The Awaited Imam

Imām Mahdī (علیہ السلام) and the Saints

01. “Umm Salamah (رضي الله عنها) narrates that Messenger of Allāh (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم) said: People exactly equal in number to the Companions of Badr (ie 313) will take the oath of allegiance on the hand of a person from my Ummah (Mahdī) between the Black Stone and the Station of Ibrāhīm (maqām Ibrāhīm). Later on, the saints of Iraq and the abdāl (Substitutes) of Syria will also come to him (to give the oath of allegiance).”

02. “Narrated by Umm Salamah (رضي الله عنها), the wife of the Prophet (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم), who says that the Messenger of Allāh (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم) said: at the death of a Caliph there will be a difference of opinion (between the Muslims of Medina over the election of the new Caliph). One person (that is, Mahdī, realising that the people might elect him as the caliph) will leave Medina for Makkah. Some of the residents of Makkah (who will recognize him as Mahdī) will come to him, and bring him out (of his home) against his will; they will take the oath (of caliphate) on his hand between the Black Stone and the Station of Ibrāhīm (maqām Ibrāhīm). (When the news of his caliphate will spread), an army will set out from Syria to wage war on him (but before reaching him) it will be pushed down into the (treeless) ground at Baydā’ between Makkah and Medina. The abdāl (Substitutes) of Syria and the Saints of Iraq will take the oath of caliphate on his hand. Later, a Qurayshī (that is, Sufyānī) person, whose maternal relatives will be from the Kalb tribe, will send an armed force against them. They will prevail over the invading army and this will be the Battle of Kalb. One who (does not take part in the Battle of Kalb) has nothing to do with the booty will be in loss. (After this conquest) the Caliph Māhdī will generously donate wealth among the people and make them follow the sunnah of their Prophet (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم). Islam will be fully established on earth (ie Islam will be dominant and accepted all over the world). Mahdī will remain (as Caliph) for seven years, then he will die, and the Muslims will attend his funeral.

“Abū Dāwūd said: some transmitted from Hishām “nine years” and some “seven years.”

03. “Umm Salamah (رضي الله عنها) relates: she heard the Messenger of Allāh’s (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم) say: there will be difference of opinion over the death of the caliph (ie difference on who should be appointed as the next Caliph. On seeing this) a person from the tribe of Hāshim (fearing he may be selected to take the burden of the Caliphate) will leave for Makkah from Medina. Some people will come and take him out of his house although he will resist it. Then they will take the oath (of caliphate) on his hand between the Black Stone and the Station of Ibrāhīm (maqām Ibrāhīm). (On hearing the news of their allegiance) an army will set out towards them from Syria but it will be crushed into the ground as it reaches Baydā’ (a plain between Makkah and Medina). After this, the saints of Iraq and the abdāl (Substitutes) of Syria will call on him. Then a (Sufyānī) person will come from Syria, his maternal relatives belonging to the Kalb tribe, he will despatch his army to wage war on him. Allāh will defeat them, resulting in them facing a catastrophe. This is the Battle of Kalb. So anyone who (does not take part in the Battle of Kalb and as a result) does not share in the booty, will be in loss. Then the caliph Mahdī will discover treasures and distribute them generously (among the people). Islam will be fully established on earth. People will live (in this state of prosperity and comfort) for seven or nine years (that is, people will live in peace and comfort until the death of Māhdī).”

04. “‘Alī (RA) relates that the Messenger of Allāh (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم) said: Mahdī will be from my family. Allāh will turn him overnight into a righteous person (that is, through His guidance, He will raise him to the highest levels of sainthood).”

Imām Mahdī (علیہ السلام) as Allāh’s Caliph

05. “Thawbān (RA) narrates that the Messenger of Allāh (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم) said: Three persons will wage war near your treasure. All three will be sons of the caliph and yet this treasure will not be transferred to anyone of them. Then black flags will appear from the east and they will wage war on you with such intensity that no nation had waged war with such aggression before.

“(Thawbān (RA) says:) then the Messenger of Allāh (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم) said something (which I could not remember.) Then the Prophet (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم) said: when you people see him, you should take the oath of allegiance on his hand even if you have to come dragging on snow. Indeed he will be the Caliph of Allāh, Mahdī.”

Necessary Clarification: Ibn Hajar ‘Asqalānī comments in Fath-ul-bārī (13:78, 79) while quoting this tradition: If the treasure mentioned in this tradition is the one referred to by Abū Hurayrah (RA) in this tradition:

“The Messenger of Allāh (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم) said: The time is near when the river Euphrates (having dried up) will reveal a treasure of gold.”

Then this tradition clearly indicates that these events will occur at the time of Mahdī’s appearance.

06. “Narrated by Hudhayfah (RA) that the Messenger of Allāh (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم) said: Mahdī will be from my family. His complexion will be of an Arab and a physical structure of the children of Israel. There will be a beauty spot on his right cheek. His appearance will be similar to a luminous star. He will fill the earth with justice just as it was filled (before him) with injustice. Those in the earth and the heavens will be pleased with his caliphate. The birds in the skies will also be pleased.”

07. “Abū Sa‘īd Khudrī (RA) relates from the Prophet (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم) that he said: Near to the end of time, a Caliph (Mahdī) will come who will give their due rights to the people without recording it (ie without keeping a record of who has received what).”

Imām Mahdī (علیہ السلام) and Islamic Dominance

08. “Abū Tufayl relates from Muhammad ibn Hanafiyyah that he said: We were sitting in the company of ‘Alī (RA) that a person asked him about Mahdī. ‘Alī (RA) (pleasantly) said: go away. Then, counting seven on his hand, he said: Mahdī will appear in the last days and (the dominance of non-religious forces will be at such a level that) anyone mentioning the name of Allāh will be killed. (At the time of Mahdī’s appearance) Allāh will gather a party around him, just as the separate pieces of cloud are joined together and Allāh will create love (and unity) among them. They will neither fear anyone nor will they unnecessarily favour anyone (meaning that they deal with everybody equally). The people who will gather round the caliph will number the Companions who had taken part in the battle of Badr (that is, 313). This party will have a special superiority which was not possessed by anyone before them nor will anyone possess it after them. The number of the people in this party will be the same as the Companions of Tālūt who had crossed the (Jordan) canal in the company of Tālūt.

“Abū Tufayl says that Muhammad ibn Hanafiyyah asked the audience: Do you intend to join this party? I said: yes. He said, pointing toward the two pillars (of Ka‘bah): The appearance of caliph Mahdī will take place between them. At this, Abū Tufayl said: By God! I shall not leave them during my whole life. (The narrator says): accordingly, the death of Abū Tufayl took place in Makkah.”

09. “‘Alī al-Hilālī (RA) narrates that the Prophet (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم) said to Fātimah (رضي الله عنها): I swear by the One who has sent me with the Truth! Surely, the Mahdī of this Ummah will be from among (the children of) these two, that is, Hassan and Hussein. At a time when the world will be subject to chaos and turmoil, roads will be cut off and people will attack one another, no elderly will show love to the younger and no youngster will respect the elderly, then Allāh will send a person from among these two who will conquer the forts of disbelief and open closed hearts. He will establish Islam in the last days of the Ummah as I have established it in the early days (of this Ummah). He will fill the earth with justice just as it was formerly filled with tyranny and persecution.”

10. “Abū Sa‘īd Khudrī (RA) has narrated: I heard the Messenger of Allāh (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم) say: A person will appear from my family who will preach my sunnah. Allāh will pour down rain for him from the skies and the earth will disclose (and throw out) its treasures for him. The earth will be filled with justice and fairness because of him just as it was filled before hand with tyranny and persecution. He will rule this Ummah for seven years and he will descend at the Holy House (Bayt-ul-Muqaddas).”

11. “Abū Hurayrah (RA) has narrated: My beloved Abū al-Qāsim (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم) said to me: The Day of Judgement will not come until a person appears from my family who will confront the people until they turn to the truth. I said: How long will he rule for? He said: Five and two (years).”

12. “Narrated by Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh (رضي الله عنهما) that Messenger of Allāh (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم) said: There will be a caliph in my Ummah who will generously distribute wealth without keeping a record of it. And I swear by the One who controls my life! Certainly that the dominance (of Islam) will return (that is, Islam will recapture its lost glory and retrieve its status during his reign).”

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01. Hākim narrated it in al-Mustadrak (4:431 # 8328); Ibn Abī Shaybah, al-Musannaf (7:460 # 37223); Tabarānī, al-Mu‘jam-ul-kabīr (23:296, 390 # 656, 930); Manāwī, Fayd-ul-qadīr (6:277); Hindī, Kanz-ul-‘ummāl (4:271, 272 # 38696); and Suyūtī in ad-Durr-ul-manthūr fit-tafsīr bil-ma’thūr (5:241).

02. Abū Dāwūd narrated it in as-Sunan, b. of Mahdī, 4:89 (#4286); Ahmad bin Hambal, al-Musnad (6:316); ‘Abd-ur-Razzāq, al-Musannaf (11:371 # 20769); Ibn Abī Shaybah, al-Musamaf (7:460 # 37219); Abū Ya‘lā, al-Musnad (12:369 # 6940); Tabarānī, al-Mu‘jam-ul-kabīr (23:390 # 931); Dānī, as-Sunan-ul-wāridah fil-fitan (5:1083, 1084 # 595); Haythamī, Mawārid-uz-zam’ān (6:133 # 1881); Khatīb Tabrīzī, Mishkāt-ul-masābīh, b. of fitan (turmoils) 3:171 (#5456); Hindī, Kanz-ul-‘ummāl (14:265 # 38668); Suyūtī, ad-Durr-ul-manthūr fit-tafsīr bil-ma’thūr (6:58); and Ibn ‘Asākir in Tārīkh Dimashq al-kabīr (1:215, 216).

03. Tabarānī related it in al-Mu‘jam-ul-awsat (2:90 # 1175), al-Mu‘jam-ul-kabīr (23:390 # 930); Abū Dāwūd, as-Sunan, b. of Mahdī, 4:89 (#4287); Ibn Hibbān, as-Sahīh (15:158, 159 # 6757); Hākim, al-Mustadrak (4:431 # 8328); Azdī, al-Jāmi‘ (11:371); and Haythamī in Mawārid-uz-zam’ān (6:133 # 1881).
Haythamī said in Majma‘-uz-zawā’id (7:315) that Tabarānī related it in al-Awsat and its men are those of (sahīh) sound hadīth.

04. Ibn Mājah related this Hassan (fair) hadīth in as-Sunan, b. of fitan (turmoils) 4:454 (#4085); Ahmad bin Hambal, al-Musnad (1:84); Bazzār, al-Musnad (2:243 # 644); Abū Ya‘lā, al-Musnad (1:359 # 465); Ibn Abī Shaybah, al-Musannaf (7:513 # 37644); Daylamī, al-Firdaws (4:222# 6669); and Suyūtī in ad-Durr-ul-manthūr fit-tafsīr bil-ma’thūr (6:58).

05. Ibn Mājah narrated it in as-Sunan, b. of fitan (turmoils) 4:453 (#4084) with a sound chain of transmission and its men are trustworthy.
Ahmad bin Hambal related it in al-Musnad (5:277); Ru’yānī, al-Musnad (1:417#637); Dānī, as-Sunan-ul-wāridah fil-fitan (5:1032 # 548); Daylamī, al-Firdaws, (2:323#3740); Kinānī, Misbāh-uz-zujājah (4:204, 205 # 2440); Hindī, Kanz-ul-‘ummāl (14:263 # 38658); Suyūtī, ad-Durr-ul-manthūr fit-tafsīr bil-ma’thūr (6:58); and Bayhaqī in Dalā’il-un-nubuwwah (6:515, 516).
Hākim graded it sahīh (sound) according to the conditions of Bukhārī and Muslim in al-Mustadrak (4:463, 464 # 8432), while Dhahabī confirmed it.
Hākim also narrated it with some different words at another place in al-Mustadrak (4:502#8531).

06. Bukhārī narrated it in as-Sahīh, b. of fitan (turmoils) 6:2605 (#6702); Muslim, as-Sahīh, b. of fitan wa ashrāt-us-sā‘ah (turmoils and the conditions of the Last Hour) 4:2219 (#30/2894); Tirmidhī, al-Jāmi‘-us-sahīh, chapters of sifat-ul-jannah (the description of Paradise) 4:326 (#2569); Abū Dāwūd, as-Sunan, book of malāhim, 4:98 (#4313); Ahmad bin Hambal, al-Musnad (5:139, 140); Ibn Hibbān, as-Sahīh (15:87,88#6693,6694); Baghawī, Sharh-us-sunnah (15:34#4239); Hindī, Kanz-ul-‘ummāl (14:203#38398); Suyūtī, ad-Durr-ul-manthūr fit-tafsīr bil-ma’thūr (6:61); and Ibn ‘Asākir in Tārīkh Dimashq al-kabīr (7:234).

07. Suyūtī related it in al-Hāwī lil-fatāwā (2:66); Daylamī, al-Firdaws (4:221#6667); and ‘Ajlawnī in Kashf-ul-khifā’ wa muzīl-ul-ilbās (2:381#2661).

08. Suyūtī narrated it in al-Hāwī lil-fatāwā (2:64); Ibn Abī Shaybah, al-Musannaf (7:513 # 37640); Daylamī, al-Firdaws (5:501 # 8918); Ibn Hammād, al-Fitan (1:357 # 1032); and Suyūtī in ad-Durr-ul-manthūr fit-tafsīr bil-ma’thūr (6:58).
Hākim graded it sahīh (sound) according to the conditions of Bukhārī and Muslim in al-Mustadrak (4:554 # 8659), while Dhahabī confirmed it.

09. Suyūtī narrated it in al-Hāwī lil-fatāwā (2:66,67); Tabarānī, al-Mu‘jam-ul-kabīr (3:57, 58 # 2675), al-Mu‘jam-ul-awsat (7:276, 277 # 6536); and Haythamī in Majma‘-uz-zawā’id (9:165).

10. Suyutī transmitted it in al-Hāwī lil-fatāwā (2:62); Tabarānī, al-Mu‘jam-ul-awsat (2:47# 1079); and Haythamī in Majma‘-uz-zawā’id (7:317).

11. Suyūtī narrated it in al-Hāwī lil-fatāwā (2:62); Abū Ya‘lā, al-Musnad (12:19 # 6665); and ‘Asqalānī in al-Matālib-ul-‘āliyah (4:343 #4554).
Haythamī says in Majma‘-uz-zawā’id (7:315) that Abū Ya‘lā narrated it and Abū Zur‘ah declared the sub-narrator, Marjā bin Rijā’, trustworthy, while Ibn Mu‘īn weakened him, and its other men are trustworthy.

12. Hākim graded it sahīh (sound) according to the conditions of Muslim in al-Mustadrak (4:454 # 8400), while Dhahabī kept quiet about it.
Haythamī said in Majma‘-uz-zawā’id (7:316) that Bazzār had related it, and its men are those of (sahīh) sound hadīth.
Ibn Hammād narrated it in al-Fitan (1:362 # 1055); Suyūtī, ad-Durr-ul-manthūr fit-tafsīr bil-ma’thūr (6:56); and Bayhaqī in Dalā’il-un-nubuwwah (6:330,331).
Muslim related it with different words in as-Sahīh, b. of fitan wa ashrāt-us-sā‘ah (turmoils and conditions of the Last Hour) 4:2234 (#67/2913); Ahmad bin Hambal, al-Musnad (3:317); Hindī, Kanz-ul-‘ummāl (14:263 # 38659); and Ibn Kathīr in al-Bidāyah wan-nihāyah (4:599; 10:44).