Mahdi

In Islamic eschatology the Mahdi (مهدي transliteration: Mahdī, also Mehdi; "Guided One") is the prophesied redeemer of Islam. The advent of Mahdi is not a universally accepted concept in Islam,^{[citation needed]} and among those that accept the Mahdi there are basic differences among different sects of Muslims about the timing and nature of his advent and guidance. Most Muslims believe that the Mahdi will change the world into a perfect and just Islamic society alongside Jesus before Yaum al-Qiyamah (literally "Day of the Resurrection" or "Day of the Standing"). The "hdi" of "Mahdi" refers to the Arabic root "هدی" which means "to guide." "Mahdi" is also an Arabic name.

The exact nature of the Mahdi differs according to Sunni and Shi'a Muslims. For a more in-depth Shi'a account of the Mahdi, see Muhammad al-Mahdi. The concept of Mahdi is not explicitly mentioned in the Qu'ran, but the sayings of Muhammad on Imam Mahdi abounds.

Introduction

Shi‘ites claim the Mahdi is their 12th Imam, as evidenced in a hadith from the Shia text (Kitab Al-Kafi) containing a conversation between the first Shia Imam Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib and a man named al-Asbagh ibn Nubata.

In a hadith widely regarded as authentic, Muhammad said,^{[citation needed]}

Even if the entire duration of the world's existence has already been exhausted and only one day is left before the Day of Judgment, God will expand that day to such a length of time, as to accommodate the kingdom of a person out of Ahl al-Bayt who will be called by my name. He will then fill the Earth with peace and justice as it will have been filled with injustice and tyranny before then.

Sahih Tirmidhi, V2, P86, V9, P74–75.

The Mahdi, according to Shi'ite tradition, will arise at some point before the day of judgement, institute a kingdom of justice, and will in the last days fight alongside the returned Jesus against the Dajjal, the Antichrist.

However, like most religious concepts, various Muslim traditions have ascribed different characteristics to the Mahdi. Also, as Mahdiism is closely related to the leadership of the Ummah, it has had the potential to be abused as some leaders of secularly focused politico-religious movements in the name of Islam who have claimed to be the Mahdi.

Of those Sunnis that hold to the existence of the Mahdi, some believe the Mahdi will be an ordinary man, born to an ordinary woman. Umm Salamah said:

I heard the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon Him) say: ‘The Mahdi is of my lineage and family…’

Sunan Abu Dawud, 11/373; Sunan Ibn Maajah, 2/1368.

Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri said:

The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon Him) said: "He is one of us…"

Reported by Abi Na’eem in Akhbaar al-Mahdi, see al-Jaami’ al-Sagheer, 5/219, hadith 5796.

The Shi'a belief is that Mahdi has been alive and in occultation for 1200 years and is eleven generations down from Muhammad - i.e. the twelfth Shi'a Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi.

Divergent views among Sunnis

The coming of the Mahdi is a disputed notion within Sunnis, with the claim being denied by the Ahle Quran and Darul-uloom Nadwatul Ulama clerics.^{[citation needed]} Mahdi is not mentioned in the Qu'ran and although there are not few authentic hadiths that mention him in detailed.

Although the concept of a "Mahdi" is not reported in Sahih al-Bukhari nor Muslim, it is found in Sunan Abi Dawud, Ibn Majah and Tirmidhi and agreed upon by Sunni scholars as sound and trustworthy (saheeh and thiqat sanad).^{[citation needed]}

Al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ja’far al-Katani said: "The conclusion is that the hadiths narrated concerning the Mahdi are mutawatir, as are the hadith concerning the Dajjal and the descent of Jesus the son of Mary, upon whom be peace."^{[citation needed]} Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Hajar al-Haytami in his fatwa titled The Brief Discourse on the Portents of the Awaited Mahdi, said that denial of the Mahdi is disbelief.^{[citation needed]} Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti in his book The Rose Fragrance Concerning the Reports on al-Mahdi, wrote, "This is the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah, this is the belief of the Sufis, this is the belief of our Shaykhs, and this is the belief of the true Shadhili Shaykhs, whose path both al-Suyuti and al-Haytami followed. Whoever differs with them is a liar and an innovator."^{[citation needed]}

The Naqshbandi Haqqani Sufi Order, under the leadership of Shaikh Hisham Kabbani of Islamic Supreme Council of America (ISCA), is among the Sufis who strongly believes the coming of Imam Mahdi in this 21st Century is imminent. Shaikh Hisham has written a book "The Approach of Armageddon" that touches much on this subject according to Sunni doctrine and beliefs.

Claims of being the Mahdi

Over the course of history, there have been several individuals who have declared themselves to be the Mahdi prophesied in Islam. Similar to the notion of a Messiah in the Judeo-Christian religions, the notion of a Mahdi as a redeemer to establish a society has lent itself to various interpretations leading to different claims within minorities or by individuals within Islam.

The first historical recorded reference to a movement using the name of Mahdi is al-Mukhtar's rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphate in 686, almost 50 years after Muhammad's death. Al-Mukhtar claimed that Ibn al-Hanifiya, a son of the fourth Caliph Ali (the first Imam of Shi'ite), was the Mahdi who would save the Muslim people from the unjust rule of the Umayyads. Ibn al-Hanifiya was not actively involved in the rebellion, and when the Umayyads successfully quashed it, they left him undisturbed.

The Mahdi in fiction

Many authors have used the concept of the Mahdi in fictional stories. Perhaps the best known is Frank Herbert, whose Dune science fantasy novels centered on the character of Paul Atreides.

Hadith about the Mahdi

In the light of traditions and interpretations, the personality of the Promised Mahdi would be as such:

The promised Mahdi would be a Caliph of God and to make a covenant with him is obligatory. He would belong to the House of Muhammad and would be in the line of Imam Hasan. His name would be Muhammad and his family name would be Abul Qasim, his father's name would be ‘Abdu’llah, and he would appear in Medina. He would protect the Muslims from destruction and would restore the religion to its original position.^{[citation needed]}

Bibliography (English)

• Shauhat Ali, Millenarian and Messianic Tendencies in Islamic Thought (Lahore: Publishers United, 1993)
• Timothy Furnish, Holiest Wars: Islamic Mahdis, Jihad and Osama Bin Laden (Westport: Praeger, 2005) ISBN 0275983838
• Abdulaziz Abdulhussein Sachedina, Islamic Messianism: The Idea of the Mahdi in Twelver Shi'ism (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1981) ISBN 0-87395-458-0
• Syaikh Hisyam Kabbani, The Approach of Armageddon (Islamic Supreme Council of America, 2002) ISBN 1930409206

See also

• Mahdaviat
• Dajjal
• People claiming to be the Mahdi
• Traditions about Mahdi
• Al-Qa'im (the Shi'a expectations)
• List of Islamic terms in Arabic
• Islamic eschatology
• Mahdi Army

External links

• Armageddon and the Mahdi - Retrieved October 16, 2007.
• A supportive view of the belief of the Mahdi at Sunni-oriented islam-qa.com - Retrieved October 16, 2007.
• A critical look at the belief in the Mahdi at Qurannic-oriented understanding-islam.com - Retrieved October 16, 2007.
• Information on the Mahdi on Shi'a-oriented al-islam.org - Retrieved October 16, 2007.
• Imam Mahdi and Christ's Descent by Naqshabandi Haqqani Sufi Order (Sunni) - Retrieved October 16, 2007.
• Imam Mahdi, Descendent of Prophet Muhammad PBUH(Sunni) - Retrieved October 16, 2007.
• Who is the person called Mahdi/Mehdi - Retrieved October 16, 2007.

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