Traditions about Imam Mahdi (a.s.)
Ibne Khaldun has quotedtwenty one traditions from the companions, and brings them on pages 158 to 173 in the second volume. The narrators include Hazrat Ali (a.s.), Jabir (a.r.), Ibne Masud, Umme Salma, Abu Saeed-e-Khudri, Abdullah ibne Masud, Mohammed ibne Haatiyah, Ibne Abbas, Thaubaan, Abdullah ibne Harith ibne Harr, Abu Hurairah, Qurah ibne Ayaas, Ibne Umar, Talha ibne Abdullah, Mujahid, Umme Habibah, amongst others.
The narrations are from disparate chains of narrators. Ibne Khaldun himself acknowledges that Tirmizi, Abu Dawood, Baraaz, Ibne Majah, Hakim,Tabrani and Abu Yaala Masuli have brought these traditions in their books.And then he writes, “The rejectors of Mahdi doubt the chain of narrators of these traditions, as we shall see. It is an acclaimed rule that “doubt precedes justification”.
Onthat account if a narrator is doubted - for instance if he is negligent, or he has a poor memory, or if some weakness is found in him, or his opinion is not good then this will affect the correctness of the tradition. The tradition will now no longer fit the criteria of authenticity. (Muqaddamah, 2/158)