Qā’im...,”, p. 239, no. 14; `Ilal al-sharā’i`, chap. 129, p. 160, no. 1, similar to it, through his chain of narrators from al-Thumālī. After “Don’t all of you rise with the truth?” he writes: “He replied, ‘Yes.’ I asked, ‘Then why is the Qā’im called the Qā’im (the one who will rise)?’ (To the end of the tradition)”; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 37, chap. 54, p. 294, no. 8 (Al-Majlisī has explained this narration after narrating it).

2. Al-Ṭūsī, Al-Amālī, vol. 2, p. 33; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 45, chap. 41, p. 221, no. 3.

3. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī , chap. 10, pp. 140-141, no. 1.

Section Thirty-Nine: The traditions that indicate in him will be customs (sunan) from the Divine Prophets, one of these customs being occultation

Comprised of twenty-three traditions

686. Kamāl al-dīn1 : Al-Sharīf Abū l-Ḥasan `Alī b. Mūsā b. Aḥmad b. Ibrāhīm b. Muḥammad b. `Abd-Allah b. Mūsā b. Ja`far b. Muḥammad b. `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn b. `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib, peace be on them, from Muḥammad b. Hammām, from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. al-Naufalī, from Aḥmad b. Hilāl, from `Uthmān b. `Īsā al-Kilābī, from Khālid b. Najīḥ [Najḥ], from Ḥamzat b. Ḥumrān, from his father, from Sa`īd b. Jubair, from the Master of the Worshippers, `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn b. `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib, peace be on him, who said:

In the Qā’im are customs from seven Prophets: A custom from our father Adam, a custom from Noah, a custom from Abraham, a custom from Moses, a custom from Jesus, a custom from Ayyūb (Job), and a custom from Muḥammad, Allah’s blessings be on them all. As for the [custom] from Adam and Noah, it is longevity. As for Abraham, it is concealed birth and solitude. As for Moses, it is fear and occultation. As for Jesus, it is the disagreement amongst the people about him. As for Ayyūb (Job), it is relief after calamity, and as for Muḥammad, it is emergence with the sword.

687. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī2 : Informed us Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Sa`īd, from Muḥammad b. al-Mufaḍḍal and Sa`dān b. Isḥāq b. Sa`īd, Aḥmad b. al-Ḥusayn and Muḥammad b. Aḥmad b. al-Ḥasan al-Qaṭawānī, all of them from al-Ḥasan b. Maḥbūb, from Hishām b. Sālim al-Jawālīqī, from Yazīd al-Kunāsī, from Abū Ja`far al-Bāqir, peace be on him, who said:“The Master of this affair will have a similarity with Yūsuf. He will be the son of a dark-skinned slave-maid and Allah will set right his affairs in one night.”

688. Kamāl al-dīn3 : Narrated to us my father [and Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan], may Allah be satisfied with him, from Sa`d b. `Abd-Allah, from al-Mu`allā b. Muḥammad al-Baṣrī, from Muḥammad b. Jumhūr and others, from [Muḥammad] b. Abī `Umair, from `Abd-Allah b. Sinān who said:

I heard (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, say,“In the Qā’im, there is a custom from Moses, son of `Imrān, peace be on him.” I asked,“What is the custom from Moses, son of `Imrān?” He replied,“His concealed birth and his occultation from his people.” I asked,“How long was Moses, son of `Imrān, occulted from his nation and his family?” He replied,“Twenty-eight years.”

689. Kamāl al-dīn4 : Narrated to us al-Muẓaffar b. Ja`far b. al-Muẓaffar al-`Alawī, may Allah be satisfied with him, from Ja`far b. Muḥammad b. Mas`ūd, from his father Muḥammad b. Mas`ūd al-`Ayyāshī, from `Alī b. Muḥammad b. Shujā`, from Muḥammad b. `Īsā, from Yūnus, from `Alī b. Abī Ḥamza, from Abū Baṣīr, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said:

In the Master of this affair are customs from the prophets; a custom from Moses, son of `Imrān, a custom from Jesus, a custom from Yūsuf, and a custom from Muḥammad, Allah’s blessings be on them. As for the custom from Moses, son of `Imrān, he will be fearful and watchful. As for the custom from Jesus, it will be said about him what was said about Jesus. As for the custom from Yūsuf, it is the screen that Allah will put between him and the people as a covering; they will see him but will not recognize him. As for the custom from Muḥammad, Allah's blessings be on him and his family, he will guide with his guidance and will follow his ways.

690. Al-Imāma wa l-tabṣira5 : `Abd-Allah b. Ja`far al-Ḥimyarī, from Muḥammad b. `Īsā, from Sulaimān b. Dāwūd, from Abū Baṣīr, from Abū Ja`far, peace be on him, who said:

In the master of this affair, there are four customs from four Prophets: a custom from Moses, a custom from Jesus, a custom from Yūsuf, and a custom from Muḥammad, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family. As for the custom from Moses, he will be fearful and watchful. As for the custom from Yūsuf, it is imprisonment. As for the custom from Jesus, it will be said,“He has died,” but he would be alive. As for the custom from Muḥammad, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, it is the sword.

691. Ithbāt al-waṣiyya6 : Al-Ḥimyarī, from Muḥammad b. `Īsā, from Sulaimān b. Dāwūd, from Abū Naṣr [or Abū Baṣīr], from (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him, who said:

In the Master of this affair, there are four customs from four Prophets: A custom from Moses [which is] his occultation; a custom from Jesus concerning his fear and his watchfulness regarding the Jews and them saying that he has died, whilst he hadn’t died, [and them saying] he has been killed, whilst he hadn’t been killed; a custom from Yūsuf concerning his handsomeness and his generosity; and a custom from Muḥammad, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, is the sword with which he will emerge.

The following traditions also establish the above concept: 69, 249, 286, 540, 553, 557, 564, 575, 620, 626, 628, 632, 641, 642, 644, 645, and 650.

References

1. Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, chap. 31, p. 321, no. 3; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, sect. 5, p. 466, no. 124, with slight variations; I`lām al-warā, chap. 2, sect. 2, which says, “Customs from six Prophets” instead of “From seven Prophets.” It also says: “A custom from Noah” instead of “A custom from our father Adam, a custom from Noah”; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 13, p. 217, no. 4.

2. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 10, p. 163, no. 3; Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, chap. 32, p. 329, no. 12; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 13, p. 218, no. 8; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, sect. 5, p. 469, no. 135, citing Kamāl al-dīn with the wording: “In the master of this affair is a custom from Yūsuf [the son of a slave-maid], Allah will set right his affairs in a single night.

The author of Biḥār al-anwār writes: “His saying, ‘the son of a black slave-maid’ apparently contradicts the numerous narrations that mention the attributes of his mother, peace be on him, except if mother is interpreted as his grandmother.”

I say: This sentence does not exist in the copy of the Persian translation of Kamāl al-dīn nor in the Najaf edition printed in the year 1389 AH, p. 320. See vol. 1, p. 445. This is in addition to the fact that his similarity with Yūsuf was in occultation and imprisonment. It is probable that something has been added to the tradition and Allah knows the best.

3. Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 33, p. 340, no. 18; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 13, p. 216, no. 2; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, sect. 5, pp. 471-472, no. 147.

4. Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 2, chap. 33, p. 350, no. 46; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 13, pp. 223-224, no. 10, which says: “custom from the prophets”; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, sect. 5, p. 474, no. 159.

5. Al-Imāma wa l-tabṣira, pp. 93-94, no. 84; Ghaybat al-Shaykh, p. 424, no. 408, which says: “And as for the custom from Yūsuf, peace be on him, it is occultation” and on p. 60, no. 57, he has mentioned “imprisonment” which probably refers to occultation; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 32, sect. 12, p. 499, no. 277, and chap. 32, sect. 5, p. 460, no. 101; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 13, pp. 216-217, no. 3; Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, chap. 6, pp. 152-153, no. 16, which says: “and imprisonment,” and also vol. 1, chap. 32, pp. 326-327, no. 6, which says: “confinement.”

6. Ithbāt al-waṣiyya (first edition), p. 202.

Section Forty: The traditions that indicate he will rise with the sword

Comprised of ten traditions

692. Kamāl al-dīn1 : Narrated to me my father, may Allah be satisfied with him, from Sa`d b. `Abd-Allah, from Muḥammad b. al-Ḥusayn b. Abī l-Khaṭṭāb, from al-Ḥasan b. Maḥbūb, from `Alī b. Ri’āb, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, concerning the saying of Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He,“On the day when some of the signs of your Lord will come, becoming a believer will be of no use to he who hadn’t already believed.” 2 He said:“Signs [refers to] the Imams and the awaited sign is the Qā’im, peace be on him. On that day, becoming a believer will be of no use for anyone who had not become a believer before the rising of the Qā’im with the sword, even if he had believed in his forefathers, peace be on them.”

693. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī3 : `Alī b. al-Ḥusayn, from Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā al-`Aṭṭār, from Muḥammad b. Ḥasan al-Rāzī, from Muḥammad b. `Alī al-Kūfī, from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Abī Naṣr, from `Abd-Allah b. Bukair, from his father, from Zurāra who said:

I asked (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him,“Name for me the Righteous from the righteous ones [and] I mean the Qā’im, peace be on him.” He replied,“His name is my name.” I asked,“Will he follow the customs of Muḥammad, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family?” He answered,“No, no, o Zurāra! He will not follow his customs.” I asked,“May I be sacrificed for you! Why?” He replied,“The Messenger of Allah adopted the path of gentleness in his nation and was very friendly towards the people. But the Qā’im will adopt the path of killing. He is ordered to adopt the path of killing in the book which is with him. He will not seek repentance from anyone. Woe to he who opposes him!” 4

694. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī5 : Informed us Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Sa`īd b. `Uqda, from `Alī b. al-Ḥasan, from Muḥammad b. Khālid, from Tha`labat b. Maimūn, from al-Ḥasan b. Hārūn who said:

I was sitting with (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, when Mu`allā b. Khunais asked him,“When the Qā’im appears, will his approach differ from that of `Alī?” He replied,“Yes. Because `Alī, peace be on him, adopted the path of kindness and restraint; because he knew that his followers would be dominated after him. But when the Qā’im rises, he will adopt the approach of sword and captivity; because he will know that his followers will never be dominated [by anyone] after him.”

695. Tafsīr al-Qurtubī6 : Concerning the saying of Allah, the Exalted:“And most certainly We will make them taste the lower chastisement before the greater chastisement,” 7 he has narrated from Ja`far b. Muḥammad, [peace be on him], that“it [i.e. the greater chastisement] refers to the emergence of the Mahdī with the sword and the lower chastisement refers to high prices.”

In Tafsīr al-Ālūsī these words have been used:“From Ja`far b. Muḥammad, may Allah be satisfied with him: ‘It refers to the emergence of the Mahdī with the sword.’”

696. Al-Kāfī8 : Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā, from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. `Īsā, from ibn Maḥbūb, from Hishām b. Sālim, from Abū Khālid al-Kabulī, from (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him, who mentions that they saw in the Book of `Alī:

“The land belongs to Allah; He will [give it as] inheritance to whoever He wishes from His servants, and the end belongs the pious (al-muttaqīn)” (Quran 7:128) , I and my Ahl al-Bait are those whom Allah will give them the earth as inheritance and we are the pious(al-muttaqūn) . All the earth belongs to us.

Whoever from the Muslims enlivens a piece of land and inhabits it, should pay its tax to the Imam from my Ahl al-Bait and what he eats from it [remains] for him. If he abandons it or spoils it and another person from the Muslims takes it, inhabits it, and gives life to it, then the latter has more right over it than the former who has abandoned it.

The latter should pay its tax to the Imam from my Ahl al-Bait and whatever he eats from it [remains] for him. [This will apply] until the Qā’im from my Ahl al-Bait appears with the sword. He will take over all the [lands], deprive [their inhabitants] of them, and [force the inhabitants] out of [the lands] just as the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, took over [the lands] and deprived [their inhabitants] of them. [The only exception] will be the possessions of our Shias(shī`atunā) . He will leave them with what they possess and will leave the earth in their hands.

The following traditions also prove the above concept: 423, 426, 572, 713, and 715.

References

1. Kamāl al-dīn, vol. 1, p. 8, and vol. 2, p. 336; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, chap. 5, p. 51, no. 25; Yanābī` al-mawadda, chap. 71, p. 422.

2. Quran 6:158.

3. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 13, p. 231, no. 14; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 7, chap. 32, sect. 27, pp. 77-78, no. 500; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 52, chap. 26, p. 353, no. 109.

4. There is no contradiction between this tradition and those that indicate he will follow the customs of the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family. For, when it is said he will follow his customs, it means he will rise with the sword, which differs from Jesus’ approach from amongst the prophets. His similarity to him, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, is in destroying the signs of disbelief, and ending wicked habits and false regulations and the laws that will appear in the end of times.

5. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. 13, p. 232, no. 16; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 52, chap. 26, p. 353, no. 111; `Ilal al-sharā’i`, vol. 1, p. 210, with some variations in the chain of narrators; Ḥilyat al-abrār, vol. 2, pp. 628-629.

6. Tafsīr al-Qurtubī (al-Jāmi` li-aḥkām al-Quran), vol. 14, p. 107; Tafsīr al-`Ālūsī (Rūḥ al-ma`ānī), vol. 21, p. 121; Rūḥ al-bayān, vol. 21, p. 124, from al-Lubāb from Tafsīr al-Naqqāsh: “The lower [chastisement] will be high prices and the greater [chastisement] will be the reappearance of the Mahdī with the sword”; Tafsīr al-tibyān, vol. 8, p. 306, from Ja`far b. Muḥammad, peace be on him: “The lower punishment will be famine and the greater will be the emergence of the Mahdī with the sword”; Al-Maḥajja, p. 173, from al-Mufaḍḍal b. `Umar: “Lower refers to the punishment in the grave and greater refers to the Mahdī with the sword”; From Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-Shaibānī in Kashf al-Bayān: “Lower refers to famine and drought and greater refers to the emergence of the Riser, al-Mahdī, with the sword in the end of times”; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 51, p. 59, and Ta’wīl al-āyāt al-ẓāhira, p. 437: “Lower chastisement refers to high prices while greater refers to [the reappearance of] the Mahdī with the sword; It has been mentioned in Ilzām al-Nāṣib that “Lower refers to the punishment in Hell and greater refers to [the emergence] of the Mahdī, peace be on him, with the sword in the end of times.”

I say: It is legitimate to interpret ‘lower punishment’ as famine and other things that will take place before the appearance of the Mahdī-may my mother and father be sacrificed for him-and it being one of its examples. Such an interpretation will not contradict the other interpretations which can be found in various exegeses. Likewise, it is legitimate to interpret ‘the greater chastisement’ as his reappearance with the sword or another event, because it is one of its examples. There is no contradiction with this interpretation and with interpreting the major chastisement as the punishment of the Hereafter. Moreover, when the commentators have differences about the interpretation of the verses, what should be relied upon is what has been narrated from of the Ahl al-Bait, peace be on them, just as we have explained in our book Amān al-umma min al-ḍalāl wa l-ikhtilāf.

7. Quran 32:21.

8. Al-Kāfī, vol. 1, chap. “The entire earth belongs to the Imam,” pp. 407-408, no. 1; Tafsīr nūr al-thaqalain, vol. 2, p. 56, no. 222, under the commentary of Sura al-A`rāf; Tafsīr al-`Ayyāshī, vol. 2, p. 25, no. 66; Tafsīr al-Ṣāfī, vol. 2, p. 228, under the commentary of Sura al-A`rāf; Tafsīr al-burhān, vol. 2, p. 28, under the commentary of Sura al-A`rāf; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 100, chap. 9, p. 58, no. 2.

Section Forty-One: The traditions that indicate the people will assist his government

Comprised of three traditions

697. Sunan ibn Māja1 : Narrated to us Ḥarmalat b. Yaḥyā al-Miṣrī and Ibrāhīm b. Sa`īd al-Jauharī, from Abū Ṣāliḥ `Abd al-Ghaffār b. Dāwūd al-Ḥarrānī, from Abū Lahī`a, from Abū Zur`a Amr b. Jābir al-Ḥaḍramī, from `Abd-Allah b. al-Ḥarth b. Jaz’ al-Zubaidī, from the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, who said:“A [group of] people will emerge from the East and will prepare for the Mahdī-meaning his government.”

698. Sunan Abī Dāwūd2 : From Hārūn, from `Amr b. Abī Qays, from Muṭarrif b. Ṭarīf, from Abū l-Ḥasan, from Hilāl b. `Amr, from `Alī, may Allah be satisfied with him, from the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, who said:

A person will emerge from Mā Warā’ al-Nahr. He will be called al-Ḥārith b. al-Ḥarrāth; in the vanguard [of his army] will be a person called Manṣūr. He will organize or prepare for the family of Muḥammad just as the Quraish prepared for the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him [and his family]. It is compulsory for every believer to assist him-or he said-to respond to his [call].

Tradition no. 720 also establishes the above concept.

References

1. Sunan ibn Māja, vol. 2, chap. “The emergence of the Mahdī,” p. 1368, citing Kitāb al-fitan, chap. 34, no. 4088; `Iqd al-durar, chap. 5, p. 125, citing Sunan ibn Māja and al-Bayhaqī. He has also recorded it in al-Tadhkira, p. 240, from Abū Dāwūd with the difference: “they will prepare for the Mahdī the throne of his kingdom”; Farā’id al-simṭain, vol. 2, chap. 61, p. 333; al-Ṭabarānī, al-Mu`jam al-ausaṭ, vol. 1, p. 200, no. 287, with minor variation; al-Munār al-munīf, sect. 50, p. 145, no. 332; Nihāyat al-bidāya wa l-nihāya, vol. 1, p. 41; al-Burhān fī `alāmāt Mahdī ākhir al-zamān, chap. 7, p. 147, no. 2, which says: “they will prepare for the Mahdī his kingdom”; Mukhtaṣar tadhkirat al-Qurtubī by al-Sha`rānī, p. 40, which says “they will prepare for the Mahdī the throne of his kingdom”; al-Idhā`a, p. 124; Kanz al-`ummāl, vol. 14, p. 263, no. 38657; Majma` al-zawā’id, vol. 7, p. 318, and many more references.

2. Sunan Abī Dāwūd, vol. 4, “Kitāb al-Mahdī,” pp. 108-109, no. 4290; Maṣābīḥ al-sunna, vol. 2, p. 194; `Iqd al-durar, chap. 5, p. 130, citing Abū Dāwūd, Sunan al-Nisā’ī, al-Bayhaqī, and al-Maṣābīḥ; Jam` al-jawāmi`, vol. 1, p. 997, citing Abū Dāwūd; al-Tadhkira, p. 240, with the difference: “a person from the ministers of al-Mahdī will emerge who will be called al-Ḥarth b. al-Ḥarrāth” and “or he said-to help him”; Yanābī` al-mawadda, chap. 72, p. 430; al-Tāj al-Jāmi` lil-uṣūl, vol. 5, p. 344, and many other references.

Section Forty-Two: The traditions that indicate his character and approach

Comprised of forty-seven narrations

699. Al-Fitan1 : Narrated to us Abū Mu`āwiya, from Dāwūd, from Abū Naḍra, from Abū Sa`īd, may Allah be satisfied with him, from the Holy Prophet, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, who said:“In the end of times a Caliph will emerge [who] will distribute wealth without counting [it].”

700. Al-Fitan2 : Narrated to us `Abd al-Razzāq, from Mu`ammar, from Qatāda, from the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him [and his family], who said:“He will bring out the treasures, will distribute wealth, and will correctly establish Islam.”

701. Al-Fitan3 : Narrated to us al-Walīd, from Sa`īd, from Qatāda, from Abī Naḍra, from Abū Sa`īd al-Khudrī, may Allah be satisfied with him, who said:“He will give away wealth abundantly and will not even count it. He will fill the earth with justice just as it will be filled with injustice and unfairness.”

702. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī4 : Informed us `Abd al-Wāḥid b. `Abd-Allah b. Yūnus, from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Rabāḥ, from Aḥmad b. `Alī al-Ḥimyarī, from al-Ḥasan b. Ayyūb, from `Abd al-Karīm b. `Amr, from Aḥmad b. al-Ḥasan b. Abān, from `Abd-Allah b. `Aṭā’ al-Makkī, who asked a Shaykh from the scholars, meaning, (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him,“What will be the approach of the Mahdī (sīratuh)?” He replied,“He will act like the Messenger of Allah, Allah's blessings be on him and his family. He will destroy all that was before him just as the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, destroyed the affairs of ignorance (amr al-jāhiliyya). He will re-establish Islam from the beginning.” 5

703. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī6 : Informed us Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Sa`īd, from `Alī b. al-Ḥasan, from his father, from Rifā`at b. Mūsā, from `Abd-Allah b. `Aṭā’ who said:

I asked (Imam) Abū Ja`far al-Bāqir, peace be on him,“When the Qā’im rises, what will be his approach towards the people?” He replied,“Like the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, he will destroy what was before [him]; and he will re-establish Islam from the beginning.”

704. Qurb al-isnād7 : Hārūn b. Muslim, from Mas`adat b. Ziyād, from Ja`far, from his father who said:“The Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family... said, ‘When our Qā’im rises fiefdom will vanish and no fiefs will remain.’”

705. Al-Kāfī8 : `Alī b. Ibrāhīm, from his father, from ibn Abī `Umair, from Manṣūr, from Faḍl al-A`war, from Abū `Ubaida al-Ḥadhdhā’, in a hadith from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah Ja`far b. Muḥammad al-Ṣādiq, peace be on him, who said:“O Abū `Ubaida! When the Qā’im from the family of Muḥammad, peace be on them, rises, he will judge like [the Prophets] David and Solomon. That is, he will not ask for evidence.” 9

706. Al-Kāfī10 : Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā, from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad, from Muḥammad b. Sinān, from Abān, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said:“The world will not come to an end until a person from me emerges. He will judge like the judgments of the family of David. He will not ask for evidence and will give everyone their rights.”

707. Al-Kāfī11 : Isḥāq narrates from al-Ḥasan b. Ẓarīf that

Two issues were making me restless and I intended to write about them to (Imam) Abū Muḥammad, peace be on him. I wrote to him and asked him how the Qā’im, peace be on him, would judge and where he would seat for judging between the people. I also intended to ask him for a [medicine] for Quartan fever12 but I forgot to do so.

He replied like this:“You asked about the Qā’im, then [know] that when he rises, he will judge amongst the people by his knowledge-like how David used to judge, without asking for evidence. You also intended to ask about Quartan fever but forgot. Write on a piece of paper [the following verse] and hang it on the person who has this fever and he will soon be cured with Allah’s permission, if Allah pleases, ‘O fire, be cold and safe on Ibrāhīm.’” We hung it on him as (Imam) Abū Muḥammad, peace be on him, had ordered and he was healed.

708. Al-Tahdhīb13 : Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-Ṣaffār, from Muḥammad b. al-Ḥusayn ibn Abī al-Khaṭṭāb, from Ja`far b. Bashīr and Muḥammad b. `Abd-Allah b. Hilāl, from al-`Alā’ b. Razīn al-Qallā, from Muḥammad b. Muslim who said:

I asked (Imam) Abū Ja`far, peace be on him,“When the Qā’im-may Allah hasten his relief-rises, what will be his approach towards the people?” He replied,“He will adopt the approach of the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, until Islam becomes victorious.” I enquired,“What was the approach of the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family?” He replied,“He extinguished what prevailed during the time of ignorance (al-jāhiliyya) and dealt with the people with justice. The same applies to the Qā’im. He will remove the un-Islamic laws that will prevail [during the occultation, because of a lack of a true Islamic government] and will deal with the people justly.”

709. Al-Tahdhīb14 : Muḥammad b. Ismā’īl b. Bazī`, from Ḥamzat b. Zaid, from `Alī b. Suwayd, from (Imam) Abū l-Ḥasan Mūsā, peace be on him, who said:

When our Qā’im rises, he will call out,“O horsemen! Tread on the middle of the road. O pedestrians! walk on the two sides of the road.” Then, if any rider goes to the roadside and hurts a pedestrian, he will have to compensate [the pedestrian, i.e. pay diya to him], but if a pedestrian walks in the middle of the road and is hurt, then he will not be compensated.

710. Al-Tahdhīb15 : From him [meaning Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-Ṣaffār], from Ya`qūb, from al-Ḥasan b. `Alī b. Faḍḍāl, from Shu`ayb al-Aqarqūfū, from Abū Ḥamza al-Thumālī, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said:

The earth will not survive unless if there is a learned person from us who can distinguish the truth from falsehood within it. The purpose of dissimulation(al-taqiyya) is to safeguard the blood [of the Shias]. When dissimulation(al-taqiyya) reaches the [threshold of] bloodshed, then [at that time] it should be put aside. By Allah! If you are called to help us you will say,“We will not do so because we are dissimulating.” Dissimulation is indeed dearer to you than you fathers and mothers. When the Qā’im, peace be on him, rises, he will not be in need to ask you about this. Indeed, he will carry out Allah’s punishments(ḥadd) on most of the hypocrites from amongst you.

711. Al-Tahdhīb16 : From him [meaning al-Ḥusayn b. Sa`īd], from al-Naḍr b. Suwayd, from `Abd-Allah b. Sinān, from his father who said:

I asked (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him,“I have a piece of land that was taken as tax [from someone else and given to me by the government] and I don’t have a good feeling towards it. Should I abandon it?” He was silent for a while, then said,“When our Qā’im rises, you will be granted much more land than that.” He continued,“When our Qā’im rises, the people will have better than their current properties.”

712. Al-Khiṣāl17 : My father, Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan, and Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā al-`Aṭṭār, may Allah be satisfied with them, from Sa`d b. `Abd-Allah, from Muḥammad b. al-Ḥusayn b. Abī l-Khaṭṭāb, from Mūsā b. Sa`dān, from `Abd-Allah b. al-Qāsim al-Ḥaḍramī, from Mālik b. `Aṭiyya, from Abān b. Taghlib, from (Imam) Abū `Abd-Allah, peace be on him, who said:

Soon, three hundred and thirteen men will come to this Mosque of yours-meaning Mecca. The people of Mecca will know that these people are not from them. With them will be swords and on each sword will be scribed a word which will open up a thousand words. They will send the wind and it will call out in every valley,“This is the Mahdī. He will judge like the judgments of the family of David; he will not ask for evidence.”

The following traditions also establish the above concept: 344, 345, 346, 368, 383, 403, 405, 419, 425, 426, 432, 466, 481, 484, 535, 583, 682, 689, 692-695, 713-718, 719, 726, 732, 1115, and 1199.

References

1. Al-Fitan, vol. 5, p. 191.

2. Al-Fitan, vol. 5, p. 192; al-Malāḥim wa l-fitan, chap. 146, p. 69, which mentions ‘Mu`ammar b. Qatāda’ which is wrong.

3. Al-Fitan, vol. 5, p. 192; al-Malāḥim wa l-fitan, chap. 147, p. 69; Ḥilyat al-abrār, vol. 2, chap. 54, p. 713, no. 99. He writes: “This tradition is established and correct”; Ḥāfiẓ Muslim has recorded it in his Ṣaḥīḥ and has written “a caliph from your caliphs,” and he has not recorded the end of the tradition; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, vol. 18, “Kitāb al-Fitan,” p. 39, which says: “from your caliphs is a caliph who will give away wealth abundantly.” He too, has not recorded the end of the tradition.

4. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. “What has been narrated about his attributes and his approach,” p. 230, no. 13; Ḥilyat al-abrār, vol. 2, chap. 37, pp. 627-628.

5. In this tradition and others, ‘all that was before him’ refers to all the evil traditions, condemnable habits, false foundations, and deficient and tyrannical laws that will appear in the end of times. “He will re-establish Islam from the beginning,” means he will call upon the people to acknowledge and practice what has been taught in the sharia.

6. Ghaybat al-Nu`mānī, chap. “What has been narrated about his attributes,” p. 232, no. 17; Ḥilyat al-abrār, vol. 2, chap. 37, p. 69.

7. Qurb al-isnād, p. 39.

8. Al-Kāfī, vol. 1, p. 397, no. 1; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 23, chap. 4, pp. 85-86, no. 28, which ends like this: “he will not ask people for evidence”; Baṣā’ir al-darajāt, chap. 15, p. 259, no. 3, which ends like this: “he will not ask people for evidence”; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 7, chap. 32, p. 45, no. 404; al-Kharā’ij wa l-jarā’iḥ, vol. 2, p. 861, under no. 77, which ends like this: “he will not ask people for evidence.”

9. It is appropriate here to answer the objection raised by some those who oppose us, which is as follows: The Muslims are unanimous that there will be no prophet after the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, but you Shias think that when the Qā’im rises, he will not accept the jizya from the People of the Book, he will kill all those who have attained the age of twenty but have failed to acquire deep knowledge in religion, will destroy all the mosques and shrines, will judge like the Prophet David and will not ask for evidence, and etc. All of these are an abrogation of the Islamic sharia. A group of scholars have answered this objection in their books. We will suffice here with the reply given by the majestic scholar al-Shaykh al-Ṭabrisī in his book I`lām al-warā. He writes: “We don’t believe in what has been mentioned in the question that he will not accept the jizya from the Peoples of the Book and will kill all those who have attained the age of twenty but have failed to acquire deep knowledge in religion. Because they have been mentioned in a tradition whose correctness has not been proved. As for the destruction of the mosques and the shrines, then we too have heard about that. It is legitimate to confine this to those mosques and shrines that have been built without having Allah in mind and in opposition to the commands of Allah. This is perfectly legal and is what the Prophet did himself. As for him judging like David (and) not asking for evidence, again this has not been mentioned [in a correct tradition]. If it is correct, then it means that he will judge using his knowledge. For, when an Imam or a judge knows about an affair, then he must judge according to his knowledge without asking for any evidence. There is absolutely no abrogation of the Sharia in these. Even if what they say about him neither accepting the jizya nor asking for evidence is correct, then that will also not be an abrogation of the Sharia. Because, an abrogating law is the one that comes after the abrogated one and not at the same time with it. If they exist together, then one will not be abrogating the other even if they are apparently contradictory to each other in judgment. Therefore, we agree that if Allah had said, ‘You restrict yourself until such and such time and not thereafter,’ then this will not be abrogation because the removal factor is accompanied with the obliging factor. If this statement is correct and the Holy Prophet, Allah’s blessings be on him and his family, has informed us that it is obligatory to follow and agree with the Qā’im from his progeny, then we have to follow what judgment he passes concerning us even if it is contradictory to some of the earlier laws and no abrogation will have occurred.”

10. Al-Kāfī, vol. 1, pp. 397-398, no. 2.

11. Al-Kāfī, vol. 1, p. 509, no. 13; al-Irshād, p. 343, with the difference that it says: “He said, ‘Narrated to me al-Ḥusayn b. Ẓarīf.’” The following section has not been recorded in

it: “and he will soon be cured with Allah’s permission, if Allah so pleases.”; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 3, chap. 31, p. 403, no. 15; Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 95, chap. 55, pp. 66-67, no. 46, and vol. 50, chap. 3, p. 264, no. 24; al-Manāqib by ibn Shahr Āshūb, vol. 4, p. 431 (short version); al-Kharā’ij wa l-jarā’iḥ, vol. 1, pp. 431-432, no. 10; Kashf al-ghumma, vol. 2, p. 413; I`lām al-warā, p. 357; al-Da`awāt by Quṭb al-Dīn al-Rāwandī, p. 209, no. 567.

12. A mild form of malaria causing a fever that recurs every third day (Concise Oxford English Dictionary).

13. Al-Tahdhīb, vol. 6, chap. “The Imam’s attitude,” p. 154, no. 1 (270); Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 6, sect. 2, chap. 32, p. 377, no. 76.

14. Al-Tahdhīb, vol. 10, chap. 28, p. 314, no. 10 (1169); Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 6, chap. 32, sect. 2, p. 379, no. 81 (short version).

15. Al-Tahdhīb, vol. 6, chap. 79, p. 172, no. 13 (335).

16. Al-Tahdhīb, vol. 7, p. 149, no. 6 (660); Ithbāt al-hudāt, chap. 32, sect. 2, vol. 6, no. 78.

17. Al-Khiṣāl, vol. 2, p. 649, no. 43; Ithbāt al-hudāt, vol. 6, chap. 32, sect. 8, p. 455, no. 261, and vol. 7, pp. 91-92, no. 539, with variations in context and chain of narrators. The same has been recorded in Ghaybat al-Nu’mānī, pp. 314-315, no. 7.