Name: Muhammad.
Title: al-Mahdi, al-Qa'im,
al-Hujjah, al-Gha'ib, Sahibu'z-Zaman, Sahibu 'l-Amr.
Agnomen: Abu'l-Qasim.
Father's name: al-Hasan
al-'Askari.
Mother's name: Nargis.
Birth: In Samarra', on Friday,
15th Sha'ban 255 AH.
He is still living and will appear before the end of the world.
Minor Occultation: 8th Rabi 'u
'I-awwal 260 AH.
Major Occultation: 10th Shawwal
329 AH.
There Existed a good deal of harmony and uniformity between the aspects
pertaining to the births of Prophet Muhammad, the last Apostle of Allah and
Imam al-Mahdi, the last Apostolic Imam. Just as the coming of the Holy Prophet
was prophesied well in advance by the preceding prophets, similarly the
impending news of the gracious birth of Imam al-Mahdi was foretold by the Holy
Prophet. Innumerable traditions in this context, quoted right from the Holy
Prophet, from the glowing contents of many books of Masanid, Sihah and Akhbar,
and of Shi'ite scholars ('ulama') existed Many Sunni scholars have accumulated
these traditions in complete volumes also, e.g.: al-Bayan fi akhbar
Sihibi'z-Zaman by al-Hafiz Muhammad ibn Yusuf ash-Shafi'i and Dhikriyyatu'l-
Mahdi by al-Hafiz Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani as well as as-Sahih of Abu Dawud and
as-Sunan of Ibn Majah.
All of the above books record the traditions bearing evidence of the coming of
this Holy Imam. The promised Mahdi, who is usually mentioned by his title of
Imamu'l-'Asr (the Imam of the Period) and Sahibu 'z-Zaman (the Lord of the
Age), is the son of the Eleventh Imam. His name is the same as that of the Holy
Prophet. He was born in Samarra' in 255/869 and until 260/874 when his father
was martyred, lived under his father's care and tutelage. He was hidden from
public view and only a few of the elite among the Shi'ah were able to meet him.
After the martyrdom of his father he became Imam and by Divine Command went
into occultation (ghaybah). Thereafter, he appeared only to his deputies
(na'ib) and even then only in exceptional circumstances.
The Imam chose as a special deputy for a time 'Uthman ibn Sa'id al-'Amri, one
of the companions of his father and grandfather who was his confident and
trusted friend. Through his deputy the Imam would answer the demands and
questions of the Shi'ah. After 'Uthman ibn Sa'id, his son Mutammad ibn 'Uthman
al-'Amri was appointed the deputy of the Imam. After the death of Muhammad ibn
'Uthman, Abu'l-Qasim al-Husayn ibn Ruh an-Nawbakhti was the special deputy, and
after his death 'Ali ibn Muhammad as-Samuri was chosen for this task. A few
days before the death of 'Al; ibn Muhammad as-Samuri in 329/939 an order was
issued by the Imam stating that in six days 'Ali ibn Muhammad as-Samuri would
die. Henceforth the special deputation of the Imam would come to an end and the
major occultation (ghaybatu 'l-kubrd ) would begin and would continue until the
day God grants permission to the Imam to manifest himself.
The occultation of the Twelfth Imam is, therefore, divided into two parts: the
first, the minor occultation (ghaybatu's-sughra) which began in 260/872 and
ended in 329/939, lasting about seventy years; the second, the major
occultation which commenced in 329/939 and will continue as long as God wills
it. In a hadith upon whose authenticity everyone agrees, the Holy Prophet has
said, "If there were to remain in the life of
the world but one day, God would prolong that day until He sends in it a man
from my community and my household. His name will be the same as my name. He
will fill the earth with equity and justice as it was filled with oppression
and tyranny." On the Appearance of the Mahdi: In the
discussion on prophecy and the Imamate it was indicated that as a result of the
law of general guidance which governs all of creation, man is of necessity
endowed with the power of receiving revelation through prophecy, which directs
him toward the perfection of the human norm and the well-being of the human
species.
Obviously, if this perfection and happiness were not possible for man, whose
life possesses a social aspect, the very fact that he is endowed with this
power would be meaningless and futile. But there is no futility in creation. In
other words, ever since he has inhabited the earth, man has had the wish to
lead a social life filled with happiness in its true sense and has striven
toward this end. If such a wish were not to have an objective existence it
would never have been imprinted upon man's inner nature, in the same way that
if there were no food there would have been no hunger. Or, if there were to be
no water there would be no thirst and if there were to be no reproduction there
would have been no sexual attraction between the sexes. Therefore, by reason of
inner necessity and determination, the future will see a day when human society
will be replete with justice and when all will live in peace and tranquillity,
when human beings will be fully possessed of virtue and perfection. The
establishment of such a condition will occur through human hands but with
Divine succour. And the leader of such a society, who will be the saviour of
man, is called in the language of the hadith, the Mahdi.
In the different religions that govern the world such as Hinduism, Buddhism,
Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrian-ism and Islam there are references to a person
who will come as the saviour of mankind. These religions have usually given
happy tidings of his coming, although there are naturally certain differences
in detail that can be discerned when these teachings are compared carefully.
The hadith of the Holy Prophet upon which all Muslims agree, "The Mahdi is
of my progeny," refers to this same truth. There are numerous hadiths
cited in Sunni and Shi'ite sources from the Holy Prophet and the Imams
concerning the appearance of the Mahdi, such as that he is of the progeny of
the Prophet and that his appearance will enable human society to reach true
perfection and the full realization of spiritual life. In addition, there are
numerous other traditions concerning the fact that the Mahdi is the son of the
Eleventh Imam, Hasan al-'Askari.
They agree that after being born and undergoing a long occultation the Mahdi
will appear again, filling with justice the world that has been corrupted by
injustice and iniquity. As an example, 'Ali ibn Musa ar-Rida (the Eighth Imam)
said, in the course of a hadith, "The Imam after me is my son, Muhammad,
and after him his son 'Ali, and after 'Ali his son, Hasan, and after Hasan his
son Hujjatu'l- Qa'im, who is awaited during his occultation and obeyed during
his manifestation. If there remain from the life of the world but a single day,
Allah will extend that day until he becomes manifest, and fill the world with
justice in the same way that it had been filled with iniquity. But when? As for
news of the 'hour,' verily my father told me, having heard it from his father
who heard it from his father who heard it from his ancestors who heard it from
'Ali, that it was asked of the Holy Prophet, 'Oh Prophet of God, when will the
"support" (al-Qa'im) who is from thy family appear? ' He said, 'His
case is like that of the Hour (of the Resurrection).
﴾He alone will manifest it at its proper
time. It is heavy in the heavens and the earth. It cometh not to you save
unawares﴿(7:187)
Saqr ibn Abi Dulaf said, "I heard from Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn 'Ali
ar-Rida (the Ninth Imam) who said, 'The Imam after me is my son, 'Ali; his
command is my command; his word is my word; to obey him is to obey me. The Imam
after him is his son, Hasan. His command is the command of his father; his word
is the word of his father; to obey him is to obey his father.' After these
words the Imam remained silent.' I said to him, 'Oh son of the Prophet, who
will be the Imam after Hasan?' The Imam cried hard, then said, 'Verily after Hasan his son is the awaited Imam who is
"al-Qa'im bi'l-haqq" (He who is supported by the
Truth)."
Musa ibn Ja'far Baghdadi said, "I heard from Imam Abu Muhammad al-Hasan
ibn 'Ali (the Eleventh Imam) who said, I see that after me differences will
appear among you concerning the Imam after me. Whose accepts the Imams after
the Prophet of God but denies my son is like the person who accepts all the
prophets but denies the prophethood of Muhammad, the Prophet of God, upon whom
be peace and blessing. And whose denies (Muhammad) the Prophet of God is like
one who has denied all the prophets of God, for to obey the last of us is like
obeying the first and to deny the last of us is like denying the first. But
beware! Verily, for my son there is an occultation during which all people will
fall into doubt except those whom Allah protects."
The opponents of Shi'ism protest that according to the beliefs of this school
the Hidden Imam should by now be nearly twelve centuries old, whereas, this is
impossible for any human being. In answer it must be said that the protest is
based only on the unlikelihood of such an occurrences not its impossibility. Of
course, such a long lifetime or a life of a longer period is unlikely. But
those who study the hadiths of the Holy Prophet and the Imams will see that they
refer to this life as one possessing miraculous qualities. Miracles are
certainly not impossible nor can they be negated through scientific arguments.
It can never be proved that the causes and agents that are functioning in the
world are solely those that we see and know and that other causes which we do
not know or whose effects and actions we have not seen nor understood do not
exist. It is in this way possible that in one or several members of makind
there can be operating certain causes and agents which bestow upon them a very
long life of a thousand or several thousand years. Medicine has not even lost
hope of discovering a way to achieve very long life spans. In any case, such
protests from "Peoples of the Book" such as Jews, Christians and
Muslims are most strange for they accept the miracles of the prophets of God
according to their own sacred scriptures.
The opponents of Shi'ism also protest that, although Shi'ism considers the Imam
necessary in order to expound the injunctions and verities of religion and to
guide the people, the occultation of the Imam is the negation of this very
purpose, for an Imam in occultation who cannot be reached by mankind cannot be
in any way beneficial or effective. The opponents say that if God wills to
bring forth an Imam to reform mankind, He is able to create him at the
necessary moment and does not need to create him thousands of years earlier.
In answer it must be said that such people have not really understood the
meaning of the Imam, for in the discussion on the Imamate it became clear that
the duty of the Imam is not only the formal explanation of the religious
sciences and exoteric guidance of the people. In the same way that he has the
duty of guiding men outwardly, the Imam also bears the function of walayah and
the esoteric guidance of men. It is he who directs man's spiritual life and
orients the inner aspect of human action toward God. Clearly, his physical
presence or absence has no effect in this matter. The Imam watches over men
inwardly and is in communion with the soul and spirit of men even if he be
hidden from their physical eyes. I "is existence" is always necessary
even if the time has not as yet arrived for his outward appearance and the
universal reconstruction that he is to bring about.
Al-Imam al-Hujjah, peace be Upon him, said:
Rest assured that no one has a special relation- ship with Allah. Whoever
denies me is not my (follower). The appearance of the Relief (al-faraj) depends
solely upon Allah; therefore, those who propose a certain time for it are
liars. As to the benefit of my existence in Occultation, it is like the benefit
of the sun behind clouds where the eyes do not see. Indeed, my existence is an
amnesty for the people of the earth.-Pray much to Allah to hasten the Relief,
for therein also lies the release from your sufferings.
* A Brief History of The Fourteen Infallibles, p. 159-166
/129
source : Al maaref News
Tuesday
7 March 2023
10:09:16 AM
1351031
Name: Muhammad. Title: al-Mahdi, al-Qa'im, al-Hujjah, al-Gha'ib, Sahibu'z-Zaman, Sahibu 'l-Amr. Agnomen: Abu'l-Qasim.