This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Hafiz Mubashir Hussain Lahori's book Signs of the Day of Judgment in the Light of Authentic Hadith.
Sign of the Day of Judgment: The Appearance of Imam Mahdi
وعن عبد الله بن مسعود رضى الله عنه عن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم قال : لا تقوم الساعة حتى يملك العرب رجل من أهل بيتى يواطي اسمه اسمي
It is narrated from Hazrat Abdullah bin Masood (RA) that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: The Day of Judgment will not be established until a man from my Ahl al-Bayt becomes the ruler of the Arabs, whose name will be like my name.
Reference: (Tirmidhi: Kitab al-Fitan: Bab Ma Ja'a fi al-Mahdi 2230, Ahmad 471/1, Abu Dawood 4282, Ibn Hibban 236/15, Tabarani Kabir 133/10, Hakim 488/4, Sahih al-Jami' al-Saghir 5180)
وعن عبد الله رضى الله عنه عن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم قال : لو لم يبق من الدنيا إلا يوم لطول الله ذلك اليوم حتى يبعث فيه رجل من أهل بيتى يواطي اسمه اسمي واسم أبيه اسم أبي
It is narrated from Hazrat Abdullah bin Masood (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: If there remains even one day in the world, Allah will lengthen that day and will manifest a man from my Ahl al-Bayt as an Imam, whose name will be like my name and whose father's name will be like my father's name.
Reference: (Abu Dawood: Kitab al-Mahdi 4283, Musnad al-Bazzar 493, Ahmad 120/1, Sharh al-Sunnah 457/7)
عن أبى سعيد الخدري رضى الله عنه قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : لا تقوم الساعة حتى تمتلي الأرض ظلما وعدوانا ، قال : ثم يخرج من عترتي أو من أهل بيتى يملؤها قسطا وعدلا كما ملئت ظلما وعدوانا
It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Saeed Khudri (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: The Day of Judgment will not be established until the earth is filled with oppression and injustice. It was asked: Then? He (PBUH) said: Then a man from my progeny or Ahl al-Bayt will emerge who will fill the earth with justice and equity as it was filled with oppression and tyranny.
Reference: (Ahmad 35/3 - 88, Abu Dawood 2485, Tirmidhi: Kitab al-Fitan: Bab Ma Ja'a fi al-Mahdi 2232, Ibn Majah 4134, Hakim 600/4, al-Hilya 101/3, Sharh al-Sunnah 457/7, al-Silsila al-Sahihah 336/2)
و عن أبى سعيد رضى الله عنه قال : خشينا أن يكون بعد نبينا حدث فسألنا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال : يخرج المهدي فى أمتي خمسا أو سبعا أو تسعا
Hazrat Abu Saeed Khudri (RA) says that after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), we feared the emergence of trials, so we asked the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), and he said: The Imam Mahdi will appear among my Ummah and will live for five, or seven, or nine years.
Reference: (Ahmad 27/3 - 34)
عن على رضى الله عنه قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : المهدي منا أهل البيت يصلحه الله فى ليلة
It is narrated from Hazrat Ali (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: The Mahdi will be from my Ahl al-Bayt, whom Allah will reform in a single night.
Reference: (Ahmad 102/1, Ibn Majah: Kitab al-Fitan: Bab Khuruj al-Mahdi 4136, Ibn Abi Shaybah 678/8, al-Bazzar 243/2, Abu Ya'la 465, al-Hilya 177/3, al-Tarikh al-Kabir 317/1, al-Tadhkirah 515, Sahih al-Jami' 1140/2)
عن أم سلمة رضي الله عنها قالت سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول : المهدي من عترتي من ولد فاطمة
Hazrat Umm Salama (RA) says that I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) say that the Mahdi will be from my progeny, from the children of Hazrat Fatimah (RA).
Reference: (Abu Dawood: Kitab al-Mahdi 4278, Ibn Majah 4086)
عن أبى سعيد رضى الله عنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال : يخرج فى آخر أمتي المهدي ، يسقيه الله الغيث ، وتخرج الأرض نباتها ويعطى المال صحاحا وتكثر الماشية وتعظم الأمة يعيش سبعا أو ثمانيا
It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Saeed Khudri (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: The Mahdi will appear in my last Ummah; Allah will cause rain to fall abundantly, the earth will produce its vegetation, he will distribute wealth justly, livestock will increase greatly, the Ummah will become great, and he will live continuously for seven or eight years.
Reference: (Mustadrak Hakim: Kitab al-Fitan wa al-Malahim 557- 8/4, al-Silsila al-Sahihah 336/2)
وعن ثوبان رضى الله عنه قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : يقتتل عند كنزكم ثلاثة ، كلهم ابن خليفة ثم لا يصير إلى واحد منهم ثم تطلع الرايات السود من قبل المشرق فيقتلونكم قتلا لم يقتله قوم ... فإذا رأيتموه فبايعوه ولو حبوا على الثلج فإنه خليفة الله المهدي
It is narrated from Hazrat Thawban (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Three men will fight over the treasures of your Kaaba; all three will be sons of caliphs, but none of them will get that treasure. Then black flags will come from the east, and they will kill you in a way no nation has ever killed before. When you see them, pledge allegiance to them even if you have to crawl on ice, for he will be Allah’s caliph, the Mahdi.
Reference: (Ibn Majah: Kitab al-Fitan: Bab Khuruj al-Mahdi 4084, Hakim 463/4, al-Nihaya fi al-Fitan 26/1)
Sheikh Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) says this hadith is authentic but its last phrase that he will be Allah’s caliph is not proven with an authentic chain.
Reference: (For details see al-Silsila al-Da'ifa 119/1)
عن جابر بن عبد الله رضى الله عنه قال سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول : لا تزال طائفة من أمتى يقاتلون على الحق ظاهرين إلى يوم القيامة ، قال : فينزل عيسى بن مريم عليهما السلام فيقول أميرهم : تعال صل لنا ، فيقول : لا ، إن بعضكم على بعض أمراء تكرمة الله هذه الأمة
It is narrated from Hazrat Jabir bin Abdullah (RA) that I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) say: A group of my Ummah will continue to fight on the truth until the Day of Judgment. He also said: Then Jesus (AS) will descend, and the Muslim leader Mahdi will say: Come, let us lead the prayer. But Jesus (AS) will say: No! Surely the leader is one of you. Allah has honored this Ummah with this.
Reference: (Muslim: Kitab al-Iman: Bab Nuzul Isa bin Maryam, Hakim 395, Ahmad 359/2-443, Musnad Abi Awana 106/1)
وعن جابر رضى الله عنه قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : ينزل عيسى بن مريم فيقول أميرهم المهدي ...
Reference: (Al-Manar al-Munif by Ibn Qayyim p. 147 and he said: This chain is good)
It is narrated from Hazrat Jabir bin Abdullah (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Jesus son of Mary will descend, and the leader of those people will be the Mahdi (This hadith explicitly states that the one inviting Jesus (AS) to lead the prayer will be the Muslim leader and Imam Mahdi, whereas the previous narration does not specify the leader).
عن أبى هريرة رضى الله عنه قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : كيف أنتم إذا نزل ابن مريم فيكم وإمامكم منكم ؟
It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Huraira (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: What will be your condition when Jesus (AS) descends among you at the time of Fajr prayer and your Imam will be from among you? That is, Jesus (AS) will not lead the prayer but will let Imam Mahdi lead.
Reference: (Bukhari: Kitab Ahadith al-Anbiya: Bab Nuzul Isa bin Maryam (AS) 3449, Muslim 392)
وعن جابر بن عبد الله رضى الله عنه قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : يكون فى آخر أمتي خليفة يحثي المال حثيا لا يعده عددا ، قال الحريري : قلت لأبي نضرة وأبي العلا : أتريان أنه عمر بن عبد العزيز ؟ فقالا : لا
It is narrated from Hazrat Jabir bin Abdullah (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: In my last Ummah, there will be a caliph who will distribute wealth generously without reckoning. Jariri (may Allah have mercy on him), the narrator, says that I asked Abu Nadhrah (may Allah have mercy on him) and Abu al-Alaa (may Allah have mercy on him) if he was Umar bin Abdul Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him), and they replied: No.
Reference: (Muslim: Kitab al-Fitan: Bab La Taqoom al-Sa'ah Hatta Yamurr al-Rajul 2912-2913, Sharh al-Sunnah 86/15)
عن أبى سعيد الخدري رضى الله عنه قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : منا الذى يصلي عيسى بن مريم خلفه
It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Saeed Khudri (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: The Imam whom Jesus (AS) will follow in prayer will be from us, the Ahl al-Bayt.
Reference: (Al-Manar al-Munif 148 by Ibn Qayyim and he said: Chain is good, Al-Hawi by Al-Suyuti 64/2, Sahih al-Jami' al-Saghir 219/5, Faydh al-Qadeer 17/6)
عن أبى سعيد الخدري رضى الله عنه قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : المهدي مني أجلى الجبهة أقنى الأنف ، يملأ الأرض قسطا وعدلا كما ملئت ظلما وجورا ويملك سبع سنين
Hazrat Abu Saeed Khudri (RA) says that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: The Mahdi will be from my progeny, with a broad forehead and a thin but long nose. He will fill the earth with justice and equity as it was filled with oppression and tyranny, and he will rule for seven years.
Reference: (Abu Dawood: Kitab al-Mahdi 4265, Hakim 557/4, Al-Manar al-Munif 144 and he said its chain is good - Sahih al-Jami' al-Saghir 22/3-6, Al-Mishkat by Albani 5454 and he said its chain is Hasan)
عن عبد الله بن الزبير رضى الله عنه أن عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت : عبث رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فى منامه فقلنا : يا رسول الله صنعت شيئا فى منامك لم تكن تفعله فقال : العجب إن ناسا من أمتي يؤمون البيت برجل من قريش ، قد لجأ بالبيت ، حتى إذا كانوا بالبيداء خسف بهم ، فقلنا يا رسول الله إن الطريق قد يجمع الناس ؟ فقال : نعم ، فيهم المستبصر والمجبور وابن السبيل ، يهلكون مهلكا واحدا ويصدرون مصادر شتى يبعثهم الله على نياتهم
It is narrated from Hazrat Abdullah bin Zubair (RA) that Hazrat Aisha (RA) said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) woke up startled from his sleep, so we asked: Has something like this ever happened to you before in your sleep? He (PBUH) said: It is astonishing that some people of my Ummah will intend to attack a Qurayshi man who will have taken refuge in the Kaaba, and when they reach the plain of Badr, they will all be swallowed by the earth. We said: O Messenger of Allah, people gather to watch battles on the way. He (PBUH) said: Yes! Among them will be those who come with this evil intention, those who come unwillingly, and those who travel for other reasons, and all will be destroyed at once. Then on the Day of Judgment, they will be resurrected according to their intentions.
Reference: (Muslim: Kitab al-Fitan: Bab al-Khasf bil-Jaysh alladhi Ya'mu al-Bayt 2884, Ahmad 121/6)
In one narration, it is mentioned that only one man from this army will be saved who will warn people of their destruction.
Reference: (Muslim also 2883)
Benefits:
➊ The appearance of Imam Mahdi is a well-established fact in the light of the true prophecy of the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which has not yet occurred but will definitely happen before the Day of Judgment.
➋ At the time of Imam Mahdi's appearance, the whole world will be engulfed in such turmoil, corruption, oppression, hostility, killing, and bloodshed that the people of the earth have never witnessed anything like it before.
➌ The name of Imam Mahdi will be like the name of the Seal of the Prophets ﷺ, and his father's name will be like the name of the Holy Prophet's father. Remember that the Holy Prophet ﷺ had two well-known names: Muhammad and Ahmad, both of which are mentioned in the Holy Quran. Therefore, the Imam's name will be Muhammad or Ahmad bin Abdullah.
➍ Imam Mahdi will be from the Ahl al-Bayt of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, that is, the descendants of Hazrat Fatimah (RA) through Hazrat Hasan (RA) or Hazrat Husain (RA). Hafiz Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned this lineage of the Imam: Muhammad bin Abdullah Alawi Fatimi Hasani (may Allah have mercy on him).
Reference: (Al-Nihayah 26/1)
Hafiz Ibn Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) holds the same opinion.
Reference: (Al-Manar Al-Munif p. 139)
Sahib Awn al-Ma'bud (may Allah have mercy on him) states that Mahdi will be Hasani from his father's side and Husaini from his mother's side.
Reference: (Awn al-Ma'bud 249/11)
➎ Imam Mahdi will appear before Hazrat Isa (Jesus) AS, and Hazrat Isa (AS) will lead the prayer behind him.
➏ There is an indication in Sahihayn (Bukhari and Muslim), and explicit mention of Imam Mahdi is found in other books of Hadith, Sunan, and Musnads, which cannot be denied. Just as some parts of the Quran explain others, similarly some hadith explain others.
➐ Allah Almighty will reform Imam Mahdi suddenly in one night. This hadith can have two meanings:
(1) Imam Mahdi may have some minor faults or sins which will be corrected in one night. Hafiz Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) preferred this interpretation.
Reference: (Al-Nihayah 27/1)
This seems to be the prevalent understanding.
(2) The concept of caliphate may not even be in his imagination, but Allah will prepare him for the caliphate and bring him to the public in one night.
➑ After the appearance of Mahdi, there will be such a beautiful atmosphere of goodness, blessings, wealth, peace, security, and prosperity everywhere that human history will be unable to present its example.
➒ Imam Mahdi will live for a maximum of nine years and a minimum of five years after his appearance.
Reference: (See Al-Nihayah fi al-Fitan 26/1)
➓ Imam Mahdi will not be a prophet or messenger but a righteous, pious, and striving ruler and caliph who will revive the Muhammadan Shariah and establish the Islamic caliphate according to the prophetic methodology ﷺ.
⓫ Imam Mahdi's appearance will be from the East. This hadith can have two meanings:
One is that it refers to the eastern part of Medina because the Holy Prophet ﷺ mentioned this in Medina, and this seems to be the prevalent understanding.
The second is that it refers to the East of the world, in which case Medina, or even the West of Medina, would be included in the East because geographically it is in the East of the world.
Moreover, in both cases, the East is not specifically limited, so due to the generality of the East, it includes the Near East, Middle East, and Far East.
⓬ Hafiz Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) states that Imam Mahdi's appearance will be from the eastern countries, not from the cave of Samarra as some ignorant Rafidis believe. The people of the East will assist him and establish his government. He will have black flags like the flag of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. His allegiance will be taken near the House of Allah.
Reference: (Al-Nihayah 27/1)
⓭ The day Imam Mahdi appears will be considerably longer than ordinary days, and this will be one of the signs of his appearance.
Reference: (See Abu Dawood: Kitab al-Mahdi 4279)
⓮ Imam Mahdi will take refuge in the House of Allah because some people will advance towards him for war, but Allah will cause all of them to sink into the earth in a barren field before they reach the House of Allah.
Reference: (See Muslim: Kitab al-Fitan: Bab al-Khasf bil-Jaysh alladhi yu'mil Bayt 2884)
⓯ The sinking of the mentioned army into the earth will act like pouring oil on fire for the popularity of Imam Mahdi, and people will accept his Mahdism after seeing this sign and will come out in crowds to pledge allegiance to him. There is a hadith supporting this, although its authenticity is disputed.
Reference: (See Abu Dawood: Kitab al-Mahdi 4280)
⓰ Imam Mahdi's allegiance will be taken in the House of Allah, as indicated in a hadith:
عن أبى قتادة رضى الله عنه قال أن رسول الله قال : يبايع لرجل ما بين الركن والمقام
Hazrat Abu Qatadah (RA) said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Between the Rukn and Maqam Ibrahim, a man (Imam Mahdi) will be given allegiance.
Reference: (Ahmad 312, Ibn Abi Shaybah 612/8, Majma' al-Zawa'id 642/3)
⓱ Some narrations mention that Imam Mahdi's army will come from Khorasan, but no narration from Khorasan is proven authentic with a sound chain.
⓲ Many hadiths about the appearance of Mahdi exist, including authentic and weak narrations. However, it is unjust to ignore authentic hadiths and adopt the view based on weak narrations that Imam Mahdi's appearance is dramatic and far from reality like the Shi'a's promised Imam Mahdi. If even one narration among hundreds of weak ones is proven authentic in chain and text, it must be accepted and believed as a command of the Prophet ﷺ. There are not just one or two but numerous authentic hadiths about Imam Mahdi, on which hadith scholars have declared tawatur (mass transmission), and entire books have been written affirming his appearance.
⓳ The Holy Prophet ﷺ has described many attributes and signs of Imam Mahdi, making it easy for the Ummah to recognize him.
(20) Until now, the sign of Mahdi's appearance has not manifested, although many people in history have fabricated the Mahdism by misrepresenting related hadiths. However, Allah has exposed their lies and falsehood in the world, and even today, anyone who tries such audacity without cause will be disgraced and humiliated in this world. The public should remember the true signs and attributes of the real Imam Mahdi in the light of hadith to avoid false Mahdis.
من جانب الله
