One Ummah Network
Fri, 10 Nov 2000 17:44:20 -0800
Submission by: Tavis Adibudeen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Topic: al-Imam al-Mahdi
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Text:
With the Name of Allah, The Merciful Benefactor, The Merciful Redeemer
Almost every religion and every group of people has, at some point, awaited
the arrival of someone who would assist them in their religion, revive the
pure teachings of their books, relieve the people from their oppression,
and/or lead a group of people to victory. Such stories are common in
ancient legends and myths, but they can also be found in many religious
scriptures. The Bible is filled with such prophesies of awaited reformers
and saviors. The most celebrated among them being al-Masih, Isa ibn Maryam
(Jesus), upon whom be peace. It should, therefore, be no surprise that
such a tradition and prophecy would exist within the texts of al-Islam.
There are numerous traditions narrated by companions of the Prophet
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) indicating details of what will
happen in the world when the Day of Judgement comes near. Among these
prophecies are that an evil person will emerge and gain a following. He
will be called the Dajjal (often called the Anti-Christ by Christians).
There are also traditions indicating that the son of Maryam, Isa, will
return to earth to kill the Dajjal, clear up any confusion regarding his
prophethood, get married, raise children, and die a natural death.
Other traditions further paint the picture of a great reformer who will
come and fill the earth with justice. He will not be a prophet or a
messenger but rather a man with a mission of justice, peace, and revival of
al-Islam on earth. This man was given the title of Mahdi. It is not a
title exclusive only to him, as Prophet Muhammad (saaws) also had this
title. This final Mahdi, however, will reportedly return the banner of
Islam to greatness, re-establish the Islamic state, and fill the world with
justice.
--------------------
History of al-Mahdi
--------------------
Some historians are of the opinion that the concept of Mahdi didn't
originate until long after the death of the last Prophet (saaws). They
concluded that the stories of the Mahdi surfaced in judeo-christian
traditions and were later adopted by deviant Muslim groups. The majority
of Muslims, however, accept the traditions of the Mahdi as legitimate since
they are found within many of the hadith books which are considered
authentic (or partially authentic) by the majority of the schools of
thought within Islam. Some of these traditions are narrated below:
Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If only one day of this time (world)
remained, Allah would raise up a man from my family who would fill this
earth with justice as it has been filled with oppression.
Narrated Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu'minin (Mother of the Believers):
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: The Mahdi will be of my family, of
the descendants of Fatimah.
Narrated AbuSa'id al-Khudri:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: The Mahdi will be of my stock, and
will have a broad forehead and a prominent nose. He will fill the earth
will equity and justice as it was filled with oppression and tyranny, and
he will rule for seven years.
Narrated Abu Sa'id al-Khudari.
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.
'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."
"In the last days a man will appear from my progeny, whose name will be
same as as mine and his epithet will be similar to mine. He will fill this
earth with equity and justice as it will be fraught with injustice and
oppression".
Sayed Ahmed Zaini Dahlan, the Mufti of Makka states regarding the
traditions that : "Such traditions are Mutawatir' (too profusely repeated),
among them some are 'Sahih' (Correct), some are 'Hasan. (approved Good) and
some are 'Dhaif (weak)".
We can draw a number of conclusions based on these narrations:
1. The Mahdi will be from the Prophet's family (Ahlul-bayt) and be a
descendant of Fatimah (s.a.)
2. He will fill the earth with justice after it had been filled with
oppression
3. He will rule for 7 or 9 years.
4. This will take place some time during the Last Days
5. His name will be Muhammad
6. His kunya (patronymic) will be Abul-Qasim
----------------------------
Objections to the Traditions
----------------------------
As we mentioned earlier, there is a group of Muslims who have adopted the
idea that the Mahdi is a legend created by Muslims who were influenced by
Jews or others. These people tend to favor conspiracy theories that often
involve imaginary Jewish characters such as Abdallah bin Saba. The fact of
the matter remains, however, that these traditions are consider authentic
by the hadith scholars who compiled them.
The ahadith about Imam Mahdi are what scholars call "mutawatir." This
means that the narrations are so numerous that it is automatically
considered authentic (assuming it does not contradict the Qur'an). Some of
the companions (sahaba) who narrated hadith about the Mahdi 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 al-Farsi,
Hudhayfa, Anas b. Malik, Umm Salama, and others. Among the 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.
It is also well known that throughout the early history of the Muslim
Ummah, people waited for the appearance of the Mahdi. Obviously, they
would not do so unless it was well-established and well known that someone,
as described in the traditions, was expected to arrive. Over this period,
there were several people falsely claiming to be the Mahdi or whose
followers elevated them to this status (against their own will). The
following are some examples:
(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
History shows, however, that Muhammad b. Hanafiyya never himself claimed to
be the Mahdi.
(2) Muhammad b. 'Abd Allah b. Hasan:
He was a descendant of the Prophet, having the same name as the Prophet,
and thus some people thought him to be the Mahdi though their theory was
later refuted.
Throughout history, there were many other people who were thought to be the
Mahdi and even contemporary leaders of movements within the past few
centuries (such as Ahmadiyya and Nation of Islam) who have been labeled as
the Mahdi. None of them, however, have fulfilled the prophecy completely.
None of them came just before the Last Hour, and none of them filled the
earth with justice and equality.
------------------------
Who is the Real Mahdi?
------------------------
While the majority of Muslims agree on the 6 points mentioned above, they
are divided in their views as to how the Mahdi will appear, from where he
will come, and when he was or will be born. The Imami school of thought is
unanimous in their belief that the Mahdi has already been born, lives among
us, but is not known to the people. He was born on the 15th of Shaban 255
A.H. in Samarrah, Iraq. His name is Abul-Qasim Muhammad ibn al-Hasan
al-Askari. Many of the sufi sheikhs and their followers also conform with
this view of the Mahdi.
Shaikh Akbar Mohyiddin Ibn Arabi in his 'Futuhaat' writes about the
uprising of Mahdi that "He will not reappear unless the world is filled
with injustice and oppression to such an extent that a single day is left
in the tenure of this world. He will be from the offspring of the
Prophet(s) and progeny of Fatema (s.a.) His forefather is Imam Hussain
(a.s.) and his father is Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) ".
The other major schools of thought, such as Ashari, Maliki, Hanafi,
Hanbali, Shafi'i, and Salafi do not generally specify that Muhammad ibn
al-Askari is the Mahdi. They do not indicate where the mahdi will come
from nor when and how he will be born.
Shaykh Mohammad al Safarini (died 1183 A.H.) writes in his book "Lawame
al-Anwaar al Bahiya" The reports about Hazrat Mahdi are so numerous that
they reach the grade of "Mutawatir (widely related). They are so famous
among the scholars of Ahle Sunnat that they are considered as their belief-
on the basis of this the belief in the reappearance of Hazrat Imam Mahdi is
necessary. This is what that is accepted by the men of letters (scholars)
and it is the belief of AhIe Sunnat wal Jamaat."
Shaykh Abdullah ibn Baaz said in a speech :" Whatever has been mentioned by
Shaykh Abdul Mohsin Al Abbas are correct and true. The matter regarding
Imam Mahdi is famous and well-known among the scholars, and the traditions
regarding him are Mutawatir. Imam Mabdi is a blessing of Allah upon the
Muslim people in the last period (Akhir uz-Zaman). He will appear and
establish truth and justice and eradicate oppression and tyranny. Allah
will hoist the flag of goodness through him. Through him, only, Allah will
guide the people."
----------------------------
What Should Be Our Role?
----------------------------
Because the Mahdi has been promised to us by Allah, and he will undoubtedly
fill the earth with justice and relieve people from their oppression, it
might appear to some that we should stop struggling against oppression,
cease our resistance to injustice, and patiently await his arrival. This,
however, is not the teachings of al-Islam. Allah says in the Qur'an:
"Because Allah will never change the grace which He has bestowed on a
people until they change what is in their (own) souls: and verily Allah is
He Who hears and knows (all things)." (8:53)
It is therefore the duty of all Muslims to prepare for the arrival of the
Mahdi as if it were going to occur tomorrow. This way of life does not
allow us to sit idly and wait for someone to come and save us. Many
generations before us have come and gone without the arrival of the Mahdi
taking place. Thus, we must do our part in what little time we have to
unify the Ummah and return Muslims to the practice and example of the Last
Prophet (pbuh). It is in this way that we can alleviate the suffering of
Muslims from oppressive hands and again raise the banner of al-Islam in the
world establishing justice and peace, insha'Allah.
"And they say, why is not a sign sent to him from his Lord? Say; The unseen
is only for Allah, therefore wait - surely I too with you am of those who
wait."
[Yunus : 20.]
"Those who, should we establish them in the land, will keep up prayer and
pay the poor-rate and enjoin good and forbid evil; and for Allah is the end
of affairs' [Hajj : 41]
"Allah has promised to those of you who believe and do good that He will
most certainly make them rulers in the earth as He made rulers those before
them and that He will most certainly establish for them their religion
which He has chosen for them and that He will most certainly, after their
fear, give them security in exchange, (as) they serve Me (and) do not
associate aught with Me..." [Nur : 33]
"And certainly We wrote in the Book after the reminder that (as for) the
land. My righteous servants shall inherit it." (Anbiya : 105)
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