The Belief of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah and Imam Mahdi
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 progeny of Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her), and he will appear close to the Hour. Through him, justice and equity will be established in the world.
The Authentic Status of the Hadiths
The religious scholars are unanimous that the narrations about the appearance of Imam Mahdi are sahih and reliable. The views of various religious scholars on this matter are as follows:
Imam Uqaili (d. 322 AH)
“There are excellent hadiths about Imam Mahdi.”
Imam Bayhaqi (384-458 AH)
“The hadiths about the emergence of Imam Mahdi are sahih, and they clarify that he will be from the family of the Prophet ﷺ.”
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (661-728 AH)
“The hadiths about the appearance of Imam Mahdi are sahih.”
Allamah Ibn al-Qayyim (691-751 AH)
“The hadiths related to Imam Mahdi are of four types: sahih, hasan, gharib, and mawdu’.”
Allamah Kattani (1274-1345 AH)
“The hadiths narrated about Imam Mahdi are mutawatir.”
The Attributes and Signs of Imam Mahdi
Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “If only one day remains of the world, Allah will prolong that day until a man from my progeny or from my Ahl al-Bayt is sent, whose name will be my name and whose father’s name will be my father’s name.”
Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Soon a trial will arise, and then a man from the family of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ will rise who will fill the earth with justice.”
Refutation of Shia Beliefs
The Shia belief is that the name of Imam Mahdi is Muhammad bin Hasan Askari, who is called the “Hidden Imam” and is hidden in a cave in Samarra. This belief is baseless and unauthentic according to Ahl al-Sunnah.
Hafiz Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) says that the Shia claim that their Imam Mahdi will emerge from a cave is a baseless matter and has no connection with reality.
The Shia Mahdi and the Imam Mahdi of Ahl al-Sunnah
According to Ahl al-Sunnah, Imam Mahdi will be from the offspring of Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) and will bear the name of the Prophet ﷺ. Whereas the Shia claim that their Imam Mahdi is hidden in a cave and will appear in the last age. This notion has been rejected by the scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah.
The Rule of Imam Mahdi in Light of the Hadiths
Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “If only one day of the world remains, Allah the Exalted will send a man from my Ahl al-Bayt who will fill the earth, which has been filled with oppression, with justice.”
Sayyidah Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) relates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Imam Mahdi will be from my progeny, and he will be from the offspring of Fatimah.”
The Relationship of Imam Mahdi and Prophet Isa
Some narrations state that Imam Mahdi is Prophet Isa (peace be upon him) himself, but this view is rejected by Ahl al-Sunnah. Allamah Qurtubi says that in light of authentic hadiths, Imam Mahdi will be from the family of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, so it is not correct to join him with Prophet Isa.
Summary
Ahl al-Sunnah believe that the appearance of Imam Mahdi will take place close to the Hour. He will be from the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet ﷺ and will establish justice and equity in the world. The Shia belief that Imam Mahdi is present in a cave is baseless according to Ahl al-Sunnah.
