Chapter 2
The Pseudo-Mahdis
On the appointed evening friends came together
at Dr. Fahimi's house. After the usual formalities and enquiries
the session began. Mr. Hoshyar began to speak.
Mr. Hoshyar:
There is another matter worth considering as further evidence
and related to the topic about the origins of Mahdiism. These
are the accounts of individuals claiming to be the Mahdi in the
past, whose names have been preserved in the historical sources.
These reports suggest that the subject was not only wide spread,
but also well authenticated in the early days of Islam. To clarify
my point for all those who are gathered here I will mention some
of these pseudo-Mahdis.
Muhammad b. Hanafiyya was regarded as the Mahdi
by some Muslims. He was believed to be alive and living an invisible
existence in Mount Radwa. He would appear in the future and would
fill the earth with justice and equity.[1] A
group called Jarudis among the Zaydis believed that Muhammad b.
'Abd Allah b. Hasan was the Mahdi, and that he was in concealment.
They awaited his return.[2] The Nawusi's believed
that Imam Ja'far Sadiq was the Mahdi, and that he was alive and
in occultation. The Waqifis believed that Imam Musa b. Ja'far
had not died and was in occultation. He would appear in the future
and would fill the earth with justice and equity.[3]
A group among the Isma'ilis believed that Isma'il
had not died. Rather, he had been declared dead out of fear (taqiyya)
of persecution. The Baqiris regarded Imam Muhammad Baqir to be
alive and believed that he was the promised Mahdi. The Muhammadis
believed that following the death of Imam 'Ali Naqi, the Imam
was his son Muhammad. This they believed in spite of the fact
that he died during his father's life time. They, furthermore,
believed that he was alive and that he was the promised Mahdi.[4]
The Jawaziyya believed that the twelfth Imam Hujjat b. al-Hasan
had a son and that he was the promised Mahdi. The Hashimis maintained
that 'Abd Allah b. Harb Kindi was the Imam. Alive but in occultation,
they expected that he would appear in the future. The Mubarakis,
among the Isma'ilis, regarded Muhammad b. Isma'il as a living
Imam in occultation.[5]
The Yazidi faction maintained that Yazid has
ascended to heaven, and will return in the future to fill the
earth with justice and equity. The Isma'ilis say that the Mahdi
mentioned in the traditions is the same as Muhammad b. 'Abd Allah,
known as Mahdi, who became the ruler in Egypt and North Africa.
To support their belief they cite the tradition of the Prophet
in which he said that in the year 300 the sun would rise from
the west.[6]
A group of the Imamis believed that Imam Hasan
'Askari was alive and that he was the Qa'im. He was living an
invisible existence and would appear in the future and would fill
the earth with justice and equity. Another group among them held
that Imam Hasan 'Askari has died but would come back to life later
on and would rise because the meaning of qa'im is 'to rise
after death.'[7]
The Qarmatis regarded Muhammad b. Isma'il to
be the promised Mahdi. They believed that he was alive and lived
in Anatolia. The followers of Abu Muslim believed that Abu Muslim
was the living Imam who was in concealment. A group believed that
Imam Hasan 'Askari was the Mahdi and that he became alive after
death. He continues to live in this state until the time comes
when he will fill the earth with justice and equity.[8]
Manipulation
of the Beliefs of the People
These are the names of the people who claimed
to be the Mahdi in the early history of Islam. A number of ignorant
people accepted their claim and regarded them to be the promised
Mahdi. However, the majority of these groups have perished and
there remains nothing more than their mention in the books on
history. Since that time a number of individuals belonging to
Hashimite or non-Hashimite clans from different regions and countries
of the world have emerged claiming to be the promised Mahdi. Historically,
such claims have led to insurrections and revolutions, with much
bloodshed and destruction of human life.
It is possible to surmise from events related
to the appearances of the false messiahs that the subject of Mahdiism
and the emergence of the divine savior were among the well established
religious truths among Muslims, who anxiously awaited for the
appearance of the Mahdi. They also regarded his victory and the
defeat of his enemy as imminent. Such expectations of the people
became the major source for some ambitious and crafty individuals
to manipulate their simple and pure faith -- a faith which stemmed
from the teachings of the Islamic revelation -- and lay claim
to the title of the Mahdi. It is likely that some of these individuals
had no evil design and merely wanted to redress the wrongs committed
against the people. Indeed, some of them did not even claim to
be the promised deliverer. Rather, it was the common people who,
due to ignorance, intolerable living conditions, and an impatience
regarding their expectations about the appearance of the Mahdi,
took these false messiahs to be the awaited Mahdi.
Fabrication
of the Traditions
It was, unfortunately, these conditions that
caused circulation of the traditions describing and praising the
Mahdi and foretelling the signs of his appearance. These traditions
were uncritically accepted and reported in the books. Any impartial
scholar can discover these fabricated traditions by undertaking
to investigate the historical accounts of the appearance of these
pseudo-Mahdis and then to examine the hadith compilations
that deal with the characteristics of the Mahdi. Such, for instance,
is the case with the tradition in which the Prophet says:
The world will not come to an end until God
sends a man from my family, whose name will be the same as mine,
and whose father's name will be the same as my father's. He will
fill the earth with justice and equity as it is filled with injustice
and tyranny.[9]
In this hadith the Mahdi's father is
introduced as possessing the name of the Prophet's father, that
is, 'Abd Allah. This contradicts many traditions that mention
Mahdi's father to be Hasan. Hence, it is possible to maintain
that this hadith was circulated by those who regarded Muhammad
b. 'Abd Allah b. Hasan to be the Mahdi. They must have added the
sentence `whose father's name will be the same as my father's'
to the original hadith. This is supported by the view held
by Muhammad b. Yusuf in his book entitled: al-Bayan. He
writes that Tirmidhi relates the same tradition in his compilation
without mentioning the additional sentence 'whose father's . .
.'. Abu Dawud also reports the same tradition without the additional
sentence.
In another tradition recorded by Abu al-Faraj
in his Maqatil al-talibiyyin Abu Hurayra is reported to
have heard the Prophet saying: "Indeed, the Mahdi's name
will be Muhammad b. 'Abd Allah and he will be afflicted with a
speech defect."[10] This tradition is
also a forgery of those who supported Muhammad b. 'Abd Allah b.
Hasan's claim to Mahdiism. It is said that he had difficulty in
speaking and could barely utter certain words. His followers took
this defect to be a sign of the Mahdi and forged a tradition to
that effect.
The 'Abbasids also fabricated traditions to
bolster their claim to this eminent role predicted about the Mahdi.
According to one of these traditions, Ibn 'Abbas reported from
the Prophet who said to 'Abbas, his uncle: "At the End of
Time there will be Mahdi among you through whom right guidance
will spread and the fires of misguidance will be put out. Indeed,
God began this matter with us and will conclude it through your
progeny."[11] In another hadith
Ibn 'Abbas reports the Prophet saying: "From us, the ahl
al-bayt, will arise al-Saffah, al-Mundhir, al-Mansur and al-Mahdi.
The Mahdi will be among the descendants of my uncle al-'Abbas."[12]
There is little doubt that these traditions were forged by the
'Abbasids.
A tradition is related from 'Ali b. Abi Talib
regarding the appearance of black banners from the direction of
Khurasan. "Among these banners is God's caliph, the Mahdi."[13]
This too appears to be fabricated by the 'Abbasids or by the supporters
of Abu Muslim Khurasani because the Mahdi will not come from Khurasan,
and the black banners were the emblem of the 'Abbasids. There
are numerous other traditions that were evidently forged by the
'Abbasid pretenders to promote support for their cause.
In general, to provide legitimacy to the claims
of any pseudo-Mahdi, traditions traced back to the Prophet himself
were forged and circulated among the followers. Consequently,
there is hardly any prominent leader for whom there were no traditions
to promote his Mahdiism. The problem was that many of these individuals
had died. But their followers refused to accept their death as
real. Hence, traditions were fabricated to relate that their revolution
would commence after their death and upon their return to life
when God commanded them to do so. Al-Fadl b. Musa reports a tradition
in which Imam al-Sadiq was asked by Abu Sa'id Khurasani: "Why
was he (i.e., the Mahdi) known as al-Qa'im?" The Imam said:
"Because he will rise after his death. He will rise for an
important task, as commanded by God, the Exalted."[14]
Certainly, this hadith was fabricated
by the Waqifiyya, who believed that Imam Musa Kazim had not died
and would return as the promised Mahdi. Moreover, it is likely
that it was fabricated by those who believed that Imam Hasan 'Askari
had died, but would rise later on to establish a just society.
Actually, in terms of the science of hadith, the chain
of transmission is weak, since it includes a person whose reliability
is in question. In a similar tradition with a slight variation
Abu Sa'id asked Imam al-Sadiq: "Are al-Mahdi and al-Qa'im
one and the same?" The Imam replied: "Yes." Abu
Sa'id went on to ask: "Why is he known as the Mahdi?"
The Imam replied: "Because he will guide to the hidden matters."
"Why is he known as the Qa'im?" The Imam said: "Because
he will rise after he dies, that is, dies in the people's remembering
that he will rise for the great purpose."[15]
It is evident that the two traditions are actually one. In the
second tradition death is interpreted as a death of the memory
of his name.
The belief that the Mahdi will die and then
rise to launch his revolution was accepted by some people who
were also responsible for fabricating traditions to support their
belief. Thus, Imam Sadiq was asked: "Is there an example
of qa'im (rising after death) in the Qur'an?" He said:
"Yes. A passage in the Qur'an speaks about the owner of the
donkey, whose death was caused by God, and then God brought him
back to life."[16]
In a long tradition Mu'awiya b. Abu Sufyan
reports from the Prophet the following:
The Prophet said: "After my death an island
by the name of Andalusia will be conquered. Afterwards the army
of disbelievers will overpower them . . . At that point a man
from among the descendants of Fatima, the Prophet's daughter,
will rise from the farthest region of the Maghrib. He will be
the Mahdi, the Qa'im. He is the first sign of the Hour."[17]
The tradition was probably fabricated by the
Isma'ilis who founded a state in the Maghreb. Many such traditions
are single in transmission and, therefore, the information in
them cannot be regarded as reliable. More importantly, in comparison
to the numerous traditions about the Mahdi reported uninterruptedly,
these traditions are not credible at all.
The Family
of the Prophet and the Eleven Imams' Predictions about the Mahdi
Dr. Fahimi:
What was the belief of the Family of the Prophet and the Imams
regarding the Mahdi?
Mr. Hoshyar:
Following the Prophet's death the subject of Mahdiism was also
under discussion among the Prophet's companions and the Imams.
The Family of the Prophet, as the heirs to the Prophet's knowledge
and to the intricate matters concerning faith, was the most knowledgeable
about the Prophetic traditions. They spoke about the Mahdi and
replied to the questions that were posed to them on this subject.
Let us cite some examples of these communications by them with
some attention to the chronology. Although there are several traditions
cited from each one of the Imams and from Fatima Zahra (peace
be upon her) we will cite just one from each:
(1) Tradition Narrated
by Imam 'Ali about the Future Coming of the Mahdi:
The following tradition is related by al-Asbagh
who heard 'Ali b. Abi Talib say:
The promised Mahdi will emerge at the End of
Time from among us. There is no Mahdi in any nation other than
him being awaited.[18]
There are more than fifty traditions narrated
from 'Ali b. Abi Talib in connection with the future appearance
of the Mahdi and his being from among the Family of the Prophet.[19]
(2) Tradition Narrated
by Fatima Zahra (peace be upon her):
Fatima Zahra told her son Husayn:
When I gave birth to you, the Prophet came
to see me. He took you in his hands and said to me: "O Fatima,
take your Husayn, and know that he is the father of nine Imams.
From his descendants will appear righteous leaders among whom
the ninth will be the Qa'im."[20]
(3) Tradition Narrated
by Imam Hasan b. 'Ali:
Hasan b. 'Ali said:
There will be twelve Imams following the Prophet.
Nine of these Imams will be from the progeny of my brother Husayn.
The Mahdi of this umma will be among them. [21]
(4) Tradition Narrated
by Imam Husayn b. 'Ali:
Husayn b. 'Ali said:
Twelve Imams will be from among us. The first
among them will be 'Ali b. Abi Talib and the last will be my ninth
descendant, the rightful Qa'im. Because of his blessed existence
God will bring back the dead earth to life and prosperity. God
will give victory to His religion over all other religions, even
if this be against the liking of the disbelievers. The Mahdi will
disappear from public for a while. During his occultation a number
of people will abandon religion, whereas others will remain steadfast
and will suffer because of their faith. This latter group will
be asked tauntingly: "If your belief is true, when would
your promised Imam rise?" But, remember that whoever perseveres
under those unfavorable circumstances when enemies would falsify
and harm them, their status will be like those who fought by the
side of the Prophet in defending the religion of God.[22]
(5) Tradition Narrated
by Imam 'Ali b. Husayn:
'Ali b. Husayn said:
The birth of our Qa'im will be hidden from
the people in such a way that they will assert: "He has not
been born at all!" The reason for his concealment is that
when he begins his revolution he will have no one's allegiance
on his neck.[23]
(6) Tradition Narrated
by Imam Muhammad Baqir:
Muhammad b. 'Ali Baqir told Aban b. Taghlib:
I solemnly declare that the Imamate is the
divine covenant that has reached us from the Prophet. The Imams
after the Prophet are twelve in number of whom nine are the descendants
of Husayn. At the End of Time the Mahdi will also emerge from
among us who will protect the religion of God.[24]
(7) Tradition Narrated
by Imam Ja'far Sadiq:
Ja'far b. Muhammad Sadiq said:
Whoever acknowledges all the Imams, but denies
the existence of the Mahdi, is like the one who acknowledges all
the prophets but denies the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be
upon him).
Someone asked him: "Among whose descendants
is the Mahdi?" The Imam responded:
The fifth progeny of the seventh Imam [Musa
Kazim] will be the Mahdi. However, he will disappear. It is not
proper for you to name him.[25]
(8)Tradition Narrated
by Imam Musa Kazim:
Yunus b. 'Abd al-Rahman asked Imam Musa b.
Ja'far: "Are you the rightful Qa'im?" He replied:
Yes, I am the rightful Qa'im. But the Qa'im
who will purify the earth from the enemies of God and will fill
it with justice and equity, is my fifth descendant. Since he is
afraid for his life, he will be in occultation for a long time.
During this period of occultation, a group will turn away from
religion. But some will remain steadfast in their faith.
He went on to add:
Blessed are those Shi'a who during this period
of occultation will continue to be faithful to us and remain steadfast
in their loyalty to us and their hostility toward our enemies.
Truly, they are from us and we are from them. They are convinced
about our Imamate and we acknowledge their fealty to us. By God,
blessed are they! They will be with us in Paradise.[26]
(9) Tradition Reported
by Imam 'Ali b. Musa Rida:
Rayya b. Salt once asked Imam Rida: "Are
you sahib al-'amr (Master of the Undertaking)?" The
Imam said:
Yes, I am the Master of the Undertaking. However,
I am not that Master of the Undertaking who will fill the earth
with justice and equity. How can I be that Master of the Undertaking
when you are witness to the prevalent weakness and helplessness?
The promised Qa'im will be old in age but young in appearance
when he emerges. He will be so powerful and strong that if he
extended his hand to the most huge tree it would fall uprooted.
And if he screamed among the mountains the rocks would be crushed
into pieces. The rod of Moses and the seal of Solomon are with
him. That person will be my fourth descendant. God will keep him
in occultation for as long as He deems necessary. Then, He will
cause him to appear, and through him God will fill the earth with
justice and equity as it is filled with tyranny and oppression.[27]
(10) Tradition Reported
by Imam Muhammad b. 'Ali Jawad:
Imam Muhammad Taqi Jawad told 'Abd al-'Azim
Hasani:
Our Qa'im is the same as the promised Mahdi
whom you should await and when he appears you should obey. He
will be my third descendant. I swear by the God who sent Muhammad
as the Prophet and appointed us as the Imams that even if there
remains a single day on earth, God will prolong it until the Mahdi
emerges and fills the earth with justice and equity as it is filled
with injustice and tyranny. God takes care of His affairs overnight
just as He managed the affairs of Moses in one night. Moses had
gone to fetch fire for his family and he returned having been
fully designated as God's prophet.
The Imam then added: "Awaiting for the
deliverance to come is the best act for our Shi'a." [28]
(11) Tradition Narrated
by Imam 'Ali Naqi:
Imam 'Ali Naqi said: "Following me my
son Hasan is the Imam, and following Hasan it will be the Qa'im
who will fill the earth with justice and equity." [29]
(12) Tradition Narrated
by Imam Hasan 'Askari:
Imam Hasan 'Askari told Musa b. Ja'far Baghdadi:
I see you disputing in the matter of the Imam
after me. Be aware that anyone who acknowledges the Imams after
the Prophet, but rejects the Imamate of my son is like the one
who has accepted the prophethood of all the prophets except the
prophethood of Muhammad. The one who denies the latter is like
the one who has denied all other prophets. The reason is that
obedience to the last Imam is like obedience to the first Imam
among us. Hence, whoever rejects the last among us is like the
one who has rejected the first Imam. Let it be known to you that
the occultation of my son will be so much prolonged that people
will fall in doubt except for those whose faith God protects.
[30]
Are these
Traditions about the Mahdi Authentic?
Engineer Madani:
You can follow these traditions only if they are sound and reliable.
Do you regard all these traditions about the Mahdi reliable?
Mr. Hoshyar:
I do not claim that all the traditions, on the subject of the
Mahdi are highly reliable and that all its narrators are trustworthy.
However, there are some among these that could be regarded as
unquestionably authentic. These traditions, like all other traditions,
include authentic, good, reliable, and weak cases. It is not necessary
to go through the investigation of each one of them because, as
you have noticed, these traditions are so numerous that any fair
minded and unprejudiced person can refer to them with confidence.
This confidence is based on the underlying theme in all of them
that the existence of the Mahdi was among the well known subjects
of Islam whose seeds were sown by the Prophet himself and whose
detailed information was provided by the Imams. It is possible
to maintain with certainty that in Islam there are few other subjects
which could muster so many related traditions as can be summoned
concerning the existence of the Mahdi.
Let me elaborate. From the beginning of his
mission until the Farewell Pilgrimage, the Prophet had mentioned
the subject of the Mahdi innumerable times. Following the Prophet,
Imam 'Ali, Fatima Zahra and other prominent members of the Family,
had carried on the tradition of reporting about the future coming
of the Mahdi. After all they were the carriers of the Prophetic
knowledge. After the death of the Prophet in the year 632 CE,
Muslims were counting the days for the Mahdi to appear. This led
them to recognize the false pretenders who appeared from time
to time in history. These traditions were reported by all schools
of Islamic thought, such as the Sunnis, the Shi'is, the Ash'ari
and Mu'tazili theologians, as related by the Arab, Persian, Meccan
and Medinese narrators as well as those from Kufa, Basra, Baghdad,
and so on. With all these traditions, which actually number more
than a thousand, is it possible for any fair minded person to
cast doubt in the matter of the future coming of the Mahdi by
claiming that these traditions were fabricated by the extremist
Shi'is and ascribed to the Prophet?
*******
It was getting late at night and there was
no time to continue the discussion any further. Hence, the decision
was made to take up more discussion in the future session to be
held at Dr. Fahimi's residence.
Notes:
- Shahrastani, Milal wa nihal, Vol. 1, p.
232; Nawbakhti, Firaq al-shi'a, Najaf edition, p. 27.
- Milal,
Vol. 1, p. 256; Firaq, p. 62.
- Milal,
Vol. 1, pp. 273, 278; Firaq, pp. 67, 80, 83.
- Muhammad Karim Khurasani,
Tanbihat al-jaliyya fi kashf
al-asrar al-batiniyya (Najaf, 1351),
pp. 40-42.
- Milal,
Vol. 1, pp. 245, 279.
- Mir Khwand, Tarikh-i
Rawdat al-safa, Tehran edition,
Vol. 4, p. 181.
- Milal,
Vol. 1, p. 284; Firaq, pp. 96, 97.
- Firaq.,
pp. 47, 97.
- Fusul al-muhimma,
p. 274.
- p. 164.
- Dhakha'ir al-'uqba,
p. 206.
- Ibid., p. 206. See also al-Sawa'iq
al-muharriqa, p. 235.
- Yanabi' al-mawadda,
Vol. 1, p. 57.
- Ithbat al-hudat,
Vol. 7, p. 27.
- Ithbat al-hudat,
Vol. 7, p. 34.
- Ibid., Vol. 7, p. 28.
- Ibid., Vol. 7, p. 242.
- Ithbat al-hudat,
Vol. 7, p. 147.
- This number is derived from
the hadith
collected in Safi Gulpaygani's Muntakhab al-athar which
deals with the subject under consideration here. We shall limit
ourselves to only a few examples from this compilation. Readers
interested in more of these traditions should consult this important
work.
- Ithbat al-hudat,
Vol. 2, p. 552. There are three more traditions here reported
from Fatima Zahra.
- Ibid., Vol. 2, p. 555. There
are four other traditions reported from Imam Hasan.
- Ibid., Vol. 2, pp. 333, 399;
Majlisi, Bihar al-anwar,
Vol. 51, p. 133. There are thirteen more traditions reported from
Imam Husayn.
- Bihar al-anwar,
Vol. 51, p. 135. There are additionally ten traditions reported
on the authority of Imam 'Ali b. al-Husayn.
- Ithbat al-hudat,
Vol. 2, p. 559. Additionally, there are sixty-six traditions related
on the authority of al-Baqir.
- Bihar al-anwar,
Vol. 51, p. 143; Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 2, p. 404. There
are one hundred and twenty-three additional traditions reported
on the authority of al-Sadiq.
- Bihar al-anwar,
Vol. 51, p. 151; Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 6, p. 417.
- Bihar al-anwar,
Vol. 52, p. 322; Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 6, p. 420. There
are additionally eighteen traditions reported on the authority
of Imam 'Ali al-Rida.
- Bihar al-anwar,
Vol. 51, p. 156; Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 6, p. 419. There
are five other traditions reported on the authority of Imam Muhammad
Taqi.
- Ithbat al-hudat,
Vol. 6, p. 275. There are additionally five traditions related
by Imam 'Ali Naqi.
- Bihar al-anwar,
Vol. 51, p. 160; Ithbat al-hudat, Vol. 6, p. 427. In addition,
there are twenty one traditions reported on the authority of Imam
Hasan 'Askari.
