Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Al-Imam Al-Mahdi: The Just Leader Of Humanity

Author: Ayatollah Ibrahim Amini

Table of Contents

Introduction 6

Chapter 1 :The Beginning of the Belief in the Mahdi 7

The Prophet has declared: 7

The Mahdi from among the Descendants of the Prophet 7

The Sunni hadith on the Subject of the Mahdi 9

The Objection Raised by One of the Authors: 10

Let us respond to some points raised by Ibn Khaldun: 11

1: Uninterrupted Transmission (tawatur) of the Traditions 11

2: Weak Transmission Is Not an Issue in All Places: 11

3: Unreliable Simply Because of Being Shi'i 12

4: Difference of Creed 12

5: Unfounded Prejudice 14

6: Sahih Muslim and Sahih Bukhari and Traditions about the Mahdi 15

Other Opinions from Ibn Khaldun 16

The Existence of the Mahdi is Certain 17

The Discussion among the Companions and the Subsequent Generations: 18

People Awaited the Appearance of the Mahdi 20

The Jurists of Medina and the Mahdi Traditions 21

The Poetry of Di'bil and the Mahdi 22

Notes: 23

Chapter 2 :The Pseudo-Mahdis 25

Manipulation of the Beliefs of the People 26

Fabrication of the Traditions 26

Chapter 3 :Mahdiism, the Jews, and the Iranians 29

The Reasons for the Emergence of Belief in the Mahdiism 29

Does it Really Need Explication? 31

The Legend of 'Abd Allah b. Saba 31

The Messianic Leader, Mahdi^[3] , in Other Religions 31

The Qur'an and Mahdiism 33

The General Prophethood and the Imamate 33

What System Can Make Human Beings Prosperous? 35

The Other-worldly Prosperity 37

The Path of Perfection 37

The Infallibility of the Prophets 38

Rational Proof in Support of the Imamate 39

Textual Proof for the Necessity of the Imamate 41

Notes: 43

Chapter 4 :The Unseen World and the Imam of the Age 44

Will the Imam Be Born at the End of the Time? 45

Descriptions Identifying the Mahdi 45

Mahdi Is Among the Descendants of Husayn b. 'Ali 46

What If the Mahdi WasWell-known? 48

The Traditions from the ahl al-bayt Are Proofs for All Muslims 50

Notes: 54

Chapter 5 :Who Was the Imam after Hasan `Askari? 55

Those Who Saw the Imam of the Age When He Was Small 56

Why Was the Twelfth Imam Not Mentioned in the Will of Imam Hasan 'Askari? 59

Why Did Others Not Know about the Twelfth Imam's Birth? 60

In another tradition 'Abd Allah b. 'Ata relates: 60

The Mother of the Twelfth Imam 62

The Sunni 'Ulama' and the Birth of the Mahdi 64

Notes: 66

Chapter 6 :Can a Five Year Old Boy Become an Imam? 68

The Gifted Children 69

Rising of the People when Naming the Qa'im 70

When Did the Story about the Occultation Begin? 71

The Books on the Subject of the Occultation before the Birth of the Twelfth Imam 72

Were these Letters from the Imam in His Own Handwriting? 75

The Number of Deputies 76

'Uthman b. Sa'id, the First Deputy 77

His Miraculous Acts 78

Muhammad b. 'Uthman, the Second Deputy 79

His Miraculous Acts 79

Husayn b. Ruh, the Third Deputy 80

'Ali b. Muhammad Samarri, the Fourth Deputy 81

Notes: 82

Chapter 7 :Why Did Not the Occultation Become Complete from the Beginning? 84

Is There Any Time Limit to the Complete Occultation? 84

The Philosophy of Occultation 85

What Danger Faced the Imam If He Were Visibly Present? 86

Why Is the Mahdi Afraid of Being Killed? 87

Does Not God Have the Power to Protect the Imam? 87

He Should Remain Silent So That He Would Be Safe 88

Why Did He Not Appoint Special Deputies During the Complete Occultation? 89

What Is the Benefit of Having the Imam in Occultation? 90

The Twelfth Imam Endeavors to Defend Islam during the Occultation 94

Notes: 95

Chapter 8 : The Sunni Books on the Characteristics of the Mahdi 96

The Occultation of the 'Alawid Leaders 99

The Implications of the Situation 102

Concluding Remarks 103

How Long Will the Hidden Imam Live? 104

Notes: 105

Chapter 9 :The Research about Longevity 106

Is There Any Fixed Term for Human Age? 106

The Reasons for Longevity 107

Senility and Its Causes 108

The Long Life of the Twelfth Imam 111

The Article by Justin Glace 113

Research into the Matter of Longevity 114

Further Research on Longevity 116

New Research on Longevity 116

Longevity 117

(1) The Cause of Old Age: 117

(2) The Science for the Study of Aging and Death: 118

(3) The Theory Proposed by the Frenchman, Dr. Boufon: 118

(4) Average Human Life Span: 118

(5) Michnikoff's View: 119

(6) The Future Human will live longer: 119

A Little Known Theory about the Cause of Death 120

Conclusion 121

Those Who Lived a Long Life in History 123

Notes: 124

Chapter 10 :The Residence of the Twelfth Imam 125

The Story about the Countries that Belong to the Sons of the Imam 125

When Will He Appear? 133

The Signs of His Appearance 133

The Story of Sufyani 134

The Story of Dajjal 135

Notes: 137

Chapter 11: The Minds of the People Prepare for the Advent of the Mahdi 139

The Final Victory of the Downtrodden (mustad'afin) 142

Why Does the Mahdi Not Appear? 147

Another Reason for the Delay in the Appearance of the Mahdi 150

Notes: 150

Chapter 12 :How Will the Imam Know That the Time for the Appearance (Zuhur) Has Come? 151

The Preparation for the Emergence Will Take Place Overnight 152

Awaiting Deliverance through the Appearance of the Imam 152

Investigation into the Traditions against the Rise (qiyam) 157

The Obligation to Command the Good and Forbid the Evil 158

Concluding Remarks 159

The Prophet as the Leader of the Muslims 159

Islamic Governance after the Prophet 160

'Ali b. Abi Talib, the Designated Caliph of the Prophet of God 161

Islamic Governance during the Period of Occultation 162

The Obligations of Muslims during the Occultation 163

Two Evidences 164

Notes: 166

Chapter 13 :Further Investigation in the Hadith-Reports 168

First Group of Traditions 168

Meaning and Implications of the hadith 169

Second Group of Traditions 172

Third Group of Traditions 173

Fourth Group of Traditions 176

Investigation into the Meanings and Implications of these hadith-Reports 177

Fifth Group of Traditions 178

Notes: 182

Chapter 14: The Signs of the Appearance (Zuhur) of the Mahdi 184

The Destiny of the Unbelievers 184

The Destiny of Jews and Christians 185

Will the Majority of the Peoples on the Earth Be Killed? 187

The Teachings of Islam Will Be Proclaimed to the World from Qumm 189

"Your Enemies Will Destroy Each Other" 191

War Is Inevitable 192

The Mahdi's Defense 192

The World under the Mahdi 194

The Victory of the Prophets 195

The Mahdi and the New Constitution 196

The Conduct of the Mahdi 196

The Mahdi and Abrogation of the Ordinances 199

Is It Not Possible that the Mahdi Has Already Appeared? 199

The Bayan and Messianic Claim 204

False Claims and the Existence of a Followership 205

Notes: 206

Introduction

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

The month of Sha'ban in the Muslim calendar is a time of celebrations. It is marked with the birth of the third Imam, Husayn b. 'Ali, his half brother, 'Abbas b. 'Ali, his son 'Ali b. Husayn Zayn al-'Abidin, and finally, his renowned descendant, the Qa'im of the ahl al-bayt, the twelfth Imam Mahdi (peace be upon him). I attended a function organized to celebrate the birthday of the twelfth Imam (peace be upon him) on the 15th Night of Sha`ban at one of the high schools in Tehran. It was a well organized affair attended by all classes of people. However, the majority of the participants were educated people, including young, upper class high school students. The function was sponsored by the Islamic Association of that school.

The occasion opened with the recitation of the Qur'an by a young student, who, through his beautiful recitation captured the spiritual dimension of the event. Following him another student recited a poem he had composed about the Hidden Imam (peace be upon him), and a third presented a well-written and very relevant paper about the subject. At the end of the program, Mr. Hoshyar, one of the outstanding teachers of the school, gave a pertinent talk on the topic of the Imam of the Age (peace be upon him), and this brought the evening to a close.

That function left a deep impression upon me. It was not so much its ceremonial side that caught my attention, but rather the experience of being overwhelmed by the spirit of sincerity and piety which flowed from the young people. They had brought together religion and knowledge, and were engaged in spreading religious truth and understanding among the people, enlightening their thoughts with faith. The atmosphere at the gathering was dominated by purity of intention and sincerity in the actions of these youths, whose interaction with the audience radiated warmth and consideration.

This enthusiasm among the youth and their religious fervor, guided by clear thinking, made me hopeful about the future of the Muslim community. I almost saw the future leadership of the civilization and the responsibility for the progression of humanity on their shoulders. My eyes were filled with tears of hope and I prayed to God, the Almighty, with all sincerity for the success of the Islamic Association of the students and the schools that had pioneered this sacred mission among the young people.

At that very moment, Engineer Madani, who was seated next to Mr. Hoshyar, raised a question: "Do you really believe in the existence of the Hidden Imam? Is your opinion based on research or do you merely defend such a belief on the basis of your bias?" Mr. Hoshyar replied: "My belief is neither founded upon blind faith nor upon blind imitation. Rather, I have accepted it through careful study and research. In any case, I am still open to do more research and adjust my opinion accordingly."

Mr. Madani continued: "Since the subject of the Imam of the Age is not sufficiently clear for me, and so far I have not been able to convince myself of its veracity, I would very much like to discuss the subject and benefit from your study and research on the topic."