seif wrote:
There seems to be a preponderance of this type of erroneous sentiment in these fora that somehow the ginanic tradition confers a greater insight to the Khoja and / or Indian subcontinent Ismailis. ...
The emphasis on ginanic poetry or implications that it has or confers greater "batini insight" to us who understand the ginans over our other fellow Ismailis, and somehow they "need to learn" the ginans as has been postulated in other threads, is erroneous.
I think you have misinterpreted my statement to imply that Ginanic tradition implies a greater "Batini insight". All I meant by the Zaheri context is the way our faith is articulated or made apparent to the world. If you look at our constitution, the notion of Imamat is more in line with the Nasir Khusraw context. Hence I have called it a Zaheri context - that is the context that we use to express ourselves to the world.
On the other hand we do not use Ginanic concepts to articulate our faith and hence they are Batini or hidden to the world.
I agree with you that Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah has alluded in many instances that the non Khoja Jamat is more pure than the khoja Jamat. In my opinion, that is the reason that the Imams were reluctant to give "BOL" to them as an additional purifying discipline.
The above notwithstanding, the Imams have empahsised the need for all murids from wherever and from generations to generations to learn the Ginans. You will find this in many of his Farmans.
The following excerpt of the speech by the Iraninan President Ahmadinejad at the UN on 17th September mentions the expectation for a "perfect man" who will bring peace and justice to the world. Perhaps it will not be too long before they realize who this man is.
"Dear Friends and Colleagues, "From the beginning of
time, humanity has longed for the day when justice,
peace, equality and compassion envelop the world. All
of us can contribute to the establishment of such a
world. When that day comes, the ultimate promise of
all Divine religions will be fulfilled with the
emergence of a perfect human being who is heir to all
prophets and pious men. He will lead the world to
justice and absolute peace.
"O mighty Lord, I pray to you to hasten the emergence
of your last repository, the promised one, that perfect and pure human being, the one that will fill
this world with justice and peace."
Quite an interesting presentation. Thanks for sharing it with us!
I think what we are going through is a period of rapid changes in the world and it is becoming increasingly difficult to manage them hence all the wars and problems between societies and cultures.
My view is that in the grand scheme of things, these can be considered as 'birthing problems' and we are being ushered into a more enlightened epoch. It is quite conceivable that the Imamat will have an important role to bring that about.
All postings from Wakeup under any pseudonyme new or old and any message quoting him will be automatically deleted daily at a random time by the server, including [unfortunately] this one also.
My view is that in the grand scheme of things, these can be considered as 'birthing problems' and we are being ushered into a more enlightened epoch. It is quite conceivable that the Imamat will have an important role to bring that about.
I agree with you. I get a feeling Golden Jubilee will usher us into a Golden Era. I may be wrong but it is quite a feeling. Virgo2
The following article discusses the concept of the Imam in Concealment, what apparent merit there is in it and the expectation of his return. This is purely from Ithna asheri perspective which is radically different than the Ismaili one. I thought it would be relevant to have knowledge of this in the context of our discussion.
What is the Benefit of an Imam in Concealment?>
> By Fazleabbas Kanji
>
>
> The tragic death of our eleventh Imam was the advent
> of a new era for the Shi’a world. It was the
> beginning of a period, which the followers of Ahlul
> Bayt had never experienced before. A period that
> would last till an appointed time not known by any
> except the Lord of the worlds, Allah (SWT). The Imam
> of the time had always been available to the
> believers so as to lead them and guide them without
> the presence of a veil, but now the age had arrived
> when the faith of the people would be truly under
> test.
> For the first sixty-eight years of his Imamate, Imam
> Al-Mahdi (AS) was in a transitional concealment from
> the people, whereby he used to directly answer the
> questions and requests of his followers through
> deputies that he had appointed. It was a period that
> allowed the people to become accustomed to the time
> that was to come, when the imam would neither make a
> public appearance nor would the people be able to
> approach him through any deputies– the time of the
> major occultation.
> Much criticism has been leveled against the
> disappearance of the Imam (AS) with claims that he
> has hidden himself out of fear and no benefit can be
> availed from him in his concealment. However, before
> being so judgmental, the philosophy behind the
> occultation needs to be viewed more deeply, since
> there are many factors surrounding the issue, which
> may not have been considered by critics. One needs
> to appreciate the wisdom behind the reasons as to
> why the Imam is in occultation, after, which his
> advantage to the society albeit in concealment can
> be understood more profoundly.
> History bears witness to the fact that the faith of
> many companions of the Holy Prophet (SAW) and the
> Imams was only by word of mouth The requirement of
> believing in such a phenomenon as the invisible
> existence of Imam Al-Mahdi (AS) their true inner
> self is made manifest. Having faith in the unseen
> and suffering whilst awaiting deliverance from the
> turmoil of this world is in itself evidence of true
> loyalty towards the Imam (AS); devotion towards him
> is a crucial factor when considering the
> establishment of divine order on earth.
> By being in concealment, the Imam is also immune
> from giving allegiance to unjust rulers as well as
> from being killed. Many mistakenly interpret this
> act as one of cowardice since he has gone into
> hiding in order to save his blood from being shed. A
> question arises, “Is Allah (SWT) not powerful enough
> to protect the Imam from murder?” Well, has it ever
> been considered that this very decree of Allah is
> the method He is using for the Imam’s protection?
> After all, is not Allah (SWT) the Mighty, the Wise?
> However, it must be noted that although these are
> some of the reasons behind the concealment of Imam
> Al-Mahdi (AS), a hadith from Imam As-Sadiq (AS)
> quoted in Bihar al-Anwar explains how the true
> purpose of the occultation cannot be clarified until
> the day of Imam’s reappearance, “The true
> understanding behind this occurrence will not take
> place until after he has reappeared, just as the
> wisdom behind making the boat defective, killing the
> boy, and repairing the falling wall [in the story of
> Musa (AS) and Khidr in the Qur'an] were revealed to
> Musa only after the two had decided to part company.
> The subject of occultation is among the divine
> secrets and a concealed matter whose knowledge is
> only with God. Since we regard God to be wise, we
> must also affirm that His acts are based on that
> perfect wisdom, even when the detailed understanding
> is not accessible to us."
> With regards to the benefits of the Imam to the
> people during this period of occultation, Ayatollah
> Ibrahim Amini quotes in his book, ‘Al-Imam Al-Mahdi
> The Just Leader of Humanity’ from Yanabi Al-Mawadda
> that a man once asked Imam As-Sadiq (AS), “How can
> people benefit from an Imam who is in occultation?”
> and the Imam replied, “In the same way as they
> benefit from the sun behind the clouds.”
> Elaboration on this imagery in scientific terms
> suggests the fact that the benefit of thermal energy
> and illumination provided by the sun reaches the
> earth regardless of whether it is from behind a veil
> of clouds or apparent; the clouds are not an
> obstacle to the role of the sun on its recipients
> since all the earth’s functions remain intact with
> or without such a veil. Likewise, whether the Imam
> is manifest in the people’s eyes or in concealment,
> it does not prevent his benefit from reaching them.
> In the same way that the sun is the centre of the
> solar system and a necessity for life to exist, Imam
> Al-Mahdi (AS) is the heart of mankind and its
> existential guide without whom humanity would be
> lost.
> It is true that certain roles such as propagating
> Islam, directly solving the problems of society,
> upholding the political ordinances of Allah (SWT)
> and guiding individuals according to their epoch and
> lifestyle cannot be performed by the Imam openly if
> he is in concealment. However, one must not view the
> role of the Imam with such a narrow-minded approach
> since his benefits to the society are not only
> limited to these.
> The existence of the Imam is a perfect and unique
> embodiment of humanity that serves as a link between
> the material and the spiritual worlds. Had there
> been no Imam, Allah (SWT) could not have been known
> or worshipped perfectly, thus this link would have
> severed. The heart of the Imam is like the source of
> electricity that distributes light to numerous
> lamps. The illumination of the hidden universe first
> mirrors on the heart of the Imam and then from there
> it reflects onto the hearts of mankind. The roles of
> Imamate and Wilayat undertaken by the Imam have much
> more responsibility than just the external functions
> witnessed by people in their daily lives.
> In a tradition related by Imam As-Sadiq (AS), it is
> related that Imam Zain Al-Abideen (AS) has said, “We
> are the leaders of the Muslims, Allah’s proofs for
> his creatures, masters of the believers, guides for
> the God-fearing and those invested with
> discretionary authority over the affairs with
> Muslims. We are the security of the dwellers of the
> earth, just as the stars are the security of the
> dwellers of the heavens. It is because of us that
> the heavens descend on the earth whenever Allah
> (SWT) permits. It is because of us that the rain
> descends and blessings of earth come out of it. If
> we had not been on earth, its dwellers would have
> been consumed in it.”
> Furthermore, faith in the hidden Imam and awaiting
> deliverance through his return is a source of hope
> and peace for the hearts of the believers. Such a
> hope is one of the major causes towards the
> advancement of the Islamic ideal. If pessimism and
> despair infiltrate through any group or society,
> they inevitably begin to suffer from self-imposed
> negativism that leads to the defeat of the ideology.
>
> There is no doubt that the social and political
> turmoil in many parts of the world, the decline of
> moral and ethical vision and the deprivation and
> poverty suffered by the downtrodden have all caused
> conscientious thinkers around the world to become
> concerned about the ability of human society to find
> its way out of its own self-cultivated gradual
> destruction. The only door that remains open is that
> of hope in the darkness of despair; the hope of
> divine intervention in human affairs sent by the
> Almighty Creator. It is this hope that gives solace
> to those who have suffered injustices; it is faith
> in the ultimate victory that makes people seek
> active roles in working towards a reform, thereby
> also providing them with an opportunity by which
> they can transcend towards their Lord through
> individual struggle.
> As has been quoted by Ayatollah Ibrahim Amini in his
> book, Imam Zain Al-Abideen (AS) has been reported to
> say, “To hope for deliverance and release in itself
> functions as the most profound form of deliverance.”
>
> AS far as the external benefits are concerned, it is
> not that Allah (SWT), the most Merciful, is
> depriving the people of them by keeping the Imam in
> concealment; rather it is the fault of the people.
> If people worked towards creating a just order and
> strengthening their character so as to prepare
> themselves to receive the leadership of Imam
> Al-Mahdi (AS), then the Imam would surely appear to
> lead humanity towards establishing a divine order on
> earth.
> Many may question as to why they have been deprived
> of the opportunity of serving the Imam. However, by
> endeavoring to raise the standard of thinking and
> moral awareness among people, informing them of the
> admirable aims of Islam and instilling within them
> the love of the Imam, one is actually fulfilling his
> obligations as a follower of Imam.
> Therefore, in order to attain the highest reward and
> gain proximity to Allah (SWT) and the Ahlul Bayt, as
> well as preparing for his reappearance, both
> practically and spiritually, one must be aware of
> one’s duties towards the Imam while he is still in
> occultation and be an exemplar to the society by
> implementing an impeccable character in one’s daily
> life.
It was the
> beginning of a period, which the followers of Ahlul
> Bayt had never experienced before.
What could be more tragic than the tragedy that befell the Ahlu Bayt in Kerbala. What happened to this Imam Mahdi that was so tragic? How did he disappear and why?
For the first sixty-eight years of his Imamate, Imam
> Al-Mahdi (AS) was in a transitional concealment from
> the people,
What is "transitional concealment"?
History bears witness to the fact that the faith of
> many companions of the Holy Prophet (SAW) and the
> Imams was only by word of mouth The requirement of
> believing in such a phenomenon as the invisible
> existence of Imam Al-Mahdi (AS) their true inner
> self is made manifest.
The faith of many of the companions of the Holy Prophet SAW and Imams was not by word of mouth but by divine inspiration of the Prophet and the Imams.
Having faith in the unseen
> and suffering whilst awaiting deliverance from the
> turmoil of this world is in itself evidence of true
> loyalty towards the Imam (AS); devotion towards him
> is a crucial factor when considering the
> establishment of divine order on earth.
Where is the place for the Unseen Allah here? He is the only One who is Unseen. Who is suffering? The followers of Imam Mahdi are very happy! I do not see them suffering.
By being in concealment, the Imam is also immune
> from giving allegiance to unjust rulers as well as
> from being killed.
Which unjust rulers would ask Imam Mahdi to give allegiance. I am sure the new Iranian President would step aside and all the Iranians would give Imam Mahdi allegiance. Didn't the President of Iran actually beg Imam Mahdi indirectly to come into the world?
a hadith from Imam As-Sadiq (AS)
> quoted in Bihar al-Anwar explains how the true
> purpose of the occultation cannot be clarified until
> the day of Imam’s reappearance, “The true
> understanding behind this occurrence will not take
> place until after he has reappeared, just as the
> wisdom behind making the boat defective, killing the
> boy, and repairing the falling wall [in the story of
> Musa (AS) and Khidr in the Qur'an] were revealed to
> Musa only after the two had decided to part company.
> The subject of occultation is among the divine
> secrets and a concealed matter whose knowledge is
> only with God. Since we regard God to be wise, we
> must also affirm that His acts are based on that
> perfect wisdom, even when the detailed understanding
> is not accessible to us."
How could Imam Jaffar As-Sadiq talk about occultation when none had occurred in his time? If God had wanted some Imam to go into hiding He would not have said that Imams would be present on the Earth until the end, and the Prophet would not have said that "One who dies without recognising the Imam of Time, would die a death of Jahaliya". So why would Imam hide and bring such a death to his people?
Do Ithna Asharis believe that Imam Mahdi will come and he will be as old as 1300+ years or do they believe, like the Bohoras, that the Imam continues his lineage while in seclusion. The Bohoras believe that the Imam is on the Earth and only the Dai knows about him and talks to him. Do the Ayatollahs have access to Imam Mahdi?
“How can
> people benefit from an Imam who is in occultation?”
> and the Imam replied, “In the same way as they
> benefit from the sun behind the clouds.”
The Sun does not hide behind the clouds for 1300+ years. The clouds shroud it for a few minutes or may be half a day. So does the Earth, but after a few hours the sun reappears.
It is true that certain roles such as propagating
> Islam, directly solving the problems of society,
> upholding the political ordinances of Allah (SWT)
> and guiding individuals according to their epoch and
> lifestyle cannot be performed by the Imam openly if
> he is in concealment. However, one must not view the
> role of the Imam with such a narrow-minded approach
> since his benefits to the society are not only
> limited to these.
I wish the gentleman had been more specific and telling us "what his benefits to the society are" if "they are not limited to "propagating Islam, directly solving the problems of society...."
rather it is the fault of the people.
> If people worked towards creating a just order and
> strengthening their character so as to prepare
> themselves to receive the leadership of Imam
> Al-Mahdi (AS), then the Imam would surely appear to
> lead humanity towards establishing a divine order on
> earth.
Every Prophet came into the world when people had become Jaahaliya. But some Imams disappeared, never to come, in the middle of the crisis their own people were facing. Does a parent abandon his children in time of crisis or does he/she give up life for the cause of his/her family, the way Imam Hussain did for His religion?
Thanks Virgo2 for pointing out the inconsistencies. As Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah remarked, religions that are not based on reason will gradually wither away. Will not that be the time of awakening and revival and in our traditional sense the time of resurrection and Qiyama?
That was my underlying intent for posting the article to show why those ideas will not stand the test of time and hence a major shift will happen and in my opinion it points to the Imam.
MHI's speech made recently in Afghanistan at the occasion of the opening of Hotel Serena is quite revealing about his intentions to improve the Muslim Umma and mobilising the Imamat resources for that objective.
The following article discusses the current Iraninan president's giving priority to the appearance of the Mahdi. Will this trigger a wave of euphoria or will it wither away through natural death? Will it trigger the reassessment of their notion of Imamat and ultimate realization that the Imam must be present and that he has to be approached? Will the over zealous devotion to the hidden Imam compel the real Mahdi to appear to them out of compassion? It is an interesting development....
Second coming for imam is first concern for Iranian president
By Najmeh Bozorgmehr and Gareth Smyth
Published: November 9 2005 02:00 | Last updated: November 9 2005 02:00
At the mosque of Jamkaran, 110km south of Tehran and just east of the holy city of Qom, tens of thousands gather on Tuesdays to pray and drop messages for the "missing" imam into a well.
Abul-Qassem Mohammed, the 12th leader whom Shia Muslims regard as a successor to the prophet Mohammed, entered "occultation" in 941 and will one day return to rule justly before Judgment Day.
In the women's section by Jamkaran's well, Mina, 18, faints, only slowly regaining consciousness and whispering. "Last night she dreamed the 12th Imam asked her to come," says an older female relative. "Don't interrupt, she is talking to the Imam."
Pilgrims then take small pieces of Mina's green scarf torn up by her relatives.
Veneration of the 12th Imam is common among Iran's 68m population, whose religious practices mix piety, respect for learned clerics and age-old mysticism. But the new president, Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad, has placed a special emphasis on the 12th Imam, even referring to him in his October United Nations speech.
While many analysts highlight Mr Ahmadi-Nejad's background in the Basij Islamic militia or his promotion of former Revolutionary Guards to key positions, the discreet talk among those close to the regime is more about his religious beliefs.
Mr Ahmadi-Nejad has not only reached out to millions of pious Iranians through venerating the 12th Imam, but has engaged with deeply conservative religious groups that shunned politics for much of the 26 years of the Islamic Republic.
The 1979 political revolution led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini broke with such conservatism, says Mohammad-Ali Abtahi, cleric and former reformist vice-president. "Unlike Ayatollah Khomeini, most clerics resisted change, distrusted politics and emphasised the 12th Imam's return as the only way to attain justice," he says. "After the revolution, they came to accept the Islamic Republic but not its progressive aspects."
Hojjatiyeh, a group laying special stress on the Imam's return, was banned by Ayatollah Khomeini in the revolution's early years. But a crucial development came in 1989 when, after Ayatollah Khomeini died, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei replaced him as Iran's supreme leader.
Lacking his predecessor's political and religious credentials, Ayatollah Khamenei turned to religious conservatives for support. "Ayatollah Khamenei spoke of Mohammad Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi [seen by many intellectuals as Iran's most uncompromising cleric] as a great teacher," remembers Mohsen Kadivar, a reformist cleric and philosophy professor. "Later Mr Ahmadi-Nejad also looked to such conservatives for legitimacy."
Few doubt that previously unorganised, grassroots religious groups played a key role in Mr Ahmadi-Nejad's election campaign. "He rode a wave using mosque-based organisations and even maddahs [religious singers] to gain support," says Mr Abtahi. "But these songs aren't political, they're not praising the Islamic Republic, only the 12th Imam."
For political leaders to seek backing from popular religion, mystics or even millennialists is hardly new in Iran. The Safavid dynasty (1501-1722), which converted the country to Shi'ism, sprung from a small Sunni sect whose followers believed its leader was divine. The Shah of Iran, often seen as a secular moderniser, allowed mobs to attack Bahais, a sect seen as heretics by conservative Shia.
Three months after Mr Ahmadi-Nejad became president, whispers about his view of the 12th Imam are growing. According to one rumour, as mayor of Tehran he drew up a new city plan for the imam's return.
The culture ministry last month denied the government had dropped a letter pledging loyalty into Jamkaran well. But an early cabinet decision allocated the equivalent of $17m for Jamkaran. And Mr Ahmadi-Nejad's promises to eliminate injustice, corruption and unemployment have more sense of "heaven on earth" than mundane government targets.
"His behaviour shows he has more important goals than politics," says Mr Abtahi. "He speaks with the confidence of someone who has received God's word. Whether genuine or a means to power, this is a new discourse for the Iranian revolution."
Some senior clergy are alarmed. Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, a conservative, has attacked maddahs for singing about dreams and "fake meetings" with the imam.
In foreign policy, officials worry an emphasis on the 12th Imam not only puzzles Europe and Russia while Iran tries to revive talks over its nuclear programme but alienates Sunni, a majority in the Muslim world, who do not share the Shia view of the Imam's return.
The consequences of Mr Ahmadi-Nejad's religiosity are also uncertain for Ayatollah Khamenei, to whom many look to rein in the president. "So far, the leader has seen Mr Ahmadi-Nejad as loyal, someone who should reach the 12th Imam through him," says a senior reformist. "But this is an unstable situation."
"Mr Ahmadi-Nejad's project must fail," says Mr Abtahi. "He is caught in the paradox of those who understand religious mystery in a physical [literal] way. Of course, we must pray for the return of the imam, but [in government] we must also tackle inflation and unemployment."
So you telling me that this new president is working for Pat Robertson and Ariel Sharone? Wow .... that would be cool. We can see the qayamat and the appeareance of Mahdi right here in our life time. hmm...but I wonder, there needs to be a grand election of some sort as there are way too many people waiting in the history to be proclaimed themselves as Mahdi. Perhaps we should let US Supreme court decide instead.
Imam Zamana's (a.t.f.s.) discourse on the day of reappearance
The First Word
When the reappearance of Imam (a.t.f.s.) will be decreed, he will emerge and initiate the process of reformation of the world. Imam (a.t.f.s.) along with his band of 313 loyalists, who will form the core group of his army, will accept the allegiance from the people between Maqame Ibrahim and Rukne Yamani in the precincts of Masjidul Haraam. The first words that Imam (a.t.f.s.) will utter will be the 86th verse of Surah Hud. Imam Baqir (a.s.) says:
‘When our Qaim will reappear, he will recline against the wall of Holy Kaaba. Among his followers, 313 men will assemble around him. The first words that he will speak will be the holy verse, 'What remains with Allah is better for you if you are believers…' Then he will say, I am the 'Remnant of Allah' (Baqiyatullah) and His Caliph and His Hujjat. At that moment everyone will address Imam (a.t.f.s.) thus - Peace be on you O Remnant of Allah in His Earth.’
The Second Word
The next thing that the Imam (a.t.f.s.) will say will be the 74th verse of Surah Zumar. Imam Jafar Sadiq (a.s.) says:
‘Our Qaim will reappear alone. When he will enter Masjidul Haram, he will be in a state of solitude. He will spend the night in the same solitary state. When the darkness will descend on the horizon, Jibraeel, Mikaeel and the angels will descend in hordes and Jibraeel will address Imam thus - O our master, your command will be obeyed. Your orders shall be executed.’ Subsequently, Imam (a.t.f.s.) will touch his face and say:
All praise belongs to Allah who fulfilled His promise to us and made us to inherit the earth. We will stay in heaven where we fancy. This is the best reward for the good doers. Then he will stand between Rukne Yamani and Maqame Ibrahim and with his soothing voice he will address his friends scattered in the various nooks and corners of the world.
O our chosen ones, our confidantes, our companions and those who are selected by Allah for my assistance and were gathered on the earth prior to my reappearance, wherever you all are, rush towards me at once!"
Imam Jafar Sadiq (a.s.) says:
‘The companions of Imam (a.t.f.s.) who would be busy worshipping or may be resting on their beds will immediately respond to Imam's (a.t.f.s.) earnest call and rush towards him in a jiffy. They will meet their Imam between Rukne Yamani and Maqame Ibrahim.'
The Third Word
Imam's (a.t.f.s.) third utterance will be the 10th verse of Surah Fatha, which he will recite while acknowledging the allegiance. The events of allegiance are related from Mufazzal who quotes Hazrat Imam Sadiq (a.s.):
‘O Mufazzal! Allah has cursed all those who had sworn allegiance or accepted allegiance on disbelief and hypocrisy prior to my reappearance. O Mufazzal, the Qaim will recline against the wall of Holy Kaaba and extend his hands. The skin of his hands will be very fair. He will say, 'this is the hand of God, on his behalf and on his command' and then he will recite the following verse:
'Surely those who swear allegiance to you do but swear allegiance to Allah; the hand of Allah is above their hands. Therefore whoever breaks (his faith), he breaks it only to the injury of his own soul'.
(Surah Fatha: 10)
The Fourth Word
Imam's (a.t.f.s.) fourth expression will be a self-introduction. Abu Khalide Kabuli (r.a.) has narrated from Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.):
‘It is as if I can visualise the Qaim (a.t.f.s.) with his back reclined against Hajare-Aswad and swearing in Allah's Name:
O People! Whoever argues with me with regard to proximity to Allah, then he must know that I am closer to Allah (than him). If someone competes with me with regards to Adam then I am closer to Adam.
O People! If someone competes with me with regards to Nuh then I am closer to Nuh.
O People! If someone competes with me with regards to Ibrahim then I am closer to Ibrahim.
O People! If someone competes with me with regards to Moosa then I am closer to Moosa.
O People! If someone competes with me with regards to Isa then I am closer to Isa.
O People! If someone competes with me with regards to Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.a.) then I am closer to Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.a.).
O People! If someone competes with me with regards to the Book of Allah then I am closer to Book of Allah.
Thereafter, he (a.t.f.s.) will come to the Maqam-e-Ibrahim, perform two rakats prayer and praise Allah as is His right.’
The Fifth Word
The fifth thing that Imam (a.s.) will elucidate is that he is the manifestation of all the past prophets. Mufazzal relates from Imam Jafar Sadiq (a.s.):
‘Qaim (a.s.) will rest his back against the wall of Kaaba and say:
If anyone wants to see Adam and Sheeth then I am Adam and Sheeth.
If anyone wants to see Nuh and Saam then I am Nuh and Saam.
Whoever wants to see Ibrahim and Ismail then I am Ibrahim and Ismail.
Whoever wants to see Moosa and Yusha' then I am Moosa and Yusha'(a.s.)
Whoever wants to see Isa and Sham'un then I am Isa and Sham'un.
Whoever wants to see Muhammad and Ali, then I am Muhammad and Ali.
Whoever wants to see Hasan and Husain, then I am Hasan and Husain.
Whoever wants to see Imams from the offspring of Husain then I personify the Imams who descended from Husain…………Listen to me so that I can tell you about those things which you have heard and also those which you have not.’
All the noble traits and characteristics that distinguished the past prophets shall accumulate in the holy persona of Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.).
As a poet said:
'Had the merits and excellences of all the men drawn together
Then they shall integrate in thy holy self alone.'
Imam will raise the standard of Tauheed like Ibrahim, he will embody the steadfastness and sacrifice of Ismail. He will be awe-inspiring and dignified like Moosa. His exemplary conduct and cordial nature will be like his own great grandfather, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.). Imam's (a.t.f.s.) bravery, magnanimity, knowledge and forbearance will remind people of his grandfather, Imam Ali (a.s.). Imam (a.t.f.s.) will also be the elucidator of Imam Hasan's (a.s.) truce and the avenger of the sacred blood of Imam Husain (a.s.).
The Sixth Word
There is a consensus between the Shias and Sunnis over the sixth word that Imam (a.t.f.s.) will utter on the day of his reappearance. Imam (a.t.f.s.) will reappear in Mecca after Namaz-e-Isha. He (a.t.f.s.) will be carrying the standard of Islam and wield the sword of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.). He will be dressed in the attire of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.). In addition to these, all other signs and evidence related to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) will be present in him. After concluding Namaz-e-Isha, he will speak aloud in his pleasant voice:
People! Recall the day when you all will be summoned to your Lord for accounts of your deeds.
People! (Don't you remember) numerous prophets had come to you and delivered the Message of Allah.
I warn you all against associating partners with Allah. I urge you to follow the divine command in its entirety and obey the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.).
Accept whatever the Holy Quran has ordained for you and refrain from what it has prohibited you.
Support guidance and assist piety.
The world is on its way to destruction and total annihilation.
I exhort all of you to worship Allah, obey the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and follow the Holy Quran, revive the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and eradicate falsehood.
At this juncture, the 313 faithful supporters will rise for Imam's (a.t.f.s.) assistance. These men will be worshippers at night and brave warriors during the day.
Accoriding to Many Hadiths ....Mahdi is going to Come .. .. but do u ppl think, Hazir Imam will manifest as Mahdi ??
Mahdi can also be a different person other than Hazir Imam, who will point out Hazir Imam to the whole world .. or in short who can spread true essence of islam. i.e. Ismailism
just like our last prophet pointed out Hazrat Ali as a 1st Imam. Mahdi can also be the person who can point out the imam of that time.
razinizar wrote:
just like our last prophet pointed out Hazrat Ali as a 1st Imam. Mahdi can also be the person who can point out the imam of that time.
what are your opinions ?
Correct me if i m wrong.
YAM,
One of the the expectations of the Mahdi is that he will be from 'Ahl-i-Bait' - progeny of the Prophet as understood by the Shia theology.
THE END TIMES II - THE GOLDEN AGE
what effects will the coming of the Mahdi have on mankind and the world?
Video File
=============================================== http://www.harunyahya.com/m_video_detai ... pi_id=1930
(Paper read at the fourth International Conference on Mahdi Doctrine held in Tehran Aug. 14-15, 2008. Proceedings of the Conference to be published in 2009.)
Islamic Messianism:
Some Thoughts on the Origins of Mahdism and its Socio-political Function
By
Ismail K. Poonawala
Although the English term "messianism," derived from the Hebrew word "mashiaḥ," meaning "the annointed one," has no exact equivalent in Arabic, the figure of the Mahdī, meaning "the rightly guided," or "God-guided," that evolved very early in Islamic history conveys the Judeo-Christian concept of messianism. Originally, the Hebrew term denoted a king whose reign was consacrated by a rite of annointment with oil. In the Old Testament it is always used in reference to the actual king of Israel. However, in the intertestamental period, which extends approximately from 220 BCE to 70 CE, its connotation changed. From that point forward, it was applied to the future king of Israel, who was expected to restore the kingdom of Israel and save his people from all evil. Subsequently, messianic expectations in Judaism, Helmer Ringgren states, developed in two distinct directions. One was national and political, where the Messiah, a descendent of David shall defeat his opponents and establish a universal kingdom where the people will live in peace and happiness. The second line of development, with apocalyptic notions of a more mythological character centered on the term "son of man," who will descend from heaven to save the select few. In the apocalyptic books, "the son of man" was transformed into a transcendental figure, with divine, pre-existent attributes, who resides in heaven, and will only appear at the end of time to pronounce judgment on the resurrected people. According to this concept, the pious will be freed from the dominion of the wicked and this transcendental figure will rule in peace and righteousness. Without going into the details of Jewish Messianism, it should be pointed out that early Christianity incorporated many of the Jewish beliefs about the Messiah and applied them to Jesus. The term Messiah was translated into Greek as Christos, i.e., Christ, thereby identifying Jesus with Jewish messianic expectations. Historians of Messianism have demonstrated that belief in Messianism flourishes during the times of suffering, persecution and hardship. They further add that when the present is satisfactory it need not be redeemed, but the belief itself should be perpetuated so that when the present is totally unsatisfactory, the concept of the Messiah could be revived and re-energized as a possible response. The tendency to look toward future fulfillment is thus continually renewed.
In his article "Jewish Messianism," Werblowsky identifies a second manifestation of the messiah, which emerged during the 2nd century CE possibly as a reaction to the catastrophic failure of the Bar Kokhba revolt. Supposedly, a warrior messiah who died a heroic death would be followed by the victorious messiah. This concept further demonstrates that messianic fulfillment is generally preceded by cosmic, natural, and/or social upheavals and catastrophes. The Christian transformation of this Jewish belief is the idea of the Antichrist who is let loose to rule the world before being finally vanquished by the Second Coming of the Christ.
Returning to the concept of Mahdī in Islam, it should be noted that despite the notion of divine guidance, a fundamental principle in the Qurʾān, the word Mahdī does not occur in it. The doctrine of the Mahdī as it evolved in Islamic history, suggests the expectation of a divinely sent eschatological prophetic figure at the end of time who will restore true religion and justice and will rule before the end of the universe. It is worth noting from the beginning that the term Mahdī, especially its connotation and usage, has a long history of development. Discussions about his characteristics and identity among the religious scholars can be traced back to the time after the second fitna (civil war) in Islamic history.
Various factors contributed to the growth of such literature.
Firstly, the doctrine of the Last Judgment, the coming of "the Hour" and the accompanying eschatological inventory depicted in the Qurʾān concerning that momentous event have received exegetical elaborations in traditions ascribed to the Messenger of God. It is the opinion of the author that in this context the Mahdī traditions first emerged. Therefore, before we deal with other factors that contributed to the growth of Islamic Messianic literature, let us turn to the Qurʾān. Unfortunately, this primary source is often overlooked by the Western scholars. It should be noted that the early Meccan revelations of the Qurʾān reflect the mood of eschatological expectations that pervaded the Near East during the period immediately preceding the advent of the Prophet of Islam. Verse 89 in the sūrat al-Baqara, states: When a Scripture comes to them from God, confirming what is in their possession – and previously they have been seeking victory over those who disbelieve- and when what they recognize [as the truth] comes to them they do not believe in it." This verse clearly indicates that some Christians and Jews in Arabia foretold the coming of an eschatological prophet. Furthermore, historians of early Islam state that the messianic typology had been exploited by the then imperial powers, i.e., the Byzantine emperor, the Abyssinian Negus, and the Jewish king Dhū Nawās of Yemen for their own aggrandizement. The Muslim claim that Muḥammad was the "seal" of the prophets, meaning that he was the final link in the chain of prophecy, may originally have been understood in a messianic connotations.
Three themes dominate the eschatology of the Qurʾān: i) the Signs of the Hour; ii) the Day of Judgment; and iii) the rewards of the righteous and punishments of the wicked. The Day of Judgment is described as when all people shall be made to answer before God for their deeds. It is a major theme of the Meccan period of the Qurʾān and is sometimes referred to variously as the Day of Reckoning (yaum al-ḥisāb), the Day of Judgment (yaum al-dīn), the Day of Resurrection (yaum al-qiyāma), or the Last Day (al-yaum al-ākhir). The Signs of the Hour (ʿalāmāt/ashrāṭ al-sāʿa) are depicted in the Qurʾān as the climax of history, a catastrophic and terryfying event that will affect each and every creature on earth. Several sūras, such as 81, 82, 84, 99, vividly describe the cosmic upheaval that will occur on that day, which will dislocate the earth and the heavens. Some verses describe that the entire natural world will disintegrate, as the seas boil over, the mountains crumble to dust, and the dead will rise from their graves. The Qurʾān speaks of the judgment that will be delivered as the weighing of deeds on a scale to determine whether good or evil prevails. Once judgment has been rendered, people are eternally consigned to either the bliss of Paradise or to the torments of Hell. Hell is supervised by angels who are appointed for that purpose. In addition to suffering from fire, its inhabitants are forced to undergo the agonies of eating bitter fruit and drinking boiling hot water. The fortunate dwellers of Paradise, on the other hand, will enjoy all the pleasures colorfully portrayed in the Qurʾān.
When the Messenger of God was asked about the time of the Last Hour, he replied: "The knowledge thereof is with my Lord only," or "the Hour shall come on them suddenly while they are unaware," or "the matter of the Hour is but a twinkling of the eye,” or “it is nearer still." Soon the coming of the Hour and all the eschatological related themes and ideas depicted in the Qurʾān received exegetical elaboration and apocalyptic traditions ascribed to the Messenger of God emerged. Both Bukhārī and Muslim, whose collections are regarded by the Sunnīs as the most authentic canonical collections of traditions, transmit a tradition that states that the Messenger of God told his Companions everything that would happen up to the Last Hour. This tradition, thus, further expanded the scope of speculations and fabrication of spurious traditions.
All the aforementioned characteristics of the Day of Judgment described in the Qurʾān evoke the mood of an apocalyptic vision. Graphic descriptions of that day imply that the Qurʾān speaks not only of the destruction of the cosmos but also its transformation and rearrangement to create new forms of life. The eschatological tension recounted in the Qurʾān is, thus, resolved by an idealized hereafter. For Islam there is no particular "salvation," or "redemption," as correctly noted by Fazlur Rahman, only "success (falāḥ)" or "failure (khusrān)" in the task of building the type of world order depicted in the Qurʾān.
Secondly, numerous factors including the socio-political crisis and religious ferment that prevailed in Muslim society following the first and the second fitna largely contributed to messianic hopes. Thirdly, beliefs concerning a messiah taken from other religions and cultures must have had some influence as well. In his book entitled Early Mahdism, Jan-Olaf Blichfeld argues that the notion of Mahdī should not be considered exotic or sectarian, particularly reflecting the views of some extreme groups of the Shīʿa or the Khawārij. Mahdism, he contends, grew out the socio-political conditions that prevailed in Muslim society following the civil wars. The notion of the Mahdī, he stresses, must have emerged from a particular set of social and political conditions. He, therefore, devotes a major portion of his book to substantiate his claim and highlight the prevailing circumstances in Kūfa that led al-Mukhtār al-Thaqafī to employ the term "al-Mahdī" for Muḥammad b. al-Ḥanafiyya. There are many allusions in the accounts of his uprising to the belief in Ibn al-Ḥanafiyya as the Mahdī. Presumably, G. R. Hawting states, in preparing the way for the coming of the Mahdī, al-Mukhtār and his followers saw themselves as performing an apocalyptic role. The view of his movement was shared by the contemporary Christian Syriac writer, John of Phenek.
Leaving aside the history of the term Mahdī and how it was applied to various historical figures beginning with the Messenger of God, Wilferd Madelung states that discussion about the Mahdī and his identity among the religious scholars can be traced back to the time of the second fitna. He further states that it was the Kūfan tradition which insisted that the Mahdī would emerge from the family of the Prophet (ahl al-bayt). He has also identified ʿĀṣim b. Bahdala (d. ca. 127/744-45), a well-known Qurʾān reciter, for disseminating the following tradition supported by Kūfan chain of narrators (isnād) going back to ʿAbd Allāh b. Masʿūd, a Companion of the Prophet . It states: "The Messenger of God said: 'The world will not pass away before the Arabs are ruled by a man of my family whose name will be the same as mine.'" The claim that the Mahdī's name and the kunya (surname, consisting of abū or umm followed by the name of the son) will be similar to that of the Messenger of God, as we know, was made during the rebellion of al-Mukhtār in favor of Muḥammad b. al-Ḥanafiyya.
In his article "Some Religious Aspects of the Caliphate," Helmer Ringgren argues that although the "caliph," a political successor of the Prophet, was not originally a sacral king in theory, in reality, it initially embodied a number of qualities and functions of the sacral kingship of ancient Near East. Hence, he contends that in many cases the Mahdī traditions ascribed to the Prophet, one can easily detect Judeo-Christian and/or Zoroastrian eschatological ideas.
It is well-known that the ʿAbbāsid revolutionary movement used messianic expectations and the notion of a restorer of religion and just rule from among the family of the Messenger of God. The very fact that the Mahdī traditions are included in the four Sunnī canonical collections of the traditions, viz., the sunan works of Ibn Māja (d. 273/887), Abū Dāwūd (d. 275/889), al-Tirmidhī (d. 279/892), and al-Nasāʾī (d. 303/915), all compiled during the second half of the 3rd/9th century, attest to the popular belief in the doctrine of the Mahdī among the Muslims. The Mahdī traditions found in the Muṣannaf of ʿAbd al-Razzāq al-Ṣanʿānī (d. 211/827) indicate that they were components of the Sunnī collections even earlier than the canonical collections mentioned above.
For the Imāmī Shīʿas the reappearance of the hidden Twelfth Imām, who had gone into occultation in the year 260/873-74 and identified with the Mahdī, is a fundamental tenet of their faith. It is expressed fervently in an often repeated prayer: "May God hasten the release from suffering through his advent." Abdul Aziz. Sachedina has convincingly argued that the Mahdī doctrine about the Twelfth Imām grew and developed with eschatological connotations following the period of the shorter occultation (al-ghayba al-ṣughrā), viz., between 260/873 and 329/941. Subsequently there arose among the Imāmīs a literature dealing with the events that herald the Mahdī's coming, known as ʿalāmāt-i ẓuhūr (the signs of [the Mahdī's] appearance or advent). Al-Kāfī, the earliest Imāmī collection of ḥadīth, by Kulaynī (d. 329/941), does not contain anything on the signs that will precede the Mahdī's ẓuhūr, however, in a brief section entitled karāhiyat al-tawqīt (abhorrence of fixing the time [of the Mahdī’s advent]), he refers to the prohibition of assigning its date. As the Mahdī's rajʿa (return) and ẓuhūr became an integral part of the doctrine of the ghayba (occultation), most of the Imāmī scholars who wrote on the ghayba, beginning with Ibn Bābūya (d. 381/991-92), included a chapter entitled ʿAlāmāt ẓuhūr al-Qāʾim (the signs of the Mahdī's appearance), or min al-ʿalāmāt al-kāʾina qabl al-khurūj (some of the signs bound to happen before his coming). These apocalyptic visions of a future restoration through the dramatic intervention of God in human history served as source of solace for believers and provided them with an added impetus to preserve the faith during the difficult days of the ghayba. The messianic expectations relieved them from any need to actively oppose or rebel against the established authority. Accompanying those traditions were reports on the merits of waiting for the ẓuhūr in patience. The absence of any information on the exact time required that believers be on their guard and that they had to be prepared for his advent by a constant re-evaluation of contemporary circumstances on the basis of the predicted signs. Familiar with this literature, every generation expected the ẓuhūr to take place during their lifetime.
In its development as an independent genre, ʿalāmāt-i ẓuhūr drew chiefly on Islamic eschatological literature, ʿalāmāt al-sāʿa or ashrāṭ al-sāʿa, describing the catastrophic events preceding the end of time. As stated above both al-Bukhārī and Muslim incorporate in their Ṣaḥīhs certain traditions stating that the Messenger of God told his Companions everything that would happen up to the Last Hour. Sunnī collections place a great majority of the apocalyptic traditions directly in the mouth of the Messenger of God, whereas the Shīʿī collections generally ascribe those aḥādīth (traditions) to the Imāms, the legitimate heirs to prophetic knowledge. Time and space does not permit me to discuss Muṣḥaf Fāṭima (the Scroll of Fāṭima) and Kitāb al-Jafr (the Book of Divination), two books among others that the imām inherits from his predecessors, especially for apocalyptic traditions. In short, the material found in Sunnī ḥadīth collections under Kitāb al-fitan, dealing with civil strife and seditions cover various topics, such as the signs of the Last Hour (ashrāṭ al-sāʿa or amārāt al-sāʿa), the account of the Dajjāl (Antichrist), and the descent of Jesus, formed the nucleus around which the signs of the Mahdī's ẓuhūr developed by the Shīʿa. The ʿalāmāt-i ẓuhūr, thus, follow the same pattern as the Sunnī ḥadīth collections, and show great resemblance in form and content.
After scrutinizing the vast amount of Sunnī and Shīʿī aḥādīth, it becomes clear that later aḥādīth were more or less elaborations or expositions of earlier, authenticated traditions. Very often details of later political and social turmoil were appended as prophecies, and major political events, such as the disintegration of the ʿAbbāsid caliphate, were interpreted as the fulfillment of the approaching Hour. Numerous traditions predict the final Muslim victory over the Byzantines and the conquest of Constantinople as a sign. The constant reference in these collections to conflict among enemies reflected the political turmoil of the time and provided the Shīʿa with assurances that the great event of the ẓuhūr of the Mahdī was approaching. It should be noted that the great majority of the aḥādīth in the Shīʿī collections are ascribed to the Imām Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq (d. 148/765) and his father Muḥammad al-Bāqir (d. ca. 122/740). The rest are attributed to the Imāms ʿAlī al-Riḍā (d. 203/818), Mūsā al-Kāẓim (d. 183/799), ʿAlī Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn (d. ca. 94/712), ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib (d. 40/661), and some of the Companions of the Messenger of God. (Add some names such as ??? )
In addition to the six canonical Sunnī ḥadīth collections I have referenced Kamāl al-dīn wa-tamām al-niʿma by Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammd b. ʿAlī al-Qummī, known as Ibn Bābūya/Bābwayh and al-Shaykh al-Ṣadūq (d. 381/991), al-Irshād by Shaykh Mufīd (d. 381/991), Kitāb al-ghayba by Shaykh al-Ṭāʾifa Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad al-Ṭūsī (d. 460/1067), Biḥār al-anwār by Muḥammad al-Bāqir Majlisī (d. ca. 1110/1699), and al-Najm al-thāqib yā Mahdī-e mawʿūd by Mīrzā Ḥusayn b. Muḥammad Taqī Nūrī Ṭabrisī (d. 1320/1902-3) for analysis.
Leaving aside a great wealth of detailed descriptions and specific references, this huge and amorphous material can be classified into the following themes:
Celestial Signs. The Mahdī's ẓuhūr will be preceded by extraordinary events against the natural order. Examples include the rising of the sun from the west, a solar and a lunar eclipse at the middle and end of the month of Ramaḍān respectively, a lunar eclipse in the east and the west, and the sun remaining stationary in the middle of the day. Some traditions describing the halting of the sun state that the face of Sufyānī (see below) will be visible at its center portending his destruction. A shining star like the moon will rise in the east; redness will appear in the sky and spread on the horizon and remain for three to seven days. Time will contract, a year being like a month, a month like a week, a week like a day, a day like an hour, and an hour like the kindling of a fire. The angel Gabriel will proclaim from the heaven in the early morning: "Verily, the truth is with ʿAlī and his followers," and his words will be heard by all the earth’s inhabitants in their respective languages. Satan, on the other hand, will announce from the earth in the evening: "Indeed, the truth is with ʿUthmān (or Sufyānī) and his followers," and the liars will waver in their doubt. The Mahdī's name will be proclaimed on Friday night, the 23rd of Ramaḍān. The aforementioned celestial signs are quite conspicuous in Imāmī sources.
Terrestial Phenomena. Extraordinary and calamitous events, such as earthquakes, famines, copious rains, and bizarre epidemics will take place on the earth; the yield of all crops will drastically decline and dates will rot on the trees. Social Anarchy. The Mahdī's advent will be preceded by a period of terrible suffering, great commotion, and civil strife, and mankind will sink into a state of moral turpitude. Pretenders to prophethood and the imāmate will arise and "a pure soul" from the descendants of Banū Hāshim will be killed at the sanctuary of the Kaʿba in Mecca. Many traditions state that Sufyānī, Khurāsānī, and Yamanī will rise simultaneously on the same day. During this period of violent convulsion almost two-thirds of humankind will perish.
Sufyānī. The Mahdī's appearance will be heralded by the coming of Sufyānī, a figure whom the Umayyads were accused of devising as a counterpart of the Shīʿī Mahdī. He is not mentioned in the six canonical Sunnī ḥadīth collections, but other Sunnī collections cite him in detail. His name is given as ʿUthmān b. ʿAnbasa and he will rise from among the descendants of Abū Sufyān b. Ḥarb b. Umayya. Of medium height with large head and marks of smallpox making him appear one-eyed, he will come from the desert in the month of Rajab and march into Syria after defeating the Byzantines. After occupying Syria for eight or nine months, he will be killed by the Mahdī.
Dajjāl (Antichrist, lit."deceiver"). His appearance is a sign of the Last Hour. Endowed with miraculous powers, he will come before the end of time and perform mischief right and left to lead people astray. He will rule the world with impurity and tyranny for forty days: one like a year, one like a month, one like a week, and the rest like other days. He is described as a corpulent, red-faced youth blind in the right eye (resembling a floating grape), and the letters kāf, fāʾ, rāʾ (meaning infidel, ungrateful) will be written on his forehead. He rides an ass and is attended to by the sinners and hypocrites. Legends suggest his appearance will be in the remote regions of the east, especially Khurāsān. Despite his conquests he will be incapable of entering the mountain passes of both Mecca and Medina because the angels guard its gates. According to the Sunnī traditions he will be killed by Jesus. The figure of Dajjāl does not appear in early Shīʿī works, though he is discussed in detail in Sunnī collections. In later Imāmī works he is mentioned in a few aḥādīth where he is said to be killed by the Mahdī, not Christ. Some traditions trying to reconcile the figures of Sufyānī and Dajjāl interpret Dajjāl's emergence as a test for sifting true believers from false ones.
The Advent of Jesus. In Islamic apocalyptic traditions, Jesus is assigned a significant role and the description of his return, regarded as one of the signs of the approaching Last Hour, does not vary substantially in the Sunnī and the Shīʿī sources. He will descend onto a hill in the Holy Land, or onto the white arcade of the eastern gate of Damascus with a spear in his hand to kill the Antichrist. He will then arrive in Jerusalem when the dawn prayer is being said. The Imām will try to give up his place to Jesus, but Jesus will decline to lead and will pray behind the Mahdī. Thereafter he will break the cross, kill all the swine, destroy the synagogues and the churches, and kill all the Christians except those who believe in him. The People of the Book will believe in him and will form one single community, the community of Islam. He will establish the rule of justice and safeguard it for forty years; then he will die. His funeral will take place in Medina where he will be buried beside the Messenger of God. The Imāmī doctrine about the Mahdī's coming at one point merges with the return of Jesus. Imāmī aḥādīth emphasize that Jesus will descend during the Mahdī's reign and that he will offer his prayer behind him. The function of killing the Dajjal is also reserved for the Mahdī.
The Advent of the Mahdī. The prohibition regarding the fixing of a definite time about the Mahdī's advent seems to relate to the year, since many traditions mention the day on which he will appear. The most often cited date is ʿĀshūrāʾ, the tenth of Muḥarram, on a Saturday during one of the odd-numbered years of the Hijra. Though the traditions vary widely regarding the place where he will rise, his ẓuhūr will take place in Mecca at the sanctuary of the Kaʿba, between the rukn and the maqām, where his followers will swear allegiance to him. He will then move to Medina and march triumphantly into Kūfa, which will become his capital. In some early traditions ascribed to Imām Muḥammad al-Bāqir, the number of years which had to elapse before the Mahdī's coming was specified. The fact that the period passed without the prophecy being fulfilled was interpreted as badāʾ, a change in circumstances causing God to alter His ruling in the interest of the people.
The Mahdī will be old in age but young in looks. Those who look at him will think that he is forty years or less. The proof that he is the Mahdī, will be demonstrated by the fact that he will not age with the passage of time until his death. He is described as being of white complexion with a leaning towards redness; he has a beautiful face with pretty black hair hanging down to his shoulders and two birth marks on his back (one like the color of his skin and the other resembling the birth mark of the Messenger of God). There is no agreement in the Imāmī sources about the duration of his rule. One report states that it will last for 309 years, the number of years the Aṣḥāb al-Kahf (the people of the cave) slept in the cave, while another report states only 7 years (given in the Sunnī collections), each year being equal to 70 years; thereafter he will die. The purpose of ẓuhūr, stressed in all the sources, is to secure justice on earth and liberate the world from suffering, oppression, and abolish war and inaugurate an era of spiritual and worldly felicity. His rule, therefore, personifies the millennial dream, the accomplishment of an ideal Islamic society.
kmaherali wrote:
It is well-known that the ʿAbbāsid revolutionary movement used messianic expectations and the notion of a restorer of religion and just rule from among the family of the Messenger of God. The very fact that the Mahdī traditions are included in the four Sunnī canonical collections of the traditions, viz., the sunan works of Ibn Māja (d. 273/887), Abū Dāwūd (d. 275/889), al-Tirmidhī (d. 279/892), and al-Nasāʾī (d. 303/915), all compiled during the second half of the 3rd/9th century, attest to the popular belief in the doctrine of the Mahdī among the Muslims. The Mahdī traditions found in the Muṣannaf of ʿAbd al-Razzāq al-Ṣanʿānī (d. 211/827) indicate that they were components of the Sunnī collections even earlier than the canonical collections mentioned above.
Paper read at the fourth International Conference on Mahdi Doctrine held in Tehran Aug. 14-15, 2008. Proceedings of the Conference to be published in 2009.)
Islamic Messianism:
Some Thoughts on the Origins of Mahdism and its Socio-political Function
By
Ismail K. Poonawala;
Although the English term "messianism," derived from the Hebrew word "mashia," meaning "the annointed one," has no exact equivalent in Arabic, the figure of the Mahdi, meaning "the rightly guided," or "God-guided," that evolved very early in Islamic history conveys the Judeo-Christian concept of messianism. Originally, the Hebrew term denoted a king whose reign was consacrated by a rite of annointment with oil. In the Old Testament it is always used in reference to the actual king of Israel. However, in the intertestamental period, which extends approximately from 220 BCE to 70 CE, its connotation changed. From that point forward, it was applied to the future king of Israel, who was expected to restore the kingdom of Israel and save his people from all evil. Subsequently, messianic expectations in Judaism, Helmer Ringgren states, developed in two distinct directions. One was national and political, where the Messiah, a descendent of David shall defeat his opponents and establish a universal kingdom where the people will live in peace and happiness. The second line of development, with apocalyptic notions of a more mythological character centered on the term "son of man," who will descend from heaven to save the select few. In the apocalyptic books, "the son of man" was transformed into a transcendental figure, with divine, pre-existent attributes, who resides in heaven, and will only appear at the end of time to pronounce judgment on the resurrected people. According to this concept, the pious will be freed from the dominion of the wicked and this transcendental figure will rule in peace and righteousness. Without going into the details of Jewish Messianism, it should be pointed out that early Christianity incorporated many of the Jewish beliefs about the Messiah and applied them to Jesus. The term Messiah was translated into Greek as Christos, i.e., Christ, thereby identifying Jesus with Jewish messianic expectations. Historians of Messianism have demonstrated that belief in Messianism flourishes during the times of suffering, persecution and hardship. They further add that when the present is satisfactory it need not be redeemed, but the belief itself should be perpetuated so that when the present is totally unsatisfactory, the concept of the Messiah could be revived and re-energized as a possible response. The tendency to look toward future fulfillment is thus continually renewed.
In his article "Jewish Messianism," Werblowsky identifies a second manifestation of the messiah, which emerged during the 2nd century CE possibly as a reaction to the catastrophic failure of the Bar Kokhba revolt. Supposedly, a warrior messiah who died a heroic death would be followed by the victorious messiah. This concept further demonstrates that messianic fulfillment is generally preceded by cosmic, natural, and/or social upheavals and catastrophes. The Christian transformation of this Jewish belief is the idea of the Antichrist who is let loose to rule the world before being finally vanquished by the Second Coming of the Christ.
Returning to the concept of Mahdi in Islam, it should be noted that despite the notion of divine guidance, a fundamental principle in the Qur'an, the word Mahdi; does not occur in it. The doctrine of the Mahdi; as it evolved in Islamic history, suggests the expectation of a divinely sent eschatological prophetic figure at the end of time who will restore true religion and justice and will rule before the end of the universe. It is worth noting from the beginning that the term Mahdi, especially its connotation and usage, has a long history of development. Discussions about his characteristics and identity among the religious scholars can be traced back to the time after the second fitna (civil war) in Islamic history.
Various factors contributed to the growth of such literature.
Firstly, the doctrine of the Last Judgment, the coming of "the Hour" and the accompanying eschatological inventory depicted in the Quran concerning that momentous event have received exegetical elaborations in traditions ascribed to the Messenger of God. It is the opinion of the author that in this context the Mahdi traditions first emerged. Therefore, before we deal with other factors that contributed to the growth of Islamic Messianic literature, let us turn to the Qur'an. Unfortunately, this primary source is often overlooked by the Western scholars. It should be noted that the early Meccan revelations of the Qur'an reflect the mood of eschatological expectations that pervaded the Near East during the period immediately preceding the advent of the Prophet of Islam. Verse 89 in the surat al-Baqara, states: When a Scripture comes to them from God, confirming what is in their possession – and previously they have been seeking victory over those who disbelieve- and when what they recognize [as the truth] comes to them they do not believe in it." This verse clearly indicates that some Christians and Jews in Arabia foretold the coming of an eschatological prophet. Furthermore, historians of early Islam state that the messianic typology had been exploited by the then imperial powers, i.e., the Byzantine emperor, the Abyssinian Negus, and the Jewish king Dhu Nawas of Yemen for their own aggrandizement. The Muslim claim that Muhammad was the "seal" of the prophets, meaning that he was the final link in the chain of prophecy, may originally have been understood in a messianic connotations.
Three themes dominate the eschatology of the Qur'an: i) the Signs of the Hour; ii) the Day of Judgment; and iii) the rewards of the righteous and punishments of the wicked. The Day of Judgment is described as when all people shall be made to answer before God for their deeds. It is a major theme of the Meccan period of the Qur'an and is sometimes referred to variously as the Day of Reckoning (yaum al-Din), the Day of Judgment (yaum al-hisab), the Day of Resurrection (yaum al-qiyama), or the Last Day (al-yaum al-akhir). The Signs of the Hour (alamat/ashrah al-saha) are depicted in the Qur'an as the climax of history, a catastrophic and terryfying event that will affect each and every creature on earth. Several suras, such as 81, 82, 84, 99, vividly describe the cosmic upheaval that will occur on that day, which will dislocate the earth and the heavens. Some verses describe that the entire natural world will disintegrate, as the seas boil over, the mountains crumble to dust, and the dead will rise from their graves. The Qur'an speaks of the judgment that will be delivered as the weighing of deeds on a scale to determine whether good or evil prevails. Once judgment has been rendered, people are eternally consigned to either the bliss of Paradise or to the torments of Hell. Hell is supervised by angels who are appointed for that purpose. In addition to suffering from fire, its inhabitants are forced to undergo the agonies of eating bitter fruit and drinking boiling hot water. The fortunate dwellers of Paradise, on the other hand, will enjoy all the pleasures colorfully portrayed in the Qur'an.
When the Messenger of God was asked about the time of the Last Hour, he replied: "The knowledge thereof is with my Lord only," or "the Hour shall come on them suddenly while they are unaware," or "the matter of the Hour is but a twinkling of the eye,” or “it is nearer still." Soon the coming of the Hour and all the eschatological related themes and ideas depicted in the Qur'an received exegetical elaboration and apocalyptic traditions ascribed to the Messenger of God emerged. Both Bukhari and Muslim, whose collections are regarded by the Sunnis as the most authentic canonical collections of traditions, transmit a tradition that states that the Messenger of God told his Companions everything that would happen up to the Last Hour. This tradition, thus, further expanded the scope of speculations and fabrication of spurious traditions.
All the aforementioned characteristics of the Day of Judgment described in the Qur'an evoke the mood of an apocalyptic vision. Graphic descriptions of that day imply that the Qur'an speaks not only of the destruction of the cosmos but also its transformation and rearrangement to create new forms of life. The eschatological tension recounted in the Qur'an is, thus, resolved by an idealized hereafter. For Islam there is no particular "salvation," or "redemption," as correctly noted by Fazlur Rahman, only "success (fala)" or "failure (khusran)" in the task of building the type of world order depicted in the Qur'an.
Secondly, numerous factors including the socio-political crisis and religious ferment that prevailed in Muslim society following the first and the second fitna largely contributed to messianic hopes. Thirdly, beliefs concerning a messiah taken from other religions and cultures must have had some influence as well. In his book entitled Early Mahdism, Jan-Olaf Blichfeld argues that the notion of Mahdi should not be considered exotic or sectarian, particularly reflecting the views of some extreme groups of the Shia or the Khawarij. Mahdism, he contends, grew out the socio-political conditions that prevailed in Muslim society following the civil wars. The notion of the Mahdi, he stresses, must have emerged from a particular set of social and political conditions. He, therefore, devotes a major portion of his book to substantiate his claim and highlight the prevailing circumstances in Kufa that led al-Mukhtar al-Thaqafi to employ the term "al-Mahdi" for Muhammad b. al-Hanafiyya. There are many allusions in the accounts of his uprising to the belief in Ibn al-Hanafiyya as the Mahdi. Presumably, G. R. Hawting states, in preparing the way for the coming of the Mahdi, al-Mukhtar and his followers saw themselves as performing an apocalyptic role. The view of his movement was shared by the contemporary Christian Syriac writer, John of Phenek.
Leaving aside the history of the term Mahdi and how it was applied to various historical figures beginning with the Messenger of God, Wilferd Madelung states that discussion about the Mahdi and his identity among the religious scholars can be traced back to the time of the second fitna. He further states that it was the Kufan tradition which insisted that the Mahdi would emerge from the family of the Prophet (ahl al-bayt). He has also identified Taim b. Bahdala (d. ca. 127/744-45), a well-known Qur'an reciter, for disseminating the following tradition supported by Kufan chain of narrators (isnad) going back to Abd Allah b. Masud, a Companion of the Prophet . It states: "The Messenger of God said: 'The world will not pass away before the Arabs are ruled by a man of my family whose name will be the same as mine.'" The claim that the Mahdi's name and the kunya (surname, consisting of abu or umm followed by the name of the son) will be similar to that of the Messenger of God, as we know, was made during the rebellion of al-Mukhtar in favor of Muhammad b. al-Hanafiyya.
In his article "Some Religious Aspects of the Caliphate," Helmer Ringgren argues that although the "caliph," a political successor of the Prophet, was not originally a sacral king in theory, in reality, it initially embodied a number of qualities and functions of the sacral kingship of ancient Near East. Hence, he contends that in many cases the Mahdi traditions ascribed to the Prophet, one can easily detect Judeo-Christian and/or Zoroastrian eschatological ideas.
It is well-known that the Abbasid revolutionary movement used messianic expectations and the notion of a restorer of religion and just rule from among the family of the Messenger of God. The very fact that the Mahdi traditions are included in the four Sunni canonical collections of the traditions, viz., the sunan works of Ibn Maja (d. 273/887), Abu Dawud (d. 275/889), al-Tirmidhi (d. 279/892), and al-Nasai (d. 303/915), all compiled during the second half of the 3rd/9th century, attest to the popular belief in the doctrine of the Mahdi among the Muslims. The Mahdi traditions found in the Mu'annaf of Abd al-Razzaq al-anani (d. 211/827) indicate that they were components of the Sunni collections even earlier than the canonical collections mentioned above.
For the Imami Shias the reappearance of the hidden Twelfth Imam, who had gone into occultation in the year 260/873-74 and identified with the Mahdi, is a fundamental tenet of their faith. It is expressed fervently in an often repeated prayer: "May God hasten the release from suffering through his advent." Abdul Aziz. Sachedina has convincingly argued that the Mahdi doctrine about the Twelfth Imam grew and developed with eschatological connotations following the period of the shorter occultation (al-ghayba al-'ughra), viz., between 260/873 and 329/941. Subsequently there arose among the Imamis a literature dealing with the events that herald the Mahdi's coming, known as alamat-i uhur (the signs of [the Mahdi's] appearance or advent). Al-Kafi, the earliest Imami collection of hadith, by Kulayni (d. 329/941), does not contain anything on the signs that will precede the Mahdi's uhur, however, in a brief section entitled karahiyat al-tawqit (abhorrence of fixing the time [of the Mahdi’s advent]), he refers to the prohibition of assigning its date. As the Mahdi's raja (return) and uhur became an integral part of the doctrine of the ghayba (occultation), most of the Imami scholars who wrote on the ghayba, beginning with Ibn Babuya (d. 381/991-92), included a chapter entitled Alamat uhur al-Qaim (the signs of the Mahdi's appearance), or min al-alamat al-kaina qabl al-khuruj (some of the signs bound to happen before his coming). These apocalyptic visions of a future restoration through the dramatic intervention of God in human history served as source of solace for believers and provided them with an added impetus to preserve the faith during the difficult days of the ghayba. The messianic expectations relieved them from any need to actively oppose or rebel against the established authority. Accompanying those traditions were reports on the merits of waiting for the uhur in patience. The absence of any information on the exact time required that believers be on their guard and that they had to be prepared for his advent by a constant re-evaluation of contemporary circumstances on the basis of the predicted signs. Familiar with this literature, every generation expected the uhur to take place during their lifetime.
In its development as an independent genre, alamat-i uhur drew chiefly on Islamic eschatological literature, alamat al-saa or ashra al-saa, describing the catastrophic events preceding the end of time. As stated above both al-Bukhari and Muslim incorporate in their ahihs certain traditions stating that the Messenger of God told his Companions everything that would happen up to the Last Hour. Sunni collections place a great majority of the apocalyptic traditions directly in the mouth of the Messenger of God, whereas the Shii collections generally ascribe those ahadith (traditions) to the Imams, the legitimate heirs to prophetic knowledge. Time and space does not permit me to discuss Mu'haf Faima (the Scroll of Faima) and Kitab al-Jafr (the Book of Divination), two books among others that the imam inherits from his predecessors, especially for apocalyptic traditions. In short, the material found in Sunni hadith collections under Kitab al-fitan, dealing with civil strife and seditions cover various topics, such as the signs of the Last Hour (ashra al-saa or amarat al-saa), the account of the Dajjal (Antichrist), and the descent of Jesus, formed the nucleus around which the signs of the Mahdi's uhur developed by the Shia. The alamat-i uhur, thus, follow the same pattern as the Sunni hadith collections, and show great resemblance in form and content.
After scrutinizing the vast amount of Sunni and Shii ahadith, it becomes clear that later ahadith were more or less elaborations or expositions of earlier, authenticated traditions. Very often details of later political and social turmoil were appended as prophecies, and major political events, such as the disintegration of the Abbasid caliphate, were interpreted as the fulfillment of the approaching Hour. Numerous traditions predict the final Muslim victory over the Byzantines and the conquest of Constantinople as a sign. The constant reference in these collections to conflict among enemies reflected the political turmoil of the time and provided the Shia with assurances that the great event of the uhur of the Mahdi was approaching. It should be noted that the great majority of the ahadith in the Shii collections are ascribed to the Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (d. 148/765) and his father Muhammad al-Baqir (d. ca. 122/740). The rest are attributed to the Imams Ali al-Rida (d. 203/818), Musa al-Kaim (d. 183/799), Ali Zayn al-Abidin (d. ca. 94/712), Ali b. Abi Talib (d. 40/661), and some of the Companions of the Messenger of God. (Add some names such as ??? )
In addition to the six canonical Sunni hadith collections I have referenced Kamal al-din wa-tamam al-nima by Abu Jafar Muhammd b. Ali al-Qummi, known as Ibn Babuya/Babwayh and al-Shaykh al-Saduq (d. 381/991), al-Irshad by Shaykh Mufid (d. 381/991), Kitab al-ghayba by Shaykh al-Taifa Abu Jafar Muhammad al-Tusi (d. 460/1067), Bihar al-anwar by Muhammad al-Baqir Majlisi (d. ca. 1110/1699), and al-Najm al-thaqib ya Mahdi-e mawud by Mirza Husayn b. Muhammad Taqi Nuri Tabrisi (d. 1320/1902-3) for analysis.
Leaving aside a great wealth of detailed descriptions and specific references, this huge and amorphous material can be classified into the following themes:
Celestial Signs. The Mahdi's uhur will be preceded by extraordinary events against the natural order. Examples include the rising of the sun from the west, a solar and a lunar eclipse at the middle and end of the month of Ramadan respectively, a lunar eclipse in the east and the west, and the sun remaining stationary in the middle of the day. Some traditions describing the halting of the sun state that the face of Sufyani (see below) will be visible at its center portending his destruction. A shining star like the moon will rise in the east; redness will appear in the sky and spread on the horizon and remain for three to seven days. Time will contract, a year being like a month, a month like a week, a week like a day, a day like an hour, and an hour like the kindling of a fire. The angel Gabriel will proclaim from the heaven in the early morning: "Verily, the truth is with Ali and his followers," and his words will be heard by all the earth’s inhabitants in their respective languages. Satan, on the other hand, will announce from the earth in the evening: "Indeed, the truth is with Uthman (or Sufyani) and his followers," and the liars will waver in their doubt. The Mahdi's name will be proclaimed on Friday night, the 23rd of Ramadan. The aforementioned celestial signs are quite conspicuous in Imami sources.
Terrestial Phenomena. Extraordinary and calamitous events, such as earthquakes, famines, copious rains, and bizarre epidemics will take place on the earth; the yield of all crops will drastically decline and dates will rot on the trees. Social Anarchy. The Mahdi's advent will be preceded by a period of terrible suffering, great commotion, and civil strife, and mankind will sink into a state of moral turpitude. Pretenders to prophethood and the imamate will arise and "a pure soul" from the descendants of Banu Hashim will be killed at the sanctuary of the Kaba in Mecca. Many traditions state that Sufyani, Khurasani, and Yamani will rise simultaneously on the same day. During this period of violent convulsion almost two-thirds of humankind will perish.
Sufyani. The Mahdi's appearance will be heralded by the coming of Sufyani, a figure whom the Umayyads were accused of devising as a counterpart of the Shii Mahdi. He is not mentioned in the six canonical Sunni hadith collections, but other Sunni collections cite him in detail. His name is given as Uthman b. Anbasa and he will rise from among the descendants of Abu Sufyan b. Harb b. Umayya. Of medium height with large head and marks of smallpox making him appear one-eyed, he will come from the desert in the month of Rajab and march into Syria after defeating the Byzantines. After occupying Syria for eight or nine months, he will be killed by the Mahdi.
Dajjal (Antichrist, lit."deceiver"). His appearance is a sign of the Last Hour. Endowed with miraculous powers, he will come before the end of time and perform mischief right and left to lead people astray. He will rule the world with impurity and tyranny for forty days: one like a year, one like a month, one like a week, and the rest like other days. He is described as a corpulent, red-faced youth blind in the right eye (resembling a floating grape), and the letters kaf, fa, ra (meaning infidel, ungrateful) will be written on his forehead. He rides an ass and is attended to by the sinners and hypocrites. Legends suggest his appearance will be in the remote regions of the east, especially Khurasan. Despite his conquests he will be incapable of entering the mountain passes of both Mecca and Medina because the angels guard its gates. According to the Sunni traditions he will be killed by Jesus. The figure of Dajjal does not appear in early Shii works, though he is discussed in detail in Sunni collections. In later Imami works he is mentioned in a few ahadith where he is said to be killed by the Mahdi, not Christ. Some traditions trying to reconcile the figures of Sufyani and Dajjal interpret Dajjal's emergence as a test for sifting true believers from false ones.
The Advent of Jesus. In Islamic apocalyptic traditions, Jesus is assigned a significant role and the description of his return, regarded as one of the signs of the approaching Last Hour, does not vary substantially in the Sunni and the Shii sources. He will descend onto a hill in the Holy Land, or onto the white arcade of the eastern gate of Damascus with a spear in his hand to kill the Antichrist. He will then arrive in Jerusalem when the dawn prayer is being said. The Imam will try to give up his place to Jesus, but Jesus will decline to lead and will pray behind the Mahdi. Thereafter he will break the cross, kill all the swine, destroy the synagogues and the churches, and kill all the Christians except those who believe in him. The People of the Book will believe in him and will form one single community, the community of Islam. He will establish the rule of justice and safeguard it for forty years; then he will die. His funeral will take place in Medina where he will be buried beside the Messenger of God. The Imami doctrine about the Mahdi's coming at one point merges with the return of Jesus. Imami ahadith emphasize that Jesus will descend during the Mahdi's reign and that he will offer his prayer behind him. The function of killing the Dajjal is also reserved for the Mahdi.
The Advent of the Mahdi. The prohibition regarding the fixing of a definite time about the Mahdi's advent seems to relate to the year, since many traditions mention the day on which he will appear. The most often cited date is Ashura, the tenth of Muharram, on a Saturday during one of the odd-numbered years of the Hijra. Though the traditions vary widely regarding the place where he will rise, his uhur will take place in Mecca at the sanctuary of the Kaba, between the rukn and the maqam, where his followers will swear allegiance to him. He will then move to Medina and march triumphantly into Kufa, which will become his capital. In some early traditions ascribed to Imam Muhammad al-Baqir, the number of years which had to elapse before the Mahdi's coming was specified. The fact that the period passed without the prophecy being fulfilled was interpreted as bada, a change in circumstances causing God to alter His ruling in the interest of the people.
The Mahdi will be old in age but young in looks. Those who look at him will think that he is forty years or less. The proof that he is the Mahdi, will be demonstrated by the fact that he will not age with the passage of time until his death. He is described as being of white complexion with a leaning towards redness; he has a beautiful face with pretty black hair hanging down to his shoulders and two birth marks on his back (one like the color of his skin and the other resembling the birth mark of the Messenger of God). There is no agreement in the Imami sources about the duration of his rule. One report states that it will last for 309 years, the number of years the A'hab al-Kahf (the people of the cave) slept in the cave, while another report states only 7 years (given in the Sunni collections), each year being equal to 70 years; thereafter he will die. The purpose of uhur, stressed in all the sources, is to secure justice on earth and liberate the world from suffering, oppression, and abolish war and inaugurate an era of spiritual and worldly felicity. His rule, therefore, personifies the millennial dream, the accomplishment of an ideal Islamic society.