Imam Mahdi’s position in Shiˈa teachings
Preface
"Imamate", in the view of Twelver Shiˈa[1], is considered as the continuity of divine Messengerhood and Prophethood in the sense that, although divine revelation is not revealed to the "Imam", some duties of the prophets such as the interpretation of religion and the guidance of people are among his responsibilities, because the Muslims, to know their duties towards God, always need an infallible honest leader who knows the right path and guides them towards God. Otherwise, everyone will interpret the religion based on his or her personal interests and preferences, and thereby, will go astray.
What is certain is that fulfilling this important mission will only be handled by a few specific individuals chosen by God. So, an Imam is a man who has been designated by the order of God and introduced to Muslims through the Prophet or the previous Imams. Therefore, in the view of Shiˈa, Imamate is a fundamental issue, and the Imam has various characteristics and responsibilities, including explaining and interpreting the religion and guiding the people.
The Twelver Shiˈas believe that Imam Ali and the eleven men from his lineage up to the last of them, who is Imam Mahdi, are the true successors of the Prophet Muhammad and the divine leaders of Muslims appointed to the position of Imamate by the order of God, and their names are mentioned in some Hadiths narrated by Prophet Muhammad. These Imams in chronological order are as follows: Ali bin Abī Ṭālib, Ḥasan bin Ali, Ḥusayn bin Ali, Ali bin al-Ḥusayn, Muhammad bin Ali, Jaˈfar bin Muhammad, Mūsa bin Jaˈfar, Ali bin Mūsa, Muhammad bin Ali, Ali bin Muhammad, Ḥasan bin Ali, and Muhammad bin al-Ḥasan al-Mahdi.
Indeed, this group of Muslims is called Twelver Shiˈa because they believe that the real successors of the Prophet are only these twelve mentioned individuals; they also believe that the 12th Imam is the promised Mahdi, who is alive, is currently living in this world, and will appear and rise up one day at the End of the Time, ultimately.
Taking what said into consideration, two basic factors, i.e. to be the issue of Imamate (and thus, Mahdism) among the basic tenets of Twelver Shiˈas, and also to believe in the twelfth Imam (the promised Mahdi) as the living Imam, have caused the teaching of "Mahdism" achieve a magnificent rank among the Twelver Shiˈas, in such a way that the reflection of Mahdism has been very extensive in the events and developments of the Shiˈite society throughout the history, and has played a key role in the life of its followers. The history of Shiˈa proves that Mahdism and awaiting the advent of the promised Mahdi have always been an important part of the identity of Shiˈism. Furthermore, during the near twelve centuries since the disappearance of Imam Mahdi the scientific and practical works of Shiˈa scholars have continued to promote this truth and explain the related topics and issues.
To take a brief cognizance of Imam Mahdi
Cognition means correct and true knowledge to a person or something. Accordingly, taking cognizance of Imam Mahdi refers to acquiring proper knowledge to the Imam’s prominent personality and sublime status, as well as acquainting yourself with his lifestyle, goals, and plans. This knowledge will be the paving-the-ground understanding for a deep vision of religiosity and choosing the right and desirable attitude in life. Hence, in some authentic Hadiths, "cognition of the Imam" is specially ordered. In this regard, the Prophet says:
[2].«مَنْ مَاتَ وَ لَمْ يَعْرِفْ إِمَامَ زَمَانِهِ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّة»
“If someone dies while not recognizing the Imam of his/her age, his/her death is like the Death of Ignorance.”
It is clear that getting familiar with the physical traits of Imam Mahdi will be the first step to recognizing him.
An initial introduction
The Twelver Shiˈa is of the view that the universal Promised Savior is a man from the progeny of Prophet Muhammad; he is the 12th Imam of the Shiˈa - Imam Mahdi, who will appear at the End of the Time and fill the world with justice and equity. The birthday of the promised Mahdi occurred on the daybreak of Friday, Shaʹbān 15th, 255 A.H. (August 2nd, 869 A.D.) in Samarra (a town in northern Iraq). His name is Muhammad and his cognomen is Abu al-Qāsim. His famous titles are al-Mahdi (the guided one who guides people), al-Qāim (the Upriser), al-Muntaẓar (the awaited one), Baqiyyat Allah (the last remained proofs of God), al-Ḥujjah (a proof from God), al-Khalaf al-Ṣāliḥ (the righteous offspring), Ṣāḥib al-Amr (the Master of Imamate and Authority), and Ṣāḥib al-Zamān (the master of the current time), of which the most famous one is "al-Mahdi". Each of these epithets indicates a characteristic or dignity of the Imam.
The Imam is called "al-Mahdi" because he is the man guided by God and guides other people by the permission and help of God. He is called "al-Qāim" because he will rise for the truth. He is called "al-Muntaẓar" because everyone is waiting for him to appear. He is called "Baqiyyat Allah" because he is the last proof and the last divine reserve of God. He is called "al-Ḥujjah" because he is God’s proof over creation. He is called "Ṣāḥib al-Amr" because his specific responsibility is to establish the universal divine government on the Earth. Finally, "Ṣāḥib al-Zamān" means that he is the only ruler and master of his time.
Imam Mahdi in Islamic main sources
To believe in the promised Mahdi is one of the most important Islamic beliefs, commonly accepted by all Islamic sects despite the multitude and variety of Islamic denominations and some ideological differences. Hence, despite a few disagreements in some details related to the personality of Imam Mahdi, the way of his appearance and the formation of his government between Shiˈa[3] and Sunni[4], the Sunnis also consider the belief in the promised Mahdi as one of their Islamic beliefs and have accepted it. This acceptability originates from the genuine sources of Islam, the most important of which are the Quran and the Hadiths narrated from Prophet Muhammad and the Infallible Imams. In this section, we will get a glimpse of these two basic sources:
Imam Mahdi in the Quran
On the whole, for explanation of Mahdism in the Quran, two sets of verses can be adduced:
- Verses containing a kind of promised salvation for mankind in the future, of which "Mahdism" is considered the most prominent exemplification. In fact, the fulfillment of this Quranic promise is based on the words of God’s Messenger and many Hadiths that bring the glad tidings of the establishment of justice and equity by the hands of the Promised Savior at the End of the Time.
- Verses that by themselves do not have a clear signification of the salvation and the promised savior; however, in numerous Hadiths, they have been construed as referring to Mahdism or the Mahdi. This group outnumbers the first group of verses. Although the name of the savior is not directly mentioned in the Quran, some Quranic verses bring the glad tidings of the formation of a just global government and domination of righteous and downtrodden people. Shiˈite and some Sunnite commentators, through the esoteric interpretation or reconciliation of the Quranic verses and the related Hadiths ascribe them to Imam Mahdi and his uprising.
Imam Mahdi in Hadiths
Due to the fact that, from the very outset of Islam, Mahdism has always been one of the most authentic Islamic topics, which has been continuously receiving the attention from the side of Muslims, the Prophet and the Infallible Imams of Shiˈa always tried to explain its various dimensions in such a way that this cultural effort has provided a huge collection of Mahdist teachings. Therefore, it can be said that Mahdism is one of the Islamic topics with the largest number of related narrations such that just the abundant narrations from the Prophet and the Imams of Shiˈa suffice to prove the validity and rightfulness of believing in Imam Mahdi as the Prophet has clearly and explicitly introduced the Promised Mahdi in these Hadiths by name and title and with some details, and talked about the events before and during the Imam’s appearance and its merits and blessings.
- Since Imam Ali's followers are divided into some sects, it is important to pay attention to the various uses of the term "Shiˈa" in each case. Currently, Shiˈas or followers of Imam Ali are divided into three main groups: Zaydīyyah, Isma'īlyah, and Jaˈfarī Shias. In the modern day, Shiˈas are referred to as Jaˈfari or Twelver Shiˈas, and two other sects are known as Zaydis and Ismaˈilis respectively. So, the Shiˈite opinions presented in this book are limited exclusively to Twelver Shiˈa viewpoints.
- Sheikh al-Ṣadūq. Kamāl al-Dīn (in Arabic). pp. vol. 2, p. 410.
- The word "Shiˈa" lexically means "follower" and terminologically refers to those Muslims who believe in the immediate Caliphate and Imamate of Imam Ali, and also that the Prophet's successor is determined by God and not by what the people vote on.
- Literally, "Ahl al-Sunnah" means those who agree and share in a good and acceptable manner with each other, and terminologically, it refers to the majority of Muslims who do not believe in the existence of an explicit Islamic text or statement concerning the appointing of the Caliph and successor following the prophet Muhammad; and they believe in the selection of the Caliph as a responsibility and choice made by the Muslims.
Hamid Saˈādat
