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The Mahdi ( , also Mehdi; "Guided One"), in Islamic eschatology, is the prophesied redeemer of Islam, who will change the world into a perfect Islamic society before Yaum al-Qiyamah (literally "Day of the Resurrection").
The exact nature of the Mahdi differs according to Sunni and Shi'a Muslims. For a more in-depth Shi'a account of the Mahdi, see Muhammad al-Mahdi.
Introduction
The idea of the Mahdi does not appear in the Qur'an, but is mentioned in the earliest and, according to many, most reliable collections of Muhammad's sayings-the 'hadith' collection of Muslim. Later recorded references to the Mahdi occurred in al-Mukhtar's rebellion against the Umayyid Caliphate in 686 CE. Al-Mukhtar claimed that Ibn al-Hanifiya, a son of the fourth Caliph Ali, was the Mahdi who would save the Muslim people from the unjust rule of the Umayyids. Ibn al-Hanifiya was not actively involved in the rebellion, and when the Umayyids successfully quashed it, they left him undisturbed.
The idea of a man who would arise to right the injustices in the world of Islam was now widely held, however, and later collections of hadiths included ample references to the Mahdi.
For example, in a hadith now widely regarded as authentic, the Islamic prophet Muhammad stated:
- "Even if the entire duration of the world's existence has already been exhausted and only one day is left before the 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 Ahl al-Bayt who will be called by my name. He will then fill the Earth with peace and justice as it will have been filled with injustice and tyranny before then."
- Sahih Tirmidhi, V2, P86, V9, P74-75.
The Mahdi, according to majority Sunni and Shi'ite tradition, will arise at some point before the day of judgement, institute a kingdom of justice, and will in the last days fight alongside the returned Jesus against the Dajjal (Antichrist or false Messiah).
However, since the most reliable sources do not refer to him, various Muslim traditions have ascribed different characteristics to the Mahdi, and many leaders of politico-religious revival movements in Islam have claimed to be the Mahdi.
The following sections list a few of the characteristics of the Mahdi, according to various traditions of Islam:
Birth of the Mahdi
Sunni, Shi'a, and Mahdavi sources
Sunni sources
- He will be born in Medina, Saudi Arabia. Some generalize the word 'medina' to be any city as the word literally means "city", and cite the discrepancies in various reports regarding the subject.
- His father's name will be Abdullah (same name as Muhammad's father). Abdullah means "Servant of God" and can also be widely interpreted to mean that his father will be a virtuous and holy person.
Ithna Ashari Shia sources
- He was born in ?? and is still alive.
- He has been in 'occultation'-that is, absent from the physical world-since the age of five years
- His father is the 11th Shi'a Imam, Hasan al-Askari
- His mother is Narjis, a Byzantine princess
- Twelver Shia Muslims believe that the Mahdi is the 12th and last of the Shi'a Imams
Mahdavi sources
- Necessarily sunni thought in matters of prophetic reports.
- Maintain that the promised Mahdi couldn't appear along with Jesus, quoting some reports
- Since they believe in one who earlier claimed to be Mahdi, they wait now only for Jesus's second coming.
Characteristics of the Mahdi
Sunni and Shi'a sources
- His name is generally accepted to be Mohammad, Mahdi is just a title.
- Some Muslims claim that his name can be an accepted variant of Muhammad such as Ahmed or Mahmoud; similarly, accepted variants of his father Abdullah's name include Abdul Rahman, Abdul Magid, and Abdul Hamid. Supporters of this idea quote a passage from the prophet Muhammad in the Hadith which is interpreted: "His name is like my name, and his father's name is like my father's name."
- He is tall.
- His facial features are similar to those of Muhammad.
- His character is like that of Muhammad, he would follow him perfectly and shall err not.
Sunni sources
- He has a fair complexion
- He has a broad forehead and a prominent nose
Signs indicating the emergence of the Mahdi
Shi'a sources
- The 6th Shi'a Imam, Jafar al-Sadiq, is reported to have said:
- "Before the appearance of the one who will rise, peace be upon him, the people will be reprimanded for their acts of disobedience by a fire that will appear in the sky and a redness that will cover the sky. It will swallow up Baghdad, and will swallow up Kufa. Their blood will be shed and houses destroyed. Death will occur amid their people and a fear will come over the people of Iraq from which they shall have no rest."
- There will be an insurgence by the Sufyani, a descendant of Abu Sufyan. Abu Sufyan is considered by Shias to have been one of Muhammad's greatest enemies, along with his son, Muawiya I and Muawiya's son, Yazid. According to Shia narrations, the Sufyani's revolution will start from Palestine/Jordan, and his reign of tyranny will span the Middle East from Iraq to Egypt.
- A loud call from the sky signals the Mahdi's appearance.
Emergence of the Mahdi
Sunni and Shi'a sources
- He emerges during the last days of the world from Makkah
- He and Isa (ie. Jesus) are two different individuals; This so accepted by concensus of earlier scholars, although it counters the prophetic tradition presented by famous muslim historian Ibn Khuldun. He quotes Anas ibn Malik that the prophet said, "لا مهدي إلا عيسى بن مريم", literally meaning: No Mahdi but Jesus son of Mary.
- He precedes the second appearance of Jesus
- He establishes justice, peace and truth throughout the world (or land, the Arabic word "الأرض" pronounced al-ardh does not necessarily translates to whole world or Planet Earth only, it basically means 'land' and could thus address to some nation or part thereof. The whole world coming under peace or justice before the judgement-day itself is against the words of Quran V:48; VI:35; XVI:93; XLII:8 ; V:14 etc. & hence also sayings of the prophet).
- Jesus defeats the false Messiah or Antichrist, known as the ad-Dajjal
- Once the Dajjal is defeated, Jesus and the Mahdi live on Earth to live out their natural life
- According to some traditions, Jesus gets married, has a family, and dies. There is a grave reserved for him next to Muhammad's grave in Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina.
- The Mahdi will correct the false or corrupted practices in Islam, and Jesus will likewise correct false practices done in his name
- Some scholars also established Jesus could be praying behind Mahdi.
Shi'a sources
- Upon his emergence, the young among his followers, without any prior appointment, reach Mecca that very night
- Each of his soldiers has the power of forty strong men
- Sinful opposers call their own followers to fight
- A large number of non-believers will convert to Islam once they see that the signs in the reports have occurred
Claims of being the Mahdi
A large mass of Muslims depending on the thoughts and decisions of their revered leaders & scholars, always kept waiting & didn't accept any claimants in the past. There have been several personalities over time who have considered themselves the Mahdi prophesied in Islam. Similar to the notion of a Messiah in the Judeo-Christian religions, the notion of a Mahdi as a redeemer to establish a society has lent itself to various interpretations leading to different claims within minorities or by individuals within Islam.
Various sects of Muslims have believed and taken decesively someone to be their 'Promised Mahdi' while many keep waiting for one to appear.
The Mahdi in fiction
Several authors have used the concept of the Mahdi in fictional stories. Perhaps the best known is Frank Herbert, whose Dune science fiction novels centered on the character of Paul Atreides, who was proclaimed by his followers, the Fremen, to be the Mahdi. Paul's Fremen name, "Muad'Dib", means "teacher of adāb (manners and respect)" in Arabic, although within the novel it is a word in the Fremen language of Chakobsa, and is the name of a kind of desert mouse.
In The Wheel of Time fictional world, the Tinker people are divided into travelling bands each led by a mahdi, which is translated as "seeker". The Tinkers are of the same ethnicity as the Aiel, a Fremen-like desert-dwelling people.
The Mahdi plays a central role in Wilbur Smith's The Triumph of the Sun. It's about an English family during the Mahdi's siege of Khartoum in 1884.
See also
- Hadith of Jesus praying behind Mahdi
- Mahdaviat
- Dajjal
- People claiming to be the Mahdi
- Traditions about Mahdi
- Al-Qa'im (the Shi'a expectations)
External links
Sunni view
- Jesus Christ the Son of Mary and His Most Blessed Mother
- The Mahdi and the End Times
- Imam Mahdi
- THE COMING OUT OF THE AWAITED DESCENDENT OF FATIMA, AL-MAHDI
Shia view
- Al-Imam al-Mahdi: The Just Leader of Humanity by Ayatollah Ibrahim Amini
- The Awaited Saviour by Ayatullah Baqir al-Sadr and Ayatullah Murtada Mutahhari
- A Discussion Concerning the Mahdi by Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr
- Helpers Of The Mahdi
Mehdavi view
Bibliography (English)
- Shauhat Ali: Millenarian and Messianic Tendencies in Islamic Thought: Lahore: Publishers United: 1993.
- Timothy Furnish: Holiest Wars: Islamic Mahdis, Jihad and Osama Bin Laden: Westport: Praeger: 2005: ISBN 0279833838
- Abdulaziz Abdulhussein Sachedina: Islamic Messianism: The Idea of the Mahdi in Twelver Shi'ism: Albany: State University of New York Press: 1981: ISBN 0873954580
Islamic eschatology | Religious leadership roles
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