Q.1
What does the word "Savior" mean, and what are its implications?
The word's meaning is clear, and its root is explained in the "Dictionary of Etymology" as follows:
Probably before 1300 AD savior is one who saves mankind from sin, a title of Jesus Christ, in Arthur Merlin, borrowed from the Old French saveour, from Late Latin salvatorem (nominative salvator) a saver, preserver from salvare to save. The word in Late Latin and especially in English was chiefly used in reference to Christ.19
This term is to be found in the Old Testament in the following verse:
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19. Ed.: Robert K. Barnhart, Chambers of Dictionary of Etymology, p.960. Chambers, France 1988
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Drop down dew, heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the Earth be opened, and a savior spring to life.20
We would not argue that this verse refers to Christ. According to the historical documents we can state that there were always disagreements between Christians and Jews about the personality of the Savior. In an old pamphlet printed in 1818 in London under the title "The Knowledge of the True Messiah," we read a sermon reached at the Episcopal Jews' Chapel by Rev. C. S. Hawthrey -about a young Jewish convert to Christianity the following words:
How pleasing is the thought, that in his case we have seen " a Hebrew of the Hebrews" (He was a Jew boy by father and mother's side) brought into the fold of the Savior; that we have beheld in him.21
Then he says the following words which describe the bitterness surrounding this conflict:
In this awful condition have they remained as a people, since they refused to come unto Christ that they might have life. From their childhood they execrate the name which is most to be adored, the only name given under heaven, whereby we must be saved. In a spiritual sense, they are now committing adultery upon every high mountain, and under every green tree, even wherever they worship as offered, and their ceremonies are performed. When the Lord Jesus saith, "Look unto me and be ye saved, for I am God and there is none else" they are deaf to his voice. Till he says: "If Jesus be not received as the Savior of the lost, pride and self-exaltation are at the bottom of all; their high thoughts are not brought into obedience; their idols are still in their hearts, neither have they yet submitted themselves to the righteousness of God.22
Clearly the word "Savior" does not necessarily, then, refer to Christ, even though in the modern West this link has entered into the popular mindset. However we can claim that when Shakespeare uses it in his wonderful work "Hamlet", it bears this meaning:
It faded on the crowing of the cock,
Some say that ever 'gainst that season comes
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20. Isaiah: 45:8
21. The Knowledge of the True Messiah. p.6, publ.: 1818 (British Library, RB. 23. a. 1254)
22. The Knowledge of the True Messiah. pp.9-11, publ.: 1818 (British Library, RB. 23. a. 1254)
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Wherein our Saviour's birth is celebrated,
The bird of dawning singeth all night long;
And then they say, no spirit can walk abroad;
The nights are wholesome; then no planets strike,
No fairy takes, nor witch hath power to charm,
So hallowed and so gracious is the time.23
It is both probable and natural that mankind, throughout history, has given some heroes the title of Savior. It is not surprising to read that many of God's prophets were viewed in this light, along with many of history's more unsavory characters. The modern Western worldview would accept the concept of savior as well. But they would remove from it any spiritual aspect, and use it in a secularized manner that refers only to social and economic liberation. This secularized view of the concept of "savior" allows it to be applied to criminals and other types of rogue characters. One should not be surprised that Robin Hood is one of the most enduring heroes of the Western world,
24 as well as being viewed as a Savior to the poor people of his time.
The concept of a Divine Savior existed many centuries before Islam, and has been an essential feature of human thought, linked with human history since ancient times. The idea of a Savior is older and wider than Islam, and it may be revealed in man's expectation of a heavenly contribution to the creation of a harmonious global society. At the same time Islam has provided a more through and ambitious picture for those seeking the realization of a future filled with peace and justice.
Q.2
What does the word "Al-Mahdi" mean? Who is Al-Mahdi (as)?
Mahdi means, literally, "the one who is Rightly Guided." Al-Mahdi (as) is a figure of profound eschatological significance in
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23. Hamlet (1601) act 1, se. 1,1.157
24. Ed.: John Cannon, The Oxford Companion to British History, p.812. Oxford University Press, Great Britain 1997
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Islam. It is a title, and it is one that has been falsely claimed by diverse leaders thoroughout Islamic history. The just rule of the true Al-Mahdi (as) will herald the approach of the end of the time. Both the Sunni and Shi'ah adhere to a belief in Al-Mahdi (as), although the Shi'ah have developed the doctrine more deeply, tying it up with the concept of ghaybah and the Twelfth Shi'ah Imam.
25
Q.3
How is humanity's future depicted in the Qur'an?
In the future, as it has been depicted in the authentic Islamic books, Islam will become a universal religion for the whole of mankind. This is a Qur'anic concept, and the Holy Qur'an has promised this in very clear terms.
* The final collapse of the oppressors and the tyrants.
We willed to show favor to those who were persecuted in the Earth and to make them leader and masters. It was also Our will to give them power in the Earth and to show Pharaoh, Human and their hosts to experience from their victims what they feared most. (Qur'an 28:5-6)
* The final victory of truth.
It is He who has sent His messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth to make it prevail over every other religion. However much the disbeliever may dislike it. (Qur'an 9:33 and 61:9)
* The absolute supremacy of the good and the pious.
Indeed we have written in the Psalms after the Torah had been revealed. The righteous among My slaves shall inherit the Earth. (Qur'an 21:105)
* A bright and happy future for humanity.
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25. A Popular Dictionary of Islam, p.156
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Moses told his people to seek help from Allah and exercise patience. The Earth belongs to Him and He has made it the heritage of whichever of His servants He chooses. The Final Victory is for the pious. (Qur'an 7:128)
Q.4
There seem to be a number of ambiguities about this person. Who is the real Al-Mahdi (as)?
As it has been explained, Al-Mahdi is a famous title, which was used for different men. Some were given this name the day they were born and others have claimed later to be Al-Mahdi (as). Throughout Muslim history many pretenders and imposters have claimed to be Al-Mahdi (as). The fact that so many claimed this title throughout history should prove that this concept of Al-Mahdi (as) stems back to the ahadeeth of Prophet Muhammad (saws), and was not something invented in the religion later on, as many Orientalists have claimed. Many Muslim leaders, such as the Abbassid caliphs, tried to give this Holy position to themselves, even though they possessed none of the Divine Attributes associated with this position. This was not unique to the Abbassid dynasty, and we see that the most famous caliph of the Fatimid dynasty was named Ubayd Allah Al-Mahdi.
We are not speaking about the claimants like Mirza Ghoulam Ahmed from Qadian, or others such as the more recent false claimant Muhammad Ahmad (1848-1885), popularly remembered as Al-Mahdi, a Nineteenth century religious and political leader in Sudan. He was born near Dunculah, and turned to religious studies in his youth. After some years he developed a following amongst his people, and in 1881 he declared himself Al-Mahdi, the prophesied Muslim eschatological figure who would rid the world of evil, and declared a Holy war against Sudan's European-supported rulers. In 1884 Al-Mahdi's forces besieged the city of Khartoum for ten months, finally taking it and killing British general Charles George Gordon and his entire garrison. The Mahdi
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began to create a unified Islamic state, but he died unexpectedly of typhus five months later.
Lord Rondolph Churchill describes him in a letter to Lady May John Manners: "Randolph [referring to himself] and the Mahdi have occupied may thoughts about equally. Al-Mahdi pretends to be half mad, but is very sane in reality. Randolph occupied exactly the converse position."
26 A brief criticism of those claimants will be given in question 47.
However these false claimants are not the subject of this book. Rather, we will be dealing with the true Al-Mahdi (as), i.e. Muhammad -son of Hassan Al-'Askari- Al-Mahdi (as), the Twelfth Imam.
Q.5
Is it true that the Shi'ah have a more deep and profound image of Al-Mahdi (as) as compared to the Sunnis?
Although both Shi'ah and Sunni Muslims accept the idea of Al-Mahdi (as), they present two different images of him.
The Twelver Shi'ah believe that Al-Mahdi (as) was born 255 AH (896 AD) in Samarah, Iraq, and is the Twelfth Imam according to the Shi'ah belief in Imamah (religious-political leadership). His Divine birth illuminated the world of faith and truth; and the hearts of the victims of oppression and those of the followers of the Household of the Holy Prophet (saws) were filled with happiness. His first name is Muhammad, and Abul Qasim is his patronym. Since the despotic rulers of those days were opposed to this heavenly Savior, they struggled to prevent this Divine birth, and plotted to kill the newborn baby if they failed to prevent his birth.
Shi'ah Muslims also believe that Al-Mahdi (as) by God's command chose the way of Occultation and after the murder (martyrdom) of his Holy father -Imam Hassan Askari (as)- The Twelfth Imam did not visit anyone except his saintly deputies.
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26. 1884 Of Lord Randolph Churchill, letter to lady John Manners, May. Otd. from Chambers Dictionary of Quotations, Edited by Alison Jones. Chambers 1996
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His distinguished father died in 269 AH (874 AD), and from that time His Holiness Al-Mahdi (as) disappeared from among the people for approximately 70 years. This period is known as the "Minor Occultation." The Minor Occultation refers to that period of his Occultation when all the followers of Al-Mahdi (as) could communicate with him through the Imam's deputies, and they were able to receive proper answers from him. He appeared only to his deputies (na'ib) and even then only in exceptional circumstances. After this period, his Major Occultation began, where he was/is completely absent and waiting for Almighty God's (swt) command to appear again and establish Divine Rule in the world. This heavenly reign is the ideal of all the messengers of God.
During the Minor Occultation, Al-Mahdi (as) chose as his first special deputy Uthman bin Sa'id 'Umari, one of the companions and trusted friends of his father and grandfather. Through his deputy the Imam would answer the requests and questions of the Shi'ah. After Uthman bin Sa'id, his son Muhammad bin Uthman Umari was appointed the deputy of the Imam. After the death of Muhammad bin Uthman, Abul Qasim Hossayn bin Ruh Nawbakhti was appointed special deputy, and after his death Ali bin Muhammad Simmari was chosen for this task.
A few days before the death of Ali bin Muhammad Simmari in 329/939 a statement was issued by the Imam stating that in six days Ali bin Muhammad Simmari would die. Henceforth the special deputation of the Imam would come to an end and the Major Occultation would begin and would continue until the day Almighty God (swt) grants permission for the Imam to reappear.
Q.6
How can one summarize the faith of the Shi'ah concerning Al-Mahdi (as)? And in brief, how does the Shi'ah school of thought differ from belief of others vis-a-vis the status of Al-Mahdi (as)?
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The basis for the Shi'ah faith in Al-Mahdi (as) has reached us through successive narrations of the Holy Prophet (saws). Islam is the last true and Divine religion of Allah (swt), and we do not await any other religion to come and reform mankind. Oppression and corruption is spreading so much day by day and everywhere on this Earth, that there seems to be no hope of betterment. Unfortunately, even Muslims themselves have forsaken Islam's teachings and commandments. We find that as a result of the deteriorating condition of the Islamic countries the appearance of Al-Mahdi (as), the Savior, is necessary and we are awaiting him so that he may reform a humanity which has reached its lowest ebb and restore Islam to its lost glory. We also see that the Muslims are divided amongst each other, are involved in serious heresies and innovations, and are making changes in Islamic laws. The false claims of present and past generations of Muslims against each other are already on the surface, and it seems impossible that Islam may regain its strength and greatness under these conditions.
Under these circumstances only one person has the strength and power to revive the glory of Islam. The advent of this great reformer will unite the Muslims and through Divine Mercy will eradicate the evils, the perversions and the waywardness that has tarnished the image of Islam. Only such a reformer will possess the supermental power to bring about a revolution so that after the Earth is filled with oppression, justice will prevail upon it.
Humanity is in a terrible plight, oppression and corruption are prevalent everywhere and our belief that Islam is the true and the last Divine religion leads to the reappearance of such a great reformer as Al-Mahdi (as), the Savior, who will lead mankind to total salvation. We believe that the chain of Imams does not break at any time. It will continue uninterrupted on this Earth, although the Imam (as) may remain hidden until the time Allah (swt) wills that he should reappear.
27
Concerning the second part of the question, Sunni Muslims believe that Al-Mahdi (as) is a Holy man who will appear before the Day of Judgement, and that he will be a descendant of the
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27. Muzaffar, Muhammad Ridha, The Faith of Shi'a Islam. pp.70-73, Islamic Seminary Publications, 1985
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Prophet (saws) although he is not necessarily the son of Imam Hassan Al-'Askari (as). Muslims from all schools of thought unanimously agree on the coming of Al-Mahdi (as), but Sunnis are divided about his current status. According to some, he has yet to be born, others believe that he is born already. A few hold the opinion that he will come from the descendants of the Second Imam, Hassan al-Mujtabah (as), though their knowledge is fairly limited on this concept.
28 But both Sunni and Shi'ah Muslims agree that Al-Mahdi (as) will appear as a religious and political leader to fill the Earth with justice and peace. In a hadith whose authenticity everyone agrees the Holy Prophet (saws) has said:
If there were to remain in the life of the world but one day, Allah would prolong that day until He sends in it a man from my community and may household. His name will be the same as my name. He will fill the Earth with justice and peace just as it is filled with oppression and tyranny.29
Q.7
Who was his father, according to Sunni and Shi'ah views?
The Shi'ah, along with some Sunni scholars, believe that his father was Imam Al-'Askari (as) (d. 2260/874). There are approximately 31 Sunni scholars who confirm this reference, and the overwhelming majority of prophetic traditions about Al-Mahdi (as) state that the name of Al-Mahdi (as) is the same as the name of the Prophet Muhammad (saws). However, there exists a single Sunni report that has an additional phrase stating that his father's name is also similar to that of the Prophet's father (i.e. Abudllah). This extra phrase does not exist in any other Shi'ah and Sunni narrations (Ahadeeth). Moreover, the extra phrase in some Shi'ah ahadeeth is that his patronym is the same as the Prophet's (saws) patronym, Abu al-Qasim. This is the correct view. The single hadith in which we find the additional phrase -that his father's name is the same as the Prophet's father- was probably fabricated by Abdullah Ibn al-Hassan Muthanna, the second son of the Second Imam Hassan al-Mujtaba (as).
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28. Araki, Mohsin, Ideological and Jurisprudential Frontiers of Islam, p.20, Book Extra, London, 1999
29. Sunni references to this narration:
Sahih Tirmidhi 2:86, 9:74-75
Sunan Abu Dawud 2:7
Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal 1:376 and 3:63
Mustadrak al-Sahihain al-Hakim 4:557
Al-Majma', Tabarani 217
Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, 9:144
Sawaiq al-Muhraqa, Ibn Hajar al-Haythami 167
Fathul Bari, Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani 7:305
Al-Tathkirah, al-Qutubi 617
Al-Hawi, al-Suyuti 2:65-166
Sharh al-Mawahib al-Ladunniyyah, al-Zurqani, 5:348
Fathul Mughith, al-Sakhawi 3:41
Al-Hafidh, Abul-Hassan Muhammad Ibn al-Husayn al-Sijistani al-Aburi
Al-Shafi'i (d. 363, 974) (Who said the above hadith is related by numerous authorities and was spread far and wide by many narrators and also in the works of Ibn Habban, Abu Nua'ym, Ibn Asakir, etc.
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Abdullah (d.145/762) had a son named Muhammad and he called him "Nafs al-Zakiyyah" and Al-Mahdi.
30 Abdullah concealed his son several times in the Umayyad period when there was still no danger for him. When he was asked why he did this, he said: "What an idea, his time had not come yet."
31
The first time Muhammad wrote a letter to the Abbaid caliph, al-Mansur, he wrote: "From Muhammad Abdillah, Al-Mahdi..."
32 Muhammad Ibn Abdillah started his claims at the end of the rule of the Umayyad caliphs, and became quite powerful. He tried to gain the support of the last Umayyad caliph, who was Marwan Ibn Muhammad (132/750), but the caliph did not pay any attention to him. Abu Abbas al-Falasti said to Marwan: "Muhammad Ibn Abdullah is striving to gain power, he is claiming to be Al-Mahdi." Marwan replied: "What does he have to do with me? The Mahdi is not him, nor any of his father's descendants. He will be the son of a slave woman." When Marwan said that Al-Mahdi is not one of "his father's descendants" he meant the descendants of Imam Hassan (as), for Al-Mahdi (as) is the descendants of Imam Husayn (as) and is the son of a slave woman. Even Marwan was aware of these traditions, and as such he did not pay any attention to Muhammad ibn Abdullah. This shows that true versions of narrations from the Prophet (saws) were widespread.
There is also a very small possibility that the fabrication of that extra phrase was done during the time of the Abbasid caliph, Abdullah al-Mansur, who called his son Al-Mahdi. Muslim Ibn Qutayba said: "Mansur called me and said: Muhammad Ibn Abdillah rebelled and he called himself Al-Mahdi. By Allah he is not. I will tell you something else, which I have told no one before you and will tell no one after you. By Allah my son is not Al-Mahdi either ... but I [named him] so that he might have a good future."
Q.8
Who was Al-Mahdi's (as) mother?
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30. Ibn Taqtuqa, p.165-166
31. al-Masudi 6: 107-108
32. Tabari 3:29, Ibn Kathir 10:85, Ibn Khaldun 4:4
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The most frequently used name for Al-Mahdi's (as) mother is Nardjis. She was from the Roman Empire, the most powerful European state of that time. Muslims defeated her father and she was taken as a prisoner of war. The Imam of that time was Imam Hassan Al-'Askari (as). Nardjis had seen Fatima (as) in a dream and embraced Islam, and later she married Imam Hassan Al-'Askari (as) and gave birth to Al-Mahdi (as).
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Q.9
Provided the Shi'ah are correct in their assertion that Al-Mahdi's (as) mother was a captive, is it not shameful that he should be born of a captive woman?
Hadjar, Prophet Abraham's (as) wife, was a slave woman. She gave birth to Ishmael (Isma'il), of whom the Prophet Muhammad (saws) is a direct descendants. If it is acceptable for the Prophet Muhammad (saws), the Seal of prophethood, to be a descendants of Isma'il who was born to a bondswoman, then why not Al-Mahdi (as)?
We have already mentioned that the birth of Al-Mahdi (as) was an event surrounded with secrecy, because the authorities, i.e. the Abbasids, knew that Al-Mahdi (as) -who was to bring about a revolution- was going to be the son of Imam Al-'Askari (as), and were awaiting his birth in order to kill him Owing to that, Imam Hassan Askari, Al-Mahdi's (as) father, could not behave conspicuously by revealing who the mother of Al-Mahid (as) was. What has created confusion among the critics of the Shi'ah is that Imam Al-'Askari did not refer to Nardjis with one name. A variety of names were used in an effort to fool the authorities, and to prevent them from recognizing who she was. This was part and parcel of the plan to protect Al-Mahdi (as). Had his father been slightly negligent in protecting his son, it is clear that Al-Mahdi (as) would not have survived.
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33. Araki, Mohsin, Ideological and Jurisprudential Frontiers of Islam, p.26, Book Extra, London, 1999
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The story of Al-Mahdi's (as) birth is like that of Moses. Female specialists were sent by the Abbasids to find out if anybody was pregnant and were regularly inspecting all the women. Al-Mahdi's (as) mother did not have any sign of pregnancy until the last hours, like Moses's mother. Whatever Allah (as) wishes will certainly take place.
Given these adverse conditions and hardships, the birth of Al-Mahdi (as) was kept secret. Even the closest people to Imam Al-'Askari (as), the father of Al-Mahdi (as) did not know of the time of his birth. This event reminds us of the first days of Islam's history when the Prophet (saws) preached the religion in utmost secrecy among a few loyal followers. The Prophet (saws) feared for the lives of these believers, and, as such, forbade them from revealing any information that might jeopardize his mission.
One can also argue that it is an honor for Imam Mahdi (as) to be born from a woman who stems from the Roman Empire, and as a descendent of Simon, Jesus' (as) closest disciple, and from Imam Hassan Al-'Askari who is descendent of the Prophet Muhammad (as). Being born from such parents signifies his crucial role entrusted to him in the future.
Q.10
Is there any historical evidence confirming Al-Mahdi's (as) birth?
The birth of Al-Mahdi (as) had many similarities to those of the Prophet Moses. Prophet Moses's (as) birth had signaled the downfall and extinction of the empire of Pharaoh who had ordered the slaying of all the newly born children of Bani-Israel. The Abbasid caliphs were similarly apprehensive of the continuous narrations of the Holy Prophet (saws) about the birth of Al-Mahdi (as), who was to bring about a curse on their Abbasid Empire. Therefore they were lying in ambush to discover the birth of the Imam and to put an end to his life, but the event of the Imam's birth
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was enveloped and shielded by the same Divine protection and miraculous phenomenon that had marked the historical birth of Prophet Moses (as). His birth remained strictly confidential and his family were shrouded in secrecy except from a few devotees. The Imam's birth coincided with the reign of al-Mu'tamad, the well-known Abbasid caliph who being aware of the prophecy of the Twelfth Imam's birth occurring in his reign was exceptionally worried and anxious to find him.
The birth of Al-Mahdi (as) has been sufficiently proved in the Qur'an and ahadeeth. Eminent Sunni scholars such as Ibraheem Ibn Muhammad Hamwini Shaafi (in his book "Faraid-al-Simtain") and Abu Naeem Esfahani (in his book "Hilliyat-ul-Auliya"), have clearly discussed the birth of Al-Mahdi (as). The Prophet (saws) is reported to have said the following words about the Imams:
Hassan and Husayn will be, after their father (Ali), the Imams of my ummah and they will be the Masters of the youths of paradise, their mother is the leader of all Muslim women and their father is the Master of all the Muslim leaders. There will be born nine Imams from Husayn's progeny and all of them will be my great grandchildren, and whosoever loves and respects them loves and respects me, and one who offends them offends me as well.
Shaikh Najmuddin Askari - a Shi'ah scholar- in his book "Al-Mahdi al-Mao'od-ul-Muntadhar" has written two volumes on the Twelfth Imam. There are many other works such as Sheikh Saduq's "Ikmaal-ud-Din" and Ayatullah Safi Gulpayegani's "Muntakhab al-At'har."
There are several other Sunni scholars who have mentioned the Twelfth Imam with the fullest details, such as Sheikh Muhayy al-deen Ibn Arabi in his book "Al-Futuhat Al-Makiyya".
Ibn Muhammad Hamwini Shaafi writes in his Faraid-al-Simtain quoting from Dabill Khiza'ee that the latter went to Al-Ridha (the 8th Imam as) and read a eulogy in praise of Al-Mahdi (as), and said:
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| An Imam will eventually appear,
| whose appearance is beyond doubt |
|
On Allah's command he will appear,
| and will bring His blessings about. |
|
To reward the good and punish the bad.
| surely he would not hesitate |
Al-Ridha (as) interrupted him and said: "O Dabill, you have uttered the words of fate, but do you know who that Imam would be?" Dabill replied that he would be from the Imam's progeny and will bring justice and fairness to a gloomy Earth. Al-Ridha (as) said that after himself, there would come his son Muhammad then his son Ali then his son Hassan and then his son Al-Mahdi (as), the last Imam for whom the entire world is waiting anxiously. He will eliminate oppression and injustice and fill the Earth with justice and peace.
34
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34. Ibid: p.21
