In light of the mutawatir (widely transmitted) ahadith, the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah is that the name of Imam Mahdi will be Muhammad bin Abdullah, he will be from the descendants of Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her), his emergence will take place close to the Hour, and he will raise the banners of justice and equity throughout the entire world.
The religious leaders agree that the ahadith narrated about the emergence of Imam Mahdi are sahih and admissible as evidence. In this regard, let us look at the views of some religious leaders:
(1) Imam Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Amr bin Musa bin Hammad al-Uqayli (d. 322 AH) says:
وفي المهدي احاديث جيد
“There are good ahadith about the Mahdi.”
(2) Imam Abu Bakr Ahmad bin al-Husayn bin Ali bin Musa al-Bayhaqi, may Allah have mercy on him (384–458 AH), says:
والاحاديث فى التنصيص على خروج المهدي اصح اسنادا، وفيها بيان كونه من عترة النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم
“The ahadith about the emergence of Imam Mahdi have sound chains. They also make clear that Imam Mahdi will be from the family of the Prophet ﷺ.”
(3) Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him (661–728 AH), says:
والاحاديث التي يحتج بها خروج المهدي احاديث صحيحة
“The ahadith from which proof is taken for the emergence of Imam Mahdi are sahih.”
(4) Shaykh al-Islam the second, the divine scholar, Allamah Ibn al-Qayyim (691–751 AH), said:
وهذا الاحاديث اربعة اقسام، صحاح وحسان وغرائب و موضوعة
“These ahadith are of four types: among them are sahih, hasan, gharib, and mawdu’.”
(5) Allamah Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Ja’far bin Idris al-Kattani, may Allah have mercy on him (1274–1345 AH), after a detailed discussion on this matter, summarises it thus:
والحاصل ان الاحاديث الواردة في المهدي المنتظر متواترة
“The summary of the discussion is that the ahadith about the awaited Mahdi are mutawatir.”
(6) Allamah Shams al-Din Abu al-Awn Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Salim al-Safarini, may Allah have mercy on him (1114–1188 AH), writes:
من اشراط الساعة التي وردت بها الاخبار وتواترت في مضمونها الاثار
“The emergence of Imam Mahdi is among the signs of the Hour about which ahadith have been narrated and about which mutawatir reports have been transmitted.”
(7) Allamah Muhammad Amin bin Muhammad Mukhtar al-Shinqiti, may Allah have mercy on him (1325–1393 AH), says:
وقد تواترت الاخبار واستفاضت بكثرة روايتها عن المختار صلى الله عليه وسلم بمجيء المهدي، وانه من اهل بيته
“Concerning the coming of Imam Mahdi and his being from the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet ﷺ, there are mutawatir and widely known ahadith narrated from the Prophet ﷺ.”
This was the state of the ahadith concerning Imam Mahdi according to the scholars and religious leaders. Now let us look at some of these ahadith and narrations:
◆ Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
لو لم يبق من الدنيا إلا يوم، قال: زائدة في حديثه لطول الله ذلك اليوم، ثم اتفقوا: حتى يبعث فيه رجلا مني او من اهل بيتي يواطئ اسمه اسمي واسم ابيه اسم
“Even if only one day remains of the world (and Imam Mahdi has not come), Allah will lengthen that very day, until He raises up from my progeny, or from my Ahl al-Bayt, a man whose name will be my name and whose father’s name will be my father’s name.”
◆ Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) says:
ستكون فتنة يحصل الناس منها كما يحصل الذهب في المعدن، فلا تسبوا أهل الشام، وسبوا ظلمتهم، فإن فيهم الأبدال، وسيرسل الله تعالى إليهم سيباً من السماء فيغرقهم، حتى لو قاتلهم الثعالب غلبتهم، ثم يبعث الله عز وجل عند ذلك رجلاً من عترة الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم في اثني عشر ألفا إن قلوا، وخمسة عشر ألفا إن كثروا، أمارتهم أو علامتهم أمت أمت على ثلاث رايات يقاتلهم أهل سبع رايات ليس من صاحب راية إلا وهو يطمع بالملك، فيقتتلون ويهزمون، ثم يظهر الهاشمي فيرد الله إلى الناس إلفتهم ونعمتهم، فيكونون على ذلك حتى يخرج الدجال .
“A trial will appear, and people will emerge from it as gold emerges purified from the furnace. Do not revile the people of Syria, but revile their oppressors, for among them are the Abdal. Allah will send upon them a rain from the sky and He will drown them, so that even if foxes fight them, they will overcome them. Then Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, will raise up at that time a man from the progeny of the Messenger ﷺ with twelve thousand, if they are few, or fifteen thousand, if they are many. Their sign or indication will be “Amit, amit.” They will be on three banners. Against them will fight the people of seven banners, each banner-holder hoping for kingship. They will fight and be defeated. Then the Hashimi will prevail, and Allah will restore to the people their mutual affection and blessing. They will remain in that state until the Dajjal emerges.”
Imam al-Hakim, may Allah have mercy on him, said its chain is “sahih al-isnad,” and Hafiz al-Dhahabi, may Allah have mercy on him, said it is “sahih.”
Contrary to these ahadith and narrations, the Rafidi Shi’ah have made for themselves a “hidden imam.” He is their “awaited Mahdi.” His name is Muhammad bin Hasan al-Askari.
Regarding this, Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH) says:
المهدي الذي يكون في آخر الزمان، وهو أحد الخلفاء الراشدين والأئمة المهديين، وليس بالمنتظر الذي تزعم الروافض، وترتجي ظهوره من سرداب في سامراء، فإِن ذاك ما لا حقيقة له، ولا عين ولا أثر .
“By this is meant the Mahdi who will be at the end of time. He will be a rightly guided caliph and a guided imam. By him is not meant the awaited Mahdi whose claim the Rafidis make, and whom they await to emerge from a fortress in Samarra. There is no reality to it, and no narration or report about it exists.”
He further says:
فيخرج المهدي، ويكون ظهوره من بلاد المشرق، لا من سرداب سامرا، كما يزعمه جهلة الرافضة من أنه موجوده فيه الآن، وهم ينتظرون خروجه آخر الزمان، فإن هذا نوع من الهذيان، وقسط كبير من الخذلان، وهوس شديد من الشيطان، إذ لا دليل عليه ذلك ولا برهان، لا من كتاب ولا سنة ولا من معقول صحيح ولا استحسان
“The Imam Mahdi will emerge. His emergence will be from the region of the East, not from the cellar of Samarra, as the ignorant Rafidis claim, that he is present in it now, and they await his emergence at the end of time. This is a kind of nonsense, a great degradation, and an intense whim from Satan, for there is no proof or argument for it, neither from the Book, nor the Sunnah, nor sound reason, nor juristic preference.”
Hafiz Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) further says:
هذا الحديث دلالة على أنه لا بد من وجود اثني عشر خليفة عادل وليسوا هم بأئمة الشيعة الاثني عشر فإن كثيرا من أولئك لم يكن لهم من الامر شئ، فأما هؤلاء فإنهم يكونون من قريش يلون فيعدلون وقد وقعت البشارة بهم في الكتب المتقدمة ثم لا يشترط أن يكون متتابعين بل يكون وجودهم في الأمة متتابعا ومتفرقا، وقد وجد منهم أربعة على الولاء وهم أبو بكر ثم عمر ثم عثمان ثم علي رضي الله عنهم ثم كانت بعدهم فترة ثم وجد منهم من شاء الله، ثم قد يوجد منهم من بقي في الوقت الذي يعلمه الله تعالى، ومنهم المهدي الذي أسمه يطابق أسم رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وكنيته كنيته يملأ الأرض عدلا وقسطا كما ملئت جورا وظلما .
“This hadith shows that there must be twelve just caliphs, and they are not the twelve Imams of the Shia. For most of those had no authority at all. As for these, they will be from Quraysh, who will rule and act justly. Their coming has been given as good news in earlier books. Then it is not a condition that they come one after another; rather their presence in the Ummah will be both successive and scattered. Four of them came in succession, namely Abu Bakr, then Umar, then Uthman, then Ali (may Allah be pleased with them). After them there was an interval, and then those whom Allah willed came. Then among them there will be those who remain, at the time that Allah the Exalted knows. Among them is the Mahdi, whose name matches the name of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and whose kunya matches his kunya. He will fill the earth with justice and equity, just as it was filled with oppression and injustice.”
At another place he says:
ولا تقوم الساعة حتى تكون ولايتهم لا محالة، والظاهر أن منهم المهدي المبشر به فى الأحاديث، بذكره انه يواطيء اسمه اسم النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم واسم ابيه اسم ابيه فيملا الارض عدلا وقسطا كما ملئت جوراً وظلماً، وليس هذا بالمنتظر الذى يتوهم الرافضة وجوده ثم ظهوره من سرداب سَامرّاء . فإن ذلك ليس له حقيقة ولا وجود بالكلية، بل هو من هَوَسِ العقول السخيفة، وَتَوَهُّم الخيالات الضعيفة، وليس المراد بهؤلاء الخلفاء الاثني عشر الأئمة الاثني عشر الذين يعتقد فيهم الاثنا عشرية من الروافض، لجهلهم وقلة عقلهم. وفي التوراة البشارة بإسماعيل، عليه السلام، وأن الله يقيم من صُلْبِه اثني عشر عظيما، وهم هؤلاء الخلفاء الاثنا عشر المذكورون فى حديث ابن مسعود، وجابر بن سَمُرة، وبعض الجهلة ممن أسلم من اليهود إذا اقترن بهم بعض الشيعة يوهمونهم أنهم الأئمة الاثنا عشر، فيتشيع كثير منهم جهلا وسَفَها، لقلة علمهم وعلم من لقنهم ذلك بالسنن الثابتة عن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم.
“Indeed, the Hour will not be established until the rule of these twelve caliphs is established. It is evident that among them will be the Mahdi, about whom the hadiths mention that his name will match the name of the Prophet ﷺ (Muhammad), and his father’s name will match the name of the Prophet’s father (Abdullah). He will fill the earth, which was filled with oppression and tyranny, with justice and equity. The Mahdi is not the awaited Imam whom the Rafidah believe to be present now and expect to emerge from a hiding place in Samarra. That has no connection with reality, and it has absolutely no existence; rather it is a desire of a filthy mind and a delusion of weak imaginations. By these twelve caliphs is not meant the twelve Imams whom the Twelver Rafidah believe in out of their ignorance and lack of knowledge. The Torah contains, along with the good news of Ismail (peace be upon him), that Allah will raise from his lineage twelve great men. These are the same twelve caliphs mentioned in the hadith of Ibn Mas’ud and Jabir bin Samurah (may Allah be pleased with them both). When some ignorant people who have converted from Judaism to Islam meet some Shia, the Shia deceive them into thinking that they are the twelve Imams. As a result, many of them become Shia out of ignorance and foolishness. The reason is that they themselves have little knowledge of the authentic hadiths from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and those who instruct them in this are also lacking in knowledge.”
Regarding the “hidden Imam” of the Imami Shia, Allamah Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
واما الرافضة الامامية فلهم قول رابع وهو: أن المهدي هو محمد بن الحسن العسكري المنتظر, من ولد الحسين بن علي لا من ولد الحسن, الحاضر في الأمصار، الغائب عن الأبصار، الذي يورث العصا، ويختم الفضا، دخل سرداب سامراء طفلاً صغيرًا من أكثر من خمسمائة سنة، فلم تره بعد ذلك عين، ولم يُحس فيه بخبر ولا أثر، وهم ينتظرونه كل يوم ويقفون بالخيل على باب السرداب، ويصيحون به أن يخرج إليهم، اخرج يا مولانا! اخرج يا مولانا! ثم يرجعون بالخيبة والحرمان، فهذا دأبهم ودأبه، ولقد أحسن من قال:ما آن للسرداب أن يلد الذي … كلمتموه بجهلكم ما آنا؟ فعلى عقولكم العفاء فإنكم … ثلثتم العنقاء والغيلانا ولقد أصبح هؤلاء عارًا على بني آدم وضحكة يسخر منها كل عاقل .
“A fourth view of the Imami Rafidah is that the Mahdi is Muhammad bin al-Hasan al-Askari, the awaited one, from the descendants of al-Husayn bin Ali, not from the descendants of al-Hasan. He is present among the cities, hidden from sight; he will establish his rule over the world. He entered the cellar of Samarra as a small child more than five hundred years ago (and some twelve hundred years before our time), and no eye has seen him since, nor has any news or trace of him been perceived. They await him every day and stand with horses at the door of the cellar, calling out to him to come out to them: ‘Come out, O our master! Come out, O our master!’ Then they return in failure and deprivation. This is their habit and his habit. Someone well said:
ما آن للسرداب أن يلد الذي … كلمتموه بجهلكم ما آنا؟ فعلى عقولكم العفاء فإنكم … ثلثتم العنقاء والغيلانا
(The time has not yet come for the cellar to produce the one whom you speak of in your ignorance; the time has not yet come. So let there be dust on your minds, for you have made the phoenix and the ghoul into three.) These people have become a disgrace to the children of Adam and a laughing stock that every sensible person mocks.”
In fact, the ‘anqa is a bird whose name is mentioned but whose existence is not found. Likewise, ghoul refers to a witch who has a name but no existence. In the same way, the Mahdi and the hidden Imam of the Shia have only a name and no existence.
◆ It is narrated from Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ said:
لو لم يبق من الدهر الا يوم لبعث الله رجلا من اهل بيتي، يملاها عدلا كما ملئت جورا
“If only one day of time remains (and Imam Mahdi has not come), Allah will surely send a man from my family (Ahl al-Bayt) who will fill the earth with justice, just as it was filled with oppression.”
◆ Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
المهدي من عترتي من ولد فاطمة .
“The Mahdi is from my family, from the descendants of Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her).”
◆ Sayyidina Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
لا تقوم الساعة حتى تمتلئ الأرض ظلما وعدوانا – قال – ثم يخرج رجل من عترتى أو من أهل بيتى يملؤها قسطا وعدلا كما ملئت ظلما وعدوانا
“The Hour will not be established until the earth is filled with injustice and transgression. Then a man from my progeny, or from my Ahl al-Bayt, will emerge and fill it with justice and equity just as it had been filled with injustice and transgression.”
Imam Ibn Hibban (may Allah have mercy on him)
declared this hadith “sahih” and Imam al-Hakim (may Allah have mercy on him)
declared it “sahih” on the condition of Imam al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim. Hafiz al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) agreed with them.
In a narration in Musnad Ahmad and Sahih Ibn Hibban, these words appear:
يملك سبع سنين
“The Imam Mahdi will rule for seven years.”
Contrary to all these hadiths, the Rafidis claim that the name of the Mahdi is Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Askari. They also call out his name and say: يا صاحب الزمان، الغوث الغوث الغوث، ادركني ادركني ادركني and so on.
These people do not consider it permissible to pronounce his name; rather they refer to him by the titles al-Mahdi, al-Qa’im, al-Muntazar, Sahib al-Zaman, Sahib al-Amr, al-Hajja, al-Khatim and Sahib al-Dar. He is also called Naqma.
According to them, it is not permissible to mention the name of the Imam Mahdi. Their authoritative books state:
ولا يحل ذكره باسمه
“It is not permissible to mention the Imam Mahdi by his name.”
They say that whoever among the Shia pronounces the name of the Mahdi becomes a disbeliever:
صاحب هذا الامر، لا يسميه باسمه الا كافر
“The master of this affair, none calls him by his name except a disbeliever.”
If they must write the name of the Mahdi, the Shia write it with disjoined letters, for example م ح م د (M H M D).
The Shia say about their Mahdi that he was born in 255 AH and went into hiding in 260 AH. They say:
يشهد الموسم فيراهم، ولا يرونه
“The Mahdi comes for Hajj. He sees them, but they do not see him.”
The well-known Shia scholar al-Faydh al-Kashani (d. 1091 AH) wrote concerning Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her):
لو قام قائمنا رد الحميراء عائشة حتي يجلدها الحد
“If our awaited Mahdi comes, he will bring Aisha the Humayra out of her grave and establish the prescribed punishment upon her.”
Seeking Allah’s refuge! How wicked and malicious these people are, who do not refrain from hurling filth even at the pure wives of the pure and purified Prophet. Allah Himself declared the chastity of Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) in the Holy Quran, yet the lying and oppressive Rafidis plan to establish the punishment upon her. About such people Allah has said:
إِنَّمَا يَفْتَرِي الْكَذِبَ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّـهِ وَأُولَـئِكَ هُمُ الْكَاذِبُونَ
“Only those who do not believe in the signs of Allah fabricate lies, and it is they who are the liars.”
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote about their “Imam of the Age”:
فليس فيهم احد يعرفه لابعينه ولا صفته، لكن يقولون: ان هذا الشخص الذي لم يره احد، ولم يسمع له خبر، هو امام زمانهم، ومعلوم ان هذا ليس هو معرفة بالامام . . . .
“None of them recognizes him, nor has anyone seen him, nor does anyone know his attributes. Rather, they say that he is a person whom no one has seen and of whom no news has been heard. He is their Imam of the Age, although it is known that this is not the recognition of an Imam….”
Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) further states:
ويقولون: انما كانو علي الحق لان فيهم الامام المعصوم، والمعصوم عند الرافضة الامامية الاثني عشرية هو الذي دخل الي سرداب سامراء بعد موت ابيه الحسن بن علي العسكري سنة ستين وماتين، وهو الي الان غائب، لم يعرف له خبر، ولا وقع له احد علي عين ولا اثر .
“The Rafidis say that they are upon the truth because among them is the infallible Imam. According to the Rafidi Imami Ithna ‘Ashari Shia, the infallible one is he who entered the cellar of Samarra after the death of his father in 260 AH and is still in hiding. No news of him has been known, and no one has found any trace of him.”
Are Imam Mahdi and Isa ibn Maryam one and the same?
Some people also hold the view that the Imam Mahdi is none other than Isa (peace be upon him). When Ibn Tumart claimed to be “al-Mahdi al-Muntazar,” Allama Ibrahim ibn Musa ibn Muhammad al-Shatibi (may Allah have mercy on him) (d. 790 AH) refuted him, saying:
وكذب، فالمهدي عيسىٰ عليه السلام
“He has lied, for the Imam Mahdi is none other than Isa (peace be upon him).”
However, this claim is rejected and false because it is without evidence and contrary to authentic hadiths and reports. A century before Allama al-Shatibi (may Allah have mercy on him), the famous commentator Allama Shams al-Din Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Abi Bakr al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) (600–671 AH) had said:
وقيل المهدي هو عيسيٰ فقط، وهو غير صحيح، لان الاخبار الصحاح قد تواترت على ان المهدي من عترة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فلا يجوز حمله على عيسىٰ
“It has been said that the Imam Mahdi is Isa (peace be upon him). But this is not correct, because authentic hadiths have reached the level of mass transmission (tawatur) that the Mahdi will be from the family of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Therefore, it is not permissible to make the Imam Mahdi to be Isa (peace be upon him).”
Some people also rely on a “da’if” (weak) narration in this regard: ما المهدي الا عيسىٰ
“There is no Mahdi except Isa (peace be upon him).”
Answer: This narration is “weak” for two reasons:
(1) Its narrator Muhammad bin Khalid al-Jundi is “unknown” (majhul).
Imam al-Hakim (Tarikh Ibn Asakir: 517/47) and Imam al-Bayhaqi
have called him “unknown.”
Imam al-Bayhaqi has even written:
لم يعرف بما تثبت به عدالته ويوجب قبول خبره
“His reliability has not been recognized through anything by which his uprightness is established and which makes his report acceptable.”
No reliable imam has been shown to have declared him trustworthy (tawthiq). However, Imam Ibn Abd al-Barr has indeed called him “matruk” (abandoned).
Imam al-Bayhaqi says:
ولسنا نقبل رواية المجهولين
“We do not accept the narrations of unknown narrators.”
He further says:
ولسنا نقبل دين الله تعالىٰ عمن لا يعرفه اهل العلم بالحديث بالعدالة ولا احتج به احد من المتقدمين من علماء اهل الكوفة
“We do not take the religion of Allah from those whose uprightness the scholars of hadith do not know. None of the earlier scholars of Kufa has relied on such narrators as evidence.”
(2) In its chain, Imam Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) is a “mudallis” (concealer of defects in transmission); he did not explicitly state hearing (sama’).
The hadith scholars did not accept this narration, as follows:
(1) Allamah Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allah have mercy on him), after mentioning this hadith, quotes the statement of Imam al-Nasa’i:
هذا حديث منكر
“This hadith is munkar (rejected).”
(2) Imam al-Bayhaqi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
وهذا الحديث ان كان منكرا بهذا الاسناد، فالحل فيه على محمد بن خالد الجندي
“If this hadith is munkar with this chain, then the responsibility for it falls on Muhammad bin Khalid.”
(3) Hafiz al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
وهو خبر منكر “This hadith is munkar.”
(4) Allamah al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
غير صحيح “This hadith is not sahih.”
(5) Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
ضعيف “This narration is da’if (weak).”
(6) Allamah Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
وانه لا يصح، ولو صح لم يكن فيه حجة
“This hadith is not established, and even if it were established, there is no proof in it.”
(7) Allamah al-San’ani (may Allah have mercy on him) has declared it “mawdu'” (fabricated).
