Who is Imam Mahdi Al-Montazar (The Awaited) Part TWO ?

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be blessings and peace) has prophesied about several events that will occur just before the advent of the Day of Judgment. Among these, the Rasulullah (Messenger of God) (upon whom be blessings and peace) has foretold the advent of one of his descendants, the Mahdi (rightly-guided one), which will materialize when the believers are severely oppressed in every corner of the world. He will fight the oppressors, calm the trials and tribulations, unite the Muslims under his Caliphate, lead a prayer in Damascus at which Prophet 'Eyssa (Jesus) will be present, and rule the world with equity and justice for seven years. 

Throughout the history of Islam, a few individuals -- driven either by the desperate state of Muslims in their community or a selfish pursuit of power and prestige -- laid claim to being the Mahdi and found a following among the uninformed masses, looking for salvation from the heavens. For some of these individuals (like Bab of Iran or Mirza Ghulam of India) the claim to being the Mahdi was just a stepping stone to the development of heretic sects which broke away from the fold of Islam. Thus, it is at least prudent to visit the facts of this prophecy and avoid falling pray to false claimants that will appear from time to time.

Among the major signs of the Day of Judgment is the advent of the Mahdi. The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam) predicted the coming of the Mahdi towards the end of this worldly existence, i.e. just before The Day of Judgment.

Hazrat Abu Hurayrah (radiyallahu anhu) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (God) (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said:


"If only one day is left for the end of the world, Allah will lengthen that day until a man from my family, whose name will be the same as mine, rules the world.” (Tirmizi Shareef)

This indicates the emphasis, which The Holy Messenger of Allah Sallallahu alayhi wasallam laid on the coming of the Mahdi. This page contains many details about the life and advent of the Mahdi, and all these facts are derived from various sayings on this topic.

There is much speculation nowadays on whether the Mahdi has already been born and if so, what would be his present age, and when the impending appearance. Some Ulema have claimed that he is already born. However, Muslims should realize that mere speculation does not represent concrete evidence upon which any firm and clear-cut ruling could be based. Hence, the best course of action is to believe that the Mahdi will appear before the Day of Judgment, but exactly when, only Allah knows. The exact date and time of his arrival we leave to the Knowledge of Allah. However, the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam) did give certain signs, which will herald the arrival of this great Imam as well as certain details of the time period in which he would appear. The sayings on this issue leave no room for rejecting or even doubting the coming of the Mahdi. Neither do the facts leave us in the dark as to recognizing this great Imam when he eventually does arrive.

To begin, the term "MAHDI" is a title meaning "rightly-guided one" or "one who is rightly-guided". The Mahdi is a normal man who Allah will inspire with special wisdom, knowledge and guidance and make preparations for him in one night to carry out his task successfully. His religion is Islam, his name will be Muhammad and his father's name will be Abdullah. He will be a descendant of 'Ali the son of Abu Talib, and Fatima, the daughter of Prophet Muhammad, through their sons, Hasan and Hussein. The Mahdi will be very just and his capital will be in Jerusalem. The Mahdi is NOT a prophet but he is a Rightly-Guided Caliph and the Deputy of Allah. After he is given allegiance as the Caliph in Mecca, he will lead Muslims to a great victory against the tyrannical Sufyaani, as well as others tyrants in the Arabian peninsula, al-Sham (the Levant) and Egypt, in six years, thus establishing his rule over the region. Following this would be the Great war ("Armageddon"), which will end up with a great victory for the Muslims against the Romans and the Turks. Muslims would then conquer their cities and six years after the war begin, they would conquer Rome without the use of a single weapon. In the following year, the Dajjal (false Messiah) will appear and a greater war will start between his followers and the believers for 40 days (longer that usual days) and will end when the Messiah, 'Eyssa ("Jesus") son of Maryam ("Mary") descends from Heaven and slays the Dajjal along with his followers. All the remaining people (those that did not follow the Dajjal) will embrace Islam, and the Mahdi, with 'Eyssa, would rule the whole world with equity and justice for seven years thereafter, during which peace would prevail.

The following are details taken from the sayings of the Messenger of Allah( Sallallahu alayhi wasallam):

Name and Title

His name will be the same as that of the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam), i.e. Muhammad or Ahmad. In addition, his father's name will be Abdullah. His title is the-Mahdi, meaning the-(rightly) guided one. The Holy Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wasallam also called him Khalifatullah, meaning "Deputy of God".

FAMILY LINEAGE

The Mahdi will belong to the tribe of Qurayish and will be a sayyid (chief), descending from the family of Fatima, the offspring of Hasan and Hussein, the sons of 'Ali, son of Abu Talib.

CHARACTER

He will have the character and morals of the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam). In one night Allah will grant him unique qualities of faith, piety, leadership and knowledge, hence the title Mahdi.

Narrated Ali ibn Abu Talib:

Abu Is-haq told that Ali looked at his son Hasan and said: "This son of mine is a sayyid (chief) as named by the Prophet :saws:, and from his loins will come forth a man who will be called by the name of your Prophet :saws: and resemble him in conduct but not in appearance." He then mentioned the story about his filling the earth with justice.(Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 36, No. 4276A)

BIRTHPLACE

He will be born in Medina Shareef.

PHYSICAL FEATURES

He will be tall with a fair complexion, having a broad forehead and an aquiline nose, with a mole on his right cheek. His face will be like a glittering star and his body will be like that of the people of Israel. He will have a slight stutter in his speech, as a result at times he will hit his thigh with his palm.

 

Who is Imam Mahdi Al-Montazar (The Awaited) Part TWO ? 

Who is Imam Mahdi Al-Montazar (The Awaited) Part Three ? 

Who is Imam Mahdi Al-Montazar (The Awaited) Part FOUR ? 

Who is Imam Mahdi Al-Montazar (The Awaited) Part FIVE ?