Al-Imam al-Mahdi, The Just Leader of Humanity

Al-Imam al-Mahdi, The Just Leader of Humanity

Translator’s Introduction

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

As I write this preface to the translation of the book on our twelfth Imam, al-Qa’im al-Mahdi (peace be upon him), it gives me enormous satisfaction for having realized the task that I undertook as a statement of my personal faith. Initially the task was personally assigned by the author of the book, Ayatollah Ibrahim Amini, during my visit to Tehran in the summer of 1993. Due to my teaching and administrative responsibilities as the Director of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Virginia, I had to wait for a more opportune time to devote my energies to this demanding responsibility. Nevertheless, Ayatollah Ibrahim Amini’s request reflected not only his confidence in my ability to render this serious work on Twelver Shi’i faith accurately into English, it also conveyed his confidence in my personal faith in the twelfth Imam.

The summer of 1993 was also a time to be grateful to God for a very important reason. In the interview with the editors of Kayhan-i Farhangi in Qumm, I had the opportunity to explain the academic study of religion in the light of my own study about the idea of the future leadership in Islam and how it essentially differed from the method of conducting research in the traditional centers of Islamic learning. The entire interview, now available in English and French translations, is a good example of the scholarly dialogue between modern and traditional institutions of higher learning.

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The translation of this important book would have been impossible without the need on my part to respond to those who have attributed to me false notions and ideas which are neither part of my personal faith nor of my academic research. At no point have I entertained, even in error, opinions that cannot be ascertained in the written primary sources of the Twelver Shi’ism. Every piece of document used to write my academic research is meticulously investigated and critically evaluated in the light of the teachings of the Qur’an and the authentic traditions of the ahl al-bayt. It is remarkable that Ayatollah Amini’s Dadgustar-i jihan, which I have rendered in English under the title of: Al-Imam al-Mahdi: The Just Leader of Humanity, gives the believer a detailed description of the belief in the twelfth Imam, whose chronological development based on historical study of the sources I have examined in Islamic Messianism: The Idea of Mahdi in Twelver Shi’ism. More remarkable is the fact that even when Ayatollah Amini and I have approached the subject with strikingly different method of investigation, we have reached the same conclusion regarding the belief about the Imam who will come forth from his invisible existence to take charge of the world as its just leader.

The methodological difference between the two endeavors actually points to the different readership: the former is written strictly for the educated ‘insiders’ (the believers); whereas, the latter is written for both the educated ‘insiders’ and the ‘outsiders’ (non-believers). This is an important distinction to keep in mind, as the readers in the community begin to fathom the contribution made by Ayatollah Amini to reach a believing audience in contrast to my own academic contribution to reach a non-believing audience for the intellectual appreciation of the Twelver Shi’ite school of thought.

My endeavors in Islamic Messianism were very much guided by the need to present the Shi’ite school of thought to a Western academic world dominated by an “orientalist” scholarship that not only marginalizes Shi’ism as a deviant and corrupt form of Islam, but also regards it as directly influenced by Jewish and Christian messianic ideas. It was important to challenge long held conclusions of the Western and Sunni scholars regarding the origins of Shi’i notion of the divinely guided Imam, and assert with confidence that the idea of the future coming of the Mahdi arose from the Qur’anic world view’s concern with bringing to fruition a just and ethical society. On the other hand, Ayatollah Amini’s endeavors in Al-Imam al-Mahdi: The Just Leader of Humanity, are geared towards responding to the doubts raised by the skeptic Shi’is and polemical Sunnis.

This purpose of reaching out to the specific Persian speaking Muslim audience also explains the methodology employed by him which endeavors to establish the religious truth strictly on the basis of sources dealing with hadith. Each argument is sought from the interpretation of the specific Qur’anic verses and hadith-reports used to support that interpretation. The hadith, then, becomes the fundamental source of religious proof. However, following the well established methods employed by our prominent scholars, the hadith is not accepted uncritically. It is scrutinized for its validity and its use as evidence in support of a religious belief. Moreover, Ayatollah Amini introduces rational argument to discredit some of the stories about meeting with the twelfth Imam that have been accepted uncritically by some scholars of hadith. Thus, for instance, the well known story about the ‘Evergreen Island’ being the residence of the twelfth Imam is rejected by him not only as being contradictory in the details provided by the narrator; it is also regarded as a mere fabrication. Furthermore, modern research on aging and longevity is cited extensively from Western sources to establish the fact that science does not regard it inconceivable for the twelfth Imam (peace be upon him) to have been blessed with a long age.

The most enlightening and eye opening section of the book deals with the question of the achievements of the twelfth Imam when he appears (Chapter 14 of the translation). Here the information regarding the ‘The Freshness of the Explanations offered by the Mahdi,’ covers a critical assessment of how we, as the followers of the twelfth Imam, have ignored the true meaning of Islam in our lives and have attached importance to the rituals without realizing the true moral and ethical content of these religious devotions.

Thus, Ayatollah Amini writes:

People, having abandoned the absolute principles and fundamental teachings of Islam, merely follow the outward forms of religion, and regard those to be sufficient. These are the people who, besides the five daily obligatory prayers, the fasting of Ramadan, and the avoidance of external pollution (najasat), know nothing of Islam. Besides, some of them have limited religion to the mosque, and, hence, its reality has very little impact upon their actions and behavior. In the life outside the mosque, that is, in the market place or at work, there is no trace of their Islam. They do not regard ethical behavior and moral precepts to be part of Islam. They give no importance to eschewing immoral conduct and make an excuse of not following moral guidelines since there is dispute about the obligatoriness and the prohibitions of certain requirements. They go as far as turning the prohibitions of the law, through trickery, into something permissible. They also shun their responsibility for paying the dues that are imposed by the law on them. In other words, they are engaged in observing the religion according to their desires.

When it comes to the Qur’an, they think it sufficient to pay attention to its formal recitation and to respect the conventions in that connection. Hence, when the twelfth Imam appears it is obvious that he will ask them as to why they have abandoned the essence of religion and have interpreted the Qur’an and the hadith to fit their own preferred meanings. Why have they left the truth of Islam while being satisfied with mere outward adherence to it? Why have they not sought to conform their character and their actions with the true spirit of Islam? Why have they twisted the meanings of the religion to accord with their own personal avarice? Since they pay so much attention to the proper recitation of the Qur’an, they should also put its directives into action. The twelfth Imam has the right to ask: “My grandfather, Imam Husayn did not get killed for the sake of mourning. Why have you forsaken my grandfather’s goal and destroyed it?”

The Imam will ask them to learn the Islamic social and moral teachings and apply them in their everyday lives. They should avoid the forbidden acts, and take care of their financial obligations, without making flimsy excuses. They should also keep in mind that remembering the merits of the ahl al-bayt and weeping for their suffering can never substitute for the paying of the zakat and khums and taking care of one’s debts. Nor can they substitute for such sinful behavior as taking interest and bribes, cheating others and treating them with dishonesty. They should recognize that weeping and sighing for Imam Husayn can never substitute for having ill-treated orphans and widows. More importantly, they should not limit piety to the mosque; rather, they should seek participation in the society and carry out the duty of commanding the good and forbidding the evil and fight the innovations that have crept into Islam.

Certainly, such a religion would seem new and difficult to these people, and they might not even consider it to be Islam, because they have imaginedIslam to besomething else. These people used to think that the progress and greatness of Islam lay in decorating the mosques and in constructing tall minarets. If the twelfth Imam says: “The greatness of Islam is in righteous action, honesty, trustworthiness, keeping promises, avoiding forbidden acts,” this would appear to them altogether new! They used to assume that when the Imam appears he will make amends for all the actions of the Muslims and will retire with them in the corner of a mosque. But if they witness that blood is dripping from the Imam’s sword and that he is calling people to jihad and to command the good and forbid the evil, and that he is killing the unjust worshippers and returning the goods they have stolen to their rightful owners, such actions of the Imam they will indeed find new!

This honest and frank assessment of the Umma and the responsibility that the followers have towards the twelfth Imam is rare in the literature on the subject. It is time for us to take stock of our commitment to the goals of Islam and work sincerely towards self-reform in order to fulfill our obligations to the Muslims and non-Muslims around us. It is worth recalling the contents of the supplication that has been reported from the twelfth Imam and which we read at different times without pondering fully the admonishment that the Imam has conveyed to his followers. The supplication is as follows:

O God, provide us with direction to follow the path of obedience and keep us away from disobedience; give sincerity in our intentions; provide us with the knowledge of that which is blessed.

[O God,] honor us with guidance and the way of truth; direct our tongues to say that which is right and wise; fill our hearts with learning and knowledge; and purify our bellies of that which is unlawful and of doubt.

[O God,] prevent our hands from committing oppression and theft; lower our eyes out of modesty from [committing acts of] immorality and disloyalty; block our ears from hearing foolish talk and slander.

[O God,] oblige our learned authorities with piety and sincere advice and those who are learning with ability and desire to educate themselves.

[O God,] confer on those who are listening a desire to follow and pay attention to the religious exhortation; bestow recovery and rest on all the Muslims who are suffering from illness; and kindness and mercy on those who are dead among them.

On our old people, [O God,] bestow dignity and peace of mind; upon our youth confer repentance and turning away from sin; on our women bestow modesty and chastity.

[O God,] bestow on those who are rich humbleness and abundance; on those who are poor patience and satisfaction; on those who are fighting in Your cause help and victory; and on those who are imprisoned freedom and peace.

[O God,] bestow upon those who are ruling justice and kindness; and upon those who are ruled just treatment and good character.

[O God,] bless those who are on pilgrimage with abundant provision and support, and help them to complete that which is obligatory on them in the [performance] of the hajj and `umra, with Your grace and kindness, O the Most Compassionate.

In the end, I must acknowledge all the moral support and encouragement that I have received from Ayatollah Ibrahim Amini and his colleagues at the Majlis-i Khubragan, Hujjatul Islam Hadavi Tihrani and his colleagues at the Jami’ Mudarrisin Hawza ‘Ilmiyya Qumm, and various well-wishers around the world to whom I have dedicated the translation of this valuable statement of our personal faith.

Abdulaziz SachedinaLondon, England18 Dhul-Hijja, 1416May 6,1996

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.”

The Beginning of the Belief in the Mahdi

Dr. Emami: When did the belief in Mahdi become prevalent in the Islamic environment? Was there any conversation about the Mahdi during the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) or was it after his death that the belief became widespread among Muslims? There are some who have written that there was no Mahdiism in the beginning of Islam. It was only in the second half of the first century (7th century CE) that the idea appeared among the Muslims. There was a group that regarded Muhammad b. Hanafiyya as the Mahdi and gave the good news to the people about the good fortune Islam would acquire through him. The same group believed that Muhammad b. Hanafiyya had not died but he was living in Mt. Radwa and one day would return.”

Mr. Hoshyar: The belief in Mahdi was widespread during the time of the Prophet. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) on more than one occasion had announced the future coming of the Mahdi. From time to time he would inform the people about the government of the Mahdi and the signs of his emergence, giving his name and patronymic (kunya). There are numerous hadith-reports that have come down to us from both the Sunni and the Shi’i sources on this subject. Actually some of these reports have been related so frequently, and without interruption in all ages, that nobody can doubt their authenticity. For instance, we read the following hadith reported from ‘Abd Allah b. Mas’ud, who heard the Prophet say:

The world will not come to an end until a man from my family (ahl al-bayt), who will be called al-Mahdi, emerges to rule upon my community.[1]

Another tradition reported by Abu al-Hujaf quotes the Prophet saying three times:

Listen to the good news about the Mahdi! He will rise at the time when people will be faced with severe conflict and the earth will be hit by a violent quake. He will fill the earth with justice and equity as it is filled with injustice and tyranny. He will fill the hearts of his followers with devotion and will spread justice everywhere.[2]

The Prophet has declared:

The Day of Resurrection will not take place until the True Qa’im rises. This will happen when God permits him to do so. Anyone who follows him will be saved, and anyone who opposes him will perish. O servants of God, keep God in your mind and go towards him even if it happens to be on the ice, for indeed he is the caliph of God, the Exalted and Glorified, and my successor.[3]

In another hadith the Prophet is reported to have said: “Any one who denies al-Qa’im among my children will have denied me.”[4]

In still another hadith the Prophet assured his community by stating:

The world will not come to an end until a man from the descendants of Husayn takes charge of the affairs of the world and fills it with justice and equity as it is filled with injustice and tyranny.[5]

The Mahdi from among the Descendants of the Prophet

Such hadith-reports are abundant. The main idea that runs through all of them suggests that the topic about the future coming of the Mahdi and Qa’im during the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) was well known. In fact, the way these reports speak about the subject indicates that it was not something new which was being presented to the people. On the contrary, they relate the signs and characteristics of the person who would emerge as the Mahdi, as in the statement “the promised Mahdi will be among my descendants.”

The following traditions reflect such a pattern in their presentation. It is reported from ‘Ali b. Abi Talib who said:

I asked the Prophet: “Is Mahdi going to be among our own family or from some other?” He replied: “He will be among us. God will conclude His religion through him, just as He began it with us. It will be through us that people will find refuge from sedition, just as it was through us that they were saved from polytheism. Moreover, it will be through us that God will bring their hearts together in brotherhood following the animosity sown by the sedition, just as they were brought together in brotherhood in their religion after the animosity sown by polytheism.”[6]

Abu Sa’id al-Khudari, a close associate of the Prophet says:

I heard the Prophet declare from the pulpit: “The Mahdi from among my descendants, from my family, will rise at the End of Time, while the heavens will pour rain and the earth will bring forth green grass for him. He will fill the earth with justice and equity as it is filled with tyranny and injustice.”[7]

In another tradition from Umm Salma, the wife of the Prophet, there is even more specific information given to the community. The Prophet says: “Mahdi will be among my progeny, among the children of Fatima.”[8]

On another occasion the Prophet said:

The Qa’im will be among my descendants. His name will be my name and his patronymic will be my patronymic. His character will be like my own. He will call people to my custom and to the Book of God. Anyone who obeys him would be obeying me, and any one who turns away from him would be turning away from me. Anyone who denies his existence during his concealment would have denied me, and anyone who falsifies him would have falsified me. Anyone who confirms his existence would have confirmed my existence. As for those who are engaged in falsifying what I have said about him and thereby mislead my community, I will complain against them to God. “Those who do wrong shall surely know by what overturning they will be overturned.” [28:228] [9]

Abu Ayyub Ansari says:

I heard the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) say: “I am the chief of the prophets and ‘Ali is the chief of the legatees. My two grandsons are the best among the descendants. The infallible Imams will come forth from among us through Husayn. Moreover, the Mahdi of this community is among us.” At that time an Arab stood up and asked: “O Prophet of God, how many Imams are there after you?” He replied: “Equal to the number of the apostles of Jesus and the chiefs of the Children of Israel.” [10]

A tradition with similar information has been cited from Hudhayfa, another companion of the Prophet, who heard the Prophet declare:

The Imams after me will be equal to the number of the tribal chiefs among the Children of Israel. Nine among them will be the descendants of Husayn. The Mahdi of this community is among us. Beware! Truth is with them and they are with truth. Thus be careful of the way you treat them after me. [11]

In still another tradition Sa’id b. Musayyib reports from ‘Amr b. ‘Uthman b. ‘Affan, who said:

We heard from the Prophet saying: “The Imams after me will be twelve in number, of whom nine will be from the progeny of Husayn. Moreover, the Mahdi of this community will be among us. Anyone who holds on to them after me holds on to the rope of God; and whoever abandons them has abandoned God.” [12]

There are numerous hadith-reports of this kind in the sources which one can undertake to examine.

The Sunni hadith on the Subject of the Mahdi

Dr. Fahimi: Mr. Hoshyar! Our friends know it. But let me tell you that I follow the Sunni school of thought. Hence, the positive evaluation that you have of the Shi’i hadith-reports, I do not share. In all likelihood, extremist Shi’is, for whatever reasons, after having accepted the narratives about the Mahdiism, must have fabricated traditions in support of their views and ascribed them to the Prophet. The evidence for my contention is that the traditions about the Mahdi are recorded only in your Shi’i books. There is no trace of these in our authentic — Sihah — compilations. Yes, I am aware that there are some traditions on the subject in our less reliable compilations.[13]

Mr. Hoshyar: In spite of the most unfavorable conditions under the Umayyads and the `Abbasids, whose politics and oppressive governments did not allow the discussion or the spread of hadith about wilayat and imamat and the ahl al-bayt or their being recorded in the books of the hadith, your compilations of hadith are not completely void of any traditions on the subject of the Mahdi. If you are not tired I may cite some of them for you.

Engineer Madani: Mr. Hoshyar! Please continue your conversation.

Mr. Hoshyar: Dr. Fahimi! In your compilations, the Sihah, there are chapters devoted to the subject of the Mahdi in which traditions from the Prophet have been recorded. For example, the following:

‘Abd Allah reports from the Prophet, who said: “The world will not come to pass until a man from among my family, whose name will be my name, rules over the Arabs.”

Tirmidhi has recorded this hadith in his Sahih [14] and comments: “This hadith on the Mahdi is reliable, and has been related by ‘Ali b. Abi Talib, Abu Sa’id, Umm Salma and Abu Hurayra”:

‘Ali b. Abi Talib has narrated from the Prophet, who said: “Even if there remains only a day on earth, God will bring forth a man from my progeny so that he will fill the earth with justice and equity as it is filled with tyranny.”[15]

In another hadith Umm Salma narrates that she heard the Prophet say: “The promised Mahdi will be among my progeny, among the descendants of Fatima.”[16]

Abu Sa’id al-Khudari says:

The Prophet said: “Our Mahdi will have a broad forehead and a pointed nose. He will fill the earth with justice as it is filled with injustice and tyranny. He will rule for seven years.” [17]

‘Ali b. Abi Talib has related a tradition from the Prophet who informed him:

The promised Mahdi will be among my family. God will make the provisions for his emergence within a single night. [18]

Abu Sa’id al-Khudari has related a tradition from the Prophet who declared:

The earth will be filled with injustice and corruption. At that time, a man from among my progeny will rise and will rule for seven or nine years and will fill the earth with justice and equity.[19]

Greater detail is provided in another hadith reported by Abu Sa’id al-Khudari. In this tradition the Prophet said:

Severe calamity from the direction of their ruler will befall my people during the Last Days. It will be a calamity which, in severity, shall be unprecedented. It will be so violent that the earth with injustice and corruption will shrivel for its inhabitants. The believers will not find refuge from oppression. At that time God will send a man from my family to fill the earth with justice and equity just as it is filled with injustice and tyranny. The dwellers of the heavens and the earth will be pleased with him. The earth will bring forth all that grows for him, and the heavens will pour down rains in abundance. He will live among the people for seven or nine years. From all the good that God will bestow on the inhabitants of the earth, the dead will wish to come to life again.[20]

There are numerous traditions that convey these meanings in your books. I believe we have cited enough reports to make our point.

The Objection Raised by One of the Authors:

Dr. Fahimi: The author of the book entitled: Al-Mahdiyya fi al-islam writes:

Muhammad b. Isma’il Bukhari and Muslim b. Hajjaj Nishaburi, the compilers of the two most authentic books of the Sunni hadith, who recorded these traditions meticulously and with extreme caution in verifying their reliability, have not included traditions about the Mahdi in their Sihah. Rather, these traditions are part of the compilations of Sunan of Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, Tirmidhi, Nasa’i and Musnad of Ahmad b. Hanbal. These compilers were not careful in selecting traditions and their hadith-reports were regarded by scholars like Ibn Khaldun as weak and unacceptable.[21]

Ibn Khaldun and the Traditions about the Mahdi:

Mr. Hoshyar: To elaborate on the topic of the reliability of the hadith on the Mahdi, let us cite Ibn Khaldun’s opinion on the matter in full:

It has been well known (and generally accepted) by all Muslims in every epoch, that at the end of time a man from the family (of the Prophet) will without fail make his appearance, strengthen Islam and make justice triumph. Muslims will follow him, and he will gain domination over the Muslim realm. He will be called the Mahdi….Such traditions have been found among the traditions that religious leaders have published. They have been critically discussed by those who disapprove of them and have been often refuted by means of certain traditions.[22]

This was the summary of the opinions held by Ibn Khaldun. He then proceeds to mention the transmitters of these hadith and critically evaluate their reliability or lack thereof, as held by the scholars of transmitted sciences.

Let us respond to some points raised by Ibn Khaldun:

1: Uninterrupted Transmission (tawatur) of the Traditions

Numerous Sunni scholars have recognized the traditions about the Mahdi to have been uninterruptedly transmitted. They have in fact transmitted them uninterruptedly from other sources without raising objections to them. Among these scholars are Ibn Hajar Haythami, in al-Sawa’iq al-muharriqa; Shablanji, in Nur al-absar; Ibn Sabbagh, in al-Fusul al-muhimma; Muhammad al-Saban in As’af al-raghibin; Kanji Shafi’i in al-Bayan; and so on. Such an uninterrupted transmission of these traditions compensates for the weakness found in their chain of transmission. According to ‘Asqalani, a tradition that is reported in every generation uninterruptedly leads to establish its veracity, and an action taken based upon it is not subject to dispute.[23]

A similar opinion is held by Sayyid Ahmad, Shaykh al-Islam and the Shafi’ite Mufti, who writes that the traditions about the Mahdi are numerous and mutawatir. Among these some are ‘sound’ (sahih), others are ‘good’ (hasan), and still others are ‘weak’ (da’if). However, he says, the majority are weak traditions and, since they are numerous and their reporters are also in large number, some go towards strengthening the others, and lead to their acceptance as reliable.[24]

Among those who narrate the hadith about the Mahdi are a group of prominent companions of the Prophet. These include: ‘Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Awf, Abu Sa’id al-Khudari, Qays b. Jabir, Ibn ‘Abbas, Jabir, Ibn Mas’ud, ‘Ali b. Abi Talib, Abu Hurayra, Thawban, Salman Farisi, Hudhayfa, Anas b. Malik, Umm Salma, and others. Among the Sunni authors who have included these traditions in their books are: Abu Dawud, Ahmad b. Hanbal, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Nasa’i, Tabrani, Abu Nu’aym Isfahani and numerous other compilers of the hadith.

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

It is important to state that most of the persons who are recognized as being weak in their transmission and are mentioned by Ibn Khaldun have also been accredited by others. In fact, even Ibn Khaldunmentions some of them. Moreover, the weakening of the transmission of a hadith does not have absolute preponderance over its being approved as reliable because special characterization is a subjective matter. Whereas a certain characteristic of a tradition might render it a weak tradition in accord with one researcher, another investigator might find quite the opposite. Hence, the opinion of the former can be accepted only if the reason for rendering a tradition weak is made clear.

In his Lisan al-mizan ‘Asqalani says: The weakening of the tradition assumes preponderance over its accreditation when the reason for doing so is made explicit. Otherwise, the opinion of the person rendering the tradition weak has no value.

Abu Bakr Ahmad b. ‘Ali al-Baghdadi writes: It must be pointed out that as for the traditions accepted and used as evidence by Bukhari, Muslim and Abu Dawud, although some of their transmitters have been criticized and have been declared unreliable, the reason for their criticism and unreliability has not been well established and proven by them. Moreover, he says, if weakness and reliability of a tradition are of equal weight, then its weakening is preponderant. However, if weakness is less obvious than reliability, then there could be varying opinions about that tradition. The best way to resolve this problem of authenticating a tradition is to say that if the reason for weakness is mentioned and if that reason is convincing, then weakness has preponderance over reliability. But if the reason is not mentioned, then reliability has preponderance over weakness. [25]

To be sure, we can not generalize and state with absolute certainty that in all places of dispute over the reliability of a tradition, its being regarded as weak has preponderance over its being considered as reliable. If all points of weakness are made effective, then there would be very few traditions that would be spared from criticism. It is, therefore, important that in such cases careful analysis and rational evaluation are carried out to clarify the truth.

3: Unreliable Simply Because of Being Shi’i

Often a tradition is deemed weak because its transmitter is a Shi’i. For example, Ibn Khaldun, rejected Qutn b. Khalifa, one of the transmitters of the Mahdi traditions, because he was a Shi’i. In this connection he quotes ‘Ijli saying that Qutn was good in hadith, but he was somewhat inclined towards Shi’ism. Again, according to Ahmad b. ‘Abd Allah b. Yunus and Abu Bakr b. ‘Ayyash, Qutn was unreliable and his traditions were rejected because of his ‘corrupt’ beliefs. On the other hand, there were others like Ahmad b. Hanbal, Nasa’i, and so on, who accredited him and regarded his traditions reliable.[26]

Another transmitter by the name of Harun was also regarded as weak because, as Ibn Khaldun tells us, he and his sons were Shi’ites. Some hadith scholars regarded Yazid b. Abu Ziyad a weak transmitter because “he was the leader of the Shi’is” and that he was among the Shi’is of Kufa. Commenting on ‘Ammar al-Dhahabi, Ibn Khaldun tells us that although prominent traditionists like Ahmad b. Hanbal, Nasa’i and others had regarded him reliable, Bishr b. Marwan, because of his Shi’ism, considered him weak. Also ‘Abd al-Razzaq b. Humam’s traditions were regarded as weak because he narrated traditions relating the merits of the family of the Prophet and was famous for his Shi’ism. [27]

4: Difference of Creed

Another excuse used to discredit traditions reported by some pious and truthful individuals was the difference in creed. For example one of the sensitive issues that generated lots of debate and led to an inquisition at that time was that of the createdness of the Qur’an. There were some in the community who believed that the Qur’an was not created in time, and hence, was eternal. Others believed that it had appeared at some point in time and, hence, was created. These two groups were engaged in not only heated arguments, but also mutual condemnation. A number of the narrators of the hadith believed that the Qur’an was either created in time or that indicated that they had doubts about the issue. These narrators were discredited and condemned.

The author of Adwa’ ‘ala al-sunna al-muhammadiya writes:

The scholars had condemned a group of narrators like Ibn Lahi’a as unbelievers. Their sin was their belief that the Qur’an was created. Moreover, it is said that Muhasibi did not accept the inheritance from his father because, he said: “Those who are dualists do not inherit from each other. I do not want my share of inheritance from my father.” The reason for his refusal was that his father was a waqifi, that is, he was doubtful in expressing his opinion whether the Qur’an was created or not. [28]

Just as extreme religious prejudices and differences became the cause for overlooking the trustworthiness and truthfulness of the narrators (thereby rejecting what they reported), shared belief on a matter and belonging to the same school of thought generated unwarranted trust of the narrators, whose unreliability and corrupt character were overlooked. The situation was so critical that instead of verifying the credibility of the narrator they actually accredited them. Thus, for example, according to ‘Ijli, ‘Umar b. Sa’d was among the reliable transmitters of the second generation of the companions of the Prophet, whose traditions people had recorded. This evaluation is contrary to the generally held fact that he was responsible for the murder of Imam Husayn (peace be upon him), whom the Prophet had declared the chief of the youth in Paradise and his beloved grandson.[29]

Such was the case with Bisr b. Artat, who received an official assignment from Mu’awiya. He had massacred thousands of innocent Shi’is and used to publicly curse ‘Ali b. Abi Talib, the Prophet’s caliph. However, such a person of low character has been excused for these heinous deeds and has been regarded as an independent and learned authority in jurisprudence.[30]

Regarding ‘Utba b. Sa’id, Yahya b. Mu’in writes:

He is reliable. Nasa’i, Abu Dawud, and Daraqutni have also regarded him trustworthy. On the other hand, ‘Utba b. Sa’id was a companion of the wicked Hajjaj b. Yusuf.

It is not difficult to see the double standards that were applied in accreditation of the traditions reported by individuals whom they favored. Bukhari accepted the traditions reported from Marwan b. Hakam in his Sahih, and relied upon them. And yet Marwan was one of the major causes of the Battle of the Camel, having encouraged and instigated Talha to fight against ‘Ali. Then, during the battle, the same Marwan killed Talha.[31]

The author of Kitab adwa’ draws our attention to the fact that careful analysis of what these scholars did to authenticate Marwan clearly shows an endeavor to promote a wicked person like Marwan, who favored killing ‘Ali, actually killed Talha, and was responsible for the murder of Husayn b. ‘Ali. On the other hand, hadith compilers like Bukhari and Muslim discredited prominent scholars and memorizers of the Prophetic traditions like Hammad b. Maslama and the pious and god-fearing Makhul, simply because of their disagreement on some issues related to the creed.[32]

All in all, if any person narrated traditions in praise of the family of the Prophet and ‘Ali b. Abi Talib or related traditions agreeing with the Shi’i beliefs, some staunchly Sunni scholars suspected their hadith reports to be unreliable or declared them unconvincing. If this was the treatment of those suspected of Shi’i leanings, then hadith reported by those whose Shi`ism was public knowledge received even more blunt treatment. Their traditions were rejected outright. One need only read Tabari’s books to fathom the prejudicial treatment given to the narrators whose beliefs were contrary to the mainstream Sunni faith. According to Muslim, the compiler of the Sahih Muslim, Tabari says: “I met Jabir Ju’fi. But I did not record any tradition from him because he believed in raj’a (return of the dead before the emergence of the Mahdi).”[33]

5: Unfounded Prejudice

It is obvious that to pursue an agenda and to follow prejudice is not conducive to objective research. Anyone who intends to do research about a subject and to get to the truth of a matter must discard his unfounded prejudices against and hatred towards it, and then begin his investigation. When, during the process of the investigation, a piece of evidence is found in a tradition, one should investigate its narrator in order to prove his reliability. If the narrator’s reliability is confirmed then his tradition should be accepted, regardless of whether he is a Sunni or a Shi`i. It is against the rule of fairness and the method of investigation that the traditions of a reliable narrator be rejected simply because he happens to be a Shi’i or is accused of being one. In fact, fair minded scholars among the Sunnis have been aware of this prejudice.

In this connection ‘Asqalani comments:

One of the instances when one should pause in accepting the opinion of the person who is engaged in discrediting a narrator is to investigate whether there exists a difference in the matter of creed between the person who is engaged in discrediting and the narrator who is being discredited. For example, Abu Ishaq Jawzjani was a Sunni who hated the ahl al-bayt (a nasibi) while the people of Kufa were famous for their Shi`ism. Hence, he discredited the Kufan narrators in the most severe terms. Accordingly, people like A’mash, Abu Nu’aym and ‘Abd Allah b. Musa, although the leaders and pillars of narrators of hadith, were declared unreliable by him. Qushayri says: “The motives of the people resemble the pits of fire.” Consequently, in such instances, a statement about the narrator’s reliability has preponderance over a statement about his unreliability.[34]

Similarly, Muhammad b. Ahmad b. ‘Uthman Dhahabi, following his account about Aban b. Taghlib’s life, writes:

If some one objects to why we declare him trustworthy, in spite of the fact that Aban was among the people of innovation (i.e., Shi’is), I say thus: Innovation is of two kinds. One is a lesser type like the extremism in Shi`ism, or Shi`ism without extremism and sinful deviation. This kind of innovation was common among a number from the second and third generation of the companions of the Prophet, in spite of the fact that their piety and moral probity were beyond reproach. If it is decided that the traditions reported by such narrators should be rejected, a large number of Prophetic traditions would necessarily have to be rejected. The wrongness of such an opinion is self-evident. The second type of innovation is of a greater type, such as the complete rejection [of the first three caliphs] and the cursing of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar. Indisputably, the traditions reported by this group have no value and should be rejected.

In short, anyone who undertakes research and wants to discover truth, should not accept such statements of the unreliability of a narrator at face value. Rather, he should try to uncover the reason for discrediting a narrator and whether that person truly deserves such a judgement.

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

It is important to emphasize that if the traditions about the Mahdi were not recorded by Bukhari and Muslim, this does not mean that the reports were weak in transmission. After all, these two compilers had no intention of shedding light on all the traditions. According to Bayhaqi, Muslim and Bukhari did not intend to search for all the traditions. The evidence is provided by the inclusion of numerous traditions that were recorded by Bukhari and which are not part of Muslim’s collection. At the same time, there are traditions in the Sahih of Muslim which were avoided by Bukhari.[35] Just as Muslim claimed to have recorded only the authentic traditions in his compilation, so did Abu Dawud in his collection. This latter fact has been observed by Abu Bakr b. Dasa who heard Abu Dawud say: “I have recorded 4,800 traditions in my collection of which all are either reliable or close to reliable.” In addition, Abu al-Sabah confirms that it was reported to him that Abu Dawud made a similar claim about the traditions in his compilation, Sunan, adding that if he included a weak tradition he made that clear. “Hence any tradition about which I have not made any comment should be regarded as reliable.” A similar positive opinion about Abu Dawud’s Sunan has been related from Khatabi in the introduction to the present edition by Sa’ati.[36] In short, the traditions in Muslim and Bukhari are not different in reliability from the traditions recorded by other authors of the Sahih. What is important is that their transmitters should be investigated in order to establish their credibility or the lack thereof.

To be sure, the Sahihs of Muslim and Bukhari, whose authority is accepted by all the Sunnis, are not completely devoid of traditions about the Mahdi, although the term mahdi has not been used to express this belief among Muslims. Following is one such hadith:

It is reported from Abu Hurayra that the Prophet said: “What will be your reaction when the son of Mary descends and your Imam is among yourselves?” [37]

There are a number of other traditions on a similar theme in these two compilations. It is also important to bear in mind that Ibn Khaldun has neither totally falsified all the traditions about the Mahdi, nor has he claimed that he does not accept them. The context of Ibn Khaldun’s remark about these traditions is provided by his opening statement in this section when he says:

It has been well known (and generally accepted) by all Muslims in every epoch, that at the end of time a man from the family (of the Prophet) will without fail make his appearance, who will strengthen Islam and make justice triumph. Muslims will follow him, and he will gain domination over the Muslim realm. He will be called the Mahdi.

It is evident that he has briefly accepted the fact that the belief in the awaited Mahdi is common among Muslims. Moreover, after his critical evaluation of the traditions and their transmitters he concludes the discussion with the following observation:

This is the situation of the traditions about the awaited Mahdi. It has been seen in the books that, with the exception of very few, most of these traditions are regarded as unreliable.[38]

Hence, even at this point he has not rejected all the traditions on the subject. Rather, as he confesses, some of them are authentic.

Furthermore, it is relevant to point out that the traditions on the subject of the Mahdi are not confined only to those mentioned and critically evaluated by Ibn Khaldun. Quite to the contrary, most of the books on hadith, both by the Sunnis and the Shi`ites, narrate traditions in an unbroken chain of transmission which actually comes close to their verification as being credible. Had Ibn Khaldun known about the existence of all these traditions, he would have probably regarded the belief in the Mahdi as deeply rooted in the Islamic revelation.

To conclude this discussion, we can say that it is incorrect to maintain, as some scholars do, that Ibn Khaldun rejected the tradition about the Mahdi. On the contrary, it is these authors who have read into Ibn Khaldun such an opinion.

Other Opinions from Ibn Khaldun:

Ibn Khaldun concludes this section on the traditions concerning the Mahdi thus:

The truth one must know is that no religious or political power’s propaganda can be successful, unless power or group feeling exists to support the religious and political aspirations and to defend them against those who reject them, and until God’s will concerning them materializes. We have established this before, with rational arguments which we presented to the reader. The group feeling among the Fatimids and Talibids, indeed, that among all the Quraysh, has everywhere disappeared. The only exception is a remnant of the Talibids — Hasanids, Husaynids, and Ja’farites — in the Hejaz, in Mecca, al-Yanbu’, and Medina. They are spread over these regions and dominate them. They are Bedouin groups. They are settled and rule in different places and hold divergent opinions. They number several thousands. If it is correct that a Mahdi is to appear, there is only one way for his propaganda to make its appearance. He must be one of them, and God must unite them in the intention to follow him, until he gathers enough strength and group feeling to gain success for his cause and to move people to support him. Any other way — such as a Fatimid who would make propaganda for (the cause of the Mahdi) among people anywhere at all, without the support of group feeling and power, by merely relying on his relationship to the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him) — will not be feasible or successful, for the sound reasons that we have mentioned previously.[39]

In response to this assertion by Ibn Khaldun it must be pointed out that there is no doubt that anyone who wishes to revolt and gain power so as to establish a government must have the unquestioning support of his followers in order to reach that goal. Similar conditions must be fulfilled in the case of the awaited Mahdi and his universal revolution. However, it is not necessary to require that his supporters be among the descendants of ‘Ali and the Quraysh. The reason is that if the government and leadership is based on ethnic and group feeling then the support has to come from that feeling. Moreover, these should be the ones to support him unquestioningly. This was certainly true in the case of ethnic groups and dynasties that came to power by means of this sense of loyalty and solidarity. In general, a government that comes to power through the specific and limited sense of group feeling is necessarily dependent upon a specific and limited group of supporters. This is true in all such cases of nationalistic, ethnic, and ideological states.

However, if a government is founded upon a specific program, then it has to gain support of those who favor it. And this order can succeed only if a group recognizes the value of the program and desires to implement it by supporting the leadership that is committed to it. The revolutionary program of the Mahdi is of this kind. The Mahdi’s program is profoundly universal. It desires that humanity, which is being driven into extreme forms of materialism and opposition to divine commands, respond to the divinely ordained system which rests upon moral and spiritual goals. It wishes to resolve the problems facing humanity by clarifying the boundaries in such a way as to remove any cause of conflict in society. It wants to bring people together under the banner of the Unity of God and universalize submission and service to God. Such a program, if implemented, would end tyranny and injustice and spread peace through justice all over the world.

In order to achieve this universal goal it is not sufficient to rely on the leadership of the descendants of ‘Ali, who are spread all over the Hejaz, and to expect that the group feeling would help the Mahdi to reach his universal goal. To be sure, there is a need for the peoples of the entire world to prepare themselves to respond to the call of the Mahdi. Besides the divine endorsement of this program, the Mahdi’s victory is dependant upon a reasonably large and earnest group of people, who, being aware of the merits of the divinely ordained system, would seriously aspire to see such an order implemented. Moreover, they would be willing to sacrifice their lives for that cause. Consequently, if the people see an infallible and incontestable leader who has access to the divine plan for humanity and has divine endorsement of his program, they would not hesitate to assist him in establishing the ideal public order, even if this means that they would have to sacrifice their lives.

The Existence of the Mahdi is Certain

There are numerous Prophetic traditions about the Mahdi, reported by both the Sunni and the Shi’i sources. Close examination of the contents of these traditions proves that the subject of the future coming of the Mahdi and the Qa’im was a well established tenet during the Prophet’s life time. People anticipated someone who would take upon himself to establish truth and spread the worship of God. Moreover, they expected that person to take charge of purifying the earth and instituting justice. The belief was so wide spread among the people that having verified it in principle they were engaged in discussing its details. Sometimes they would ask: “From which family would the awaited Mahdi arise?” At other times they wanted to know his name and patronymic. Still at other times they wanted to know the reason why he was called the Mahdi. They wanted to know about his revolution and asked about the signs of his appearance. They also wanted to find out if the Mahdi and the Qa’im were one and the same person. They were told about the Mahdi’s occultation and wanted to understand the reasons and the obligations of his followers while he was in occultation. The Prophet also, from time to time, used to inform people about the existence of the Mahdi. He would inform them saying: “Mahdi will be among my descendants. He will be among the sons of Fatima, among the descendants of Husayn.” At other times he would announce his name and patronymic and give information about the signs of his reappearance and other related matters.

The Discussion among the Companions and the Subsequent Generations:

After the Prophet’s death the story of the coming of the Mahdi was often heard among the prominent companions of the Prophet and the following generation. The matter was regarded among the religious truths and was treated as one of the certain future events. The following are some examples of this in the sources:

Abu Hurayra says: “People will pay allegiance to the Mahdi between rukn and maqam.”[40] Ibn ‘Abbas is reported to have told Mu’awiya that a person among the descendants of the Prophet will rule for forty years at the End of Time. On another occasion a man asked Ibn ‘Abbas to inform him about the Mahdi. He said: “I hope that in the near future a young man from our family (the Hashimite) will arise to put an end to civil strife and sedition.”[41] Ibn ‘Abbas also specified the descendant of the Prophet as being from the children of Fatima. According to another famous companion of the Prophet, ‘Ammar Yasir: “At the time when Nafs al-Zakiyya is killed a caller from the heaven will say: ‘Your commander is so-and-so.’ Following it the Mahdi will emerge and fill the earth with justice and equity.”[42]

‘Abd Allah b. ‘Umar mentioned the name of Mahdi in the presence of an Arab who said: Mahdi is Mu’awiya b. Abu Sufyan. ‘Abd Allah said: “It is not as you say. Mahdi is a person behind whom Jesus will offer his prayers.”[43]

‘Umar b. Qays asked Mujahid if he knew anything about the Mahdi, since he did not believe in what the Shi’a were saying about him. Mujahid said: “Yes, I do. One of the Prophet’s companions told me that the Mahdi will not appear until that time when Nafs al-Zakiyya will be killed. At that time he will take the command and will fill the earth with justice and equity.”[44]

Nufayl’s daughter ‘Umayra narrates that she heard Hasan b. ‘Ali’s daughter saying: “This affair about which you are waiting will not occur until among you some seek to distance themselves from the others and curse each other.”[45] The author of Maqatil al-talibiyin Abu al-Faraj Isfahani writes that Fatima, Husayn b. ‘Ali’s daughter, used to engage in midwifery as a voluntary service to the women of Banu Hashim. Her son used to object to her saying: “We are afraid that you will be recognized as a professional midwife.” In reply she would say: “I am awaiting someone. As soon as he is born I will stop assisting in delivery.”[46]

Qatada asked Ibn Musayyib: “Is the existence of Mahdi a truth?” He said: “Yes. He is a member of the Quraysh, among the descendants of Fatima.” A similar tradition is reported from the famous scholar Zuhri, who also related that the Mahdi will be among the descendants of Fatima. Abu al-Faraj reports an event when Walid b. Muhammad was with Zuhri and a clamor transpired. Zuhri asked Walid to find out what had caused it. After finding out Walid reported: “Zayd b. ‘Ali has been killed and his head has been brought.” Zuhri was upset and said: “Why is this family in haste? Haste has destroyed a number of them.” Walid asked: “Will they reach power?” He replied, “Yes, because ‘Ali b. Husayn narrated to me on the authority of his father who heard this from Fatima, the Prophet’s daughter, who, in turn, heard the Prophet tell her: ‘Mahdi will be among your descendants.'” In another place Abu al-Faraj reported a tradition from Muslim b. Qutayba, who said: “One day I went to visit Mansur, the ‘Abbasid caliph. He said: ‘Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah has revolted and has announced that he is the Mahdi. By God, he is not the Mahdi. Let me tell you something. I have not told nor will I tell this to anyone else besides you. My son Mahdi is not the one mentioned in the traditions. I have just named him Mahdi as a good omen.'”[47]

Other sources that mention these traditions include the following:

Ibn Sirin used to say that the promised Mahdi will be from this Umma. He will be the one who will lead Jesus in prayers. In another place he reports a tradition from ‘Abd Allah b. Harith. He said: “The Mahdi will arise at the age of forty and will resemble the Children of Israel.” A variant of this tradition reported by Artat says that the Mahdi will arise at the age of twenty. Another tradition in the same section explains the reason Mahdi was named thus. Ka’b says: “He was named Mahdi because he will be guided to the hidden matters.” ‘Abd Allah b. Shurayk used to relate that the Prophet’s standard will be with the Mahdi.[49]

Ibn Sirin records several other traditions that speak about the function of the Mahdi. One of these reported from Hakam b. ‘Uyayna says that the reporter asked Muhammad b. ‘Ali al-Baqir:

We have heard that one among your ahl al-bayt will arise and will establish justice and equity. Is this true? He said: “We are also awaiting his appearance and living in hope.”

In another tradition Salma b. Zafar reports:

One day people were talking about the appearance of the Mahdi in the presence of Hudhayfa. Hudhayfa said: “If Mahdi has indeed appeared while you are living close to the Prophet’s period and while his companions are living among you, then you are truly fortunate. However, that is not the case. Mahdi will not appear until people are devoured by oppression and tyranny and there is no one absent more beloved and more needed than him.”[50]

People were so familiar with the characteristics of the Mahdi that Jarir, the Arab poet, read the following lines of his poem for the Umayyad caliph ‘Umar b. ‘Abd al-‘Aziz in which he compares the caliph with the future Mahdi:

Your presence is a blessing. Your conduct is the conduct of the Mahdi. You are fighting your lower self, and you spend the night in recitation of the Qur’an.[51]

Muhammad b. Ja’far reports that he once told Malik b. Anas his misfortunes. He said: “Wait until the significance of the verse of the Qur’an: ‘Yet We desired to be gracious to those that were abased in land, and to make them leaders, and to make them the inheritors (27:5),’ becomes materialized.”[52]

People Awaited the Appearance of the Mahdi

From all the references to the Mahdi and his appearance in the sources, it is obvious that people were awaiting the coming of the Mahdi from the early days of Islam, and were actually counting the days for that to happen. They regarded the establishment of the legitimate government through his emergence a certainty. This anticipation used to get intense during times of political turmoil and unfavorable social conditions. People expected that the emergence would take place imminently. On many occasions they would adhere to the false pretender or would regard some person to be truly the promised Mahdi. Those whom people thought were the promised Mahdi included the following:

(1) Muhammad b. Hanafiyya:

Since he had the name and patronymic of the Prophet, there was a group that believed him to be the Mahdi. According to Tabari, when Mukhtar b. Abu ‘Ubayd Thaqafi wanted to revolt against the Umayyads and exact revenge from those who had murdered the grandson of the Prophet, Husayn, he ascribed Mahdiism to Muhammad b. Hanafiyya. And he claimed to be his envoy and his deputy and showed the letters he had brought with him to the people.[53]

Ibn Sa’d tells us that when people wanted to greet Ibn Hanafiyya they would address him thus: “Peace be to you, O Mahdi!” And he would reply: “Yes, I am the Mahdi, and I shall guide you towards the straight path and prosperity. My name is the same as the name of the Prophet, and my patronymic is also his patronymic. Whenever you want to greet me say: ‘Peace be to you O Muhammad; peace be to you O Abu al-Qasim!'”[54]

This and other similar reports indicate that one of the signs of the appearance of the promised Mahdi was the combination of the Prophet’s name and patronymic for a person. This is the reason Ibn Hanafiyya made a reference to this fact for himself. However, careful investigation of historical sources reveals that it was not Ibn Hanafiyya who made such claims for himself. It was others, like Mukhtar, who introduced him thus. On his part, sometimes Ibn Hanafiyya kept silent on the matter, confirming the attribution to him. This policy was probably followed with the hope that the murderers of Karbala would be avenged and the Islamic leadership would revert to its rightful holder. This is supported by another report in which Ibn Hanafiyya tells the people: “Be aware that the rightful people have a government, which will be established when God desires it. Anyone who witnesses it will be fortunate and anyone who predeceases it will enjoy the blessings of God in the hereafter.”[55]

Muhammad b. Hanafiyya, in a sermon that he delivered in the presence of some seven thousand people, said: “You have hastened in this matter. Yet, among your descendants are people who, with the help of the family of the Prophet, will wage war against the enemies of God. The government of the family of the Prophet is not concealed from anyone. However, its materialization will take time. I declare solemnly in the name of the One in whose hand is Muhammad’s life, the rule will return to the Prophet’s family.”[56]

(2) Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah b. Hasan:

This was another descendant of the Prophet, whom people accepted as the Mahdi. According to Abu al-Faraj, when Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah was born the family of the Prophet rejoiced and quoted the Prophet saying: “The name of the Mahdi is Muhammad.” As such, they were hopeful that Muhammad would be the promised Mahdi. They used to adore him. In the gatherings he was mentioned frequently and the Shi’is used to give each other good news about his impending appearance.

In another place Abu al-Faraj reports an account which says that when Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah was born he was named Mahdi with the expectation that he was the Mahdi promised in the earlier sources. However, the leaders of the Talibids used to call him nafs al-zakiyya and, in accord with the divine decree, he would be killed in Ihjar Zayt. One of the slaves of Abu Ja’far Mansür relates that he was told by Mansur to go and sit near the pulpit and listen to his lectures. Once he heard him say: “Do not entertain any doubt that I am the Mahdi, and the reality is also thus.” The slave reported the incident to the Caliph who said: “By God, Muhammad is telling falsehood. The truth is that the promised Mahdi is my son.” [57]

Salma b. Aslam composed lines about Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah in which he said: “That which is reported in the traditions will materialize when Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah appears among the people and takes charge of the affairs with his hands. Muhammad has a special ring, which God has not given to anyone except him. There will be signs of piety and goodness in him. We hope that Muhammad will be the Imam through whose blessed existence the Qur’an will come to life again. Moreover, through his existence Islam will be revived and reformed, and the poor orphan children and needy families will again live in prosperity. He will fill the earth with justice and equity as it is filled with corruption. And our hopes and aspirations will be fulfilled.”[58]

The Jurists of Medina and the Mahdi Traditions:

When Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah revolted one of the jurists of Medina by the name of Muhammad b. ‘Ajlan also rose with him. After he was killed, Ja’far b. Sulayman, the governor of Medina, summoned Muhammad b. ‘Ajlan and asked him: “Why did you rise with that liar?” He then ordered his hands to be cut. Other jurists who were present in the court at that time interceded on his behalf, emphasizing that Muhammad b. ‘Ajlan was a pious jurist of Medina and had erroneously regarded Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah as the Mahdi promised in the traditions.[59]

Another well-known jurist and a prominent scholar of the hadith, ‘Abd Allah b. Ja’far also rose with Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah. When the latter was killed he fled from Medina and remained in hiding until he was granted amnesty. One day the governor of Medina passed by him and asked him the reason why he arose with Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah, in spite of his learning in the law and traditions. He replied: “The reason I supported and cooperated with him was that I was confident that he was the promised Mahdi, about whom we have been informed in the traditions. I did not doubt Muhammad’s Mahdiism until I saw him killed. At that time I knew he was not the Mahdi. I will not fall into anyone else’s hoax from now on.”[60]

From such accounts it is evident that the subject of the Mahdiism was widespread from those early days of Islam, close to the period of the Prophet. It was accepted as an absolute religious truth and people were awaiting the Mahdi. It was for this reason that the common people, who knew little about the signs for the appearance of the Mahdi and who were downtrodden, believed that Muhammad b. Hanafiyya and Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah and other pretenders were the promised Mahdi. However, the scholars and those who were well informed about the ahl al-bayt, including Muhammad’s own father, knew that he was not the promised Mahdi.

A man came to see ‘Abd Allah b. Hasan and asked him when his son Muhammad would rise. He replied: “As long as I have not been killed, he will not rise.” The man sighed and said: “From God we originate and to God we shall return. If Muhammad is killed, the umma will collapse.” ‘Abd Allah said to him: “That is not the case.” The man continued and asked when would Ibrahim rise. He said: “As long as I am not destroyed, he will not rise. He too will be killed.” Once again the man uttered the same verse and declared that the community had indeed undertaken the path of destruction. ‘Abd Allah replied: “That is not so. Actually their master, the promised Mahdi, is twenty five years old. And at the time that he rises he will kill all the enemies.” When Marwan was told that Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah had revolted, he said: “Neither he nor any other person sharing his father’s genealogy is the promised Mahdi. Rather, he will be the son of a slave girl.” Whenever the Imam Ja’far Sadiq would see Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah he would cry and say: “May my life be a sacrifice for him. People are speculating that he is the promised Mahdi. On the contrary he will be killed. Indeed, his name is not mentioned among the caliphs of this community in the book of ‘Ali.”[61]

A group of people were sitting around Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah when the Imam Sadiq entered the place. Everyone stood up in respect. He inquired about the affairs and they replied that they had decided to pay allegiance to Muhammad who was the Mahdi. The Imam said: “I advise you to desist from doing so, because the time for the rise of the Mahdi has not approached yet. Moreover, Muhammad is not the Mahdi.”[62]

The Poetry of Di’bil and the Mahdi:

When Di’bil b. ‘Ali al-Khuza’i presented his famous lines in the presence of Imam Rida, he ended his poem with the following lines:

No doubt an Imam will rise — an Imam who will govern according to the name of God and the [divine] blessing.

These lines underscore the certainty with which Di’bil mentioned the rising of the Imam who will rule in the name of God and with God’s blessings. On hearing this, Imam Rida wept and said: “The blessed angel has put these words in your mouth. Do you know this Imam?” Di’bil said: “No. But I have heard that an Imam among you will rise and will fill the earth with justice and equity.” Imam Rida said: “After me my son Muhammad will be the Imam; following him his son ‘Ali will be the Imam; and after ‘Ali his son Hasan will be the Imam. Following Hasan his son will the Proof of God and the Qa’im, who should be awaited while he is in occultation. And when he appears he should be obeyed. He is the one who will fill this earth with justice and equity. But the time of his emergence has not been fixed. However, it has been reported by my ancestors that he would appear all of a sudden and in a flash of a moment.”[63]

There are numerous such reports in the historical sources which, if you wish, you can investigate.

*******

It was quite late at night and the meeting was adjourned. It was decided that the group would meet the following Friday afternoon.

Notes:

The hadith is reported in the majority of the Sunni sources. However, here we citeMajlisi, Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 75, who has actually compiled these reports from all the sources in one place, making it convenient to refer to them. Se also, Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 1, p. 9.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 74

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 65; Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 6, p. 382

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 73.

Ibid., Vol. 51, p. 66.

Ibid., Vol. 51, p. 84; Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 7, p. 191; Majma` al-zawa’id by `Ali b. Abi Bakr Haythami (Cairo edition), Vol. 7, p. 317.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 74; Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 7, p. 9.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 75.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 73.

Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 2, p. 531.

Ibid., p. 533.

Ibid., p. 526.

Hasan, Sa`d Muhammad, al-Mahdiyya fi al-islam (Cairo, 1373), p. 69; Ibn Khaldun, al-Muqaddima (Cairo edition), p. 311.

Sahih, Vol. 9, p. 74; also, see: Shaykh Sulayman, Yanabi` al-mawadda (1308 AH edition), Vol. 2, p. 180; Muhammad b. Yusuf al-Shafi`i, al-Bayan fi akhbar sahib al-zaman (Najaf edition), p. 57; and other Sunni sources.

Abu Dawud, Sahih, Vol. 5/207; see also all the sources mentioned in note s 2. In addition, see: Shablanji, Nur al-absar, p. 156; Ibn Hajar, al-Sawa’iq al-muharriqah, p. 161; Ibn Sabbagh, Fusul al-muhimma, p. 275; al-Saban, As’af al-raghibin.

Abu Dawud, Sahih, Vol. 2, p. 207; Ibn Majah, Sahih, Vol. 2, p. 519, and the sources mentioned in note s 3.

Abu Dawud, Sahih, Vol. 2, p. 208; Fusul al-muhimma, p. 275; and numerous other Sunni sources.

Ibn Majah, Sahih, Vol. 2, p. 519. Also, Ibn Hajar, al-Sawa’iq al-muharriqa, p. 161.

Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, Vol. 3, p. 27.

Ibn Hajar, al-Sawa’iq al-muharriqa, p. 161; Yanabi’ al-mawadda, Vol. 2, p. 177.

al-Mahdiyya fi al-islam, p. 69.

Ibn Khaldun, al-Muqaddimah, p. 311.

Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Nuzhat al-nazar, p. 12.

Futuhat al-islamiyya, Mecca edition, Vol. 2, p. 250.

Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani, Lisan al-mizan, Vol. 1, p. 25.

Ibn Khaldun, al-Muqaddimah, p. 313.

Ibid., p. 319.

Abu Rayya, Mahmud, Kitab adwa’, p. 316.

Ibid., p. 319.

Ibid., p. 321.

Ibid., p. 317.

Ibid., p. 319.

Sahih muslim, Vol. 1, p. 101.

Lisan al-mizan, Vol. 1, p. 16.

Sahih muslim, Vol. 1, p. 24.

See the introduction to the Sunan abi Dawud by Sa’ati.

Sahih muslim, bab nuzul ‘isa, volume 2; Sahih bukhari, kitab bad’ al-khalq wa nuzul ‘isa, volume 4.

Muqaddima, p. 322.

Muqaddima, p. 327.

Ibn Tawus, Kitab al-malahim wa al-fitan, p. 64. Rukn and maqam are two sacred spots in the grand mosque of Mecca.

Ibid., p. 84.

Ibid., p. 179.

Ibid., p. 171.

Majlisi, Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 52, p. 211.

Maqatil al-talibiyin, p. 160.

Maqatil al-talibiyin, p. 167.

Kitab al-hawi li al-fatawa, Vol. 2, p. 135.

Ibid., p. 147-150.

Ibid., p. 159.

Ibn Qutayba, al-Imama wa al-siyasa, Vol. 2, p. 117.

Maqatil al-talibiyin, p. 359.

Ta’rikh, Vol. 4, pp. 449-494; Ibn Athir, Kamil al-tawarikh, Vol. 1, p. 339, 358.

Tabaqat al-kubra, Vol. 5, p. 66.

Ibid., Vol. 7, p. 71.

Ibid., Vol. 5, p. 80.

Ibid., pp. 165 and 157.

Ibid., p. 163.

Ibid., p. 193.

Ibid., p. 195.

Ibid., p. 143.

Ibid., p. 141.

Yanabi’ al-mawadda, Vol. 2, p. 197.

Al-Imam al-Mahdi, The Just Leader of Humanity

Chapter 2

The Pseudo-Mahdis  On the appointed evening friends came together at Dr. Fahimi’s house. After the usual formalities and enquiries the session began. Mr. Hoshyar began to speak.

Mr. Hoshyar: There is another matter worth considering as further evidence and related to the topic about the origins of Mahdiism. These are the accounts of individuals claiming to be the Mahdi in the past, whose names have been preserved in the historical sources. These reports suggest that the subject was not only wide spread, but also well authenticated in the early days of Islam. To clarify my point for all those who are gathered here I will mention some of these pseudo-Mahdis.

Muhammad b. Hanafiyya was regarded as the Mahdi by some Muslims. He was believed to be alive and living an invisible existence in Mount Radwa. He would appear in the future and would fill the earth with justice and equity.[1] A group called Jarudis among the Zaydis believed that Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah b. Hasan was the Mahdi, and that he was in concealment. They awaited his return.[2] The Nawusi’s believed that Imam Ja’far Sadiq was the Mahdi, and that he was alive and in occultation. The Waqifis believed that Imam Musa b. Ja’far had not died and was in occultation. He would appear in the future and would fill the earth with justice and equity.[3]

A group among the Isma’ilis believed that Isma’il had not died. Rather, he had been declared dead out of fear (taqiyya) of persecution. The Baqiris regarded Imam Muhammad Baqir to be alive and believed that he was the promised Mahdi. The Muhammadis believed that following the death of Imam ‘Ali Naqi, the Imam was his son Muhammad. This they believed in spite of the fact that he died during his father’s life time. They, furthermore, believed that he was alive and that he was the promised Mahdi.[4] The Jawaziyya believed that the twelfth Imam Hujjat b. al-Hasan had a son and that he was the promised Mahdi. The Hashimis maintained that ‘Abd Allah b. Harb Kindi was the Imam. Alive but in occultation, they expected that he would appear in the future. The Mubarakis, among the Isma’ilis, regarded Muhammad b. Isma’il as a living Imam in occultation.[5]

The Yazidi faction maintained that Yazid has ascended to heaven, and will return in the future to fill the earth with justice and equity. The Isma’ilis say that the Mahdi mentioned in the traditions is the same as Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah, known as Mahdi, who became the ruler in Egypt and North Africa. To support their belief they cite the tradition of the Prophet in which he said that in the year 300 the sun would rise from the west.[6]

A group of the Imamis believed that Imam Hasan ‘Askari was alive and that he was the Qa’im. He was living an invisible existence and would appear in the future and would fill the earth with justice and equity. Another group among them held that Imam Hasan ‘Askari has died but would come back to life later on and would rise because the meaning of qa’im is ‘to rise after death.’[7]

The Qarmatis regarded Muhammad b. Isma’il to be the promised Mahdi. They believed that he was alive and lived in Anatolia. The followers of Abu Muslim believed that Abu Muslim was the living Imam who was in concealment. A group believed that Imam Hasan ‘Askari was the Mahdi and that he became alive after death. He continues to live in this state until the time comes when he will fill the earth with justice and equity.[8]

Manipulation of the Beliefs of the People

These are the names of the people who claimed to be the Mahdi in the early history of Islam. A number of ignorant people accepted their claim and regarded them to be the promised Mahdi. However, the majority of these groups have perished and there remains nothing more than their mention in the books on history. Since that time a number of individuals belonging to Hashimite or non-Hashimite clans from different regions and countries of the world have emerged claiming to be the promised Mahdi. Historically, such claims have led to insurrections and revolutions, with much bloodshed and destruction of human life.

It is possible to surmise from events related to the appearances of the false messiahs that the subject of Mahdiism and the emergence of the divine savior were among the well established religious truths among Muslims, who anxiously awaited for the appearance of the Mahdi. They also regarded his victory and the defeat of his enemy as imminent. Such expectations of the people became the major source for some ambitious and crafty individuals to manipulate their simple and pure faith — a faith which stemmed from the teachings of the Islamic revelation — and lay claim to the title of the Mahdi. It is likely that some of these individuals had no evil design and merely wanted to redress the wrongs committed against the people. Indeed, some of them did not even claim to be the promised deliverer. Rather, it was the common people who, due to ignorance, intolerable living conditions, and an impatience regarding their expectations about the appearance of the Mahdi, took these false messiahs to be the awaited Mahdi.

Fabrication of the Traditions

It was, unfortunately, these conditions that caused circulation of the traditions describing and praising the Mahdi and foretelling the signs of his appearance. These traditions were uncritically accepted and reported in the books. Any impartial scholar can discover these fabricated traditions by undertaking to investigate the historical accounts of the appearance of these pseudo-Mahdis and then to examine the hadith compilations that deal with the characteristics of the Mahdi. Such, for instance, is the case with the tradition in which the Prophet says:

The world will not come to an end until God sends a man from my family, whose name will be the same as mine, and whose father’s name will be the same as my father’s. He will fill the earth with justice and equity as it is filled with injustice and tyranny.[9]

In this hadith the Mahdi’s father is introduced as possessing the name of the Prophet’s father, that is, ‘Abd Allah. This contradicts many traditions that mention Mahdi’s father to be Hasan. Hence, it is possible to maintain that this hadith was circulated by those who regarded Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah b. Hasan to be the Mahdi. They must have added the sentence `whose father’s name will be the same as my father’s’ to the original hadith. This is supported by the view held by Muhammad b. Yusuf in his book entitled: al-Bayan. He writes that Tirmidhi relates the same tradition in his compilation without mentioning the additional sentence ‘whose father’s . . .’. Abu Dawud also reports the same tradition without the additional sentence.

In another tradition recorded by Abu al-Faraj in his Maqatil al-talibiyyin Abu Hurayra is reported to have heard the Prophet saying: “Indeed, the Mahdi’s name will be Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah and he will be afflicted with a speech defect.”[10] This tradition is also a forgery of those who supported Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah b. Hasan’s claim to Mahdiism. It is said that he had difficulty in speaking and could barely utter certain words. His followers took this defect to be a sign of the Mahdi and forged a tradition to that effect.

The ‘Abbasids also fabricated traditions to bolster their claim to this eminent role predicted about the Mahdi. According to one of these traditions, Ibn ‘Abbas reported from the Prophet who said to ‘Abbas, his uncle: “At the End of Time there will be Mahdi among you through whom right guidance will spread and the fires of misguidance will be put out. Indeed, God began this matter with us and will conclude it through your progeny.”[11] In another hadith Ibn ‘Abbas reports the Prophet saying: “From us, the ahl al-bayt, will arise al-Saffah, al-Mundhir, al-Mansur and al-Mahdi. The Mahdi will be among the descendants of my uncle al-‘Abbas.”[12] There is little doubt that these traditions were forged by the ‘Abbasids.

A tradition is related from ‘Ali b. Abi Talib regarding the appearance of black banners from the direction of Khurasan. “Among these banners is God’s caliph, the Mahdi.”[13] This too appears to be fabricated by the ‘Abbasids or by the supporters of Abu Muslim Khurasani because the Mahdi will not come from Khurasan, and the black banners were the emblem of the ‘Abbasids. There are numerous other traditions that were evidently forged by the ‘Abbasid pretenders to promote support for their cause.

In general, to provide legitimacy to the claims of any pseudo-Mahdi, traditions traced back to the Prophet himself were forged and circulated among the followers. Consequently, there is hardly any prominent leader for whom there were no traditions to promote his Mahdiism. The problem was that many of these individuals had died. But their followers refused to accept their death as real. Hence, traditions were fabricated to relate that their revolution would commence after their death and upon their return to life when God commanded them to do so. Al-Fadl b. Musa reports a tradition in which Imam al-Sadiq was asked by Abu Sa’id Khurasani: “Why was he (i.e., the Mahdi) known as al-Qa’im?” The Imam said: “Because he will rise after his death. He will rise for an important task, as commanded by God, the Exalted.”[14]

Certainly, this hadith was fabricated by the Waqifiyya, who believed that Imam Musa Kazim had not died and would return as the promised Mahdi. Moreover, it is likely that it was fabricated by those who believed that Imam Hasan ‘Askari had died, but would rise later on to establish a just society. Actually, in terms of the science of hadith, the chain of transmission is weak, since it includes a person whose reliability is in question. In a similar tradition with a slight variation Abu Sa’id asked Imam al-Sadiq: “Are al-Mahdi and al-Qa’im one and the same?” The Imam replied: “Yes.” Abu Sa’id went on to ask: “Why is he known as the Mahdi?” The Imam replied: “Because he will guide to the hidden matters.” “Why is he known as the Qa’im?” The Imam said: “Because he will rise after he dies, that is, dies in the people’s remembering that he will rise for the great purpose.”[15] It is evident that the two traditions are actually one. In the second tradition death is interpreted as a death of the memory of his name.

The belief that the Mahdi will die and then rise to launch his revolution was accepted by some people who were also responsible for fabricating traditions to support their belief. Thus, Imam Sadiq was asked: “Is there an example of qa’im (rising after death) in the Qur’an?” He said: “Yes. A passage in the Qur’an speaks about the owner of the donkey, whose death was caused by God, and then God brought him back to life.”[16]

In a long tradition Mu’awiya b. Abu Sufyan reports from the Prophet the following:

The Prophet said: “After my death an island by the name of Andalusia will be conquered. Afterwards the army of disbelievers will overpower them . . . At that point a man from among the descendants of Fatima, the Prophet’s daughter, will rise from the farthest region of the Maghrib. He will be the Mahdi, the Qa’im. He is the first sign of the Hour.”[17]

The tradition was probably fabricated by the Isma’ilis who founded a state in the Maghreb. Many such traditions are single in transmission and, therefore, the information in them cannot be regarded as reliable. More importantly, in comparison to the numerous traditions about the Mahdi reported uninterruptedly, these traditions are not credible at all.

The Family of the Prophet and the Eleven Imams’ Predictions about the Mahdi

Dr. Fahimi: What was the belief of the Family of the Prophet and the Imams regarding the Mahdi?

Mr. Hoshyar: Following the Prophet’s death the subject of Mahdiism was also under discussion among the Prophet’s companions and the Imams. The Family of the Prophet, as the heirs to the Prophet’s knowledge and to the intricate matters concerning faith, was the most knowledgeable about the Prophetic traditions. They spoke about the Mahdi and replied to the questions that were posed to them on this subject. Let us cite some examples of these communications by them with some attention to the chronology. Although there are several traditions cited from each one of the Imams and from Fatima Zahra (peace be upon her) we will cite just one from each:

(1) Tradition Narrated by Imam ‘Ali about the Future Coming of the Mahdi:

The following tradition is related by al-Asbagh who heard ‘Ali b. Abi Talib say:

The promised Mahdi will emerge at the End of Time from among us. There is no Mahdi in any nation other than him being awaited.[18]

There are more than fifty traditions narrated from ‘Ali b. Abi Talib in connection with the future appearance of the Mahdi and his being from among the Family of the Prophet.[19]

(2) Tradition Narrated by Fatima Zahra (peace be upon her):

Fatima Zahra told her son Husayn:

When I gave birth to you, the Prophet came to see me. He took you in his hands and said to me: “O Fatima, take your Husayn, and know that he is the father of nine Imams. From his descendants will appear righteous leaders among whom the ninth will be the Qa’im.”[20]

(3) Tradition Narrated by Imam Hasan b. ‘Ali:

Hasan b. ‘Ali said:

There will be twelve Imams following the Prophet. Nine of these Imams will be from the progeny of my brother Husayn. The Mahdi of this umma will be among them. [21]

(4) Tradition Narrated by Imam Husayn b. ‘Ali:

Husayn b. ‘Ali said:

Twelve Imams will be from among us. The first among them will be ‘Ali b. Abi Talib and the last will be my ninth descendant, the rightful Qa’im. Because of his blessed existence God will bring back the dead earth to life and prosperity. God will give victory to His religion over all other religions, even if this be against the liking of the disbelievers. The Mahdi will disappear from public for a while. During his occultation a number of people will abandon religion, whereas others will remain steadfast and will suffer because of their faith. This latter group will be asked tauntingly: “If your belief is true, when would your promised Imam rise?” But, remember that whoever perseveres under those unfavorable circumstances when enemies would falsify and harm them, their status will be like those who fought by the side of the Prophet in defending the religion of God.[22]

(5) Tradition Narrated by Imam ‘Ali b. Husayn:

‘Ali b. Husayn said:

The birth of our Qa’im will be hidden from the people in such a way that they will assert: “He has not been born at all!” The reason for his concealment is that when he begins his revolution he will have no one’s allegiance on his neck.[23]

(6) Tradition Narrated by Imam Muhammad Baqir:

Muhammad b. ‘Ali Baqir told Aban b. Taghlib:

I solemnly declare that the Imamate is the divine covenant that has reached us from the Prophet. The Imams after the Prophet are twelve in number of whom nine are the descendants of Husayn. At the End of Time the Mahdi will also emerge from among us who will protect the religion of God.[24]

(7) Tradition Narrated by Imam Ja’far Sadiq:

Ja’far b. Muhammad Sadiq said:

Whoever acknowledges all the Imams, but denies the existence of the Mahdi, is like the one who acknowledges all the prophets but denies the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Someone asked him: “Among whose descendants is the Mahdi?” The Imam responded:

The fifth progeny of the seventh Imam [Musa Kazim] will be the Mahdi. However, he will disappear. It is not proper for you to name him.[25]

(8)Tradition Narrated by Imam Musa Kazim:

Yunus b. ‘Abd al-Rahman asked Imam Musa b. Ja’far: “Are you the rightful Qa’im?” He replied:

Yes, I am the rightful Qa’im. But the Qa’im who will purify the earth from the enemies of God and will fill it with justice and equity, is my fifth descendant. Since he is afraid for his life, he will be in occultation for a long time. During this period of occultation, a group will turn away from religion. But some will remain steadfast in their faith.

He went on to add:

Blessed are those Shi’a who during this period of occultation will continue to be faithful to us and remain steadfast in their loyalty to us and their hostility toward our enemies. Truly, they are from us and we are from them. They are convinced about our Imamate and we acknowledge their fealty to us. By God, blessed are they! They will be with us in Paradise.[26]

(9) Tradition Reported by Imam ‘Ali b. Musa Rida:

Rayya b. Salt once asked Imam Rida: “Are you sahib al-‘amr (Master of the Undertaking)?” The Imam said:

Yes, I am the Master of the Undertaking. However, I am not that Master of the Undertaking who will fill the earth with justice and equity. How can I be that Master of the Undertaking when you are witness to the prevalent weakness and helplessness? The promised Qa’im will be old in age but young in appearance when he emerges. He will be so powerful and strong that if he extended his hand to the most huge tree it would fall uprooted. And if he screamed among the mountains the rocks would be crushed into pieces. The rod of Moses and the seal of Solomon are with him. That person will be my fourth descendant. God will keep him in occultation for as long as He deems necessary. Then, He will cause him to appear, and through him God will fill the earth with justice and equity as it is filled with tyranny and oppression.[27]

(10) Tradition Reported by Imam Muhammad b. ‘Ali Jawad:

Imam Muhammad Taqi Jawad told ‘Abd al-‘Azim Hasani:

Our Qa’im is the same as the promised Mahdi whom you should await and when he appears you should obey. He will be my third descendant. I swear by the God who sent Muhammad as the Prophet and appointed us as the Imams that even if there remains a single day on earth, God will prolong it until the Mahdi emerges and fills the earth with justice and equity as it is filled with injustice and tyranny. God takes care of His affairs overnight just as He managed the affairs of Moses in one night. Moses had gone to fetch fire for his family and he returned having been fully designated as God’s prophet.

The Imam then added: “Awaiting for the deliverance to come is the best act for our Shi’a.” [28]

(11) Tradition Narrated by Imam ‘Ali Naqi:

Imam ‘Ali Naqi said: “Following me my son Hasan is the Imam, and following Hasan it will be the Qa’im who will fill the earth with justice and equity.” [29]

(12) Tradition Narrated by Imam Hasan ‘Askari:

Imam Hasan ‘Askari told Musa b. Ja’far Baghdadi:

I see you disputing in the matter of the Imam after me. Be aware that anyone who acknowledges the Imams after the Prophet, but rejects the Imamate of my son is like the one who has accepted the prophethood of all the prophets except the prophethood of Muhammad. The one who denies the latter is like the one who has denied all other prophets. The reason is that obedience to the last Imam is like obedience to the first Imam among us. Hence, whoever rejects the last among us is like the one who has rejected the first Imam. Let it be known to you that the occultation of my son will be so much prolonged that people will fall in doubt except for those whose faith God protects. [30]

Are these Traditions about the Mahdi Authentic?

Engineer Madani: You can follow these traditions only if they are sound and reliable. Do you regard all these traditions about the Mahdi reliable?

Mr. Hoshyar: I do not claim that all the traditions, on the subject of the Mahdi are highly reliable and that all its narrators are trustworthy. However, there are some among these that could be regarded as unquestionably authentic. These traditions, like all other traditions, include authentic, good, reliable, and weak cases. It is not necessary to go through the investigation of each one of them because, as you have noticed, these traditions are so numerous that any fair minded and unprejudiced person can refer to them with confidence. This confidence is based on the underlying theme in all of them that the existence of the Mahdi was among the well known subjects of Islam whose seeds were sown by the Prophet himself and whose detailed information was provided by the Imams. It is possible to maintain with certainty that in Islam there are few other subjects which could muster so many related traditions as can be summoned concerning the existence of the Mahdi.

Let me elaborate. From the beginning of his mission until the Farewell Pilgrimage, the Prophet had mentioned the subject of the Mahdi innumerable times. Following the Prophet, Imam ‘Ali, Fatima Zahra and other prominent members of the Family, had carried on the tradition of reporting about the future coming of the Mahdi. After all they were the carriers of the Prophetic knowledge. After the death of the Prophet in the year 632 CE, Muslims were counting the days for the Mahdi to appear. This led them to recognize the false pretenders who appeared from time to time in history. These traditions were reported by all schools of Islamic thought, such as the Sunnis, the Shi’is, the Ash’ari and Mu’tazili theologians, as related by the Arab, Persian, Meccan and Medinese narrators as well as those from Kufa, Basra, Baghdad, and so on. With all these traditions, which actually number more than a thousand, is it possible for any fair minded person to cast doubt in the matter of the future coming of the Mahdi by claiming that these traditions were fabricated by the extremist Shi’is and ascribed to the Prophet?

*******

It was getting late at night and there was no time to continue the discussion any further. Hence, the decision was made to take up more discussion in the future session to be held at Dr. Fahimi’s residence.

Notes:

Shahrastani, Milal wa nihal, Vol. 1, p. 232; Nawbakhti, Firaq al-shi’a, Najaf edition, p. 27.

Milal, Vol. 1, p. 256; Firaq, p. 62.

Milal, Vol. 1, pp. 273, 278; Firaq, pp. 67, 80, 83.

Muhammad Karim Khurasani, Tanbihat al-jaliyya fi kashf al-asrar al-batiniyya (Najaf, 1351), pp. 40-42.

Milal, Vol. 1, pp. 245, 279.

Mir Khwand, Tarikh-i Rawdat al-safa, Tehran edition, Vol. 4, p. 181.

Milal, Vol. 1, p. 284; Firaq, pp. 96, 97.

Firaq., pp. 47, 97.

Fusul al-muhimma, p. 274.

p. 164.

Dhakha’ir al-‘uqba, p. 206.

Ibid., p. 206. See also al-Sawa’iq al-muharriqa, p. 235.

Yanabi’ al-mawadda, Vol. 1, p. 57.

Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 7, p. 27.

Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 7, p. 34.

Ibid., Vol. 7, p. 28.

Ibid., Vol. 7, p. 242.

Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 7, p. 147.

This number is derived from the hadith collected in Safi Gulpaygani’s Muntakhab al-athar which deals with the subject under consideration here. We shall limit ourselves to only a few examples from this compilation. Readers interested in more of these traditions should consult this important work.

Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 2, p. 552. There are three more traditions here reported from Fatima Zahra.

Ibid., Vol. 2, p. 555. There are four other traditions reported from Imam Hasan.

Ibid., Vol. 2, pp. 333, 399; Majlisi, Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 133. There are thirteen more traditions reported from Imam Husayn.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 135. There are additionally ten traditions reported on the authority of Imam ‘Ali b. al-Husayn.

Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 2, p. 559. Additionally, there are sixty-six traditions related on the authority of al-Baqir.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 143; Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 2, p. 404. There are one hundred and twenty-three additional traditions reported on the authority of al-Sadiq.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 151; Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 6, p. 417.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 52, p. 322; Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 6, p. 420. There are additionally eighteen traditions reported on the authority of Imam ‘Ali al-Rida.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 156; Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 6, p. 419. There are five other traditions reported on the authority of Imam Muhammad Taqi.

Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 6, p. 275. There are additionally five traditions related by Imam ‘Ali Naqi.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 160; Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 6, p. 427. In addition, there are twenty one traditions reported on the authority of Imam Hasan ‘Askari.

Al-Imam al-Mahdi, The Just Leader of Humanity

Chapter 3

Mahdiism, the Jews, and the Iranians

People were slowly assembling at Dr. Fahimi’s residence. After the usual welcome and hospitality, the session began at eight o’clock. This time it was Engineer Madani who opened the discussion.

Engineer Madani: I remember reading a book some time ago in which the author’s thesis was that Mahdiism and the divinely ordained messiah were ideas held by the Jews and pre-Islamic Iranians which spread among the Muslims. Iranians believed that a man named Saoshyant from the descendants of Zoroaster would one day appear and destroy Ahriman, the force of darkness, thereby clearing the earth from corruption. As for the Jews, because they had lost their homeland and had been enslaved by the Chaldeans and Assyrians, one of their prophets had predicted that a messiah would rise, deliver the Jews, and return them to their promised land in the future. Since the origins of the idea of the future savior and deliverer were found amongst the Iranians and the Jews, we may say that this notion came to Muslims through their channels and, hence, cannot be anything more than a legend.

Mr. Hoshyar: I agree that this notion was and is prevalent among other peoples and religious communities. However, its mere prevalence among other communities does not render it a legend! For Islamic notions and rulings to be authentic is it necessary that they ought to be in disagreement with the past religions? Any person wishing to investigate any topic without prejudicial understanding has to begin his research in the primary sources of the particular tradition that deals with the subject in order to assess its validity or lack thereof. It is not proper to begin this investigation in the sources of the traditions that existed before it and then claim that one has discovered the origins of that superstitious belief! Is it possible to say that since the ancient Iranians were believers in Yazdan, the God, and regarded honesty as part of good conduct, that therefore divine worship must be a legend and honesty cannot be part of good morals? Hence, just because other peoples are also awaiting the arrival of a deliverer and a messiah does not disprove the belief among Muslims; nor can it be used as a proof for the belief’s veracity.

The Reasons for the Emergence of Belief in the Mahdiism

Dr. Fahimi: One of the authors has adequately narrated the origins of the idea of the future messianic figure. If I may, I would like to relate it in brief for you.

The audience: Please do!

Dr.Fahimi: I am going to restate it in brief. The original legend about the messianic Imam was adopted by the Shi’is from other religious communities, to which they added their own details until it reached its present form. This was done for two reasons:

First, the belief about the birth and emergence of a divine savior was and remains well established among the Jews. They believed that Elijah had ascended to the heavens and would descend at the End of Time to deliver the Children of Israel.

In the early days of Islam, a group of Jews had converted to Islam both for material reasons and in order to destroy Islam from its very foundation. Some among them attained high positions among the Muslims through treachery and dissimulation. Indeed, their sole purpose was to divide the Muslim community and spread dissension among them. The most outstanding example of this subversive character was ‘Abd Allah b. Saba.

Second, following the death of the Prophet, his family members, especially ‘Ali b. Abi Talib, used to regard themselves as more worthy of the caliphate than other leading Muslims. A small number of the Prophet’s companions were also sympathetic to their claims. However, against their expectations, the caliphate was assumed by others rather than by family. This caused bitterness and distress among them until the time when, following the murder of ‘Uthman, the caliphate reverted to ‘Ali. His supporters were pleased and hoped that the caliphate would not slip out from the hands of the Prophet’s family. Engulfed by the civil wars, however, ‘Ali could not achieve much and finally was killed by Ibn Muljam. His son Hasan, who followed him in his position, did not succeed in bringing order and finally abdicated the caliphate to the Umayyads.

Hasan and Husayn, the two grandsons of the Prophet, remained in their homes while the government passed into the hands of others. The Prophet’s family and its supporters were living a miserable life as the Umayyads and the ‘Abbasids squandered the Muslim treasury. These events led to an increase in the number of those who supported the family and raised their opposition to the corrupt rulers throughout in the empire. However, the rulers, instead of redressing the wrongs committed against the innocent populace, increased the intensity of their atrocities by killing or exiling them. In short, after the Prophet’s death his ahl al-bayt and their supporters suffered oppression. Fatima was denied her right to inherit from the Prophet. ‘Ali’s right to the caliphate was denied until later. Hasan was poisoned. Husayn b. ‘Ali, his family and companions, were killed at Karbala and the survivors of the tragedy were taken prisoner. Muslim b. ‘Aqil and Hani b. ‘Urwa were killed mercilessly after being granted amnesty. Abu Dharr Ghiffari was deported to Rabdha. Hujr b. ‘Adi, ‘Amr b. Humq, Maytham Tammar, Sa’id b. Jubayr, Kumayl b. Ziyad, and hundreds of other supporters of the Prophet’s family were executed. Under orders received from Yazid, the Umayyad, Madina was sacked and hundreds of its residents killed. There are numerous such accounts filling the pages of history. Under these oppressive conditions the lives of the supporters of the ahl al-bayt had become well nigh impossible and they began to look for deliverance. From time to time an ‘Alid would take up arms to fight against the oppressors; yet the insurrection would finally be curbed by government forces who would also kill him. These unfavorable circumstances became the major cause for the minority supporters of the ahl al-bayt to despair and look for any ray of hope for deliverance. Evidently, these conditions prepared them thoroughly to accept the belief in the divinely ordained savior, in Mahdiism.

It was at this time that the newly converted and opportunist Jews took advantage of the situation to spread their belief in the divinely ordained messiah. The Shi`is, having been deeply disappointed and having suffered great loss of life and tyranny under the ruling powers, found the belief to be extremely comforting and accepted it wholeheartedly. Nonetheless, they modified it, saying: “This universal deliverer would definitely be from among the wronged ahl al-bayt.” Gradually, they embellished it and added to its detail until the idea reached its present complexity.[1]

Does it Really Need Explication?

Mr. Hoshyar: The suffering and persecution of the Prophet’s family, the ahl al-bayt and their supporters, as detailed by the book you read, is quite true. However, this detailed analysis of the events that led to such a belief among the Shi’is would have been necessary only if we did not possess knowledge about the origin of the idea in Islam. If you recall, we demonstrated that the Prophet himself spread this belief among Muslims and gave them the information regarding the future restorer. To support this we cited numerous traditions, and not only from the Shi’i sources; we also quoted several traditions from the Sunni collections, the Sihah. After having provided all the necessary evidence I do not believe there is any need for further documentation.

In the earlier part of your exposition you mentioned the prevalence of such a belief among the Jews. This is also true. But your citation of the view that this belief was spread by Jews like ‘Abd Allah b. Saba among Muslims is simply untrue. As stated earlier, no less a person than the Prophet himself was the publicizer of the information about this future restorer of Islam. Nevertheless, it is quite possible that Muslims who were formerly Jews affirmed this belief.

The Legend of ‘Abd Allah b. Saba

Let me also point out that the existence of a Jew by the name of ‘Abd Allah b. Saba is not a proven fact of history. Some scholars believe that the legend was fabricated by those who were hostile to the Shi’is. Moreover, even if it is hypothetically acknowledged that he did exist, attribution of the aforementioned beliefs to him is without evidence or proof. No reasonable person can regard it credible that a newly converted Jew would possess such extraordinary political cunning as to publicly speak about the emergence of the savior of Islam among the ahl al-bayt in the otherwise oppressive conditions which existed under the Umayyads. Moreover, it is improbable that such a person would undertake to organize an insurrection in secret and call people to pay allegiance to an individual among the Prophet’s family to overthrow the caliph, and replace him with the divinely guided Imam, without government officials knowing about it. According to those who hold such an opinion, it would seem that a Jewish convert to Islam could undertake to destroy the Muslim religion without any Muslim raising a finger against him! Such an opinion can exist only in the realm of fantasy! [2]

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

Engineer Madani: Is belief in the promised Mahdi confined to the followers of Islam, or does it exist in other religions too?

Mr. Hoshyar: In fact, this belief is not limited to the Muslims alone. In almost all religions and heavenly creeds one can find a similar belief in the future savior. The followers of these religions believe that there will come a time when the world will become corrupt and engulfed in a crisis. Evil and injustice will become the rule of the day. Disbelief will cover the entire world. At that time, the universal savior of the world will appear. With remarkable divine help he will restore the purity of faith and defeat materialism with the help of divine worship. Not only are the tidings to be found in revealed books like the Zand and Pazand, and Jamaspname of the Zoroastrians, the Torah and other Biblical books of the Jews, and the Gospel of the Christians, such information can also be seen, more or less, among the Brahmins and the Buddhists.

The followers of all religions and traditions maintain such a belief and are awaiting the appearance of such a commanding figure under the divine protection. Each tradition recognizes this figure with a different name and specific title. The Zoroastrians call him Saoshyant (meaning the ‘savior of the world’); the Jews know him as the messiah, whereas the Christians regard him as the Savior Messiah. However, each group believes that this divinely ordained savior will be among them. The Zoroastrians believe he is Persian and among the followers of Zoroaster. The Jews maintain that he will be among the Children of Israel, and the follower of Moses. The Christians think he will be one among them. Muslims believe that he will be among the Hashimites and among the direct descendants of the Prophet. In Islam he has been fully introduced, whereas in other religions this is not so.

It is remarkable that all the characteristics and signs mentioned for this universal savior in other religions are applicable to the promised Mahdi, the son of Imam Hasan ‘Askari. It is possible to regard him as Iranian in race because among his ancestors is the mother of the fourth Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin who, as the daughter of Yazdgard, the Sassanian king, was a Persian princess. He can also be considered among the Children of Israel, since both the Hashimites and the Israelites are among the descendants of Abraham. The Hashimites are the descendants of Isma’il (Ishmael) and the Israelites are the descendants of Ishaq (Isaac). Hence, the Hashimites and the Israelites are one family. He is also connected to Christians because, according to some traditions, the mother of the present Imam was a Byzantine princess by the name of Narjis (Nargis), who is part of the miraculous story reported in some sources.

It is not appropriate to confine the deliverer of the world, the Mahdi, to one particular nation. He will actually come to fight against all discriminatory claims of racial, creedal and national distinction. Consequently, he should be regarded as the Mahdi of the whole of humanity. He is the savior and deliverer of the people who worship God. His victory is the victory of all the prophets and all the righteous ones on earth. He will be restoring the religion of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and all of the heavenly revelations, namely, Islam; he will revive the pure religion of Moses and Jesus which had foretold the prophethood of Muhammad.

Let us be clear that we have no intention of proving the existence of the promised Mahdi by referring to the ancient books, nor are we in need of doing so. Our intention is to demonstrate that the belief in the appearance of the unique savior of the world is a common religious belief, stemming from divine revelation, of which all prophets gave glad tidings. All nations are awaiting his emergence, but they have made errors in identifying him.

The Qur’an and Mahdiism

Dr. Fahimi: If the tradition of the Mahdi was authentic, then there would have been some mention of it in the Qur’an. On the contrary, even the word mahdi does not appear in that heavenly book!

Mr. Hoshyar: First, it is not necessary that each and every true subject should be mentioned in all its specific details in the Qur’an. In fact, there are so many particular details that are true and authentic and yet have not been mentioned in the heavenly book. Second, there are a number of verses in that holy book which, however brief, give tidings about the day when the devout worshippers of God and those who support the true religion and those who are worthy of that blessing will rule the earth in its entirety; and the religion of God, Islam, will become the dominant faith over all other religions. Thus, for instance, in the Sura Anbiya’ God says:

For We have written in the Psalms, after the Remembrance, ‘The earth shall be the inheritance of My righteous servants.’ (21:105)

In the Sura Nur God promises:

God has promised those of you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely make you successors in the land, even as He made those who were before them successors, and that He will surely establish their religion for them that He has approved for them, and will give them in exchange, after their fear, security: ‘They shall serve Me, not associating with Me anything.’ (24:55)

In the Sura Qasas God says:

Yet We desired to be gracious to those that were abased in the land, and to make them leaders, and to make them the inheritors. (28:4)

In the Sura Saff God says:

It is He who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth, that He may uplift it above every religion, though the unbelievers be averse. (61:9)

From all these verses it can be briefly surmised that the world can look forward to the day when its power and administration will be given into the hands of the believers and those worthy of the divine trust to become leaders and lead humanity and its civilization to its perfection. At that time, Islam will become the dominant religion, and monotheism will replace polytheism. That brilliant period will be marked by the revolution of the divinely designated reformer and savior of humanity, the promised Mahdi. More importantly, that universal revolution will be launched by the deserving Muslims.

The General Prophethood and the Imamate

Dr. Fahimi: I don’t know why you Shi’a insist that you should prove the existence of the Imam. You are so unrelenting in your belief that if the Imam does not exist physically, you say he is in concealment. Since the Prophets have already delivered the injunctions from God, why would there be a need for the existence of an Imam?

Mr. Hoshyar: All those proofs that are advanced to prove the necessity of the general prophethood and require God to communicate His injunctions to humankind, also necessitate that an Imam should exist as a proof for the existence of those injunctions and their protection. In order to elaborate on what we have said, it is necessary, however briefly, to present first the proofs that require the existence of the general prophethood and then proceed to prove the existence of the Imam.

If you keep in mind the preliminaries that have been already established and which we will briefly touch upon here, the matter concerning the necessity of the general prophethood will become clear to you.

(1) A human being has been created in such a way that he cannot run his affairs on his own. He needs the assistance and cooperation of others. In other words, he is created civil and social by nature. Hence, he must act within a society. It is obvious that self-interest and survival are the cause of conflict in a social life. Each person in the society is engaged in exerting all his endeavor to benefit from limited material resources. In reaching this goal he has to overcome numerous obstacles and compete with other individuals who are equally engaged in attaining the same goal. Under those circumstances individuals become obstacles to each other’s goals and, hence, end up stepping upon each other’s rights. It is at this point that law is needed to regulate social relations so that people’s rights should be protected from being infringed upon, and conflicts should be resolved without creating chaos and lawlessness. It is possible to surmise that laws are a precious treasure that have been discovered by human beings. Furthermore, it is probable that from the early days of organizing their society human beings have had access to laws and have always respected them for their own good.

(2) A human being has been innately endowed with the capacity to perfect himself and attain prosperity. In his ongoing struggle, a human being has no other purpose than to become truly perfect. All his endeavors are geared towards attaining that lofty goal of perfection.

(3) Since a human being is on his way to perfection, attention to the true meaning of perfection has been made part of his natural disposition. Hence, it should be possible for him to attain it, because God does not create anything in futility.

(4) The point that a human being is made of body and spirit is well established. He is material through his body; whereas his spirit, although intimately connected with his body is regarded as belonging to the world of incorporeal beings.

(5) Since human being is made of two elements, namely, body and spirit, he is bound to have two kinds of life: this worldly life, related to his body; and the spiritual and contemplative life, related to his soul. Consequently, in relation to each one of them he will have a life of prosperity and damnation.

(6) Just as between body and spirit there is connection and relationship, with ensuing unity, so is there a perfect connection and relationship between the material and spiritual life. In other words, the quality of life in this world has a direct impact upon the spiritual life. Likewise, the psychic conditions and other spiritual characteristics have an impact upon the way human acts surface.

(7) A human being is on the way to perfection and is attentive to the requirements of innate and natural perfection. Moreover, God has not created life without a purpose. It is incumbent upon God to provide the means to attain the goal and to acquire the perfection intended for humanity so that it is able to distinguish and pursue the path that leads to the attainment of prosperity and avoid that which leads to sinful deviation.

(8) By nature a human being is self-centered and pursues his own interests. He is not interested in any other thing than serving his own good and interests. In fact, he endeavors to exploit fellow human beings and take advantage of their endeavors to serve his ends.

(9) Although a human being is engrossed in pursuing his own real perfection and is engaged in an intense search of that truth which he believes would lead him to its acquisition, more than often he fails to reach that goal. The reason is that his own egocentric desires and internal emotions overcome his ability to distinguish the straight path. These traits actually obscure the ability of practical reason to lead humans to that desired perfection, and instead mislead one toward the path of damnation and self-destruction.

What System Can Make Human Beings Prosperous?

Since human beings must live in a society, and since obstacles to preserving one’s interest and the exploitation of fellow humans are a necessary part of social life, there is a need for law to control such self-serving interest that could lead to chaos among the people. Such a law can create order in the society only when the following conditions are fulfilled:

(1) Such law has to be comprehensive and effective to cover and administer all spheres of individual as well as collective human activity. It should provide for all the human exigencies without neglecting any aspect of social life. Such a legal system should promulgate laws that would be in conformity with the natural and actual needs of individuals, reflecting both the internal reality as well as external conditions of human beings.

(2) Such law should lead to the real prosperity of human beings and not merely their imaginary and speculative perfection.

(3) Such law should be attentive to the well being of the entirety of humanity, not just a particular group of people or specific individual.

(4) Such law should lay the foundation of a society based on human virtues and the perfection of humanity. It should lead it to the attainment of that lofty goal by putting a high value on earthly life as a means of procuring those virtues and that human perfection, and not as independent of it.

(5) Such law should possess the efficiency to protect the people from manipulation and chaos, and guarantee the rights of all individuals without discrimination.

(6) In its promulgation, this law should be alert to the spiritual needs of the people in such a way that none of its laws should be a cause of harm to the meaningful existence of the people. Nor should it lead to the deviation from the path of perfection.

(7) Such law should protect the society from turning away from the right path of humanitarian existence and from choosing the path of destruction.

(8) The lawgiver of such a system should be well informed about all the crooked and scrupulous aspects of human encounters and should be knowledgeable about all the judgements given at different times and places.

Undoubtedly, a human being is in need of this kind of law and it is regarded as the necessity of his life. Without such a system in place human life will be in danger. In light of this indispensable need, it is relevant to raise the question of whether human-made law is capable of administering human society justly.

We believe that human-legislated law, influenced by short-sighted human intelligence, is imperfect and does not possess the ability to administer human society with justice. Some examples would clarify this statement:

(1) Human knowledge and information is both limited and deficient. The average human being is unaware of all human needs and the laws of nature. He also does not possess sufficient knowledge about good and evil and all aspects of competing interests among various laws and their impact upon the formulation of final judgements in different places and times.

(2) If it is hypothetically admitted that it is possible for human legislators to promulgate such laws, it is undoubtedly impossible to concede that these legislators are aware of the ways in which the worldly and the spiritual life interact with each other to produce actions that suggest their deep roots in human nature. And, even if they are in possession of such an awareness, it is very negligible. Evidently, taking care of that spiritual life is beyond their legislative program. Hence, human prosperity is viewed only from a material perspective. On the contrary, these two aspects of human existence are intimately related, and their division is inconceivable.

(3) Since human beings are self-centered, manipulation and exploitation of a fellow human is part of his nature. Every person gives preference to his own interests above the good of others. Hence, conflict resolution and the prevention of exploitation are beyond his competence. The reason is that the self-serving goals of the human legislators will never allow them to disregard their own and their supporters’ interests and work towards the common good of humanity.

(4) Human legislators always promulgate laws shortsightedly. Moreover, they are influenced by their prejudices, habits and defective thought. Consequently, the laws are enacted to protect the interests of the few, without due attention to the benefit and harm that could accrue to others. In these laws the general welfare of humanity has not been the source of legislation.

Indeed, it is only the divinely ordained legal system that is in conformity with the laws of nature and has been promulgated with the purpose of advancing human prosperity in this and the next world. Hence, it is free from every selfish human motive. It is, certainly, enacted to further universal human prosperity. Thus, it is clear that humanity needs the divinely ordained law and God’s benevolence makes it necessary that He provide a complete and perfect system through His messengers.

The Other-worldly Prosperity

Even as a human being is constantly occupied with the mundane aspects of life, there is some mysterious life rooted in the depth of his own self to which he hardly pays attention, and he appears to have almost forgotten about it. He is bound to reap prosperity or adversity in relation to this neglected self too. In other words, good thoughts and true beliefs, virtuous conduct and praiseworthy actions that stem from the prosperous self would lead to spiritual perfection and ascendancy as well as to success and excellence, just as erroneous beliefs, immoral behavior and blameworthy conduct, which stem from the perverted self, lead to the impairment, destitution and deviation of the self. Hence, if a person places himself on the path of perfection, he will permit his essential and real self to be nurtured and refined so as to ascend and revert to its original abode, which is all light and bliss. On the contrary, if he sacrifices all the means to attain the perfection of the self by surrendering to the animal appetites, then he will transform himself into a violent, lustful animal, having completely deviated from the straight path.

Consequently, a human being is in need of a carefully structured program for the progression of his inner self without which he cannot expect to travel this hazardous and highly intricate path. By allowing his animal appetites to overcome spiritual and moral perfection, he actually surrenders the ability of his intuitive reasoning to reach sound judgements. As a result he falls into the darkness of misguidance, destroying his power to carry out the requirements of a virtuous life, judging good to be evil and evil to be good. Indeed, it is only God, the Creator of human beings, who knows the source of human prosperity, the good and the evil, who can provide the right guidance and complete program to attain true perfection and happiness, and to avoid those things that cause destitution and adversity. In sum, a human being needs the Lord Creator also in attaining his prosperity in the Hereafter.

Thus, it is possible to conclude that the Wise God has not exposed humankind, which is potentially capable of realizing prosperity as well as disaster only to the deviating powers of the self. Nor has He abandoned humankind to the forces of ignorance and confusion. Rather, He has endowed humanity with abounding benevolence and kindness by guiding it through the prophets who are selected from among humans. These prophets have been sent with ordinances and laws to direct the lives of the people toward this and other-worldly prosperity and to warn against the tribulations caused by ignoring this guidance. By doing so God has removed all the possible excuses human beings could make for having failed to reach the appointed goal of prosperity.

The Path of Perfection

The path of human perfection leading it to God is embedded in sound belief, righteous action and virtuous conduct. The information about this path was revealed to the Prophets so that they could undertake to call people towards it. It is important to emphasize that this path is not merely a formal path that has no connection in form or essence to the divine goals. Quite to the contrary, it is the path that is real and true, which has its source in the divine lordship. Any one situated in its course can ascend to the highest levels of the limitless universe and paradisaical heavens by going through the inner perfection of the self.

In other words, true religion is such a straight path that whoever situates himself in its course, perfects hisHher essential self and his humanity through the straight, benevolent path and returns to the prosperous abode and the source of all perfection. And anyone who deviates from this straight path has to go through the inhuman path of demonic existence, without any virtues and good conduct to support themselves. Such individuals actually become incapable of treading the precise path of benevolent existence. Indeed, such an individual cannot expect anything better than being damned to perdition and hell fire.

The Infallibility of the Prophets

The Divine Benevolence makes it necessary that the prophets be sent as the guides to teach the people religious ordinances and laws so as to lead them to their prosperity in this and the next world. This goal can be accomplished only if the prophets are protected from committing any errors in delivering the divine message to humanity. Otherwise, human beings could make an excuse for not having received authentic directives from God. In other words, a prophet should be immune from any kind of error and forgetfulness in conveying the divine revelation to the people. This is known as `isma (‘protection’ or ‘immunity’ = ‘infallibility’). Moreover, a prophet himself should be an exemplary person, having followed all the divine injunctions in his personal life. It is only then that he can call upon people to follow the divine guidance, demonstrating its validity through his own character and conduct. In this way the people can follow him confidently toward their own true perfection. In addition, it is a rationally derived proposition that no person can expect others to carry out moral and religious directives when he himself does not follow the same. A call to the divine path must be exemplified by the prophet.

It is obvious that our own knowledge and perceptions are not free of error, because they are conditioned by the way our sensory perceptions receive them. No one can deny the numerous times when our senses have made errors in perception. However, when that knowledge and those ordinances come in the form of divine guidance from God, delivered through the revelation to the prophets, these are immune from such dangers. In fact, revelation is not the kind of knowledge that is derived from sensory perceptions. Otherwise, it too would have been prone to same dangers as human perceptions are, depriving people of the confidence that is necessary in religious ordinances. Religious truth and knowledge about hidden matters is given to the prophets through revelation which descends upon their heart and their inner self. This very truth is experienced by these prophets in their earthly existence, which they convey to the people in accord with their capacity to understand and to follow it. Hence, the religious truth given to the prophets and delivered to the people by them remains immune from any falsehood or error.

It is for this reason that the prophets are protected from disobedience and error of judgement, and are empowered to act upon their knowledge. How can it be otherwise? A person who has attained that level of truth through experience and direct observation cannot be expected to act contrary to that truth. Moreover, after attaining such a level of perfection he cannot be expected to forfeit that blessing by falling into sinful deviation.

Rational Proof in Support of the Imamate

After having demonstrated the necessity for general prophethood to guide humanity to its this- and next-worldly goals, it is accurate to hold that the same proof can be utilized to establish the fact that, whenever the prophet dies, there must exist in his place someone who can lead the community to those ends. This person should be someone who can continue the work of the prophet in providing the divine ordinances and reach out to the people in their search for the religious and spiritual path. God’s purposes cannot be fulfilled without such a person existing among the people to promulgate those laws without errors of omission or commission. Thus, in the absence of the prophet, God’s benevolence makes it necessary that there should be someone among the people to make sure that divine revelation is protected from human interference and interpolations, and that divine laws are made accessible to the people at all times.

This outstanding person must also, like the prophet, be immune and protected from committing any error and mistakes in receiving, recording and delivering the divine ordinances to establish the proof that God’s guidance for the people is intact. Moreover, he should be fully knowledgeable about the truth of the religious ordinances and should himself act upon those ordinances so that others can bring their own acts and opinions into conformity with his and follow his example in their search for truth, without falling into doubt and confusion and without resorting to excuses for not having found the proof of religious truth. Since the Imam must also be protected from committing any error in carrying out this great responsibility, it must be pointed out that the Imam’s knowledge is other than that acquired through sense perception. Hence, his knowledge is different from the knowledge of an ordinary person. Through the Prophet’s own guidance the Imam possesses clear insights into religious knowledge. Moreover, he is endowed with direct experience of the truth through his inner eyes. It is because of this that he is protected from any error or forgetfulness, and so acts in accord with this experience and direct observation of religious truth. More importantly, it is this attribute that qualifies him to assume the Imamate of the Muslim community.

In other words, there must exist among the people a perfect individual, one possessing absolute faith in God’s revelation and exemplifying the best character and personal qualities in order to lead people in the minutest details of God’s ordinances. At all these levels he must be protected from error, forgetfulness, and acts of disobedience. He must be ma’süm. It is the coming together of faith and action, knowledge and practice, that makes him the personification of all the possible human potentials of perfection. The realization of these potentials indisputably annoints him the leader of humanity. If humanity, at any point, is deprived of this leadership, the situation could lead to the disappearance of the divine ordinances which were proclaimed for the betterment of humankind. Moreover, it could lead to the discontinuation of divine help and could sever the connection between the divine and human realms.

In other words, there should always be a person among the people who is endowed with special guidance from God and is protected through God’s benevolence in order for him to provide the necessary guidance and lead the people to their perfection in accord with their divinely endowed potentials. Moreover, through his knowledge and in any way possible, he should aid them in their journey towards their Creator. It is the existence of the sacred presence of the Imam as the Proof of God and as a perfect example of religious life that can make the divine presence known and divine worship possible in a society. Without the Imam’s existence God cannot be known or worshipped perfectly. The inner self of the Imam is the receptacle for God’s knowledge and divine secrets. It is like a mirror that reflects the realities of the material world, and people derive benefit from these reflections.

Dr. Jalali: Surely, the protection of religious ordinances and laws is not confined to one person who should know it and practice it all. Rather, if all religious ordinances and laws are distributed among the people and if each group learns and puts into practice part of these ordinances, all of them can be protected both from the perspectives of knowledge about and practice of them.

Mr. Hoshyar: Your hypothesis is refutable from two angles:

First, in our previous discussion we have pointed out that there should always be one outstanding person among the people who should be an embodiment of all the possible benevolent qualities and a personification of the religious existence in all its meanings. Moreover, he should be free from any need of acquiring the necessary sciences and education from any other being than God. If such a person is absent among the people, then humanity will be deprived of God’s proof and knowledge about God’s purposes. To be sure, when any species is left without a purpose its destruction is certain. According to your hypothesis, such a perfect person does not exist because each one of these persons, even when he knows and acts upon a number of those ordinances, is not on that straight path of religion and actually has deviated from it. The reason is that religious ordinances are inevitably too interrelated and profoundly interconnected as a whole for them to be taken in part.

Second, as pointed out earlier, since God’s ordinances and laws are sent for the guidance of humanity, they should remain not only constant but should also be safeguarded. All ways to their change, distortion or destruction should remain firmly closed, and they should remain safe from all dangers. This goal can be fulfilled only when the person in charge of it is protected from error and immune from forgetfulness and disobedience. There is nothing in your hypothesis that guarantees this because the problem of error of judgement and forgetfulness is a possibility for each one of the people. Consequently, the divine ordinances and laws are not immune from any change or alteration and neither so the proof of God’s immutable guidance nor the elimination of people’s excuse is procurable.

Textual Proof for the Necessity of the Imamate

Mr. Hoshyar: All that we have said is further attested in the traditions reported on the authority of the ahl al-bayt. If you are interested in an investigation of them you might refer to the books on hadith. Here we will cite some of these for your benefit:

One of the companions of Imam Sadiq by the name of Abu Hamza says: I asked the Imam, “Can the earth survive without the presence of the Imam?” He said, “If the earth is devoid of the Imam it will be destroyed.”[4]

Al-Washsha’, a close associate of Imam Rida says: I asked the Imam, “Can the earth be without an Imam?” He said, “No.” I told him that it has been related to us that the earth cannot be without an Imam, except when God is angry with the people. On that he said, “Nevertheless, the earth cannot be void of the Imam, otherwise it will be destroyed.”[5]

Ibn al-Tayyar reports that he heard from Imam Sadiq that if there remained two persons on earth one of them would be the Proof of God. In another tradition Imam Baqir is reported to have declared: “By God, from the time God caused Adam to die until this day, God has not left this earth without an Imam through whom His guidance becomes available to the people. It is this Imam who is the Proof of God for the people. As long as there is a need for God’s proof the earth will not be without an Imam.”[6]

In another tradition Imam Sadiq is reported to have said: “God has created us in the best form and has appointed us as the caretaker of all the divine knowledge. The tree spoke to us, and through our worship God is being worshipped.” The Imam also said: “The vicegerents [of the Prophet] are the gates of divine knowledge. Hence, one should enter religion through them. Without them God cannot be known. It is through the existence of these vicegerents that God will present His argument against His servants.”[7]

Abu Khalid, a close associate of Imam Baqir asked the interpretation of the verse that says: “Believe in God, His messenger, and the light which We have revealed.” The Imam said:

O Abu Khalid, by ‘the light’ is meant the Imams. O Abu Khalid, the light of the Imam in the heart of the believer is more brilliant than the sunlight. They are the ones who enlighten the hearts of the believers. God denies and conceals this light from whomever He wishes, as a result of which the heart of that person turns dark and becomes veiled.[8]

According to another tradition, Imam Rida said:

When God wills to appoint someone to look after the affairs of humanity, He expands his chest and makes his heart the source of realities and wisdom. He continuously endows him with His knowledge so that after receiving it he would not be incapable of answering any question. Moreover, in explaining the realities and providing the right guidance he would not fall into any error or falsehood. He is free from any corruption and error, he is ma’süm. He remains all the time the recipient of God’s support and assistance, and is protected from sinful deviation. God appoints him to this prominent position so that he becomes the Proof of God’s existence on earth. This is God’s special favor, which He gives to whomever He pleases. Indeed, God’s bounty is extensive.[9]

In yet another tradition the Prophet declared: “Stars are the security for the dwellers of the heavens. If they get destroyed so will the dwellers of the heavens. My family members are the security for the dwellers of the earth. Hence, if they do not exist, the dwellers of the earth will also be destroyed.”[10]

In one of his orations Imam ‘Ali said:

The earth will not be void of the Qa’im who will stand by the command of God and will provide the proof of God’s existence for humanity. Sometimes that proof is manifest and well attested, and at other times it is in fear and hidden. This is to ensure that God’s proofs are not terminated. These proofs are few and their whereabouts is not known. I solemnly declare that although they are few their status is extremely elevated. Through them God protects His proof and evidence until that time when they can implant those proofs in those who are like them and cultivate them in their hearts.

The knowledge [given by God] has led them to the true insight and they have attained the spirit of certainty through it. That which baffles the lovers of wealth and makes it inconceivable for them appears easy and readily accessible to these proofs of God. That which frightens the ignorant, the proofs of God are intimate with it. Their connection to this material world is because of their physical body whose spirits are connected with the highly exalted places. They are God’s caliphs and His callers to faith on earth.[11]

In another sermon Imam ‘Ali b. Abi Talib has described the excellences of the ahl al-bayt, saying:

The elegances of the Qur’an are about them and they are the treasures of God. When they speak they speak the truth, but when they keep quiet no one can speak unless they speak.

They are the pillars of Islam and the sanctuary of [its] protection. With them truth has returned to its proper position and falsehood has retreated and its tongue is severed from its root. They have understood the religion attentively and carefully, not by mere heresy or from narrators, because narrators of knowledge are many but those who understand it are few.[13]

In short, on the basis of rational and textual evidence one can surmise that as long as human beings live on the earth, there must exist a perfect and divinely protected person among them who could personify all the perfect qualities that the human being can possibly attain. Moreover, such an individual must be responsible, both theoretically and practically, to guide humanity. This person is the Imam, the leader of humankind. Having himself ascended on this sacred path of human perfection he takes it upon himself to call others onto those stages and stations. Hence, he becomes the mediator between the hidden world of the spirit and the human world. The bounties of the hidden world descend upon him first, and through him reach other human beings. It is obvious that the non-existence of such a person among people would inevitably lead to the absence of any goal for humankind. Such an absence would necessarily lead to the perdition of human society. In the final analysis, regardless of any other proof, this rational and textual evidence confirms that there is no period in history, including our own age, without an Imam. Since there is no manifest Imam at this time, we can say that the Imam is in occultation and lives a concealed life.

*******

It was quite late in the night. Everyone was tired and it was decided that the discussion would continue at some other time in the near future.

Notes:

See the thesis presented in the book al-Mahdiyya fi al-islam, pp. 48-68.

For further details on the conditions that existed under these caliphal authorities, see: ‘Ali al-Wardi, Naqsh-i vu’aaz dar islam, which is the translation of the work from Arabic by Khaliliyan, pp. 111-137. The legend about ‘Abd Allah b. Saba has been critically analyzed by Sayyid Murtada ‘Askari in his monumental study entitled ‘Abd Allah b. Saba; and by Taha Husayn, ‘Ali va farzandanash, which is the translation of his book in Arabic by Khalili, pp. 139-143.

The author simply says: Mahdi in Other Religions. He thus uses the term mahdi as a generic term for any messianic leader whose emergence or return, as the case might be, is awaited by the followers of other religions. Tr.

Kulayni, Usul al-kafi, Vol. 1/334.

Ibid., p. 333, 335.

Ibid., p. 368-69.

Ibid., p. 372.

Ibid., 1/390.

Suyuti, Tadhkirat al-khawass, p. 182

Nahj al-balagha, Sermon No. 147, Vol. 3.

Ibid., Sermon No. 154.

Ibid., Sermon No. 235.

The Unseen World and the Imam of the Age  The following session was convened at Dr. Jalali’s residence. He was the first person to open the discussion.

Dr. Jalali: A small number of Muslims believe that the Imam of the Age is the son of Imam Hasan ‘Askari who was born in the year 256 AH/843 CE. However, they say that he has ascended from this world to the unseen world known as Hurqalya.[1] When humankind reaches maturity and abandons the strife-ridden life of this world, preparing itself to meet and behold the Imam of the Age, it will be able to see him.

One of the leading authorities has written thus in his book:

This [unseen] world had gravitated until it merged with the earth. In the time of Adam he was told: ‘Ascend!’ And, until now he is ascending. He has not set himself free from the worldly attachments and the filth that sticks with them. He has not reached the clean atmosphere yet. Thus, here it is all darkness. In darkness a human being is searching for a religion and is performing deeds. He has a set of beliefs. When he frees himself from the dust of the traditions and enters the clean space, he will see the brilliant face of the friend of God [= wali = the twelfth Imam] and benefit from his presence without any obstruction, in public. At that time ordinances of religion will become something else, and religion will attain its original form and everything will be different.

Hence, we should ascend to that world where this friend of God is manifest and not wait for him to come to us. If he comes to us and finds us unfit we cannot benefit from him. Moreover, if he comes to us and we are still in the same state [of ungodly existence], we will not be able to see him. This is also against common sense. On the other hand, if our state changes for better and improves, then we have certainly moved upward in station. Hence we must realize that we should ascend so that we can reach that world. The name of that world in the language of theosophy is Hurqalya. Thus, as the world ascends to that high level it reaches the station of Hurqalya. In that place the Imam’s domain is realized. Truth is spread and falsehood is defeated.[2]

Mr. Hoshyar: The author’s intent in this writing is not clear. If he intends to convey that the Imam of the Age (peace be upon him) has relinquished his earthly existence and physical body to ascend to that ideal world, as a result of which he is no more a person existing on this earth needing an earthly form and bound to earthly necessities, this view, besides being in itself irrational, does not conform with the rational and textual proofs that prove the necessity of the Imamate. To be sure, these proofs point to the fact that there should exist among people that perfect man in whom all the excellent qualities and virtues should become actualized. Such a person, having attained the straight path of the religion himself, should undertake to show that path and lead the people toward it. It is only then that the Imam could serve as a role model and preserve God’s ordinances and serve as a competent authority and proof for God’s existence. The twelfth Imam is such a person. To put it differently, the need of the guide and leader is felt where people are moving towards that lofty goal, seeking to be instructed to attain that perfection.

However, if the intent of the author regarding Hurqalya is to fix a point in this material world, then we have no disagreement with him in what he believes. But, this more reasonable latter sense does not seem to be congruent with the apparent meaning of his writing. Over all it seems to be an untenable opinion.

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

Dr. Fahimi: We can accept this much from what you have said so far, namely, the existence of the Mahdi is among the indisputable religious truths of Islam, about which the Prophet himself had given the information. However, what does it matter if we say that the promised Mahdi is not born yet? Whenever the conditions of the world become favorable God will appoint one of the descendants of the Prophet who will establish the rule of justice and will create conditions for God’s sincere worship by destroying the forces of injustice and undertaking to fight against the wrongdoers until victory is gained.

Mr. Hoshyar: To respond to your question, let me begin by pointing out that we have proven by means of all the rational and traditional proofs that no period of human existence is without an Imam, because the absence of the Imam would lead to the decline of humankind. Hence, our age is also not without the Imam.

Moreover, we have established the existence of the Mahdi conclusively by means of the hadith-reports from the Prophet and his family. Consequently, we should also obtain a description of his person and character from the same sources. Fortunately, all the characteristics and signs of his existence are covered in numerous reports, leaving no ambiguity or imprecision on that score. However, if we were to read all these reports it would require several sessions, for which I do not believe that you, with your already busy schedule, would have time. Accordingly, I will provide you with a list of these reports and you are free to undertake a further detailed examination to satisfy your interest.

Descriptions Identifying the Mahdi

The contemporary Scholar, Safi Golpaygani, has collected all these traditions in his book: Muntakhab al-athar, citing their Sunni and Shi’i sources. Following is the list of the subject and the number of traditions on that subject:

91 hadith on: “The Imams are twelve in number, among whom the first is ‘Ali b. Abi Talib and the last is the Mahdi.”

94 hadith on: “The Imams are twelve, and the last one is the Mahdi.”

107 hadith on: “The Imams are twelve, nine among whom are the descendants of Husayn, and the ninth is the Qa’im.”

389 hadith on: “Mahdi is from among the progeny of the Prophet.”

214 hadith on: “Mahdi is from among the descendants of ‘Ali.”

192 hadith on: “Mahdi is from among the descendants of Fatima.”

185 hadith on: “Mahdi is from among the descendants of Husayn.”

148 hadith on: “Mahdi is the nineth descendant of Husayn.”

185 hadith on: “Mahdi is among the descendants of ‘Ali b. al-Husayn.”

103 hadith on: “Mahdi is among the descendants of Imam Muhammad Baqir.”

103 hadith on: “Mahdi is among the descendants of Imam Ja’far Sadiq.”

99 hadith on: “Mahdi is the sixth descendant of Imam Sadiq.”

101 hadith on: “Mahdi is among the descendants of Imam Musa al-Kazim.”

98 hadith on: “Mahdi is the fifth descendant of Imam Kazim.”

95 hadith on: “Mahdi is the fourth descendant of Imam ‘Ali Rida.”

90 hadith on: “Mahdi is the third descendant of Imam Muhammad Taqi.”

90 hadith on: “Mahdi is among the descendants of Imam ‘Ali al-Hadi.”

145 hadith on: “Mahdi is Imam Hasan ‘Askari’s son.”

148 hadith on: “The name of Mahdi’s father is Hasan.”

47 hadith on: “The name and patronymic of the Mahdi will be that of the Prophet’s name and patronymic.”[3]

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) declared:

The Promised Mahdi is among my descendants. His name and patronymic will be the same as mine. In creation and conduct he will be the closest to me. He will live a life of occultation during which people will become confused and lost. At that time, like a brilliant star he will appear and fill the earth with justice and equity, as it is filled with injustice and tyranny.[4]

As you can see from these hadith-reports, the Mahdi has been so clearly identified that there remains no doubt as to his identity. At this juncture, it seems appropriate to remind ourselves that on the basis of some of the prophetic traditions and historical reports one can surmise that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) had forbidden the combination of his name and patronymic in one person. Hence, this has been a rare occurrence in history.

In a hadith reported by Abu Hurayra the Prophet said: “Do not combine my name and my patronymic (kunya) in one person.”[5] It was because of this prohibition that when ‘Ali b. Abi Talib chose the Prophet’s name and patronymic for his son Muhammad b. Hanafiyya, the Prophet’s companions objected to it. ‘Ali b. Abi Talib in response to this objection said: “I have a special permission from the Prophet in this matter.” A number of the companions confirmed ‘Ali’s statement.

If the content of this report is connected with the hadith-reports which relate that the Mahdi will have the Prophet’s name and patronymic, then it becomes apparent that the Prophet wanted this combining of his name and patronymic to be part of the signs of the future Mahdi from which others were excluded. It was because of this coming together of the Prophet’s name and patronymic in the case of Muhammad b. Hanafiyya that the latter referred to this fact as a sign of his own Mahdiism saying: “Yes, I am the Mahdi. My name is the Prophet’s name; and my patronymic is his patronymic.”[6]

Mahdi Is Among the Descendants of Husayn b. ‘Ali

Dr. Fahimi: Our scholars accept that the Mahdi will be from among the descendants of Husayn. They refer to the following hadith reported in Sunan of Abi Dawud:

Abu Ishaq relates: “‘Ali, while looking at his son Hasan, said, ‘This son of mine is the master (sayyid) as declared by the Prophet. Among his progeny will appear a man whose name will be that of the Prophet. He will resemble the Prophet in his demeanor; but he will not resemble him in appearance.'”[7]

Mr. Hoshyar: First, let me point out that in all likelihood, there might have occurred an error in the writing or printing of the hadith. And instead of ‘Husayn’ it might have recorded ‘Hasan’. The reason is that the same hadith has been related in other collections where instead of ‘Hasan’ it is ‘Husayn’ to whom the comment is made by ‘Ali b. Abi Talib.[8]

Second, there are far too many hadith-reports in the Sunni and Shi’i collections that regard the Mahdi to be from among the descendants of Husayn. As such, this tradition has no validity. Let us examine some examples from the Sunni compilations on this subject:

Hudhayfa relates the following hadith from the Prophet:

The Prophet said: “If there remains no more than a day for the world, God will prolong it until a man from my progeny, whose name will be my name, will emerge.” Salman asked: “From which of your progeny will he emerge?” The Prophet replied: “From this son of mine.” And, he struck Husayn with his hand.[9]

In another tradition Abu Sa’id Khudari relates that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) told Fatima:

“The Mahdi of this community behind whom Jesus will pray is among us.” Then he struck Husayn’s shoulder with his hand and declared: “The Mahdi of my community will be from the descendants of this son of mine.” [10]

Once Salman al-Farisi came to see the Prophet when the latter had Husayn in his lap. The Prophet was kissing Husayn’s face and mouth and was saying:

You are the master and the son and brother of the master. You are the Imam, son and brother of the Imam. Your are the proof and son and brother of the proof of God’s existence. You are the father of nine proofs of God, the nineth among whom will be the Qa’im.[11]

According to these hadith-reports, the Mahdi is among the descendants of Husayn. Hence, one should abandon those reports that say that the Mahdi will be among the descendants of Hasan. Moreover, even if one accepts these latter traditions as being authentic, it can be asserted that both kinds of traditions point to the fact that Mahdi is certainly the descendant of both Hasan and Husayn, in the sense that Imam Muhammad Baqir’s mother was the daughter of Imam Hasan. The following hadith points to the logical connection between the two kinds of traditions about the Mahdi being from the descendants of Hasan and Husayn:

The Prophet told Fatima: The two grandsons of this community are among us. These are Hasan and Husayn who are the masters of the youths of Paradise. By God, their father is more excellent than they. I solemnly declare in the name of the One who has sent me as a prophet that the Mahdi of this community will emerge from among these two sons of yours at the time when chaos will rule.[12]

What If the Mahdi WasWell-known?

Dr. Jalali: If the promised Mahdi had been a prominent and well-known personality and if his highly publicized merits and characteristics had reached the ears of the Muslims and the companions of the rightful Imams in the early days of Islam, the road to manipulation and fallacies would have necessarily been closed, and the associates of the Imams and the scholars would not have fallen into an error. On the contrary, one finds that even some of the descendants of the Imams did not have proper information about the subject of the Mahdi. How, then, did so many individuals claiming to be the Mahdi appear in the early days, introducing themselves as the promised Mahdi of Islam and misleading the people with their false claim? If the Muslims knew the Mahdi by name, and the name of his father and mother, and his patronymic, and that he was the twelfth Imam, and all other details about his age and other characteristics, how did then a group fall into error and regard Muhammad b. Hanafiyya, Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah b. Hasan, Ja’far Sadiq, Musa Kazim, or other such individuals as the Mahdi?

Mr. Hoshyar: As mentioned earlier, the fundamental belief in the existence of the Mahdi was a well-established tenet of faith among early Muslims. In fact, people did not entertain any doubt in his existence. The Prophet had given detailed information about the existence of the Mahdi, his characteristics, his universal mission of instituting the divine government based on justice and equity and of bringing an end to injustice and tyranny by carrying out necessary reforms. Indeed, the Prophet had given many such glad tidings to the Muslims. Nevertheless, he had not provided them with the cues and the actual characteristics and distinctions of the Mahdi. Rather, one can say that such matters were part of the confidential information that was revealed to a few entrusted and loyal followers of Islam. The Prophet had given that confidential information about the Mahdi to ‘Ali b. Abi Talib, Fatima and other trusted companions, while keeping that secret from the general public, giving them only hints and general information on the subject. The Imams who came after the Prophet followed the Prophet’s example and shared only summary information about the Mahdi with the general public. All the detailed particulars on the subject were handed down from one Imam to the succeeding Imams, one after the other. On occasion, the information was divulged to a few trustworthy associates. Over all, the general public and even some of the family members of the Imams, knew very little about the subject.

There were two reasons for the Prophet and the Imams not to indulge in providing detailed information about the future coming of the Mahdi:

First, they wanted to keep the identity of the promised Mahdi secret from the enemies of God and the unjust rulers so that no harm would befall him from that direction. The Prophet and the Imams were fully aware that if the unjust rulers, caliphs and their agents knew the identity of the Mahdi with all the particulars about his parents, their names, and so on, they would not hesitate to prevent his birth even if that meant killing his parents. The Umayyads and the ‘Abbasids were determined to hold on to their power by eliminating even the slightest threat to it. They did not pause to commit grievous crimes in order to remain in power. In all likelihood, they would have endeavored to get rid of him, even if it meant killing anyone remotely connected with a challenge to their autocratic rule.

It is important to note that even though the Umayyads and the ‘Abbasids were not fully informed about the signs of the Mahdi’s appearance, they killed thousands of the descendants of ‘Ali b. Abi Talib and Fatima, in order to thwart the potential threat of the Mahdi’s revolution. In a hadith related from Imam Sadiq to Mufaddal, Abu Basir and Aban b. Taghlib, the Imam said: “Since the Umayyads and the ‘Abbasids had heard that tyrannical rule will be overthrown by our Qa’im, they initiated their hostility against us. They labored to kill the descendants of the Prophet and to destroy subsequent generations with the hope that they could get rid of the Qa’im. But since God was determined to fulfill His will, He did not avail the tyrants all the information about the matter.”[13]

The case with the Imams was not very different than with the Prophet himself. They lived in fear for their lives. Hence, they practiced ‘prudential concealment’ (taqiyya) in revealing the details about the Mahdi even to their closest associates and other ‘Alawites. Abu Khalid, the close associate of Imams Baqir and Sadiq, once requested Imam Baqir to confirm the name of al-Qa’im for him so that he would perfectly recognize him. The Imam said: “O Abu Khalid, you have asked me something about which if the descendants of Fatima come to know anything, the authorities would cut him into pieces!”[14]

Second, by providing merely general information about the Mahdi, the Prophet and the Imams wanted those weak in their faith not to be overcome by despair at the weakness of God’s religion in the face of the unjust powers. In other words, those who had witnessed or heard about the unpolluted and just rule of the Prophet and Imam ‘Ali b. Abi Talib in the early days of Islam, had heard about the ultimate victory of true religion and the end of injustice and corruption under Islam. Accordingly, they had accepted the new religion with much hope of seeing an end to all the corruption. However, since they were newcomers to Islam their faith was not that strong. On the one hand, the prevalent turmoil in Muslim society and the unfavorable conditions that ensued had an impact upon these people. On the other hand, they saw the wicked behavior of the Umayyad and ‘Abbasid rulers and the way that that impacted upon society. These unfavorable social and political conditions had made them very perplexed. The concern of the Prophet and the Imams was that people with weak faith would lose hope, with the truth and religion of Islam being overpowered by evil forces, and so these people would abandon Islam. The thing that to a certain extent assured people to remain faithful to Islam and to keep their hearts hopeful was the belief in the deliverance and the revolution of the promised Mahdi. These Muslims anticipated the revolution of the promised Mahdi to take place any day to redress the injustices in society and to restore universal good order according to the Islamic ideals of justice and equity. It is natural that this hope for a better future in the people would have been effected only when all the true details about the Qa’im’s uprising were not clearly known. Otherwise, if the details about the timing, the identity and other related signs of the Mahdi’s appearance were public knowledge, such a positive attitude and hope would not have ensued. Undoubtedly, it was this general, summary information about the future role of the Mahdi that gave the capacity to the downtrodden people in the early days of Islam to bear with patience the unfavorable living conditions under the corrupt and unjust rulers of the Ummayad and ‘Abbasid dynasties.

The intended impact of what was foretold about the Mahdi in brief is captured in the report in which Yaqtin, a supporter of the ‘Abbasids, asked his son ‘Ali b. Yaqtin, one of the prominent associates of the Imam Musa Kazim: “Why is it that things that were predicted about us have been fulfilled, whereas those about you remain unrealized?” ‘Ali b. Yaqtin replied: “The reports that foretold the events came from the same [prophetic] source. However, since the time for your political power has arrived, the prophecies about you are, one by one, being fulfilled. But, the time for our rule, that is the rule of the Prophet’s family, has not come yet. Hence, they have kept us occupied with the glad tidings and future aspirations. If we had been told that the government of the Prophet’s family will not be established for the next two or three centuries, the hearts would have been hard and most of the people would have abandoned Islam. But, the events have been reported in such a way that the hearts are pleased and every day we are looking forward to the establishment of God’s government.” [15]

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

Dr. Fahimi: One must acknowledge the fact that your traditions identify and describe the Mahdi very well. Unfortunately, such traditions have very little value for a person like me who happens to be a Sunni and who does not attach any significance to the opinions and actions of your Imams.

Mr. Hoshyar: I am not in the process of proving the Imamate and the wilayat (love of the ahl al-bayt) for you. I want to point out something else for you. It is important to emphasize that the opinions and actions of the Imams among the ahl al-bayt have evidential value and are significant for all Muslims across the board, regardless of whether they accept them as Imams or not. The reason is that there are numerous traditions publicized on the authority of the Prophet and regarded as reliable by both the Shi’i and the Sunni in which the Prophet has introduced his ahl al-bayt as the authoritative source of Islamic knowledge and regarded their opinions and actions as sound. For example, the famous tradition about the “two things of high estimation” (al-thaqalayn), the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said:

I leave among you two things of high estimation. If you hold on to them you will never be led astray. One of these two things is weightier than the other. One of these two is the Book of God which is a link between the earth and the heaven. The second one is my family, my ahl al-bayt. These two trusts will not separate from each other till the Day of Judgement. Hence, exercise care in the way you treat these two.[16]

This hadith has been reported in various forms by both the Shi’i and Sunni sources. Moreover, it has been regarded as an authentic tradition. According to Ibn Hajar, as recorded in his book al-Sawa’iq al-muharriqa, this hadith has been narrated by different sources and through numerous chains of transmission from the Prophet. In fact, more than twenty close companions [of the Prophet] have related it. The Prophet used to attach so much importance to the Qur’an and his ahl al-bayt that on different occasions he had declared their significance for the well being of the Muslim community in the future, including the Farewell Pilgrimage and the Ghadir, and after his return from his journey to Ta’if.

Another tradition which is widely acknowledged in all Sunni and Shi’i sources is related by Ibn ‘Abbas who heard the Prophet declare: “The likeness of my family is the Ark of Noah. Whoever embarks upon it is saved; and whoever stays away from it will perish.”[17]

Jabir b. ‘Abd Allah Ansari related from the Prophet another widely quoted hadith in which the latter said:

The two sons of ‘Ali [Hasan and Husayn] are the leaders of the youths of Paradise. They are my sons. ‘Ali, his two sons, and the Imams after them, are the Proof of God’s existence among the people. They are my gates of knowledge in the community. Any one who follows them will be saved from the Hell Fire; and any one who accepts them as his leader has found the way to guidance. God does not bless any one with their love without making them worthy of the Paradise. [18]

In one of his orations ‘Ali b. Abi Talib told the people:

I ask you to verify this, in the name of God: Do you recall what the Prophet said in his last speech: “O people! I leave among you the Book of God and my family? Hold on to them and you will never lose your way, because God, the Wise, has informed and assured me that these two will never part from each other till the Day of Judgement.” At that time ‘Umar b. al-Khattab got angry and stood up and asked: “Does this statement include all of your family?” The Prophet replied: “No. This includes my legatees among whom the first is ‘Ali b. Abi Talib, my brother, vizier, heir and caliph. He is the one who has discretionary power over my community. Following ‘Ali my son Hasan, following him my son Husayn, and then nine descendants of Husayn are the legatees. They will follow each other until the Day of Judgement. They are the proofs of God’s existence for the people, the keepers of divine knowledge, and the repositories of wisdom on earth. Whoever obeys them has obeyed God, and whoever disobeys them has disobeyed God.”

When ‘Ali’s answer reached this point, all those who were present said: ‘We bear witness that the Prophet did say all that.’[19]

On the basis of all such traditions that are recorded in the Sunni and Shi’i sources the following conclusions can be drawn:

(a) Since the Qur’an will remain with the people until the Day of Judgement, the family of the Prophet, the ahl al-bayt, will also remain with them. Hence, such traditions can be considered as evidence for the existence of the Hidden Imam.

(b) The term ‘itrat in the hadith actually refers to the twelve legatees of the Prophet.

(c) The Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) has not abandoned the Muslim community without any guidance. Quite to the contrary, he has actually made his family, the ahl al-bayt, the source of divine knowledge and guidance. He has declared their opinions and actions competent and reliable; and has recommended that one hold on to them until the Day of Judgement.

(d) The Imam, then, will never be separated from the Qur’an and its ordinances. Therefore, he has to be perfectly knowledgeable about its injunctions. Just as the Qur’an does not mislead anyone in the matter of guidance, and leads those who adhere to it to salvation, so does the Imam lead the people to their goal without committing any error. If the people follow the Qur’an and the Imams they would certainly be guided to their prosperity. In other words, the Imam is free from any error and deviation.

`Ali b. Abi Talib, the Paragon of the Prophetic Knowledge

In the light of historical and traditional sources it is accurate to assert that the Prophet knew very well that among his companions not all were capable of carrying the burden of the knowledge that was given to him in his position as the Prophet of God. Moreover, the prevalent circumstances in the community were not favorable to spread such information. However, he was also aware that one day the community would need that kind of knowledge. Consequently, he selected ‘Ali b. Abi Talib for the purpose of making him the repository of the prophetic knowledge. He personally undertook to teach him and educate him day and night. Hence, what ‘Ali reported reflects the Prophet’s own teachings about Islam. To cite some examples, let us consider the following:

‘Ali was brought up under the special care of the Prophet and was all the time in his companionship. In this connection the Prophet informed ‘Ali that God had required him to befriend ‘Ali and to teach him all he had received from God as a prophet. “You too should take care in learning and recording what I have taught you. God will certainly approve your endeavors,” the Prophet guided ‘Ali b. Abi Talib. [20]

Hence, ‘Ali used to say: “Whatever I learnt from the Prophet I never forgot.”[21] In another report he said: “The Prophet had assigned me a special hour in the night and the day when I used to present myself [to learn from him].”[22]

On one occasion ‘Ali was asked: “What is the reason that in comparison to other companions of the Prophet you have the most traditions?” He replied: “Whenever I asked the Prophet something he gave me an answer. And whenever I kept quiet he would begin the conversation.”[23]

The Prophet, according to Imam ‘Ali, used to ask him to write down what he said. ‘Ali asked him if the Prophet thought ‘Ali might forget. The Prophet said: “No, because I have prayed to God to make you among those who remembers things and records them. However, I want you to preserve it for your companions and the Imams who will come after you. It is because of the blessed existence of the Imams that the rain falls on earth for the people, their prayers get accepted, the calamities go by them and mercy descends on them.” Then the Prophet pointed towards Hasan and said: “This is the second in the line of the Imams,” and added, “the Imams will be from the descendants of Husyan.”

The Book of ‘Ali b. Abi Talib

To be sure, ‘Ali b. Abi Talib was able to comprehend and master the prophetic knowledge through a serious commitment and divine help, attended by divinely endowed talent. This knowledge he put to writing and converted the book to a comprehensive corpus to which he added his own recommendations for the future benefit of the community. This matter has been preserved in the hadith-reports related by the ahl al-bayt. For example, we read the following hadith in the collection:

Imam Sadiq said: We have something in our possession which makes us free from any need from the people. However, [because of what we have] people are in need of us. We possess a book which was dictated by the Prophet himself and which is in the hand-writing of ‘Ali. It is the comprehensive book that includes all the ordinances about that which is lawful and that which is unlawful.[24]

In another tradition Imam Baqir told Jabir:

O Jabir, if I had expounded for you our belief and tenets we would have destroyed ourselves. In any case, we are relating for you traditions which we collected from the Prophet, just as people collect gold and silver.[25]

‘Abd Allah b. Sinan heard Imam Sadiq, who said:

We have in our possession a leather bag, seventy cubits long. It was written by ‘Ali under the dictation of the Prophet. It contains all the knowledge that people need to know down to the minutest detail.[26]

The Heirs to the Prophet’s Knowledge:

Mr. Hoshyar: Dr. Fahimi, you said earlier that you do not accept the Imamate of the family of the Prophet. However, you must accept the evidential nature of what they say, just as you accept the traditions reported from the companions, and the succeeding generation of Muslims. The reason is that even if you do not accept any one of them as the Imam, you cannot deprive them of their right to relate the reliable traditions on the authority of the Prophet. Undoubtedly, the value of what they relate is many times more than the information transmitted by any ordinary Muslim. A number of Sunni scholars have acknowledged the level of their knowledge, piety and strength of character.[27]

The Imams, time and again, used to say that they do not give opinions based on their own predilections. Rather, their responses were derived from the Prophet’s own teachings. In other words, they were the true heirs of the Prophetic knowledge, relating everything going back to the Prophet through the Imams. According to Imam Sadiq:

My hadith is my father’s hadith. My father’s hadith is my grandfather’s hadith. My grandfather’s hadith is Husayn’s hadith. Husayn’s hadith is Hasan’s hadith. Hasan’s hadith is Amir al-Mu’minin’s [‘Ali b. Abi Talib’s] hadith. ‘Ali b. Abi Talib’s hadith is the Prophet’s hadith. And, the Prophet’s hadith is what God has told him.[28]

Dr. Fahimi, I ask you to be fair minded. Do you think that the hadith reported on the authority of Hasan and Husayn, the two leaders of the youth of Paradise are not as good as the ones reported by Abu Hurayra, Samra b. Jundab or Ka’b al-Ahbar? How about the hadith related by the pious Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, the righteous Imams Baqir, Sadiq, and so on?

Undoubtedly, the Prophet declared ‘Ali and his descendants to be the treasures of prophetic knowledge. He reminded Muslims time and again and in different contexts to look upon them as the sources of reliable knowledge about Islam. More importantly, he encouraged the people to refer to them. Unfortunately, the direction of Islamic history deviated from its straight course and the community deprived itself of the valuable instruction of the ahl al-bayt, which led to backwardness among Muslims.

Dr. Jalali: I have many more questions in mind. But, since its getting very late, I will leave them for the next session.

Engineer Madani: If you all agree, I would like to hold the next session in my home. We will continue our deliberations there.

Notes:

The word refers to the mythological universe known to the mystics as very difficult world requiring the strength or courage of Hercules to encounter or accomplish. Tr.

Muhammad Karim Khan, Irshad al-`ulum (Kirman, 1380), Volume 3, p. 401.

See: Lutf Allah al-Safi al-Gulpaygani, Muntakhab al-athar fi al-imam al-thani ‘ashar (Tehran: Maktabat al-Sadr, nd.)

Majlisi, Bihar al-anwar, Volume 51, p. 72.

Ibn Sa’d, al-Tabaqat al-kubra, Vol. 1, p. 107.

Ibid., Vol. 5, p. 94.

Sunan, Kitab al-mahdi.

Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 7, p. 208.

Dhakha’ir al-‘uqba, p. 136.

al-Bayan fi akhbar sahib al-zaman, p. 502.

Yanabi’ al-mawadda, Vol. 1, p. 492.

Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 7, p. 183.

Ibn Babüya, Kamal al-din, Vol. 2, 354.

Shaykh al-Tusi, Kitab al-ghayba, p. 202.

Ibid., p. 208.

Dhakha`ir al-‘uqba (Cairo, 1356), p. 16; al-Sawa’iq al-muharriqa, p. 147; al-Fusul al-muhimma, p. 22; al-Bidaya wa al-nihaya, Vol. 5, p. 208; (Hydrabad edition), pp. 153, 167; Sibt b. Jawzi, Tadhkirat al-khawass, p. 182.

All the sources mentioned in the previous note, in addition to Majma’ al-zawa’id, Vol. 9, p. 168.

Yanabi’ al-mawadda, Vol. 1, p. 54.

Jami’ ahadith al-shi’a, Vol. 1, Introduction.

See Manaqib Khwarazmi, p. 199, Kulayni, al-Kafi, Vol. 1, p. 64.

A’yan al-shi’a, Vol. 3.

Yanabi’ al-mawadda, Vol. 1, p. 77.

Ibid., Vol. 2, p. 36; Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat, Vol. 2, Part II, p. 101.

Jami’ ahadith al-shi’a, Vol. 1, Introduction.

There are a number of works authored by the Sunnis that regard the Shi’i Imams as righteous and highly knowledgeable in religious-legal matters. See, for instance, al-Jawzi, Tadhkirat al-khawass, Ibn Sabbagh al-Maliki, Fusul al-muhimma; Shablanji, Nur al-absar; Ibn Hajar, al-Sawa’iq al-muharriqa; and, so on.

Jami’ ahadith shi’a, Vol. 1.

Contents

Al-Imam al-Mahdi, The Just Leader of Humanity

Chapter 5

Who Was the Imam after Hasan `Askari?

On Friday evening the group met at Engineer Madani’s house. The session formally began with the question raised by Dr. Jalali.

Dr. Jalali: I have heard that Imam Hasan ‘Askari had no son at all!

Mr. Hoshyar: There are several methods to prove that Imam Hasan ‘Askari did have a son:

(a) In numerous traditions reported on the authority of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) and the Imams it is related that Hasan b. ‘Ali b. Muhammad ‘Askari will have a son who will return to launch a universal reform movement after a long absence and will fill the earth with justice and equity. This matter has been related in various forms in the traditions. If you recall, we have mentioned a list of hadith-reports in the previous discussion in which it is affirmed that the Mahdi will be the ninth descendant of Imam Husayn; that the Mahdi will be the sixth descendant of Imam Sadiq; that he will be the fifth descendant of Imam Kazim; the fourth descendant of Imam Rida; the third decendant of Imam Muhammad Taqi; and so on.

(b) In several traditions it is related that the Mahdi will be the son of Imam Hasan ‘Askari (peace be upon him). For example, Saqr b. Abi Dalf relates that he heard from Imam ‘Ali Naqi who said:

The Imam following me is my son Hasan. After Hasan his son is the Qa’im who will fill the earth with justice and equity just as it is filled with injustice and tyranny.[1]

(c) In a number of hadith-reports Imam Hasan ‘Askari has informed that the Qa’im and the Mahdi will be his son and that the house of the Imam and the Prophet is protected from falsehood and error. The following is the tradition related by Muhammad b. ‘Uthman, the second deputy of the twelfth Imam during the Short Occultation (ghaybat-i sughra), who received it from his father, the first deputy:

I was in presence of Imam Hasan ‘Askari when someone asked him regarding the hadith that was related from his forefathers, namely: “The earth will never be void of the hujjat (God’s proof), and any one who dies without acknowledging the Imam of the Age dies the death of ignorance.” The Imam responded: “Yes, indeed the matter is as clear and real as daylight.” The person went on to ask: “Who is the hujjat and the Imam after you?” He said: “After me the hujjat and the Imam will be my son Muhammad. Any one who dies without acknowledging him will die a death of ignorance. Be aware that my son will go into occultation. The people, because of that, will experience confusion. Those who are unfaithful will perish, whereas those who fix the time of his appearance will be uttering falsehood. When the period of his occultation comes to an end he will launch a revolution. I see the white flags waving over his head in Najaf.”[2]

(d) Imam Hasan ‘Askari informed a number of his close companions about the birth of his son. The following are some of those traditions:

(1) Fadl b. Shadhan, who died after the birth of the twelfth Imam and before the death of Imam Hasan ‘Askari, wrote in his book on Ghayba, relating from Muhammad b. ‘Ali b. Hamza, who said: “I heard Imam Hasan ‘Askari saying: ‘The Proof of God and my successor was born circumcised on the 15th night of Sha’ban, year 255 (870 CE), in the early hour of dawn.'”[3]

(2) Another close associate of the Imams, Ahmad b. Ishaq heard Imam Hasan ‘Askari say: “Thank God that He did not take me away from this world without showing me my successor. He (my son) is closest to the Prophet in his features and character. God will keep him for a while in occultation and then He will cause him to emerge so that he will fill the earth with justice and equity.”[4]

(3) Ahmad b. Hasan b. Ishaq Qummi related: When the righteous successor [of Imam Hasan ‘Askari] was born, a letter came from the Imam ‘Askari through Ahmad b. Ishaq. The Imam had written: “A son has been born to me. Keep this matter secret, because I will not divulge it except to my close associates and relatives.”[5]

(4) Again Ahmad b. Ishaq relates that one day he was with Imam Hasan ‘Askari when the latter asked him: “Ahmad, what do you say about the matter in which people have fallen in doubt?” He said: “When your letter announcing the birth of your son arrived, for all of us, that is, men, women, children, old and young, truth became manifest and we believed in what you conveyed to us.” The Imam said: “Don’t you know that the earth cannot be without God’s proof in it?”[6]

(5) Abu Ja’far Muhammad b. ‘Uthman ‘Amri, the second deputy of the twelfth Imam, has related that when the Imam of the Age was born Imam Hasan ‘Askari asked for Abu ‘Amr, ‘Uthman, his father and the first deputy of the twelfth Imam. When he came the Imam told him: “Buy a thousand pounds of bread and a thousand pounds of meat and distribute it among the Hashimites. Also, arrange for some sheep to be sacrificed for my newly born son’s head-shaving ceremony (‘aqiqa).”[7]

All these traditions provide the necessary evidence that there was a son born to Imam Hasan ‘Askari (peace be upon him).

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

Dr. Jalali: How can it be possible that a person could have a son and no one in the world would know about him? Moreover, how can it be so that five years would pass and he would remain unknown? Did not Imam ‘Askari live in Samarra? Was not he visited by anyone? Could one believe the only report on the presence of the infant son of the Imam coming from Abu ‘Amr ‘Uthman b. Sa’id?

Mr. Hoshyar: Although it was clear from the very beginning that, under the circumstances which prevailed in Samarra under the ‘Abbasids, the birth of Imam ‘Askari’s son would be kept secret, there were those trustworthy associates and relatives who had seen the child and had testified to his presence. Let us examine some reports to that effect:

(1) Among those who were present at the birth of the twelfth Imam and who reported the event in great detail was Hakima Khatun, the daughter of Imam Muhammad Taqi and the aunt of Imam Hasan ‘Askari. The story in brief is recounted by her as follows:

One day I was visiting Imam ‘Askari’s house. At night, which happened to be the fifteenth night of Sha’ban (255 AH/29th July, 870), when I wanted to return to my home, the Imam said: “Aunt, stay with us tonight, because God’s friend and my successor will be born this night.” I asked: “Which one of your slave-girls is expecting?” He said: “Sawsan.” Hence, I started looking at her to see if there were any signs of pregnancy in her. I could not see any. After breaking the fast and finishing prayers, I slept in the same room as Sawsan. After a while I woke up from my sleep and began to think about what Imam ‘Askari had predicted. Then I started performing the midnight prayers. Sawsan also woke up and prepared to perform her prayers. It was getting close to the dawn. But there was no sign of child-birth in her. I was beginning to doubt what the Imam had predicted when he said from his room: “Aunt dear, do not doubt. The time for my son’s birth is approaching.”

All of a sudden Sawsan’s condition started changing. I asked her if everything was alright. She said that she was feeling some discomfort. I began to prepare things that were needed for delivery and took charge of the situation. Within a short while God’s friend was born, all clean and pure. Just then Imam ‘Askari said: “O Aunt, bring my son to me.” When I took him to the Imam he held him close to himself and stroked his tongue over the infant’s eyes. The eyes of the infant opened immediately. Then he stroked his mouth and ears with his tongue, and his head with his hand. At that time the infant began to recite verses from the Qur’an. Then he gave the infant back to me and asked me to take him back to his mother. I brought him to his mother and went home.

On the third day, I came back to Imam ‘Askari’s house and straight away I went to Sawsan’s room to see the child. But I did not see him. I went to the Imam’s room. but hesitated to ask about the infant. The Imam at once informed me: “O aunt, my son is in concealment in God’s protection. When I depart from this world and when you see my followers in dispute about my successor, tell those trustworthy among them what you have witnessed in connection with his birth. However, make sure that the event is guarded in secrecy because my son will be in occultation.”[8]

(2) The two maids at Imam ‘Askari’s residence have related that when the Imam of the Age was born he sat on his legs and raised his finger toward the sky [bearing witness to the Unity of God]. Then he sneezed and said: “Praise be to God, the Lord of the universe.”[9]

(3) Abu Ghanim, the servant at Imam ‘Askari’s house, relates that a son was born to Imam Hasan ‘Askari, whom he named Muhammad. “On the third day he showed him to his companions and said: ‘This son of mine will be your master and Imam after me. He is the Qa’im who is being awaited by everyone. When the earth is filled with injustice and tyranny, he will rise, and fill it with justice and equity.'”[10]

(4) Abu ‘Ali Khayzarani relates from the slave girl he had presented to Imam ‘Askari that she was present at the time when the twelfth Imam was born. His mother’s name was Sayqal.[11]

(5) Hasan b. Husayn ‘Alawi said: “I personally went to see Imam Hasan ‘Askari in Samarra to congratulate him on the occasion of his son’s birth.” A similar tradition has been related by ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Abbas ‘Alawi.[12]

(6) Hasan b. Mundhir reports that one day Hamza b. Abu al-Fath came to see him and informed him: “Last night God granted Imam ‘Askari a son. However, he has asked us to keep the matter secret. I asked him his name. He said it is Muhammad.”[13]

(7) Ahmad b. Ishaq relates that one day he came to see Imam Hasan ‘Askari with the intention of asking about his successor. The Imam began the conversation. He said:

O Ahmad b. Ishaq, from the time God created Adam until the Day of Resurrection, God has not and will not leave the earth without His proof. It is because of the existence of this person that calamity is removed from earth and rain falls on it, through which the earth brings forth blessings.

At that juncture Ahmad asked the Imam about his successor. The Imam went in the private quarters of his house and returned carrying a three year old boy whose face was shining like the fourteenth night moon and said:

O Ahmad, if you had not been close to the Imams and highly respected by them I would not have shown my son to you. Know that this boy’s name and patronymic are the same as the Prophet’s name and patronymic. He is the one who will fill the earth with justice and equity.[14]

(8) Mu’awiya b. Hakim, Muhammad b. Ayyub and Muhammad b. ‘Uthman ‘Amri related the following account:

We were forty people who had come together in Imam Hasan ‘Askari’s house. The Imam presented his son to us and said: “This is your Imam and my successor. After me you must obey him. Do not get into a dispute on this matter, otherwise you will be destroyed. However, you must remember that after this you will not be able to see him.”[15]

(9) Ja’far b. Muhammad b. Malik was among the group of the prominent members of the Shi’a that included ‘Ali b. Bilal, Ahmad b. Hilal, Muhammad b. Mu’awiya b. Hakim and Hasan b. Ayyub. He relates the following occasion:

We were all gathered at the Imam ‘Askari’s house to find out about his successor. We were some forty people there. At that time ‘Uthman b. ‘Amr stood up and asked: “O son of the Prophet, we have come to ask you about something of which you have better knowledge.” The Imam said: “Please be seated.” He then left the room asking everyone to remain there. He returned after an hour, having brought with him a small boy whose face was shining like the moon. He then announced: “This is your Imam. Obey him. And also know that you will no more see him after today.” [16]

(10) Abu Harun reports that he saw the twelfth Imam when his face was shining like the full moon.[17]

(11) Ya’qub relates that one day he went to visit Imam ‘Askari. On the right side of the Imam he saw a room with a curtain hanging on its entrance. He asked the Imam as to who was the Master of the Age. The Imam said: “Raise the curtain!.” When he raised the curtain, a boy appeared and came and sat on the Imam’s lap. At that time, the Imam told Ya’qub: “This is your Imam.”[18]

(12) ‘Amr Ahwazi reported that Imam ‘Askari showed him his son and told him that he was the Imam after him.[19]

(13) A Persian servant related the following:

I was standing at Imam Hasan ‘Askari’s door when I saw a maid leaving the house with something covered in her hands. The Imam said to her: “Reveal that which you have in your hands.” The maid uncovered a beautiful boy. The Imam told me: “This is your Imam.” After that one time I never saw that boy again.[20]

(14) Abu Nasr, the servant, and Abu ‘Ali Mutahhar relate that they saw the son of Imam Hasan ‘Askari.[21]

(15) Kamil b. Ibrahim relates that he saw the twelfth Imam in the house of Imam Hasan ‘Askari. He was four years old and his face was as beautiful as the full moon. The Imam answered his questions before he asked him.[22]

(16) Sa’d b. ‘Abd Allah recounts: “I saw the Master of the Age as his face was bright like the full moon. He was sitting on his father’s lap and responded to the questions I asked.”[23]

(17) Hamza b. Nusayr, Imam ‘Ali Naqi’s slave relates from his father: When the twelfth Imam was born the family members in the household of Imam Hasan ‘Askari were congratulating each other. When the Imam had grown a little older I was asked to buy daily meat with some bone and it was said that the meat was for “our younger master.”[24]

(18) Ibrahim b. Muhammad relates:

Once because of fear of the governor I decided to escape from Samarra. I came to Imam Hasan ‘Askari’s house in order to bid him farewell. I saw a beautiful child next to him. I asked him: “O son of the Prophet, who is this child?” The Imam replied: “He is my son and successor.”[25]

This was the list of the trustworthy associates, relatives, and servants of Imam Hasan ‘Askari who had seen his son in his childhood and who had testified to his existence. When one puts this testimony along side the information given by the Prophet and the Imams, then certainty about the existence of the son of Imam Hasan ‘Askari is attained.

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

Engineer Madani: It is said that in his last days when Imam Hasan ‘Askari was ill he appointed his mother as the executer of his will so that she could manage his affairs after his death. This matter was officially approved by the court. In this will there was no mention of his son. Moreover, his estate was divided between his mother and his brother.[26] Had he had a son then he would have certainly mentioned him in his last will so that he would not be deprived of his share of inheritance.

Mr. Hoshyar: Imam Hasan ‘Askari intentionally kept his son’s name off his last will so that he would remain immune from all the danger that could come to him from the ruler of the time. In fact, he was so careful in this matter and was so fearful about his son’s birth being uncovered that at times, out of necessity, he would employ precautionary dissimulation in the matter of his son with his close associates to obscure the situation for them.

One of the companions of Imam Hasan ‘Askari by the name of Ibrahim b. Idris relates that the Imam sent him a sheep with a message that he should sacrifice it for the latter’s having performed the ceremony of shaving off his son’s birth hair (‘aqiqa), and share the meat with his family. Ibrahim carried out the Imam’s order. But when he came to see him the Imam said: “Our child has died.” However, once again he sent Ibrahim two sheep with a letter in which the Imam instructed Ibrahim:

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Sacrifice these sheep for your master’s ceremony of ‘aqiqa and eat the meat with your family.

Ibrahim carried out the order. But when he came to see the Imam the latter did not mention anything about it. [27]

Imam Sadiq had also taken similar precautions in his last will. He had appointed five persons as executors of his will, including the ‘Abbasid caliph Mansur, Muhammad b. Sulayman, the governor of Madina, his two sons, ‘Abd Allah and Musa, and his wife Hamida, Musa’s mother.[28] By doing so he saved the life of his son Musa from imminent danger, because he knew that if his Imamate and legateship became known to the caliph, Mansur would have tried to get rid of his son. As a matter of fact events did happen exactly as Imam Sadiq had thought, because the caliph ordered that if the legatee of the Imam Sadiq was a specific person, then he should be killed.

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

Dr. Fahimi: The custom is that when a child is born to anyone, then relatives, neighbors, and friends come to know about it. This is true in the case of a person who is well respected. As such no one disputes the existence of a child for that person. How can one believe that the people would have no information about a son born to Imam Hasan ‘Askari in spite of the respect that he held among them and that they would have doubts about that and dispute with each other about it?

Mr. Hoshyar: You are correct that normally the situation is exactly the way you have described. However, Imam Hasan ‘Askari from the very beginning had decided that he would not divulge any information about the birth of a son to him. Rather, such a decision was made when the Prophet was alive and when other Imams were faced with a situation where secrecy about the birth was among the signs of the last Imam. Thus we have a report which says that Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin predicted that: “The birth of our Qa’im will be concealed from the people and that will cause the people to say that he is not born at all, so that when he takes the command no one’s allegiance will be on his neck.”[29]

In another tradition ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Ata relates:

I said to Imam Baqir: “Your followers in Iraq are numerous. By God, no one in your family has the status that you have. Why don’t you rise?” The Imam said: “O ‘Abd Allah, you have allowed nonsensical talk to enter your mind. By God, I am not the promised commander of the affairs.” I asked: “Then who is the commander of the affairs?” He said: “Look out for someone whose birth will be concealed from the people. He will be your commander.” [30]

Dr. Fahimi: Why did Imam Hasan ‘Askari conceal the birth of his son from the people so that they would fall into doubt and perplexity and would be led astray in the matter of Imamate?

Mr. Hoshyar: As I have said earlier, the story of the promised Mahdi was widespread among Muslims from the very early days of Islam. The traditions and the hadith-reports about the subject that were related by the Prophet and the further confirmation of these reports by the Imams had circulated among the people. The rulers of the time were also well aware of these hadith-reports which announced that the promised Mahdi will be among the descendants of Fatima and Husayn. Moreover, these traditions announced the destruction of unjust governments by the Mahdi, who will establish the rule of justice and equity all over the world. Consequently, they were in fear of the birth and emergence of the promised Mahdi and were determined to rid themselves of the danger of the revolution of the Mahdi. It was for this reason that the homes of the family members of the Prophet, that is, the Hashimites, and more particularly Imam Hasan ‘Askari’s home, were under constant surveillance and under the watchful eyes of secret agents of the ‘Abbasid state.

Mu’tamid, the ‘Abbasid caliph, had assigned a number of midwives to conduct espionage missions in the Hashimite families to collect information about pregnancies and child births. When the caliph got the news about Imam Hasan ‘Askari’s illness, he instructed his agents to keep a constant watch over the house of the Imam. When he heard that the Imam had died, he ordered a search of the Imam’s house to find the whereabouts of his son. In addition, he sent some of these midwives to examine the slave girls of the Imam to determine if they were pregnant. If a woman was found pregnant she was detained and imprisoned.

The midwives suspected one of the women to be pregnant and reported her to the caliph. The caliph ordered her to be confined to one of the rooms and commissioned Tahrir, his servant, to watch over her. He did not set her free until he was sure that she did not carry the Imam’s child. He did not stop with the household of Imam Hasan ‘Askari. Rather, as soon as the funeral was over he ordered all the houses to be searched and kept under watch.[31]

Now you can appreciate that Imam Hasan ‘Askari, living under those dangerous circumstances, could not do anything other than conceal his son’s birth from the people so that he would remain immune from their evil designs. The Prophet and his rightful successors, the Imams, used to predict these conditions and inform the people of the twelfth Imam’s birth in secret.

However, such stories are not unknown in historical annals. As you know, when Pharaoh came to know that a child would be born among the Israelites who would put an end to his kingdom, he attempted to forestall the danger and so sent his spies around to keep a watch over all pregnant women and to kill all the boys and imprison all the girls that were born. With all these criminal acts he did not reach his aim, and God caused the birth of Moses to remain concealed so that the divine aim could be fulfilled.

As for Imam Hasan ‘Askari, in spite of that dangerous situation, he revealed his son to a number of his trusted companions and followers so that they would continue to receive the guidance. Nevertheless, he asked them to keep the matter secret from the enemies and requested that they not even mention his name.

The Mother of the Twelfth Imam

Dr. Jalali: What is the name of the mother of the Master of the Age?

Mr. Hoshyar: His mother was introduced in the sources with various names. Among them are: Narjis, Sayqal, Rayhana, Sawsan, Khumt, Hukayma, and Maryam. If you keep the two following points in mind you will understand the source of this confusion:

(a) Imam Hasan ‘Askari had several slave girls with different names. On two occasions Hakima Khatun has mentioned these slave girls. At one time she came to visit Imam Hasan ‘Askari and saw him seated in the courtyard of his house, surrounded by his slave girls. She asked him: “Which one of these girls is going to be the mother of your successor?” The Imam replied: “It is Sawsan.”[32]

In another report Hakima relates the event of the birth of the twelfth Imam, cited earlier, in which Imam Hasan ‘Askari requests her to spend the night of 15th Sha’ban (255 AH/870 CE) in his house because a child was going to be born. At that point Hakima asked him: “Which of your maidens is the mother of the child?” The Imam said: “It is Narjis.” Hakima said: “Yes, I too like her the most among your slave girls.”[33]

From these two and other similar reports it appears that Imam Hasan ‘Askari had several slave girls.

(b) As stated earlier Imam Hasan ‘Askari’s child was born in an extremely dangerous situation because the ‘Abbasid caliphs and even some members of the Hashimite clan had been aware of the approaching time for the birth of the Mahdi, who was to end unjust and tyrannical rule and establish justice and equity. Hence, the agents of the ‘Abbasids were guarding the homes of the Hashimites in general, and the Imam in particular, day and night. The secret agents of the caliph were involved in searching for the newborn in these homes to deliver him to the caliph.

Having noted these two things, it must be pointed out that it was certainly decreed by God that in such a threatening environment and in such a home of importance a son had to be born to Imam Hasan ‘Askari who should remain protected from all sorts of dangers. It was for this reason that all necessary precautions had to be taken. Hence, to begin with, according to the related accounts, there were no signs of pregnancy in his mother. Moreover, Imam Hasan ‘Askari did not reveal her real name. In addition, at the time of the delivery only Hakima Khatun, and probably some slave girls were present. This is despite the fact that usually in such circumstances assistance is sought from a midwife and other experienced women. In fact, nobody knew whether Imam Hasan ‘Askari was married or not and, if he was married, no one knew the identity of his wife.

On the fifteenth night of Sha’ban when it was completely dark, at night, the child was born under fear and veiled circumstances. This too happened in a home where there were several slave girls of whom none had any visible signs of pregnancy. At the time of delivery, with the exception of Hakima, there was no one present and no one dared to reveal the situation.

For a long while the matter was kept a secret and only later the close, trusted companions of Imam Hasan ‘Askari began to inquire and were told about it. Some among the followers believed that God had favored Imam Hasan ‘Askari with a son, whereas others denied it. Since all the slave girls lacked visible signs of pregnancy, the story about the dispute over the identity of the child’s mother was naturally bound to occur. Some knew the mother to be Sawsan, some Narjis, some Sayqal, and so on. Nobody, except a select few, knew the true state of affairs. But they were not allowed to divulge that information. Even Hakima, who was the witness and was present during the birth of the twelfth Imam, for the sake of protecting the identity of his mother, sometimes used to mention her name variantly as Narjis, Sayqal or Sawsan, and at other time, as a precautionary measure she would ascribe the child to Imam Hasan ‘Askari’s mother.

In the year 262 AH/877 CE Ahmad b. Ibrahim came to see Hakima Khatun, the daughter of Imam Jawad. He spoke to her from behind the curtain and asked her about her beliefs. She introduced her Imams and mentioned Muhammad b. Hasan as her last Imam. Ahmad said: “Were you yourself witness to the matter (of his birth) or are you saying this on the basis of what you have heard?” She replied saying that the matter was according to what Imam Hasan ‘Askari had written to his mother. So Ahmad went on to inquire as to whom the Shi’a should follow in that matter. Hakima said that they should follow Imam Hasan ‘Askari’s mother. Ahmad objected saying: “In this will of testament should we follow one woman?” Hakima responded that actually Imam Hasan ‘Askari was following his forefather, Imam ‘Ali b. Husayn in this matter. Imam Husayn had made his sister Zaynab his legatee and the knowledge that was possessed by ‘Ali b. Husyan was ascribed to Zaynab. Imam Husyan had done that, added Hakima, so that the matter about the Imamate of ‘Ali b. Husayn would remain secret. Then she said: “You are the people who know the traditions. Have not you been informed that the inheritance belonging to the ninth among the descendants of Husayn will be distributed while he is alive?”[34]

As you can see, in this report Hakima has not responded to the inquiry about the last Imam’s birth directly. In fact, she has attributed the story to Imam Hasan ‘Askari’s mother. It is also likely that out of fear for revealing the true state of affairs to the reporter she employed ‘prudential concealment’ (taqiyya). Or, she simply wanted to present the report in a manner that would generate bewilderment. However, the same Hakima in another place relates the event that led to the marriage of Imam Hasan ‘Askari with Narjis Khatun and the birth of the Mahdi, to which she was herself a witness, in great detail. She ends this account with the following statement: “I now see my master (i.e., the twelfth Imam) regularly and talk to him.”[35]

In short, the differences of opinion regarding the name of the last Imam’s mother is not something unusual. On the contrary they point to the most difficult and even frightful situation at that time. Moreover, the number of the slave girls that belonged to Imam Hasan ‘Askari and the extreme precaution that he took in keeping the matter secret would have necessarily created confusion. It is not unlikely that the story about the serious dispute that erupted between the Imam’s mother and brother, Ja`far, the Liar, could have been part of a state conspiracy masterminded by the caliph in order to extort information about Imam Hasan ‘Askari’s son.

According to Shaykh Saduq in his Kamal al-din, at the time when Imam Hasan ‘Askari’s mother got into the dispute with Ja’far, his brother, over the inheritance and when the matter was referred to the caliph, one of the slave girls belonging to Imam Hasan ‘Askari by the name of Sayqal claimed to be pregnant. Sayqal was brought to the palace of the caliph, Mu’tamid, and was kept under strict guard and under the watchful eyes of the midwives and other women in the palace to determine the fate of her pregnancy. At that very time, political turmoil as a consequence of the insurrection led by Saffar, the death of ‘Abd Allah b. Yahya, and the revolution of the Zanj engulfed the caliphal state. The ‘Abbasids were forced to abandon Samarra. Hence, they became occupied with their own troubles and gave up the surveillance of Sayqal’s pregnancy.[36]

There is also another reason for differences in the name of the mother of the twelfth Imam. It is possible to say that all those names were given to one and the same person. That is to say that the twelfth Imam’s mother had several names. This explanation is not far fetched because it was customary among Arabs to give several names to a person of importance.

The evidence for this is provided in Shaykh Saduq’s Kamal al-din. He himself has related from Ghiyath that Imam Hasan ‘Askari’s successor was born on Friday, and his mother was Rayhana, who was also known as Narjis, Sayqal, and Sawsan. Since at the time of her pregnancy she had some kind of brilliance over her face, she was known as Sayqal.[37]

To sum this discussion up, it is important to remind ourselves that in spite of some ambiguity in identifying the actual name of the twelfth Imam’s mother, there is no doubt that she existed. In other words, such an ambiguity does not detract authenticity from her existence. As you have noticed all the Imams, including Imam Hasan ‘Askari, have informed about the existence of a son for the latter. In addition, Hakima, the daughter of Imam Jawad, was a highly trustworthy woman who reported in detail the birth of the Imam. Moreover, a number of trustworthy companions and servants of Imam Hasan ‘Askari saw the son and testified to his existence, regardless of his mother’s name.

The Sunni ‘Ulama’ and the Birth of the Mahdi

Dr. Fahimi: If Imam Hasan ‘Askari had a son then the Sunni ‘ulama’ and historians should have recorded that in their books.

Mr. Hoshyar: Yes, indeed there is a group of them who also have related the event of the birth of [Ibn] Imam Hasan ‘Askari and have accepted and recorded his and his father’s history in their books. Thus, for instance:

(1) Muhammad b. Talha Shafi’i writes: “Abu al-Qasim Muhammad b. Hasan was born in the year 258 AH/873 CE in Samarra. His father’s name was Hasan Khalis. Among the titles [of this last Imam] are: Hujjat, Khalaf Salih (the righteous offspring) and Muntazar (the awaited one).” Following this statement he has related several traditions on the subject of the Mahdi, with the concluding statement: “These hadith-reports confirm the existence of Imam Hasan ‘Askari’s son, who is in concealment and will appear later.”[38]

(2) Muhammad b. Yusuf, following his entry on the death of Imam Hasan ‘Askari, writes: “He did not have any child beside Muhammad. It is said that he is the same as the Awaited Imam (imam muntazar).”[39]

(3) Ibn Sabbagh Maliki writes: “Section Twelve on the Life of Abu al-Qasim Muhammad, Hujjat, Khalaf Salih, the son of Abu Muhammad Hasan Khalis: He is the twelfth Imam of the Shi’a.” Then he has recorded the history of the Imam and has related the traditions about the Mahdi.[40]

(4) Yusuf b. Qazughli, after writing his account of the life of Imam Hasan ‘Askari, writes: [119] “His son’s name is Muhammad, and his patronymic is Abu ‘Abd Allah and Abu al-Qasim. He is the Proof of God’s existence, the Master of the Age, the Qa’im, and the Muntazar. The Imamate has come to an end with him.” Then he reports traditions about the Mahdi.[41]

(5) Shablanji in the book entitled Nur al-absar, writes: “Muhammad is the son of Hasan ‘Askari. His mother was a slave girl by the name of Narjis or Sayqal or Sawsan. His patronymic is Abu al-Qasim. The Twelver Shi’ites know him as: Hujjat, Mahdi, Khalaf Salih, Qa’im, Muntazar, and Master of the Age.”[42]

(6) Ibn Hajar, in his al-Sawa’iq al-muharriqa, following the biography of Imam Hasan ‘Askari writes: “He has not left a son besides Abu al-Qasim, who is known as Muhammad and Hujjat. That boy was five years old when his father died.”[43]

(7) Muhammad Amin Baghdadi in the book entitled: Saba’ik al-dhahab writes: “Muhammad, who is also known as Mahdi, was five years old at the time of his father’s death.”[44]

(8) Ibn Khallikan relates in his biographical dictionary Wafayat al-a’yan: “Abu al-Qasim Muhammad b. al-Hasan al-‘Askari is the twelfth Imam of the Imamiyya, that is the Twelver Shi’ites. The Shi’ites believe that he is the one who is the awaited Qa’im and the Mahdi.”[45]

(9) In Rawdat al-safa Mir Khwand writes: “Muhammad was the son of Hasan. His patronymic is Abu al-Qasim. The Imamiyya acknowledge that he is the Hujjat, the Qa’im, and the Mahdi.” [46]

(10) Sha’rani writes in his al-Yawaqit wa al-jawahir: “Mahdi is the son of Imam Hasan ‘Askari. He was born on the fifteenth night of Sha’ban, 255 AH. He is alive and will remain so until he will emerge with Jesus. Now it is 957 AH. He is, thus, 703 years old.”[47]

(11) Sha’rani, quoting Ibn ‘Arabi’s Futuhat makiyya, section 366, writes: “When the earth will be filled with tyranny and injustice the Mahdi will rise and will fill the earth with justice and equity. He will be among the descendants of the Prophet and from the line of Fatima. His grandfather will be Husayn, and his father will be Imam Hasan ‘Askari, the son of Imam ‘Ali Naqi, the son of Imam Muhammad Taqi, the son of Imam ‘Ali Rida, the son of Imam Musa Kazim, the son of Imam Ja’far Sadiq, the son of Imam Muhammad Baqir, the son of Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, the son of Imam Husayn b. ‘Ali b. Abi Talib.”[48]

(12) Khwaja Parsa in his book Fasl al-khitab writes: “Muhammad, the son of Hasan ‘Askari, was born on fifteenth night of Sha’ban, 255 AH/870 CE. His mother’s name was Narjis. His father died when he was five years of age. From that time until now he is in occultation. He is the awaited Imam of the Shi’a. His existence is well established among his companions, trusted associates and family. God will prolong his age as He has done in the case of Elijah and Eliash.”[49]

(13) Abu al-Falah Hanbali in his Shadharat al-dhahab and Dhahabi in al-‘Ibar fi khabar min ghabar write: “Muhammad is the son of Hasan ‘Askari, the son of ‘Ali Hadi, the son of Jawad, the son of ‘Ali Rida, the son of Musa Kazim, the son of Ja’far Sadiq, ‘Alawi, Husayni. His patronymic is Abu al-Qasim and the Shi’a know him as Khalaf Salih, Hujjat, Mahdi, Muntazar, and the Master of the Age (Sahib al-zaman).”[50]

(14) Muhammad b. ‘Ali Hamawi writes: “Abu al-Qasim Muhammad Muntazar was born in the year 259 AH/874 CE in Samarra.”[51]

In short, besides all these above mentioned Sunni scholars there are numerous others who have recorded the birth of Imam Hasan ‘Askari’s son.[52]

*******

At this time it was quite late in the night. The meeting was adjourned and it was decided that the following session would be held at Dr. Jalali’s residence.

Notes:

Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 6, p. 275.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 160.

Muntakhab al-athar, p. 320.

Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 6, p. 432.

Muntakhab al-athar, p. 345.

Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 6, p. 430.

Tusi, Ghayba, pp. 141-42.

Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 7, p. 292; Ithbat al-wasiyya, p. 197.

Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 6, p. 431.

Kamal al-din, p. 105.

Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 6, p. 433 and Vol. 7, p. 20.

Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 6, p. 432.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 52, p. 23.

Ibid., Vol. 52, p. 25.

Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 6, p. 311,

Ibid., Vol. 7, p. 20.

Ibid., Vol. 6, p. 425.

Ibid., Vol. 7, p. 16.

Yanabi’ al-mawadda, Bab 82, p. 461.

Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 7, p. 344; Ithbat al-wasiyya, p. 198; Yanabi’ al-mawadda, Bab 82, p. 461.

Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 7, p. 323; Yanabi’ al-mawadda, p. 461.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 52, p. 78 and 86.

Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 7, p. 18; Ithbat al-wasiyya, p. 197.

Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 7, p. 356. For detailed information on the birth of the twelfth Imam see: Sayyid Hashim Bahrani, Tabsirat al-wali fiman ra’a al-qa’im al-mahdi and Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, Bab 1; and Vol. 52, Bab 17 and 19.

Usul al-kafi, Bab mawlid Abi Muhammad al-Hasan b. ‘Ali.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 22.

Usul al-kafi, Bab al-ishara wa al-nass ‘ala abi al-Hasan Musa.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 135.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51. p. 34.

Usul al-kafi, Bab mawlid abi Muhammad al-Hasan b. ‘Ali. See also all other sources that mention the adverse conditions under which these women suffered in the hands of the ‘Abbasid caliph and his fear of the existence of a son for Imam Hasan ‘Askari.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 17.

Ibid., p. 25.

Kamal al-din, Vol. 2, p. 178.

Kamal al-din, Vol. 2, pp. 99-103.

Kamal al-din, Vol. 2, p. 149.

Kamal al-din, Vol. 2, p. 106.

Matalib al-su’al (1287 AH edition), p. 89.

Kifayat al-talib, p. 312.

Fusul al-muhimma (Second edition), p. 273 and 286.

Tadhkirat khawass al-umma, p. 363.

Nur al-absar (Cairo edition), p. 342.

al-Sawa’iq al-muharriqa, p. 206.

Saba’ik al-dhahab, p. 78.

Wafayat al-a’yan (1284 AH edition), Vol. 2, p. 24.

Rawdat al-safa, Vol. 3, p. 143.

al-Yawaqit wa al-jawahir (1351 AH edition), Vol. 2, p. 143.

Ibid., p. 143.

As cited in Yanabi’ al-mawadda, Vo. 2, p. 126.

Shadharat al-dhahab (Beirut edition), Vol. 2, p. 141; al-‘Ibar fi khabar min ghabar (Kuwait edition), Vol. 2, p. 31.

Ta’rikh mansuri, microfilm copy of the Moscow manuscript, folio number 114.

See the references compiled in the volume Kashf al-astar, by Husayn b. Muhammad Taqi Nuri and Kifayat al-muwahhidin by TTabarsi, especially volume 2.

Contents

Al-Imam al-Mahdi, The Just Leader of Humanity

Chapter 6

Can a Five Year Old Boy Become an Imam?

The session began on time. Everyone was anxiously waiting to begin the discussion. Dr. Fahimi formulated his question thus.

Dr. Fahimi: Let us assume that Imam Hasan ‘Askari did have a son. But how can one believe that a five year old lad is appointed to the position of wilayat and Imamate? How is it possible that he is given the charge of protecting and effecting the laws of God at that young age and is made the Imam, the leader of the people and God’s Proof on earth?

Mr. Hoshyar: It appears that you have imagined the position of the Prophethood and the Imamate to be a trivial thing not requiring any precondition or criterion for anyone who is supposed to protect and effect the divine laws! Moreover, it would seem that you do not require any qualifications or personal character and perfection in a person who is to assume such a divinely ordained position –even to the extent that it is possible that Abu Sufyan could take the position of the prophethood occupied by Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah and Talha and Zubayr could assume the Imamate instead of ‘Ali b. Abi Talib.

However, a little attention will lead you to the traditions reported on the authority of the ahl al-bayt that the matter of the leadership and guidance of the community is not that simple. Indeed, Prophethood is a divine office that requires a qualified individual to be designated to carry out its functions derived from a special spiritual relationship between God and His emissary, a prophet. More importantly, such an individual is endowed with hidden knowledge, and knowledge about God’s laws and injunctions which have been revealed to him through God’s special favor on him and, hence, both he and the message are free from any error or falsehood.

Similarly, wilayat and Imamate are extremely important offices. The person occupying that position is required to preserve the divine laws and teachings of the Prophet without committing any error or inadvertence in their transmission and their promulgation in the community. Moreover, that person has to be in contact with the hidden source of divine knowledge so that he may receive God’s guidance in understanding and illuminating His revelation for humanity. It is because of his knowledge and the actions based on divine guidance that he attains the position of being proclaimed God’s Proof (hujjat) and His manifestation on earth.

It is obvious that not every person on this earth is capable of fulfilling these requirements and effecting the laws of God in human society. It is necessary that the person assuming this sensitive position should be endowed with a spiritual and human perfection so as to establish proper contact with the divine source and receive the knowledge and retain it for the community. Moreover, this person must possess both physical and mental qualities most appropriate to the execution of his functions as the leader and guide of the Muslim community. He cannot afford to be fallible and erroneous in conveying the religious truth necessary for the well being of humanity.

Hence, it must be maintained that the Prophet and the Imams are the best in creation. More importantly, it is because of these personal qualities that God, the Almighty, appoints them in the position of a Prophet and an Imam. These qualities are present in them from the time they come into this world. At the appropriate time and as the situation demands, and provided there are no obstacles, they become manifest. It is only then that these individuals become selected and appointed as Prophets and Imams with the mission to carry and effect God’s ordinances for humanity. This manifest designation may occur at times after they attain the age of maturity, and at other times even while they are younger in age.

The Qur’an provides the best example of the appointment to the prophethood at a very young age. In the example of Jesus (peace be upon him), the Qur’an speaks about the miracle of Jesus while he was still a baby in the cradle. At that time Jesus introduced himself as a prophet who had brought the revealed message for the Children of Israel. Thus, he says:

Lo, I am God’s servant; God has given me the Book, and made me a Prophet. Blessed He has made me, wherever I may be; and He has enjoined me to pray, and to give the alms, so long as I live. (Sura Maryam, 29)

From this and other verses of the Qur’an it is clear that Jesus (peace be upon him) from his very early childhood had been appointed as the Prophet and had been given the Book.

In light of the above, it is correct to say that there is no objection to maintaining that a person could establish relations with the divine sources of knowledge at a very early age and could be appointed to undertake the critical responsibility of promulgating the divine laws with utmost care and accuracy. Moreover, he could be made completely capable of performing his task and safeguarding the divine trust.

Incidentally, Imam Jawad (peace be upon him), at the time of his father’s death was nine or seven years old. It was because of his young age that some among the Shi’is had doubts about his being the Imam. To resolve this problem some of the leading members of the community came to see Imam Jawad and asked him several difficult and complex questions. To all these the Imam was able to give sufficient and satisfactory answers. Moreover, they also witnessed some miracles from him which removed their doubt in his being their Imam at that young age.[1]

Imam Rida had appointed Imam Jawad as his successor and when he found people surprised at his designation he said: “Jesus (peace be upon him) also became a Prophet and a Proof of God at a young age.”[2]

Imam ‘Ali Naqi also became the Imam at the age of six years and five months, following his father’s death.[3]

So, Dr. Fahimi, the Prophets and the Imams are specially created to carry out the functions assigned to them by God. Hence, it is not proper to compare them with ordinary people and their capacities.

The Gifted Children

Often among ordinary people one comes across rare individuals endowed with excellent intelligence and immense potential. In fact, they manifest unusual mental powers and faculties of perception superior to an individual of, let us say, forty years of age.

Abu ‘Ali Sina, known as Avicenna to Western readers, is regarded among the geniuses of his times. In his autobiography he writes:

Later we all moved to Bukhara, where I was given teachers of Qur’an and Arabic letters (adab). By the time I was ten years old, I had completed the study of the Qur’an and a major part of Arabic letters, so much so that people wondered at my attainments. . . . Then, under the guidance of al-Natili, I began to read the Isagoge [of the Greek neoplatonist philosopher Porphyrius] . . .Almagest [of Ptolemy]. . . . Then I took up medicine and began to read books written on this subject. Medicine is not one of the difficult sciences, and in a very short time I undoubtedly excelled in it, so that physicians of merit studied under me. . . . At the same time I carried on debates and controversies in jurisprudence. At this point I was sixteen years old.[4]

It is said that Fadil Hindi had mastered all rational and traditional sciences by the age of twelve, and had begun to write a book. The list of the gifted people is long. One only has to open a history of the world to realize that a number of universally recognized individuals were endowed at a young age with uncommon intelligence and a capacity to learn and leave for posterity a wealth of knowledge in different disciplines.

Dr. Fahimi, if other children can be endowed with unique potentials and turn out to be a genius, capable of memorizing hundreds of things and a variety of subjects — provoking wonderment in others — why should it be inconceivable that God in His wisdom appointed the twelfth Imam, God’s authentic proof who happens to be a five year old, to occupy the position of wilayat and to be the exponent and protector of God’s ordinances? In fact, the Imams had predicted his attaining that high position at an incredibly young age. Imam Baqir said: “The one who will be entrusted with the command (sahib al-‘amr) will be youngest in age and less known than all of us.”[5]

Rising of the People when Naming the Qa’im

Dr. Jalali: I am sure you know that it is customary among the people to rise when the word qa’im is mentioned. Is there any tradition to support this custom?

Mr. Hoshyar: This custom is common among all the Shi’is around the world. It is related that Imam Rida was present in one of the gatherings in Khurasan when the word qa’im was mentioned. At that he rose, put his right hand on his head and said: “O God, make his deliverance soon and his rising graceful!”[6]

This custom was prevalent even during the time of Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him). Somebody had asked him: “Why is it that one should rise (qiyam) when the Qa’im is mentioned?” The Imam replied:

The one who is entrusted with the command (sahib al-‘amr) will have a very long occultation. Because of the utmost love that he has for his followers, whoever remembers him with his title Qa’im, which carries the meaning of awaiting his rule and conveys the impact of the longing for him, he too will show his concern for the faithful. Since the person remembering the Qa’im is also attended by him, it is appropriate to rise out of respect for him and pray to God for his early deliverance.[7]

Hence, the Shi’i custom has a religious root and reflects respect and conveys an aspiration, although whether such an act is obligatory or not is unknown.

When Did the Story about the Occultation Begin?

Dr. Fahimi: I have heard that since Imam Hasan ‘Askari died without leaving a son, some opportunistic people like ‘Uthman b. Sa’id, fabricated the story about the occultation of the Mahdi in order to preserve their own position in the community.

Mr. Hoshyar: The Prophet and the Imams had long before that informed the people about the impending occultation of the Mahdi. Thus, for instance, the Prophet is reported to have said:

I swear by the One Who prompted me to give you the good news that the Qa’im among my descendants, in accordance with the covenant that reaches him from me, will disappear. [The situation will be such] that most of the people will say: “God does not need the progeny of Muhammad.” Others will doubt his very birth. Whoever lives during [this period of occultation] should cling to his faith and not let the Satan approach him through the channel of doubt and cause him to abandon my religion, just as he had caused your parents [Adam and Eve], to be thrown out of Paradise. Undoubtedly, God has made Satan friend of those who do not believe.[8]

Asbagh b. Nubata relates the occasion when Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali b. Abi Talib remembered the Qa’im and said: “Be aware that he will disappear in such a way that an ignorant person will say: ‘God does not need the progeny of Muhammad.'”[9]

Imam Sadiq advised his followers saying: “If you hear the story about your Imam’s occultation, do not deny it.”[10] There are some 88 hadith-reports on this subject.

It was because of these traditions that Muslims regarded the occultation necessary for the Qa’im. It was considered to be one of his characteristics. In fact, anyone who claimed to be the promised Mahdi or was fancied to be so was necessarily believed by his supporters to be in occultation. Abu al-Faraj Isfahani, in his description of one of such claimants, writes: “‘Isa b. ‘Abd Allah reports that Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah b. Hasan [b. ‘Ali b. Abi Talib] lived in concealment from the very early childhood and was named Mahdi.”[11]

Sayyid Muhammad Himyari, the well known poet during the Umayyad period, relates that he used to hold exaggerated beliefs about Muhammad b. Hanafiyya, including the belief that he was in occultation. For a long time he held such erroneous beliefs until that time, as he says, God favored him and he was saved from them by Imam Sadiq’s right guidance. The event is described thus by him:

When I was fully convinced about the Imamate of Ja’far b. Muhammad [Sadiq] through well demonstrated proof, I went to see him one day and asked him: “O son of the Prophet, there are traditions about the occurrence of occultation that have reached us from your forefathers which regard occultation among the definite things. Would you kindly inform me as to whom these traditions speak?” The Imam replied: “This occultation will occur for the sixth of my descendants. He is the twelfth Imam after the Prophet, of whom the first is ‘Ali b. Abi Talib and the last is the Qa’im, Baqiyyat Allah (the Remnant of God), and the Master of the Age. I solemnly declare that even if his occultation lasts for as long as the age of Noah, he will not leave this world until he rises and fills it with justice and equity.”

Sayyid Himyari adds:

When I heard this from my master Ja’far b. Muhammad the truth became evident for me. I apologized to him for the erroneous belief that I held before that and composed a poem on the subject.[12]

Hence, the story of occultation of the Mahdi was not invented by ‘Uthman b. Sa’id. It was God who foreordained it for him, and the Prophet and the Imams had informed the people about it before his father Imam Hasan ‘Askari was born. Tabarsi, in his book on the history of the Prophet and the Imams entitled, I’lam al-wara, writes:

The traditions about the ghaybat of the twelfth Imam were in circulation before his, his father’s, and his grandfather’s birth. They were recorded and cited by the Shi’i traditionists who lived during the time of Imams Baqir and Sadiq. Among these highly trusted traditionists is Hasan b. Mahbub. He wrote a book entitled Mashikha a century before the occultation of the twelfth Imam in which he recorded traditions about the occultation. One of the traditions published in this book included the following hadith reported from Abu Basir, who relates:

I asked Imam Sadiq: “Abu Ja’far [Imam Baqir] said, ‘The Qa’im among the descendants of Muhammad will have two occultations, one long and the other short.'” Hearing this Imam Sadiq said, “Yes, that is so. One of the two occultations will be longer.”

Tabarsi then draws his conclusion and writes:

Do you see how with the materialization of the two occultations for Imam Hasan ‘Askari’s son the prediction in the hadith came to be true?[13]

Muhammad b. Ibrahim b. Ja’far Nu’mani was born during the Short Occultation (ghaybat-i sughra), and when he wrote his book on Ghayba the twelfth Imam was eighty and some years old. He writes the following on page 6:

The Imams had foretold the occurrence of the occultation. If the occultation had not occurred, this very point would have become the source of falsification of the belief of the Shi’a Imamiyya (i.e., the Twelvers). But God manifested the truthfulness of the Imams’ predictions by means of causing the Imam to go into occultation.

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

The story of the Mahdi and the twelfth Imam’s occultation was told by the Prophet, ‘Ali b. Abi Talib, and the rest of the Imams from the very early days of Islam. It was well known among the early companions to the extent that some scholars and narrators of hadith-reports, including the close associates of the Imams, had written books on the subject long before the twelfth Imam or his father and grandfather were born. In these books the hadith about the promised Mahdi and his occultation were recorded. The names of these authors and the titles of their works are preserved in the biographical dictionaries (kutub al-rijal). Thus, for instance:

(1) ‘Ali b. Hasan b. Muhammad Ta’i, a companion of Imam Kazim, wrote a book on ghaybat. He was a jurist and was regarded as reliable in his transmission of hadith.[14]

(2) ‘Ali b. ‘Umar A’raj Kufi, a companion of Imam Kazim, wrote a book on ghaybat.[15]

(3) Ibrahim b. Salih Anmati, a companion of Imam Kazim, wrote a book on ghaybat.[16]

(4) Hasan b. ‘Ali b. Abi Hamza, who lived during the time of Imam Rida, was also an author of a book on ghaybat.[17]

(5) ‘Abbas b. Hisham Nashiri Asadi was a prominent figure and a reputable person. He was among the companions of Imam Rida. He died in the year 220 AH/835 CE. He also wrote a book on ghaybat.[18]

(6) ‘Ali b. Hasan b. Faddal was a learned man and reliable in his transmission of religious information. He was among the companions of Imams Hadi and Hasan ‘Askari. He wrote a book on ghaybat.[19]

(7) Fadl b. Shadhan Nishaburi was among the jurists and theologians. He was among the companions of Imams Hadi and Hasan ‘Askari. He died in the year 260 AH/873 CE. He wrote a book on the subject of the Qa’im of the Family of Muhammad and his ghaybat.[20]

It is important to keep in mind that the story about ghaybat is not something new in Islam. It has deep religious roots and was always discussed and debated from the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny). Consequently, the possibility that a person like ‘Uthman b. Sa’id invented and disseminated it is absolutely unfounded. Such an accusation cannot come about from any one other than a prejudiced individual. Moreover, if we append the following three propositions together, then the matter of the occultation of the Imam of the Age becomes certain:

(a) On the basis of rational demonstration as well as numerous hadith-reports related from the Prophet and the Imams, it is certain that the existence of the Imam and the Proof of God on earth is necessary for the survival of humanity. Therefore, there is no time when the earth could be without the Imam.

(b) On the basis of numerous hadith-reports, there can be no more than twelve Imams.

(c) On the basis of many reports, both in the books on hadith and history, it is a fact that eleven of these twelve Imams have lived and died.

These three propositions make it necessary to conclude that the existence of the Imam Mahdi is beyond any doubt, and that since he does not live a visible existence, he must be in occultation.

The Short and Complete Occultation [21]

Dr. Jalali: What is the meaning of ‘short’ and ‘complete’ occultation?

Mr. Hoshyar: It means that the twelfth Imam (peace be upon him) remained concealed from the public at two different times. The first period extends from the time of his birth in 255 or 256 AH/868 or 869 CE or from the time of his father, Imam Hasan ‘Askari’s death in 260 AH/873 CE, to the year 329 AH/940 CE. During this time, although he lived an invisible existence as far as the public was concerned, he was not completely cut off from them. Rather, he maintained regular contact with his followers through his deputies, who were able to reach him and present to him their needs and inquiries. The existence of the Imam during this period that lasted some 74 or 69 years is known as ghaybat-i sughra.

The second period extends from the year 329/940, with the termination of the deputyship of his prominent and trustworthy associates, to the time when he will emerge from the state of the occultation to lead humanity to establish the rule of justice and equity on earth. This period of occultation is known as ghaybat-i kubra.

Both the Prophet and the Imams (peace be upon them) had informed people about the two forms of occultation for the Mahdi. Thus, for instance, Ishaq b. ‘Ammar relates a hadith he heard from Imam Sadiq:

The Qa’im will have two forms of occultation: one long and the other short. During the first occultation his special followers will know his whereabouts; during the second occultation, except for a few very special followers of his in his religion, no one will have any information about his whereabouts. [22]

In another tradition Imam Sadiq said:

The one who is entrusted with the command (sahib al-‘amr) will have two forms of occultation. One of them will be so long that a group of the people will say that he has died; others will say he has been killed; still others will say he has disappeared. Very few will remain who will still have faith in his existence, and will continue to be steadfast. At this time no one will have any information about his whereabouts except his very few followers.[23]

The Short Occultation and the Contacts with the Shi’a

Dr. Fahimi: I have heard that after the short occultation began, there were some charlatans who, taking advantage of the ignorance of the ignorant masses, claimed to be the deputies and ‘gates’ (bab = ‘mediator’ between the Imam and his followers) of the Hidden Imam. They cheated the people and pocketed a lot of their wealth. Could you take some time to explain who exactly these deputies were and what kind of contact and relationship there was between the Imam and his followers, and in what form?

Mr. Hoshyar: During the short occultation people in general were deprived of a more normal contact with the Imam. However, the relationship was not completely severed. It was maintained through some special individuals known as bab (‘mediator’), na’ib (‘deputy’), and wakil (‘representative’). It was through these individuals that the people established contact with their Imam, asking questions of him and seeking his assistance in their affairs. The share of the Imam from the khums (the ‘fifth’) was delivered to the Imam through his deputy. Sometimes, they used to ask for material help from the Imam; at other times they used to seek permission to go for hajj or other kinds of travel; still at other times they would ask the Imam to pray for their sick or to pray for a child for them. The Imam used to respond to these requests through different individuals who represented him among them in different parts of the Muslim world. In the performance of all these tasks there were specific individuals who executed the will of the Imam. There were times when the requests were made in letters to the Imam and, accordingly, he would respond in writing. These ‘signed notes’ from him were known as tawqi’.

Were these Letters from the Imam in His Own Handwriting?

Dr. Jalali: Who wrote these letters? Was it the Imam himself or someone else?

Mr. Hoshyar: It is said that the Imam himself wrote these letters or notes. In fact, his handwriting was well known among his associates and the contemporary scholars. They used to recognize it well. There is some evidence to that effect in the sources. For instance, Muhammad b. ‘Uthman ‘Amri says: “A signed note was issued from the Imam and the handwriting was well known to me.”[24]

Ishaq b. Ya’qub relates that he had sent a letter asking questions to the twelfth Imam through Muhammad b. ‘Uthman. He received the reply in the Imam’s own handwriting.[25]

Shaykh Abu ‘Amr ‘Amiri relates: Ibn Abi Ghanim Qazwini had a dispute on a matter with a group of the Shi’is. For resolving it they wrote a letter to the Imam explaining the matter. The response came from the Imam in his own handwriting.[26] According to Shaykh Saduq, the letter that his father had received from the Imam was in his possession.[27]

These aforementioned individuals have borne the testimony that the letters they received or were in their possession were from the Imam himself, in his own handwriting. However, we do not know the way they determined that it was the Imam’s handwriting. The reason is that with the occultation it was not possible to see the Imam. In addition, there were some who reported contrary to what these aforementioned individuals were claiming. For example, Abu Nasr Hibat Allah relates that the signed notes were issued by ‘Uthman b. Sa’id and Muhammad b. ‘Uthman, in the same handwriting that was used during the time of Imam Hasan ‘Askari.[28]

In another report the same person relates that Abu Ja’far ‘Amri died in the year 304 AH/916 CE. He had been the deputy of the Imam for over fifty years. People used to bring their donations to him and signed notes were issued to them in the same hand writing as during the time of Imam Hasan ‘Askari.[29] In yet another report he says that the signed notes of the Imam were issued by Muhammad b. ‘Uthman, in the same handwriting as they were issued during the time of his father, ‘Uthman b. Sa’id.[30]

‘Abd Allah b. Ja’far Himyari relates: “When ‘Uthman b. Sa’id died, the signed notes of the Imam of the Age were issued in the same handwriting in which we used to receive earlier letters.”[31]

On the basis of all these reports it can be surmised that the notes that were received by the people during ‘Uthman b. Sa’id and Muhammad b. ‘Uthman’s time were in the same handwriting as those that were received during the time of Imam Hasan ‘Askari. Thus, these could not be in the handwriting of the twelfth Imam. Rather, it can be maintained that Imam Hasan ‘Askari had a special scribe who was in charge of writing the letters and who continued to do so also under these two deputies, namely, ‘Uthman and his son Muhammad. It is also plausible to maintain that some of these letters were dictated directly by the Imam, whereas others were dictated by someone other than him. However, it is important to state that from the evidence provided in the biographies of the Shi’i scholars living during the short occultation, the contents of these letters were trusted by the Shi’is, were regarded as coming from the Imam himself, and were accepted as authentic. They used to write to the Imam about their points of dispute. And, when the response came for them, they used to submit to his judgement.

‘Ali b. Husayn b. Babawayh corresponded with the Imam in occultation and requested him to pray for a son for him. To be sure, he received a response from the Imam.

One of the prominent scholars who was born during the short occultation and had been in touch with the deputies of the Imam was Muhammad b. Ibrahim b. Ja’far Nu’mani. In his book entitled Ghayba he confirmed the deputyship of some prominent associates of the eleventh and twelfth Imams. After relating some hadith on the subject of the ghaybat, he writes:

During the first occultation there were the mediators between the Imam and the people, carrying out [the duties of the Imam], having been designated [by him], living among the people. These were the eminent persons and leaders from whose hands emanated cures derived from the knowledge and the intricate wisdom which they possessed, and the answers to all the questions which were put to them about the problems and difficulties [of religion]. This was the short occultation, the days of which have come to an end and whose time has gone by. Now it is the time of the complete occultation.[32]

It appears that the signed notes received from the Imam served as special signs and documentation which the Shi’is and their scholars accepted. Shaykh Hurr ‘Amili writes:

Ibn Abi Ghanim Qazwini used to argue with the Shi’is on the matter of the successor to the Imamate. He used to say: “Imam Hasan ‘Askari had no son.” The people wrote to the Imam. Their custom was to write on a white sheet with a pen without ink so that it would serve as a sign of miracle. To this they received the answer from the Imam (peace be upon him).[33]

The Number of Deputies

There is difference of opinion regarding the number of deputies of the twelfth Imam. Sayyid Ibn Tawus in his book entitled Rab’i al-shi’a has mentioned their names as follows:

(1) Abu Hashim Dawud b. al-Qasim

(2) Muhammad b. ‘Ali b. Bilal

(3) ‘Uthman b. Sa’id

(4) Muhammad b. ‘Uthman

(5) ‘Umar al-Ahwazi

(6) Ahmad b. Ishaq

(7) Abu Muhammad al-Wajna’

(8) Ibrahim b. Mahziyar

(9) Muhammad b. Ibrahim [34]

Shaykh Tusi introduces the names of the deputies of the Imam as follows:

From Baghdad ‘Uthman b. Sa’id and his son Muhammad b. ‘Uthman, Hajiz, Bilali, and ‘Attar; from Kufa ‘Asimi; from Ahwaz Muhammad b. Ibrahim b. Mahziyar; from Qumm Ahmad b. Ishaq; from Hamadan Muhammad b. Salih; from Rayy Shami and Asadi; from Azerbaijan Qasim b. ‘Ala’; and from Nishabur Muhammad b. Shadhan. [35]

However, the deputyship of the four prominent members of the community is famous among the Shi’is. These are:

(1) ‘Uthman b. Sa’id ‘Amri (260 AH/874 CE)

(2) Muhammad b. ‘Uthman ‘Amri (d. 304 AH/916 CE)

(3) Husayn b. Ruh Nawbakhti (d. 326 AH/937 CE)

(4) ‘Ali b. Muhammad al-Samarri (d. 329/940 CE)

‘Uthman b. Sa’id, the First Deputy

He was among the most trustworthy and eminent companions of Imam Hasan ‘Askari and was his representative among the Shi’a. According to Bu ‘Ali and Mamqani, “‘Uthman b. Sa’id was thoroughly reliable and highly respected because of his impeccable character. He served as the agent of the Imam Hadi, Imam Hasan ‘Askari, and Imam Qa’im (peace be upon them).”[36] Such an opinion of him was universally held by all other authors of biographical dictionaries. Thus, ‘Allama Bihbahani, in addition to praising ‘Uthman, says that he was actually accredited by the Imams Hadi and Hasan ‘Askari.[37]

Ahmad b. Ishaq relates the incident in which he asked the tenth Imam Hadi regarding the person with whom the Shi’a should deal and whose guidance they should accept as coming from the Imams. The Imam said: “‘Uthman b. Sa’id is my trusted agent. If he relates something for you then he is telling the truth. Listen to him and obey him because I trust him.” When Imam Hasan ‘Askari was asked a similar question he mentioned both ‘Uthman and his son Muhammad as his trusted agents. Moreover, he also required his followers to listen to and obey Uthman. These reports were so widespread among the companions of the last Imams that they became the source of the respect and trust with which ‘Uthman b. Sa’id was held.[38]

On one occasion Muhammad b. Isma’il and ‘Ali b. ‘Abd Allah came to Samarra to visit Imam Hasan ‘Askari. There was a group of Shi’a visiting the Imam at that time. Suddenly, the servant came and announced that a group of villagers, shabbily dressed, were seeking permission to enter the presence of the Imam. The Imam said: “They are Shi’a from the Yemen.” Then he told the servant to ask ‘Uthman to be prepared for the visitors. Within a short while ‘Uthman was ready. The Imam said to him: “‘Uthman, you are our trusted agent. Receive the goods this group has brought.” This elevation of ‘Uthman, according to the narrators of the report, was done in order to let the Shi’a know the status of ‘Uthman. In fact, towards the end of that visit Imam Hasan ‘Askari declared to the group saying: “Let it be known to you that ‘Uthman b. Sa’id is my agent and his son will be the agent of my son Mahdi.”[39]

Imam Hasan ‘Askari revealed his son to the group of forty people among his followers, including ‘Ali b. Bilal, Ahmad b. Hilal, Muhammad b. Mu’awiya, and Hasan b. Ayyub and said: “This is your Imam and my successor. Obey him! Know that after this time for a while you will not see him. Listen to what ‘Uthman b. Sa’id says and follow his instructions because he [Uthman] is the successor of your Imam. The management of the affairs of our people will be in his hands.”[40]

His Miraculous Acts

In addition to these favorable statements from the Imams accrediting ‘Uthman b. Sa’id, there are miraculous acts (karamat) ascribed to him. These acts actually provide further evidence to bolster the truthfulness of his statements. For instance, Shaykh Tusi in his Kitab al-Ghayba, relates the following story from a number of persons belonging to Nawbakht family, including Abu al-Hasan Kathiri:

A person brought some goods [belonging to the twelfth Imam] from Qumm and the vicinity to ‘Uthman b. Sa’id. When the person wanted to leave ‘Uthman b. Sa’id said: “You have been entrusted with something else too. Why have you not delivered it?” The person said: “There is nothing else left.” ‘Uthman b. Sa’id told him to go back and search for it. After a few days of searching the person returned to report that he had not found anything on him. At that ‘Uthman b. Sa’id asked him: “What happened to the two pieces of cloth that were handed to you by so and so?” The person said: “By God, you are right. But I have forgotten about them, and now I do not know where they are.”

Once more he returned to his place and searched for the material, but could not find it. He came and told ‘Uthman b. Sa’id about that. ‘Uthman said: “Go to so and so, the cotton seller, to whom you delivered two bundles of cotton. Open the bundle on which such and such is written. You will find that entrusted material in it.” The man went and did what ‘Uthman b. Sa’id had asked him to do. He found the material and brought it to him. [41]

Muhammad b. ‘Ali Aswad, another agent of the Imam, was given a piece of cloth by a woman for ‘Uthman b. Sa’id. He took it with some other clothes to ‘Uthman. ‘Uthman asked him to hand it to Muhmmad b. ‘Abbas Qummi. He did so. After that ‘Uthman b. Sa’id sent him a message which said: “Why have you not delivered the cloth given by the woman?” Muhammad b. ‘Ali Aswad remembered the cloth and searched for it until he delivered it to him.[42]

Shaykh Saduq has narrated another incident in his Kamal al-din. He writes:

A man from Iraq brought the Imam’s share (sahm imam) to ‘Uthman b. Sa’id. ‘Uthman returned the money and said: “Deduct from it that which you owe to your cousins.” The man was surprised to hear that. When he investigated his goods he found that he owed part of the agricultural land to his cousins, which he had not returned. On careful calculation he found that the land was equivalent to four hundred dirhams. Thus, he deducted that from his goods and took the remaining portion to ‘Uthman b. Sa’id. This time it was accepted from him.[43]

After all these reports about ‘Uthman b. Sa’id’s honesty and trustworthiness, the respect with which he was held by the tenth and eleventh Imams, and the consensus among the Shi’a about his moral probity and sound character, is it fair to assume that he was a manipulative individual, intent upon deceiving the generality of the Shi’is?

Muhammad b. ‘Uthman, the Second Deputy

Muhammad b. ‘Uthman succeeded his father, ‘Uthman b. Sa’id, as the deputy after the latter’s death in 260 AH/874 CE. Shaykh Tusi, commenting on both these deputies of the Hidden Imam (peace be upon him), writes that “they enjoyed the highest esteem in the eyes of the Master of the Age.”[44]

According to Mamqani, the high status of Muhammad b. ‘Uthman among the Shi’is is self-evident. They are in agreement that during the lifetime of his father he was the deputy of Imam Hasan ‘Askari, and later on he became the deputy of the twelfth Imam. In fact, ‘Uthman b. Sa’id explicitly appointed Muhammad b. ‘Uthman as his successor and the deputy of the Hidden Imam.[45]

Ya’qub b. Ishaq, a prominent follower of the Imams in Samarra, relates:

I wrote a letter to the Imam of the Age through Muhammad b. ‘Uthman in which I asked some questions about religious problems. The reply came in the Imam’s own handwriting. In addition to the responses to my inquiries it included the statement: “Muhammad b. ‘Uthman is the trusted one. His letters are my letters.” [46]

His Miraculous Acts

Muhammad b. Shadhan, a close companion of Imam Hasan ‘Askari, relates that he had four hundred and eighty dirhams that belonged to the Imam (peace be upon him). Since he did not like to send without rounding the figure to five hundred, he added twenty dirhams from his money and sent it to Muhammad b. ‘Uthman, without writing to him that he had added that amount. A receipt came from the Imam in which it was written: “We received five hundred dirhams, which included twenty dirhams from you.”[47]

A similar story is reported by Ja’far b. Ahmad b. Matil. Muhammad b. ‘Uthman sent a message calling him to visit. When Ja’far came Muhammad b. ‘Uthman gave him some pieces of cloth and a bag of dirhams, and asked him to go to Wasit. There he asked him to hand the bag and cloth to the first person he would meet. When Ja’far reached Wasit the first person he met was Hasan b. Muhammad b. Qatah. He introduced himself to Hasan who recognized him and they embraced each other. He related to him Muhammad b. ‘Uthman’s greetings and handed over to him the goods he had brought. When Hasan heard this he thanked God and said: “Muhammad b. ‘Abd Allah ‘Amiri has died. I left the house to get a shroud for him.” Upon opening the goods that were sent by Muhammad b. ‘Uthman they found everything they needed to prepare for ‘Amiri’s burial. Even the money was exactly the amount that was needed to cover the expenses related to the funeral. Hence, they went ahead and buried ‘Amiri.[48]

According to another eminent follower of the Imams, namely, Muhammad b. ‘Ali b. al-Aswad Qummi, Muhammad b. ‘Uthman had prepared his burial place while still alive. He asked him for the reason. In response Muhammad b. ‘Uthman said: “I have been ordered by the Imam to take care of my affairs in advance.” Two months following this event Muhammad b. ‘Uthman died.[49]

Muhammad b. ‘Uthman remained the Hidden Imam’s deputy for almost fifty years and died in the year 304 AH/916 CE.

Husayn b. Ruh, the Third Deputy

The third deputy of the Imam of the Age (peace be upon him), was the most learned and astute leader of his time. Muhammad b. ‘Uthman had himself designated him as his successor and deputy of the Imam.

‘Allama Majlisi, in his Bihar al-anwar, writes:

When Muhammad b. ‘Uthman became seriously ill, a group of prominent Shi’is like Abu ‘Ali b. Humam, Abu ‘Abd Allah b. Muhammad Katib, Abu ‘Abd Allah Baqtani, Abu Sahl Nawbakhti, and Abu ‘Abd Allah b. Wajna’ came to see him. They asked him about his successor. In reply he said: “Husayn b. Ruh is my successor and the trusted deputy of the Master of the Age. Refer to him in your affairs. I have been commanded by the Imam to designate Husayn b. Ruh in the position of deputyship.”[50]

Ja’far b. Muhammad Mada’ini relates that he used to carry the goods that belonged to the Imam to Muhammad b. ‘Uthman. One day he took four hundred dinars to him. Muhammad b. ‘Uthman asked him to deposit it with Husayn b. Ruh and so Ja’far asked him the reason he did not accept it himself. Muhammad b. ‘Uthman said: “Take it to Husayn b. Ruh. You should know that I have appointed him as my successor.” Ja’far went on to ask if he had done so under instructions from the Imam. He replied: “Yes.” Hence, Ja’far took the money to Husyan b. Ruh and from this time on he deposited the Imam’s share with the latter.[51]

Among the companions and close associates of Muhammad b. ‘Uthman there were a number of people, such as Ja’far b. Ahmad b. Matil, who held much higher position in merits than Husyan b. Ruh. In fact, many thought that the deputyship would be given to Ja’far Matil. However, contrary to the generally held expectation, it was Husayn b. Ruh who became the next deputy. Everyone at that point submitted to Muhammad b. ‘Uthman’s decision, including Ja’far Matil.[52] Abu Sahl Nawbakhti was asked about this decision:

“How did Husayn b. Ruh get appointed to the position of deputyship, when you were more qualified to assume it?” In response he said: “The Imam knows better about the person who can represent him. I am always in debate with our opponents. If I were the deputy, maybe at the time of heated debate, in order to prove my point, I would have revealed the Imam’s whereabouts. But Husayn b. Ruh is not like me. If he had the Imam hidden under his garments, and if he were being cut to pieces, he would not expose him to anyone.” [53]

Shaykh Saduq relates the circumstances that led his father to write a letter to the Imam and ask him to pray for a son for him. According to this report, it was Muhammad b. ‘Ali Aswad who related that Shaykh Saduq’s father, ‘Ali b. Husyan b. Babawayh, sent a message through him to Husyan b. Ruh to ask the Imam to pray for a son for him. That message was delivered to Husayn b. Ruh. After three days he informed Muhammad Aswad that the Imam had prayed for him and that in the near future God would favor him with a son. That very year Muhammad, that is Shaykh Saduq, was born. After that several other sons were born. But it was Shaykh Saduq who used to pride himself on having been born through the special prayer of the Imam. In fact, whenever Muhammad Aswad saw Shaykh Saduq in the learning sessions with prominent teachers, studying extremely well, he would say: “It is not surprising to see you studying so well. After all you were born through the prayer of the Imam of the Age!”[54]

There was a man who had doubts about the deputyship of Husayn b. Ruh. For clarification of his doubt he wrote a letter to the Imam with a dry pen without ink. After a few days he received a reply from the Hidden Imam (peace be upon him) through Husayn b. Ruh.

Husayn b. Ruh died in the month of Sha’ban, in the year 326 AH/937 CE.[55]

‘Ali b. Muhammad Samarri, the Fourth Deputy

He was the fourth deputy of the Hidden Imam (peace be upon him). His full name was Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali b. Muhammad Samarri. According to Ibn Tawus, he had served under the Imam Hadi and Imam Hasan ‘Askari. These two Imams were, moreover, in correspondence with him and had written a number of signed notes for him. He was undoubtedly among the most eminent faces of the Shi’a in Baghdad.[56] Husayn b. Ruh, as reported by Ahmad b. Muhammad Safwani, had appointed ‘Ali b. Muhammad Samarri in his place so that he could manage his affairs. When his death approached, a number of Shi’is came to see him and asked him about his successor. His response was that he had not been asked to appoint anyone to that position. [57]

It is related by Ahmad b. Ibrahim Mukhallad that one day ‘Ali b. Muhammad Samarri, without any indication, said: “May God have mercy on ‘Ali b. Muhammad b. Babawayh Qummi!” Those present at that time made note of the date of this pronouncement. Later the news came that ‘Ali b. Babawayh had died on the same day. He himself died in the year 329 AH/941 CE.[58]

Hasan b. Ahmad relates that he was with ‘Ali b. Muhammad Samarri some days before he died. A letter came from the Imam which he read for the people. The contents were as follows:

In the name of God. O ‘Ali b. Muhammad Samarri, may God reward your brethren in your death, which is going to take place in six days’ time. So take care of your affairs and do not appoint anyone in your place, since the complete occultation has taken place. I will not appear until God permits me to do so (may His name be exalted) and that will be after a long time and after the hearts become hard and the earth is filled with wickedness. In the near future there will be those among my followers who will claim to have seen me. Beware, those who claim this before the rise of Sufyani and the [hearing of the] voice from the sky are liars.[59]

This was the end of the Short Occultation and the beginning of the Complete Occultation. The deputyship of these four prominent members of the Shi’a community is famous among the believers. There were also some individuals who made false claims about being deputized by the Hidden Imam (peace be upon him). Since they could not prove their claim their falsehood became manifest and they were discredited in the community. Among this latter group were Hasan Shari’ati, Muhammad b. Nusayr Numayri, Ahmad b. Hilal Karakhi, Muhammad b. ‘Ali b. Bilal, Muhammad b. ‘Ali Shalmaghani, and Abu Bakr Baghdadi.

This was, in brief, the account of the special deputies. From all the sources that speak about them it is reasonable to assert that their claim to be the deputy of the Hidden Imam was defensible. There is no rational ground to doubt that they truly held that kind of highly esteemed position in the Shi’a community in the ninth-tenth century.

*******

Dr. Fahimi: I had many more questions in this connection. However, I shall postpone asking them now, since it is getting quite late. Let us raise these questions when we meet next time.

Notes:

Ithbat al-wasiyya, pp. 186-89.

Ibid., p. 185.

Ibn Shahr Ashub, Manaqib, Vol. 4, p. 397; Ithbat al-wasiyya, p. 194.

Ibn al-Qifti, Ta’rikh al-hukama’, pp. 413-417

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 38.

Ilzam al-nasib (1351 AH edition), p. 81.

Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 6, p. 386.

Ibid., p. 393.

Ibid., p. 350.

Maqatil al-talibiyyin, p. 165.

Kamal al-din, Vol. 1, pp. 112-115.

I’lam al-wara (Tehran edition, 1378 AH), p. 416.

Rijal Najashi, Vol. 2, p. 77; Rijal Tusi, p. 357; Fihrist Tusi, p. 92.

Rijal Najashi, Vol. 2, p. 79.

Rijal Najashi, Vol. 2, p. 86; Fihrist Tusi, p. 3.

Rijal Najashi, Vol. 2, p. 132; Fihrist Tusi, p. 50.

Rijal Najashi, Vol. 2, p. 119; Rijal Tusi, p. 384; Fihrist Tusi, p. 147.

Rijal Najashi, Vol. 2, p. 119; Rijal Tusi, p. 384; Fihrist Tusi, p. 147.

Rijal Najashi, Vol. 2, p. 167; Rijal Tusi, p. 420 and 434; Fihrist Tusi, p. 150.

ghaybat sughra (‘minor’ or ‘small’ occultation, and ghaybat kubra (‘major’ or ‘long’ occultation) are now the accepted description of the two forms of occultation of the Mahdi (peace be upon him). The ‘short’ (qasira) and ‘complete’ (tamma) occultation are the description of the two forms that were common among the early Shi’i scholars during the first part of the ‘long’ occultation. Tr.

Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 7, p. 69; Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 52, p. 155.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 52, p. 153. There are eight more traditions on this subject.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 33.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 349.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 53, p. 178.

Anwar al-nu’maniyya (Tabriz edition), Vol. 2, p. 24.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 346.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 352.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 306.

Ibid., Vol. 51, p. 350.

Kitab al-ghayba, p. 91.

Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 7, p. 360.

Rijal Bu ‘Ali, p. 302.

Rijal Mamqani (Najaf edition, 1352 AH), Vol. 1, p. 200; Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 7, p. 294.

Rijal Bu ‘Ali, p. 200; Rijal Mamqani, Vol. 2, p. 245.

Minhaj al-maqal (Tehran edition, 1307 AH), p. 219.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 348.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 346.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 346.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 316.

Ibid., p. 335.

Ibid., p. 335.

Manhaj al-maqal, p. 305; Rijal Mamqani, Vol. 3, p. 149.

Rijal Mamqani, Vol. 3, p. 149 and Vol. 1, p. 200.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 325.

Ibid., p. 325.

Ibid., p. 337.

Ibid., p. 352.

Ibid., p. 355.

Ibid., p. 352.

Ibid., p. 353.

Ibid., p. 359.

Kamal al-din, Vol. 2, p. 502-503.

Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 7, p. 340.

Rijal Mamqani, Vol. 2, p. 304.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 360.

Bihar al-anwar, Vol. 51, p. 360.

Ibid., p. 361.