Mehdi

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What the Global Security researchers say about Imams of Shia Muslims:

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The Imamate

Among Shias the term imam traditionally has been used only for Ali and his eleven descendants. None of the twelve Imams, with the exception of Ali, ever ruled an Islamic government. During their lifetimes, their followers hoped that they would assume the rulership of the Islamic community, a rule that was believed to have been wrongfully usurped. Because the Sunni caliphs were cognizant of this hope, the Imams generally were persecuted during the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties. Therefore, the Imams tried to be as unobtrusive as possible and to live as far as was reasonable from the successive capitals of the Islamic empire.

The Imamate began with Ali, who is also accepted by Sunni Muslims as the fourth of the "rightly guided caliphs" to succeed the Prophet. Shias revere Ali as the First Imam, and his descendants, beginning with his sons Hasan and Husayn, continue the line of the Imams until the twelfth, who is believed to have ascended into a supernatural state to return to earth on Judgment Day. Shias point to the close lifetime association of the Prophet with Ali. When Ali was six years old, he was invited by the Prophet to live with him, and Shias believe Ali was the first person to make the declaration of faith in Islam. Ali also slept in the Prophet's bed on the night of the hijra or migration from Mecca to Medina when it was feared that the house would be attacked by unbelievers and the Prophet stabbed to death. He fought in all the battles the Prophet did except one, and the Prophet chose him to be the husband of his favorite daughter, Fatima.

The Sunni-Shia division of Islam originated as a succession dispute shortly after the death of the prophet Muhammad in 632 A.D. Shia believe that the proper successor of Muhammad was Ali. The word "Shia" means partisan or faction of Ali. Ali was elected to be the fourth Muslim ruler or caliph, but was later overthrown and assassinated. Shia Muslims believe that the first three caliphs Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman were usurpers, and that Ali was the first true Imam.

Shia venerate Ali only second to Muhammad, considering him the first Imam and the true caliph. Ali was buried in the Iraqi city of Najaf, which established an early connection between Iraq and Shiism and became a shrine city that continues to be a destination for Shia pilgrims.

In 661 A.D. Mu'awiya, the governor of Syria, named himself caliph and made the caliphate hereditary in his own family, the Umayyads, who the Shia rejected as usurpers of Ali and his sons' rights to the caliphate. In the year AD 661, Imam Ali, Muhammad's son-in-law and the fourth caliph of Islam, was assassinated in southern Iraq in a struggle over who would rule the faithful. Ali was buried in Najaf, and his tomb is housed in a mosque in the city's center.

Nineteen years after Ali's death, his two sons were killed in battle and subsequently buried in nearby Karbala. Their battlefield deaths made martyrdom one of the most important tenets of Shiism. Shia attempts to challenge the Umayyad leaders resulted in the death of Ali's son and the third Shia Imam, Husayn, at the Battle of Karbala in 680. The city of Karbala has become a Shia shrine city.

Husayn's death is commemorated annually in the Ashura ceremony, and is seen as a symbol of the persecution and oppression experienced by the Shia community. Celebration of Ashura can also be a form of Shia political dissent. Male participants in the Ashura rituals beat their chests and chant in an action called lahtom. Some use swords to lacerate their heads to symbolize the beheading of Husayn, or use chains to beat their backs to evoke the suffering of Husayn.

Shia may place a piece of stone or clay, known as a turba, from the shrine of an Imam or other Shia figure on the ground so that their forehead touches the stone when they prostrate themselves in prayer. The possession of such a disc is a sign of Shia identity.

Jaafari [Jafari] Faith means the Religion according to lmam Jaafar Sadiq (a.s.), the Sixth Infallible Imam of the world of Shiism. Ascription of the Shiite Religion to Imam Jaafar ben Muhammad A]-Sadiq (a.s.) was due to the fact that this noble Imam lived longer than all other Infallible Imams and, thus, he has had more time and opportunity for action. Because of the conditions of his time, the role of imam Sadeq (a.s.) in reviving true, genuine Islamic teachings, formation of numerous education centers and training of faithful men was exceptional to the point that the Shiite religion by ascription to him has been named the "Jaafari Faith". The infirmity and confusion of the Caliphate due to the clashes between the Abbasid, and the Omayyad dynasties, in particular, afforded wider opportunities to the Imam to teach, instruct, discuss and train the faithful and sincere forces and to establish lbeologic Centers and promulgate the Islamic truths.

During the eighth century the Caliph Mamun, son and successor to Harun ar Rashid, was favorably disposed toward the descendants of Ali and their followers. He invited the Eighth Imam, Reza (A.D. 765-816), to come from Medina (in the Arabian Peninsula) to his court at Marv (Mary in the present-day Soviet Union). While Reza was residing at Marv, Mamun designated him as his successor in an apparent effort to avoid conflict among Muslims. Reza's sister Fatima journeyed from Medina to be with her brother, but took ill and died at Qom, in present-day Iran. A major shrine developed around her tomb and over the centuries Qom has become a major Shia pilgrimage and theological center.

Mamun took Reza on his military campaign to retake Baghdad from political rivals. On this trip Reza died unexpectedly in Khorasan. Reza was the only Imam to reside or die in what in now Iran. A major shrine, and eventually the city of Mashhad, grew up around his tomb, which has become the most important pilgrimage center in Iran. Several important theological schools are located in Mashhad, associated with the shrine to the Eighth Imam.

Reza's sudden death was a shock to his followers, many of whom believed that Mamun, out of jealousy for Reza's increasing popularity, had the Imam poisoned. Mamun's suspected treachery against Imam Reza and his family tended to reinforce a feeling already prevalent among his followers that the Sunni rulers were untrustworthy.

The Twelfth Imam is believed to have been only five years old when the Imamate descended upon him in A.D.874 at the death of his father. Because his followers feared he might be assassinated, the Twelfth Imam was hidden from public view and was seen only by a few of his closest deputies. Sunnis claim that he never existed or that he died while still a child. Shias believe that the Twelfth Imam never died, but disappeared from earth in about A.D. 939. Since that time, the greater occultation of the Twelfth Imam has been in force and will last until God commands the Twelfth Imam to manifest himself on earth again as the Mahdi or Messiah. Shias believe that during the occultation of the Twelfth Imam, he is spiritually present--some believe that he is materially present as well--and he is besought to reappear in various invocations and prayers. His name is mentioned in wedding invitations, and his birthday is one of the most jubilant of all Shia religious observances.

The Shia doctrine of the Imamate was not fully elaborated until the tenth century. Other dogmas were developed still later. A characteristic of Shia Islam is the continual exposition and reinterpretation of doctrine.

Shia Muslims hold the fundamental beliefs of other Muslims. But, in addition to these tenets, the distinctive institution of Shia Islam is the Imamate -- a much more exalted position than the Sunni imam, who is primarily a prayer leader. In contrast to Sunni Muslims, who view the caliph only as a temporal leader and who lack a hereditary view of Muslim leadership, Shia Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad designated Ali to be his successor as Imam, exercising both spiritual and temporal leadership. Such an Imam must have knowledge, both in a general and a religious sense, and spiritual guidance or walayat, the ability to interpret the inner mysteries of the Quran and the sharia. Only those who have walayat are free from error and sin and have been chosen by God through the Prophet. Each Imam in turn designated his successor--through twelve Imams--each holding the same powers.

Implied in the Shia principle of the imamah is that imams, are imbued with a redemptive quality as a result of their sufferings and martyrdoms. And, although imams are not divine, they are sinless and infallible in matters of faith and morals, principle very similar to the notion of papal infallibility in the Roman Catholic Church. That man needs an intermediary with God is an Iranian idea that long predates Islam, as is the idea of a savior or messiah (Mahdi) who will come to redeem man and cleanse the world. To expect that the Mahdi, who is the last (twelfth) Imam, really will one is a religious virtue (intizar).


The Shiia Mahdi - The Hidden Imam

The Awaited Mahdi is absolutely central to the belief system of the twelve Imami'ah Shias, and constitutes one of the core principles of their religion. The idea of the "Return" is not of itself an original doctrine. Probably this belief came over into Islam through Judaic Christian influences. The prophet Elias, removed to heaven to reappear at the end of time to reestablish the rule of justice on the earth, is evidently the prototype of the removed and "invisible Imams" who are to reappear as Mahdis bringing salvation to the world.

The belief in an ultimate fulfilment of the Mahdi hope is of prime dogmatic significance in Shi'itic Islam. It forms the backbone of the Shi'ite system and is completely identical with the return (raja') of the hidden Imam into the visible world, and who as the new law-giver is to take up the work of the prophet and to restore the rights of his family. He alone can fill the world with right and justice. Even during his bodily absence the hidden Imam is the genuine "leader of the time" and not without the power to manifest his will to believers. He is the object of extravagant paeans on the part of the faithful, who not only praise and natter him as a potentate among the living, but also apply to him the superhuman epithets commensurate with belief in him as the hidden Imam. According to them he surpasses even the high intellect of the spheres in spiritual greatness; he is the source of all knowledge and the goal of all longing. The Shi'itic poets are firmly convinced that such praises reach the hidden throne of the sublime personality of the Imam."

A remarkable proof of the active force attached in Slu'itio circles to the belief in the hidden Imam is furnished by events in Persia, where, upon the introduction of a new constitution, "the consent and approval of the Imam of the time" was invoked. The authority of this invisible power was thus recognized as supreme in religious and political affairs. Every innovation must submit to the approval of his authority, even though this be only a matter of form. Thus the revolutionary party in Persia declared in an "appeal to the public," issued in October, 1908, for the restoration of parliamentary government after the coup d'etat of Shah Mohammed' Ali, as follows: "You are perhaps not aware of the clear and undisputed decision of the 'Ulema of the holy city of Nejef, according to which everyone who opposes the constitution is to be compared to him who draws the sword against the Imam of the Time (i. e., against the hidden Imam) - May Allah grant you the joy of his return!"

Shiia look for the Signs of the Reappearance (Qiyam) of the (Imam) who undertakes the Office (al-Qa'im). The series of Imams most widely recognized at the present time among the Shi'ites is that set up by the sect of the so-called "Twelvers" (or Imamites). According to them 'All's rank as Imam was directly inherited by "visible" Imams, up to the eleventh, whose son, Muhammed Abu-1Kasim (born in Baghdad 872), was removed from the earth when scarcely eight years old, and since then lives hidden from the sight of men, in order to appear at the end of time as the Imam Mahdl, the saviour, to free the world from injustice and to set up the kingdom of peace and justice. This is the so-called "hidden Imam," who has lived on ever since his disappearance, and whose reappearance is daily awaited by the faithful Shi'ite. This belief in a hidden Imam is to be found in all branches of Shi'ism. Each one of the parties believe in the continued existence and ultimate appearance of that Imam who in the special order of Imams is regarded as the last.

Muhammad al Mahdi (the guided) is the 12th and last Imam of the Twelver Shi'i, and is also known as Muhammad al Muntazar (the awaited). Little can be said of him with certainty, and the non-Twelver Muslims question whether there was an historical person associated with the name. Jafar, the brother of the Eleventh Imam, denied the existence of any child and claimed the Imamate for himself. Twelver Shi'i believe he was born to a Byzantine slave, and that his birth was kept quiet by his father, the Eleventh Imam, Hassan al Askari, because of the persecution of the Shi'is at that time. The 10th and 11th Imams were both under house arrest and communicated with their followers through a network of wikala (agents), a time that subsequently came to be known as the Lesser Occultation.

For the seventy years after the martyrdom of his father when he was aged six, he communicated with his adherents through a succession of four assistants, each known as the Bab (Gate). As he lay dying in AD 941, the fourth Bab disclosed a letter from the Hidden Imam stating that there should fifth Bab, and that thenceforth the Mahdi would be unseen [ghaybah]. Thus began the Greater Occultation, which would end with the reappearnce of the Mahdi as champion of the faithful in the events leading to the Judgement Day. Titles of the 12th Imam include: Hujjat, Khalaf Salih (the righteous offspring), Sahib az Zaman (Master of the Age), Sahib al Amr (Master of Command), al Qa'im (the one to arise), Bagiyyat Allah (remnant of Allah) and Imam al Muntazar (the awaited Imam).

The "Return" is one of the decisive factors in the Imam theory of all subdivisions of the Shi'ites; they differ only in regard to the person and order of the hidden and returning Imam. From the very beginning, those who set their hopes on 'All and his successors, held the firm conviction that the Imam who had disappeared would eventually return. This belief was attached in the first place to 'All himself by a group of adherents who were followers of ' Abdallah ibn Saba. They regarded him even during his lifetime as a supernatural being and, refusing to believe in his death, were convinced (in a docetic manner) of his ultimate return. This is the oldest testimony to the extravagant 'All cult and indeed the first manifestation of Shrite schism. The next person to be regarded as a vanishing Imam who would some day return, was 'All's son, Mohammed ibn al-Hanafiyya, whose adherents were convinced of his continued existence, and his reappearance.

Just as many Jewish theologians and mystics have endeavored to compute the exact time of the appearance of the Messiah (based largely on the book of Daniel), so Sufis and Shi'ites have calculated by means of cabalistic use, verses of the Koran and numerical combinations of letters of the alphabet, the exact time of the reappearunce of the hidden Imam. Treatises dealing with such calculations are enumerated in the bibliographies of the older Shi'itic literature. Tendencies in the Turkish world, from which in many circles the confident hope is held in the advent of the true Mahdi (fixed for 1355, i. e., 1936), who will subject the whole world to Islam, and with whom the "golden age" will be inaugurated.

But just as in Judaism the "calculators of the end of time" as they are called, encountered severest reproaches, so the orthodox authorities of the moderate Shi'ites have branded "the time determiners" as liars, and have found in utterances of the Imams the condemnation of such speculations. The disillusionment resulting from the failure of such computations easily shows the dejection which such definite promises brought about.


Twelfth Imam / Hidden Imam / Imam Mahdi

During the eighth century the Caliph Mamun, son and successor to Harun ar Rashid, was favorably disposed toward the descendants of Ali and their followers. He invited the Eighth Imam, Reza (A.D. 765-816), to come from Medina (in the Arabian Peninsula) to his court at Marv (Mary in the present-day Soviet Union). While Reza was residing at Marv, Mamun designated him as his successor in an apparent effort to avoid conflict among Muslims. Reza's sister Fatima journeyed from Medina to be with her brother, but took ill and died at Qom, in present-day Iran. A major shrine developed around her tomb and over the centuries Qom has become a major Shia pilgrimage and theological center.

Mamun took Reza on his military campaign to retake Baghdad from political rivals. On this trip Reza died unexpectedly in Khorasan. Reza was the only Imam to reside or die in what in now Iran. A major shrine, and eventually the city of Mashhad, grew up around his tomb, which has become the most important pilgrimage center in Iran. Several important theological schools are located in Mashhad, associated with the shrine to the Eighth Imam.

Reza's sudden death was a shock to his followers, many of whom believed that Mamun, out of jealousy for Reza's increasing popularity, had the Imam poisoned. Mamun's suspected treachery against Imam Reza and his family tended to reinforce a feeling already prevalent among his followers that the Sunni rulers were untrustworthy.

The Abbasid caliphs were said to have heard that the Twelfth Imam of the Shiites would establish a just Government and would rule over the east and west of the world, and would destroy the foundations of injustice. Therefore, to counter this event, they tortured and shed the blood of the Shiites. In the year 235 A.H., Mutawakkil, the 'Abbasid caliph, ordered the Tenth Imam Mohammad Hadi (AS) and his family to be shifted from Medina to Samarra', his seat of government, so that he could keep a close watch on the Imam of the Shiites. The search to find and kill Imam Mahdi (AS) was intensified when Imam Hassan Askari (AS) died, since it was said that on that day the command of Divine Leadership (Imamate) was to be entrusted to the Twelfth Imam, and the universe would come under his authority. When Imam Hassan Askari (AS) died, the office of Divine Leadership (Imamate) was transferred to the Last Luminous Pearl of the Household of the Holy Prophet (S), Imam Mahdi (AS).

The Twelfth Imam is believed to have been only five years old when the Imamate descended upon him in A.D.874 at the death of his father. The Twelfth Imam is traditionally called Imam al-'Asr, the Imam of the Age, and Sahib al-Zaman, the Lord of Time. Because his followers feared he might be assassinated, the Twelfth Imam was hidden from public view and was seen only by a few of his closest deputies. Sunnis claim that he never existed or that he died while still a child. Shias believe that the Twelfth Imam never died, but disappeared from earth in about A.D. 939.

The city of Samarra is of interest to Muslims and is a famous place of Shi`i pilgrimage. This city is located in Iraq, 120 km north of Baghdad and lies on the east bank of the Tigris river. Several times the ancient city of Samarra has been destroyed and rebuilt. It is the burial site of Imam `Ali al-Naqi (pbuh), the tenth Imam, and Imam Hassan `Askari (pbuh), the eleventh Imam. There is also a famous basement there which is said to be the place where the twelfth Imam of the Shi`a, Imam Mahdi (May God hasten his renewed manifestation) went into occultation. The mosque of the last Imam in Hilla marks the place of his expected reappearance.

Since that time, the greater occultation of the Twelfth Imam has been in force and will last until God commands the Twelfth Imam to manifest himself on earth again as the Mahdi or Messiah. Shias believe that during the occultation of the Twelfth Imam, he is spiritually present--some believe that he is materially present as well--and he is besought to reappear in various invocations and prayers. His name is mentioned in wedding invitations, and his birthday is one of the most jubilant of all Shia religious observances.

Although His Eminence did not appear among the people, some persons in whom he had trust and confidence were allowed to visit him. After the year 329 A.H., when the major occultation (Ghayba) commenced, the special deputation of Imam-e Zaman terminated. The purpose of the Imam's going into occultation is compared to the sun being behind the clouds yet being a source of vitality and life for living creatures. Likewise, while the Imam is behind the veil of occultation, he is still a source of the existence and remaining of the world. Folklore holds that the Imam does visit the world, and that every Shi'ite meets the Imam once in his life, but does not recognize him.

During the time when the Imam was present, the Shi'ites and their sincere followers would bring all their inquiries and refer whatever problem they had to the Imam, without using their minds themselves or giving themselves the trouble of problem solving. Whatever the Imam would say would be taken as valid and to be acted upon. But once the Imams said that all religious problems were propounded and stated in the Qur'an and sunnah, the Shi'ites became certain that the solution to all of the religious problems, until the Resurrection Day, could be found in previous reports about the Imams. Hence, they should find the answers to their problems by thinking on their own. Accordingly, the subject of ijtihad came about and the Usuli School of jurisprudence was formed along these lines.

The authority under which jihad is waged is at once both religious and political. Historically, the unification of religious and political authority has more often than not remained an unrealized ideal. Exactly when the ideal has been realized, and what to do when it is not, are two central points of controversy within the Islamic world. After the occultation of the twelfth Imam, the issues of education and training in. Islamic law (shari'ah) and the spiritual path (tariqah) became separated. The Shi'ah, for the most part, have argued that no offensive jihad can be launched during the period of the occultation of the Twelfth Imam ('a) because of the absence of legitimate unified religious and political authority to do so.

Prohibitions against jihad during the occultation were seen by some as requiring passivity in the face of unjust rule, and for this reason, the British are said to have imagined that Mahdism could be promoted as a device to quell unrest in their Muslim colonies. The idea proved to be mistaken because there are three ways in which belief in the Mahdi can become activist, and even violent: first, someone might appear who claims to be the Mahdi. This happened in the Sudan at the end of the 19th century. Second, active struggle may be seen as required to prepare the way for the Mahdi's reappearance. This was a theme that was exploited by Ali Shari'ati in his efforts to gain support among the Shi'ite masses to overthrow the Shah of Iran. Third, and this is a common view among contemporary Shi'ite 'ulama, the responsibilities of the Imam may fall upon the jurists during the absence of the Imam.

Dua-ye Nudba is one of the most important and famous authentic duas of the Shia. "Where is the chief of all creatures and the Godfearing? Where is the Accumulator of the words of piety? Where is the Master of the Day of Victory and "the one who will spread the flag of guidance"? Where is the Uniter or the companions of virtue and divine pleasure? Where is the Avenger of the blood of prophets and children of prophets? Where is the one ready to annihilate the oppressors? Where is the Awaited one for straightening the crookedness and dishonesty? Where is the one who is expected Imam Mahdi (AS) to abolish oppression and transgression? Where is the Enlivener of the tenets of religion and its adherents? Where is the Breaker of the might of the transgressors? Where is the Demolisher of the edifices of polytheism and hypocrisy? Where is the Destroyer of the followers of disobedience and rebellion?"

The reappearance of the Imam in human society after the major occultation is not for the purpose of delivering any new message, nor any alteration in the system of human life, not already provided for or implied in the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah. His reappearance is as the chosen executor of the divine law. He reappears with the sole purpose of reducing all religions of the world into one approved by God, namely Islam, and then seeing that it is extended throughout the world and practiced by every human being. He reappears to spread justice, prescribed by Islam, all over the globe. 'He fills the earth with fairness and justice, after the earth would be filled with injustice and aggression' (Majlisi, II, Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 42, p. 336).

The apostolic reports assert that he will reappear with such divine power that all the temporal forces will be vanquished. He reappears not as a preacher of the divine will, as the pretending Mahdis of modern time would claim. He reappears as the powerful executor of the divine will and command. He reappears as the all dominating walayat. His 'total reappearance' is in the period wherein the spiritual mastership of perfect man over the realm of humanity will be manifested in the person of the Twelfth Imam, the last vicegerent of the last Prophet. He represents the Prophet Mohammad (S) in both name and the real meaning of the word. The Prophet Mohammad (S), as pointed out earlier, is the term divinely assigned to the created being who is the first and the last in degree of perfection in the arcs of descent and ascent, and who is in the highest possible stage of communion with the Absolute. So his reappearance is the manifestation of walayat, mastership of the Prophet Mohammad (S), on earth.

Some apostolic reports assert that the time will come when Imam Mahdi (AS) will be ordered by God to appear on the scene of humanity for the performance of the executive task assigned to him. He will then enter the sacred mosque at Mecca and keeping his back to the wall of the Ka'aba, declare his appearance to deliver mankind from the miseries of injustice and the licentious existence of the time.

Hours prior to his declaration, there will be a similar declaration from Dajjal, the anti-Mahdi personality. Both declarations will be heard throughout the globe at once. The chosen devotees of Imam Mahdi (AS), who are the same in number as the faithful warriors of Badr, and others willing to respond to the sacred call will reach Mecca within a very short time. The communication throughout the world will be very quick. The people will see each other from remote places.

These prophecies were made and recorded at a time when the natural forces and the means of communication at the disposal of man were confined only to donkeys, mules, horses and camels on the land, sailboats on the sea, and pigeons, hawks and other trained birds in the sky. Nobody had even dreamt of the modern means which man is using for communication and contact today. The impossible of that time is becoming the simple, fact of today.

Imam Mahdi (AS) combines in him the dignity of Moses in perfection, the grace of Jesus and the patience of Job. Thus, in the person of Imam Mahdi (AS) the two chosen branches of Abraham's issue are reunited. By the reappearance of Jesus, to follow the lead of Imam Mahdi (AS), the kingdom given by God to the family of Abraham will be manifested under the banner of Islam, the sole religion approved by God. The heavenly kingdom will be established on the earth, through Imam Mahdi (AS). He represents in name, nature and attributes, the last Prophet, Mohammad (S).

His leadership will be accepted by Jesus, and other godly men of spiritual attainments will appear on the scene, of their own choice. Also some of their opponents will be forced into the scene by the agencies functioning in that realm. The reappearance of Imam Mahdi (AS) and his reign is termed as Zahour-Mahdi (AS). The appearance of Jesus is termed as Nozoul-e 'Isa (AS), the descent of Jesus. The appearance of other persons who died or their wicked opponents is termed as Raj'at. The process is termed as the minor resurrection (Qayamat-e Sughra), the rule of the perfect man over the world. It has to precede the major resurrection (Qiyamat-e Kobra), the manifestation of the divine kingdom over man and the universe.


The Mahdi

The great religious traditions -- Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam -- share references to a savior of humanity at the end of time. These religions share glad tidings of his coming, though there are differences in detail and deep controversies in interpretation.

The idea of the coming of a Mahdi (the guided) has roots in Islamic traditions, both Shiia and Sunni, even though the Mahdi is not mentioned in the Qur'an. The Mahdi prepares the way for the second coming of the Prophet Isa (Jesus) and the impending end of the world. Eventually the awaited Imam will appear, and the Divine Aim will reach its fulfillment. The Qur'an explicitly declares the return of Jesus to earth. Surah Al 'Imran 55 is one of the verses indicating that Jesus will come back. But in many verses of the Qur'an Allah states that those having faith in the trinity certainly are disbelievers: Those who say that the Messiah, son of Maryam, is the third of three are disbelievers. There is no god but One God. (Surat al-Ma'idah: 73).

The first stage of this hope coincides with the expectations of the Second Advent of Jesus, who as Mahdi will bring about the restoration of justice and order in the world. In the course, however, of the further development of the hope, the eschatological activities of Jesus became merely an accompanying phenomenon. Those inclined to a realistic view conceded occasionally that the hopes of the Mahdi were brought nearer to fulfillment through certain rulers from whom the restoration of divine justice was expected. Much was hoped for in this respect, after the overthrow of the ' Omayyads, from certain rulers of the 'Abbaside dynasty. This idle dream, however, was soon dispelled. In the eyes of the pious, the world remained as base as before. The Mahdi idea consequently began to take the form of a Mahdi Utopia, whose realization was removed into a hazy future, which encouraged the steady growth of crude eschatological embellishments. God will stir up a man from the family of the prophet, who will restore the disorganized work, fill the world with justice, as it is now filled with injustice.

To the Judaic Christian elements to which the Mahdi belief owes its origin there were added features taken from the Parsee picture of Saoshyaiit, and in addition the irresponsible phantasy of idle speculation contributed its share to produce a rich Mahdi mythology. The Hadith seized upon this material which formed the subject of so much discussion among the circle of the believers. To the prophet himself there was attributed a detailed description of the personality of the Redeemer proclaimed by him. While such traditions were excluded from conscientious collections they were taken up and repeated by those who were less scrupulous.

In anticipation of Judgment Day, it was essential that the people return to a simple and rigorous, even puritanical Islam. The Islamic belief in the second coming of Christ is the creed of Sunni and Shi`i Islam in its generality. For Muslims, there is no question about the forthcoming Armageddon, following which war technology shall become unusable. The Mahdi will defeat the remaining third of the Jews (the other two thirds having already perished at Armageddon); This will be followed by a Christian vs. Muslim war, called al-Malhama al-Kubra ("Great Slaughter of the Intercessor" ie, the Prophet) in Muslim texts.

When the Mahdi's Army receives word of the Antichrist, they will go to fight the Antichrist, but he will besiege them in Jerusalem. Jesus will descend, and perform the dawn prayer behind the Mahdi, then Jesus will go out and kill the Antichrist. After that, he will take over the Caliphate. Upon the return of Jesus, he will not accept that Christians and Jews live with any other religion than Islam, and so will unite all the believers as Muslims.

The Ismailis, a Mohammedan sect. like the rest of the Shiah, or party of AH, held that the dignity of Imam, or head of the true faith, was inherent in the house of the Prophet and the line of Ali, the Prophet's cousin, son-in-law, and chosen lieutenant. They arose in Syria and Persia, taking their name from one Ismail, whom they regarded as the seventh and last of the Imams, and who lived about 770 A.D. But the sect acquired its importance a century later from Abdallah al Kaddah, a Persian of Susiana, and son of Maimim. He was an oculist, a scholar, and an able juggler. The Ismailis had then no visible Imam ; indeed the Shiah lost its twelfth and last Imam in the mysterious disappearance of Mohammed in 879 A.D. The idea of a 'Hidden Imam,'destined to appear for the reformation of religion and of the world, thus became necessary for its existence. To undermine the whole empire, to prepare a great revolution and overthrow Islam was Abdallah's desire. His instrument was the faith in a 'Hidden Imam,' or 'Mahdi,' 'Guided or Inspired One," styled by Abdallah the seventh prophet, Mohammed having been the sixth. The resurrection, the end of the world, final judgment, and rewards and punishments were mere allegories. The universe was eternal. Mohammed, the Chief, Hidden Imam, Mahdi, or Seventh Prophet, son of Ismail, was, after all, not to appear but in his doctrine taught by his disciples and apostles ; and the duty of all believers was to bring the world's sovereignty into the hands of these.

Up till comparatively modern times this phase of belief has sustained itself among Moslem groups standing outside of the Shi'itic circle. The Moslems in the Caucasus believe in the return of their hero Elija Mansur, a forerunner of Shamil (1791), who is to reappear a hundred years after the expulsion of the Muscovites.12 In Samarkand the people believe in the reappearance of the sacred persons of Shah-zinde and Kasim ibn 'Abbas. Just as among the Kurds we find from the eighth century after the Hijra the belief in the return of the executed Taj al-'arifln (Hasan ibn 'Adi).

Through the history of Islam, a few individuals claimed to be the Mahdi and found a following among those who were looking for salvation. For some of these figures, like Bab in Iran or Mirza Ghulam in India, the claim of being Mahdi was a stepping stone to the development of sects which broke away from Islam.

Muhammad b. Hanafiyya was regarded as the Mahdi by some Muslims. The Jarudis among the Zaydis believed that Muhammad b. 'Abd Allah b. Hasan was the Mahdi. The Nawusi's believed that Imam Ja'far Sadiq was the Mahdi. The Waqifis believed that Imam Musa b. Ja'far had not died and was in occultation.


Source: globalsecurity.org

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