Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

5. The Black Flags From Khurasan

In the last chapter, we analyzed the sahih Sunni hadith of Thawban which establishes that the army of the Mahdi, ‘alaihi al-salam, will march from “the Eastern towns” (as explained by Ibn Kathir), and will fight and kill other Muslims in a way no nation had ever done to them. So, what are these Eastern towns? Dr. al-Bastawi copies a hadith that gives their name:

عن عبد الله قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: إذا أقبلت الرايات السود من خراسان فائتوها فإن فيها خليفة الله المهدي "

Narrated ‘Abd Allah (b. Mas’ud):

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “When the black flags come from Khurasan, go to them, for among them is the khalifah of Allah, the Mahdi.”1

After thoroughly examining the narrators of its isnad, he concludes:

وعلى هذا فهذا الإسناد صالح للاستشهاد ولا سيما وأن متنه قد ورد من طريق آخر عن ثوبان رضي الله عنه بسند حسن. وبذلك يصبح هذا الحديث حسنا لغيره

Based upon this, then this chain is fit to be used as a shahid (support), especially since its text has been narrated through another chain from Thawban, may Allah be pleased with him, with a hasan chain. With that, this hadith becomes hasan li ghayrihi.2

The Sahabi, Thawban, also confirmed this exact identity of the Eastern towns in one of his personal statements. Imam al-Hakim (d. 403 H) documents:

أخبرنا الحسين بن يعقوب بن يوسف العدل ثنا يحيى بن أبي طالب ثنا عبد الوهاب بن عطاء أنبأ خالد الحذاء عن أبي قلابة عن أبي أسماء عن ثوبان رضي الله عنه قال إذا رأيتم الرايات السود خرجت من قبل خراسان فأتوها ولو حبوا فإن فيها خليفة الله المهدي

Al-Hasan b. Ya’qub b. Yusuf - Yahya b. Abi Talib - ‘Abd al-Wahhab b. ‘Aṭa - Khalid al-Hadha - Abu Qilabah - Abu Asma - Thawban, may Allah be pleased with him:

“When you see the black flags coming out from the direction of Khurasan, then go to them even if you have to crawl, for verily among them is the khalifah of Allah, the Mahdi.”3

Al-Hakim then says:

هذا حديث صحيح على شرط الشيخين

This hadith is sahih upon the standard of the two Shaykhs.4

Imam al-Dhahabi (d. 748 H), on his part, keeps silent on the riwayah. This hadith, although mawquf, has the status (hukm) of a marfu’ report. This is because it mentions a matter of the unseen (al-ghayb), which the Sahabi could have gotten only from the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi.

Imam al-Maruzi (d. 229 H) has recorded the same narration:

حدثنا أبو نصر الخفاف عن خالد عن أبي قلابة عن ثوبان قال إذا رأيتم الرايات السود خرجت من قبل خراسان فائتوها ولو حبوا على الثلج فإن فيها خليفة الله المهدي

Abu Nasr al-Khaffaf - Khalid - Abu Qilabah - Thawban:

“When you see the black flags coming out from the direction of Khurasan, then go to them even if you have to crawl on snow, for verily among them is the khalifah of Allah, the Mahdi.”5

We already know about Khalid, Abu Qilabah and Thawban from the last chapter. Their isnad is sahih. The only new name here is Abu Nasr al-Khaffaf. His name is ‘Abd al-Wahhab b. ‘Aṭa. We see al-Hakim above declaring his hadith to be sahih too. Meanwhile, this is what al-Hafiz (d. 852 H) also says about him:

عبد الوهاب بن عطاء الخفاف أبو نصر العجلي مولاهم البصري نزيل بغداد صدوق ربما أخطأ

‘Abd al-Wahhab b. ‘Aṭa al-Khaffaf, Abu Nasr al-‘Ijli, their freed slave, al-Basri, a resident of Baghdad: Saduq (very truthful), maybe he made mistakes.6

Moreover, we also know, from the riwayah of al-Hakim, that there actually was a link between Abu Qilabah and Thawban, and he was Abu Asma. As such, the sanad is hasan. Therefore, “the East” and “the Eastern towns” in the ahadith on the black flags are, again, only references to Khurasan.

In that case, where is Khurasan? The researcher easily notices that on the world map today, all the places called Khurasan are in the Islamic Republic of Iran. There used to be the Khurasan province until 2004, when it was divided into South Khurasan, North Khurasan and Razavi Khurasan. However, in ancient times, the word “Khurasan” covered a vast territory now lying in northeastern Iran, southern Turkmenistan and northern Afghanistan. So, the original army of Imam al-Mahdi will be made up of non-Arabs: Iranians, Turkmen and Afghans.

Notes

1. Dr. ‘Abd al-‘Alim ‘Abd al-‘Azim al-Bastawi, al-Mahdi al-Muntazar fi Dhaw-i al-Ahadith wa al-Athar al-Sahihah wa Aqwal al-‘Ulama wa Ara al-Firaq al-Mukhtalifah (Beirut: Dar Ibn Hazm; 1st edition, 1420 H), p. 158, # 2

2. Ibid, p. 162

3. Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah al-Hakim al-Naysaburi, al-Mustadrak ‘ala al-Sahihayn (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-’Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1411 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Aṭa], vol. 4, p. 547, # 8531

4. Ibid

5. Abu ‘Abd Allah Na’im b. Hammad al-Maruzi, Kitab al-Fitan (Dar al-Fikr; 1414 H) [annotator: Prof. Dr. Suhayl Zakar], part 4, p. 188

6. Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib (Beirut: Dar al-Maktabah al-‘Ilmiyyah; 2nd edition, 1415 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Aṭa], vol. 1, pp. 626-627, # 4276

6. His Holy Companions

The Mahdi, ‘alaihi al-salam, will have some 313 companions, who will be of the best of Allah’s entire creation, since Adam, ‘alaihi wa alihi, till the Trumpet. Imam al-Hakim (d. 403 H) documents a beautiful hadith about these noble companions:

حدثنا أبو العباس محمد بن يعقوب ثنا الحسن بن علي بن عفان العامري ثنا عمرو بن محمد العنقزي ثنا يونس بن أبي إسحاق أخبرني عمار الدهني عن أبي الطفيل عن محمد بن الحنفية قال كنا عند علي رضي الله عنه فسأله رجل عن المهدي فقال علي رضي الله عنه : هيهات ثم عقد بيده سبعا فقال : ذاك يخرج في آخر الزمان إذا قال الرجل الله الله قتل فيجمع الله تعالى له قوما قزع كقزع السحاب يؤلف الله بين قلوبهم لا يستوحشون إلى أحد ولا يفرحون بأحد يدخل فيهم على عدة أصحاب بدر لم يسبقهم الأولون ولا يدركهم الآخرون وعلى عدد أصحاب طالوت الذين جاوزا معه النهر قال أبو الطفيل : قال ابن الحنفية : أتريده ؟ قلت : نعم قال : إنه يخرج من بين هذين الخشبتين قلت : لا جرم والله لا أريهما حتى أموت فمات بها يعني مكة حرسها الله تعالى

Abu al-‘Abbas Muhammad b. Ya’qub - al-Hasan b. ‘Ali b. ‘Affan al-‘Amiri - ‘Amr b. Muhammad al-‘Anqazi - Yunus b. Abi Ishaq - ‘Ammar al-Dahni - Abu al-Tufayl - Muhammad b. al-Hanafiyyah:

We were with ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him and a man asked him about the Mahdi. So, ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “How impossible!” Then, he counted seven on his hand and said, “That one will come out at the End of Time. (At that time) if a man said, ‘Allah! Allah!’ he will be killed. Then, Allah the Most High will gather together a group around him, just as the separate pieces of cloud are joined together. Allah will unite their hearts. They will not fear anyone and they do not celebrate about anyone joining them. Their number is that of the Companions of Badr. THE PAST GENERATIONS WILL NOT SURPASS THEM AND THE LATTER GENERATIONS WILL NOT REACH UP TO THEM. Their number will be that of the Companions of Talut who crossed the river with him.”

Abu al-Tufayl said: Ibn al-Hanafiyyah asked (me), “Do you want to meet him?” I (Abu al-Tufayl) answered, “Yes.” He said, “He will come out between these two pillars.” I said, “Surely, I swear by Allah, I will never leave them both till I die.” Therefore, he died there, that is Makkah. May Allah the Most High protect it.1

Al-Hakim says:

هذا حديث صحيح على شرط الشيخين

This hadith is sahih upon the standard of the two Shaykhs.2

And Imam al-Dhahabi (d. 748 H) agrees with him:

على شرط البخاري ومسلم

Upon the standard of al-Bukhari and Muslim.3

Dr. al-Bastawi also has this verdict on the hadith:

إسناده حسن

Its chain is hasan.4

This athar, which has the hukm of a marfu’ hadith due to its nature, reveals two primary facts about the close companions of Imam al-Mahdi. First, their number will be 313, the universally accepted number of the Badr warriors as well as that of the soldiers of Talut, ‘alaihi al-salam, who crossed the river with him. And, also, they will be from the best of Allah’s creation since the start of existence.

Notes

1. Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah al-Hakim al-Naysaburi, al-Mustadrak ‘ala al-Sahihayn (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-’Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1411 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Aṭa], vol. 4, p. 596, # 8659

2. Ibid

3. Ibid

4. Dr. ‘Abd al-‘Alim ‘Abd al-‘Azim al-Bastawi, al-Mahdi al-Muntazar fi Dhaw-i al-Ahadith wa al-Athar al-Sahihah wa Aqwal al-‘Ulama wa Ara al-Firaq al-Mukhtalifah (Beirut: Dar Ibn Hazm; 1st edition, 1420 H), p. 208, # 10

7. Birth Of A Little Paradise

It is impossible to completely eradicate oppression and injustice from the face of the earth. There will always be some people who are oppressing and unjustly treating others till the Day of al-Qiyamah. However, incidences of oppression, aggression and injustice can be reduced to the barest minimum, to the extent they are hardly heard of anywhere on the globe. This is what Imam al-Mahdi, ‘alaihi al-salam, will achieve, with Allah’s Help, through his worldwide revolution. This is also what the ahadith say: that just as cases of equity and justice are existent but unusual today, incidences of oppression, aggression and injustice will also occur at his time, though very rarely. Imam Abu Dawud (d. 275 H) records:

حدثنا سهل بن تمام بن بزيع ثنا عمران القطان عن قتادة عن أبي نضرة عن أبي سعيد الخدري قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم " المهدي مني أجلى الجبهة أقنى الأنف يملأ الأرض قسطا وعدلا كما ملئت جورا وظلما ويملك سبع سنين "

Sahl b. Tammam b. Buzay’ - ‘Imran al-Qaṭṭan - Qatadah - Abu Nadhrah - Abu Sa’id al-Khudri:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “The Mahdi is from me, with a broad forehead, a curved nose. He will fill the earth with equity and justice just as it had been filled with oppression and injustice, and he will rule by kingdom for seven years.”1

Al-Albani says:

حسن

Hasan.2

Imam Ahmad (d. 241 H) also documents:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثني أبي ثنا محمد بن جعفر ثنا عوف عن أبي الصديق الناجي عن أبي سعيد الخدري قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم لا تقوم الساعة حتى تمتلئ الأرض ظلما وعدوانا قال ثم يخرج رجل من عترتي أو من أهل بيتي يملؤها قسطا وعدلا كما ملئت ظلما وعدوانا

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad) - my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) - Muhammad b. Ja’far - ‘Awf - Abu al-Siddiq al-Naji - Abu Sa’id al-Khudri:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “The Hour will not be established until the earth is filled with injustice and aggression. Then, a man from my offspring or my Ahl al-Bayt will come out. He will fill it with equity and justice just as it had been filled with injustice and aggression.”3

Shaykh al-Arnauṭ comments:

إسناده صحيح على شرط الشيخين

Its chain is sahih upon the standard of the two Shaykhs.4

A world with almost no oppression and injustice is only a wild dream today; and certainly, it will take a great miracle to achieve. This is why it is clearly one of the miracles of the Mahdi that he will successfully create a earth which is nothing but a little paradise. The earth will become virtually crimeless and overwhelming peaceful, once Allah grants victory to him.

Another major miracle which Imam al-Mahdi will achieve is that he will completely end poverty in our planet. Literally every single human being on the earth will become very rich and wealthy. Imam Muslim (d. 261 H) records how this will occur:

حدثنا زهير بن حرب وعلي بن حجر (واللفظ لزهير) قالا حدثنا إسماعيل بن إبراهيم عن الجريري عن أبي نضرة قال كنا عند جابر بن عبدالله فقال… قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم يكون في آخر أمتي خليفة يحثي المال حثيا لا يعده عددا

Zuhayr b. Harb and ‘Ali b. Hajar - Isma’il b. Ibrahim - al-Jariri - Abu Nadhrah:

We were with Jabir b. ‘Abd Allah and he said…: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “There will be a khalifah at the END of my Ummah who will distribute wealth without ever counting it.”5

This khalifah is named in this hadith of Imam al-Hakim (d. 403 H):

أخبرني أبو العباس محمد بن أحمد المحبوبي بمرو ثنا سعيد بن مسعود ثنا النضر بن شميل ثنا سليمان بن عبيد ثنا أبو الصديق الناجي عن أبي سعيد الخدري رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال : يخرج في آخر أمتي المهدي

Abu al-‘Abbas Muhammad b. Ahmad al-Mahbubi - Sa’id b. Mas’ud - al-Nadhr b. Shumayl - Sulayman b. ‘Ubayd - Abu al-Siddiq al-Naji - Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, “The Mahdi will come out at the END of my Ummah..6

Al-Hakim comments:

هذا حديث صحيح الإسناد

This hadith has a sahih chain7

Imam al-Dhahabi (d. 748 H) agrees:

صحيح

Sahih8

He will be Imam al-Mahdi, and he will distribute wealth to his subjects without measure. Muslim again records:

وحدثني زهير بن حرب حدثنا عبدالصمد بن عبدالوارث حدثنا أبي حدثنا داود عن أبي نضرة عن أبي سعيد وجابر بن عبدالله قالا قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم يكون في آخر الزمان خليفة يقسم المال ولا يعده

Zuhayr b. Harb - ‘Abd al-Samad b. ‘Abd al-Warith - my father - Dawud - Abu Nadhrah - Abu Sa’id and Jabir b. ‘Abd Allah:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “There will be a khalifah at the End of Time, who will distribute wealth and will not count it.”9

‘Allamah al-Albani (d. 1420 H) too has copied this hadith of the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi:

من خلفائكم خليفة يحثو المال حثيا لا يعده عدا

Among your khulafa will be a khalifah who will distribute wealth without ever counting it.10

He then comments:

صحيح

Sahih11

In the footnote to the report, al-Albani further says:

وهو المهدي المبشر بخروجه بين يدي نزول عيسى عليه الصلاة والسلام، ويصلي عيسى عليه الصلاة والسلام خلفه

He is the Mahdi, whose advent is promised to occur before the descent of ‘Isa, ‘alaihi al-salat wa al-salam, and ‘Isa, ‘alaihi al-salat wa al-salam, behind him.12

With such a leader in charge of world affairs, it is no surprise that the earth will be transformed into the promised land for mankind, which flows with milk and honey. Imam al-Hakim records about some other benefits of the Mahdi’s rule for humanity:

أخبرني أبو العباس محمد بن أحمد المحبوبي بمرو ثنا سعيد بن مسعود ثنا النضر بن شميل ثنا سليمان بن عبيد ثنا أبو الصديق الناجي عن أبي سعيد الخدري رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال : يخرج في آخر أمتي المهدي يسقيه الله الغيث وتخرج الأرض نباتها ويعطى المال صحاحا وتكثر الماشية وتعظم الأمة يعيش سبعا أو ثمانيا يعني حججا

Abu al-‘Abbas Muhammad b. Ahmad al-Mahbubi - Sa’id b. Mas’ud - al-Nadhr b. Shumayl - Sulayman b. ‘Ubayd - Abu al-Siddiq al-Naji - Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, “The Mahdi will come out at the end of my Ummah. Allah will provide rain to him, and the earth will bring out its vegetation, and he will give wealth correctly. Livestock will become abundant and the Ummah will become great. He will witness seven or eight Hajjs.13

Al-Hakim comments:

هذا حديث صحيح الإسناد

This hadith has a sahih chain14

Imam al-Dhahabi agrees:

صحيح

Sahih15

‘Allamah al-Albani also says about the hadith in his Sahihah:

قلت: وهذا سند صحيح

I say: This chain is sahih16

Dr. al-Bastawi has the same verdict on it:

إسناده صحيح

Its chain is sahih.17

Imam Ibn Abi Shaybah (d. 235 H) too has this report:

عبد الله بن نمير قال حدثنا موسى الجهني قال حدثني عمر بن قيس الماصر قال: حدثني مجاهد قال: حدثني فلان رجل من أصحاب النبي: أن المهدي لا يخرج حتى تقتل النفس الزكية، فإذا قتلت النفس الزكية، غضب عليهم من في السماء ومن في الأرض، فأتى الناس المهدي، فزفوه كما تزف العروس إلى زوجها ليلة عرسها، وهو يملأ الأرض قسطا وعدلا وتخرج الأرض نباتها وتمطر السماء مطرها، وتنعم أمتي في ولايته نعمة لم تنعمها قط

‘Abd Allah b. Numayr - Musa al-Juhani - ‘Umar b. Qays al-Masir - Mujahid:

Someone, a man from the Sahabah of the Prophet, narrated to me (from the Prophet): “Verily, the Mahdi will not come out until the Pure Soul is murdered. When he (the Pure Soul) is murdered, those in the heavens and those on the earth will become angry against them. So, the people will go to the Mahdi, and they will accompany him in a procession, just as the bride is accompanied in a procession to her groom on the night of her wedding. He will fill the earth with equity and justice, and the earth will bring out its vegetation, and the sky will bring down its rains. My Ummah will enjoy a comfort during his rule, which it never enjoined before.”18

Dr. al-Bastawi says about this hadith:

إسناده صحيح. رجاله كلهم ثقات.ومجاهد لم يصرح هنا باسم الصحابي، ولكنه سمع من جماعة من الصحابة رضي الله عنهم

Its chain is sahih. Its narrators are trustworthy. Mujahid has not explicitly stated the name of the Sahabi. However, he did hear from a group of the Sahabah, may Allah be pleased with them.19

The unnamed Sahabi was clearly narrating from the Messenger of Allah. This is why the phrase “my Ummah” is used in his report. Moreover, all Sahabah are trustworthy in Sunni rijal. Therefore, the fact that the Sahabi is not named does not hurt the authenticity of the hadith. It is perfectly sahih.

Notes

1. Abu Dawud Sulayman b. al-Ash’ath al-Sijistani al-Azdi, Sunan (Dar al-Fikr) [annotator: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani], vol. 2, p. 509, # 4285

2. Ibid

3. Abu ‘Abd Allah Ahmad b. Hanbal al-Shaybani, Musnad (Cairo: Muasassat Qurṭubah) [annotator: Shu’ayb al-Arnauṭ], vol. 3, p. 36, # 11331

4. Ibid

5. Abu al-Husayn Muslim b. al-Hajjaj al-Qushayri al-Naysaburi, Sahih Muslim (Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi) [annotator: Muhammad Fuad ‘Abd al-Baqi], vol. 4, p. 2234, # 2913 (67)

6. Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah al-Hakim al-Naysaburi, al-Mustadrak ‘ala al-Sahihayn (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-’Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1411 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Aṭa], vol. 4, p. 601, # 8673

7. Ibid

8. Ibid

9. Abu al-Husayn Muslim b. al-Hajjaj al-Qushayri al-Naysaburi, Sahih Muslim (Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi) [annotator: Muhammad Fuad ‘Abd al-Baqi], vol. 4, p. 2235, # 2913/2914 (69)

10. Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Nasir al-Din b. al-Hajj Nuh b. Tajati b. Adam al-Ashqudri al-Albani, Sahih al-Jami’ al-Saghir wa Ziyadatuhu (al-Maktab al-Islami), vol. 2, p. 1027, # 5913

11. Ibid, vol. 2, p. 1028, # 5913

12. Ibid, vol. 2, p. 1027, # 5913

13. Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah al-Hakim al-Naysaburi, al-Mustadrak ‘ala al-Sahihayn (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-’Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1411 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Aṭa], vol. 4, p. 601, # 8673

14. Ibid

15. Ibid

16. Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Nasir al-Din b. al-Hajj Nuh b. Tajati b. Adam al-Ashqudri al-Albani, Silsilah al-Ahadith al-Sahihah wa Shayhun min Fiqhihah wa Fawaidihah (Riyadh: Maktabah al-Ma’arif li al-Nashr wa al-Tawzi’; 1st edition, 1415 H), vol. 2, p. 328, # 711

17. Dr. ‘Abd al-‘Alim ‘Abd al-‘Azim al-Bastawi, al-Mahdi al-Muntazar fi Dhaw-i al-Ahadith wa al-Athar al-Sahihah wa Aqwal al-‘Ulama wa Ara al-Firaq al-Mukhtalifah (Beirut: Dar Ibn Hazm; 1st edition, 1420 H), p. 165

18. ‘Abd Allah b. Muhammad b. Abi Shaybah Ibrahim b. ‘Uthman b. Abi Bakr b. Abi Shaybah al-Kufi al-‘Ubsi, Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah fi al-Ahadith wa al-Athar (Dar al-Fikr; 1st edition, 1409 H) [annotator: Prof. Sa’id al-Laham], vol. 8, p. 679, # 199

19. Dr. ‘Abd al-‘Alim ‘Abd al-‘Azim al-Bastawi, al-Mahdi al-Muntazar fi Dhaw-i al-Ahadith wa al-Athar al-Sahihah wa Aqwal al-‘Ulama wa Ara al-Firaq al-Mukhtalifah (Beirut: Dar Ibn Hazm; 1st edition, 1420 H), p. 214, # 12

8. The Mahdi Claimants

So, who is this Mahdi, ‘alaihi al-salam, who will transform our cursed earth into a land of unprecedented purity and comfort? We only know, at this point, that he is from the offspring of the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi, from his Ahl al-Bayt, ‘alaihim al-salam. We are also aware that he has a broad forehead and a curved nose, and will be the leader and ruler over ‘Isa b. Maryam, the Masih, ‘alaihi al-salam. We know as well that his name is Muhammad, the name of the Messenger of Allah. We are yet to look into the other authentic ahadith on the lineage and physical characteristics of our mawla, the saviour of mankind. Nonetheless, what we have so far is a good guide in identifying the true Mahdi of this Ummah, the last khalifah of al-Rahman on His earth.

Meanwhile, a lot of people have claimed to be this Mahdi throughout Islamic history; and a lot of people have similarly been called “the Mahdi”, even without or against their approval1 . For instance, this is a list of people who were respectively identified - without their sanction - as the Promised Mahdi by some sections of the Ummah:

1. ‘Ali b. Abi Talib (d. 40 H), ‘alaihi al-salam.

2. Muhammad b. ‘Ali b. Abi Talib (d. 93 H).

3. Sulayman b. ‘Abd al-Malik (d. 99 H).

4. ‘Umar b. ‘Abd al-‘Aziz (d. 101 H).

5. Musa b. Talhah b. ‘Ubayd Allah (d. 103 H).

6. Muhammad b. ‘Ali al-Baqir (d. 110 H), ‘alaihi al-salam.

7. Isma’il b. Ja’far b. Muhammad (d. 138H).

8. Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah al-Nafs al-Zakiyyah (d. 145 H).

9. Ja’far b. Muhammad al-Sadiq (d. 148 H), ‘alaihi al-salam.

10. Muhammad b. Isma’il b. Ja’far (d. 193 H).

11. Musa b. Ja’far al-Kazim (d.182 H), ‘alaihi al-salam.

12. Yahya b. ‘Umar b. Yahya b. al-Husayn b. Zayd b. ‘Ali b. Husayn b. ‘Ali b. Abi Talib (d. 250 H).

13. Sayyid Ahmad b. ‘Irfan (d. 1246 H)

14. Muhammad b. Muhammad b. ‘Ali al-Sunusi (d. 1320 H)

15. Muhammad b. al-Qasim b. ‘Ali.

16. Yahya b. Abi Shumayt.

17. ‘Abd Allah b. Mu’awiyah b. ‘Abd Allah b. Ja’far b. Abi Talib.

18. The Masih ‘Isa b. Maryam.

As it can be clearly seen, only six of them were named “Muhammad”. So, naturally, all the others are ruled out. Interestingly, even the Masih and other people who were not from the Prophet’s offspring were identified as the Mahdi by some Muslims! What exactly has happened to this Ummah?

Meanwhile, there were equally a number of others, who each declared himself the Mahdi. Some of their names are these:

i. Al-Harith b. al-Shurayh (d. 116 H).

ii. Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah al-Mahdi al-‘Abbasi (d. 169 H).

iii. Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah al-Maghribi (d. 524 H).

iv. Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad b. ‘Abd Allah b. Hashim (d. 740 H).

v. Sayyid Muhammad Nurbakhsh al-Sufi (d. 869 H).

vi. Sayyid Muhammad b. Yusuf al-Jawunburi (d. 910 H)

vii. ‘Ali Muhammad al-Shirazi (d. 1850 CE).

viii. Muhammad Ahmad b. ‘Abd Allah al-Hasani al-Sudani (d. 1899 CE)

ix. Ghulam Ahmad al-Qadiyani (d. 1908 CE)

x. Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah al-Qahṭani al-Salafi (d. 1980 CE)

Most of them truly had the name “Muhammad” and some of them were indeed from the Messenger’s offspring. However, only one - or none - of them could have been the prophesied Mahdi. Therefore, it is apparent that even those two criterions are not enough to fully identified the Awaited Imam.

Something that comes to the mind of the researcher is: why would people identify ‘Ali b. Abi Talib, for instance, as the Mahdi, knowing fully that he died long ago, long before the end of the world? After all, the Mahdi is expected to come out during the last generation of our Ummah. A lot of those who have been called the Mahdi - such as al-Baqir, al-Sadiq and al-Kazim - died more than a thousand years ago! Perhaps, more puzzling is the fact that these various sects who attributed mahdawiyyah (i.e. office of the Mahdi) to people like ‘Ali and al-Baqir continued to do so even after witnessing their deaths! How can a Mahdi die before fulfilling his mission? Worse still, how can a dead person be the Mahdi who will purify our earth and rule over it with equity and justice?!

As noted by Dr. al-Bastawi, those ancient sects of Islam had their solution to the huge puzzle. Each of them believed in the concepts of al-ghaybah concerning its chosen saviour: that its he had not really died, but had only disappeared from human view to “reappear” at the end of the Ummah as the Awaited “Mahdi”. So, his death and burial were mere illusions - none of them was real - like in the case of ‘Isa b. Maryam2 too. For instance, the Sabaiyyah supposedly claimed that Imam ‘Ali is alive, and will reappear during the End Times to rule the world3 . Some of the Kaysaniyyah also made the same claims about Muhammad b. ‘Ali b. Abi Talib4 while some others among them attribute the ghaybah and mahdawiyyah to ‘Abd Allah b. Mu’awiyah b. ‘Abd Allah b. Ja’far b. Abi Talib instead5 . Some of the Jarudiyyah believed too that Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah al-Nafs al-Zakiyyah never died, but only disappeared and would reappear at the end of the world as the Mahdi6 . Others among the Jarudiyyah awarded the ghaybah and mahdawiyyah to Yahya b. ‘Umar7 while lots of other Jarudis declared both for Muhammad b. al-Qasim b. ‘Ali8 . The Nawusiyyah announced too that Imam al-Sadiq never died, but only went into ghaybah and would return as the Awaited Mahdi9 . The Isma’liyyah also attributed the ghaybah and mahdawiyyah to Isma’il b. Ja’far al-Sadiq10 while the Mubarakiyyah instead gave both to his son, Muhammad b. Isma’il b. Ja’far11 . Of course, the Musawiyyah - better known as the Waqifiyyah - affirmed as well that Imam Musa b. Ja’far al-Kazim never died, and would return as the Awaited Mahdi12 .

But, how did they develop this concept of al-ghaybah to explain and excuse the apparent deaths of their saviours? Was it only a tactical invention created by them to address the contradictions within their claims, following the unexpected deaths of their Mahdis? Or, was it their misapplication of a genuine teaching of the Messenger of Allah? These and others are questions we will be investigating in this book of ours. Meanwhile, we must quickly mention that ‘Umar too, the second Sunni khalifah, proclaimed the ghaybah of Muhammad al-Musṭafa - although there is not sufficient evidence that he believed in the latter’s mahdawiyyah. Imam al-Bukhari (d. 256 H) ends this chapter with the report:

حدثنا إسماعيل بن عبد الله حدثنا سليمان بن بلال عن هشام ابن عروة عن عروة بن الزبير عن عائشة رضي الله عنها زوج النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم :أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم مات وأبو بكر بالسنح - قال إسماعيل يعني بالعالية - فقام عمر يقول والله ما مات رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم قالت وقال عمر والله ما كان يقع في نفسي إلا ذاك وليبعثنه الله فليقطعن أيدي رجال وأرجلهم

Isma’il b. ‘Abd Allah - Sulayman b. Bilal - Hisham b. ‘Urwah - ‘Urwah b. al-Zubayr - ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, the wife of the Prophet, peace be upon him:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, died while Abu Bakr was at a place called al-Sunah (i.e. al-‘Aliyah). ‘Umar stood up, saying, “I swear by Allah! The Messenger of Allah is not dead!” She (‘Aishah) narrated: ‘Umar said, “I swear by Allah! Nothing occurred to my mind except that. Verily! Allah will RESURRECT him and he will cut the hands and legs of some men."13

Notes

1. See generally Dr. ‘Abd al-‘Alim ‘Abd al-‘Azim al-Bastawi, al-Mahdi al-Muntazar fi Dhaw-i al-Ahadith wa al-Athar al-Sahihah wa Aqwal al-‘Ulama wa Ara al-Firaq al-Mukhtalifah (Beirut: Dar Ibn Hazm; 1st edition, 1420 H), p. 60-118 for the full list and discussions of those who have been called Mahdi - with or without their knowledge or approval - and those who have called themselves the Mahdi.

2. See Qur’an 4:157

3. Dr. ‘Abd al-‘Alim ‘Abd al-‘Azim al-Bastawi, al-Mahdi al-Muntazar fi Dhaw-i al-Ahadith wa al-Athar al-Sahihah wa Aqwal al-‘Ulama wa Ara al-Firaq al-Mukhtalifah (Beirut: Dar Ibn Hazm; 1st edition, 1420 H), p. 64

4. Ibid, p. 67

5. Ibid, p. 68

6. Ibid, p. 71

7. Ibid, p. 72

8. Ibid

9. Ibid, p. 74

10. Ibid, p. 75

11. Ibid

12. Ibid, p. 76

13. Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. Isma’il b. Ibrahim b. Mughirah al-Bukhari al-Ju’fi, al-Jami’ al-Sahih al-Mukhtasar (Beirut: Dar Ibn Kathir; 3rd edition, 1407 H) [annotator: Dr. Musṭafa Dib al-Bagha], vol. 3, p. 1341, # 3467. ‘Umar’s claims are contradictory. If the Prophet was not dead, how come then that Allah would “resurrect” him later? Are living people ever “resurrected”? But then, a look into the Sunni ahadith establishes that ‘Umar was later convinced of the Messenger’s death by Abu Bakr. However, this author was unable to locate any proof - Sunni or otherwise - that ‘Umar ever abandoned his belief that Allah would resurrect Muhammad from death before the end of time.