In Islamic eschatology the Mahdi (مهدي transliteration: Mahdī, also Mehdi; "Guided One") is the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will stay on earth seven, nine, or nineteen years (depending on the interpretation^[1]) before the coming of the day, Yaum al-Qiyamah (literally "Day of the Resurrection" or "Day of the Standing"). Islamic eschatology is concerned with the al-Qiyāmah "Last Judgement" Different approaches and methods for the Romanization of Arabic exist For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. In Islam, Yawm al-Qiyāmah "the Day of Resurrection" (يوم القيامة or Yawm ad-Din "the Day of Faith" (يوم الدين is God's final ^[2] Muslims believe the Mahdi will restore righteousness and change the world into a perfect and just Islamic society alongside Jesus. Etymology The Anglicized name of Jesus is derived from the Latin Iēsus, which in turn comes from the Greek (Iēsoûs The concept of Mahdi is not explicitly mentioned in the Qu'ran, but there are many hadith (traditional sayings of Muhammad) on the Mahdi. The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran Hadith ( ar الحديث, pl aḥadīth; lit. "narrative" are oral Traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic

The advent of Mahdi is not a universally accepted concept in Islam^[3] and among those that accept the Mahdi there are basic differences among different sects of Muslims about the timing and nature of his advent and guidance. The idea of the Mahdi has been described as important to Sufi Muslims and a "powerful and central religious idea" for Shia Muslims who believe in Muhammad al-Mahdi. Sufism ( تصوّف - taṣawwuf, Persian: صوفی‌گری sufigari, Turkish: tasavvuf, Urdu: تصوف According to Twelver Shi'as Imam Hujjat al-Mahdī ( ar المهدى) (or Hujjat ibn Hasan ibn Ali is the twelfth Imam and the However, among Sunni, it "never became a formal doctrine" and is neither endorsed, nor condemned "by the consensus of Sunni Ulama. Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic " It has "gained a strong hold on the imagination of many ordinary" self-described orthodox Sunni though, thanks to Sufi preaching. ^[4] Another source distinguishes between Sunni and Shia beliefs on the Mahdi saying the Sunni believe the Mahdi will be a descendant of the Prophet named Muhammad who will revive the faith, but not necessarily be connected with the end of the world, Jesus or perfection. ^[5]

The "hdi" of "Mahdi" refers to the Arabic root "هدی" which means "to guide". "Mahdi" is also an Arabic name.

Shia and Mahdi

Among Shi'a Muslims "the Mahdi symbol has developed into a powerful and central religious idea"^[6] Shi'a Muslims believe that the Mahdi is the Twelfth Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, who has been in occultation and is the eleventh descendant of Muhammad. According to Twelver Shi'as Imam Hujjat al-Mahdī ( ar المهدى) (or Hujjat ibn Hasan ibn Ali is the twelfth Imam and the Imāmah (إمامة is the Shī‘ah doctrine of religious spiritual and political leadership of the Ummah. According to Twelver Shi'as Imam Hujjat al-Mahdī ( ar المهدى) (or Hujjat ibn Hasan ibn Ali is the twelfth Imam and the This is evidenced in a hadith from the Shi'a text (Kitab Al-Kafi) containing a conversation between the first Shia Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib and a man named al-Asbagh ibn Nubata, as well as a Hadith in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim in which Muhammad speaks of Twelve Successors. ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (a=علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب|t=ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib 13th Rajab, 24 BH – 21st Ramaḍān, 40 AH Sahih Muslim ( Arabic: صحيح مسلم ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, full title "Al-Musnadu Al-Sahihu bi Naklil Adli" is one of the Six major collections (see Hadith of the Twelve Successors)

From Sahih Bukhari:

Narrated Jabir bin Samura: I heard Muhammad saying, "There will be twelve Muslim rulers (who will rule all the Islamic world). The Hadith of the Twelve Successors is a famous Hadith in Islam, in which the Islamic prophet Muhammad speaks about Twelve Muslim rulers " He then said a sentence which I did not hear. My father said, "All of them (those rulers) will be from Quraish. " ^[7]

In a hadith widely regarded as authentic, Muhammad said,

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, God will expand that day to such a length of time, as to accommodate the kingdom of a person out of Ahl al-Bayt who will be called by my name. Hadith ( ar الحديث, pl aḥadīth; lit. "narrative" are oral Traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics In Christian eschatology, the Last Judgment or Day of the Lord is the judgment by God of every human who ever lived See also Muhammad's wives Ahl al-Bayt ( Arabic:ar أهل البيت is an Arabic phrase literally meaning People of the House, or family 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 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 Isa Al-Maseeh (Jesus) against the Dajjal, the Antichrist of Islam. Etymology The Anglicized name of Jesus is derived from the Latin Iēsus, which in turn comes from the Greek (Iēsoûs Masih ad-Dajjal ( Arabic: الدّجّال literally "The Impostor" is an evil figure in Islamic eschatology.

Divergent views among Sunnis

The coming of the Mahdi is a disputed notion within Sunnis. Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic The concept is not mentioned directly in the Quran, and neither is it mentioned in the Sahih al-Bukhari nor Sahih Muslim collection of ahadith. Sahih Muslim ( Arabic: صحيح مسلم ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, full title "Al-Musnadu Al-Sahihu bi Naklil Adli" is one of the Six major collections According to scholar Cyril Glasse, "Belief in the Mahdi has been rejected by noted Sunni authorities as being a Messianism . . . . various Hadith about the Mahdi appear to be inventions to support political causes", ^[8] It is also reported to be denied by the Ahle Quran. Qur'an alone Muslims Qur'anic Muslims, or sometimes Anti-Hadith Muslims, is a term used to refer to Muslims who reject Hadith, or reported traditions of

On the other hand it is found in Sunan Abi Dawud, Ibn Majah and Tirmidhi and "some non-Shiite Muslims believe that the Mahdi will come in addition to the Second Coming of Jesus. " ^[9]

Al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ja’far al-Katani said: "The conclusion is that the hadiths narrated concerning the Mahdi are mutawatir, as are the hadith concerning the Dajjal and the descent of Jesus the son of Mary, upon whom be peace. Mutawatir (متواتر is an Arabic word meaning "consecutive " Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Hajar al-Haytami in his fatwa titled The Brief Discourse on the Portents of the Awaited Mahdi, said that denial of the Mahdi is disbelief. Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti in his book The Rose Fragrance Concerning the Reports on al-Mahdi, wrote, "This is the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah, this is the belief of the Sufis, this is the belief of our Shaykhs, and this is the belief of the true Shadhili Shaykhs, whose path both al-Suyuti and al-Haytami followed. Whoever differs with them is a liar and an innovator. "

Of those Sunnis that hold to the existence of the Mahdi, some believe the Mahdi will be an ordinary man, born to an ordinary woman. Umm Salamah said:

I heard the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon Him) say: ‘The Mahdi is of my lineage and family…’

— Sunan Abu Dawud, 11/373; Sunan Ibn Maajah, 2/1368.

Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri said:

The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon Him) said: "He is one of us…"

— Reported by Abi Na’eem in Akhbaar al-Mahdi, see al-Jaami’ al-Sagheer, 5/219, hadith 5796.

The Naqshbandi Haqqani Sufi Order, under the leadership of Shaikh Hisham Kabbani of Islamic Supreme Council of America (ISCA), is among the Sufis who strongly believe the coming of Imam Mahdi in this 21st Century is imminent. Naqshbandi-Haqqani Sufi Order of America Founded by Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, the Naqshbandi-Haqqani Sufi Order of America (NQSOA is an educational organization Shaikh Hisham has written a book "The Approach of Armageddon" that touches much on this subject according to Sunni doctrine and beliefs. Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic

In the light of traditions and interpretations, the personality of the Promised Mahdi would be as such:

It is said "predictions and lore conscerning the Mahdi abound"^[10] Among them are that the promised Mahdi would be a Caliph of God and that to make a covenant with him is obligatory. He would belong to the House of Muhammad and would be in the line of Imam Hussein. See also Muhammad's wives Ahl al-Bayt ( Arabic:ar أهل البيت is an Arabic phrase literally meaning People of the House, or family Ḥusayn ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar حسين بن علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب)‎ (third of Shaban 4 AH / 8th January 626 AD at Medina His name would be Muhammad and his family name would be Abul Qasim, his father's name would be ‘Abdu’llah, and he would appear in Mecca. ‘Abdullāh ( ar عبد الله "servant of God" also spelled Abdullah, Abd Allah, Abdallah, and Abdalla) is Mecca ˈmɛkə also spelled Makkah ˈmækə (in full Makkah Al-Mukarramah (Arabic mækːæ(t ælmʊkarˑamæ مكّة المكرمة, literally Honored He would protect the Muslims from destruction and would restore the religion to its original position.

Claims of being the Imam Mahdi (Akhir Uz Zaman)

Main article: People claiming to be the Mahdi

Over the course of history, there have been several individuals who have declared themselves to be the Mahdi prophesied in Islam. Many people through history have claimed to be the Mahdi ( مهدي) a messianic figure expected 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. This article is about the concept of a Messiah in religion notably in the Christian Islamic and Jewish traditions Judeo-Christian (or Judaeo-Christian, sometimes written as Judæo-Christian) is a term used to describe the body of concepts and values which are thought to be held

The first historical recorded reference to a movement using the name of Mahdi is al-Mukhtar's rebellion against the Umayyid Caliphate in 686, almost 50 years after Muhammad's death. Al-Mukhtar ibn Abi Ubayd al Thaqafi was an early Islamic revolutionary who led an abortive rebellion against the Umayyid Caliphs who ruled the Muslim world Al-Mukhtar claimed that Ibn al-Hanifiya, a son of the fourth Caliph Ali (the first Imam of Shi'ite), was the Mahdi who would save the Muslim people from the unjust rule of the Umayyids. Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah was the son of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the fourth Islamic Caliph. Ibn al-Hanifiya was not actively involved in the rebellion, and when the Umayyids successfully quashed it, they left him undisturbed.

Another claim was that of the Báb (Arabic: الباب "the Gate") in 1844, founding the religion of Bábism. Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad ( ( October 20, 1819 – July 9, 1850) was the founder of Bábism, and one of three central figures of the The Arabic alphabet is the script used for writing several languages of Asia and Africa such as Arabic, Persian, and Urdu. Bábism () is a religious movement that flourished in Persia from 1844 to 1852 then lingered on in exile in the Ottoman Empire (especially Cyprus) as He was later executed in the town of Tabriz by a firing squad. Tabriz ( تبریز, تبریز) is the largest city in northwestern Iran. His remains currently reside in a tomb at the Bahá'í World Centre in Haifa, Israel. The Bahá'í World Centre is the name given to the administrative centre of the Bahá'í Faith. Haifa (חֵיפָה; حَيْفَا) is the largest City in Northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country with For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. He is considered to be the forerunner of Bahá'u'lláh. Bahá'u'lláh ( ba-haa-ol-laa "Glory of God" ( November 12, 1817 – May 29, 1892) born Mírzá Ḥusayn-`Alí Nuri (ba-haa-ol-laa Arabic: بهاء الله "Glory of God") Both are considered Prophets by Bahá'is. The Arabic alphabet is the script used for writing several languages of Asia and Africa such as Arabic, Persian, and Urdu. The Bahá'í Faith is a Religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in nineteenth-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind ^[11]

The late nineteenth century saw another person, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, who appeared in British india and claimed to be the promised Mahdi as well as the Promised Messiah (second coming of Jesus) being the only person in Islamic history to have claimed to be both. Mirza Ghulām Ahmad of Qadian ( ميرزا غلام احمد) ( February 13, 1835 – May 26, 1908 CE Shawal 14 1250 – He founded the Ahmadiyya religious community in 1889 which, though claims to be Muslim in every sense of the word is not recognised as such by a majority of mainstream Muslims. Ahmadiyya ( احمدیہ Ahmadiyya) is a movement that arose out of mainstream Islam towards the end of the 19th century

Sudanese Sufi Muhammad Ahmad, declared himself Mahdi in 1882 and defeated Ottoman-Egyptian forces to set up his own state. Muhammad Ahmad ibn as Sayyid Abd Allah (otherwise known as The Mahdi or Muhammad Ahmed Al Mahdi Arabic:محمد أحمد المهدي ( August The Mahdi died in 1885 but his Mahdist state lasted until 1899 when a British army destroyed it.

The most recent notable claim to Mahdiism was by Mohammad Abdullah al Querishi whose brother-in-law, Juhayman ibn-Muhammad ibn-Sayf al-Otaibi, led several hundred men to take over the Grand Mosque in Mecca in November of 1979. The Grand Mosque Seizure on November 20, 1979, was an armed attack and takeover by armed Islamic fundamentalist Dissidents of the Al-Masjid Mecca ˈmɛkə also spelled Makkah ˈmækə (in full Makkah Al-Mukarramah (Arabic mækːæ(t ælmʊkarˑamæ مكّة المكرمة, literally Honored This uprising was defeated after a two week siege with at least 250 rebels, soldiers and pilgrims killed.

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 0275983838
• Abdulaziz Abdulhussein Sachedina, Islamic Messianism: The Idea of the Mahdi in Twelver Shi'ism (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1981) ISBN 0-87395-458-0
• Syaikh Hisyam Kabbani, The Approach of Armageddon (Islamic Supreme Council of America, 2002) ISBN 1930409206

See also

• Mahdaviat
• Dajjal
• People claiming to be the Mahdi
• Traditions about Mahdi
• Al-Qa'im (the Shi'a expectations)
• List of Islamic terms in Arabic
• Islamic eschatology
• Mahdi Army

References

1. ^ Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World, Thompson Gale, (2004), p. The State University of New York Press (or SUNY Press) founded in 1966 is a University press that is part of State University of New York system Mahdaviat (مهدويت is a religious term in Twelver Shī‘ah Islam meaning "belief in and efforts to prepare for the Mahdi " Masih ad-Dajjal ( Arabic: الدّجّال literally "The Impostor" is an evil figure in Islamic eschatology. Many people through history have claimed to be the Mahdi ( مهدي) a messianic figure expected in Islam. In Islamic eschatology the Mahdi ( ar مهدي, also Mehdi; "Guided One" is the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will stay on earth For other uses of the word Qaʾim, see disambiguation Al-Qāʾim ( "He Who Arises" is a Messiah -like figure The following list consists of Concepts that are derived from both Islamic and Arab tradition which are expressed as words in the Arabic language. Islamic eschatology is concerned with the al-Qiyāmah "Last Judgement" This page describes the Shia Mahdi Army of contemporary Iraq for the Sunni Mahdi Army of Nineteenth Century Sudan see Muhammad Ahmad. 421
2. ^ Glasse, Cyril, The New Encyclopedia of Islam, Altamira, 2001, p. 280
3. ^ Glasse, Cyril, The New Encyclopedia of Islam, Altamira, 2001, p. 280
4. ^ Mortimer, Edward, Faith and Power: The Politics of Islam, Vintage Books, 1982 , p. 54
5. ^ Nasr, Vali, The Shia Revival, Norton, 2006, p. 68
6. ^ Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World, Thompson Gale, (2004), p. 421
7. ^ Sahih Bukhari 89.329
8. ^ Glasse, Cyril, The New Encyclopedia of Islam, Altamira, 2001, p. 280
9. ^ Glasse, Cyril, The New Encyclopedia of Islam, Altamira, 2001, p. 280
10. ^ Glasse, Cyril, The New Encyclopedia of Islam, Altamira, 2001, p. 280
11. ^ Smith, P. (1999). A Concise Encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith. Oxford, UK: Oneworld Publications, pp. 55-59 & 229-230. ISBN 1851681841.  

Further reading

• al-Qarashi, Baqir Sharif (2006). The Life of Imam Al-Mahdi, translated by Syed Athar Husain S. H. Rizvi. Ansariyan Publications. ISBN 9644388062.  
• al-Sadr, Muhammad Baqir (1983). Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muḥammad Bāqir al-Ṣadr (Arabic آية الله العظمى السيد محمد باقر الصدر) ( March 1, 1935 Awaited Saviour. Imam Al Khoei Islamic. ISBN 0686903986.  
• Amini, Ibrahim (1996). Ayatollah Haj Shaykh Ebrahim Amini (born in 1925 in Najaf Abad, Isfahan Province, Iran) is an Iranian politician in the Al-Imam Al-Mahdi: The Just Leader of Humanity, translated by Abdulaziz Abdulhussein Sachedina. Islamic Education and Information Center. ISBN 0968071708.  
• Corbin, Henry (1993). Henry Corbin ( 14 April 1903 - October 7, 1978 was a Philosopher, Theologian and professor of Islamic Studies at History of Islamic Philosophy, translated by Liadain Sherrard and Philip Sherrard. Kegan Paul International

in association with Islamic Publications for The Institute of Ismaili Studies. ISBN 0710304161.  

• Hussain, Jassim M. (1986). Occultation of the Twelfth Imam: A Historical Background. Routledge. ISBN 0710301588.  
• Nasr, Seyyed Hossein; Hamid Dabashi (1989). TemplateInfobox Muslim scholars --> Seyyed Hossein Nasr ( Persian سید حسین نصر) an Iranian Biography Born and raised in southern city of Ahvaz in Iran, Dabashi was educated in Iran and then in the United States where he received a dual Ph Expectation of the Millennium: Shiʻism in History. SUNY Press. ISBN 088706843X.  
• Sachedina, Abdulaziz Abdulhussein (1981). Abdulaziz Sachedina is the Frances Myers Ball (Chair Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia, teaching mainly subjects associated with Islam Islamic Messianism: The Idea of Mahdī in Twelver Shīʻism. Suny press. ISBN 0873954424.  
• Tabatabae, Sayyid Mohammad Hosayn; Seyyed Hossein Nasr (translator) (1979). TemplateInfobox Muslim scholars --> Seyyed Hossein Nasr ( Persian سید حسین نصر) an Iranian Shi'ite Islam. Suny press. ISBN 0-87395-272-3.  

External links

• Mahdi an article by Encyclopedia Britannica Online
• A supportive view of the belief of the Mahdi at Sunni-oriented islam-qa.com
• A critical look at the belief in the Mahdi at Qurannic-oriented understanding-islam.com