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14. The Sunni Chase Of Shadows: The Name Of His Father Is ‘Abd Allah?

The other claim made by Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 H) is that the name of the Mahdi’s father is Abd Allah, and not al-Hasan. He repeats it again:

أن الاثنى عشرية الذين أدعوا أن هذا هو مذهبهم مهديهم اسمه محمد بن الحسن والمهدي المنعوت الذي وصفه النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم اسمه محمد بن عبد الله ولهذا حذفت طائفة ذكر الأب من لفظ الرسول حتى لا يناقض ما كذبت وطائفة حرفته فقالت جده الحسين وكنيته أبو عبد الله فمعناه محمد بن أبي عبد الله وجعلت الكنية اسما

وممن سلك هذا ابن طلحة في كتابه الذي سماه غاية السول في مناقب الرسول ومن أدنى نظر يعرف أن هذا تحريف صريح وكذب على رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم فهل يفهم أحد من قوله يواطىء اسمه اسمي واسم ابيه اسم أبي إلا أن اسم أبيه عبد الله وهل يدل هذا اللفظ على أن جده كنيته أبو عبد الله

The Ithna ‘Ashariyyah who claim that this is their madhhab, the name of their Mahdi is Muhammad b. al-Hasan. But the described Mahdi, who was described by the Prophet, peace be upon him, his name is Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah. This is why a group deleted the mention of the father from the statement of the Messenger, so that it does not contradict what it (the group) falsely claims. Another group also distorts it and says, “His ancestor was al-Husayn and his agnomen was Abu ‘Abd Allah.

Therefore, its meaning is that he is Muhammad, son of Abu ‘Abd Allah; and it (the second group) makes the agnomen a name. One of those who did this was Ibn Talhah in his book which he named Ghayat al-Sul fi Manaqib al-Rasul. Whoever has the least observation knows that this is a clear distortion and a lie upon the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. Is there anyone who understands from his statement “his name corresponds with my name and the name of his father is the name of my father” anything other than that the name of his father is ‘Abd Allah? Does this statement indicate that the agnomen of his ancestor is Abu ‘Abd Allah?1

He still has more words:

الأحاديث التي يحتج بها على خروج المهدي أحاديث صحيحة رواها أبو داود والترمذي وأحمد وغيرهم من حديث ابن مسعود وغيره كقوله صلى الله عليه و سلم في الحديث الذي رواه ابن مسعود لو لم يبق من الدنيا إلا يوم لطول الله ذلك اليوم حتى يخرج فيه رجل منى أو من أهل بيتي يواطئ اسمه اسمي واسم أبيه اسم أبي يملأ الأرض قسطا وعدلا كما ملئت جورا وظلما

The ahadith that are relied upon as hujjah (proof) for the coming out of the Mahdi are sahih ahadith. Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, Ahmad and others narrated them in the hadith of Ibn Mas’ud and of others, like his statement, peace be upon him, in the hadith which was narrated by Ibn Mas’ud: “If there remains only one more day left for this world, Allah will elongate that day till a man from me, or from my Ahl al-Bayt, comes out. His name will correspond with my name, and his father’s name will be the name of my father. He will fill the earth with equity and justice just as it is filled with oppression and injustice.”2

But, is there really any reliable Sunni hadith establishing that the name of the Mahdi’s father is the same as that of the Prophet’s father? Let us check the riwayat to find out.

We start with this report of Imam al-Hakim (d. 403 H):

أخبرني أبو بكر بن دارم الحافظ بالكوفة ثنا محمد بن عثمان بن سعيد القرشي ثنا يزيد بن محمد الثقفي ثنا حبان بن سدير عن عمرو بن قيس الملائي عن الحكم عن إبراهيم عن علقمة بن قيس وعبيدة السلماني عن عبد الله بن مسعود رضي الله عنه قال أتينا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال : إنا أهل بيت اختار الله لنا الآخرة على الدنيا وأنه سيلقى أهل بيتي من بعدي تطريدا وتشريدا في البلاد حتى ترتفع رايات سود من المشرق فيسألون الحق فلا يعطونه ثم يسألونه فلا يعطونه ثم يسألونه فلا يعطونه فيقاتلون فينصرون فمن أدركه منكم أو من أعقابكم فليأت إمام أهل بيتي ولو حبوا على الثلج فإنها رايات هدى يدفعونها إلى رجل من أهل بيتي يواطئ إسمه إسمي واسم أبيه اسم أبي فيملك الأرض فيملأهما قسطا وعدلا كما ملئت جورا وظلما

Abu Bakr b. Darim al-Hafiz - Muhammad b. ‘Uthman b. Sa’id al-Qurashi - Yazid b. Muhammad al-Thaqafi - Hibban b. Sadir - ‘Amr b. Qays al-Malai - al-Hakam - Ibrahim - ‘Alqamah b. Qays and ‘Ubaydah al-Salmani - ‘Abd Allah b. Mas’ud, may Allah pleased with him:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, came to us and said: “We, Ahl al-Bayt, Allah has chosen the Hereafter for us over this world. Verily, my Ahl al-Bayt will, after me, suffer expulsions and fright in the towns, until the black flags rise from the East. So, they will demand the right, but they will not give it. Then, they will demand it, but they will not give it. Then, they will demand it, but they will not give it. As a result, they will fight and will be helped to achieve victory (by Allah). Whosoever amongst you or your descendants meets it (i.e. that time), he must go to the Imam of my Ahl al-Bayt, even if he has to crawl on snow, for they are flags of guidance. They will submit them to a man from my Ahl al-Bayt. His name corresponds with my name, and the name of his father is the name of my father. He will rule the earth by kingdom, and will thereby fill it with equity and justice just as it had been filled with aggression and injustice.”3

Al-Hakim is quiet about this hadith, while Imam al-Dhahabi (d. 748 H) declares:

هذا موضوع

This is mawdhu’ (a fabrication).4

This, obviously, is no evidence.

Imam al-Maruzi (d. 288 H) gives us the second Sunni “proof”:

حدثنا الوليد ورشدين عن ابن لهيعة عن إسرائيل بن عباد عن ميمون القداح عن أبي الطفيل رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال المهدي اسمه اسمي واسم أبيه اسم أبي

Al-Walid and Rishdin - Ibn Luhay’ah - Israil b. ‘Ibad - Maymun al-Qidah - Abu al-Tufayl, may Allah be pleased with him:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “The Mahdi, his name is my name and the name of his father is the name of my father.”5

Dr. al-Bastawi has a simple verdict too:

إسناده ضعيف

Its chain is dha’if.6

Well, the sanad is actually dha’if jiddan (very weak), due to its multiple weaknesses. Al-Bastawi himself gives these details about it:

الوليد بن مسلم وقد عنعن إلا أنه توبع برشدين وهو ضعيف .ولكنهما يرويان عن ابن لهيعة. وهو ضعيف .وميمون القداح. لم أجد له ترجمة

Al-Walid b. Muslim narrated in an ‘an-‘an manner. However, he has been seconded by Rishdeen who is dha’if. But, both of them narrated from Ibn Luhay’ah who is (also) dha’if. As for Maymun al-Qidah, I did not find any biographical entry for him (in the rijal books).7

In any case, this riwayah is impotent too.

Imam al-Khatib al-Baghdadi (d. 463 H) records the third one:

أخبرنا الحسين بن على بن الحسين بن بطحا المحتسب أخبرنا أبو سليمان محمد بن الحسين بن على الحراني حدثنا محمد بن الحسن بن قتيبة حدثنا احمد بن مسلم الحلبي قال حدثنا عبد الله بن السرى المدائني عن أبى عمر البزاز عن مجالد بن سعيد عن الشعبي عن تميم الداري قال قلت يا رسول الله ما رأيت للروم مدينة مثل مدينة يقال لها أنطاكية وما رأيت أكثر مطرا منها فقال النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم نعم وذلك ان فيها التوراة وعصا موسى ورضراض الالواح ومائدة سليمان بن داود في غار من غيرانها ما من سحابة تشرف عليها من وجه من الوجوه الا فرغت ما فيها من البركة في ذلك الوادي ولا تذهب الأيام ولا الليالي حتى يسكنها رجل من عترتى اسمه اسمى واسم أبيه اسم أبى يشبه خلقه خلقى وخلقه خلقى يملأ الدنيا قسطا وعدلا كما ملئت ظلما وجورا

Al-Husayn b. ‘Ali b. al-Husayn b. Baṭha - Abu Sulayman Muhammad b. al-Husayn b. ‘Ali al-Harrani - Muhammad b. al-Hasan b. Qutaybah - Ahmad b. Muslim al-Halabi - ‘Abd Allah b. al-Sarri al-Madaini - Abu ‘Umar al-Bazzaz - Mujalid b. Sa’id - al-Sha’bi - Tamim al-Dari:

I said, “O Messenger of Allah! I did not see any Roman city which is like a city called Antioch. And I did not see any with more rains than it.” So, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, “Yes. That is because there are in it al-Tawrah, the staff of Musa, the pieces of the tablets and the table of Sulayman b. Dawud, in one of its caves. There is no cloud which stands above it from any side except that it empties completely all the blessings in it on that valley. The days and the nights will not end until a man from my offspring resides in it. His name is my name and the name of his father is the name of my father. His creation will resemble mine, and his character will also resemble mine. He will fill the earth with equity and justice just as it had been filled with injustice and aggression.”8

Again, Dr. al-Bastawi says about the hadith:

الحديث موضوع

The hadith is mawdhu’ (a fabrication).9

With the total collapse of these three ahadith, we are left with only reports of ‘Asim b. Bahdalah, also known as ‘Asim b. Abi al-Najud. Every other hadith which contains the phrase “and the name of his father is the name of my father” has the name of ‘Asim in its chain. For instance, Imam al-Tabarani (d. 360 H) documents:

حدثنا علي بن عبد العزيز ثنا أبو نعيم ثنا فطر بن خليفة عن عاصم بن أبي النجود عن زر بن حبيش عن عبد الله بن مسعود يرفعه إلى النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم قال : لا يذهب الدنيا حتى يبعث الله رجلا من أهل بيتي يواطى اسمه اسمي واسم أبيه اسم أبي

‘Ali b. ‘Abd al-‘Aziz - Abu Nu’aym - Fiṭr b. Khalifah - ‘Asim b. Abi al-Najud - Zirr b. Hubaysh - ‘Abd Allah b. Mas’ud:

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “The world will not end until Allaah sends a man from my Ahl al-Bayt. His name will correspond with my name and the name of his father is the name of my father.”10

Concerning that ‘Asim, al-Hafiz (d. 852 H) states:

عاصم بن بهدلة وهو ابن أبي النجود الأسدي مولاهم الكوفي أبو بكر المقري

قال ابن سعد كان ثقة إلا أنه كان كثير الخطأ في حديثه وقال يعقوب بن سفيان في حديثه اضطراب وهو ثقة وقال ابن أبي حاتم عن أبيه... محله عندي محل الصدق صالح الحديث وليس محله ان يقال هو ثقة ولم يكن بالحافظ وقد تكلم فيه ابن علية فقال كان كل من اسمه عاصم سئ الحفظ وقال النسائي ليس به بأس وقال ابن خراش في حديثه نكرة وقال العقيلي لم يكن فيه إلا سوء الحفظ وقال الدارقطني في حفظه شئ وقال أبو بكر البزار لم يكن بالحافظ ولا نعلم أحدا ترك حديثه على ذلك وهو مشهور وقال ابن قانع قال حماد بن سلمة خلط عاصم في آخره عمره وذكره ابن حبان في الثقات وقال العجلي كان عثمانيا

‘Asim b. Bahdalah, and he was Ibn Abi al-Najud al-Asadi, their freed slave, Abu Bakr al-Muqri....

Ibn Sa’d said: “He was thiqah (trustworthy), except that he made A LOT OF MISTAKES in his hadith” Ya’qub b. Sufyan said: “There is muddle in his hadith, and he is thiqah (trustworthy)” Ibn Abi Hatim narrated that his father said: “... His status in my opinion is sidq (truthfulness), salih al-hadith (i.e. his standalone reports are weak), and his status is NOT to say he is thiqah (trustworthy). He was not a memorizer.” Ibn ‘Ulayyah talked about him and said, “Everyone whose name was ‘Asim had a defective memory.” Al-Nasai said, “There is no problem with him.” Ibn Kharrash said, “There is repugnancy in his hadith”. Al-‘Aqili said, “He had no problem except (his) defective memory.” Al-Daraquṭni said, “There is a problem with his memory”... Abu Bakr al-Bazzar said, “He was not a memorizer, and we do not know anyone who abandoned (narrating) his hadith due to that. He was well-known.” Ibn Qani’ said: “Hammad b. Salamah said: ‘Asim became confused during the last part of his life.” Ibn Hibban mentioned him in al-Thiqat, and al-‘Ijli said, “He was an ‘Uthmani”.11

So, his problems are:

1. He made a lot of mistakes in his ahadith.

2. He used to muddle things up in his ahadith.

3. He had a defective memory.

4. There is repugnancy in his ahadith.

5. He became confused during the last part of his lifetime.

Apparently, all his problems - each of which is very serious - resulted mainly from his defective memory. There is obviously no doubt that ‘Asim was dha’if, in fact very weak. Narrators with milder conditions are readily thrown out of the windows by Sunni scholars of hadith and rijal. Therefore, the standalone transmissions of ‘Asim too are dha’if - all of them! With this, our brothers from the Ahl al-Sunnah lose all possible bases for their claim that the name of the Mahdi’s father is ‘Abd Allah.

But, there is need to address two more reports. Dr. al-Bastawi quotes the first of them here:

وأخرجه ابن أبي شيبة قال: الفضل بن دكين، قال، ثنا فطر عن زر، عن عبد الله قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: لا تذهب الدنيا حتى يبعث الله رجلا من أهل بيتي يواطئ اسمه اسمي واسم أبيه اسم أبي

Ibn Abi Shaybah has recorded it, saying: al-Fadhl b. Dukayn - Fiṭr - Zirr - ‘Abd Allah:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “This world will not end until Allah sends a man from my Ahl al-Bayt. His name will correspond with my name and the name of his father is the name of my father.”12

We do not have any ‘Asim here. But, al-Bastawi himself clarifies the situation in the footnote:

الظاهر أن " عاصم " سقط من هذا الإسناد فإني لم أجد لفطر رواية عن زر. وجميع رواة هذا الحديث مجمعون على روايته عن عاصم عن زر. والله أعلم

Obviously, “‘Asim” has been dropped in this chain, for I did not find any report by Fiṭr from Zirr. Also, all the narrators of this hadith agree on his (i.e. Fiṭr’s) narration of it from ‘Asim from Zirr. And Allah knows best.13

Therefore, there actually is ‘Asim in that sanad. As such, it is dha’if.

Al-Bastawi also gives us what is apparently the strongest Sunni evidence on this matter:

وأخرجه أيضا أبو نعيم في أخبار أصبهان قال: حدثنا أبو محمد بن حيان، ثنا أبو بكر بن الجارود، ثنا محمد بن عيسى الزجاج، ثنا أبو نعيم، ثنا فطر، عن أبي إسحاق وعاصم، عن زر، عن عبد الله قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: لو لم يبق من الدنيا إلا يوما واحدا بعث الله عز وجل رجلا من أهل بيتي يواطئ اسمه اسمي واسم أبيه اسم أبي

Abu Nu’aym recorded it in Akhbar Asbahan: Abu Muhammad b. Hayyan - Abu Bakr b. al-Jarud - Muhammad b. ‘Isa al-Zajjaj - Abu Nu’aym - Fiṭr - Abu Ishaq AND ‘Asim - Zirr - ‘Abd Allah:

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “Even if there remained only one (more) day for the earth, Allah the Almighty will send a man from my Ahl al-Bayt. His name will correspond with my name and the name of his father is the name of my father.”14

Here, ‘Asim is seconded by Abu Ishaq. In the right circumstances, this corroboration would have neutralized the problem created by ‘Asim’s defective memory. However, the mutaba’ah of Abu Ishaq is even more useless than the original chain. Concerning him, al-Hafiz states:

عمرو بن عبد الله بن عبيد …. أبو إسحاق السبيعي بفتح المهملة وكسر الموحدة ثقة مكثر عابد من الثالثة اختلط بأخرة

‘Amr b. ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Ubayd Abu Ishaq al-Sabi’i: Thiqah (trustworthy); narrated a lot (of ahadith), a great worshipper (of Allah), from the third (ṭabaqat). He became confused (in his narrations) during the end part of his lifetime.15

This then divides his narrations into two: those before his confusion and those after it started. His ahadith before his memory collapse are naturally authentic from him. However, all those reports that he narrated during his confusion were only products of a deranged mind. They are not just dha’if; they are dha’if jiddan! Luckily for us, a list of those who heard from him before his confusion is available. It allows us to know which of his ahadith is reliable, and which is deranged or confused. So, this verdict of Shaykh Dr. Asad about another report of Fiṭr from Abu Ishaq hits the nail right on the head for our own investigation:

إسناده ضعيف فطر بن خليفة لم يذكر فيمن رووا قديما عن أبي إسحاق

Its chain is dha’if. Fiṭr b. Khalifah is NOT mentioned among those who narrated early (i.e. before the confusion) from Abu Ishaq.16

So, the corroboration of Abu Ishaq is only a deranged, confused riwayat. This makes it completely worthless, whether as a proof or as a support. It must be added further that ‘Asim himself - apart from having a defective memory, making “a lot” of mistakes in his narration and muddling up his ahadith - he too became confused later in life. Therefore, the best Sunni evidence is actually nothing but a dha’if¸confused report.

Notes

1. Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad b. ‘Abd al-Halim b. Taymiyyah al-Harrani, Minhaj al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah (Muasassat Qurṭubah; 1st edition, 1406 H) [annotator: Dr. Muhammad Rashad Salim], vol. 8, pp. 256-257

2. Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad b. ‘Abd al-Halim b. Taymiyyah al-Harrani, Minhaj al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah (Muasassat Qurṭubah; 1st edition, 1406 H) [annotator: Dr. Muhammad Rashad Salim], vol. 8, pp. 254-255

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. 511, # 8434

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 5, p. 227

6. Dr. ‘Abd al-‘Alim ‘Abd al-‘Azim al-Bastawi, al-Mawsu’at fi Ahadith al-Mahdi al-Dha’ifah wa al-Mawdhu’at (Beirut: Dar Ibn Hazm; 1st edition, 1420 H), p. 123, # 36

7. Ibid

8. Abu Bakr Ahmad b. ‘Ali al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Tarikh Baghdad (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah; 1st edition, 1417 H) [annotator: Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Aṭa], vol. 9, p. 477-478, # 5101

9. Dr. ‘Abd al-‘Alim ‘Abd al-‘Azim al-Bastawi, al-Mawsu’at fi Ahadith al-Mahdi al-Dha’ifah wa al-Mawdhu’at (Beirut: Dar Ibn Hazm; 1st edition, 1420 H), p. 317, # 225

10. Abu al-Qasim Sulayman b. Ahmad b. Ayub al-Tabarani, Mu’jam al-Kabir (Mosul: Maktabah al-‘Ulum wa al-Hikam; 2nd edition, 1404 H) [annotator: Hamadi b. ‘Abd al-Majid al-Salafi], vol. 10, p.133, # 10213

11. Shihab al-Din Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Tahdhib al-Tahdhib (Dar al-Fikr; 1st edition, 1404 H), vol. 5, pp. 35-36, # 67

12. 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. 263, # 25

13. Ibid

14. Ibid

15. 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, p. 739, # 5081

16. Abu Ya’la Ahmad b. ‘Ali b. Muthanna al-Mawsili al-Tamimi, Musnad (Damascus: Dar al-Mamun li al-Turath; 1st edition, 1404 H) [annotator: Dr. Husayn Salim Asad], vol. 2, p. 534, # 3362

15. The Sunni Chase Of Shadows: The Mahdi And The Shi’i Communities

We know already that the “Mahdi” being expected by most Sunni Muslims - one Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah al-Hasani - will never come. There is no reliable hadith to establish his existence or his coming, even in the Sunni books! As such, he is only a figment of their imagination. By contrast, the birth, existence and mission of the Mahdi, ‘alaihi al-salam, that the Shi’ah Imamiyyah and some from the Ahl al-Sunnah await is firmly established by sahih Shi’i ahadith. It is equally our belief that all the authentic Sunni reports on the Mahdi are references to him.

One undeniable fact about the true Mahdi is that he will be upon the religion of the eleven Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt, ‘alaihim al-salam, before him. There is simply no doubt about that. Imam al-Tirmidhi (d. 279 H) records:

حدثنا نصر بن عبد الرحمن الكوفي حدثنا زيد بن الحسن هو الأنماطي عن جعفر بن محمد عن أبيه عن جابر بن عبد الله قال رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم في حجته يوم عرفة وهو على ناقته القصواء يخطب فسمعته يقول يا أيها الناس إني قد تركت فيكم ما إن أخذتم به لن تضلوا كتاب الله وعترتي أهل بيتي

Nasr b. ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Kufi - Zayd b. al-Hasan al-Anmaṭi - Ja’far b. Muhammad - his father - Jabir b. ‘Abd Allah:

I saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, during his Hajj on the Day of ‘Arafat while he was on his camel, al-Qaswa, delivering a sermon, and I heard him saying: “O mankind! I have left behind over you that which if you hold fast to it you will never go astray: the Book of Allah and MY OFFSPRING, my Ahl al-Bayt.”1

Al-Tirmidhi comments:

وهذا حديث حسن غريب من هذا الوجه و زيد بن الحسن قد روى عنه سعيد بن سليمان وغير واحد من أهل العلم

And this hadith is hasan gharib (i.e. has a hasan chain) from this route. As for Zayd b. al-Hasan, Sa’id b. Sulayman and others from the people of knowledge have narrated from him.2

And ‘Allamah al-Albani (d. 1420 H) also says:

صحيح

Sahih.3

Meanwhile, Imam al-Mahdi himself is only from these same rightly guided offspring. Imam Abu Dawud (d. 275 H) has the hadith:

حدثنا أحمد بن إبراهيم ثنا عبد الله بن جعفر الرقي ثنا أبو المليح الحسن بن عمر عن زياد بن بيان عن علي بن نفيل عن سعيد بن المسيب عن أم سلمة قالت سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم يقول " المهدي من عترتي من ولد فاطمة "

Ahmad b. Ibrahim - ‘Abd Allah b. Ja’far al-Raqqi - Abu al-Mulayh al-Hasan b. ‘Umar - Ziyad b. Bayan - ‘Ali b. Nufayl - Sa’id b. al-Musayyab - Umm Salamah:

I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, saying: “The Mahdi is from MY OFFSPRING, from the descendants of Faṭimah.”4

Al-Albani declares:

صحيح

Sahih.5

So, the Mahdi is from the same blood and madhhab as all the rest of the Ahl al-Bayt, starting with Amir al-Muminin ‘Ali, ‘alaihi al-salam.

Interestingly, the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah do not follow the offspring of the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi. Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 H) confirms this with pride:

قال الرافضي و في الفقه الفقهاء يرجعون إليه

و الجواب أن هذا كذب بين فليس في الأئمة الأربعة و لا غيرهم من أئمة الفقهاء من يرجع إليه في فقهه

The Rafidhi said: “In fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), the (Sunni) jurists used to reference him (i.e. ‘Ali).”

The answer is that this is a plain lie. There was NONE among the four Imams and others from the Imams of the jurists who referenced him (i.e. ‘Ali) in his fiqh.6

He also adds:

وهذه كتب الحديث والتفسير مملوءة بالآثار عن الصحابة والتابعين والذي فيها عن علي قليل جدا

These are books of hadith and tafsir, filled with reports from the Sahabah and Tabi’in. What is recorded in them from ‘Ali is VERY LITTLE.7

He equally proclaims:

قال الرافضي أما المالكية فاخذوا علمهم عنه و عن أولاده

و الجواب أن هنا كذب ظاهر فهذا موطأ مالك ليس فيه عنه و لا عن أحد أولاده إلا قليل جدا و جمهور ما فيه عن غيرهم فيه عن جعفر تسعة أحاديث و لم يرو مالك عن أحد من ذريته إلا عن جعفر و كذلك الأحاديث التي في الصحاح و السنن و المساند منها قليل عن ولده و جمهور ما فيها عن غيرهم

The Rafidhi said: “As for the Malikis, they took their knowledge from him (i.e. ‘Ali) and from his (i.e. ‘Ali’s) offspring.”

The answer is that there is an apparent lie here. This is Muwaṭṭa of Malik. What is recorded in it from him (i.e. ‘Ali) or any of his offspring is VERY LITTLE. Most of what is in it is from other than them. There are nine ahadith from Ja’far (al-Sadiq) in it, and Malik did not record from ANY of his (i.e. ‘Ali’s) offspring except from Ja’far. This is also the case with what is recorded in the Sahih books, the Sunan books, and the Musnad books. What is recorded in them from his (i.e. ‘Ali’s) offspring is LITTLE. The generality of what is recorded in them is from others.8

The mathematics, of course, is straightforward:

1. The Mahdi will follow the path of the Ahl al-Bayt.

2. The Sunnis do NOT follow the path of the Ahl al-Bayt.

3. Therefore, the Mahdi will NOT be on the same path as the Sunnis.

By contrast, at least 99% of the authentic ahadith in the Shi’i sources are from the Messenger of Allah and the Twelve Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt. In reality, however, everything is from the Prophet, since the words of the Imams are only narrations of his Sunnah. As such, it is obvious that:

i. The Mahdi will follow the path of the Ahl al-Bayt.

ii. The Shi’is follow the path of the Ahl al-Bayt.

iii. Therefore, the Mahdi will be on the same part as the Shi’is.

The top linguists of the Ahl al-Sunnah have also admitted that the word “Shi’ah” is only the name of those in this Ummah who follow ‘Ali and his offspring from the Ahl al-Bayt. For instance, the chief Sunni lexicographer, Ibn Manzur (d. 711 H), declares:

وقد غلب هذا الاسم على من يتوالى عليا وأهل بيته، رضوان الله عليهم أجمعين، حتى صار لهم اسما خاصا فإذا قيل: فلان من الشيعة عرف أنه منهم. وفي مذهب الشيعة كذا أي عندهم. وأصل ذلك من المشايعة، وهي المتابعة والمطاوعة، قال الأزهري: والشيعة قوم يهوون هوى عترة النبي، صلى الله عليه وسلم، ويوالونهم

This name (i.e. “Shi’ah) has become synonymous with those who follow ‘Ali and his Ahl al-Bayt, pleasure of Allah be upon them all, such that it has become their exclusive name. Therefore, when it is said “So-and-so is from the Shi’ah”, it is known that he is from them; and “it is like that in the madhhab of the Shi’ah” means in their view. The root of that is from adherence, and that is followership and obedience. Al-Azhari said: “The Shi’ah are a group who love what the offspring of the Prophet love, peace be upon him, and also follow them.”9

Imam Ibn al-‘Athir (d. 606 H) is slightly aggressive. Yet, he too is principally of the same opinion:

وقد غلب هذ الاسم على كل من يزعم أنه يتولى عليا رضي اللهعنه وأهل بيته حتى صار لهم اسما خاصا فإاذ قيل فلان من الشيعة عرف أنه منهم وفي مذهب الشية كذا أي عندهم

This name (i.e. “Shi’ah) has become synonymous with those who claim that they follow ‘Ali and his Ahl al-Bayt, such that it has become their exclusive name. Therefore, when it is said “So-and-so is from the Shi’ah”, it is known that he is from them; and “it is like that in the madhhab of the Shi’ah” means in their view.10

Imam al-Zubaydi (d. 1205 H) also shares the submission of Ibn Manzur:

وقد غلب هذا الاسم على كل من يتولى عليا وأهل بيته، رضي الله عنهم أجمعين، حتى صار اسما لهم خاصا، فإذا قيل: فلان من الشيعة عرف أنه منهم، وفي مذهب الشيعة كذا، أي عندهم، أصل ذلك من المشايعة، وهي المطاوعة والمتابعة وقال الأزهري: الشيعة: قوم يهوون هوى عترة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، ويوالونهم

This name (i.e. “Shi’ah) has become synonymous with those who follow ‘Ali and his Ahl al-Bayt, may Allah be pleased with them all, such that it has become their exclusive name. Therefore, when it is said “So-and-so is from the Shi’ah”, it is known that he is from them; and “it is like that in the madhhab of the Shi’ah” means in their view. The root of that is from adherence, and that is followership and obedience And al-Azhari said: “The Shi’ah are a group who love what the offspring of the Prophet love, peace be upon him, and also follow them.”11

This then brings our little mathematics exercise to its climax:

1. The Shi’is are the only group in the Ummah who follow ‘Ali and his offspring.

2. The Prophet ordered his entire Ummah and all humanity to follow ‘Ali and his offspring after him.

3. Imam al-Mahdi is from the offspring of ‘Ali, and is also a follower of ‘Ali and his offspring.

4. Therefore, the Mahdi will belong to the path of the Shi’is, and will call humanity to it.

Another point of interest is that Shi’is will be among the primary helpers of Imam al-Mahdi, even according to sahih Sunni ahadith. For instance, we read earlier how his first army will be from Khurasan - a region lying mainly in Iran, but also covering parts of southern Turkmenistan and northern Afghanistan. These areas, overall, contain substantial Shi’i populations in these times of ours; and there is no likehood of that changing anytime soon. Therefore, should the Imam come out today, his first troops would be substantially or largely Imami Shi’is. Meanwhile, there is every likelihood that Shi’ism will never cease to get stronger in Khurasan and all over the world as it has been rapidly doing since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Perhaps, even more interesting is the fact that the people who will become “the most fortunate” of mankind from the rise of the Mahdi are the Kufans; and they are overwhelmingly Shi’ah Imamiyyah. In the past, they betrayed Imam al-Husayn, ‘alaihi al-salam. But, in the future, they will stand above all humanity in their devotion and loyalty. Obviously, they will earn Allah’s Pleasure more than any others, through their ummatched sacrifices and support for the Awaited Mahdi. Imam Ibn Abi Shaybah (d. 235 H) has the clear athar:

يعلى بن عبيد عن الأجلح عن عمار الدهني عن سالم عن عبد الله بن عمرو قال: يا أهل الكوفة، أنتم أسعد الناس بالمهدي

Ya’la b. ‘Ubayd - al-Ajlah - ‘Ammar al-Dahni - Salim - ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Amr, he said:

“O people of Kufa! You are the MOST FORTUNATE of mankind with the Mahdi.”12

Dr. al-Bastawi also submits:

وأخرجه أيضا أبو عمرو الداني في سننه، قال: حدثنا عبد الرحمن بن عثمان، حدثنا قاسم، حدثنا أحمد بن زهير، حدثنا عبد الرحمن بن صالح، حدثنا عبد الله بن الأجلح، عن عمار الدهني، عن سالم بن أبي الجعد قال: خرجنا حجاجا، فجئت إلى عبد الله بن عمرو بن العاص، فقال: ممن أنت يا رجل؟ قال: قلت: من أهل العراق. قال: فكن إذا من أهل الكوفة. قال: فقلت: أنا منهم، قال: فإنهم أسعد الناس بالمهدي

Abu ‘Amr al-Dani also recorded it in his Sunan, saying: ‘Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Uthman - Qasim - Ahmad b. Zuhayr - ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Salih - ‘Abd Allah b. al-Ajlah - ‘Ammar al-Dahni - Salim b. Abi al-Ja’d:

We went on a Hajj, and we met ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Amr b. al-‘As. Then he said, “Where are you from, O man?” I said, “From the people of Iraq.” He said, “In that case, make sure to be from the people of Kufa.” I said, “I am from them.” He said, “For they are the MOST FORTUNATE of mankind with the Mahdi.”13

Then, he says after examining the narrators:

وبعد دراسة تراجم رجال الإسناد تبين أن الإسناد الأول فيه الأجلح الكندي وأكثر الأئمة على تضعيفه. ولكن تابعه ولده في الإسناد الثاني وهو صدوق. وعمار الدهني روى عنه الأجلح وابنه عبد الله بن الأجلح كلاهما كما ذكر المزي في تهذيب الكمال في ترجمة عمار الدهني

After research into the biographical entries on the narrators of the chain, it is clear that in the first chain, there is al-Ajlah al-Kindi. The majority of the Imams declared him dha’if. However, he has been seconded by his son in the second chain, and he (the son, ‘Abd Allah) is saduq (very truthful). As for ‘Ammar al-Dahni, both al-Ajlah and his son, ‘Abd Allah b. al-Ajlah, narrated from him, as stated by al-Mizzi in Tahdhib al-Kamal in the biographical entry on ‘Ammar al-Duhni.14

And he gives the final verdict:

إسناده حسن إلى عبد الله بن عمرو رضي الله عنهما. ولكنه رضي الله عنه كان ينظر في كتب أهل الكتاب ويروي عنهم. فقد يكون الخبر من الإسرائيليات. والله أعلم

Its chain is hasan up to ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Amr, may Allah be pleased with them both. However, he, may Allah be pleased with him, used to look into the books of the Ahl al-Kitab and narrated from them. So, it is possible that the report is from the Israiliyat. And Allah knows best.15

Of course, topics such as the city of Kufa and Imam al-Mahdi are completely unknown in, and absolutely unrelated to, Israiliyyat. As such, ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Amr could only have heard the information from the Messenger of Allah, especially as it affected matters of the ghayb (unseen). With this, it is obvious that the athar has the hukm (status) of a marfu’ hadith.

The people of Kufa, who have been Shi’is for 1400 years, will be the most fortunate of all mankind with the Awaited Imam. That really is an unequalled merit for them amongst all nations. Note especially how ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Amr b. al-‘As urged Salim to be from the people of Kufa - which was already a Shi’i stronghold at that period! This highlights the good of being a Kufan even back then, due to the barakah of what unborn Kufans would do with the Mahdi in the distant future.

Notes

1. Abu ‘Isa Muhammad b. ‘Isa al-Sulami al-Tirmidhi, al-Jami’ al-Sahih Sunan al-Tirmidhi (Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi) [annotator: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani], vol. 5, p. 662 # 3786

2. Ibid

3. Ibid

4. 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, # 4284

5. Ibid

6. Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad b. ‘Abd al-Halim b. Taymiyyah al-Harrani, Minhaj al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah (Muasassat Qurṭubah; 1st edition, 1406 H) [annotator: Dr. Muhammad Rashad Salim], vol. 7, pp. 529

7. Ibid, vol. 8, p. 43

8. Ibid, vol. 7, p. 531

9. Abu al-Fadhl Jamal al-Din Muhammad b. Mukram b. Manzur al-Afriqi al-Misri, Lisan al-‘Arab (Beirut: Dar Sadir; 1st edition), vol. 8, p. 188

10. Abu Sa’adat al-Mubarak b. Muhammad, Ibn al-Athir al-Jazari, al-Nihayah fi Gharib al-Hadith wa al-Athar (Beirut: al-Maktabah al-‘Ilmiyyah; 1399 AH) [annotators: Tahir Ahmad al-Zawi and Mahmud Muhammad al-Tanahi], vol. 2, p. 519-520

11. Muhibb al-Din Abu Faydh Sayyid Muhammad Murtadha al-Husayni al-Wasiṭi al-Zubaydi al-Hanafi, Taj al-‘Urus min Jawahir al-Qamus (Beirut: Dar al-Fikr; 1st edition, 1414 H) [annotator: ‘Ali Shirri], vol. 11, p. 257

12. ‘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. 678, # 189

13. 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), pp. 215-216, # 13

14. Ibid, p. 218, # 13

15. Ibid, pp. 218-219, # 13