Discussion On Imam-e-zaman(a.t.f.s.)

Realization of the Prophecies

In this chapter, we shall discuss whether the prophecies of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and the infallible Imams (a.s.) concerning Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) have occurred or not. For example, it has been prophesied that Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) is the ninth son of Imam Husain (a.s.). Now we shall see whether this prediction has been actualised or Allah forbid, there was an element of falsehood in this statement. Here, we should refer to history.

Our subject of historical investigation is whether the birth of this promised person has taken place or not? If yes, when? Who was his father? Where was he born? In other words, we will try to find out the details of Imam-e-Zaman's (a.t.f.s.) birth certificate. Of course, this is a partial discussion that should not be searched for in the general Islamic history. This discussion should be pursued in the life history of the Imams (a.s.), and that too, the twelfth Imam (a.t.f.s.).

Anyway, it should also be known that books of traditions compiled on this subject prove that a detailed knowledge of the birth of Prophets (a.s.) and Imams (a.s.) are not an essential part of our creed. For, it is possible that somebody believes in the basic principle of Imam-e-Zaman's (a.t.f.s.) Imamat and also accepts his existence, but does not accept that he was born on the 15th Sha'baan. It does not weaken his belief in Imamat in any way.

The characteristics of birth are not an important subject that belief in it necessitates a series of historical references. Even for other Imams (a.s.) too, we do not have traditions dwelling in detail about the birth of all of them. Perhaps in this regard, the least controversial and most informative is the discussion concerning Imam-e-Zaman (a.t.f.s.).

Of course, for some other Imams (a.s.) too, a lot of traditions have been narrated e.g. regarding the birth of Imam Husain (a.s.) {3rd Sha'baan}, numerous quotes are available. But concerning the Holy Prophet's (s.a.w.s.) birthday, considerable differences are found. Anyhow, regardless of such differences, it does not create any contrariety in the basic principle. Hence, we can see quite a few contrasts regarding the birth dates in the books of traditions and history. But the 15th Sha'baan is the most famous and most authentic date narrated.

The year of Imam-e-Zaman's (a.t.f.s.) birth has been given as 255 or 256 A.H. The cause of this difference may be because in the past, history was jotted on the basis of Abjad (arithmatcal arrangement of Arabic alphabet). In Hazrat Mahdi's (a.t.f.s.) case, the contrariety arose due to the word "Noor" (light) and "Nahr" (river), the differing handwriting of historians gave birth to such variances.25 Hence, if we read "Noor", it will be 256 and in "Nahr", it will be 255 A.H.

According to some rare quotes, his birthday has also been cited as the month of Ramadhan of 254 A.H. or 8th Sha'baan, 257 A.H.

The special characteristics of Imam-e-Zaman's (a.t.f.s.) birth gain more significance because from the time of the ninth Imam, Muhammad Taqi (a.s.), the reigning Caliphs became very sensitive on the issue of Imamat. After the martyrdom of Imam Reza (a.s.), there were uprisings by the Hashimites and other children of Imam Moosa al-Kaazim (a.s.) in different nooks and corners of Iran and other parts of the Islamic world. Splinter groups raised the banner of rebellion against the government and all were coming under one umbrella i.e.

the children of Imams (a.s.). All this led to the ruling Caliphate becoming very tense, thereby causing the disintegration of Madina as the capital of the Islamic world.

It should be known that the infallible Imams (a.s.) always strove to retain Madina as the city of their residence and never desired to abandon it. For, Madina was the focal point of travel of all Muslims and was considered to be the religious and spiritual capital of the Islamic world. Notwithstanding the transfer of the political capital of the ruling caliphate, the twin holy cities of Mecca and Madina held their own as the focus (of the Muslims). Today, we don't have any focal point like Mecca and Madina. The Shia scholars ceased to lend significance to such a centre, maybe out of grave misjudgment, or gross negligence or sheer inability of preservation.

Anyway, to the best of their ability, the Imams (a.s.) did not forsake Madina. When the Haj or Umrah pilgrims visited Madina, the Imams (a.s.) or their companions went among the pilgrims and tried to maintain contact with them. Basically, the Abbasides were cunning hypocrites and ostentatious. From this aspect, they were far ahead of the Ummayyid Caliphs and the Ottoman rulers. Their deportation of Imam Reza (a.s.) from Madina to Khorasan under the ruse of appointing him as the crown prince was a clear poof of their deceit and trickery.

After the martyrdom of Imam Reza (a.s.), they saw to it that Imam Jawad (a.s.) also was kept away from the holy city of Madina. In this instance, the apparent excuse was to get him married to the Caliph's daughter and hence, force him to reside in Baghdad.

Therefore, in the face of such trickery and machinations, a very formidable strategy was required to counter them, defeat their purpose and expose the designs of the Caliphs for the public. Thus, despite having a beautiful and learned wife (the Caliph's daughter), Imam (a.s.) married a slave girl and fathered her child, an honour not granted to the daughter of Mamoon. Of course, this was a well-executed plan to defeat Mamoon's designs and consequently, anybody who became aware of the entire scenario, realised that Imam Jawad (a.s.) did not migrate to Baghdad because of Mamoon's daughter.

In the reign of Mutawakkil or Mo'tasim Abbasi, Imam Hadi's (a.s.) entry in Madina was prevented outright. Initially, he (a.s.) was kept in Baghdad under surveillance; but when they noticed that he was coming into contact with his Shias even in Baghdad, he was shifted to Saamarra. Here too, the strict vigil of the government could not prevent him coming into contact with his followers. Finally, out of sheer desperation, the government shifted him to the military cantonment (which is called as Askar) where Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) was born and lived, and hence got the title of "Askari".

Briefly, the Caliphs with all the power at their disposal, tried their best to prove as wrong the prediction of the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) regarding the Promised One, the ninth descendant of Imam Husain (a.s.). They planned to eliminate the progeny of the Imams (a.s.) and then announce that the eighth descendant of Imam Husain (a.s.) did not bear any offspring, thereby proving the prophecies to be false and fabricated. With this purpose in mind, they attempted to impose as many controls as possible on the house and family of Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.).

One day, Mo'tamid, the Abbaside Caliph, said to Imam Askari (a.s.), "Dear cousin, I feel sorry for you. Permit me to dispatch two slave girls to your house as domestic help." Imam (a.s.) retorted, "We the progeny of Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), discharge our responsibilities ourselves. And I don't have so much work that I will need your slave girls." Despite constant pressures from the Caliph, Imam Askari (a.s.) firmly turned down his offer in order to prevent spies from entering the holy household.

Birth of Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.)

Hakeemah Khatoon, the aunt of Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) narrates the incident of Imam Mahdi's (a.t.f.s.) birth as follows: "One day, I went to Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.). He (a.s.) requested me, 'Aunt, Stay with us tonight because my successor will appear.' I asked, 'From whom?' He (a.s.) answered, 'Narjis'. I reasoned, 'But I don't see any signs of pregnancy in her!' He retorted, 'Her likeness is of the mother of Hazrat Moosa (a.s.) who did not have any signs of motherhood till the actual hour of delivery.' I and Narjis slept in one room. At midnight, I became busy in performing the midnight prayers. I said to myself, 'Dawn is near but whatever Imam Askari (a.s.) had said has not yet come to pass.' Suddenly from the next room, Imam Askari (a.s.) called out, 'Aunt! Don't be in haste.' Being ashamed (of my thought), I returned to my room. Narjis came forward to receive me, restless and shivering. I held her close to my chest and recited Surah Tauheed, Surah Qadr and Ayat al-Kursi for her. As I was reciting the above verses, the child in the womb was reading along with me. At that very moment, the room shone with light. The sight of Allah's newborn representative in prostration towards the Holy Ka'bah delighted me. I picked him up in my arms. Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) called out, 'Bring my son to me.'

I took the infant to his father. He put his tongue in his mouth and laying him in his lap, he ordered, 'Son, talk, by the permission of Allah.' At once, the infant began reciting,

'I seek refuge in Allah, the All-Hearing, and the All-Seeing from the accursed Shaitan. In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. And We intend to oblige those who have been rendered weak in the land and that We will make them the Imams and We will make them the heirs. And We will establish them in the earth and We showed Firaon and Haamaan and their armies from them what they were warned. And blessings of Allah be upon Muhammad al-Mustafa, Ali al-Murtaza, Fatema al-Zahra, al-Hasan, al- Husain, Ali Ibn Husain, Muhammad Ibn Ali, Ja'far Ibn Muhammad, Moosa Ibn Ja'far, Ali Ibn Moosa, Muhammad Ibn Ali, Ali Ibn Muhammad and, my father Hasan Ibn Ali.

Hakeemah says, 'We were surrounded by green birds'. Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) looked at one of them and cried, 'Take care of him (the new infant) till Allah grants him permission. Allah will take His affair to completion.' I enquired, 'Who is this bird and who are the other birds that are accompanying him?' He (a.s.) replied, 'He is Jibraeel and the others are the angels of divine mercy.' Thereafter, he (a.s.) said, 'Aunt! Kindly return the child to his mother so that she becomes happy and joyous. Know that Allah's Promise is true but most of the people know not.'

I returned the child to his mother. He was very clean, pure and unblemished. On his right shoulder, it was inscribed,

'Truth has come and falsehood vanished. Surely, falsehood was bound to vanish.26'

This was the incident of Imam-e-Zaman's (a.t.f.s.) birth which we have supported from the books of traditions. In the past, whenever this occurrence was narrated, some skeptics objected that all the traditions about Imam-e-Zaman Al-Kharaaej wa al-Jaraaeh, vol. 1, p. 455, 456, H-1; Hilyah al-Abraar, vol. 2, p. 536; Kashf al-Ghummah, vol. 2, p. 498. Numerous traditions have been narrated on the authority of Hakeemah Khatoon concerning the birth of Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.).

(a.t.f.s.) terminated at one woman and that the validity of a woman's narration is unacceptable because her testimony is disallowed under Islamic laws. These skeptics have not realised the fact that the tradition concerning Hazrat Mahdi's (a.t.f.s.) birth does not end at Hakeemah Khatoon. It is just the narration of the actual process of his birth that has been narrated by the mid-wife who happened to be Hakeemah Khatoon. The same applies for every newborn baby whose news is given by the mid-wife or the nurse. The question of witnesses or testimony does not arise. Moreover, traditions other than that of Hakeemah Khatoon have been narrated regarding the birth of Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.). For details, one can refer to the 51st volume of Behaar al-Anwaar and other related books on the subject.

Imam Hasan al-Askari's (a.s.) marriage to Narjis Khatoon

The story of Narjis Khatoon and her marriage to Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) has been related in the traditions thus: One day Imam Hadi (a.s.), the tenth Imam, said to one of his companions, Bishr Ibn Sulaiman, a descendant of Abu Ayyub Ansari27, "Considering the reputation and status you and your ancestors enjoy in Islam, I want to entrust a very important but confidential task to you." Thereafter, Imam Hadi (a.s.) proceeded to explain to him the details of the mission, "Go to the bridge of Baghdad and await the arrival of a man who has numerous maid-slaves with him for sale.

When he puts them up for sale, take this pouch of money and buy a maid with the following characteristics. If the maid refuses, hand over this letter to her and bring her along with you." Bishr Ibn Sulaiman proceeded to the bridge of Baghdad to implement the order of his Imam. At that moment, a man passed by with a good number of slave girls, among them being the one described by Imam Hadi (a.s.). Bishr Ibn Sulaiman went ahead and offered to buy that slave girl. The man replied, 'I give the freedom of choice to the slave girl herself if she wants to accept your offer. Go and talk to her. If she agrees, I have no objection.

Bishr Ibn Sulaiman went to the slave girl who refused the offer. On this, he handed over the letter of Imam Hadi (a.s.) to her. After reading the letter, she accepted the offer. After the amount was finalized, Bishr handed over the agreed remuneration to the seller and brought the slave girl along to Saamarra. On the way, he asked the slave girl, 'Do you recognise the owner of the letter? Because I think you are not an Arab but a Roman. Did you have any prior contact with the owner of the letter?' The girl replied, 'Had I not recognised Abu Ayyub Ansari is the same illustrious person whose house had the honour of being the first halt of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) in Madina. He and his mother gained the distinction of preceding others in being the host of Allah's Messenger (s.a.w.a.). Abu Ayyub and his sons were always the companions of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and the infallible Imams (a.s.).

him, I would not have agreed to this deal.' Bishr inquired, 'Have you seen him?' She replied, 'apparently no. But I am acquainted with him.' A perplexed Bishr asked, 'From where? How?' The girl retorted, 'Are you not among his Shias? Then, why are you asking such questions? Is he not an Imam?

Is not your recognition about Imam Hadi (a.s.) like mine?' Bishr queried, 'What is your story?' The slave girl commenced her story, 'I am the daughter of Yashooa, the Caesar of Rome28. I saw Hazrat Mariam (a.s.) in a dream and through her, I became a Muslim. In my country, I was supposed to marry my cousin. But my wedding congregation was disrupted due to which I had become slightly disgruntled. That very night, the Messenger of Islam (s.a.w.a.) and Hazrat Eesa (a.s.) appeared in my dream and I became engrossed in the thought of coming to the Islamic capital. In the same dream, I saw Imam Hadi (a.s.) that he was saying, 'In the war raging between the Muslims and your father's army, the latter will face defeat. You make use of this opportunity, line up yourself in the queue of slave girls, and come over to Baghdad. Near the bridge of Baghdad, my representative shall come to you and hand over my letter."

Books of traditions and history have narrated this incident29.

So, among the accepted facts of Imam-e-Zaman's (a.t.f.s.) life history is that his mother was a Roman slave girl, whose name was Narjis or Sosan or Reyhana, or other names. She was given different names because of the various qualities that she possessed. Even today, if a foreign girl comes to an Islamic country in marriage, she is given an Islamic name along with her previous name.

This was the story of Narjis, the mother of Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.). During the 15th Sha'baan celebrations, the orators narrate this very narration of Bishr Ibn Sulaiman in detail. As stated earlier, even the inability to prove this tradition, will not harm the basic belief of Mahdaviyyat.

In Muslim terminology and according to Muslim historians, Rome implies Asia Minor and its surrounding countries. As the Roman empire had expanded far and wide, Asia Minor too had come under its rule and hence from the 5th Century A.D., Rome was divided into East and West. The Western side was Italy, the city of Rome being its capital, while the Eastern side was Asia Minor, whose capital was Istanbul. Therefore, even after the invasion of the Saljuks and the Turks, that part of Asia Minor was called as Rome. (The Encyclopaedia of Dehkhuda-Under the word 'Rome').