THERE IS NO DOUBT ABOUT THE
COMING OF THE MAHDI
The hadiths regarding the
Mahdi are certain
The word 'tewatir' means 'powerful news, an account
based on a whole community and which cannot be wrong.' (Büyük
Lugat-Tür-Dav, 3003). According to hadith analysts, if an
account has been related by several people, and if it is impossible
for these people to have come together and fabricated it,
then that account is said to be 'mutawatir' (known by common
consensus of reporters). Many Islamic scholars have stated
that our Prophet's hadiths on the subject of the Mahdi are
'mutawatir'.
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In
Ibni Hacer Askalani Fethü'l-Bari, it has
become mutawatir that the Mahdi will be
from this nation and the Prophet Jesus (as)
will pray behind him. Seykani also says
that the number of hadiths reporting that
Jesus (as) will return has reached to 29.
He reported all of them and finally said:
"Tha hadith we have reported reached the
level of mutawatir. With this statement,
we can conclude that the hadith about the
awaited Mahdi, the hadith about the Dajjal
and the return of Jesus (as) are mutawatir."
(Sünen-i Ibn-i Mace 10/338)
The sahih hadith about the coming of the
Mahdi has become mutawatir.
(Signs of the Judgment Day, s.193)
According
to their assumption, Mahdi has passed away
and gone... However, the hadith concerning
this subject are very well known. Moreoever,
they are at the level of spiritual tewatur
and they contradict the words of the others.
(Mektubat-i Rabbani, 2/250)
There are
many hadith reported by the Messenger of
Allah at the level of mutawatir about the
coming of the Mahdi.
(eb'ul-Hasan Muhammed b. Hasan el-Überi
Sicistani, Menakib'üs-Safii/Dr.G.Hüseyin
Tacirineseb, Mehdilik ve Imam Mehdi
(Mahdism and Imam Mahdi) , p.88, p.405)
The existence
of the Mahdi and that he will emerge in
the end times, that he is from the family
of the Prophet (saas) and the sons of Fatima,
are explained by hadith at the level of
tewatur and there is no sense in denying
these hadith. It has been proved by clear
and explicit hadith that exceed the level
of tewatur that the Mahdi is from the predecessors
of Fatima, that he will emerge before the
end of the world, that he will bring justice
and peace to this world which is full of
injustice and oppression, that Jesus (as)
will descend from the sky in his time and
pray in his leadership.
(Serif Muhammed b. Resul Berazenci Medeni,
el-isae, s.184 ve 305 / Mehdilik ve Imam
Mehdi (Mahdism and Imam Mahdi), p.328)
One of the
biggest signs of the day of resurrection
is the emergence of a 'person' about whom
there are many hadith that exceed the level
of tewatur. Many hadith scholars have accepted
that the Mahdi comes from the Prophet's
family, so it would be unbecoming to turn
our backs on such a mutewatir subject. According
to the belief of the righteous, the Mahdi
is different from Jesus (as). The Mahdi
will appear before the Messiah. This subject
has become spread among the Sunni scholars
to such an extent that it can be regarded
as their belief.
(Summary from Semseddin Muhammed b. Ahmed
Sefareyni, Levaih'ül-Envar'ülBehiyye sehri,
C.2, p.74-76-86)
Muhammed b.
Ali Sevkani said in his book called "et-Tavzih...":
...These (The reports about the Mahdi, Dajjal
and the Messiah) are undoubtedly mutewatir
hadith. They can be seen as the command
of the Prophet (saas). In this sense, just
as the reports about the Dajjal and the
Messiah are mutewatir, so are those about
the Mahdi.
(Muhib b. Salih el-Bureyni, Ikd'üd-Dürer
fi Ahbar'il-Muntazar, p.14-15 / Ebu Tayyib
Muhammed Siddik Kunuci, el-Izaetü... p.95
ve 130 / Mehdilik ve Imam Mehdi (Mahdism
and Imam Mahdi) p.329)
The hadith
about the Mahdi have exceeded the level
of spiritual tewatur, there is no sense
in their being rejected.
(Seyh Hasan Advi Hamzavi, Mesarik'ül-Envar,
F.2, p.115, -1307 H. Basimi / Mehdilik ve
Imam Mehdi (Mahdism and Imam Mahdi) p. 329)
...The hadith
about the Mahdi are more than the level
of tewatur. They exist in the books "Sunan",
"Mesned" and "Mu'cem.
(M.Siddik b. Hasan Kunuci, el-Izaetü...
p.94) |
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As well as the sources cited above, many writers
in countless works have stated that the hadiths which have
come down to us on the subject of the Mahdi possess a 'tewatur'
level of certainty. Some of these Islamic scholars and their
works are:
1. Ebu Abdullah Muhammed
b. Yusuf Genci Nufeli, el-Beyan fi Ahbari Sahib'üz-Zaman,
page 126 2. Semseddin Muhammed b. Ahmed Kurtubi, et-Tezkiretü
fi Ahval'il-Mevta ve Umur'il-ahireti, page710
3. Ibni Kayyim Cavziye Muhammed b. Ebi Bekr Dimiski, el-Menar'ül-Münif,
page 142
4. Sehabeddin b. Hacer Ahmed b. Ali Askelani, Tahzib et-Tahzib,
C.9, page126
5. Celaleddin Abdurrahman Suyuti, Arf'ül-Verdi, eki el-Havi
Lilfetavi, C.2, page 165
6. Eb'ul-Abbas b. Hacer Ahmed b. Muhammed Haytemi, Sevaik'ül-Muhrika,
page 99 / El-Kavl'ül Muhtasar, page 23
7. Serif Muhammed b. Resul Berazenci Medeni, el-Isae, pages
147, 185
8. Semseddin Muhammed b. Ahmed Sefarini, Levaih'ül-Envar'il-Behiyye,
C.2, page 89 / Ahval-i Yevm'ül-Kiyamet, page 33
9. Muhammed b. Ali Sabban Misri, Is'afur-Ragibin, Nur'ul-Ebsar
printed footnotes page 192 directly from Sevaik'ül-Muhrika'.
10. Mü'min b. Hasan Mü'mim Seblanci, Nur'ul-Ebsar, page
189
11. Muhammed Sedik Hasan Kunuci Buhari, el-Izae, page 120
12. Muhammed b. Cafer Idrisi Ketani, Nzm'ül-Mütenasir Fi'l-Hadis'il-Mütevatir,
page 145
13. Eb'ul-Feyz Ahmed b. Muhammed Gumari, Ibraz'ül?Vehm'il-Meknun,
pages 3-4
14. Abdülmuhsin b. Muhammed Abbad, Meccelet'ül-Camiat'ül-Islamiyye,
No. 3, Year 1, page 598
Accounts of the Coming of the Mahdi by Islamic
Scholars
Many great Islamic scholars have
made statements confirming that no doubt attaches to the coming
of the Mahdi in the final times. One of the best known of
these is Muhyiddin Arabi. In his work Futuhat-I Mekkiye, Arabi
says:
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is certain that when the world is full of
cruelty and injustice, the caliph of Allah
will rise up and fill the earth with justice
and equality
He will divide general earnings
equally among the people, govern them with
justice and decide on disputes between them
Allah will order his activities in one
night, and victory will always proceed him
He will walk in the footsteps of the Prophet
and never deviate from them
He will do
away with superstitions, and only the true
religion will prevail
'
(Muhyiddin Arabi, el-Futuhat El Mekkiye,
Vol. 3, pages 327-328) |
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Someone else who has made statements
on this subject is the famous Egyptian writer Sheikh Mansur
Ali Nasif, who describes belief in the Mahdi in these terms
in one of his works:
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is certain that one called the Mahdi from
the People of the House will appear and
rule the lands of Islam. Muslims will follow
him, and He will govern them with justice
and strengthen the religion. After that,
the Anti-Christ will emerge, and the Messiah
(the Prophet Jesus) and either kill the
Anti-Christ or help the Mahdi to do so.'
(et-Tac'ül-Camiü Lil-Usul, Vol. 5, page
341) |
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The writer Seyyid Sabik, an academic
at Egypt's al-Azhar University's Department of Beliefs, makes
the following comments about the coming of the Mahdi in his
book el-Akaid'ül Islamiyye, published as a selected text by
the Islamic Conference:
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essence of the promise regarding the Mahdi
is this: He will appear soon, at the end
of time
At a time when the world is full
of cruelty and injustice, he will fill it
with justice and good governance. It is
certain that he will bring the law of Islam
to the fore and will give new life to the
weakened Sunna of the Prophet.'
(el-Akaid'ül Islamiyye
page 250) |
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In his book 'er-Reddü,' Alaeddin
Ali b. Hisham Muttaki Hindi says:
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Allah have compassion on you and may you
know that there is no doubt about the coming
of the promised Mahdi. Three hundred and
more hadiths and works have proved this.'
(Casim Mühelhil, el-Burhan,
Vol. 1, page 339 / Mehdilik ve Imam Mehdi
(Mahdism and Imam Mahdi), page 328) |
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Alongside these statements of famous
Islamic scholars, there are also detailed accounts of the
belief of the People of the Sunna regarding the coming of
the Mahdi. Some of these are as follows:
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his book 'Serh'üs-Sünnet, Ebu Muhammed Hasan
b. Ali el-Berbehari Hanbeli writes of the
belief of the People of the Sunna, '
The
belief that Jesus, son of Mary, will come
down from the sky and kill the Anti-Christ,
and that he will pray behind Kaim (the Mahdi)
of the sons of the Prophet Muhammed.'
(Casim Mühelhil, el-Burhan...,
Vol. 1, page 426)
'Based on
the true hadiths, one certain belief is
in the existence of the Mahdi (who will
appear). In his time, the Anti-Christ and
the Messiah will appear.'
(Ibni Hacer, Ahmed
b. Muhammed Haytemi Safii, el-Kavl'ül-Muhtasar
fi Alamat'il Mehdiyyül-Muntazar page 74)
'In his book
'Serh-I Müsned Imam Ahmed' Eb'ul-Esbal Ahmed
Muhammed Sakir writes: According to this
Sunna that has come down from many of the
companions of the Prophet, belief in the
Mahdi is proven, and nobody has the right
to entertain any doubts on the matter.'
(Casim Mühelhil, el-Burhan... Mukaddimesi,
Vol. 1, page 343)
'This means
that it is obligatory to believe that the
Mahdi will appear, and it is necessary to
believe that in order to abide by the commands
of the Prophet. This matter has been recorded
and proven in the books of faith of the
People of the Sunna.'
(Eb'ul-Feyz Ahmed b. Muhammed Gumari Safii,
Ibraz'ül-Vehm'ül-Meknun, pages 3-4) |
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There can be no doubt that these commentaries by
Islamic scholars of those hadiths concerning the coming and
actions of the Mahdi are of the greatest importance. Even
more important, however, is the fact that our Prophet's hadiths
regarding the final times and the Mahdi are actually coming
true one after the other. These events leave no room for doubt
about their veracity, nor that they are coming true as a miracle
of our Prophet (saas).
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