Believed to appear in the end-times, and that Jesus, who
is also to appear in the end-times, will be a follower of the Mahdi,
and prays behind him. Some, however, believe that Jesus and the Mahdi
are the same person. All proof texts are based on hadiths. The Mahdi
is believed to be a member of his household (Ahlul-Bayt), from his
daughter Fatima. Shi'ites claimed that he is the son of Imam Hasan
al-Askari, while the Sunnis believed that it is someone else. The
Shi'ites believed that the Mahdi is alive and hidden, and awaits the
proper time to appear.
* The Prophet said: "Even if the entire duration of the world's
existence has already been exhausted and only one day is left before
Doomsday (Day of judgment), Allah will expand that day to such a
length of time, as to accommodate the kingdom of a person out of my
Ahlul-Bayt who will be called by my name. He will then fill out the
earth with peace and justice as it will have been full of injustice
and tyranny before then."
(ref: Sahih Tirmidhi, v2, p.86, v9, pp. 74-75
Sunan Abi Dawud, v2, p.7
Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v1, p.376 & v3, p.63
Mustadrak al-Sahihain, by al-Hakim, v4, p.557
Al-Majma', by Tabarani, p.217
Tahdhib al-Thabit, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, v9, p.144
Sawaiq al-Muhraqa, Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, p.167
Fathul Bari, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, v7, p.305
al-Tathkirah, by al-Qurtubi, p.617
al-Hawi, by al-Suyuti, v2, pp.165-166
Sharh al-Mawahib al-Ladunniyyah, by al-Zurqani,
v5, p.348
Fathul Mughith, by al-Sakhawi, v3, p.41
al-Hafidh Abul-Hasan 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 were spread
far and wide by many narrators. )
* The Prophet said: "Al-Mahdi is one of us, the members of the
household (Ahlul-Bayt)."
(ref: Sunan Ibn Majah, v2.4085)
* The Messenger of Allah said: "Al-Mahdi is one of the children of
Fatimah."
(ref: Sunan Ibn Majah, v2.4086)
* The Prophet said: "We the children of Abd Al-Mutalib are the
Masters of the inhabitants of Heaven: Myself, Hamza, Ali, Jafar,
Hasan, Hussain, and Al-Mahdi."
(ref: Sunan Ibn Majah, v2.4087)
* The Prophet said: "The Mahdi will appear in my Ummah. He will
appear for a minimum of 7 or a maximum of 9 years; in that time,
my Ummah will experience a bountiful favor like never before. It
shall have a great abundance of food, of which it need not save
anything, and the wealth at that time is in great quantities, such
that if a man asks the Mahdi to give him some, and the Mahdi will
say: Here! Take!"
(ref: Sunan Ibn Majah, v2.5083)
Shi'ites believed that the world government the Mahdi is supposed
to establish will last for hundreds of years, and then the day of
judgement will come.
* The Prophet said: "We (I and my family) are members of a household
that Allah has chosen for them the life of the Hereafter over the
life of this world; and the members of my household (Ahlul-Bayt)
shall suffer a great affliction and they shall be forcefully expelled
from their homes after my death; then there will come people from the
East carrying black flags, and they will ask for some good to be
given to them, but they shall be refused service; as such, they will
wage war and emerge victorious, and will be offered that which they
desired in the first place, but they will refuse to accept it, until
a man from my family (Ahlul-Bayt) appears to fill the Earth with
justice as it has been filled with corruption. So whoever reachs that
(time) aught to come to them even if crawling on the ice/snow."
(ref: Sunan Ibn Majah, v2.4082,
also in the History Tabari)
* The Messenger of Allah said: "The world will not perish until a
man among the Arabs appears whose name matches my name."
(ref: Sahih Tirmidhi, v9, p.74)
* The Prophet said: "What would be your situation if the Son of
Mary transcended upon you and your Imam is among you?"
(ref: Sahih al-Bukhari (Arabic), v4, p.143)
* The Prophet said: "There will come at the end of the time for my
Ummah a Caliph where the abundance of wealth will be as great as
there is sand, and is beyond count."
(ref: Sahih Muslim, v2, part 2, under the topic
of "the Day of Judgment will not commence until
a man passes by the grave of a dead man, and
wishes that he was in his place")
* The Messenger of Allah said: "Mahdi from my family will bring about
a revolution and will fill the world with justice and equity before
which it was filled up with injustuce and inequity."
(ref: Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v1, p.84
Jami'us Sagheer, by al-Suyuti, pp. 2,160
al-Urful Vardi, by al-Suyuti, p.2
Kanzul Ummal, v7 p.186
Aqd al-Durar Fi Akhbaar al-Mahdi al-Muntazir,
v12, Chap. 1,
al-Bayan fi Akhbar Sahib al-Zaman,
By Ganji Shafi'i, Chap. 12
al-Fusool al-Muhimmah, by Ibn Sabbagh Maliki,
Chap. 12
Arjahul Matalib, by Ubaidallah Hindi hanafi,
p.380
Muqaddimah, by Ibn Khaldoon, p.266)
* The Prophet said: "Allah will bring out from concealment Mahdi
from my Family and Progeny before the Day of Judgement, even if only
one day were to remain in the life of the world, and he will spread
on this earth justice, and equity and eradicate tyranny and opression."
(ref: Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v1, p.99)
* Mohammad Ibn Hanafiyyah and Imam Ali says that the Holy Prophet
said:
"Mahdi is from our Ahlul-Bayt, no doubt Allah will enforce his
Amr (appearance) within a night (ie. his coming is very
unpredicted)."
(ref: Sunan Ibn Majah, v2, p.269)
* Author of Sahih Muslim reported on the authority of Jabir that
Jesus will descend in the last days, and the Imam will ask him to
lead in prayer, but Jesus will decline.
* al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani mentioned that:
"The Mahdi is of this Ummah, and that Jesus will come down and
pray behind him."
(ref: Fath al-Bari, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani,
v5, p.362)
* "The Ahlul-Bayt are like the stars through whom we are guided in
the right direction, and if the stars are taken away (or hidden) we
would come face to face with the signs of the Almighty as promised
(ie. the Day of Resurrection). This will happen when the Mahdi will
come, as mentioned in the traditions, and the Prophet Jesus will say
his prayers behind him, the Dajjal will be slain, and then the signs
of the Almighty will appear one after another."
(ref: Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah,
by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, ch11, p.91)
* Ibn Khaldoon (d. 808/1406), a Sunni historian, in his book "al-
Muqadimah," wrote that: "Let it be known that it is a narrated event
among the people of Islam throughout the ages that there must appear
a man at the end of time from the family of the Prophet, who will
strengthen Islam and spread justice; Muslims will follow him and he
will gain domination over Muslim realm. He will be called al-Mahdi."
(An Introduction to History, by Ibn Khaldoon,
London, 1967, pp. 257-258)
* fatwa: Issued in Mecca by the Muslim World League (Rabitatul
`Alamul Islami) on Oct. 11, 1976 (23 Shawwal 1396):
"The memorizers (Hafiz) and scholars of Hadith have verified that
there are authentic (sahih) and acceptable (hasan) reports among the
traditions related to al-Mahdi. The majority of these traditions are
related through numerous authorities (Mutawatir). There is no doubt
that the status of those reports are Sahih and Mutawatir. (They have
also verified) that the belief in Mahdi is obligatory, and that it is
one of the beliefs of Ahl al-Sunnah wal Jama'a. Only those ignorant of
the Sunnah and innovators in doctrine deny it.
(see The Introduction of al-Ganji al-Shafi'i,
in the book named "al-Bayan," Beirut, 1399/1979,
pp. 76-79 and in Appendix.)