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He was the fourth deputy of the Hidden Imam (peace be upon him). His full name was Abu al-Hasan 'Ali b. Muhammad Samarri. According to Ibn Tawus, he had served under the Imam Hadi and Imam Hasan 'Askari. These two Imams were, moreover, in corresponde...

He was the fourth deputy of the Hidden Imam (peace...

Muhammad b. 'Uthman succeeded his father, 'Uthman b. Sa'id, as the deputy after the latter's death in 260 AH/874 CE. Shaykh Tusi, commenting on both these deputies of the Hidden Imam (peace be upon him), writes that "they enjoyed the highest esteem i...

Muhammad b. 'Uthman succeeded his father, 'Uthman ...

He was among the most trustworthy and eminent companions of Imam Hasan 'Askari and was his representative among the Shi'a. According to Bu 'Ali and Mamqani, "'Uthman b. Sa'id was thoroughly reliable and highly respected because of his impeccable char...

He was among the most trustworthy and eminent comp...

There is difference of opinion regarding the number of deputies of the twelfth Imam. Sayyid Ibn Tawus in his book entitled Rab'i al-shi'a has mentioned their names as follows: (1) Abu Hashim Dawud b. al-Qasim (2) Muhammad b. 'Ali b. Bilal (3) 'Uthman...

There is difference of opinion regarding the numbe...

Dr. Jalali: I am sure you know that it is customary among the people to rise when the word qa'im is mentioned. Is there any tradition to support this custom? Mr. Hoshyar: This custom is common among all the Shi'is around the world. It is related that...

Dr. Jalali: I am sure you know that it is customar...

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

Dr. Fahimi: I have heard that since Imam Hasan 'As...

The session began on time. Everyone was anxiously waiting to begin the discussion. Dr. Fahimi formulated his question thus. Dr. Fahimi: Let us assume that Imam Hasan 'Askari did have a son. But how can one believe that a five year old lad is appointe...

The session began on time. Everyone was anxiously ...

Dr. Fahimi: If Imam Hasan 'Askari had a son then the Sunni 'ulama' and historians should have recorded that in their books. Mr. Hoshyar: Yes, indeed there is a group of them who also have related the event of the birth of [Ibn] Imam Hasan 'Askari and...

Dr. Fahimi: If Imam Hasan 'Askari had a son then t...

Dr. Jalali: What is the name of the mother of the Master of the Age? Mr. Hoshyar: His mother was introduced in the sources with various names. Among them are: Narjis, Sayqal, Rayhana, Sawsan, Khumt, Hukayma, and Maryam. If you keep the two following ...

Dr. Jalali: What is the name of the mother of the ...

Dr. Fahimi: The custom is that when a child is born to anyone, then relatives, neighbors, and friends come to know about it. This is true in the case of a person who is well respected. As such no one disputes the existence of a child for that person....

Dr. Fahimi: The custom is that when a child is bor...

Engineer Madani: It is said that in his last days when Imam Hasan 'Askari was ill he appointed his mother as the executer of his will so that she could manage his affairs after his death. This matter was officially approved by the court. In this will...

Engineer Madani: It is said that in his last days ...

Dr. Jalali: How can it be possible that a person could have a son and no one in the world would know about him? Moreover, how can it be so that five years would pass and he would remain unknown? Did not Imam 'Askari live in Samarra? Was not he visite...

Dr. Jalali: How can it be possible that a person c...

On Friday evening the group met at Engineer Madani's house. The session formally began with the question raised by Dr. Jalali. Dr. Jalali: I have heard that Imam Hasan 'Askari had no son at all! Mr. Hoshyar: There are several methods to prove that Im...

On Friday evening the group met at Engineer Madani...

Dr. Jalali: If the promised Mahdi had been a prominent and well-known personality and if his highly publicized merits and characteristics had reached the ears of the Muslims and the companions of the rightful Imams in the early days of Islam, the roa...

Dr. Jalali: If the promised Mahdi had been a promi...

Dr. Fahimi: Our scholars accept that the Mahdi will be from among the descendants of Husayn. They refer to the following hadith reported in Sunan of Abi Dawud: Abu Ishaq relates: "'Ali, while looking at his son Hasan, said, 'This son of mine is the m...

Dr. Fahimi: Our scholars accept that the Mahdi wil...

The contemporary Scholar, Safi Golpaygani, has collected all these traditions in his book: Muntakhab al-athar, citing their Sunni and Shi'i sources. Following is the list of the subject and the number of traditions on that subject: 91 hadith on: "The...

The contemporary Scholar, Safi Golpaygani, has col...

Dr. Fahimi: We can accept this much from what you have said so far, namely, the existence of the Mahdi is among the indisputable religious truths of Islam, about which the Prophet himself had given the information. However, what does it matter if we ...

Dr. Fahimi: We can accept this much from what you ...

The following session was convened at Dr. Jalali's residence. He was the first person to open the discussion. Dr. Jalali: A small number of Muslims believe that the Imam of the Age is the son of Imam Hasan 'Askari who was born in the year 256 AH/843 ...

The following session was convened at Dr. Jalali's...

Dr. Fahimi: If the tradition of the Mahdi was authentic, then there would have been some mention of it in the Qur'an. On the contrary, even the word mahdi does not appear in that heavenly book! Mr. Hoshyar: First, it is not necessary that each and ev...

Dr. Fahimi: If the tradition of the Mahdi was auth...

Engineer Madani: Is belief in the promised Mahdi confined to the followers of Islam, or does it exist in other religions too? Mr. Hoshyar: In fact, this belief is not limited to the Muslims alone. In almost all religions and heavenly creeds one can f...

Engineer Madani: Is belief in the promised Mahdi c...

Engineer Madani: You can follow these traditions only if they are sound and reliable. Do you regard all these traditions about the Mahdi reliable? Mr. Hoshyar: I do not claim that all the traditions, on the subject of the Mahdi are highly reliable an...

Engineer Madani: You can follow these traditions o...